Counting the Days

     Four weeks and counting. It looks like the 26th or 27th of March will be the day I return to the US. I have been told by friends here that I cannot leave because I have become a true Mexican. They reason that because I have eaten almost all of the indigenous foods and have participated in many traditional activities, I have become Mexican. I have to admit that I feel very comfortable in this culture. I find it warm, uncomplicated and relaxed. We could learn a lot these people. In a way, I am not looking forward to the culture shock as I reintegrate into the stressful, task-oriented and pressure-filled American culture.

          This past week I was privileged to visit San Mateo Las Piñas Sulfato. It was the second time I have been in the mountains this month. After riding in the back of a pickup truck for a couple of hours along some very interesting roads (??), we came to a dead end. We then walked about 30 minutes down a winding, incredibly scenic trail to a ranch. It was completely another world. We could almost have been centuries in the past. Words could never describe it.

Beyond the End of the Road

It is a coffee ranch, but there were tangerines, four kinds of banannas, guanabanas, pineapples, oranges and other fruits on the tree and ripe for the picking. I will miss the quality of the fruit VERY much. We were given a tour, fed a simple but delicious meal and otherwise treated like royalty.
The people are very hard-working but also very content with their simple lives. If the world economy ever collapses, it will not change very much for them.

Bee hive in a log

The Ranch

State-of-the-Art Kitchen

  




The remainder of the week was very fruitful as well with a different kind of fruit. I went to Santa Maria Huatulco for a combined service with venado (deer) served for lunch after the service. I didn't have to search for opportunities to minister. A couple of them showed up in the most unexpected places.

At times, one can begin to feel a bit down in the dumps about life. When I think about what we gave up to come here and about the challenges we face coming back, I wonder if we didn't just waste a year accomplishing nothing. Sometimes I find myself asking if it was all worth it. Then God touches a life through me in a way that I know it has been changed forever and the answer becomes abundantly clear. It is a resounding "Yes!"

'Nuff said without revealing people's deeply private issues, but this has been such a week times over. Unplanned and unexpected opportunities to witness, counsel and encourage seemed to be around every corner. I have been blessed beyond expectations.

The Church

This has not been a week without its share of adventure. I preached four times in 8 days without a translator. It is a bit difficult because I have to read most of the message. It eliminates the freedom to move with the Spirit. It is humbling, but it makes me realize that it does not depend on my abilities or proficiencies. I trust that God is communicateing through my lousy Spanish. One of the times however, I went off script and was able to expound in Spanish with little difficulty. It just flowed.

I had the opportunity to share in a very remote village on Thursday. During the entire message I kept thinking that the message was specifically for one certain man in the congregation. After the service, I spoke with him. The message had spoken directly to his life. It was a divine appointment.

The trip to this village took 2 ½ hours along the worst road I have ever been on. It was mostly one lane of ruts and holes with a wall of mountain on one side and an abyss on the other. There was not more than 50 feet of straight or level path except for a long bridge across the Copalita River. The scenery was beyond description.

One day, I went with a friend and his family to picnic at the Copalita river near where it enters the Pacific Ocean. Unlike Illinois rivers, the water was crystal clear. It was a very enjoyable day. I also went fishing again.

Rio Copalita

As has been the routine lately, I had several meals with different friends. I am not complaining, but I am eating more than I should be. Maybe by the time it is over, I’ll be tired of Oaxaca-style food and crave a Culver’s Butter Burger or a Chicago Dog or a gyros plate with lots of onions or…..?? On the other hand, maybe I can find a restaurant up there that serves iguana. NOTE: As I wrote this paragraph, we just had our third earthquake in less than 16 hours. It was just a sudden loud boom and a few seconds of shaking. No damage. Just a couple of skipped heartbeats. Cool!!!!

Stretching the net

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from whence shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord Who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1,2

Torn Between the Two

It is difficult living in two worlds. On the one hand, I am excited about coming home. I miss many people there, especially my wife, children, grandchildren and other family. With three more grandbabies, two girls and a?, soon to enter the world, I can hardly wait. I miss my friends who were an important part of my life. I miss the Stateline area. I am excited to be returning.

