Home for a Visit

Donna, the great organizer that she is, had this whole visit (28 days) scheduled almost to the minute. After an uncomfortable, cramped 5-hour plane trip and 3 cold hours at O'Hare waiting for the first bus to Rockford, we were warmly greeted by daughter Angela. The rigors of the trip and 27+ hours without sleep (minus two short naps) were soon overcome by the effects of the amazing time we experienced with our friends and family at the morning service at Rockford First. Thank you everyone.

One of the many trip highlights was to be an Amtrak train trip to Montana to visit son Ben and daughter-in-law Kehau. But alas, the flooding in the north is blocking the tracks and all trains are cancelled for now. It is a big disappointment to say the least. More thwarted plans! We've gotten quite used to this mode in Mexico. There we excitedly anticipate what God is going to do instead. At times it is like whitewater rafting without a boat or a paddle. It is exciting. Somehow, back here, we are finding it more difficult to take it in stride. We are having to remind ourselves that God has another purpose and use for our time. As yet, it remains to be revealed.  

Another seemingly major hurdle thrown is our path is the loss of my passport. Someone apparently lifted my computer bag (minus the computer) from the car. No great loss except that it contained my passport. In order to get it replaced right away, I cannot report it until two weeks before leaving. Then I have to keep an as yet unscheduled appointment in Chicago and wait an uspecified amount of time for the replacement. I put a sign in the driveway offering a no questions $50 reward for its return. That is a lot less than the $195 fees plus travel time and expense to get the new one. Again, GOD HAS A PLAN.

We have already spent some great time with family and friends and we are looking forward to more great connections. Maybe we'll get to do some garage sales this weekend. Meanwhile, we are enjoying the cooler weather here.

Playin' for All the Bolis

Last evening we visited with some friends who live in a large apartment complex. We were relaxing, talking and enjoying watching the neighborhood kids play a vigorous game of kickball in the parking lot between the buildings. It brought to mind our childhood when the whole neighborhood played games after dark while the parents visited.


Kids being what they are ( I mean my friend Juan and I) we challenged them to a game, adults against the kids. The stakes? The losers buy bolis for the winners. They accepted with more than enthusiasm. Bolis are a frozen concoction in a bag (bolsa) about the size and shape of a pushup. They are made with milk, sugar, fruit and spices. They are really easy to make and quite delicious. A family in the neighborhood makes and sells them for 5 pesos each.


Donna, Juan's wife Norma and another lady joined the fray. A couple of Juan's young boys rounded out our team. After the coin toss, the game was on. After about 30 minutes of kicking, running, dodging the ball and laughing hilariously, not to mention the heat and humidity, our team emerged victorious, 14 to 5.


While in our minds we may feel like kids, and for a few moments we were, our bodies are telling us something altogether different. Can you say sore? Even so, we wouldn't change it if we could. We are really blessed by the relationships here and we are torn because of family and friends back home. We are looking so forward to our visit and yet missing it here already.

Coming Home for a Visit

One week from today we'll be back in Illinois for a visit. We'll be in the States for just short of a month, but we'll be on the move constantly. Our flight arrives at O'Hare in the early AM Sunday morning so we'll be napping on the couches there until the first bus departs for Rockford. The plan is to make it to the 10 AM service at Rockford First. We might be a little travel-weary, but we're anxious to see everyone none the less. From there we'll be doing Poplar Grove, Big Sandy, Montana, Elgin, Lake Zurich, Rockford, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, McHenry, Woodstock and Nashville, Tennessee.


We've only been here in Huatulco for three months, but it feels like a lot longer. We have made many friends. We have to say that even though we miss the folks at home and we are really anxious to see you all, we are already missing things (the people) here. We look forward to the many regular visits, English classes and church services we attend. We are now doing English two times per week at the Red Cross. The doctor, nurse, dentist, lab tech and two paramedics are in regular attendance. Bernardo, the cab driver who comes to our house twice a week is becoming a good friend. He is really special. This morning we recieved many sincere sentiments from our friends at the Sunday morning church. It was almost sad. We will especially miss Art and Betty our special Christian friends. They have been such an encouragement.


