Current Events and Updates of the Ministry

Summer Bible School in Buenos Aires. Kids are the same the world over, and a nice pose would kill them

Without trying to wax too metaphorical or profound let me point out that our lives, like a novel or a screen play unfold in chapters and scenes. Each new phase unfolds with a certain amount of uncertainty, and ends with an equal feeling of ambiguity. The new, the changing of focus in our lives, is always something that is unpredictable and unknown. But it is also the very thing that can bring new growth and deepened maturity if we allow it to.

I have written over the past several months about the changes that lie ahead for Theresa and me. In fact, Theresa is now in Manitoba, having left Texas to return to Canada at the end of June. As I had explained some months ago, our decision was that she would return alone in order to find work and begin to resettle while I continue to hold the job in Allen, Texas. At a later point I would then also return to Manitoba and find work and transition back into the Canadian scene as well. We reasoned that this would allow us to continue to have at least one income throughout while one of us would be looking for employment. For good or for bad we proceeded with this plan of action, perhaps not really understanding how long the intervening months would truly be. But sometimes life must be lived by the expedient, rather than by the nice and comfortable.

We have been truly blessed in that, even in the relatively rural area of Steinbach where we have our home, Theresa was able to find a good job fairly quickly. In a community where fulfilling jobs are not exactly falling from the trees God also graciously opened up a position for her where she can fit and find her wings, and where she can function within the many talents that she possesses. The big surprise also came when, even before she had finished her two week training period having been hired as a casual worker, she was unexpectedly offered a full time position, zooming ahead of others who had been there much longer than she. We see this as God’s hand of favor on her, and we are grateful for it.

My plans then solidified into working until the end of September, and then returning to Manitoba as well. Since most of our income over the past year plus was placed back into the work in Mexico, we felt that it would be good to have at least a couple of months of work in which my U.S. income could be placed into our personal bank account before I pulled the plug here in Texas. This seemed especially pertinent knowing that it might be some time before I was able to find employment again back in Canada when I did return. So things were slowly and tediously moving towards closure for me here in Texas with only the need to “hang in to the bitter end” with work, and of course, to sell our trailer and get our stuff up to Canada when I ended here.

Summer Bible School class in San Antonio Huichimal. This is the little village where Armando and Alicia minister

And then, at the risk of becoming overly melodramatic, with the turning of a page of the novel I was forcibly entered into a dark and unexpected valley. A little over two weeks ago, actually on Sunday evening, the 21^st of August, I was driving a motorized bike that I had built, patrolling the grounds at the jobsite at which I am a security officer, when suddenly the bike went completely out of control, throwing me onto the pavement and entangling me in a twisted mangle of bent bicycle. It all occurred so fast that it is still difficult to know exactly what happened, except that I ended up smashing my right shoulder and right buttock onto the pavement from a speed of probably at least 15 miles per hours or so. I also hit my head in the fall, but only superficially. For what ever reason, the inner tube on the rear tire had burst while I was driving, leaving a half inch tear in it and instant deflation. I didn’t realize that the tire had gone flat while I was driving in a straight line; however, when I was negotiating a roundabout in the roadway the back wheel suddenly became absolutely unstable and I lost complete control of the bike.

I have much to be thankful for in that it was no worse than it was. Still, I have had some of the most excruciating pain over the past two weeks that I have ever experienced in my life. The trauma from the fall damaged my sciatic nerve causing pain that felt like a knife being driven into the middle of my right buttock and upper pelvis whenever I attempted to place even the slightest pressure onto my right leg or even to move it at all. The walk from the couch to the bathroom, all fifteen or so steps was unthinkable agony, and a journey that took teeth-gritting determination to maneuver. But, I was alone and with very few alternatives. Sometimes it isn’t so much the strength or determination of a person as much as pure and unadulterated lack of choice that drives one on, and I found myself in that position. There simply were not too many options that I could see other than to merely try to go on and get through this particular trial.

A camp at the Missionary Training Center. The dream is finally becoming a reality

Thankfully when I was sitting in my truck I could patrol the jobsite. This allowed me to continue to work without even missing a shift. True, getting down the steps and out of the trailer to the truck was enough to make me practically weep, and then getting my leg into the vehicle and shifting into a sitting position on the seat was excruciating agony, but when I was in I could drive the site. I hobbled with a cane (actually, still do), and took minutes at a time to be able to take each single step because placing any pressure whatsoever onto my right leg was as likely as not to give new meaning to the words of the song “You take my breath away” as the stab of the knife would literally immobilize me with pain. But desperation, not brawn, allowed me to get through.

I am grateful to say that finally this past Sunday night, exactly two weeks to the day after my accident, I am beginning to feel the start of healing taking place in my sciatic nerve. I still am not out of the woods by any means, and I am not exactly dancing a jig yet, but God has begun to answer the many, many prayers that I prayed over the past two weeks for his healing touch. I suspect that there will need to be some sort of corrective surgery done on my shoulder when I get back to Canada unless God miraculously works a healing on it, but that is something manageable. The pain of a damaged sciatic nerve is not.

The lush rain forest of Xilitla. This is only about an hour south of Cd. Valles but much moister with thick jungle growth

So, this whole experience over the past two weeks is what I was thinking about when I refer to a portion of the verse from the 23^rd Psalm in the title of today’s blog. Although I certainly did not face the shadow of death; nonetheless, it was still a dark shadow for me to journey through.

I can sense that I am now in the beginning of mending. Still, when I am in pain I continue at times to ask God what he had in mind with the timing for this whole episode. I have so much to do in order to prepare the trailer for sale, pack up our vehicles to take north, and then to physically get everything back to Canada. Not to mention, it is pretty difficult to find employment when you are a virtual cripple. Also, we have a house to repair and move back into when I arrive in Manitoba – one that has been rented for the past seven years and has had minimal TLC, and now requires a lot of elbow grease and good old honest work to make ours again. Looming over my thoughts when I consider all of this is that I still consider it amazing if I can make a step and not to be in agony, and that my shoulder will most likely still need to have some kind of restorative surgery soon.

But in all of this God is still good. When I consider the tiny valley that I have walked though over the past couple of weeks, it is nothing when compared to what others are going through. When I stop feeling sorry for my little self and my slight miseries and actually take a look at the bigger picture again I see, first of all, God’s extreme faithfulness; and secondly that so many others are suffering so very much more. When I look at my brothers and sisters in the persecuted Church around the world who are paying with their very lives and not complaining, or the poor and down trodden around the world who are suffering while I live in such luxury in North America I am reminded of the title of the song that the music group The Eagles sing which becries our “Frail Grasp on the Big Picture” of life. I know that to be true in my own life. Too often I focus on the small and petty, and loose the grasp of God’s big picture.

In keeping with this sentiment then, let me stop focusing on myself and draw your attention rather to the ongoing work in Mexico. They are in their rainy season now which makes the work on the farm kick into a different stage since the fields themselves are inundated with water. But the ministry, both of the Bible Institute as well as the Missionary Training Center continues strong. Javier and the various teams continue to be almost unthinkably busy in the ministry of evangelism, church planting, village work, teaching and training, helps, feeding the poor, and much more. It is always a joy to speak with Javier and to receive reports of the work as it advances.