It is also exciting because in doing so; we face some formidable and difficult challenges. At this moment, nothing is settled, set up or in place. The target date for leaving here looks like the end of March. That is only about six weeks. I am excited because there is a certainty and expectancy in me for how God is going to overcome and bring success to the situation. There will be a great testimony.

On the other hand, I am very excited about what has been happening here. My “American-ness” has opened many doors to share a message I strongly believe is the key to a great move of God at least here in Mexico. Being white attaches an instant credibility and acceptance. How wise can it be to invite someone to preach in your church that you hardly know? It is really unwise, but it is what it is.

For me it is an almost terrifying experience not because I am afraid to speak or lack sufficient Spanish, but because of the immense responsibility it entails. The thing I never want to do is mislead or misdirect even a single person. Within less than a week, I will have spoken in three different churches. I hope that I am not being disobedient by purposely being shy about exposing myself to more opportunities.  

In addition, the warmth and generosity of the people who have become a part of my life here will be deeply missed. It is impossible to describe it to you in a way that you could understand within the context of the American culture. I am very sad to be leaving. However, it will have been one of the most exceptional years of my life.

All in all this past week was filled with activity. I’m a little tired and over-stuffed with food but otherwise good. The next three days are planned to be busy ones. I do have to say that I may never want to eat fish again once I return. It is not that I have eaten too much. To the contrary, after eating fish so fresh that it is cooked and on your plate less than an hour since it was swimming in the ocean will be tough to match.

Already February.

Main Street

Last week I was invited to go to a rural village called El Faísan for church services with a group from a small congregation that meets not too far from my apartment. The pastor, Memo, operates a hand car wash during the day and holds services there on Tuesday and Saturday nights. The trip to El Faísan was by taxi. There were nine of us including the driver in a four-passenger cab.

            The meeting turned out to be a combined service of seven or eight different churches. Each of the pastors was introduced and so was I. I only had to stand up and give my name and tell where I was from. Whew!! However, a little while later, I was unexpectedly called out and asked to share. Can you say invisibility cloak?  There I was standing in front of a packed house with a microphone in my hand, all eyes fixed on me without a clue what to say. Here is an example of being ready in season and out. I opened my mouth and Spanish, such as it was, came out. I actually delivered a decent short message.

            Being Anglo puts certain expectations on a person. The first is that we are wealthy. By the standards of most of the population, we truly are. The second is that we have all of the answers. These factors cause nearly everyone to want to be your friend. It explains why I’ve been asked  to speak by pastors I’ve only just met. Where in the world would a pastor invite a visitor he has never met to preach next week’s message? Apparently here.

It is a burden and a heavy responsibility, but it is also a great opportunity to share the Gospel message. I want to use every opportunity in whatever time I have left here. I have to say that it is difficult to walk away from what looks like so many open doors.

Lunch was served after the 2 ½-hour service. We were offered a choice between chicken and iguana. You know what I chose. You can get chicken anywhere. It was served in mole rojo (red spicy gravy) with frijoles, rice and tortillas. It was delicious! The only problem with iguana is that there are lots of tiny bones to deal with.

On Friday evening, I went fishing again with my friend and brother Manólo. This time we attached the beginning of the net to the navigation buoy that marks the entrance to the Marina and went out from there. I have never been that far from shore without a boat. As we finished stretching the net, a very large yacht left the harbor. I felt like Tom Hanks in Castaway when he got rescued. After the nets were collected a couple of hours later, we went to his house where his wife cooked some of the catch for dinner. You can’t get fish any fresher than that.

I am very blessed to have friends here who are looking out for my well-being. If anything, I am getting too much to eat. The existing classes are going well. I really enjoy them.  It has been the greatest way to get to know people and  let them get to know me. I wish that I could respond positively to requests from others. I am attending at four different churches as often as possible.  This is also a great way to make connections.  

Las Bahias de Huatulco from the path to Monte de Dios