December 1, 2008

Dear Friends,

Greetings once again from Frijolillo! The choirs are practicing. I have dug out my Christmas music. And the weather is cooling. It must be Christmas time! Today I am also celebrating the beginning of my third year in the Huastecas. Of course I am assuming Mexican immigration authorities have approved renewal of my resident visa (I should be able to confirm that tomorrow).

In devotional time with the Lord this week I have been wrestling with how quickly I went from a rest-filled year one to a too-busy year two. Though I have been quick to explain that all my activity has not necessarily meant a frenetic lifestyle, the reality is that I have been stretched too far, and my relationships, particularly my conversation time alone with the Lord, has taken the hit. The Lord and I are committed to making year three a healthier balance between reflection, relationships, and activity.

One of the hardest things for me has been maintaining relational routines on the road. I spend so much of my time in different locales, and though I feel at home in most of them, I have allowed expectations and perceived expectations to dictate my routines while away from Frijolillo. I am learning each day to find my true “home” in Christ and in Christ alone but have trouble keeping Him present when surrounded by others. I appreciate your prayers in this respect.

And my prayer is that this Christmas and in the New Year we may all grow more at home in Christ alone, as we live that life in the midst of a world that is ever more violent, ever more uncertain, and in desperate need of the love, power, and grace Christ alone can bring.

Missionary retreat

Standing on the rim, Looking down into an active volcano in Managua.

I made it to Mexico City, enjoying conversation with our four Bible school students there and spent time with missionary colleagues in Cuernavaca before we headed to Nicaragua for a PC(USA) mission personnel retreat. And yes, I did receive the special permit needed from Mexican immigration to leave the country while my visa was being renewed. The retreat was an enjoyable respite with colleagues, though a bit overly scheduled. Highlights included watching and hearing the monkeys holler through the night, walking up to the edge of a real, live volcano, and learning about the political, social and religious context in which my colleagues in Central America live and minister, so very different than my own in Mexico. I am particularly grateful that the bus rides to and from Mexico City were nausea-free. Thank you for your prayers! God is helping my body adjust. Praise Him for it!

Five of us standing on the Tropic of Cancer.

Two days after my return from Mexico City and Nicaragua, Pastor Abel, Pastor Jorge and his wife Rebeca, Sister Raquel, and I traveled to Castaños, Coahuila, for the “roof-raising” of our sister church, El Buen Pastor. Unfortunately the roof was not poured while we were there, but we enjoyed wonderful fellowship in the Lord and a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner prepared by members of partner churches in San Antonio, Texas, and Sapulpa, Oklahoma. During our trip home we took this photo of ourselves at the “Tropic of Cancer” between Victoria and Mante, Tamaulipas. What a team!

This month

This week we have Bible Institute classes in Chapulhuacanito, so I will be headed there Tuesday morning. I am now also teaching “Introduction to the Bible” because Pastor Gaudencio is busy caring for his 108-year-old father who two weeks ago broke his hip. This week, my history students will take an exam over the Protestant Reformation and begin study of the last 500 years of church history. My Bible student and I will study the general letters (Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1-3 John, and Jude) and Revelation. All in just two hours of instruction!

This Saturday I will do a second workshop with the sisters from the Taxicho church, walking them through the process of drawing up a “work plan” or calendar of activities for 2009 and studying the responsibilities of each of the four “ministries” charged with the organization’s outreach.

I will go to Chapulhuacanito on Sunday to participate in the church’s celebration of Sister Raquel’s birthday and then stay the night there since she and I have another training obligation in Tezapotla early next Monday morning.

The rest of next week will find me in Chancuetlán, walking the women there through ministry planning for 2009, doing one-on-one training with leaders, and then guiding them through their first business meeting.

I will have one “glorious” week in Frijolillo before hitting the road in celebration of Christmas. As you will remember, our festivities last 10 days here, since congregations arrange services around pastors’ schedules. My obligations are few (preach in Domingo Zapollo on the 20th, preach in Rancho Nuevo on the 21st, and organize participations (poems and songs) by the children in La Laguna (14th, 21st, and 22nd for worship on the 23rd), but I will also attend services in Macuilocatl, Chapulhuacanito, Barco, Tezapotla, and Octlamecayo before enjoying a few days of rest in Frijolillo and New Year’s Eve there.