Thank you, as always, for your faithfulness and for being a part of the ongoing ministry. Thank you for keeping our brothers and sisters in Mexico close to your heart and in your prayers. Also, thank you for loving and caring for Theresa and me as we transition out of our direct involvement with the ministry in Mexico and reestablish ourselves back in Canada. And thank you for your prayers for my personal healing as I navigate these untested waters as well.

Your fellow laborers in the harvest,

Steven and Theresa

A dwarf among giants. Our little home now nestled at the base of the huge 3-story apartment blocks

My goodness! It has been almost four months since my last entry and one is very over due. As the saying goes: “Time flies when one is having fun”. Actually, more to the point perhaps, is that it flies when one is very busy.

In my last blog we were still at Thomas Station in the middle of timbuktu-nowhere southeastern New Mexico and wondering if we could possibly hold on much longer. Since that point, a lot of water has passed under various bridges and whole volumes would need to be written to bring you up to date completely. But I will try not to bore you too badly and will attempt to cut to the chase so to speak, and find the essence of what God has been doing in our lives over these intervening four months since our last communication.

As a little preamble; the title for this blog popped into my head because of the first photo that I intended to place in the introduction – that of our humble little trailer dwarfed by the giant apartments being built around us (more on that later). However, in thinking about the words I began to realize that in many other aspects of my life I also feel like I am surrounded and dwarfed by giants; this not in a bad sense, but rather in a very positive way. In relation to this, I want to share a bit later in this posting about the blessing that it was for me to again be able to spend some time with the leadership of the ongoing work of Voice in the Wilderness in Mexico. Theresa and I are truly blessed to have our lives surrounded by faithful giants such as these – not perfect, but giants nonetheless.

This is what it looked like when we began here in April – our little trailer home off in the distance slightly to right of center

Jumping back into an attempt at some sort of chronological flow from my last posting on the 9^th of March; we did manage to survive our rather grim assignment in the desert of New Mexico and to live to tell the tale. At some point around that same time we also came to another realization and made a decision concerning our immediate future. We began to recognize that perhaps we needed to rethink our next step as it related to going back to Canada when our one-year financial commitment to the Mexican ministry had finished at the end of April.

Although I am all for living by faith and trusting God for our future however the chips may fall, I don’t think that He necessarily desires us to divorce our head in the process. Several things started to become clear to Theresa and me in our sojourn in the backside of the wilderness of New Mexico; first of all, that it would be useful to have some money when we returned to Canada, and that it might not be the best idea for both of us to be unemployed at the same time and trying to find work together in a small, rural southern Manitoba setting; and secondly, (perhaps mostly to me) that reassimilation, or reculturalization back into Canadian living was not necessarily going to be an easy “one size fits all” kind of a procedure. In all of my dealings with expats who have lived “abroad” in any sense of the word for any appreciable time I have always found that “third culture” is a reality. It is naïve, I believe, to assume that reentry back into ones culture after being gone for an extended time will come without its difficulties, or that there will be no glitches along the way. It is even more daft to think that even though it happens to 100% of everyone else, we somehow will be the exception.

A little cutie

After mulling around some ideas Theresa and I came up with a potential solution to at least the first part of the dilemma: what if we did not both go back to Canada together immediately, but rather only Theresa went back at first and I stayed on in the States working until she was resettled with a job and feeling comfortable in Manitoba? At that point I could then terminate my employment here and follow her to Manitoba. I could then look for work while she already had employment. This would assure us of at least one income at any give time, and would eliminate the urgency of needing to simply grasp whatever job offer popped up first out of sheer desperation.

The idea seemed good, but there was one little niggler in the plan – it would be impossible to do if we were to continue in a 24 hour per day job that demanded both of us to do the work. We approached our company and asked them if they had any 12 hour positions open. Finding that they did not have any at the present time we began looking and applying further afield. To make a long story a little shorter; through a friend of ours we were put in contact with a security company which places guards onto construction sites, and were offered a job in the city of Allen, Texas just north of Dallas. This work is also nights, but involves only 12 hour coverage of the jobsite and can be handled by one person alone.

Armando takes a little spin on his father-in-law’s mobile raspa (shaved ice) stand

We ended our last day at the Thomas Station site in the oil field at 6:00 o’clock a.m. on the 10^th of April and arrived at our jobsite in Allen, Texas with trailer in tow on the afternoon of the 11^th at which point our work was to begin at 7:00 p.m. that same evening. Interestingly enough, we had only just set up the trailer on the site, leveled it, and were beginning to try to settle in in order to begin working in the evening when the black/green brooding sky opened with huge hail smashing into our trailer and vehicles while the tornado sirens howled in the distance. It sounded for all the world like we were sitting inside a tin can, but thankfully the most lasting damage that it did to the trailer was to smash out the skylight in the living room. Our car also has some nice dents as souvenirs of the incident as well. So, that was our introduction to Allen. However, we shouldn’t really complain too much I guess, as a town some fifteen miles away was hit with baseball-sized hail during the same storm. Apparently the hail there went through roofs and attics and pounded onto the floors below. Not a pretty thought I must say when one is in a tin can. Actually, nor is a tornado, come to think of it!

Fred and the “gang” at the Casa del Obrero ministry house

Once again we live directly on the worksite, but this time the job entails security at a large construction site where the second phase of luxury apartment complexes are being built. We are the site security to guard against the theft of any materials and/or any unlawful entry onto the jobsite. When we got here in April we were the only building on a huge complex with nothing but cement pads poured in anticipation of the beginning of the project. As of this posting we are a dwarf amongst the giants around us. So, that is where we are, and what we are doing at the moment.

However, if you know the Freys at all you will know that that would be much too straightforward a process from point A to point B, and that there must be more to tell. Well, I will not disappoint you; there is indeed more…

Clinton and Janet Miller with Armando. Those are the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains in the background (standing in the back yard of the Casa del Obrero house)

Actually, there were thousands of miles between the A and B of these points – between the deserts of New Mexico and the green, upscale neighborhood of Allen where we now work. But the miles were not simply from there to here, but rather from there to here, to there again several times, to Mexico and back again, and then to Canada and back again; sometimes by personal vehicles, and sometimes by ye ol’ dawg (the Greyhound), and sometimes by a combination of both. But none of that is really relevant except to say that it has been very busy, and all of the travel was involved in wrapping up ministry and personal business in a somewhat circuitous process of attempting to get us back to Canada someday. My last extended trip was to take a load of our personal things to Canada in anticipation of our moving back. This was all stuff that we have been lugging around with us ever since leaving Mexico over a year ago, and I knew that it was now or never; back to Manitoba with it soon or a quick trip to the local land fill. Since we had a little window of opportunity before Theresa left for Canada I decided to make a quick trip north with the load so that she could then be released to leave as well.

Little congregation in Solidaridad. This is the church where Javier and Cristina directly minister

Theresa has been a trooper through this whole time. None of the past year plus has been particularly easy for either of us, but the load of the past two months fell squarely onto her shoulders alone as she had to hold down the job 100% while I was off on various whirlwind trips hither and yon. She did a great job, secured our employment so that I would have a job to return to, and kept the paychecks coming in while I was otherwise occupied. However, she is a person who does not function well living in total isolation and working in a job where you see no one, sleep throughout the daytime, and surface only at night when you are all alone. She was getting cabin (or, should I say trailer) fever.

