Current Events and Updates of the Ministry

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His godly ones.  Psalms 116:15

On Friday, January 1^st 2021, at 7:26 in the evening, my Mom, Lydian Frey age 90, of Steinbach, Manitoba passed away peacefully at her residence surrounded by her family. She is survived by her four sons, Paul (Rhoda) Frey, Larry (LaVonne) Frey, Steven (Theresa) Frey, Calvin Frey, her daughter Ruthann (partner Bill) Snyder, fifteen grandchildren, and twenty seven great grandchildren. She is also survived by one brother, Amos Martin and his wife Lorna, of Elmira, Ontario.

She was predeceased by her devoted husband of sixty five years, Alvin Frey, and by her parents Elias and Anne (Brox) Martin, and by four brothers and three sisters.

Lydian Frey was born in the Wellesley Township of southern Ontario on March 1, 1930 and she grew up on a small market garden farm surrounded by eight siblings and a loving community. She attended public school in Heidelberg, Ontario and she spoke often of walking the two miles to school and home again in all kinds of weather with her siblings and friends. She also spoke affectionately about helping her parents on the farm and going to market with them to sell their produce. As a young woman Lydian worked in a candy factory making chocolate covered maraschino cherries – a delicacy that she could not eat for the remainder of her days because of the overindulging in the “culls” that she did while on the quality control line at work.

At the age of seventeen she met a dashing young man by the name of Alvin Frey who swept her off her feet. Since her parents insisted that she not get married until she turned nineteen, Lydian waited for almost one seemingly-unending month after her nineteenth birthday before marrying Alvin in March of 1949.  After their wedding, Lydian began housekeeping in the home of her new in-laws in the small village of Wallenstein, Ontario.  About a year after moving with Alvin into his parents’ home their first son, Paul, was born. In the year immediately following the birth of their son, they converted the upper story of an adjacent chicken barn into a cozy little residence for their growing family. They lived happily in this newly refurbished home until their second son, Larry, was born. At this point they purchased the house directly around the corner, and here they continued to live until the summer of 1960. Their third son, Steven, was born during this time.

Lydian and her husband Alvin and their young family were very involved in the small Mennonite church in Hawkesville.  Although by this time Alvin had sampled various careers, including beginning a farm drainage company with his dad and his brothers and being part-owner of a small baby shoe manufacturing factory, he and Lydian always sensed a greater call on their lives to become more directly involved in the Lord’s work. In 1959, during a summer trip with their children to visit Northern Light Gospel Mission in northwestern Ontario, Alvin and Lydian discovered that the calling that was to occupy much of their future life would be serving as missionaries among the Oji-Cree people north of Red Lake. Upon returning to Wallenstein they sold their house and belongings, and in 1960 they moved their young family to the small, isolated community of Deer Lake, Ontario.

Although this new life was completely different from anything that Lydian had ever lived, she always continued to maintain a secure and loving environment for her family and to provide a refuge for anyone in need. Many times her home became a place where sick babies, needy seniors or injured animals were nursed back to health. She also became adept at preparing gourmet meals using locally accessible moose, beaver, rabbit and muskrat, garnishing them with macaroni noodles, canned tomatoes, and other available “delicacies”. Of necessity she became an expert at long-term meal planning and improvisation because many times during the freeze-up and breakup seasons new food supplies could only be obtained on a bi-monthly basis.

After spending twenty years in northwestern Ontario, and after the addition of an adopted daughter, Ruthann, and a fourth-born son, Calvin, Lydian returned with her husband and two youngest children to southern Ontario.  Here she joined her husband in his ministry of founding and pastoring churches in Atwood and Listowel, Ontario.  It was also during this happy time in Lydian’s life that she and Alvin welcomed an infant granddaughter, Tanya (Carlon) Yoder, into their home, raising her as one of their own children.

In 1987 Lydian and Alvin moved to Landmark, Manitoba, which became the home base from which her husband’s trans-local church planting ministry took place. This work occupied their lives until their retirement and beyond. Here, as in every place that she lived, she participated fully in life and ministry by continuing to offer gracious hospitality to everyone – the trademark of her life. She was always able to cheerfully rise to the occasion and provide meals and lodging for unexpected guests, even when they arrived at inconvenient times day or night.

Although Lydian’s life was filled with ministry and service, she also always seemed to find time for a good hobby or two. Her loves included gardening, quilting and embroidering and other handwork. Her large, homemade quilting frame was almost permanently set up in the house at one location or other, and garden-fresh vegetables graced many a summer meal. She also loved experimenting with different recipes and foods. She often spoke with great nostalgia of a trip which she and Alvin made to Israel; one of the highlights of which was being able to sample various, random foods from the street vendors. She also spent many happy times in Mexico with her son, Steven, where she was always up for almost anything, including novel culinary adventures.

Shortly after her husband passed away in 2013 she moved into an apartment at Woodhaven Manor where she spent her final days. Her days there, as she became increasingly unable to walk easily, were spent praying for her family and acquaintances, reading numerous books and enjoying visits from family and friends.  As her health failed, heaven became an ever-more real and tangible place where she desired to go with an increasing passion. And it is to that eternal place of endless joy and glory that her family has released her now.

___________________________________

Our Mom is now in GLORY. Her greatest wish has been fulfilled.

HALLELUJAH!

 

Now we do not want you to be uninformed, believers, about those who are asleep [in death], so that you will not grieve [for them] as the others do who have no hope [beyond this present life]. I Thessalonians 4:13

 

Your fellow servants in Jesus Christ,

Steven and Theresa

If you have been following my blogs, especially during the past months, you will have seen that I have camped completely on the book of Habakkuk. The vivid imagery of the words of the prophet have become very personal and a foundation of confidence for me over this year. God, the sovereign, and oft times unfathomable in his purposes One – that God – is the One in whom I rest unmovable even while absolutely perplexed as to his plans and purposes.

How often over the past months have I simply had to say with Habakkuk “I will stand on my guard post and station myself on the rampart; and I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me.”

I have zero doubt as to his sovereignty, or that he is in absolute control; that is not even vaguely my question. Rather, I guess I, along with the prophet, find myself saying “How long, O Lord, will I call for help and you will not hear? I cry out to you, “Violence!” yet you do not save. Why do you make me see iniquity, and cause me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction and violence are before me; strife exists and contention arises. Therefore the law is ignored and justice is never upheld. For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore justice comes out perverted.”

My heart’s cry is not whether God is sovereignly in control of all things, but rather why it is that He is apparently allowing evil to get an upper hand.

But then I need to quiet my heart with the following truth along with the Psalmist in chapter 37:

“Do not fret because of evildoers, be not envious toward wrongdoers for they will wither quickly like the grass and fade like the green herb. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday.

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land. Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; and you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there. But the humble will inherit the land and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity. The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, for He sees his day is coming. The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow to cast down the afflicted and the needy, to slay those who are upright in conduct. Their sword will enter their own heart, and their bows will be broken.

Depart from evil and do good, so you will abide forever. For the Lord loves justice and does not forsake His godly ones; they are preserved forever, but the descendants of the wicked will be cut off. The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever. Wait for the Lord and keep His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

I have seen a wicked, violent man spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil. Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more; I sought for him, but he could not be found. The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him.”

Or, again returning to the unshakable truth of the prophetic cry of the prophet Habakkuk: “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea!”

And: “The Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him.”

Recently I was praying and thinking about what I should write in this blog and the account of the disciple’s meeting of Jesus on the road to Emmaus came to mind – you know the story well (as recorded in Luke 24):

“While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them. And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad. One of them answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one unaware of the things which have happened in these days?” “But we were hoping…”  And He [Jesus] said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe.”

The words “But we were hoping” jumped out at me. But we were hoping! That is the sadness of my heart: “But we were hoping.”

How is it that God allows so much evil to apparently get the upper hand and wicked men and women to seemingly gain power and control? But it is in the voicing that very doubt that I must echo with the psalmist: “I have seen a wicked, violent man spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil. Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more; I sought for him, but he could not be found.”

