I bring you greetings from our little kitchen table in Cd. Valles as the sound of the laughter of children playing across the street fills the house. It has been a very busy two weeks since my last post. The days have been very full, and very blessed. I will attempt to cover the highlights while still keeping this blog from becoming too verbose.
As I mentioned in my last post, we were preparing for the arrival of two teams with members from Canada, the United States, as well as a Christian brother from Cuba. As I stated before, we have been blessed again this year to be able to rent a small house from a sister from Javier’s church. This allows us to be independent while here and not to become an undue burden upon Javier and Cristina or other friends. Further, it provides us a place where we can host others while we are here in Mexico – both missionary teams arriving to serve while we are here, as well as hosting local friend for meals and visits.
The morning of Tuesday, February 4th provided Theresa and me time to continue to settle in and prepare for hosting the Canadian team which would be staying with us in our little rental house in Cd. Valles. In mid-afternoon I headed east to Tampico in order to be at the airport for the arrival of Fred Erb and Matthew Reimer, both from Listowel, Ontario. Fred pastors Listowel Community Church, and Matt is one of the elders. Fred and Listowel Church have been a part of the work in the Huasteca region of Mexico for over twenty five years. Fred, along with two other pastors, are to be the keynote speakers at the upcoming conferences.
Although Tampico is a city on the coast only about 150 kilometers to the east of Cd. Valles, in reality it is a very nerve-wracking and tedious three hour drive to get there. In the daylight the road is bad, and often requires some fancy downshifting and dodging of potholes and maneuvering into and out of unannounced “surprises” along the way. At night, however, it is terrifying! Since the roads are dark and almost devoid of any markings, navigation becomes extremely difficult after dusk. Lanes sometimes cease to exist or make sharp changes without any apparent reason or announcement, and massive potholes are always ready to take out the suspension and tires of any unsuspecting or complacent driver. Coupling this with the incessant glare of undimmed headlights from oncoming traffic facing the same dilemma of poor visibility, these drives to Tampico are never “fun”.
Unfortunately, because of the schedule of the flights coming in from the United States and Canada these trips to Tampico always require night driving. Since the incoming flight lands at 8:00 pm (assuming that it arrives on time), arrival back to Cd. Valles rarely can be done before midnight. Since Fred and Matt had different return flights back to Canada I needed to make this trip into Tampico three times over the past two weeks – certainly enough elevation of blood pressure to last me for another year before doing so again!
Immediately after meeting with Fred and Matt at the airport I got a call from Martin (Marty) Dyer telling me that he and his team from the States and Cuba had all arrived in Monterrey and were prepared for an early morning departure for Santa Catarina, in the Pame region, where we would meet the following evening in preparation for the conference which would commence on Thursday morning. Marty pastors New Song church in Grove, Oklahoma and has also been a part of the ministry in the Huastecan region of Mexico for many years. Marty and I have worked together now for over twenty five years. Traveling along with Marty was Keith Martin, a brother also from Grove, Oklahoma, as well as Juan Carlos Cardosa, a pastor and brother from Cuba. Oscar Salazar was also with them as their translator and friend.
After a close to midnight arrival back at Cd. Valles Theresa and I got Fred and Matt settled in for the night, and tried to catch a good night’s sleep in preparation for a mid-day departure on Wednesday for the Zona Pame, and the upcoming Fourth Annual Conference of Pame Believers which would take place in Santa Catarina, beginning at 10:00 o’clock on Thursday morning.
Wednesday morning provided us time for packing and preparing the vehicles for the trip over the mountains to Santa Catarina. We would be taking two pickup trucks, both packed to the gills. I would drive one loaded with people and supplies for ministry. Javier would drive the other packed full with the musician team as well as their instruments, speakers, and sound equipment. We gathered everyone and got off in a mid-afternoon start for the mountains, planning on a 6:00 o’clock rendezvous with Marty and his team at Adela’s house in Santa Catarina. We would then hold a prayer time and fellowship there with the local body of believers around an evening meal before settling in for the night.
Everything went well for the first half hour or so of the trip until we began to climb higher into the ever-heightening mountain terrain. All of a sudden, Javier who had taken the lead, pulled over to the side of the road at a curve where there was absolutely no shoulder between the narrow road and the steep side of the mountain. Grossly overloaded trucks and speeding cars pulled around us as we stood on the side of the road examining what was obviously a big problem with the little Ford Ranger that Javier was driving. Matt, a heavy-duty truck mechanic, quickly identified that the whole inside of the fourth sparkplug had blown out of the main body of the plug, and the harness had been completely burnt off. Although three cylinders still fired, because the one sparkplug had completely blown out its inner core there was a very loud noise erupting from the engine whenever it ran.
