2011 Ends in Huatulco

Somebody help me. I’m going to get fat! I have lost count of how many times I have been invited to share a meal with someone since Donna left two weeks ago. I’m not complaining because I love the fellowship, but I am forgetting what hunger feels like. I really like the food, but full has become the new normal.

          This past week seemed to just fly by. I had numerous “unplanned” opportunities to share the Gospel, answer questions, and otherwise engage people. I use a method I call “planned spontaneity.” I didn’t invent it, but I have found it to be a very effective way to work. Obviously, planning something and being spontaneous are opposites. The idea is to plan to be alert for opportunities to react spontaneously to open doors. I used to use it as a leadership tool. It is very effective. You just need to train yourself to be expectant and ready to react. This past week was very fruitful.

          The past two weeks have seen the town be very busy with tourists. Mexicans seem to have different vacation customs. They vacation as an extended family. You will often see the grand parents, parents, children of all ages and sometimes aunts and uncles and cousins together. They travel in packs. Or should I say parades. (herds?) A typical group will be walking in town in the evening led by or followed by a very cranky looking dad. (Maybe because he’s paying). The women are talking and usually holding hands as the children run to and fro. The teenagers (if there is more than one) stay just far enough apart from the group so as not to seem to be associated with them. It is interesting to watch. I was too busy to set aside any beach time this week. I would not have enjoyed it anyway because they are beyond crowded.

          I did discover why you are having warmer weather up there right now. One evening I met Jack Frost and his wife Jane. They are vacationing here for the holidays. He is looking forward to returning to work. He said something about having a lot of catching up to do. The weather is very nice here, but it is getting very chilly at night. It has been getting down into the 60’s. Jack?

          I spend New Years Eve in church. I was supposed to preach and I had prepared a nice short message on thanksgiving which I was going to deliver without a translator. I haven’t done that yet. The focus of the evening was to be the meal and fellowship. A pastor friend of Pastor Solomón from the City of Oaxaca showed up unexpectedly and Solomón offered to let him share. Ninety (90) lon-n-ng minutes later, he finished his message. Sadly, most of the people left before the meal because it had gotten so late. This is a custom I call preaching the 3 R’s- Rambling, Ranting and Repeating. It is often delivered without any notes which might restrict the speaker to a more focused message. I fear that it turns more people off to God than it helps.