Joys and gratitudes

God is really doing a work in raising up the leadership of the Frijolillo church. At 6:00 a.m. every day, Monday through Saturday, three to four leaders gather in the sanctuary for prayer. They have worship together (which includes biblical leadership teaching) each Friday evening. And for the past month they have maintained a heavy visitation schedule praying over the sick, offering messages of hope to the discouraged, and presenting the gospel to men who have walked along the margins of faith for far too long. Praise God three men have made decisions for Christ! This past week we even celebrated a day of fasting and prayer in preparation for an evangelistic event being prepared for the 12th and 13th in a neighboring community. Please pray for those receiving Christ, for the church leadership (spiritual protection, strength, and wisdom), and for the church as a whole, that God’s purposes would be wholly fulfilled. These are exciting times.

Challenges and prayer needs

We have a teenager (or two or three if you count accomplices) in Frijolillo who has grown accustomed to taking things that do not belong to him. Everyone knows who it is, but since he has not been caught “red-handed,” little can be done. Appeals to parents have borne little fruit. Please pray for me as I await the right moment to have a chat with these young men, each with his own particular needs. They are in need of encouragement and exhortation, and I am just waiting on God’s timing. Pray that my words would be His and that they find fertile ground in which to take root. Pray also for those who have lost material belongings, considerable amounts of cash (both personal and church funds), and the sense of security we are accustomed to in this community of 230.

A leadership conference held last Saturday in Chapulhuacanito. Sister Saret of Taxicho led the gathering.

Visiting Presbyterian Women’s groups in the presbytery to offer organizational training has been a positive experience, but one group in particular needs extra attention, which may require more frequent and longer visits to their community. Thank you for your prayers that each step would be God-led and that the women of this community of faith would be truly encouraged to walk in Christ and serve as productive members of His body for their community.

I ask for your prayers for five people here in Frijolillo in special need. Rufino needs healing of a large and deep wound on his leg. Betty needs God’s healing touch on an ankle she has broken and rebroken in the past month, requiring 12 pins. Ambrosio has been fighting cancer over the past year and a half and has now returned home because there is nothing more the doctors can do for him. The tumor in his brain is quickly deteriorating his body’s function. David and Prócoro have recently surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ and need all the encouragement and instruction their brothers and sisters can offer them as well as spiritual protection from the one who would steal the seed that has been planted in their hearts.

I ask for your prayer support as I struggle to discern how God would have me deal with certain issues our presbytery faces. As a sister, friend, and colleague I walk with my brothers and sisters through the issues they face, but as a foreigner I cannot become involved myself. Sometimes I walk a very thin line. I am encouraged to be a “witness,” to give my opinion, and I do. But my flesh so much wants to join the fight. This is just another area in which I am called to “die” to myself and allow Christ to minister (with me and without me). Please pray for the leadership of the presbytery as they face denominational and personnel issues, that Christ would be their guide at each step and pray for me as I cheer them on from backstage.

And finally, I ask for your prayers as I prepare a study plan for 2009 that includes three goals: learning Náhuatl, completing a systematic theology course (ecclesiology and eschatology) through Fuller’s distance learning program, and then finally finishing my master’s degree with a two-hour “integration course,” which I will also do from here. After two full years here, I am not speaking as much Náhuatl as I should. With encouragement from colleagues, I have decided to give this greater priority in 2009. Also, I started my master’s degree at Fuller Theological Seminary in 2001. It is time to complete it before the 10-year limit barrels over me. With these tasks added to an already busy schedule, I clearly need the Lord’s help as I take control of my schedule and use the time the Lord provides as He would have me use it.

It’s 9:00 p.m. and time for some atole agrio (fermented corn meal with black beans) for dinner. Yum! And just what I need to warm me up! Know that I am well, happy and healthy. And know too how much I appreciate the many ways each of you walk with me along the journey.

Rejoice! For our Light has come! The bright Morning Star has arisen! (Rev. 22.16). All praise and honor and glory be unto the One who sits upon the throne.

Nijmechnequi huan niquilhui tascamati Tohueyiteco por amojuanti.
I love you all and give thanks to our great God for you all.

The 2008 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 256