Exciting things are happening. Last week, Pastor Damian, the missionary, asked me to preach the services at his Huatulco mission church on Thursday and Sunday nights. He has gotten so busy (TOO BUSY) that he is not able to cover everything and sleep too. I am praying about how to talk to him about not being so busy that he isn't any good to anyone. I sure don't want to contribute to his downfall by freeing up time so he can fill it with something else. 


Last Thursday was my first time in his pulpit. I was a little nervous speaking in Spanish to a non-English speaking group of about 20 people. I had been able to use Google Translate to put the message into Spanish and I had the help of a young fellow with translation. It was a simple message about God's unconditional love from the perspective of His perfect foreknoweldge. All in all, it seemed to go pretty well. Donna said they were all on the edge of their seats. I'm not sure if that was because the message was so good, my Spanish was so bad or because of the novelty of a "Gringo" preacher. I know they liked that I only spoke for about 30 minutes instead of the usual hour plus they are used to. Tonight (Sunday) is my second night. We'll see how many show up. It is really a stretch for me, but God has given me a sense of peace and confidence in the fact that it is all on Him and not on me.

We've had only a couple of good rains so far this season. When it rains here, it doesn't just rain, IT RAINS!!! In a matter of a couple of days everything turned green. It is beautiful. Everyone says it will get cooler soon. We hope so. The humidity is really oppressive. We are looking forward to the cold (under 90 degrees) weather back in the States.

Spiders and Snakes

    
It seems as if our time here so far has been one surprise after the other. This week was the top. Along about last Tuesday we experienced our first rainfall of the season. It was quite a storm. Lightning struck so close to us that the charged air made our hair (my arms) stand up. Instead of thunder, we heard a firecracker-like snap. The heavy rainfall surfaced all sorts of creatures we hadn't yet seen. The largest tarantula I've ever seen appeared near our front door. Smaller ones were in the back.


     The biggest shock came Saturday night as we were welcoming our friends for dinner.  We were just making introductions and getting settled when a 3' plus snake appeared in our midst. Needless to say, the ladies departed the area in haste. With the help of the other two guys, we coralled the thing and took it a few blocks away. There was disagreement as to whether it was dangerous or harmless. The consensus was venomous.

     Afterwards, the discussion turned to speculation about the reason for the snake's entrance into our gathering.  Our guests appeared to take the topic rather seriously. It seems that there is a belief (superstition?) that the snake is a sign that "someone" is opposed to the gathering and to the unity that it represents. I am not a superstitious person, but neither will I scoff at the beliefs of others. In this case, there is no doubt that there is an enemy in opposition to our activities. However, we stand firm on the promise that no weapon formed against us will prosper.

     Donna was/is a little unnerved by all of this and is wondering what will appear next. We are determined to learn from Peter to keep our eyes off the storm that rages around us and to keep our eyes on the One who enables us to walk on water. 

     The rain produced a couple of days of relief from the heat, but it returned with force on Saturday. We are learning to enjoy two or three cold showers per day. We are continuing to keep moving and to see God move in people we meet. Some pretty neat things are happening. We are looking forward to seeing friends and family in June.

     There is nothing like swimming in the giant aquarium called the Pacific Ocean to give you a better perspective on your own significance in the grand scheme of things. The Pacific covers 63.8 million square miles, is 12,000 miles across and 35,800' deep. The power in a single wave crashing to shore can knock you off your feet. Yet God commanded, "Thus far you shall come, but no farther. And here shall your proud waves stop." (Job 38:11). The variety of sealife boggles the imagination. Psalm 104:25 says, "There is the sea, great and broad, in which are swarms without number, animals both small and great."(NASB). The little slideshow to the left represents a tiny portion of them from about a few square yards of ocean. You can get a better look on the separate posting.    
          One of my main pathways into the presence of God is nature. When I am able to be still and observe the environment around me, I can be overwhelmed by the magnitude of His being and His creativity. When I consider myself and my individual importance on just the planetary scale, it is easy to see how inadequate I am by comparison. Being here, in an unfamiliar culture and away from the support structures and security blankets of "home", the impact is even greater. I thank God that our adequacy is in Him and that His power works through our weakness(es). We are blessed to see this principle played here out almost on a daily basis.     