BUT SHE DID IT, AND FINISHED STRONG!!

Nonetheless, I am not sure if there was ever a person more ready to quit her job and leave than she was.

Javier with some of the “first fruits” from the farm

And she did exactly that on Sunday, the 26^th of June. She then spent almost a week in Nebraska visiting with her mother on her way north, and is on the road for Manitoba as I write, and can barely wait to get there. She is looking forward with great anticipation to spending time with our children and grandchildren, and to reacquaint again with our friends there.

I am now taking my turn holding down the fort, and the Lord willing, will do so until such a time as it seems appropriate for me to return to Canada as well. I will miss Theresa tremendously I know; however, I do function better with isolation, and rather than being bored, I can’t seem to get everything done that I want to. Each to his own I guess. Thank God that we are all different, and don’t all come out of the same mold.

Children at the ministry program in Buenos Aires

Okay, that was the linear, what’s what of the past several months. But that skeleton needs flesh put onto it. It needs to become a breathing, living entity or else it is just one more boring news letter (and how I hate news letters)! So, let me try to excite you with what excites and invigorates me; and what fires me up most, many times, is to see what the Lord is doing through our brothers and sisters who are ministering so faithfully in His work in Mexico.

I have already mentioned that I had the opportunity to return to Cd. Valles in May, and to spend just under two weeks there. The trip had been planned since the previous year when we first left Mexico, when it was decided that Fred and I would return for the Bible School graduations and for a follow-up visit of the work of the ministry in May of this year. At that time it was anticipated that Theresa and I would both return together; however, because of the aforementioned changes in our personal plans she graciously agreed to stay in Texas and work while I went to Mexico without her.

Breakfast is served after the children’s church program is taught in Buenos Aires

Before I continue I want to interject something at this point, and to strongly correct some false assumptions that I fear have been made concerning the work of Voice in the Wilderness Ministries in Mexico. When Theresa and I physically left Cd. Valles last year IN NO WAY did the ministry die, or even skip a heartbeat; rather, if anything, it gained strength and vigor. What I returned to find were men and women with a clear vision and purpose, doing very well in all areas of the ongoing work, and with a clear focus working very hard in many varied aspects of ministry. Not only was I delighted to find the physical assets such as the farm and Bible Institute well maintained and expanding in scope and vision, but more importantly, that the spiritual work was deepening and growing even more than ever before.

The kitchen at the feeding program. It may not quite pass inspection, but it sure does put out some tasty meals

Again, not to harp and rant and beat the air, but I know that there has been a grave misconception about the work since Theresa and I left last year. It is not abandoned, nor has it died in any way. I continue to be in very close contact with the leaders there, there is strong leadership at the immediate helm, the Board of Directors is made up of godly men and women, the vision remains clear and focused, there is a will to work, lives are being transformed and changed, and in short, the ministry is strong and very active. This also means that there is still an ongoing financial need there in the work. Javier and others continue to work very hard towards getting the ministry to a point where it can sustain itself financially without the need for donations, but that day is still a bit into the future. Please do not stop giving towards the work, and please do not assume that there is no need just because Theresa and I are not there any longer. Also, please do not fear that the funds will be abused or misused. This is a misguided fear on two levels; first of all because we are dealing with godly men and women who are very careful with the finances that are sent; and secondly, because I am still very intimately involved in the financial end, and there is very strong accountability in the work, especially in the area of finances. Further, in these days when one only needs to scratch the surface of so many organizations to find that a huge percent of all donations that they receive goes to overhead and administrative costs, I can honestly tell you that nothing that is given towards Voice in the Wilderness Ministries either through Newsong Church (in the United States), or through Listowel Community Church (in Canada) goes to anything other than the field. Nothing is taken for administrative costs – ZERO!

This is the beginnings of Javier and Cristina’s personal house. They have the land, but no money to build. It will be done as God provides, but their dream is to get out from the need to pay rent. Javier is doing all of the work himself.

Okay, I think that my chest is relieved of its burden, the air is cleared, my ranting has ended, and I can now move on…

I had arranged with Fred Erb that he would fly into McAllen, Texas and travel down to Cd. Valles with me by car. Although he has been to Mexico multiple times, he has always done so by air. I thought that this would give him an opportunity to see a bigger area of the country than he had seen before.

We arranged to be in Cd. Valles on Saturday evening, May 7^th so that Fred could preach on Sunday at the little church in Solidaridad where Javier and Cristina minister. We had a joyous and warm welcome from all of our friends (warm both in love and in ambient temperatures which were reaching well into triple digit figures – May being one of the most brutally hot months in Cd. Valles).

Little Ana at her sewing machine

We had dedicated Monday to spend the entire day meeting with the direct leaders of the ministry in a day of brainstorming, prayer, sharing, and seeking God’s will for the ongoing work. We met in the Bible Institute building and spent at least five hours together seeking God, hashing out strategies and vision, defining and readjusting purposes and plans, discussing, disagreeing, strengthening our relationships, and prayer. It was a very, very fruitful day and I left totally relieved that everything is going well, and the men and women at the helm of the work are those whom God has chosen and placed there. After we were finished with the direct meeting time we went out to the farm where Alicia prepared a lovely meal for us.

Young sewing students busy at their machines

On Tuesday we were joined by Clinton and Janet Miller from Oregon. The Millers have been long-time supporters of the ministry, and Clinton had already been to Cd. Valles several times; but this was the first time that Janet had been there. We were privileged to have them be a part of the ministry for about a week, and were even able to celebrate Janet’s birthday with her in Mexico.

During the week we spent time with Javier and his evangelism teams ministering in far-flung areas of the Huasteca including Tamazuchale and Rio Verde, as well as ranchitos closer at hand. The connection in Tamazunchale is very interesting to me because it looks like Project LAMBS will begin to train leaders there in conjunction with a brother with whom Javier and Cristina have been working for many years. Our time ministering with the little church in San Antonio Huichimal was wonderful as well because I was involved in this little church plant since its inception some years back. This, incidentally, is where Armando and Alicia are directly ministering on a weekly basis.

Graduation students and teaching staff – 2016

On Friday we met with the Bible Institute and Project LAMBS students, teachers, and leadership, as well as Armando and Alicia and others who are directly working in various aspects of the ministry. Fred shared with the group, and we had a discussion time with them. It was open, God-honoring, and a wonderful time together.

On Saturday morning we were privileged to be able to go with Cristina and Javier to Buenos Aires in order to be involved with the children’s ministry and feeding program that they have there. You may remember that this is a squatter village where the very poor live, all without land rights, security of ownership, and most without much income from any source. It is here that Cristina ministers every Saturday with the children, providing them with Christian training and a hearty breakfast. It is also from this squatter village that many of the people who attend the church in Solidaridad come from, living in stick and plastic shacks.

Fred Erb with one of the graduating students of the Light of the Nations Bible Institute

I want to interject something here and take a little rabbit trail, promising that I will make my way back to the main body somehow: Every week Javier and Cristina lead a team from their little church (as already mentioned, many of whom live in absolute poverty in the squatter village of Buenos Aires) in a hands-on, practical evangelism outreach into the local General Hospital on the outskirts of the city. This hospital is for the very poor, many of which come in from the outlying regions of the Huasteca. Many have no family support, know no one in Cd. Valles, speak very little Spanish, and often are desperately poor. They often need to remain for days and even weeks hanging around the hospital while they wait for, and perhaps even attend to family members who have been hospitalized. It is to these desperately needy people that Javier and Cristina have chosen to minister, along with the team that they have raised up. Here they preach, pray for, and give meals to the needy every week.

