Too Hot, Too Tired
The crowd occupying the chairs placed in a semicircle around the large plastic tarpaulin screen, as well as those straddling tree trunks and stone walls in the peripheries of the area sit silently as they watch the story of Jesus in their own language. Jesus, John the Baptist, in fact everyone, speaks their heart language – Tének. For some, most notably the women, this is the only language that they are at all comfortable in – Spanish may or may not be spoken at all. As Javier Santos, who is himself Tének, stated only days ago: “The message of Jesus cannot be given more clearly than in their own tongue”.
As I mentioned in my last blog we have been blessed to be able to continue to do evangelization outreaches into the outlying villages again with renewed vigor. The response has been wonderful, and God is blessing. Further, we are blessed to see a team of people beginning to come together with like vision and purpose – evangelism. The ground rules are simple – the message of Jesus is to be proclaimed, his Kingdom is to be established, and no denominational “turf” is to be set up. It is a blessing to see leaders from across denominational lines beginning to envision the Church of Jesus planted throughout the region.
We now have chairs and equipment. We continue to try to “spiff up” the format with a better frame for the screen, a trailer to haul the equipment, a small power plant (thanks to a generous donation from Larry and Ina from Canada), as well as beautiful A.V. equipment that makes it all possible (donated generously by Kevin and Jackie, also from Canada). It may not be the highest tech in the world, but it allows us to go back into dusty villages and set up under the open sky even where there is no power or a building of any sort.
I believe that one must find ways to operate appropriately within the “times”. Medical clinics may have been the appropriate way to evangelize and bring to gospel during one chapter of God’s work here. I don’t believe that this is necessarily the case any longer – at least not here in the Huasteca region of Mexico. It does little good to become nostalgic over the past, or to try to reuse old and outdated techniques when their “time of appropriateness and usefulness” has passed.
There was a time when films could be used very effectively across Mexico because there was little entertainment. Even those uninterested in the gospel would come for a bit of entertainment. In this way they often met the Lord instead. Those days are long since gone in the cities now. Most have their own DVD players and computers. However, films are still a useful tool in the villages. No doubt the appropriateness of this tool will end even there as well. However, we can use it in the outlying villages while it is still something that works well.
Theresa continues to be very busy with teaching sewing classes as well as being tutored herself in Spanish. She is being asked to assist in sewing the needed props for the Summer Bible School sessions over the summer. She will remain very busy with that. Beside this, there are always the normal household chores to take care of. There is almost daily laundry to wash, meals to cook, quinceañera parties to attend, guests to entertain, etc.
I find myself very occupied by the multi-thrust of the evening evangelism on Monday and Tuesdays and the farm work. All of this of course, is always worked out against the constant backdrop of spirit-squelching heat.
Let me give you a little overview of today – it was almost funny because it was so frustrating. But to put things into perspective I need to backup several days – I have been finding myself increasingly frustrated by the one step forward, three back that my life has taken of late. I have been desperate to get the tractor out into the field in order to get the three plus acres cleared that still need stumps pulled and the soil turned. Javier and I have been hacking away non-stop at the weed-cover with machetes, but this is a futile attempt at uselessness since the trees and weeds grow back almost as fast as you can clear them out. Besides, it does nothing for the stumps that still sit and laugh at me.
When Theresa and I went north to help with my mom and dad I had just finished painting and preparing the tractor. I took it to a neighbor close to the landsite and parked it. Now, upon our return to Mexico, I have been itching to get it fired up again.
Upon returning to Cd. Valles I worked with Javier in putting out the immediate fires at the farm. This involved mainly the machete work of hacking the weeds back from the fruit tree saplings that were planted last summer and were being threatened with the ignoble death of being choked to death by herbage. As well, the weeds around the edges of the sugarcane field were hand sprayed with herbicide in order to keep the weeds from overtaking the sugarcane crop again. This all needed to be done, but I was chaffing under the delay.
Finally I thought I was ready to get the tractor onto the field. Last week I finished the final little wrap-up items – wiring the lights, getting some missing parts made (a process which involved many mañanas before they were finally finished), I recharged the battery, and generally got the tractor ready to turn the switch and listen to its purr. However, when I did turn the switch there was no purr at all – not even a hiccup or an attempt at a little itty-bitty purr.
So, back to the drawing board for me.
Then the next day we had a major van breakdown on our way out to one of the villages for film evangelism. We did manage to limp back, but just barely. The next day, and the next as well the van was in the shop.
The very day that I got the van back I was determined to see what was up with the tractor. I just had a little stuff to do first. I headed up to one of the rooms above the church building where ministry tools are being stored in order to pick up some things that I needed. While there I bent over to look for something and the tip of a coil of wire sprung back and poked me straight into my left eye. This put me out of commission for the day.