Eventually, while trying to avoid getting killed by traffic, we were able to push the truck in order to assist the barking engine in getting the vehicle to the other side of the road and into a somewhat safer place. Javier then called back to Cd. Valles and asked a mechanic friend, Román, to please come to fix the truck. Román arrived shortly with a new sparkplug and cable. Soon he had the truck up and running after having replaced the apparently badly made plug, along with the burnt cable and we were on the road again.
We climbed and groaned our way ever higher up the road for about another half hour until suddenly Javier pulled over to the side of the road again in as precarious a place as before. Surely not again! But sure enough – another sparkplug had blown out its insides and burnt off the plug harness cable! However, this time it was number 3 plug.
Again we risked life and limb and pushed and limped a short way up the road in order to relocate the truck in a place where the traffic was not roaring like missiles around us. By now however, we realized that we didn’t just have a bad set of plugs, but we had a genuine engine problem and needed a different vehicle. Again Javier called to a very patient Román and asked him to bring another sparkplug and wiring harness and to please bring a second driver in order to try to limp with the truck back to his shop in Cd. Valles where he would need to see what was wrong with it.
Javier then called to Santa Catarina where Marty and the team had already arrived in order to ask if someone from there could come and pick up the load and crew from the crippled truck. Oscar said that he would come out to get them, however, he was at least three hours away.
While we waited for Román to arrive, the truck was unloaded beside the road in the increasing dusk. We then waited in the thickening darkness high up in the Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains for Oscar to arrive with his truck so that we could reload the musical equipment and passengers and drive on to our destination.
Oscar did arrive, and we did make it to Santa Catarina late that night, but not before a very adventure-filled drive across the mountains, and certainly not by 6:00 o’clock as planned.
At 10:00 o’clock the following morning the Conference began. Pame believers from little villages scattered across the region gathered together for a time of fellowship and teaching. As I have emphasized before in other blogs, these annual gatherings are very important for these new believers because they bring together the Pame Christian community who, only a handful of years ago, had never heard the evangelical gospel message. Today they joyfully gather in the unity of their love for Jesus Christ. These annual gatherings bring together a body of believers who speak the same heart language and experience the same cultural roots.
We were all blessed to receive teaching from Fred, Marty, and Juan Carlos as they ministered to those gathered. Oscar and Juan Carlos translated from English into Spanish for Fred and Marty, while Jose Santos, a Pame brother and Bible translator, translated from Spanish into Xi-Ui, the language of the Pame people. Translation can get a tad bulky as it passes through three languages, but that is what is often involved in cross-cultural and cross-linguistic ministry.
The following morning we pilled everyone and everything into three trucks and headed out for Santa Maria Acapulco, the spiritual and cultural center of the Zona Pame, and the very epicenter of demonic witchcraft and paganism of the region. I have spoken often of this place in other blogs, and so will not do so again here. However, let me simply reiterate the miracle which has happened over the past three years in which a small group of believers has been planted in this once-closed village. Today the light of the gospel is shining forth in this onetime stronghold of the Enemy. The light may still be the flicker of a candle, but it is shining bright and true nonetheless.
Juan Carlos, the brother from Cuba brought a powerful message to the gathered group of believers inside the central “domo” while others, not wanting to be counted with the believers, listened from outside the fence and from across the road. But, inside or out, the message of the gospel was heard.
After a lunch of ham and cheese bolillos was served to everyone in attendance (along, of course, with the mandatory Mexican requirement of Coca Cola served in a disposable cup), we once again piled back into the trucks – only two this time, and headed back for Cd. Valles where we were all going to try to get a night’s sleep before the conference in Solidaridad in the morning.
We made it back to Cd. Valles fairly late – tired and ready for bed, but safe and sound nonetheless. Everyone was dropped off at their respective homes or hotel rooms as the case may be, and we all tried to relax and get a good night’s sleep in preparation for the 10:00 o’clock conference the following morning.
Since we all have an attention span that should not be tortured beyond measure I will end here for now. Primeramente Dios, I will post the second instalment very soon.
Again, as always, we thank you so much for your love and prayers. Your prayers are a vital part of the ministry, and the strength of the Lord is that which sustains us.
Your fellow laborers and servants in Jesus Christ,
Steven and Theresa Frey
