Current Events and Updates of the Ministry

Newborn baby Josephine Mary Stahl - our newest grandchild, and our first granddaughter.

Life in the Frey household is seldom boring – at lease according to my ever-patient and beautiful wife. Theresa and I are in Manitoba again for the moment. As I mentioned in my last blog entry back on July 6^th, we were going to be heading back to Canada for some weeks in order to be with family again, and specifically to help out with our newest little granddaughter.

Little Josephine Mary Stahl was born on July 11 at 11:24 am. She weighed in at 7 lbs 4 oz, and was 20.5 in. long. She is probably the best natured baby that I have ever seen. Diana and Nathan have no real idea of how blessed they have been.

Theresa and I have been busy with family. It is a pure joy to be able to immerse ourselves into our children’s, our grandchildren’s, and our parent’s lives again, even if only for a brief time. We have also been trying to get time in with

Theresa with grandsons Ari and Jude.

friends as well. Time is always too short, and family and friends too many to do justice to all.

I have also been blessed and excited to be able to purchase some much needed, and much prayed for farm equipment on line for the farm in Mexico. We have been blessed to have the tractor and the equipment that we have, but lacked a disc. Although we could do a lot of work with the tractor, we could not do the weed control and cultivating that we need to do without a disc. I have been looking for months on craigslist trying to find something that was reasonably priced and close enough to the border to fit our needs. Up until about a week ago I was coming up with zero.

As the saying goes – “it never rains but it pours”. After finding nothing at all for months on end, all of a sudden I was stuck with a dilemma because there were two discs for sale, and I needed to make a decision as to which to buy. In the end I purchased a disc and boxblade, both for the price of less than one single unit. How exciting! We will pick them up in Texas when we head south again, and in November when we begin clearing the last area of land we will have the tools to make the job more doable. I am psyched (as the younger generation is apt to say).

Our grandson Rowan, our dinosaur-man is four years old. Theresa shows her artistic side in the dino-birthday cake creation.

Also, I have been kept busy in organizing and administrative preparation for the Project LAMBS courses which will be offered in Cd. Valles again in October. This will be the last cycle of classes which will be taught by foreign teachers. After this final teaching cycle and graduation the program will be run, taught, and administered by Mexican nationals. In the mean while I am still being kept busy being the connection point between Mexico and the Canadian and American teachers.

As I have spoken of many times before – this handover to national leadership is what the whole vision of Project LAMBS has been about. Certainly we will continue to be involved in some way, but only in a support role alongside the national leadership. It is a joy to watch a ministry reach maturity so that it can be “given away”.

There is also a great debt owed to the men and women who have so faithfully and sacrificially given of their time and talents over the years to see this Bible training become a reality. Of special mention are Cleo Yoder, Fred Erb, Winston Penner, and Dr. Chuck Nichols who have been “pillars” in the work.

Swinging from the extreme south to the extreme north of our continent – Theresa and I have the opportunity to spend

Four of our five handsome grandsons - Theo is missing from the picture.

some time on a fly-in-only Native reserve in northern Ontario called Wawakapewin (also known as Long Dog). We have been invited by long-time friends of mine, Archie and Rhoda Meekis, to come and spend five weeks working on the reserve with them.

I have known Archie and Rhoda since my childhood days when I grew up at Deer Lake, another fly-in-only reserve in northern Ontario where my parents were missionaries. Archie and Rhoda are both from Deer Lake, and we have known each other since those early days. Archie held the position of chief of the Deer Lake Band for several years. Currently he is one of the main administrators of the new band of Wawakapewin.

I am not 100% sure what Theresa and I will be doing at Long Dog, but we will be working under our friend’s guidance and leadership. We will wait and see what doors God opens up as we serve in this capacity in the new community.

Our newest implement for the farm - a disc. I can hardly wait to hook up the three point hitch to the old Ford 8N.