The first of the laying hens at the farm – many more to come (the Lord willing)

Although I was unable to go to the hospital with Javier and Cristina because I needed to drive to Tampico to pick up the Millers at the airport, we spoke at length about the ministry at the hospital. It is obvious that God is very pleased with their work, and He is showing his favor by performing many signs and miracles through the team. For the life of me I felt like I was sitting and talking to George Müller when Cristina spoke about the time when they had lunches for only around thirty people and found around three hundred hungry souls eagerly waiting for their arrival. Deciding to “go for it anyway”, after a time of ministry and prayer they simply began to hand out the meals that they had. She stated to me that they just kept giving out meals as the line kept on growing. In the end over three hundred ate, and even the guards at the hospital were able to be blessed with a meal. Miracle or natural? I don’t know, you tell me. Or, there were the times when total non-Christians would drop off boxes of pre-made lunches in order to help out, or one time when a stranger brought a zacahuil (a local delicacy) large enough to easily feed two hundred people – in fact, the amount of people waiting to be ministered to (from my experience this would have been worth at least $200 U.S.). There were also many other times when the team could only afford to put together food for thirty or forty people, and for whatever reason there were only that number of people at the hospital that particular day rather than the hundreds who usually are there. Coincidence? You tell me. Or, again, the miracles of healings from cancer and tumors and other signs and wonders evidenced in situ which are seen on an almost weekly basis. Or, then for a little twist, how about the time when Javier didn’t have enough money to put any gas in the old van that they use, and the gas gauge needle was sitting on “E” but they decided to go to the hospital anyway (a distance of several miles). Not only did they make it there on empty, but the gas gauge needle showed that there was gas in the tank when they arrived! All of the money to buy the food for this ongoing ministry comes from within the very poor church of Solidaridad itself, although I have a very strong suspicion that much of it also comes directly from Javier and Cristina, who on a humanly speaking level certainly cannot afford to do so.

This is the beginnings of the galera – the barn – where the livestock and chickens will be raised on the farm. This is only the beginning (despise not small beginnings)

Someone asked me recently why we don’t experience miracles like these in our own lives here in Canada and the United States. I suspect that it is because we never put God to the test and don’t need Him to work in this way. Instead we simply have another fund drive, or pie sale, or car wash or something to raise the needed funds from our own overly rich and pampered friends before attempting anything. We certainly wouldn’t step out on the limb. We would reason that a good steward counts the cost first, and if he doesn’t have enough to do the thing – whatever it is – we would assume that “God is not in it” and that it must not be his will. Safe, but pretty bland and tasteless really! But, where is the God of Elijah?

I told you this part of the story in order to make sense of the weekly feeding program that Cristina runs for the children in Buenos Aires. I know for a fact that this program is maintained solely by funds from Javier and Cristina. On a weekly basis they feed anywhere from twenty five to fifty hungry children along with ministering the gospel to them. Cristina told me that her personal dream is to be able to do so on a daily basis because of the dire needs in the village, but she admitted that this was beyond what their personal budget would allow.

Marty Dyer and the team from Oklahoma stand with hermana Licha in front of her house in Cd. Valles

After the ministry time to the children in Buenos Aires on Saturday morning Cristina and Alicia dedicate their afternoon teaching sewing classes to a group of the little girls from the same village. Cristina sets up the sewing machines in the patio area of her home and is teaching a class of young students how to sew. Her youngest student is six (actually Ana is Alicia’s daughter), but most of the girls are either preteens or young teenagers. The girls, even little Ana, are doing extremely well as they maneuver the sewing machines and cut and sew their projects. Cristina’s goal in this is to prepare these young girls so that they will be able to go into life with a very valuable and marketable skill as young women, rather than being forced to work at jobs that offer very little wages. This is also a legacy of Theresa’s work and ministry in Cd. Valles as she poured her life into training the women there, including both Cristina and Alicia, two of her promising students.

Actually, Theresa’s legacy lives on even more brightly. Cristina and Alicia both supplement a substantial part of their family’s income by taking on custom sewing work. They are absolutely crazy in their faith and willingness to work, and they take on huge projects where they need to sew hundreds of school uniforms, costumes, custom orders and the likes. Neither of them could sew before Theresa showed them how to turn on the switch for the first time only several years ago. Cristina’s goal is to train women not only from her village and church, but from a broader area as well how to sew, and to assist them in finding a way to make a family income through this skill. This will put substance to a big part of Theresa’s vision as well.

A church service in Tamazunchale

On Saturday evening we were blessed to be a part of the Bible Institute and Project LAMBS graduations. It was elegant and tastefully done, and honored the graduating students and teaching staff of the schools. But, I think that the thing that blessed me the most in it all was the fact that several of the pastors on the Board of Directors were involved in the ceremony; two, specifically, of which would not necessarily have been able to do so only several years ago. Because of all of the stuff that has shaken down over the past several years with the ministry and the break that became necessary with former associates, the reputation of the Bible Institute, Project LAMBS, and the Missionary Training Center (Casa del Obrero) has had an uphill battle with the majority of the churches in the area. It is only recently that the churches in the city at large are beginning to understand and actually believe that the work of Obreros Unidos para Cosechar is no longer associated in any way or form with former associates and leaders who have besmeared their own names, and in so doing, that of the Bible schools. But, as was evidenced in the graduation in May, this is beginning to slowly change, and trust and acceptance is growing. For this I am very thankful.

This is a scene of the squatter village of Buenos Aires. It is here that many of the brothers and sisters who attend the little church in Solidaridad live

Since my time in Cd. Valles in May a team from Newsong Church in Grove, Oklahoma has again returned to Mexico to assist and minister with Javier and the work there. This team, once again lead by Pastor Marty Dyer, a veteran of ministry in missions in various parts of the world, spent several days working with Javier throughout a number of areas of the Huasteca and again returning to Tamazunchale where Fred and I had been able to minister back in May. Marty, a close friend and good brother has been to Cd. Valles many times and is beginning to link in more closely with the work that is taking place there under Obreros Unidos para Cosechar. For this I am delighted. I love networking and am convinced that God desires a joined, living, and fully functional and healthy body, not simply individual body parts or a bucket full of joints and bones that refuse to work together. The Kingdom of God is very large and the field very broad, and there is plenty more than enough room for all of us to work and share the load together, rather than demanding our own little private section of the turf, or piece of the hood.