Also, as Peter reminds us: “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness.” To the contrary, “Do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.” Rather, He is “patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance”. And if this is indeed so, then “What sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness.”

I wonder if the same feeling of acute sadness that I feel about the political, social, and economic events of 2020 is felt in places where poverty and lawlessness are the norm rather than the exception.  Recently I was reading in a mission magazine about the persecuted and tortured church in Nigeria and the surrounding region where the inconceivable violence of Boko Haram and other fanatical extremist groups has brought about the killing of more than 8,370 church members and eight pastors in one small area alone, not to mention the countless more abducted and raped, or the over 700,000 people, mostly Christians, displaced by the recent violent insurgence. The absence of security during 2020 due to the Covid-19 crisis has allowed these murderous groups to take advantage of the vacuum and to attack vulnerable Christian communities which were locked down and left as sitting targets while governments focused police and military resources on the pandemic. I’m absolutely sure that their prayer and heart’s cry is very different from ours in North America.

I wonder, is it only because we in the West have experienced such good for so long that this year’s events have carried such a crushing blow? Is it only because we were hoping that these blessings; that integrity, truth, justice, and lawfulness would continue without interruption that their loss cuts so deeply?

And yet, despite what may appear to our natural eyes Jesus Christ is sovereign, and I fully believe that we will soon see him physically seated on his throne as Lord and Supreme Ruler of this old earth. Then Psalms 2 will be physically fulfilled before our eyes:

“Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us!”

He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger
and terrify them in His fury, saying, “But as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain.”

“I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You. ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession. ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.’”

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.”

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

_________________________________________

The close of 2020 brought with it some big changes for the Frey family as well. At the very beginning of December my mother had

a stroke following a number of other complications which placed her in hospital. Because of the severe constraints due to the provincial Covid-19 restrictions this meant that she spent about a week alone in the hospital while none of the family could visit her. Eventually two of my brothers were designated as the family members allowed to visit her on a limited basis in the hospital, and each day, literally, it was a question as to whether she would make it through to the following morning. The stroke left her completely paralyzed on her left side, with considerable pain on the affected side, 100% dependent for all care, and bedridden.

Because of the present Covid-19 climate and the severe restrictions that this caused for the family and for her and because she was designated as palliative with very little more that the hospital could do for her any longer, we came to the decision as a family to bring her home to her little apartment at the independent living complex in Steinbach where she lives, and that Theresa and I would care for her through her final days to her passing. I was able to get a leave of absence from work, and as it turned out we had actually already booked November 27^th through December 20^th off work as our holiday because we had expected to be heading to Mexico in order to train national teams in eye clinics over that time (as explained in my August 8^th blog: “The Lord REMAINS in his Holy Temple: let ALL the earth keep silence before him!”)

I arrived in Steinbach (about an hour and a half southwest of our home in Pinawa) on Thursday, November 12^th in order to be able to prepare the apartment for mom’s final discharge via ambulance from the hospital on the following day. We had a hospital bed, oxygen, and other medical equipment scheduled to arrive on Friday just before her return. The ambulance finally arrived with her around 11:30 pm on November 13^th. For the past four weeks I have given her around-the-clock care, assisted by either Theresa or one of my two brothers who live locally. Due to the code red Covid-19 restrictions Theresa and I are basically prisoners locked into her apartment with access to other family members or friends who want to visit only through window visits where they sit outside in the cold and communicate to us and my mom via cell phones through the closed windows where we can see but not touch. Because we are living under the strict rules of Woodhaven, the independent living home where she has lived for the last several years, we must be extremely careful to obey each nuance and minutia of their restrictions in order not to jeopardize our ability to remain here with her, or to continue our care for her here within their facility. If we were to overstep their rules in any way her only option would be to go back to the hospital again where she would not be allowed to see anyone.

She has rallied somewhat over the past month since being home. She remains completely paralyzed on her affected side and fully dependent upon us for all of her body functions and personal attention. Her care requires two people because of the fact that she needs to be turned every several hours in order to prevent pressure sores and because she needs to be changed throughout both days and nights, and she is unable to assist in any way and must simply be log-rolled from side to side in the bed.

This week we were able to get a mechanical lift on loan which allows us to lift her out of her bed in order to transport her into her little living room so that she can sit in her recliner chair and get a break from her bed whenever she feels up to it. This has given her a sense of increased normality again for brief periods of time.

I truly don’t know what the future holds for Theresa and me. It is clear that the present circumstances are not sustainable for the long term for any of us. The little apartment was designed for one person, not three. I am sleeping on a little foam mattress on the floor beside my mother’s hospital bed in her bedroom so that I am available throughout the night when she needs me, and our lives are 100% focused on her care at the present time. It is a joy to be able to serve her, but the present situation will not be able to be sustained for the long term. We’d really appreciate your prayers with all of us for God’s perfect will. Mom is longing to go home to heaven and is struggling with the question of why she must remain here when she so would so much rather be in Glory and not dwelling in her old, painful, failing, and humiliated body. Many times over the past month and a half she has poked her finger through the ever-thinning veil into eternity, but God has never seen fit to allow her to enter, much to her disappointment.

The work in Mexico has been very busy over the past months despite the severity of suffering due to the lasting effects of the drought, the collapsing economy, and the restrictions which have been enacted due to Covid-19.

I mentioned in past blogs that Javier would be stepping down from his position as president of the board of directors of Obreros Unidos para Cosechar (OUpC), the nonprofit that is covering the various aspects of the Mexican ministry. At their meeting on the 3^rd of this month there was a vote on new officers of the board as Javier was vacating the position that he has held for many years, and the treasurer also wished to step down from her position, also after many years. The current directors are Adán Hernández Secaida as the president of the board, while Dr. Mario Cázares was voted in as secretary, and Blanca Lourdes Ríos continues on as treasurer. Javier will continue on as a board member only, allowing him time to focus his energy more towards the Pame brothers and sisters in the mountainous regions to the west where his heart really is, as well as to continue his daily work of preaching and teaching the gospel in order to establish leaders in each village where the work of ministry has begun. His burden is teaching and preparing strong and godly leadership to continue the work of evangelism throughout the whole region and beyond.

I am pleased with their choices of officers. Adán is trained as a lawyer but is pastoring an Assemblies of God church in the city of Valles. He is a good brother and I believe he will be a good leader of the team. Dr. Mario’s name has come up often in these blogs as he is the director of Project LAMBS and co-director of the Bible Institute along with his wife Alejandra. He is an anesthesiologist and very active in the local hospitals in the city. He is also a very good brother and will be a valuable player on the directorship of the board. Blanca, who continues as treasurer is a lovely, intelligent, and wonderful young mother of two. Her husband, Juan is a police officer in the city, and both are faithful Christian believers and members of Javier’s church. I have known Blanca since she was a young teenage girl and I am very pleased that she continues in her position on the board. I look forward to seeing where God leads the work under the new leadership.

The missionary thrust into the western mountains to the Pame tribal group continues with occasional hiccups due to restrictions to entry because of coronavirus constraints. Javier told me that there are few actual Covid cases in the region itself; still entry has been restricted for months at a time over the past year. At the beginning of December they were again able to meet with the believers in the various villages in the Tanlacut area after not having been there for several months. Javier was blessed by the missionary team who accompanied him; both of the brothers also being Bible students training at the farm, Casa del Obrero for whom these ministry outreaches are an active part of their missions practicums.

Their reception by the local believers was also very encouraging for Javier and the team with openness and a hunger for the Word demonstrated by these scattered believers who are very isolated and lacking Christian fellowship and leadership.

What was very discouraging for Javier was what they found when they arrived at the missionary center building at the little crossroad village of Agua Nueva. You may remember that this building was donated a couple of years ago for the missionary work among the Pame people, and we have had the privilege of being able to assist the local Pame congregation with some funds in order to begin renovations on it. Although the work on the missionary center building is a long way from being completed, it is being used for a church building and a place for national missionaries to live when they enter into the region. This time, since Javier and the team have not entered into the region for several months, they were dismayed to find the building broken into, all of their stored supplies and equipment destroyed (not stolen, but simply vandalized), excrement smeared over everything, profanity scrawled throughout the Bibles, piles of feces on the pulpit, the floor, any clothing left there, and their water storage containers, everything throughout smelling of urine, and basically anything that could be was destroyed and vandalized was. It is evident that it was an act of hatred against God and the local believers, as well as of Javier and the national missions teams.