As I mentioned, we will be at Wawakapewin for five weeks. After that time we will be heading quickly down to Mexico again in order to do the final preparations for the Project LAMBS teachers to arrive. From there it will be one whirlwind marathon of two weeks of LAMBS classes and final graduation, followed by a week of intensive VitW Ministries administrative meetings with Fred Erb, the Canadian missions director, and the Board of Directors of OUpC, the Mexican non-profit covering the Mexican end of the work.

So, as I said in the beginning – my ever-patient wife just shakes her head and bears with me. Never a dull moment in the Frey household.

Blessings,

Steven and Theresa

Javier Santos with new trees for landsite

Today will be another busy day, just of a little different sort.

It has been an absolute whirlwind over the past couple of weeks trying to finish off work that needed to be completed, and to tie up all of the loose ends before we head up to Canada. Tomorrow morning early, the Lord willing, we turn the van steering wheel north and head for the border.

Diana and Nathan, our daughter and son-in-law are expecting their first baby – our first-ever-to-be granddaughter, any day. We are in a rush to be there for the baby’s birth, to help where we can, and of course, to dote over the new arrival. After a very healthy, very active, very handsome, and very wonderful string of five grandsons it will be a shift of gears to have a little granddaughter to spoil.

I, for my part have been extremely busy on the landsite. We have been fighting the clock in an attempt to finish off what needed to be done before I had to leave. Javier and I have been working like dogs to finish clearing and preparing for the cultivation of the newly cleared area – about a 1 ¾ acre area. We ended up hiring a young man to help us out for a week or so, knowing that it would not be possible to do all of the machete work that needed to be done ourselves before I left. We burnt the last brush and grass pile on Saturday night just before another three days of rain.

Knowing that the clock was against us, I decided to hire someone with a backhoe to remove the rest of the stumps.

Cristina and Elsa proudly displaying Cristina's latest sewing project - her first quilt top

Also, my reasoning was that to hire someone for a couple of hours with a heavier machine was cheaper in the long run than a major breakdown on the tractor due to pushing it too hard in the heavy work of stump removal. I did not relish having to change out the clutch, or God forbid, rebuild the transmission due to the torture that I was trying to put it (and myself) through. So, hopefully this coming week will see the new piece of land 100% free of stumps and completely cultivated and ready to be planted.

On Wednesday Javier and I headed to Huichihuayan, a town a little more than an hour south of Cd. Valles in order to purchase more trees for the landsite. The area of Huichihuayan is full of nurseries where one can buy plants of every sort and variety for much cheaper than here in Cd. Valles. Last year we put in somewhere around 25 – 30 trees and lost none. This year we purchased 35 more saplings which will be planted as soon as the land is cultivated and ready.

Sewing class students all smiles at the machines

We purchased several varieties of orange, mandarin, avocado, several types of limes and lemons, a whole variety of mangos, liche, chico zapote (sapodilla), and walnut saplings. Last year we purchased much of the same varieties, but with the addition of pistachio trees as well. We plan on planting the area that we are currently clearing – where the buildings will eventually be placed – into an orchard full of fruit, nut, and shade trees making it into an absolute Garden of Eden. The rest of the land will grow sugarcane. At present five hectares of it is in beautiful cane. In September or October we plan to clear, remove stumps, and place the remaining approximate ¾ hectares of uncleared land into sugar production. That will then utilize every square inch of the property placing it all under cultivation.

Theresa has been a going concern lately with her sewing students. Everyone, including Theresa, has been desperately trying to finish off their wish list items before we head north. She has some very sad students awaiting her return. No doubt things will pick up again as soon as we arrive back in the beginning of September.

I just arrived back at the house after giving Javier Santos some last minute training on the tractor before I leave so that

Theresa displaying the puppet head that she refurbished for the Vacation Bible School

he can take over while I am gone. It feels kind of funny handing over the keys to one’s baby and trusting that someone else will take care of it. But that is what is necessary in training, equipping, and letting go.

I have already handed over the audiovisual equipment and video ministry items to Javier as well. Last night Roberto, another wonderful Christian brother picked up another small power plant from me for ministry use as well while we are gone. I need to see Pastor Ezequiel to finish off some last minute items this afternoon. Then we need to pack and get the van ready (at present it is in the shop getting the front end repaired). Theresa is doing last minute laundry and house cleaning before she packs her personal items to go north. I can tell that this will be a long day, and no doubt a short night. But we will get it all done.