Let me close with something that Javier told me in May in anticipation of the Oklahoma team coming down to Cd. Valles. I had my socks blessed off by the integrity of this brother. We were discussing the plans for the arrival of Marty’s team from Newsong, and the ministry that would be done over that time. We also were looking at the fact that it appears that Marty and the teams from Oklahoma are looking at joining more closely with the work in Cd. Valles. I had also just finished giving Javier a gentle admonition that I felt that the very (and in my estimation, overly) generous gift that they had given the Oklahoma team six months previously when they were there, all given from the loving hearts of the very poor in Javier and Cristina’s church (and evidently also liberally from Javier and Cristina’s own pocket as well) may not have been necessary, and that American and Canadian teams come with their own money and have no expectation to receive, etc., etc. (I was doing it all in my very well-meaning paternalistic way thinking that I would help them). At that point Javier interrupted me and said something that is both wonderful, unusual, and very rare. He said “Brother, I don’t want them to come down because we have a need, but because we can minister together. I don’t want to have Mexico known for its needs or to be only receiving, but I want to train our people to be generous and giving so that they too will learn to bless others. We must also learn to bless others.” My mouth was stopped and I felt God’s reproof.

Armando and Javier stand under a tree in Armando’s mother’s yard. It was here that the first children’s ministry was birthed in Buenos Aires

Javier and Armando are presently building a barn to raise laying hens, sheep, and pigs at the Missionary Training Center farm. These will supplement the income which comes in from the sugarcane. They wisely have decided to start with only about 100 hens and learn from them. They envision 1,000 layers very soon when they are secure that they know the ropes of both raising the hens, and marketing the eggs. They will start with several sheep and do the same. The sheep can eat the excess sugarcane. They also are planning on a mated pair of pigs so that they can start simply and begin to build up a small herd (do pigs come in herds?). At any rate, they are working, thinking outside the box, and not waiting with their hands out for shekels to be dropped into them. May God multiply the blessings from their hard work.

I apologize for the extreme length of this blog. I guess my solution is to write more often and not club you to death in one sitting – but so much to tell, so little time to do it! Sorry.

May God bless you my dear friends. Please remember the work and the brothers and sisters faithfully serving in Mexico. And, please remember Theresa and me as we continue to navigate the waters of transition.

A very happy belated Canada Day to our Canadian friends; and an equally joyous Independence Day to all of our American friends who will be celebrating (and reading this blog) on the 4^th.  Because Theresa and I hold both nationalities we have the rather unusual blessing of being able to celebrate both with equal gusto.

Your fellow laborers in the Lord,

Steven and Theresa

A pump jack against an early morning sky. This is what makes our world go round

I remember a close friend of mine, whose grandmother was a Welsh Gypsy, describing to me how his grandmother spent most of her life refusing to live in anything even closely resembling a house because of the fear that it would tie her down to one place. Eventually, in the later years of her life, she did agree to living in a mobile home, but only if the wheels were left attached.

Theresa and I, although we may be living that life style at present, do not necessarily fall into the same category as my friend’s late grandmother. For us, the line from a poem in J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel “The Lord of the Rings”; “Not all those who wander are lost” probably best describes our journey of late.

Not to bore you to tears by rehashing the what’s what and who’s who of our lives, let me bring you up to date a little on the latest, somewhat circuitous steps along our path. As you will remember, our commitment upon leaving Mexico was to spend the next full year working in the oil industry as gate guards in order to be able to assist the Mexican ministry financially as it transitioned following our departure. At the time it looked like a very straight forward course – get a gate, and work for the year.

Of course, as life would have it; you already guessed the rest…

A New Mexico sunrise – liquid gold

We lost our first gate that we had in the Catarina, Texas area when we needed to hand it back to the people that we had taken over for upon their return to Texas from having taken the summer in the northern U.S. (we were given the blazing hot summer months to man the gate). If you will recall from the blogs of those months, we had been hoping and praying for it to remain a year-long, permanent post for us.

From Catarina we moved much further west in Texas to a location just outside of the little town of Kermit where we took over as guards at a crude oil bulk tank farm for friends of ours. This time we were “guaranteed” that the job would continue through, and we were simply holding the job for our friends until the end of April when they would return to take it back again.

Of course, as life would have it; you already guessed the rest…

On the 11^th of February we got our pink slip notification that as of the end of the month there would be no more guards at the site and that we were going to be laid off. It was nice of them to at least give us that much notice, but it didn’t change the inevitable. We began to look for other options, but none opened.

We didn’t know what God was saying in it all. We still had two months remaining on our commitment to him and things were not opening up, and it certainly was not looking any better in the oil industry in general. But we kept holding onto the fact that it was, after all, God’s money that would be lost, and if he chose not to allow us to work, well, that was 100% his own business. We were willing and committed to work if he provided us with work, if not, then that was his business. There was peace in that decision as well.

Several days before we were originally told that we would be terminated at Kermit we got a call from our company stating that, if we were willing, we could continue to work for them, but that the employment that they could offer us would be as temporary fill-in floats for other workers who were needing time off at their stations. If we were willing to accept the offer then we would need to close out our part of the Kermit station as of 6:00 a.m. on the 27^th and get packed. On the 28^th we needed to drive up to New Mexico in order to train for licensing in N.M., and then on the 29^th at 5:00 a.m. we were to take over a station in New Mexico called Thomas – not close at all to any normal landmarks which could be found on any map – however somewhere between Jal and Carlsbad, N.M. This particular gig would last for nine days and then we would have a down time of four days before beginning again for another eight days at another station back in Texas called Orla. After that we would have another two weeks without work before another station would open up in another location in Texas.

We began seeing a future of being bounced between pillar to post; however, beggars can’t be choosers. Besides, since the company really wanted to keep us on, and quite frankly, since we were willing to do for them what not many others were willing to do and as such were getting them out of a bind, they were also willing to help us out in a big way. Since our overwhelming problem all along has been that we don’t have a truck to move our trailer and must always hire a hauler or rent a U-Haul to do so, they stated that they were willing to move us to the various sites with the company truck. Further, we could stay at, and store our things at the company property in Midland, Texas during the times when we were not actually employed at a gate. Reasoning that this would allow us to work for at least some of the intervening weeks between the end of February and the end of April we accepted the offer.

Thomas is an extremely busy station with non-stop truck traffic both day and night. We were hanging on by our fingernails, desperately waiting for our nine days to end so that we could hand it back to the returning staff and have several days to recuperate before we began another equally heavy marathon.

The morning of day eight arrived and of course, as life would have it; you already guessed the rest…

At about 6:00 a.m. I got a knock on the door and was met by the returning guard, who had just driven onto the yard, and was told that they had quit and were back simply to load up their travel trailer and leave permanently. I truthfully can’t say that I blame them for their decision, but so much for handing the station back to them on the following morning. So much for a breather!

So here we now are; the reluctant heirs of a new monster. We unenthusiastically agreed to stay on, at least for the time being, with a couple of concessions from the company. At the heart of the matter is that upon our arrival here, due to general company cut backs this site was changing from a 2-guard 24 hour coverage to a 1-guard coverage for the same 24 hours (or more simply put, the night guard was pulled). Although this is exactly what happened to us at the Kermit site as well, at least there the number of trucks soon dropped to a very manageable volume in a short period of time, and although it meant that I spent my life cat-napping on the couch we were able to cope fairly well – so well indeed that they shut down the gate because they didn’t deem it worth the while having us there. Here at Thomas Station we are running at over sixty trucks in a 24 hour period with approximately equal volume both day and night, which means that we literally are either working or sleeping – Theresa in the days, and I at night. So when I said that I didn’t blame the previous couple for their decision to quit rather than return to the full 24-hour load after loosing their night coverage, I meant it. I would have probably done it a little differently than they did; nonetheless, we had to think hard and long before accepting the post on a more permanent basis beyond the nine day fill-in coverage that we had originally signed up for.