Javier’s comment to me after his return to Cd. Valles was simply “I thank God that he has allowed us to suffer a little bit of the sacrifice and contempt that Jesus Christ himself suffered for us”.

The work of Hidden Manna children’s ministry and the sewing school/workshop continue as well. The women are enjoying their new building, and even though the Covid restrictions have limited some of what they have been able to do, it continues to be a focal center for the women and girls who are able to attend.

The children’s feeding ministry, and the youth and adult training work has also been continuing in person again at the Buenos Aires facility, although they have also been forced to become creative over the past months due to restrictions on meetings. Presently the children are able to come to the center where they are loved upon by Cristina and her team. We pray that this will be able to continue, and that they are not forced to close their doors again.

We rejoice with Javier and Cristina and their boys because they were able to begin living in their new house at the beginning of this month. Javier wrote:

“On December 3^rd we began to move into our new house. We are now living in our new place although we still have not completed the move, and still have much to finish before we can truly accommodate ourselves completely in it. I have been plugging away on completing the finishing details on the house which seem to be endless, and slowly I’m getting a handle on them”.

Javier gave me a bit of a virtual tour inside the house on his cell phone the other day. It looks to me like lots of work needs to be done before one can say that it is finished, but they are thrilled to finally own their own place. There is no paint on the walls, lots of other finishing touches in the cement work needs to be completed, toilets and water still need to be connected, etc., etc., but they are overjoyed to finally have their own place for the first time in their lives.

And finally, as we turn our hearts towards Christmas; may you find great joy and gladness over this season despite the fact that it will probably be one of the strangest ones that you have experienced in your life. I’m guessing that never before were you ever forbidden by law from meeting with your family or friends over any other Christmas, and you probably never saw store isles barricaded off with tape declaring:

“SECTION CLOSED: MANITOBA PROVINCIAL REGULATIONS DICTATE THAT THIS SECTION DOES NOT CONTAIN ESSENTIAL ITEMS THEREFORE THESE ITEMS CANNOT BE SOLD AT THIS TIME”.

At least, I never have.

Recently Theresa happened to be in a store when she heard a young boy saying “So what’s the use of coming to a store if you aren’t allowed to buy anything anyway?” A very good point in my books! It happened to be our niece with her young son who was hoping to buy a gift for his little brother, but everything that he wanted to buy was deemed “nonessential’.

But, God is not limited, and I’m guessing that there were not too many holly jolly Christmas sentiments being expressed around the manger when the actual first Christmas took place. I’m doubtful that tyranny under Rome was too jocular an occasion either.

Thank you for your continuing prayers and love for our brothers and sisters in Mexico.

May your homes be filled with the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ over this Christmas season.

 

Your brother and sister in Jesus,

Steven and Theresa

As we enter into November 2020 I do so with a certain amount of ambivalence and uncertainty concerning the impending future. Surely any sane person can see that the world has gone berserk and is flying apart at the seams.

“Justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey”. (Isaiah 59: 14, 15a).

The book of Habakkuk has become increasingly relevant to me over the recent weeks. Habakkuk, the prophet of the Lord was also bewildered that wickedness, strife and oppression were rampant in Judah while God seemingly did nothing. Justice had essentially disappeared from the Land; violence and wickedness were pervasive, existing unchecked.

In the midst of these dark days, the prophet cried out for divine intervention:

“How long, LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted”. (1:2-4)

Shockingly God’s response to Habakkuk was that he was sending the Chaldeans, a wicked, “ruthless and impetuous nation” to judge Judah for their sin.

This reply created an even greater theological dilemma for Habakkuk: Why didn’t God purge His people and restore their righteousness? How could God use the Chaldeans, that wicked and cruel nation to judge Judah?

Throughout the book, as the prophet argues with God he achieved a deeper understanding of God’s sovereign character, and a firmer faith in him. Ultimately, Habakkuk realized that God was not to be worshiped merely because of the temporal blessings that he bestows, but rather for his own sake:

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights”. (3:17–19).

It is the very sovereignty of God himself that we question when we doubt him. He remains squarely upon this throne, Sovereign and Lord irrespective of what appears around us, or what storms beset us as individuals or as a nation.

“The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him”. (Hab. 2:20)

So, even though my eyes see evil all around me. Even though truth and justice stagger in the street like drunkards. Even amid the uncertainties of the upcoming U.S. election and all that it entails. Even though the economies of the world continue to collapse; while nations writhe and Covid-driven fear continues to paralyze the globe. Though hostilities increase around the world and nations rattle sabers one against another. Even though God may very well choose to judge us by giving us the just deserts of our unrighteousness and godlessness as nations – Canada and the United States, as well as the whole universal race of sinful humanity. Even then will I rejoice in my Lord, knowing that he is sovereign and that NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING can or will happen outside of his express will and plan; even apparent evil!

“The Lord of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand”. (Is. 14:24)

“All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?’” (Dan. 4:35)

Amen. Amen.

The LORD reigns!

Throughout these difficult times, even while the whole world has been stood on its head, the work of the ministry has continued strong in Mexico. However, as you will remember from the August blog it has been a very difficult year in many ways.

Hit first of all with a hard and devastating drought the Huasteca region was then slammed with the sucker punch of Covid-19. Most of the sugarcane, the almost sole crop in the region was completely lost to the drought. Then as the beginning of the year progressed into the ongoing devastation of the fear of the new world-domineering virus (fears both real and illusory) what little financial hope that remained for many of the poor completely evaporated. Those depending upon day-labor for their income were especially hard hit as business closed and normal work ended due to enforced lock-downs, and whole families teetered at the brink of extreme crisis.

This also meant that churches and mission outreaches were forced to close. The Bible School and other teaching centers could no longer continue. The work among the children in the poor squatter villages needed to be changed as the children were no longer able to congregate together for meals or teaching and activity times. The sewing school also needed to become extremely creative in continuing its work among the women and girls whom it served.

All of this was recorded in the August blog and I encourage you to reread it in order to refresh your memory.

Since then things have taken a cyclic turn. For a number of months things began to open again and some of the restrictions were slowly lifted. The children’s ministry, Hidden Manna was able to open its doors again to the needy children, providing them with nutritious meals and Bible instruction and training. The sewing school once again was able to become increasingly open in its work and more of the women and girls were able to meet together at a time. The churches were able to open their doors, and the ministry into the villages in the form of the missional church-plants was able to continue unrestricted for a brief period. Javier and the mission team again went into the western mountains to minister to the indigenous Pame Christian brothers and sisters – briefly.

Now that door has once again closed for them for the time being. Only God knows how long the new restrictions will last this time.

In the fall, government schooling again began for the children, but no in-class teaching is being offered. All of the lessons are only accessible via televised classes. This is very problematic for the poor children because many of them not only do not have electricity in their hovels, but much less a television on which to attend their lessons. The government does offer some sort of a written study guide for the children, however realistically, for many of them this whole school year will be educationally lost, as was last spring.

Cristina and Alicia have moved their sewing school and workshop to a new location. It is smaller than the last building but more economical and centrally located for easy access for the girls and women that it serves. This school and workshop has become a place of vital healing and ministry to the women, both young and old that it serves. It has not only become a place for spiritual ministry, but also a center where work contracts are taken on and finances earned by the women involved. One of the big needs in the very near future is for a donor to come forward upon whose heart God has laid the burden to assist this particular ministry to the girls and women by enabling them to continue to rent their building. Although the sewing center does generate some funds it is never much, and is always used in other needs and ministries, and they are really not able to pay their rent without help. Last year we were blessed when a church in Canada took on the full amount of the rental for the 2020 year. However, we are now nearing the end of the year and are praying that the Lord will again lay this need on someone’s heart for the upcoming year so that this critical ministry to girls and women can continue.