Theresa with Elsa, one of her proud students

Thank you for your prayers and love. We will remain in touch. We can still be emailed as per normal, and we will also have the MagicJack phone, so you can still contact us at the (702) 516-1478 phone number (a U.S. number). If we do not pick up, or don’t have the computer on just leave a message on the answering service. We will get the message when we get back to the computer.

Blessings,

Steven and Theresa

Pulling Stumps with Subsoiler. Note that I am carefully working around the fruit trees that were planted earlier

On Monday we had our first tractor breakdown – but first for the good news – we are pulling stumps with our little Ford 8N tractor!

I had many a naysayer along the way who was convinced that the little tractor would not be able to do what we needed it to do. However, it is always good to be determined and dumb, not to mention being somewhat desperate. We are managing to pull out stumps and roots one by every precious one. Truth be told, we are pushing the tractor to the absolute extreme of its ability, and both the tractor and I are snorting with each yank, and we are both facing extreme metal and physical exhaustion at the end of each tedious day – the tractor the metal fatigue, I the physical exhaustion.

I don’t want to sound like a “wuss” or a broken record, but…man is it hot out there. It doesn’t seem to matter how much water I pour in, I just can’t seem to keep ahead of how much I loose through sweating – gallons upon gallons I am sure. So, I am convinced that some of the exhaustion and “brick wall” that one soon hits is due to dehydration and heat. For this reason we begin early in the morning and quit at about 1:00 o’clock. But by 1:00 I can barely move, let alone walk.

We got some much needed help on Sunday night – it rained. Last week I was pulling stumps out of hardened clay hard

The Breakdown

pan. Each yank on the stumps and roots was like pulling teeth – only worse. On Monday, after a nice soaking rain the night before, things moved much better. The ground was slicker to work with the tractor, but the soil was softer and the stumps pulled much easier. All in all a good compromise, and I will take the wet dirt any day.

But then on Monday, just about at quitting time we had our first breakdown. One of the front steering supports snapped in half. It had been welded before somewhere in its illustrious 64 year history and the old weld had obviously been done poorly as was evidenced by the breakline.

I was able to remove it and get it into a local welder who had it repaired the same afternoon. I reassembled it, and we were off again by Tuesday morning – more stumps and roots being stacked on the burn pile.

Javier using his machete to clear for tractor work. This is a never ending task at present.

Actually Mondays and Tuesdays are very heavy days for Javier and me. We begin at the landsite early in the morning and work until the heat drives us home. Then after resting a while and cleaning up we load the van and head out into the Huasteca to do evangelism through films. Usually we don’t get home on those nights until about 11:30 or midnight.

There is a nucleus of believers in two villages that we have been working in, and soon a cell church will be planted there. Javier also wants to begin in a third village next week, and continue to expand throughout the region as the Lord continues to provide helpers.

So far there have been two men besides Javier and me who have been faithfully working in the evangelism outreaches. Heriberto, an older retired man lives and breathes to evangelize. He is a great asset and friend. A young married man named Trinidad has begun to work with us as well. Trinidad, like Javier, is himself Tének. This makes it much easier for them to be accepted within the Huastecan (Tének) communities into which we have begun ministering.

Our sugarcane crop.

I am also having fun training the men on how to use the equipment and how to take care of the more “technical” parts of the projection and A.V. ministry. I am trying to hand over every aspect of the ministry as quickly as possible because I find that now every time Theresa and I have to leave for what ever reason to go back to Canada the whole film/evangelism outreach must stop. I don’t what to be the bottleneck any more. Besides, it is just right that the nationals should be leading national ministry. So, I am having fun taking my hands off.

Theresa is acquiring more and more students, and word of her sewing classes seems to be getting around. Soon we will be wall-to-wall sewing machines and students, but Theresa couldn’t be happier. Her Spanish classes are also going well, but she has been mentioning of late that it is also getting much harder. She is doing well, and is able to understand more all the time. She is following conversations around her much more, although of course, responding back in Spanish is still difficult for her.