     This week, we spent a day with our neighbors and friends Antonio (Tony) and Maria at one of the more distant beaches swimming/snorkeling, eating and fellowshipping. At the end of the day, Tony negotiated a very low price for us to ride home on one of the large tour boats. The one-hour ride was less expensive than the bus/cab and immensely more enjoyable. Donna got to drive the boat for a while. We saw dolphins alongside the boat for a bit.     

     Also this week we started Engish classes at the Red Cross. The doctor, the nurse, three paramedics and a volunteer were in the class. They asked us if we could come more than once a week. We will be doing Tuesdays and Thursdays. They are anxious to learn because many of the "gringos" returning in October don't bother to learn Spanish.     

     A new friend, Juan T. invited us to the Mother's Day (Tuesday) celebration at the school. Afterwards, he and I cooked dinner for Donna and his wife Norma. They seem to be a very sweet couple. We will enjoy their frienship. We have offered to help their son with his English.     

     We are still dealing with some oppressive heat. The soon coming rain will cool it down. Today was mostly overcast but very humid. It only got down to 88 degrees last night. We are looking forward to being in the States for most of June for family visits and Angela's graduation from Focus One (Thank you Rockford First!!!) We'll be in Rockford, Elgin, Lake Zurich, Tennessee and Montana.

Undersea Photos

AND THE HEAT GOES ON

     For all of you who might still envy us because we are in this warm place, don't. We could sure use some cool Spring weather. We are thankful for the breeze that blows during most of the day. We are especialy thankful for a secure house with window screens, fans and an air conditioned bedroom. When the rains begin, it will cool down a lot according to our local friends.  We are amazed by the local police who patrol by two's on a single 250cc-size motorbike in dark blue uniforms with long sleeves and pants plus full-face black helmets. Then there is the guy who is building the second floor on the house next door. He is mixing mortar with a shovel, hauling it up to the roof and laying the bricks while wearing a hoody under a long sleeve shirt and long pants, all in the full sun.We are still out and about with the help of three showers per day.      

     This week we visited the Cruz Roja (the Mexican Red Cross). We had a great meeting with Harriet, the lady who runs it. We'll be teaching English to the paramedics beginning Thursday. It is an amazing organization operating on a dirty, broken shoestring budget. Their equipment is mostly antiquated pieces scavenged wherever they can find it. Funding is almost entirely donations so they are always short. Much of the workforce is volunteer. We plan to help where we are able. We talked about the possibility of missions teams coming for things like building repairs, cleaning, painting and possibly even medical outreaches to the community.     

      Activities like this are great relationship building opportunities. We were amazed by the number of people Harriet mentioned whom we have already begun to connect with. I wish I could claim to have strategized this. However, it is all by chance as far as our input is concerned. It is obvious to us that God has a plan and a purpose for us here. We are excited to watch it unfold. The best strategy we can follow is Proverbs 3:5-6 (paraphrased) Trust God, not your own ideas. Acknowledge Him by being obedient in EVERY aspect of your life and He will move your feet along the path He has chosen.

CAN YOU SAY HOT??

EVERY day is HOT and sunny. The last couple of days have been positively oppressive. It gets down to 83F at night. We aren't complaining, but it sure sucks the physical energy out of you. This is another reason many activites take place at night.