This is now day one – the day that we were initially supposed to hand the gate back to the original couple. We have agreed to stay, and will bite away at the elephant one fork full at a time as God gives us the strength.

Our very newest granddaughter Violet Raina born on January 30 to Diana and Nathan. We can hardly wait to see her

It has been an “interesting” journey over this past year to say the least. It may appear that we are wandering, but we are not lost. This is evident in the remarkable fact that, despite the jerks and lurches along the way, our actual time of not holding a job over the past year can be counted in days on the fingers of very few hands. Of the 365 days to which we committed ourselves to this work we will have worked close to 360 of them, and this in an economy where gate guards are being laid off left and right; us among them twice. So, God has been good. The pathway is not always straightforward nor constantly running alongside bubbling brooks and through fields of perfume-scented wild flowers, but it is, nonetheless, still resplendent with God’s care and provision at each step along the way. That is to say, it is when we don’t get caught up in naval-gazing and feeling sorry for ourselves.

My mom holding her newest great-granddaughter

Besides all of the abovementioned stressors, over the past months we have also had two new granddaughters born in Canada that we have yet to see, making us even more anxious to get there. The littlest one is Violet Raina who was born on January 30^th at 10:05 a.m. to her proud parents Diana and Nathan.

Enough about ourselves. What is more important is to bring you up to date with what is happening in Mexico so that you can be praying with our brothers and sisters there.

I spoke to a very discouraged Javier last evening. As you are aware, there has been economic disaster after disaster at the Missionary Training Center farm related to the sugarcane. First of all, unusually heavy rains destroyed the crop for a couple of years running. Then, to add insult to injury, the “injenio”, or the mill, the only purchasing monopoly for all of the sugarcane in Mexico is refusing to stand good on the contract that the farm has with them, and even though they are not accepting the sugarcane because they are now overburdened, they are refusing to honor the terms of the contract that they have with farmers. In a few short words – they are functioning as a true, heartless monopoly with absolutely no concern for the farmer and gouging as they desire, knowing that the small farmer is completely devoid of any recourse whatsoever.

What it also means though is that now, the third year straight of investment of finances and back-breaking physical labor into the farm is again lost. To add salt to the wound, not only are they refusing to even harvest the crop, but the injenio is now demanding that three hectares of the five which are in sugarcane be plowed up and completely replanted for new growth. This is a huge financial investment especially with absolutely no guarantee that there will ever be a return, and when they refuse to stand good for their part of any contract that the farm has with them.

We need to hold up Javier especially in prayer as he directly shoulders the responsibility of the decisions which will need to be made. We have known for some time that diversification was necessary, and that sugarcane was probably not a solid financial foundation for the Missionary Training Center. But as yet we have never been able to place our finger on the solution. Besides, funds are always the issue. It takes resources to begin branching into new income sources – money to make money. This latest blow is very discouraging to Javier. One cannot watch complacently year after year as untold hours of sweat equity and finances, not to mention hopes and dreams are flushed down the drain, and not become overwhelmed. Please remember him in your prayers – both for God’s gentle encouragement during this latest disappointment, as well as for clear guidance as to the next step which should be taken. Javier takes the whole burden of the ministry very seriously and he can tend to become melancholy when he feels that he is failing in some way.

Now, to end this blog on a more positive note I want to brag a bit about the Lord. Recently we asked Javier to write up a year-end report for the 2015 ministry year. I want to include some of his responses into this blog because I believe that they show the caliber of the man upon whom God has placed the leadership of the ongoing work in Mexico. This is also why I get excited about doing what I am doing, and what makes the craziness of this past year worthwhile. I am convinced that God has a big purpose and future for the work in Mexico and that many lives will be changed for His glory because of it.

Javier preaching at the mic of the local Christian radio station – Cielos Abiertos (Open Heavens)

Javier writes: “The whole burden to prepare disciple/trainees did not happen overnight for me, but rather was a process over many years. I became more and more aware of the tremendous needs of the mission field where those ministering  were struggling to simply feed themselves, while always waiting for the local church to supply their financial needs. Further, in the normal pastoral training institutions and Bible schools, the students are being taught that a pastor cannot work at a job in order obtain a wage because his dedication must be to prayer, and a focus 100% on the work of the church alone. It made me very sad to see this situation. In point of fact, what is happening is that these pastors; the very people who come to bring blessing, instead bring a financial burden to a community

It is specifically for this reason that the Missionary Training Center has been formed in order to prepare servant leaders who will understand that as God’s laborers they can transform and be a blessing the communities where they have been called to serve. They will learn to respect, and love to be involved in physical work, and will not be afraid to get dirty because of it; rather, their purpose will be to serve others in their needs. In order to accomplish this and instill this attitude in the trainees, you need to start at the very beginning with them. The first thing that is required is to remove the religious mentality that is so very prevalent, and the whole religious current which is forming spiritual leaders who are more interested in their financial income than in servanthood, and who, as such, are not fulfilling God’s purposes in their lives”.

Javier then went on to explain: “The training at the Missionary Training Center is both practical in nature as well as academic. Beginning in January of 2015 the trainees were introduced into ministering in a spiritually unreached community. Here they were shown in a hands-on manner how to plant a mission church; beginning at the very basic levels of house-to-house visitation, personal evangelism, film ministry, preaching campaigns, etc.”

The brand new transformer at the Missionary Training Center farm. We are expecting that within days the power will be hooked up to the building itself

While, he adds, “In the first six months of their time at the Missionary Training Center the student trainees covered five academic subjects which included: Introduction to the Bible, Hermeneutics, Church History, Pastoral Counseling, and The Pentateuch.

Besides this, they were responsible for much of the ongoing work of the maintenance of the farm and property of the Center, Casa del Obrero.

During the training at the Missionary Training Center we attempt to sow a desire into the hearts of the trainees that indeed they can  bless others with the work of their hands, and in so doing they can be a living, walking testimony by their actions as well as their words to them.

Academically, in their second semester they also covered the following subjects: A Deeper Life in Christ, The Old and New Man, Orientation to Missions, Personal Evangelism, Biblical Theology, and Systematic Bible Study (Part 1)”.

In a more introspective look Javier adds: “For many years I have been preparing both men and women spiritually. Through my experience and observations over the years I have found that many times when theory is predominantly passed on to these trainees they fail, despite a head full of academic knowledge, because they have not been given a practical basis upon which to put into practice what they have learned.

It is for this reason that the preparation which the students at the Ministry Training Center receive is more predominantly practical than theoretical in nature (although they do spend many hours in academic study as well). However, our focus is on practical preaching and evangelism by doing it; on the streets, in the local hospitals, in the drug and alcohol rehabilitation center, etc.

Not only do we teach and prepare the discipleship trainees, but we also recognize that it is very important to observe what they are doing as they care for and manage the resources and responsibilities that have been entrusted into their hands; making them aware that what they have been entrusted are things of God”.

That then my friend, is why I do what I do!

Please remember to pray earnestly for our brothers and sisters in Mexico as they continue to labor diligently for the Lord. Their work is discouraging and in many ways not easy, rife as it is with financial hopelessness and multiple setbacks.