The work of the children’s program, Hidden Manna has been critically important for many of the poor children of Buenos Aires, a poor squatter’s village over these past difficult months as well. Although Cristina could not open the doors of the children’s work itself she was unstoppable. Knowing that basic food was often scarce and unavailable to many of the poor children that normally were being served by Hidden Manna she decided that if they could not come to her she would go to them instead. Making up “dispensas” of food and household needs such as soap and other sanitary supplies she went home to home among the poor to distribute care packages to them. The love of Jesus was in this way expressed in a very hands-on and practical way even if the children were unable to attend the normal meals served at the center or attend the Bible lessons and training times.

Another urgent financial need is for an individual or a church to take on the funding of the children’s ministry, Hidden Manna for another year as well. The pledge for the finances to fund this work will also be ending at the end of the year and we pray that God will lay this critical ministry on someone’s heart as well so that these children will be able to continue to receive food for their growing bodies as well as for their awakening spirits, and that this vital ministry can continue unimpeded by finances.

Javier and Cristina’s new house is almost ready for them to move into. As you will recall from the last blog, the funds for them to build were given by friends of the ministry, many of them who have never met either Javier or Cristina but upon whose heart God laid a burden to bless these faithful servants. Javier hopes to have the family moved in by the end of the year. Praise God for his faithfulness.

The training center farm, Casa del Obrero continues to be used by God. In August I wrote that Javier was planning to step down as director of the Training Center at the end of the year. This was a misunderstanding on my part, and I reported it to you in error. In actuality he is planning to step down from his role as president of the Board of Directors of OUpC, the Mexican nonprofit that covers the various aspects of the work. However, he will continue to serve in his ministry as the director of the Training Center farm.

Armando is now almost 100% in charge of the complete work of the farm itself, thus relieving Javier of much of the physical work of the farm. Armando is also growing steadily in leadership and is becoming a right arm for Javier in many ways within his ministry.

The Casa del Obrero Training Center is opening a new chapter and is now offering on-line Bible training, taking on five new students, one from Matamoros, Mexico and one from the United States; but I will let Javier tell you more about that in his own words in a little bit…

There will be changes to the Board of Directors at their annual meeting in December. You will remember that I had hoped to be able to be there for that meeting with the board, but Covid-19 has changed all of that. Please pray with me that those who should step down from the board will do so, and that only those who have a vision and a call of God to be involved with the ministry will remain. In my estimation the board is presently too big, and many of those who are currently “members” are so in name only and serve no purpose and have no desire to really be there. May God bring people with energy and godly vision onto the board.

I am so thankful that God healed our brother Doctor Mario Cázarez. As you will recall, he is the director of the Project LAMBS part of the Bible School as well as the co-director of the Bible Institute along with his wife Alejandra. Earlier this year Dr. Cázarez contracted a very severe case of Covid-19 through his work as an anesthesiologist in the local hospital and was very critical in intensive care for some very desperate days. We are so grateful for full healing for him.

But, I also would like to ask you to pray for our dear brothers and sisters in Mexico. In conversation with many of them I see that they are struggling under tremendous fear and uncertainty concerning Covid-19 and the crumbling economy. One dear sister told me recently that for the past ten months she and their two children have almost never been outside of the house and only her husband leaves to go directly to work and back home again. He alone does the shopping. Please pray that this fear will be broken and they can once again glory in freedom from anxiety.

I would like to end this blog by having Javier do so in his own words. I am attaching two letters that he wrote to me – one at the end of August and the other at the beginning of October. Even though this is some weeks ago I believe that they do express his heart in his own words:

________________________________________

I am very grateful to God first of all for life, family, and for all his provisions. But I also give thanks for the life of each of you, and especially for all those who blessed us so much by making possible a home and refuge for Cristina and me as well as for our boys. I feel very blessed by God to have you as my brothers and sisters – my friends! God has blessed us greatly through all of you who have not even met us personally but who have blessed us with your resources. Thank you.

May God multiply your finances even in these most difficult times because the God of Israel is faithful and wonderful. He is our protector and provider in everything. Thank you for everything that you have done for us without even knowing us personally. You have allowed yourselves to be used as tools by God for his divine purposes.

We now have a home where we can take refuge. Being able to own our own home has been a dream for many, many years and this is now a dream come true! Ever since the beginning of my ministry I have never owned a home and have had to pay rent. But now I can declare with joy: “Thus far the LORD has helped us.” (I Sam. 7:12).

He has blessed me in heavenly places and with the oil of joy has given me peace, and I rest in delightful places.

I can only express my gratitude to God for giving me a place to live while I am on this earth, even if only in passing. My sincerest thanks to all my dear friends. Receive God’s richest blessings to you and your family. It is never in vain to serve God, and he will not forget your faithfulness. Continue to reach for the highest calling of God to achieve what our God has promised us.

Thank you for being a part of my life. You are an example of fidelity and respect and an inspiration in my life, and I give thanks for your life and your words of encouragement. Always keep going and never faint. Thank you for teaching me that indeed all things are possible, and that nothing is impossible in this life.

I feel blessed by you. Again, thank you so much.

Javier

_______________________________________

On October 1^st Javier wrote the following:

It is a privilege for me to write to you again and to be able to communicate on this way. Thanks be to God for his mercies and that he has sustained us through his mighty power.

I feel privileged to have you as my brothers and sisters. Surely it is only God who could unite us in that very intimate communion of being children of one God, begotten with the blood of Jesus Christ, making us one family in Him. I also thank God for his mercies and that he has been so good to us.

I have been working on the house finishing off details. I am now working on the kitchen and cementing in the windows. The electrical wiring main still needs to be put in to the pole as well as the electrical contract completed. Also I continue to wait for the connection and contract for the potable water and sewer. However, these need to be issued through the proper government departments and can sometimes take time to complete.

I also need to finish connecting some more water pipes to the water storage tank on the roof in order to connect it to the bathrooms and kitchen.

Little by little I am finishing off the house and making it habitable for us to move in. Today I made the power post where the electrical main cables and the meter are going to be connected into the house. God has blessed me with health and the ability to accomplish these things.

My hope in God is to be able to have everything finished before the end of the year so that we can move into our new place by the beginning of the new year. I look forward to no longer needing to pay rent every month since this has been a very heavy burden for many years of your life. God is good and I know that it will be accomplished!

Little by little we are able to reestablish the different areas of ministry following the enforced shut downs that were demanded as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. For the past month we have been able to return to normal in many areas of ministry – holding services in the local church in Solidaridad, preaching in the various missions including Buenos Aires, Infonavit 2, Tampaya, El Cinco, and San Antonio Huichimal.

In the middle of this month we will also go out to minister in the Pame tribal area again.

I also want to clarify something with you regarding our last communication. In fact, it is not my intention to step down from being the director of the Casa del Obrero Training Center Farm. I will continue my role as director of the Training Center Farm. Rather, what I want to do is simply step down from my position as president of the nonprofit Obreros Unidos para Cosechar. In this way I will be able to separate my name from the nonprofit which will give me more freedom to be involved in the various aspects of the ministry. I will continue on the board as a member, but I do not wish to continue to hold a leadership role on it.

In this way I can also have more freedom to pursue the areas of ministry which God has laid on my heart – specifically that of pastoring locally as well as advancing the missionary thrust into the Pame tribal region in the western mountains.

However, I will not cease to help with the ministry of the Training Center Farm or those who are laboring there so that the vision that God gave for this particular ministry, which is being achieved little by little, will one day be fully realized through God’s provision.

God always has big purposes. This week training will begin through the Casa del Obrero Training Center with five new students. The surprising and amazing thing is that this training will also now be done through on-line coursework, which means that for the first time we will be offering extension classes via the internet. One of the students is from San Antonio, Texas and another one from Matamoros, Mexico. Since they are already pastoring churches they cannot physically come to Cd. Valles in order to attend classes here.