There is another type of heat here as well. It is amazing how glaringly obvious your own shortcomings (read sin) become in the light of a radically different culture. Isaiah 48:10 says, "Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction." As we continue to weave ourselves into the community here, the stark contrast between cultures brings attitudes and motives to the surface that were somehow camoflaged before. The Word has a newly sharpened edge. It is painful but, at the same time, awesome to realize that God already saw all of it and more and it is already covered. He is doing His purifying work.

One of the cultural grinding stones we've begun to adapt to is the apparent lack of committment keeping. Nothing in terms of appointments or schedules is ever set in stone here. More like Jello. Firm committments, although expressed, rarely exist. A person may call at or after the appointed time to cancel or may not show up at all. Times are very flexible. Thirty to forty-five minutes after the time is not late. We went to the 1st Baptist church for the 7PM Tuesday service. Arriving at a minute to 7, we found someone mopping the floor. The pastor showed up at 7:15. Service started at about 7:30 as people continued to arrive. This is the rule rather than the exception. No one seems to mind.


We are learning to make a plan then jump in the river and go with the flow. It's a little like whitewater rafting without a paddle sometimes. It really cuts across my grain, but we are learning to trust God and to be excited about what is around the next bend. I'm not sure how well this would work in the US, but it sure works here. Most of the connections we've made and opportunities we've had resulted from a richochet off of a derailed plan or unmet expectation.

We now have two taxi drivers coming to the house for English classes. We go weekly to three other houses to teach plus the childrens' class at one of the small churches. Including the numerous businessmen we visit regularly plus neighbors, everyone knows that we are Christians. We are planting seeds. The door opened with the young couple next door and with one of the taxi drivers to make a clear Gospel presentation. Please continue to pray that God would draw everyone we meet to Jesus.   

SEMANA SANTA (Holy Week)

We pray that your Easter was filled with blessing as you celebrated the resurrection of our Lord and Savior. This week and next are one of the major religious/vacation holidays in Mexico. We were told that virtually everyone heads for the beach. Two million visitors are predicted for Huatulco. All this week we have been seeing vehicles of every kind crammed beyond capacity with people and piled high with luggage coming into town. The town is crowded with people and the streets are clogged with vehicles. The beaches are packed. I am reminded of Taste of Chicago. Except for the shopkeepers we know, we have seen very few locals other than in church. Everyone is working long hours to serve the visitors.

We stopped by the house of Nelson and his mom, Dominga. We learned that they didn't come for the English class last week because Nedero (dad) was stricken suddenly with severe headaches and had to be taken to Oaxaca City for treatment. Nelson (18) is handling the fishing boat solo and working very long hours. Dominga allowed us to lay hands on her and pray for her husband. The people here are not accustomed to that. Please pray that God would work attesting miracles through us as we step out in this manner. We are careful to not offend cultural and religious tradition, but we are not afraid to move in faith when we see the opportunity.

Since next week will be more of the same tourist-wise, we will be making a lot of quick visits with people and circulating in the non-tourist areas. English classes are on hold until after next week except for Bernardo, the cab driver who comes to our house on Monday mornings. Otherwise, we look forward to the surprises we will experience.  

What Do You Expect?

     Have you ever expected something to happen or someone to do something and been disappointed? Since we arrived, we have experienced a number of unmet expectations. This week was no exception. Nelson and Dominga didn't show for their English lesson and Damian left early without us for the children's festival in spite of several confirmations. We could easily justify being discouraged. However, God has been teaching us to be flexible and to let Him lead. He is showing us that He is in control and that He has a much better plan that is beyond our ability to imagine or control. Realizing that fact puts huge holes in the stress bucket. Instead of expectations, we are learning to have excited anticipation for what God is going to do next. Instead of figuring out what we should be doing, we are looking at what He has done as we keep moving.               
Because we "missed" the festival, we got to spend the day building our relationship with a wonderful couple we have come to know. That led to our being invited to a quinceanera party with about 200 people. It is a 15 year old's coming out party, a very important event for a Mexican girl. They didn't have a photographer. I was able to offer my services. I would never have expected to do a photo shoot here. They were so thankful to have a record of the event. It remains to be seen how many doors that will open.     
I read a really good blog this week about all of the Jewish Messianic expectations that Jesus didn't meet. God certainly had a better plan. We have learned so much in seven short weeks that we are wondering if God brought us here just to reveal Himself more fully to us.    
This week we were able to speak to very many people. I even got to share my testimony with a couple from one of the cruise ships. We also got to share a clear presentation of the Gospel with a small group of young girls who are the private students of a Mexican English teacher. They were deeply touched (tears) and asked many good questions.
We are now into the major holiday Holy Week. The prediction is that as many as 2 million people will visit here over the next two weeks. Last night, the downtown was crammed with people. We saw only one person we knew. The locals advised us to "stock up on food and stay home". I doubt we will stay home.