Your fellow servants in the Lord,

Steven and Theresa

Feliz Año Nuevo

“You who sit down in the High God’s presence,
    spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow,
Say this: “God, you’re my refuge.
    I trust in you and I’m safe!”
That’s right—he rescues you from hidden traps,
    shields you from deadly hazards.
His huge outstretched arms protect you—
    under them you’re perfectly safe;
    his arms fend off all harm.
Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night,
    not flying arrows in the day,
Not disease that prowls through the darkness,
    not disaster that erupts at high noon.
Even though others succumb all around…
    no harm will even graze you.
You’ll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance…
Yes, because God’s your refuge,
    the High God your very own home,
Evil can’t get close to you,
    harm can’t get through the door…”  Psalms 91 (The Message)

The sunny morning after the storm

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
That shadows a dry, thirsty land;
He hideth my life with the depths of His love,
And covers me there with His hand,
And covers me there with His hand.  (Hymn by Fanny Crosby; Published 1890)

As we close out 2015 and enter into a new year filled with its uncharted potential and possibilities on one hand, juxtaposed with unprecedented fears and uncertainties on the other, what a wonderful comfort it is to know that we are sheltered under the shadow of the God of all Eternity – the Sovereign Lord who never slumbers or sleeps.

We thought that this was a ridiculous little banner when we first hung it out. Now it doesn’t look so out of place

Anne Graham Lotz wrote in her December 17^th ministry blog entitled: “Preprayer for the New Year” (http://www.annegrahamlotz.org/category/messages-from-gods-word/latest-from-anne/):

“Terrorist attacks in Paris, Colorado Springs, and San Bernardino have left us ashen-faced and horrified. Polarization within political parties, corruption at the highest levels of government, name-calling of opponents, character assassination of those who disagree, lies spun as truth, brutality covered up, the economy propped-up are just some issues that are contributing to our sense that America is unraveling. We no longer trust our government, our leaders, our bankers, our police officers, our newspapers, our business partners, our investors, our neighbors…even our religious leaders.”

I believe that each of us would agree with her assessment of the current climate; we are afraid of what we see around us on a global basis, and mistrust what we see at the national and local levels. For those of us living in the United States, we face great uncertainties in the political environment with the upcoming election year along with its back and forth accusations and counter attacks between the candidates, coupled with the disconcerting certitude that, in the end, they are all being deceitful and dishonest. In Canada I doubt that we fare any better with the new prime minister at the helm.

♪♫ Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow ♪♫

How wonderful, then, to know “at such a time as this” that the Scriptures state unequivocally that “It is God alone who judges; he decides who will rise and who will fall”. (Ps. 75:7). Daniel states: “Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings…”  Daniel 2: 20, 21; (NLT)

Our future, even though uncertain from our perspective, is certain and sure from His. He is Sovereign and securely on His throne. I have recently been encouraged by looking again at the powerful Messianic imagery in Psalms 2 where I read:

“Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one. “Let us break their chains,” they cry, “and free ourselves from slavery to God.”

But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them. For the Lord declares, “I have placed my chosen king (Jesus) on the throne.”

God is on his Throne! We can rest securely in Him (if indeed we are in Him). For those who do not know the rest of being in the shelter of his shadow it is a very different story as they look into the uncertain days ahead.

Theresa and I received a wonderful, belated Christmas present this year. On the 24^th and

And the snow piled up…

Christmas Day we had T-shirt weather and I was walking around in my shorts. Then on the late afternoon and evening of the 26^th (Boxing Day for all of my Canadian readers) the blizzard conditions began. We had snow and howling winds rock our little trailer like a “bark toss’d by storms” while we sat cozy and comfy inside, although somewhat disconcerted by the repeated gusts that hit our little shelter. Our last truck arrived during the beginning of the blizzard on Saturday at around 11:00 pm.

On Sunday morning we awoke to a winter wonderland of snow drifts and dazzling white. All of the roads in the region were closed down and we thoroughly enjoyed a day of rest – our first true holiday since we began our work on the 1^st of May. We sat inside our warm cocoon and watched the howling wind shift the snow banks outside, thankful for the shelter of our snug little home.

We each have our distinct memories of enjoying snow days I am sure. Mine is of wintry days in cabins in northern Ontario cozily stoking the wood stove as the winds howled outside. Yours will be different than mine, but they all will probably include an element of peace. Theresa and I thoroughly enjoyed ours.

The storm continued through Sunday and Monday giving us two full days of unexpected holiday. We had absolutely no truck traffic all day Sunday or Monday, and for the very first time since we began working in May we were able to sleep together in the same bed.

Theresa doesn’t look too happy with the cold wind…

What an unexpected gift. We were able to unwind, read, watch a movie or two, and enjoy some good holiday meals together, all without interruptions. We feel revived and refreshed and ready to begin again (and this is a good thing because the trucks are beginning to role again).

Just to lay out the plans again that Theresa and I have for the upcoming year, while keeping clearly in mind what it states in Proverbs 16: “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps”. We hope to continue working in Texas at our current job until the very end of April. At that point we are hoping that we can sell our travel trailer since we will not need it any longer. We then hope to head down to Mexico again for a number of weeks in order to bring closure and say goodbye, as well as to be there for the graduation of the Bible Institute and Project LAMBS students. Pastor Fred Erb from Listowel, Ontario is planning on going to Cd. Valles with us at that time. After that Theresa is planning to head up to Nebraska in order to spend some time with her mother and family there, while I finish off loose ends here in the south. Depending upon how the sale of the trailer goes, as well as figuring out a way to move our household things which we hope to take with us to Canada, this could take from a few days to a bit longer. I also need to purchase a pickup truck for the ministry in Mexico, and figure out how we are going to be able to get it there. When this is all accomplished, we will both turn the steering wheel northward and return to Manitoba where we plan on resettling.

I (Steven), especially, ask that you would remember us in your prayers as we move back to

But, there were no trucks

Canada again in the summer. I fully realize that it will not be easy (especially for me) to reenter the Canadian culture again. I have been outside of the “typical” North American setting for many years, and fully anticipate a potentially “rocky” readjustment in the beginning. It is all possible with God as our sustainer; nonetheless, it is not without some trepidation that I envision the upcoming transition.

One of the many issues that we will be facing is jobs. Both of us will need to find employment when we arrive in Manitoba. I, for my part, will be 61 years old, and like the words that Jesus placed into the manager’s mouth in the parable that he told in Luke 16 “I don’t have the strength to dig ditches, and I’m too proud to beg”. I will be competing for jobs with guys much younger than me. However, God has this in his hands as well and “I will not fear”.

While we are being transparent and completely honest, I also fear returning to Manitoba winters. I have become acclimatized to the hot climate of Cd. Valles, Mexico, and I don’t know how I will deal with the subzero weather again. This also I must leave in God’s hands. He is the One who will sustain us.

Have a very Happy New Year from both of us

But, with all of the human fears that I have associated with moving back to Canada, I know that it was the right time for Theresa and me to transition the work over to national leadership, and for us to leave Mexico when we did. The continuing ministry is strong, and our brothers and sisters there are advancing confidently, more than they ever could have if we continued to be there. I am simply thankful that Theresa and I were able have a small part in the beginning of the ministry by functioning as catalysts. Please continue to hold each of them up in your prayers.