The three other new students are all local – a married couple and another pastor all from Cd. Valles. Each of them is already serving as a pastor in a local church as well. All glory be to God who continues to increase our ministry and our ability to serve him.

Godly leaders are daily being multiplied and trained who are ministering in local churches, as well as going to minister in other places to preach and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is the vision of God that the church does not become stagnant or fruitless.

I want to tell you about a feeling that began in my heart about a month ago. Even while I keep telling myself that I still have not finished ministering in the Pame region I have become deeply burdened for the nation of Venezuela. This seemed very strange to me because I do not even know Venezuela, and certainly have never been there. I don’t know if this is only a feeling of mine or if it is a vision from God.

I keep talking with God and asking him to give me a clear direction of his will and schedule. If the burden is truly from him and not only from myself then I am praying that he will supply everything so that a church can be planted in Venezuela within two years, for clarity of direction for the city that I am to minister in, for the contacts within the country itself through whom he must open doors, and for the people who will work with me there. If it is from God he will make it happen; if not, then no. I rest securely in this knowledge and that I do not have to attempt to make anything happen. I simply rest in him.

Thank you for reading this letter.

Blessings,

Javier

_______________________________________

That will give you a window into Javier’s heart. Please continue to pray for our dear brothers and sisters in Mexico as they faithfully continue to serve our Lord through these difficult times.

“The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him”. (Hab 2:20)

 

Blessings my friends.

Your fellow laborers in Jesus Christ,

 

Steven and Theresa

What a crazy and tumultuous year we are in with its convoluted twists and turns, fears and quarantines, half-truths and bald-faced lies, and political intrigues. I had no idea what lay ahead back in January when I wrote the following in my blog post:

“How is it possible that we are already entering headlong into 2020? On one hand it seems like only recent history that we were awaiting our fateful (or not!) entry into Y2K, and yet it also seems like an eternity has passed. Twenty years ago, on the brink of the new century we were told that the world would end in a dramatic computer-fizzle of missing data. Now we enter 2020 being told that we will all be annihilated in a massive environmental melt down.

In a world that appears to be flying apart at the seams I am so very thankful that our God reigns, and that He is sovereign and in complete control over ALL THINGS!”

Suddenly with the emergence of COVID-19 and the potential of its global ramifications becoming known in the beginning of February as the United States closed its borders to China, the world made a massive tectonic shift making the immanency of global annihilation from flatulating cows seem like yesterday’s news. Suddenly we were all locked down in universal quarantine fearing to (and indeed prohibited from), leaving our front doors. In several short months the economy of the whole world was tanked, businesses ceased to exist by the hundreds of thousands and millions, and it is almost certain that nothing will ever be the same again. It is only with a lump in our throats and sentimental nostalgia that we can look back at the “good-old-days” pre-2020.

But in all of this apparent chaos God, our sovereign God is on his eternal throne. As Habakkuk stated in chapter 2:20 “The LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him”.

I know that I don’t need to remind you of the many changes which have taken place over the past months, you know them all well enough, and how they have affected and changed your life. That certainly is not the purpose of this blog; rather, I want to let you know what is going on in Mexico with the work of our dear brothers and sisters there, and how the ministry of the Kingdom continues despite the current difficulties which they are facing.

There have been two devastating and predominantly overriding crises which have shaped the face of the ministry in Mexico over the past months: first of all a drought which has continued for over a year; and now the effects of the coronavirus and all which it has entailed for the country.

The extended drought, first of all, gutted the economy in the Huasteca region of Mexico, wiping out most of the sugarcane crop as well as devastating the herds and destroying grazing land. In many regions rivers and wells are completely dried up, and when the rainy season finally should have once again arrived this summer no rains came, or what did come was totally inadequate to replenish the water levels.

On top of this already disastrous situation the coronavirus hit Mexico with a vengeance. In a country where there are very few social catch nets and no economic stimulus packages being rolled out to assist the millions who have lost their employment and are being forced into quarantine and isolation, the suffering and desperation has been very intense. Whole families are facing the real prospect of extreme hunger and shortages of basic necessities.

Businesses, churches and almost all active ministries have been shut down by mandatory closures. This has affected and placed on hold not only church services but also Bible Schools, children and youth ministries, and missions outreaches.

Of course this has meant that almost all of the ministries in which Javier and Cristina and the other leaders are normally engaged have been placed on hold, or at a minimum greatly altered. This includes the churches in which they preach and shepherd their flocks, the Bible Institute, all missions outreaches into the western Pame region, the children’s feeding program and youth church in Buenos Aires, the women’s sewing school and programs that Cristina leads, as well as the multitudes of other ministries which were all very active up until March, and in which they are all so much involved.

However, it has also opened completely new ministries and innovative ways of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to a suffering (and often very receptive) audience have also been explored and utilized, and the work has gone on strong.

One of these new ways for Javier has been live-stream teaching on Facebook. If you want to catch a bit of his teaching (in Spanish) go to:

https://www.facebook.com/Casa-Del-Alfarero-177836422579316/

Being unable to hold the normal children’s programs and feeding ministry at Buenos Aires, Cristina seized the opportunity to minister the love of Jesus by distributing food packages to the poor children and their families which the program normally served at the Hidden Manna Center. Many of these children have either only one parent, or parents who no longer have any source of income due to the mandatory coronavirus lock downs.

Because they were no longer allowed to meet in the church buildings Javier turned rather to one-on-one and small cell group meetings and training. He recently told me that although this has increased the work load many times, it has brought in much spiritual fruit as well.

Although the quarantine greatly affected the sewing school/workshop, Cristina and Alicia did manage to keep ministering to the girls and women, albeit with limited groups and careful restrictions in place. Indeed, the number of girls attending grew overall because they were very happy for an outlet where they could do something valuable, as well as be loved-on and ministered to in those dark days of uncertainty and fear.

Things are slowly beginning to open again, and just last week Javier and Cristina were able to reenter the Tanlacut region in order to visit and encourage the Pame brothers and sisters there. Apparently the isolated Pame region has had very little affect from the coronavirus, but has been absolutely devastated by the severe drought to the extent that the rivers and wells in this normally very productive region have completely dried up. The bubbling river which normally flows through the small town of Tanlacut itself is now a dry gravel gully.

Let me go back briefly over the past months of ministry and recap a number of the highlights for you:

- as you will recall from the past blogs, the missionary outreaches into the Pame region to these dear tribal brothers and sisters in Christ has begun to bear fruit. The Pame

missionary center Casa de Fe was planted in the little village of Agua Nueva. Special funds were designated through Voice in the Wilderness Ministries to assist in the renovation of the donated mission center building there, and the work of refurbishing this critical center of worship and training for this tribal region was begun. Further funds were also committed for ongoing Pame missionary work so that Javier can continue the outreaches into this isolated region. These funds have specifically been designated to cover vehicle repairs, gasoline, food for missionary trips, etc.

- a donor church pledged monthly funds for the full year of 2020 to cover the financial needs for the ongoing work of the Hidden Manna Children’s Program and Feeding Center, as well as for the monthly rental of the building in which the sewing school/workshop meets. This has been a huge blessing and has meant that these two vital parts of the work can continue throughout this year. We pray that God will continue to provide for the future of these two ministries as well.

- although most of the neighbors in the whole region around Casa del Obrero lost 100% of their sugarcane crop due to the drought this past season, the ministry farm was able to bring in a harvest, even if substantially less than on a normal year. Still, the fact that anything at all was harvested was a huge miracle, and a witness to the whole region of God’s hand of blessing on the farm.

- due to the openhanded generosity of a number of friends of the work, funds were collected for Javier and Cristina so that they can complete their house in the village of Solidaridad. These dear servants have never owned their own place, and actually doing so was only a distant dream for them. Javier had managed to put together enough money to buy a small lot across from the little church where they minister, and had begun to build a number of years ago. However he hadn’t gotten very far over the past three or four years because all of their personal funds inevitably seemed to end up attempting to alleviate the desperate needs of their beloved congregation. Following a simple letter of need that I sent out in the beginning of May, God, through the profound generosity of a small handful of friends, poured out a lavish blessing for Javier and Cristina. Not only have Javier and his boys been able to continue to work on their house, but he has also been able to hire a couple of workers to assist him. It looks like there should be almost enough funds for them to completely finish the house right down to move-in ready (Mexican style). Praise the Lord, and thank you to those who so gave with such open hearts for this need!

