The first fruits of our mango crop
“From opposite standpoints of the Christian world, from different quarters of human life and character, through various expressions of their common faith and hope, through diverse modes of conversion, through different portions of the Holy Scripture will the weary travelers enter the Heavenly City and meet each other – “not without surprise” – on the shores of the same river of life”. Dwight L. Moody – “Heaven” (Moody Classics)
I found the above quote the other day and decided to include it in my blog, not necessarily because it has anything to do with what I hope to say today, but rather just because I like it. It speaks to me about the diversity and delightful variety of God’s family, our brothers and sisters in the Kingdom. I suspect that it will be true that we will meet – “not without surprise” – on the shores of the same river of life in God’s Heavenly City.
Certainly, the longer that I am here in Mexico rubbing shoulders daily with my brothers
Roberto places final color on columns. We hope to place a roofed porch over this concrete pad in the near future.
and sisters, the more I realize that we are not always of the same ilk. Indeed, many times we all go away mutually scratching our heads wondering what the other could possibly mean, and what motivated a certain choice or reaction. We, even in the natural, are not all the same. We bear a different stamp and serial number, a different background, a different seal of culture, a different formation of mental processes, a different line of thinking and logic from each other. If this is true in the natural, then it is even more so in the spiritual. As Moody put it, sometimes we come from opposite standpoints, from different quarters of life and character, with different expressions of faith and hope, different doctrinal viewpoints – all to stand together, shoulder to shoulder – at least, so we should stand.
I am grateful that God enjoys variety and is not a God of uniformity. This gives me hope, and means that I don’t need to strive to try to fit into the life of cookie cutter Christianity. Let us revel in God’s creativity and variety. We are free to be conformed into the image of Jesus as Paul speaks about in Romans and 2nd Corinthians – seeking to keep our eyes on him (Jesus) – rather than trying to do such and such because so and so or this rule or that regulation of religion says so. I have long ago reconciled myself to the fact that I am cut from a different cloth than many. I don’t necessarily want to be weird, but I also don’t want to have someone’s (or some society’s) set of rules dictating who and what I must become. After all, we all come with a different background, history and world view.
The inside of the galera house takes shape.
But I fear that I have digressed, let me proceed…
There is something new happening here in the work. I have a sense of something different and fresh, but I can’t necessarily grab it in my hand as it twists and turns and remains somewhat illusive. But I will try to describe what I am feeling. Forgive me if I struggle for the words to fully relay what I am trying to say.
As far as our daily lives – we have been busy. Theresa has just returned from spending some time in Canada with our children. It was difficult to have her gone, and it is good to have her back again. I have been working on the galera house on the farm, getting it ready while we wait for God’s answer to our prayers by supplying us with a couple to take over that part of the ministry. We have continued to work in village outreaches and church planting. It has been hot and miserable with daily temperatures holding up in the 110 – 118 degree Fahrenheit range with humidity in the 80s – very normal for this time of the year.
Besides this, some very good things are also being birthed. They are not fully formed yet,
The bridge begins to take shape
but they are beginning to become reality – seen through the eyes of faith.
As I already mentioned, the galera house, the house on the Casa del Obrero Missionary Training Center has now been finished. Finished, that is, except for having electricity, water, any kitchen cabinets, appliances or fixtures, any bathroom fixtures or appliances, any furniture, and some other little tiny details like that. Nonetheless, it looks beautiful and we continue to pray earnestly that God will provide the especially chosen couple that he has prepared to run the hands-on part of the ministry that is required of a mentor couple who will live and work there.
Bridge work begins about a mile from the farm. This is where the autopista will cross the access road that passes the farm site.
Our dear friends Kevin and Jackie Penner have donated money to drill a deep water well on the Missionary Training Center farm. The well is to be called “Wesley’s Well”, and it will transform what can be done there. Water is literally life, and in our climate especially, it means the difference between productivity and bareness. This is a very exciting thing. Thank you God for your answer to our prayers, and thank you Kevin and Jackie for being used by God to bring the answer.
The executive body of the three branches of the work – the Bible Institute, Project LAMBS, and the Casa del Obrero Missionary Training Center – have just spent a couple of days with me meeting with the Board of the Berea Bible Institute in Monterrey, Mexico. We approached them to request the possibility of coming under their academic and accrediting, as well as spiritual cover. This is the Bible Institute where Javier attended many years ago, and which formed so much of his missionary heart. I feel very comfortable with their ministry vision and “style”. It is much more similar in nature to what we feel God is calling us to do than many other “academic-focused” institutes – certainly than the curriculum and focus of the denominational-based program that we are presently using. We still need to present a formal written request, and they still need to accept our application, and some further negotiation will no doubt still need to be done. But things look very positive and as if God is bringing us together with their work. This is a very good thing, and another answer to many years of prayer.