Thankfully the extent of the injury, although excruciatingly painful, ended up being minor.
By the next day I was back at my no. #1 nemesis – the tractor. This time I dragged Theresa with me to the jobsite. I figured that we could pull start it as I reasoned that the problem must be fuel related after not having been run for some months. Besides, the electrical system baffled me and I was reticent to crack the code. The old N-series Fords used a very unusual magneto/coil system, and I was frightened to touch it – “if it wasn’t broken don’t fix it” was my hopeful logic. Theresa pulled me on the tractor until the cows almost came home, but all to no avail. Beaten again.
But, not to be 100% skunked for the day I decided to go out and do some field work (ie., by hand). By this time it was midday and very nearly 110°. I reasoned that I would just be careful, drink lots, and not work too long. Hmmm, not a bright idea as I found out. I guess I just am not 25 years old any more.
So, today I realized that I needed to take the bull by the horns and tackle the mystery electrical system of the inscrutable Ford 8N. I read up on the owner’s manual and headed over to the tractor. I pulled the mess off and cleaned the points, filed, greased, sandpapered, reset…and there still was no spark. I decided to get the bigger guns working and brought the contraption to the mechanic who works on my car.
Well, so much for backyard mechanics. Within their scope they are great. Outside of it, well, a menace. I realized, much to my frustration, that he was making a shambles of all that I had so carefully put together all morning. But at least I knew how to reassemble the mess that he had made. I went to an “electico” who does auto electrical work. I got some friendly advice, but basically an answer of “Wow, that is a different system”. So I came home and reread the owner’s manual again. There is no way to buy the parts for the electrical system here in Mexico, and apparently no way to check the functioning of it either. So, meticulously I recleaned, reset, guessed at calibration since feeler gauges do not seem to exist here. Apparently gapping is done by using a little piece of thin cardboard box (such as a cereal box) or by using a little piece of broken hack saw blade. I figured that I could make an educated guess and be as close as using these. I also realized that my no-go of the morning was probably due to not timing the distributor correctly since I hadn’t realized that there was a recessed slot that I needed to fit a certain flange thingie into. So, after a late lunch and a rather desperate quick prayer for guidance I was out of town again and back at the tractor to try my new ideas.
Then, all craziness broke loose. I think that we often tend to give the enemy credit where no credit is due, and in so doing we honor him when we don’t actually intend to. Sometimes I think that frustrating things just happen (I have heard it said with other descriptive language, but I won’t go there). Nonetheless, in all of this, whether an actual attack from the enemy, or simply due to teeth-grinding, aggravating “stuff”, these eye-rolling times are a good chance to develop patience and grow in character. This afternoon was ridiculously frustrating. First of all I carefully set out my bolts to reassemble the coil/distributor contraption into the miniscule space allowed for this work around the front of the tractor. I carefully placed it into the spot to satisfy myself that all was good-to-go. Then, out of the absolute blue, it was “Houston, we have a problem”. One of the bolts absolutely disappeared into thin air. I looked everywhere (I mean, where could it possibly go – there was nowhere that it could have gone). I pushed the tractor back. I combed the ground. I pocked into every crevice and cranny of the tractor – it was nowhere to be found. This was now the third time that I would have to go back to town – this time for a silly bolt.
I decided to assemble everything anyway – holding it all together with only one bolt – in order to see if I could at least get a spark.
The harder I tried the less I could get the bolt into either hole. Washers flew everywhere. Precious bolts, washers and tools flew and were dropped haphazardly. What in the world was going on? The fact that it was mid afternoon with associated soaring temperatures probably did not help. But I was aware of something, and that is that, regardless of why this frustrating stuff was happening, this still was a good time to simply relax in Jesus.
I have a verse on the scrolling marquee on my computer – “Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it” Ephesians 5:10 (New Living). I like that.
All at once everything started to go right. When the little washer sprung off the lead wire to the coil I figured that it was history. But there is was, right in front of me. When I dropped a bolt, there it was directly where it dropped, and not hidden in the engine in some undiscoverable place. I removed a bit of the tow rope and low and behold the missing bolt was lying on the ground directly under the engine compartment. I snugged up the last bolt and removed a sparkplug to see if, hope-against-hope, there might be spark at the plug. I cranked the engine, and not only was there spark, but the engine coughed to life. Wow, thank you Lord!
Just silliness maybe, but that is a day in my life – not unlike many before today, and no doubt not unlike many to come.
I have rambled. I will close.
Thank you for your love and prayers.
May God bless you richly with his love and peace.
Steven and Theresa