- because of the travel restrictions and changes which now affect us all due to the coronavirus Theresa and I have had to place a planned mission trip onto the backburner. Theresa, Fred Erb, and I had scheduled a trip to Cd. Valles and the Pame region for the end of November and the beginning weeks of December. The purpose for this trip was twofold: first of all so that Fred and I could be a part of the Bible School and Project LAMBS graduations which were scheduled to take place on the 5^th of December, as well as attend the year-end meeting of the Board of Directors of OUpC (more on that in a moment).

However, the most exciting part of the trip for Theresa and me was that the two of us were then planning on taking the next two full weeks of December in the Pame region holding eye clinics, and in training two teams of technicians on how to test eyes and dispense eyeglasses. We were going to utilize the brilliant system made possible through Global Vision 2020, an organization to which we were introduced in the beginning of this year, and through which we ourselves were trained.

I’m sure that this is not the last time that I will be talking about Global Vision 2020, nor the last mission trip which Theresa and I will be involved in which will incorporate eye care as we are both fascinated with the possibilities which this presents for the spreading of the gospel in a very hands-on fashion.

Their website can be found at: https://gv2020.org/

Very briefly stated; Global Vision 2020 provides a method of testing eyesight and providing eyeglasses specific to the needs of each person tested. For roughly $3.00 U.S. a person can be individually examined and fitted with glasses of their prescription. Within several hours a technician can be trained in vision correction using the equipment and fairly simple testing methods. These technicians can then reproduce the work.

Although Global Vision 2020’s goal is to alleviate vision problems among the poor around the world, as a Christ-centered organization it also encourages utilizing the program as a ministry tool which trained national missionaries can use to bring the message of the gospel while also earning in a small income through the dispensing of the eyewear, thus enabling them to continue to minister. The concept is brilliant, and becomes a perfect “tent making” tool for national missionaries in poorer regions around the world.

Theresa and my vision is to begin in Mexico working with Javier and Cristina, holding several days of vision clinics in a number of Pame villages. During our time there we would specifically mentor two people whom Javier and Cristina had already chosen as likely candidates (actually, probably two married couples), training them in performing vision exams and the preparation of eyeglasses so that they were prepared to continue this ministry alone without us when we left.

We understand that the selection of these candidates will be critical. Obviously they will need to have some technical aptitude, but most importantly they must be people of uprightness who desire to serve and minister in evangelism and in preaching the Word of God, while also having a true and sincere heart to help the poor and needy. They must also be people of integrity who can be trusted with money and with a ministry which requires taking care of finances correctly and not abusing or wasting God’s resources, or being greedy, or of desiring to cheat and accumulate only for themselves. Because of this we will rely on the wisdom of Javier and Cristina to choose them beforehand.

Although the actual cost of the finished eyeglasses is somewhere around $3.00 U.S. per person, the technician missionaries will probably be charging around the $150 – $175 peso range per pair (around $7.00 US). In this way there can be an ongoing and reproducible ministry set up in the form of eye care for those who normally could not afford it, and the vision technician missionaries doing it can keep the work going without foreign money being infused beyond the very first time. Besides this, they can also earn an income while ministering. This will free them up to be able to serve the poor as well as preach and evangelize, while at the same time earning enough to be able to support their family. Also, as has become abundantly clear to me over the years, if a person does not pay for something he also does not value it and does not place respect or worth to it.

The Global Vision 2020 setup comes as a kit. Each kit contains lenses and frames for 550 complete pairs of glasses as well as one U-See tester and eye charts with the following breakdown:

250 empty frames

560 lenses

300 readers

2 vision charts

1 U-See tester

1 training material

Each of these kits cost $1,600 U.S., therefore each pair of glasses averages just under $3.00 U.S.

For our initial startup I was hoping to be able to bring three kits with us. One of the kits would be used while holding eye clinics in the western mountains with the Pame

people and in training the technician teams. When this phase of the project was completed the remainder of this kit would be left with them along with one full kit to each of the then-trained teams as a one-time donation. Subsequently they would be required to charge for the eyeglasses according to an established plan, and to ensure that they saved the amount of funds from all of the sales of the eyeglasses so that they could renew the kits when their product was sold.

Working with Javier and Cristiana beforehand we will establish a reasonable breakdown so that there is a specific portion of each sale amount which will be saved to repurchase more product, and for an income for the technician missionaries so that they can continue to live and support their work and ministry. If the missionaries abuse this they will forfeit any further assistance from me because I believe that there is every reason that they should be able to make this into a self-generating ministry financially, as well as a valuable evangelistic tool.

Further teams can also be trained in the future, and with Mexico as a starting point because of our already close relationship there, over the years this ministry can/could be expanded into other countries and to other regions of the world. Perhaps this is a new door which God is opening to Theresa and me as we reach our “retirement” years.

- there will certainly be changes to the ministry at the end of the year as Javier is planning on stepping down from being president of the board of directors of OUpC (the nonprofit covering the various aspects of the work), and also from his position as director of Casa del Obrero, the training center farm division of the work. This will bring many changes, but I certainly understand why he has made this decision as he feels God’s call into other areas of ministry. This is also why Fred Erb and I felt that we should plan on being a part of the board of directors meeting in December. Of course, this will now not be possible for us after all. Please pray for an easy transition, and that other gifted leaders of integrity will step forward to fill the void that will be left when he steps down.

- the Bible Institute and Project LAMBS have had to close their doors temporarily because of the coronavirus crisis. Also, our brother Mario (the director of Project LAMBS and co-director of the Bible Institute along with his wife Alejandra) was very critical with COVID-19 due to his work in the hospital as a medical doctor. I understand that he is better again, but we do need to remember to lift up our brothers and sisters around the world, especially through these difficult days.

Finally, in closing, I will attach a letter which I received from Javier on July 6^th. Although some of the things that he mentions as coming up have now already taken place, I think that it will give you a feel for his heart during the current difficult times:

_______________________________________________

 

There is no doubt that God has not made a mistake despite this emergency that is still upon us. In my case it has brought not confinement or sitting around at home, but rather more work for me. Some do not believe in the pandemic and continue walking around as if nothing will happen while others live in constant fear. However even they, when pressed as to what they fear most have to confess that they fear the virus.

Some people, such as some of the pastors in the city say “I trust in God and nothing will happen to me”. However, the truth is that although we believe and trust and hope in God we do need to obey our civil authorities as long as they do not violate our principles of freedom of faith.

All of this pandemic, sickness and fear that has hit us I see being like a plague, the fulfillment of Ezekiel chapter 7, which God has allowed in order to get our attention and to remind us how insignificant we really are, and how weak our bodies. As the prophet David said: remember that we are dust and weak men, lacking in understanding.

There have been some very serious infections here in Cd. Valles due to lack of proper care. Last week brother Ezequiel Hernández, pastor of Esfuerzo Magdiel tested positive for COVID-19 but despite this he denied that he had it and claimed that he only had acute sinusitis. But he did receive treatment and was in isolation along with his family. He contracted the virus from a member of his church who is a doctor and who is presently in serious condition due to the illness and is hospitalized in San Luis Potosí, the state capital.

Although the government has given us permission to open the church I have decided to wait to open it until after the middle of July. Of course we continue to work throughout within cell groups and in local missions. Although this makes much more work and is very labor intensive we have had an increased harvest of fruit from new souls as well, and I thank God for this.

By the third week of July I believe that we can appropriately begin working in the ethnic missions of the Pame region again if God does not place any other obstacles in our way.

I have almost completed much of the hard physical work that needed to be accomplished over this time of the year. The sugarcane on the ministry farm site has been cleaned of weeds and the sugarcane harvest is now over.