Also, please remember Theresa and me as we finish off the next four months here in west Texas, and then as we batten down the hatches to finalize any unfinished areas of business associated with the ministry in Mexico before transitioning back to Canada. I personally would really appreciate knowing that you are praying for us, and with us, over these upcoming months ahead.

Then, for our part, we want to thank you for your faithfulness over the many years. Thank you for your friendship and care for Theresa and me. Thank you for believing in us. Thank you for your generous support for the work in Mexico. Thank you for your prayers, and thank you for simply being our friends and accepting us as we are – warts and all.

We both wish you a very wonderful and Christ-filled New Year, resting in the shelter of the All Mighty, irrespective of the storms that may rage outside.

Your fellow laborers,

Steven and Theresa

Merry Christmas from the Freys

“Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father”. Philippians 2:5-11 (The Message)

This may not be a typical Bible passage to put into a Christmas newsletter, but I believe that this is the very essence of the meaning Christmas – the mystery of the incarnation. It is exactly this which has so amazed me over these past weeks as we entered the Advent and Christmas season. Emanuel. God is with us. The Divine, Sovereign God became flesh – a human being!

I think that my very favorite Christmas song is “Mary Did You Know” written by Mark Lowry. I must admit that the beauty of the images expressed in it choke me up every time I hear it;

Merry and Bright

“Mary did you know…
when you kiss your little Baby you kissed the face of God?

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy is Lord of all creation?

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would one day rule the nations?

Did you know
that your Baby Boy is heaven’s perfect Lamb?
The sleeping Child you’re holding is the Great, I Am.”

All of this is possible only because Jesus;

^“Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.  Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.”

No wonder the Apostle Paul bursts out into spontaneous praise in Romans 11 and shouts:

“Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!… For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.”

This is the message of Christmas – GOD BECAME FLESH. He is with us. All glory to him forever! Amen!

The other day I was reading from a special Christmas addition of the “Our Daily Bread” and encountered something that I would like to share with you. In this particular devotional reading the author, Dan Schaeffer, pointed out that in our world important people tend to associate with other important people, and being seen with the right people in the right places can advance you a long way. It is because of this, he points out, that it is with no little confusion that we see God humbling himself so drastically before us as he did (when he became incarnate in human flesh). Schaeffer then went on to say: “When someone greater than us humbles himself before us in some way, it is a powerful gesture. We are amazed and moved that a person of such stature and status would do such a thing.”

When I read this I thought of something that my daughter, Laura, told me. Laura and her husband, Dustin, live in Japan along with their three little children. As you are no doubt aware, it is the custom in Japan to bow when you greet and honor someone. It is also important that bowing is done correctly – that is to say, the one inferior in rank must always be sure to bow lower than the other person in respect and honor of their higher status or age. Laura told me of an incident that happened to her once that startled, humbled, and confused her.

One day she was met and greeted by the brother of a very close friend of theirs. Both their close friend and his brother are much older than she is – indeed by many, many years. Further, he is a very respected person, and honored in the community. What happened at their first meeting and greeting shocked Laura, and she didn’t know what to do within the Japanese cultural setting that they are in. Instead of this respected, elderly man giving her a formal bow while she bowed much deeper and lower, as should have been the case within the culture, he lowered himself to his knees and bowed his head and hands to the floor. He used the most humble and respectful of bows in order to show his deep gratitude and thankfulness to her for what they were doing for his brother

Isn’t this a tiny glimpse into the mystery of God’s incarnation when Jesus became flesh and took on humanity for us? We deserved nothing but condemnation and death, but Jesus humbled himself before us. Not only did he prostrate himself and bow in humility, but he took on our sin and death and the cross in order to forgive, and to make our cleansing possible with the Father.

So, as I look out the window at the scenery around me (or lack thereof) here in the wind-swept wastes of western Texas and see the endless tumble weeds interspersed by cactus plants with nothing but endless oil well pump jacks and the occasional crude oil bulk storage tank on the horizon, I have to admit that there is little, if anything, to make me “feel like Christmas”.

But what does it mean to “feel like Christmas” anyway? I wonder how much Mary and Joseph “felt like Christmas” on that first Christmas as they desperately looked for a place so that Mary could give birth to her soon coming baby boy. I wonder how much the reeking stable and the filthy manger were they had to lay the new-born baby made them “feel like it was Christmas”. I doubt that there were spice-scented candles burning on beautiful brass sconces and lovely crystal bells tinkling above the manger. I am sure that there was no spiced apple cider or even sugar cookies in heaping plates set around the stable, and certainly no plumb pudding served with sauce. In fact, I am very sure that there were none of the accouterments of Christmas that we feel so very saddened if we cannot have and enjoy. They didn’t even have family and friends around them that they were celebrating with. They had none of the cheer and goodwill of the season. But they had the ONE of the season wrapped in a swaddling cloth lying in the dirty manger in front of them.

May we too find the mystery of the incarnation of our Lord, Jesus the Christ to be more than sufficient for us. Oh, there is nothing wrong with the “feelings of Christmas” and the joy that comes with the festivities surrounded by family and friends. But that is not Christmas – that is a feeling. My hope for all of us who do know Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord is that we will be amazed anew by His incarnation. If there is anyone reading this blog who does not know Him as Savior and Messiah, my prayer is that you will allow the profound mystery of this season to open your heart to Him.

With all of this preamble, I will get to what I had originally sat down to do in this blog – to write a Christmas greeting to each of you, and to wish you not only a joyous season, but a happy and Christ-filled New Year.

Theresa and I are finishing off our eighth month in the oil-field work. We will be overjoyed to be able to hand over the baton at the end of April 2016, but we are also determined to run the race well, and to finish strong. We are both well, and want to wish you a very Merry Christmas. We love each of you, and would dearly rather be with you than here. However, that will all happen soon enough.

It also brings me incredible joy to tell you again that everything is moving forward very well with the work in Mexico with the Bible Institute, the Missionary Training Center farm (Casa del Obrero), as well as with Project LAMBS. Besides this, Javier and others in the leadership there, along with the team of disciples that they are training are working hard in expanding the Kingdom of God in the local hospital and rehab center. They are also planting churches and evangelizing in the outlying communities and colonias, as well as working hard within their local churches. God is at work through these brothers and sisters. Please remember to keep them in your prayers.

To borrow from my good friend Dan Bumstead, founder of Love’s Door for All Nations (http://lovesdoor.org/), when he wrote in his last blog entitled Looking over the Garden: “We cannot brag as if anything is of ourselves, for it is ALL from His Hand. We are so much less than He deserves, and daily we are reminded that if He had chosen more capable soldiers He could have done so much more. And yet we cannot shrink back because of our weaknesses, but must be faithful to keep our hands to the plow”.

Amen, Dan, Amen!

Oh, how often I feel exactly what Dan has expressed so well. How very, very gracious God has been in that, despite my weaknesses, he has put together a team of wonderful, impassioned soldiers for the Gospel, and he has allowed Theresa and me to be a small part in the formation of this work. To God be all of the praise!

So, again, Theresa and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year. May your days be merry had bright, and all of your Christmases whiter than ours will be this year.

With all of our love,

Steven and Theresa