EARTHQUAKE!!!!!

Last Thursday at about 8:15 AM, with a thunderous rumble, the house began to shake. For about 30 seconds the doors, windows and just about everything else rattled and shook. It was only a 6.5 centered in Veracruz hundreds of miles away, nothing compared to Japan and some other recent quakes. However, it was quite unsettling to realize that your whole world is shaking and there is nothing you can do about it.

The Bible tells us that someday everything that can be shaken will be shaken and there will be nowhere to hide. What a day that will be as God does His best to wake the world from sleep to turn to Him  Thankfully, God promises that the righteous will never be shaken. (Proverbs 10:30)  I thank Him that I am among the righteous because of His free gift through His payment for my unrighteousness on the cross.

We are continuing to meet new people and to grow relationships. We had our first English class in the home of Nedero the fisherman with his wife Dominga and son Nelson. We also  tutored Diego (16) and Beatie (17) in their home above the copy shop their mother runs.

Last Friday night we were on our usual street-side bench in the zocolo. We were feeling a bit low over what were were feeling is slow progress. We prayed and God answered us by sending past people we have connected to.  For a while we felt like celebrities as they honked and/or waved as they recognized us. We had to repent as we recounted the number of people we have come to know and love in six short weeks.

The majority of "gringos" have gone or will be leaving shortly to go home for the summer.  We had to adjust our strategy accordingly. We are seeing God's wisdom in this as we will be able to cultivate and solidify relationships with the locals as well as to get really familiar with the area and entrenched in the fabric. We are also getting to know more and more of the local pastors. Last Monday we attended the local pastors' accociation meeting.  We'll be spending a lot of time in church this summer. Pray for our language learning.

Deep Waters

Playa Chahue

     There is a very beautiful beach here named Playa Chahue (cha-way). It is not safe for swimming because there is a strong undertow. It is advisable to not even enter the water or you could quickly find yourself over your head. As we move into the water of ministry, we are finding ourselves being carried into deeper and deeper water way beyond our comfort zone. To say that we are over our heads would be a gross understatement. Our Spanish is still barely functional, yet we are inviting people to our place and being invited to theirs. We are spending a great deal of time cultivating relationships. God is being so faithful that we find ourselves looking for new ways to be stretched.
     Yesterday we attended two different churches for a total of about 5-1/2 hours. The norm for worship time is 1 hour or more and the typical sermon is about 1 hour 30 minutes. Add to that an altar call with lots of prayer time mixed throughout and you have the makings of a church service. Our poor Spanish ability makes it an even more interesting experience. We are attending regularly at 3 different churches. Although we aren't getting much personally out of it, it is important for relationship building. Today we attended the local pastors' association meeting. Again a stretch, but we are getting involved with their activities.           We are ministering to 3 different families through teaching English plus two additional men in need of discipleship. We are also teaching the English class which has grown to about 8 students. Needless to say, we are keeping very busy. We had to make a calendar so as not to double book our time. We did reserve a full day per week for a Sabbath rest, but we are enjoying what we are doing so very much, that we'll have to discipline ourselves to keep it.