I still need to clean our own land at our small farm in order to replant it, but I still have some time to do that before the rainy season begins. We also continue to work hard on the construction of our house and I hope to be able to frame the ceiling very soon in order to pour the cement roof. However I will not do that part alone, but rather will hire a contractor who will bring his own crew of men to do it. As you know, the mixing and carrying of the cement for roof-work is all done by hand and it is best to hire a crew to do that part. God will direct the timing for this because to him is all the glory

We are also planning to fully restart the children’s ministry in Buenos Aires this week again; including serving the children breakfast and having teaching times for them again. What hurts me the most though is that due to the Covid epidemic over these long months entire families with their children have left the area due to lack of food to feed their families and there are only a few children still left. I will begin this work again with diligence and joy along with my wife and Alicia in order to advance the work with the children again now that we are allowed to do so. May God strengthen us to continue this ministry.

Here in Cd. Valles we continue to have extremely high temperatures, and even though it has rained some we have not received enough for the fields and once again the soil is very dry.

There has been a lot of activity in the sewing school/workshop and several young adolescent girls have joined in order to learn how to design and sew their own clothes. The twin orphan girls that our sister Marina is raising have also joined the workshop along with seven others who are working and learning and being ministered to there. I thank God for this.

At the ministry farm Armando has been almost completely in charge of cleaning and looking after the sugarcane as well as the whole farm.

Although on occasion I still will supervise his work, he is pretty much able to do it completely alone and without the need for direction from me. I have been helping him in some of the areas that he cannot yet do alone.

We cannot grow vegetables at this time because of the extreme heat and the sun simply burns everything. We are experiencing temperatures of 40⁰ and 50⁰ degrees Celsius. The heat is terrible this year.

blessings my brother,

____________________________________________

 

Please remember to pray for our dear brothers and sisters in Mexico. Conditions are not easy there.

 

Your fellow servants in Christ,

 

Steven and Theresa

How is it possible that we are already entering headlong into 2020? On one hand it seems like only recent history that we were awaiting our fateful (or not!) entry into Y2K, and yet it also seems like an eternity has passed. Twenty years ago, on the brink of the new century we were told that the world would end in a dramatic computer-fizzle of missing data. Now we enter 2020 being told that we will all be annihilated in a massive environmental melt down.

In a world that appears to be flying apart at the seams I am so very thankful that our God reigns, and that He is sovereign and in complete control over ALL THINGS!

It has been a very long time since I have written an update, and many of you are no doubt wondering what is happening with the work in Mexico. I am happy to say that the ministry continues strong and healthy, and that the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ is reaching many who would otherwise not hear.

I continue to be in close communication and relationship with the leaders, especially Javier and Cristina, and to have a part in the ministry, albeit, from afar. The age of WhatsApp has revolutionized our communications, and what would have been impossible only years ago now has become common fare. Javier and I chat via video call whenever the need, or whim to do so arises, and Cristi sends me reports, photos, and little tidbits on an almost weekly basis. Technology, for all of its evils has proven to be a valuable tool as well.

In this update I want to very quickly mention some of the highlights since my last March blog entry, and then I will take a little different approach and simply paste some of the most recent correspondence and reports from Javier and Cristina. In this way you will see and hear the work through their eyes and voice and will be brought up to date on the issues that are close to their hearts.

You will remember that one of the big things that I reported in March was that the children’s feeding program in Buenos Aires was growing out of the ashes of the fire and that it was bigger, stronger, and more blessed than ever. Today the first stage of the build is completed and there is a thriving adult, as well as youth and children’s ministry and church growing in this little squatter’s village on the outskirts of Cd. Valles. Cristina will speak more about this in her report so I will let her explain what is happening now.

In my blog I also mentioned the thrust into the western mountains – into the indigenous Pame zone – a tribal group which has been only minimally reached with the gospel in any viable way to date. God has placed a tremendous burden onto Javier’s heart to minister to this people group. He has also provided a building and property directly in the heart of this region for a mission center from which to minister. I have previously explained why this center is so important to this work, and I will not rehash it again. However, I do want to give praise to God for the fact that He has provided the funds to assist our Pame brothers and sisters to purchase the roofing material that I mentioned in several of my last blogs. What they still need now is funds to fix up the collapsing and cracking walls of the building so that it will be safe for use as a training center and living quarters for missionaries who come into the area. It is already being used as a church building and for overnight stays, and the Pame Church is growing, but for basic safety reasons the walls will need to be repaired very soon. Critically, it will take funds to do so.

Javier will speak more about the work that is taking place at the Casa del Obrero Training Center farm and I won’t try to steal his thunder, except to say that they have finished off a small dormitory room on the side of the main staff house, turning what was originally an open storage area into a room for one or two single men, or perhaps a married couple. Javier now hopes to begin the foundation work for a further dormitory and other necessary rooms as God provides the funds to do so.

Then finally, the long-awaited and long prayed for ability to transfer the ministry property legally and completely into the name of the nonprofit Obreros Unidos para Cosechar, AC (the legal Mexican entity which covers the Training Center farm as well as the Bible School and Project LAMBS) is now, at along last in process. The land title is being transferred and Javier expects that it should be completed within the coming months. We have been hitting the brick wall of impossible bureaucracy in the inscrutable murk of Mexican land laws for literally years – since the work first began on the farm. Praise God, it is finally now only a matter of waiting for the paperwork to be processed and sent.

I could go on and on (as I am too apt to do), but I want to let Javier and Cristina tell you of their ministry through their own words. So I will now step aside and let them speak:
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Cristina Nuñez Zuñiga   December 31, 2019
Month End Report Children’s Feeding Program (Hidden Manna) and Sewing School/Workshop – Cd. Valles, Mexico:

Receive a huge hug and many blessings my dear brothers and sisters. Season’s greetings from the familia Santos Núñez.

Hidden Manna Feeding Program (Maná Escondido), Buenos Aires:

Happy New Year! On behalf of the Children’s Feeding Program Hidden Manna I want to thank you, and give praise for all of the blessings which we received during this past year.

We are very thankful for our new kitchen, and extremely happy with it. It has allowed us to serve the children much more efficiently than we were ever able to do before.

The new facility has also enabled us to have two more services apart from children’s breakfast feeding program and teaching time which we have always held on Saturday mornings. Now we also hold a weekly service on Mondays at 6:00 pm, as well as a youth service every other Saturday for the young people.

We have a total of 25 to 30 children, and 4 or 5 moms who come with their children weekly on Saturdays. But in total we have around 9 women who attend. There are 16 youth who attend the youth services on a regular basis and 2 or 3 women who are firm in their attendance.

On December 23rd we celebrated Christmas at Hidden Manna. Everything was very beautiful and well attended. Piñatas and candies were donated by various friends and Christian brothers and sisters desiring to bless the children.

God is doing wonderful things in the work in Buenos Aires. I too want to emphasize again that most of the young people are also assisting us in various other areas of mission outreaches as well, besides what is taking place here in Buenos Aires. What a blessing it is to see these young men and women growing up into a deepening faith in God.

On January 3rd and 4th we were in Tanlacut, Agua Nueva and Milpas Viegas areas (around the Agua Nueva Missionary Center in the Pame region) preaching the Word and taking clothing and footwear which we were able to distribute to our Pame brothers and sisters . I thank God for providing us with footwear and clothing which we could give to those with meager financial resources.

Sewing School / Workshop:

In the sewing workshop the women continue to work hard. This past month we focused completely on Christmas projects; however, the coming year will see us tackling new projects once again.

We are very happy for this time in our lives. To be able to sew every day is the fulfillment of our dreams as leaders, as well as that of the other women in the program as well and I hope that the following brief report will answer any questions that you have concerning this part of the work:

1) During this month we have two new students – Carmen Araujo, and Lelsy Trinidad – besides those who have been in attendance already.

2) What is the total time that is spent at the sewing school?: Alicia, Karla, and I (Cristina) spend the most time at the school. Cristy from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Karla and Alicia from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm. However, sometimes when there is a lot of work to be accomplished they also work through till 5:00 pm. This is true for Monday through Friday. The school is closed on Saturdays and Sundays.

