Gloria, Hallelujah we are in Cd. Valles! The tractor and implements parked in our neighboring farmer, Don Benigno's yard.
So, do we still serve a miracle working God? Yubetchah we do!!!
I “promised” that my next blog would be from Cd. Valles with the tractor delivered. God has been faithful, and here we are!
None of it was without its fun and games of course, (but have you ever noticed that God has never “promised us a rose garden” in our walk with him. Sometimes it is even downright difficult, but he is always there with us). I left you last week in Laredo, Texas with the hope, if not complete certainty that we could get the tractor, et al., at least across the border, if not indeed all the way down to Cd. Valles. I was still very much aware of the fact that we still had about four hundred and something miles to travel from Nuevo Laredo to Cd. Valles. I was also aware that this is the new battle ground for the various cartels – the Zetas and the Gulf Cartel being the main ones in this area. In fact, no one wanted to go with us since there was a very real and recognized danger in doing so.
We got our finished paperwork on Thursday afternoon. However, since the paperwork covered only the tractor and agricultural implements and nothing else, I had to cross with an empty van. We quickly unloaded the rather full van in Laredo and I headed across the bridge with the tractor and implements. The paperwork was 100% perfect, and I was able to get the initial importation completed in a matter of a half hour or so. Then my young guide and I transversed the city of Nuevo Laredo pulling the train behind us in order to find a parking location where I could store the tractor until the following day when Theresa and I would come with the rest of the load.
On Friday morning Theresa and I got an early start across the bridge. Praying for a green light at the customs we breathed a prayer of thanks when the light turned green, allowing us to go through with the van without having to have our load gone through piece-by-piece by the customs agents.
We picked up our “train” and headed south. Unfortunately our road ran through the middle of Monterrey, a city of well over a million. Traffic was, well, let’s just say “very interesting” as we were forced through the center of the city dragging a cumbersome load which did not allow for easy braking, and certainly no lane changing without total cooperation from the rest of the traffic – yah right, dream on!
But we made it. We were hopelessly lost for a good period of time in Monterrey, heading off in totally the wrong direction with nary a road sign anywhere to be found. We were only pulled over for military, customs and police checks about seven or eight times. We only just barely talked our way out of trumped up traffic fines twice. We were stopped by every policeman and his brother from the border of Nuevo León to Cd. Valles. But we made it home in two days. Please don’t ask me to do it again, but we made it. Thank God!
There are several things that I would be totally amiss if I failed to mention and give God thanks for.
First of all, this little “tractor episode” has truly been an interdenominational pulling together of brothers and sisters from all over North America. Dan and Marlys Slaubaugh, good friends of ours from North Dakota and part of a little independent home church, began this whole chapter by putting us into contact with Floyd and Gayle Dowell from Tractors for our Daily Bread. Floyd and Gayle are lovely Christians who never seemed to see it as important to ask what flavor the ministry of Voice in the Wilderness was, as long as we were serving the same Lord. We were greatly assisted by Flame of Truth Ministries in Donna, Texas which is a small, Full Gospel work along the border. In Donna we stayed with dear friends of ours Rae and Judy Thompson, a former Methodist pastor. We were directed to a Christian broker by a pastor / attorney in McKinny, Texas by the name of Alex Camacho. I have never met Alex, but he is a faithful brother who, once again, never asked for our shingle before helping us. He directed us to a Christian brother, Rafael Dueñas in Laredo, Texas who is also an attorney who owns a brokerage business. Through these brothers we were also put into contact with Pastor Mike Barrera and his lovely wife Polly, Rafael’s pastor. Mike pastors a United Baptist Church in Laredo, Texas. Mike and Polly generously opened their home to us for four days while we stayed in Laredo waiting for the paperwork to be completed. Pulled behind, as the caboose to the whole magnificent train, was a wood chipper that was donated by our good friend J.W. Cunningham. J.W. has a Baptist background. Though this help the tractor was then delivered to an Assemblies of God ministry in Cd. Valles, Mexico, a denomination of which neither Theresa nor I are a part. Interesting, don’t you think? I think that this is the way that God’s Body should function.
Another thing that bears mention again is the incredible part that our dear brother Rafael Dueñas played in this whole saga. Rafa opened doors that were completely closed for us at the Mexican border. He made the impossible happen, and in the end would not accept even a penny for his work, insisting that it was done for the Lord. Thank you so much Rafa, and may God bless you richly for your service to him.
There is another little interesting thing that I want to note. My sincere prayer last week while we were still waiting for word to head for Laredo was that God would give 100% clear direction as to what we were supposed to be doing. I knew the closed doors that we had run into so far, and the supposed impossibility of getting the tractor across. Further, I was very mindful of the apparent danger in bringing it through Mexico during these unstable times. I questioned the expense that it looked like we would incur, and wondered if it would be worth it in the end. I was very unsure if this was indeed God’s will for us. My prayer was very simply a release of the whole thing to God, and a promise to accept whatever He would do through the as yet unknown brothers in Laredo. If that door were to close then I was willing to accept God’s voice.
Interestingly enough, as Theresa and I were leaving Donna for Laredo, about a three hour drive west, we were pulled over by a Mexican man and his elderly father in a pickup truck. They had been heading the opposite directon and had pulled a U-turn to meet us. They apologized for stopping us, but asked whether we were interested in selling the tractor and the whole kit and caboodle. I took their phone number and prayed some more for guidance.
But here we are. When God gives green lights, he gives green lights. When he opens or closes doors, he opens them or slams them shut. We do serve a miracle-working God. He is still on his throne.
Please continue to pray for my parents, and for Theresa and me for wisdom as to what we are to be doing now. My father has been doing somewhat better now for a couple of days. He is still in the hospital, and the future is still very much unknown. Theresa and I await a call from family to tell us to come back to Canada. We simply are waiting on God through this time.
My mom has advised us to wait to return and continue with the work here until we hear from them to the contrary. It is hard to do so.
We covet your prayers.
Blessings,
Steven and Theresa