Today we had a heavy rain again – a blessing for the sugarcane. But we did not attempt to work on the land with the tractor due to the mud. I hope that I will be able to work it again tomorrow. I am determined to get the whole front section cleared and into cultivation before Theresa and I must leave for Canada in early July. The deadline is coming closer and we still have much to accomplish before we leave.

The never ending task ahead. Note the trees behind the tractor. All of these will need to be cleared out and the stumps pulled. The little Ford is dwarfed by a pile to be burned.

Actually we are kind of melding the old and the new on the farm right now. Much of our work still is done with a machete, and without that simple tool nothing could be accomplished. With machetes we are cutting down trees, clearing the heavy weed and grass overgrowth, and just generally doing what chainsaws, “Bushhogs”, and mowers normally would do. We are also lugging the brush and grass onto piles by hand and burning it. However, we are now also able to use the tractor to do the impossibly heavy work of digging and pulling out stumps. We still lack many implements that would help so much – a simple disk being the most needed right now – but things are much better now than they were before we had the tractor.

Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and financial support. We love and thank each of you.

We will continue to keep in touch through this blogsite.

Blessings,

Steven and Theresa

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

Steven in office - that is sweat at 11:30 a.m.

The title was brought to my mind from Theresa’s reaction when I took the attached photo of her. She was afraid that her sweat-drenched hair was not photogenic. In my books she is always photogenic. But I was reminded of one of the sayings that my girls will very easily remember me by – “girls let’s go, it’s not a fashion show”. They never seemed to be convinced by this.

Just a quick update on a Saturday morning.

We had a lovely breakfast visit from our friends Rafael and Erica. We were able to follow-up on plans for introductions to two pastors who are actively involved in work in the Huasteca area. We have a meeting planned for Monday.

Rafael and Erica brought a bag of mangos from their tree. These are of the “Japanese” variety and much bigger than the common, run-of-the-mill variety that are around. This reminded Theresa, however, that she had better do something with the bags of mangos that are already in the fridge. The common variety will be bagged and frozen for “smoothies”, while the firm, larger ones will be kept for eating as a fruit later.

I, for my part, do a bit of work on the patio “garden” and fix a bedroom window.

The men from the church are out for a weekend retreat. You may remember that in several of my blogs of last year I

Theresa preparing mangos - note the fan close by and the rather "withered" look on her face

mentioned the weekend “aposentos”, or retreats that Iglesia Esfuerzo Magdiel (the church pastured by Ezequiel) is running. These have been a tremendous blessing, and many lives are being changed. Last weekend was the women’s retreat, and some seventy women went. This weekend is the men’s retreat. These are run three to four times per year.

I have to wonder how the men are faring though. It is incredibly hot, and the facilities where they are holding the retreat are not great. There are very few showers and beds, and many people in attendance.

It sprinkled a tiny bit this morning. Not enough to do anything except bring up the humidity. I just checked my “weather station” and saw that at 11:30 am it is standing at 94° Fahrenheit outside at 73% humidity.  Inside the living room it is 90.8° at 67% humidity. Incidentally, yesterday the temperature topped out at 107.4° outside. It is starting to get toasty around here. Thank God for fans.

Actually, yesterday there was a several hour power outage over the peak of the heat. All fans stopped and the house became a furnace. These incidents simply make one thankful for the blessings that we do have.

On Monday, the Lord willing, Theresa’s sewing students will begin to take classes again. I, for my part, will head out to the land site to continue fighting with the weeds again in the morning. In the evening (Monday) we hope to begin our outreaches into the indigenous Tenek villages in the Huasteca region again. We are planning to do village evangelism outreaches on Monday and Tuesday evenings, and hit the farm work hard in the early mornings. In all reality it is crazy to try to work outside past one or two in the afternoon anyway at this time of the year. Our hours begin early in the morning and end shortly after noon. The danger of dehydration and heat stroke is just too high at 110°.

I will close. Stay cool and be blessed.

Steven and Theresa