3) How many women/girls attend each session during the week: The numbers vary; in the mornings there are three and in the afternoons there are four. In total there are seven; however this number can vary day to day.

4) Who is in charge of the school when I (Cristina) is not there with the women?: When I must leave Alicia is in charge. She is very capable in all areas. When both Alicia and I must be gone due to other obligations (for example with the church) then Karla is in charge. She is very capable to receive clients and to do the work. She has advanced much since she began some time ago and we are all very happy with how much she is now capable of doing.

5) Has there been progress, and what is our vision for the future of this project for training women?: I have seen tremendous progress over the past year because the women and girls are constantly learning. Also now since Karla and Diana are able to take on project work as well we have become a very good work team together. God has blessed us with women who want to advance and learn. Even more importantly, the women are growing in their walk with God, and some who came without any faith in Him are now Christian sisters having trusted Jesus Christ for their salvation.

Our vision for the future of this sewing ministry is to continue fulfilling the dreams of more women who want to be here at the school and to see their faces also light up with joy and satisfaction as they do their work, or when they accomplish a new part of a project.

Our students presently are:
Jaribeth – 17 years old, Lesly – 10 years old, Ana – 10 years old, Abigail – 13 years old, Lucero – 32 years old, Diana – 27 years old, and Mariana – 29 years old.

The women and girls are seldom all together at the sewing school at one time because those who are in other schools as well go from their classes directly to the sewing school, of from the sewing school to their other classes. What is very helpful for this is that the sewing school is centrally located and has good access to busses so that coming and going is easier for the women and girls.

Receive greetings and a big hug from all of us, and from the Santos Núñez family in particular.

May the Lord always bless you, and may His blessings fill your home.

Sincerely,

Cristy
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Javier writes:

All glory be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who blesses us with joy. It is a pleasure to be able to thank each of you through this letter, who, even though we do not know personally, are participating in our work here in Mexico.

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. … And so we will be with the Lord forever.

With these words of hope the apostle Paul awakens our ears and heart and encourages us to move forward with the sole purpose of reaching the end of our life believing in him who died and rose again and gives us the victory every day to overcome obstacles and temptations day by day. To him is the glory for ever and ever.

Receive a very cordial greeting, hoping that you had a wonderful time this Christmas and New Year with your family and friends. Blessings from our family. We wish you the beginning of a year filled with love and hope. May the God of Israel fill you with peace, love, and joy in Christ Jesus.

Here, as always, we enter the year with a lot of work but this is the nature of ministry; there is no schedule for us, only the privilege of serving God and others.

Concerning the question of clear title for the ministry land: I expect that the work of the transfer of the title of ownership of the land will be completed during the year 2020, with all involved in the said transfer and the agreements that have been made with the Civil Association here in Mexico.

This has been a very heavy burden for me until the present, but the Lord willing I will achieve it according to what was planned in the beginning for this ministry. I will also hand over the presidency of the Civil Association at the end of this year (2020), allowing me to concentrate strictly on other ministry and for reasons of caring for my health.

By God’s grace I will continue to enter and evangelize the mountainous Pame region until the time that God establishes several congregations there. I continue to pray that God will provide faithful workers for this ministry.

Also concerning the sugarcane on the ministry farm: I thank God that it is recovering somewhat despite the severe drought that we had this year. We finally did receive a little rainfall very late into the season, but it is not nearly enough. We place our hope in God alone that he will be merciful to us. Most of the sugarcane growers lost everything this year due to the severity of the drought. But we thank God that, despite the drought, some of the sugarcane on the ministry farm managed to survive and is growing again.
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The following is a report that Javier gave to the Board of Directors of Obreros Unidos para Cosechar, AC, the Mexican nonprofit which covers the various phases of the ministry in Mexico. Since Javier is the direct administrator of the Training Center Farm (Casa del Obrero) his part of the report to the board focused specifically on it:

Report: Javier Santos Hernandez

President OUpC, A.C.

Board of Director’s Meeting OUpC
Cd. Valles, December 4, 2019

To the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who blessings us continually in Him we give glory and honor and for ever and ever.

I am very pleased to be able to present myself to you, and it is an honor to stand before this legally constituted Association, Obreros Unidos para Cosechar, A.C. Today is a special day for each one of us to provide our reports according to the work accomplished in this 2019 school year.

Within my role as president of this Association; Obreros Unidos para Cosechar, A.C. I make my report of the work accomplished and the activities that were carried out in this period of almost twelve months. I also wish to recognize that these have been unusual times and that the 11 month drought has affected us all greatly. But I thank God that the loss was not total and complete.

Although the rain came late this year we benefited from the fact that the sugarcane cut was delayed last harvest, and by negotiating with the sugarcane union I had managed to be allowed to leave the roots for another year’s growth. That fact benefited us during this year’s drought since the old-growth sugarcane stalks were already well rooted and were therefore better able to endure the drought conditions, and indeed with the application of fertilizer much of the crop on the ministry farm was able to recover. Also the new growth on the 1.8 hectares, although it was minimized in its growth due to the drought, has gradually recovered with the arrival of rain. Still, the rainfall has not been enough and we certainly need more rain in order for the vegetation to develop and recover fully.

In January of this year the full title for the ministry land (dominio pleno) was processed before the attorney general’s office. I have been waiting for the arrival of the finalized documents but because of change of the federal government that took place this year the arrival of these documents has been delayed.

Three hectares of sugarcane were harvested without any problem and also with less harvest costs than we sometimes accrue. Thank God for this blessing.

In July we completed the digging of a retention pond at the farm site for the collection of rainwater and runoff soil, and to avoid further erosion due to the extreme passing of water in the rainy season. The money that was used for this earthwork was from a missionary economic fund that we still held from last year, and which was specifically intended and given for that purpose.

Works and Projects To Be Carried Out The Following Year 2020.

1) Harvest of the sugarcane on the farm property. The first part of the harvest will take place in January or February according to the present schedule of the sugarcane mill. This harvest will be of the new-growth sugarcane planted last season.

2) The second part of the harvest will also take place. This will be the cutting and harvesting of the old-growth sugarcane and will take place at the end of April or the beginning of May.

3) After the harvest has taken place the land will need to be cleaning again of remaining thatch and stocks, and the existing sugarcane roots will need to be cultivated for the following year’s growth.

4) Fertilization of the sugarcane plants will also need to be done.

5) We will continue to raise sheep and chickens.

6) We pray that God will bless us with rain and favorable weather so that we can continue with the production of vegetables again this year.

7) Complete the construction of the small housing quarters at the farm property which has already been begun by building into the former equipment storage area of the present building.

8) Construct a free-standing apartment on the farm property for a couple or small family.

9) Depending upon the availability of funds coming into the nonprofit this coming year for construction, I hope to begin the earthwork and the purchase of rock in order to begin foundation work for dormitories and other associated rooms.

Although currently we have no new students at the Casa del Obrero training center farm we will continue promoting for the next year ahead. We trust that God will send more laborers to his harvest, and we will keep preparing facilities to accommodate those that valve this work and who will come for training in Christian ministry.

I thank you for the confidence that you have placed in me. It is a joy to me to be able to serve you in this way.

Sincerely, your servant,

Javier Santos Hernandez

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There then is the heart-felt reports of those with boots on the ground in relation to the training center farm, the sewing ministry, and the children’s feeding work and adult and youth ministries in Buenos Aires.

 

Obviously there is much more which could be addressed including the Bible School, Project LAMBS, a more complete update on the work in the western mountains with the Pame, the mission church plants closer to the Cd. Valles area, the churches which are being pastored by the various national leaders, the various children’s ministries and outreaches, and the many other ministries of helps taking place. However, this is enough for now. One cannot eat an elephant in one gulp, and trying to do so is seldom helpful in the end.

However, I trust that this update has been helpful for you to get a renewed sense of the ongoing work in Mexico, and that it will renew your commitment to praying for those who labor in unflagging ministry there.

 

Blessings from your fellow laborers,

Steven and Theresa