A change is beginning to take place here in the ministry – nationals are starting to give
Javier looking into park in Monterrey. This park is where Javier first gave his life to the Lord many years ago through the ministry of a street preacher
financially to the work – not for what they can receive from it, but because they see that it is their ministry. We have been asked by a national brother to receive the donation of cash that several visiting pastors will bring from their sending churches in the United States. Their stipulation was that the money was to go to a work which this brother deemed to be the most needy, or where it would serve best. He asked if the total amount can come to the work of the Missionary Training Center. This is an amazing change in outlook from only a few years ago – national brothers and sisters becoming financial givers rather than receivers. This is an exciting change, and a very good thing.
This same brother is going out of his way to put up water-collecting rain gutters on the galera house at the farm so that rain water can be collected and conserved. He is doing this, not for pay, but because he feels God’s call on his heart. This is very good.
God is at work even if not always with booming displays of fireworks and sprays of exploding pyrotechnics. Nonetheless, in the stillness of his voice we continue to see his power displayed.
Javier stands in front of an unusual statue in Monterrey. We decided that they must be worshipping
As you know, we have finished our harvest for the year and await the payment on this year’s sugarcane crop. However, we don’t expect any great income for the year. Last week Javier received the payment on his personal field. He has roughly two hectares of sugarcane. His first payment for his sugarcane harvest, after all of the reductions and cuts that the milling monopoly took out netted a grand total of $700 pesos. This amounts to roughly $60 dollars for a year’s work. He will probably receive a little more in the final payout – perhaps bringing the full year’s net to about $1,000 pesos if he is lucky. If he does, then he will make an equivalent to $87 dollars for a full year’s crop. He estimates that he has invested $8,000 pesos over this past year to grow his crop. This means a loss of $610 dollars this past year. It is obvious to even someone who does not have a “business head” that sugarcane farmers are in crisis. There needs to be alternatives. Unfortunately, for so many small farmers there are none, and they need to continue to be dependent upon the gouging of the gigantic buying and processing monopolies.
In light of this, we feel the definite need to begin a for-profit business of some kind at the
Javier with statues of two small boys in a park in Monterrey.
Training Center, knowing that sugarcane alone will never be enough to supply for the financial needs of the ministry. Besides this, we have been painfully reminded of late that many wonderful, godly works have allowed themselves to become dependent upon charity and handouts to survive. We don’t want to have our hands perpetually extended waiting for donations.
Now, I am all for a God of miracles, and depending upon the God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills and the wealth in every mine. But I think that it is not wrong to be independent from the need to beg as well. I believe that this work must somehow become 100% Mexican run and funded. Why not! Why can’t it be?
So, we are searching for ways to produce funds from within the ministry – more than the sugarcane alone can generate. We met this morning with a local businessman to discuss the possibility of a welding shop and/or an aluminum window shop. The benefit to this, besides being a source of income for the ministry, is that it would become a place where the student body would learn trades in a “natural” setting as well.
Mill for extracting the juice from sugarcane to make piloncillo
With this in mind, in all honesty, we need people with a business mind who can help us with the startup costs and know-how to begin several small businesses – entrepreneurs, who are not afraid to invest into a Kingdom venture – with the full intention of recouping their investment again. These could potentially be nationals, wealthy enough to invest in such a ministry. However, I believe that the reality is that God will no doubt lay it onto the hearts of a number of brothers and sisters from Canada and the United States to catch this particular vision so that income can be generated for the ongoing ministry.
I don’t have a business mind, finances to invest, nor do I have business experience. We desperately need God to provide the personnel, the money, and the business minds. We trust and pray that he will do so.
Within all of these changes and new challenges Theresa and I are also sensing very clearly that our time in Mexico (at least as it has been) is drawing to a close. We feel the need to hand over the baton to someone else so that we can return to Canada very soon.
Do you know what the Peter Principle is? The Peter Principle states that “in a hierarchy
Cones for making piloncillo – an unrefined sugar that is boiled down from sugarcane juice
every employee tends to rise to their level of incompetence”. I believe that my role in this work has been that of being a pioneer, and perhaps a visionary. The work needed to be begun, and I was not afraid to step in and tread into the unknown. Now, however, someone needs to take over who can lead it to the next stages of where it is supposed to go in God. Much of this will be done by the national leaders. I have been extremely blessed to watch as the different members of the executive body have taken direct leadership over the past months of crisis in the ministry. I have been blessed as Javier, Alejandra, and Mario, especially, have proven themselves more than capable to continue the work, and have taken hold with feet firmly planted into the task.
Still, we believe that there continues to be the need for an expat couple to share in the ministry for the next several years. This could possibly be someone with business skills who could help in bringing the work into financial independence, making it a viable, self-financing, missionary supporting ministry. Please pray with us in this. We are desperately praying that God will bring someone soon.
Well, I have been all over the board – “free flow” I think it is called. I hope that you have been able to follow at least a little of my meandering thoughts, and that at least some of them have been a blessing to you at some level. If nothing else, it will help you to know how to pray for us here in Cd. Valles.
We are blessed. We are so grateful to have you as our friends, and to have God as our Lord.
Blessings,
Steven and Theresa
