Thing Are Going Swimming-ly

On the way to church Thursday night it started to rain. No problem. I always carry an umbrella. Well, it rained so hard that in the short mile or so trip, even the underside of that umbrella was soaked. Needless to say, so was I. The only things not wet were my Bible, my notebook and the sermon I had prepared. (I think there's a message there.) It was actually nice to be dripping rain water instead of sweat. It has been so humid that we are able to go swimming without having to go to the beach.

I didn't get to preach even though I was prepared. The pastors wife delivered the message. I was astounded by how well it dovetailed with the messages I have delivered there so far. It actually fit nicely between those and the one I had ready, which I will deliver next week. The people here have a fervent devotion to God. I am excited that the Holy Spirit is opening their spiritual eyes to God's unconditional grace and love for them. I can see a huge potential for an historic move of God among the Mexican people.

We started the English class at the hotel workers union hall. It was set up to be a once per week class, but the students asked if we could come two times per week. It looks like we're starting with 5-7 students. All are eager to learn. After much searching, we found a textbook which we are busily transcribing and adapting to suit our needs. We are both getting a lot of computer time on the project. Donna transcribes and I adapt. Teamwork is sweet.

I was able to attend a missions conference this week in Santa Maria Huatulco a town about 40 minutes away. It was scheduled to start at 4 PM. The actual start time was about 5:30. Of course, the end time sailed way past the scheduled time as well. By the time it ended, the busses were no longer running. The only option was to take a collectivo (shared) cab. About two blocks after getting in the cab, we pulled into a tire repair shop. Soon a young boy, who appeared to be about 13 years old, began attempting to insert a plug into one of the front tires. It kept popping out. On the 4th or 5th try it finally stuck. It was a little unnerving since we were about to travel on the coastal highway which consists of continuous curves and hills with solid rock on one side and a cliff on the other. They don't use guardrails here either. We prayed. God answered.

The longer we are here, the more we appreciate so many aspects of life in the USA that we took for granted.

Hot and Humid with Rain!!

     From what we see in the news, you certainly are enjoying (?)some interesting weather. We are mostly in the high 80's to low 90's with 70%-80% humidity. The "feels like" temp is around 95 to 100. In between the rain it is bright and sunny. Our nights are dipping into the 70's, although the cooler temp drives the humidity right into the sheets and clothing.

     Our wash takes 2 days to dry on the line unless the sun is out. We are thankful that the thrift stores were so well stocked with clothing while we were home. One surprise was all of the potholes in the streets from the rain. They make Rockford look like new pavement by comparison. Another reason we're glad we don't have a car.

     It has been three weeks since we returned and we are getting back into the swing of things. We enjoyed the luxury of two great weeks with daughter Angela doing the beach and a few other touristy things. It was great to have the excuse to visit some of the local attractions. Thanks Ang!

     The entire experience of returning to the States for a month and then coming back here has been a very interesting one. Traversing cultures like we did can be a very traumatic yet revealing journey. One could say that it is a little like being the ball in a Chinese table tennis tournament. I'm not yet sure how to process all of it. I can say that values are tested, motives are exposed and attitudes have no place to hide as coping mechanisms and hiding places are stripped away. It is painful yet rewarding as it brings into clearer focus the immeasurability of God's love for us in spite of our weaknesses and our (my) need of Him.

     While in town a couple of days ago, we encountered a man named "Jose". Donna had started a conversation with him which came around to God because of a shirt he was wearing. It seems he had attended church when he lived in the USA, but no longer goes because he feels that the life he is living is not good enough to be acceptable to God. We were able to minister God's perfect love and explained that guilt and shame are the devil's two most effective weapons used to keep people from connecting with God. He received the message and seemed encouraged.

     This is a huge issue here. The expectation is that perfection is required for acceptance by God. If that were the case, I would most certainly be out of luck. We are finding that people are very interested that God knows everything about them and still loves them. We are blessed to be able to share the message of grace regularly in one of the small mission churches as well as with some of the individuals we know.

     All of our regular English classes are up and running. The hotel workers union classes are beginning this week. This seems to be getting us a lot of exposure leading to recognition and acceptance. We really enjoy getting to know people and teaching English accelerates the Spanish learning process.   

    

    

Back in Huatulco

     We arrived safely back home to Huatulco after a very enjoyable visit with so many special folks, both family and friends. In spite of the fact that the entire trip was spiced with problems and a couple of disappointments, the good far outweighed the bad. A huge thank you for all of the generous hospitality and warm greetings. Many personal and spiritual insights were gained through the experience. I plan to share a little on those at a later time.

     The trip back home was an adventure. Our transportation arrangements to the airport disintegrated at the last minute. Thank you God for teaching us to be flexible. It was a logistical miracle since we had six 50 lb. suitcases, three heavy carry-on bags and three "computer" bags. I'm thanking the inventor of wheels. My carry-on got a little lighter thanks to the TSA. A large jar of peanut butter was taken. Apparently it is a paste and therefore not allowed, even though it was sealed. Also, my BioFreez and some freezer pops were lost to security. My bad! Should have known better on those.

     When we arrived at Huatulco, we breezed through Customs only to find that our ride home did not show. Since the airport closes after everyone is processed, we wound up having to take a cab. I still don't know how that guy got all of that stuff plus us into that little vehicle. We were happy to find the house exactly as we left it. No insects or other creatures had taken up residence. This was especially surprising in view of our past experiences and the fact that it had rained for the last six days including three solid day and night downpours thanks to tropical storm Arlene.(?) The humidity was beyond humid. All we wanted to do was shower and get to bed. Final insult? NO WATER!! In the morning I discovered that someone had closed the rooftop valve.

     It is a little cooler now but a lot more humid. The cloudiness (relatively speaking) is giving a partial reprieve from the fierce sunshine. It is also very green here now. We have been enjoying doing fun things with daughter Angela. We went to see crocodiles in the wild on a river as well as to the Mazunte Sea Turtle sanctuary. At the Iguana Sanctuary, I got to be in a cage with over 300 iguanas of various sizes. Donna and Angela opted to stay outside.

     We have also been reconnecting with people here. It has been so very rewarding to receive such warm welcomes. God has blessed us more than I could describe. We've resumed about half of our regular English classes. The others will resume next week and we'll be starting with the local hotel workers syndicate (union) soon.

     On a business note, we have received a couple of donations. We are very thankful for them as we are very much in need of financial support. However, we do not know who sent them. We feel very strongly that prompt and proper acknowledgments should be given. We apologize.

    We ask that you consider helping to support our work here. Information about how to do so is written in the panel to the left of the body of this post. If you do, please email us to let us know. We don't want you to think that we are ungrateful.