Little Anita at the Casa del Obrero with Pancho and Chuli. I’m not sure who will be the happiest to see the family finally move into the staff house, the little girl, or the dogs
Happy New Year!
As you can see, I didn’t quite make my promised year end greeting that I had committed to in my last blog, but as Jane Hardesty would now be able to say, “Oh well”! (It’s an inside joke, sorry).
Wow, we are now into February already, and absolutely tons has happened since my last posting. Without ranting on and on and boring you half to death, I will try to encapsulate the past weeks into something of a nutshell. It will be a difficult process since so much has actually taken place in the interim.
As you will recall from the December post, Theresa and I were able to spend a couple of weeks in Canada with family and friends over the end of the year. It was a working holiday in a way since, not only did we want to see our Manitoba-residing family again, but James, Jessica and the boys were to be back from China for a visit. This would afford us the chance to see them again after a several-year absence, and also to pick their brains and beg their excellent advice and assistance in applying with a number of partnering ministries. But I am jumping ahead of myself – more about that later in the blog. However, this was the excuse that made the decision to go north for the New Year celebration with family possible.
We had been invited to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with good, missionary friends of ours, Mitch and Kathleen, who now work as gate guards in the petroleum industry in south Texas. It was through them that we were first introduced to gate guarding, and through this introduction that we started to consider this as a possible answer to our prayers for transitional funding for the ministry when we left in the near future. Theresa and I have been realizing that although our time in Mexico may be ending very soon, our role in the ministry must still continue for a little while longer.
Since our physically leaving Mexico will cause an economic vacuum in the work until the
Armando, Alicia and little Anita standing in front of the Casa del Obrero. We are working hard to get them moved in and comfortable
farm can begin to become more fully self-financing, we were seriously considering moving to Texas for a year where we could both work in order to raise the needed funds for the ongoing ministry in Mexico. We believed that God was showing us that this was an honorable exit plan for us, and a way that we could continue to bless the work in Mexico. However, we were also unsure if we were hearing from God clearly, and if this was really what he truly desired for us. We were looking for his confirmation.
On our drive to visit our friends on Christmas Eve we received a text message from Kathleen stating that she believed that she had a job for us. She had just received a call that very day from someone that she didn’t even know, asking if she knew of anyone who would consider taking over their gate in the spring. We drove over to the site on Christmas day to talk to the couple and took the job, setting the beginning date for the first of May.
Because of the dynamics of the work which we will have, we will be able to live on a small portion of our salary and give the majority of it to the Mexican work. In this way we will be able to assist in the transition of the ministry over the potential financial pitfalls that it will face over the next year as it finds its own wings. We are confident that it will do so. Realistically, however, it will take a little time. Theresa and I are simply committing to assisting in this transition by working for another year in order to raise funds for the ongoing ministry. Further, as a dear friend in Houston encouraged us last week, this work will be a gift to us as well – a sabbatical year to spend with God in a quiet, solitary location with minimal outside distractions.
Alicia and Anita standing outside their new home. We are blessed to have this family join the ministry
We are excited. However, this has also upped the ante for us now since we have a definite departure date, with much to complete before we leave Mexico at the end of April.
As I alluded to earlier, we have also been in contact with a couple of ministries to see if we can partner with them in the ongoing work of the Missionary Training Center farm. Although we still do not have any definite commitment on their part, they have both shown great interest in the work that OUpC is involved with in the Huasteca region of Mexico. Please pray with us that they will be willing to partner with us. This would not only make a huge financial difference to the work as it transitions, but it would also provide agricultural training personnel for the farm for a period of time as well.
I also want to express a big thank you to James and Jessica for their invaluable assistance in writing up ministry proposals, and in making these organizational contacts with us. We are so glad for their expertise in this, and for all of their help.
On January 1st Armando and Alicia began working at the Casa del Obrero. This, you will remember, is the couple who are the first disciples and leadership trainees at the Missionary Training Center. We are delighted in their progress, and it is increasingly obvious that they are exactly the couple that God had in mind all along for this role. They will work and train directly under the guidance of Javier and Cristina. In fact, Javier has begun their apprenticeship by meeting with them three days per week in our living room for intensive Bible School training. Not only is their preparation to be intensely practical in scope, but also fully academic so that they become completely grounded and prepared for leadership, as well as for the advancement of the training vision of the farm.
When Armando is not working shoulder-to-shoulder beside Javier and me on the farm he is
Armando beginning to get itchy feet to start field work on the little Ford 8N
being mentored for ministry by Javier in academic study. And when he is not doing this, he is himself taking leadership in a little mission church in San Antonio Huichimal over which he ministers without further assistance every week. Alicia, for her part now meets with Theresa several days a week during which time she is being taught what it means to be a woman of leadership, as well as how to keep a clean house and an active schedule as a young mother and a Christian wife involved in ministry. We are so blessed that God has brought this young couple into a dynamic part of the ministry.
We have had one disappointing turn of events over the past couple of weeks in which I wish that you would pray with us. The couple that had been planning to come down to wire the new staff house at the Missionary Training Center is unable to do so after all due to a family crisis. This means that we now do not have an electrician to come down to wire and prepare the house for electric service. If you are an electrician, and if you feel God tugging at your heart to come down for a week or so and bless the ministry with your talent, then please contact me as soon as possible. We desperately need this done before the middle of April since I feel that we need to do so before Theresa and I leave. Please hold this up in prayer with us. It is not a big house and will not be difficult to do, but I am not an electrician, and we are praying that someone will come to help us.
Our latest job – placing a protecting PVC casing pipe into the water well
At the risk of making this blog extra long, I want to finish off with segments from a proposal that we recently wrote concerning the work of OUpC. You may find it helpful to see it in a condensed and truncated format rather than through my usual rambling style.
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Obreros Unidos para Cosechar is a Mexican civil association that was formed approximately four years ago in the Huasteca region of the state of San Luis Potosi, just outside of Cd. Valles. The work of this association is overseen by a completely national board of directors and branches into three divisions: a Bible institute called Luz de Las Naciones; a mobile Bible training school called Project LAMBS, and; a farm-based missionary training center called Casa del Obrero.
The Huasteca Potosina lies within a largely indigenous zone which is one of the poorest and most marginalized areas of Mexico. Great socioeconomic disparity exists not only between indigenous and non-indigenous populations, but also between rural and urban dwellers. The area in general is wracked by deforestation, mono-cropping, corporate control of farmers, and drug trafficking.
Families may be in possession of up to 1 hectare of land; however the land often goes uncultivated. Most of the cultivated land is dedicated to sugarcane production and the many small holders find themselves in the shadow of several giant corporate farms that completely control the market. With fewer resources at their disposal, it is impossible for small holders to even be noticed by big buyers, or to receive a fair price for their product. Other than rare (and low paying) construction and day labor work, farming is the only option for making a living.
Amidst the poverty, local families also fall prey to many of the issues that often arise among
Necessity is certainly the mother of invention
marginalized groups: alcoholism, lack of education, gambling, sexual abuse within families and violence are all present in force, and significantly dampen the incentive to escape from poverty.
OUpC, has identified several needs in the region. Poverty is not only an external affliction, but also an affliction of the mind and of the spirit. Strong Christian leaders are needed to address this poverty. The dominant religion is Catholicism mixed with animistic and superstitious elements, which combine to make an oppressive and restrictive environment, rather than releasing the life giving love of Christ. Priests can exert a powerful hold over their constituents by evoking their sense of the superstitious.
An additional limiting factor that has become apparent over the years is that the urban-rural divide is often too great to entice educated urban dwellers (even those who feel a great missional calling on their life) to engage and work with those in the countryside. People with professional training are understandably more interested in income and upward mobility than engaging with the pressing issues that face the rural poor. For this reason the unique focus of OUpC is to train rural people in life-giving ways of living, and equipping them to impart those skills to others.
A disappointing fall-through in partnership occurred at the end of 2013, when the long-term urban church partner (and visionary) experienced a change in vision and withdrew their support of the rural initiative in favor of expanding their urban influence. This was, and continues to be, a painful disappointment for the leadership of OUpC. The character and integrity of the nationals working with the organization has been demonstrated in the perseverance they have shown through this and other difficult periods over the years.
This picture was taken of me by Len Gerbrandt in 2010, but I like the image. I think that I often feel like this – looking off into the fading mountain ranges in the distance, contemplating the future
The purpose statement of OUpC is to equip and train individuals, both indigenous and non-indigenous, in the areas of Christian leadership, trades, alternative farming methods, sewing, baking, micro-business, and entrepreneurship. Over the years the ministry has observed that receiving training in these areas empowers individuals, and enables them to overcome mentalities of poverty and oppression.
The long-term impact statement of the ministry is, “To equip men and women to return to their own communities in order to bring the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as well as freedom from the slavery of alcoholism and other addictions, poverty, and mentalities of inadequacy so that they can become missional Christians, as well as productive citizens within society.”
The farm (Casa del Obrero) has already developed valuable infrastructure, including: 6.6 hectares of cleared land; a 60 m2 house; a well (39 m deep) and small holding pond; a septic system with an approximately 40-person capacity; a small tractor and some implements; approximately 120 fruit trees; as well as building sites prepared for future expansion. Additionally, the farm is in possession of a contract with the local sugarcane mill to sell 5 hectares of cane annually.
The indigenous farm director (Javier Santos) has been active with the farm since February 2011, and has been integrally involved in the day-to-day operations and decision-making. He has some knowledge of the agricultural production practices used in the local, traditional context, but he has limited experience or exposure to anything larger in scope.
A young indigenous couple (Armando and Alicia) lives on the farm in the staff house. They have been recently appointed as managers-in-training, and are the first trainees on the farm. It is anticipated that this couple will take greater responsibility for day-to-day operations on the farm, releasing the farm director, Javier, to perform administrative and training functions.
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The rest of the report is directly related to our proposal, and will not be of interest to you. However, I thought that the above might be written in a format that will be helpful for you to be able to better visualize the ministry itself, and what we are doing.
I had better close as this blog is now getting to the point of critical mass in length and some of you will soon be snoozing soundly, if you have not done so already.
We appreciate each of you, and continue to ask for your prayers as we finish strong in the race that we have been given to run.
Your friends and fellow laborers,
Steven and Theresa
