{"id":1489,"date":"2014-10-09T23:32:20","date_gmt":"2014-10-10T04:32:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/?p=1489"},"modified":"2014-10-09T23:32:20","modified_gmt":"2014-10-10T04:32:20","slug":"datum-perficiemus-munus-dulcius-ex-asperis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/2014\/10\/datum-perficiemus-munus-dulcius-ex-asperis\/","title":{"rendered":"Datum Perficiemus Munus, Dulcius ex Asperis"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Alfredo

Alfredo demonstrating the true meaning of – I only have eyes for you<\/p><\/div>\n

I have lost count \u2013 I can\u2019t remember if this is the third or fourth time that we have been forced to rework the same field to replant the same seed sugarcane that the rain has washed away \u2013 however, I think that it is the fourth time.<\/p>\n

Today Javier and I slogged away in the muck one more time to try to finish off. We have only several more rows to re-cover, after that we pray that there will be no more torrential rains for awhile, at least until the seed can gain enough rooting so that it will not be washed away if it does rain again.<\/p>\n

If you remember our saga last fall while we were trying to build the house on the land we also faced a very unusual year of rain that seemingly did not want to end. This year appears to be a repeat of last.<\/p>\n

\"Lupita

Lupita and Alfredo at their wedding reception. They make a beautiful couple<\/p><\/div>\n

The rainfall is a huge blessing for us as it gives us the precious moisture that this climate needs so badly. Still, moderation is a good thing, and when the skies open and the floodgates burst it is hard to keep ahead of the devastation that follows.<\/p>\n

Such has been our toil since the first part of September. What should have been three days of hard labor have ended being a month of non-stop drudgery with large field hoes, hacking away at muck and heavy, wet clay soil. The Lord willing we shall accomplish the mission assigned, sweeter after difficulties \u201cdatum perficiemus munus\u201d, \u201cdulcius ex asperis\u201d (for a little play with Latin \u2013 thanks to Google \u2013 certainly not reflecting my grasp of the language. Unfortunately I am not like my son, James, who decided to study Latin as a lark because he just enjoyed the challenge and the language).<\/p>\n

Of course, we have lost our chance at spraying the field with herbicide before the new shoots of sugarcane began to break through the soil. That was one of the main reasons for disking the whole field under and replanting it in the first place. We have been fighting with massive grass problems since the first planting three years ago. We were to spray the field as soon as the seed cane was covered in order to kill<\/p>\n

\"Pastors

Pastors represented in the state-wide day of prayer held in Cd. Valles<\/p><\/div>\n

all of the invasive grasses, and their seeds. However, with the struggle over the past month we were unable to get any spraying done. Since sugarcane is itself a grass, any herbicide now which would kill the invasive weed grass would also kill the sugarcane. So, spraying will have to wait. We will be happy just to get sugarcane growing now.<\/p>\n

September 27th<\/sup> marked the second year that Christians of Cd. Valles met together in a time of state-wide prayer. The main downtown street was blocked off to traffic and the worshipers met for several hours of prayer. At the same time Christians were meeting in central plazas and parks in major cities across the state of San Luis Potos\u00ed to worship, praise God, and seek his favor in prayer for continued safety for the nation, for the government, for leaders, both religious and secular, for the churches and Christians represented across all denominational lines, and for God\u2019s continued favor in our lives. Many of the pastors from across the city participated in leading the public prayer, and hundreds of people came and joined in prayer and worship. It was an incredible thing to stand with hundreds of fellow believers, knowing that we were all worshiping and praying to the same Lord.<\/p>\n

\"Worshipers

Worshipers at the day of prayer held in one of the main streets of Cd. Valles<\/p><\/div>\n

Theresa and I also spent several days in Monterrey since my last blog entry. A friend of mine, Lupita Diaz, who worked with me back in the medical clinic days, was married on the 4th<\/sup> of October. Theresa and I were asked if we would consider being the padrinos de arras at her wedding. Being asked to be padrinos is an honor since it means being included closely with the couple on their important day. The \u201carras\u201d are wedding coins, or \u201cearnest money\u201d, and can be presented in a whole variety of containers and boxes specially designed for weddings.<\/p>\n

Since being godparents of earnest coins (or of Bibles, lassos, pillows, rings, or oil) is not a part of our wedding culture I did a quick Google search on \u201carras\u201d, and this is what I came up with:<\/p>\n

\"Theresa

Theresa at the Fundidora Park in Monterrey<\/p><\/div>\n

The word “arras” means “earnest”, and is a legal term that signifies a form of security deposit made in a major transaction such as the purchase of a house, land, or some other large contract to demonstrate that the applicant is serious and willing to demonstrate an earnest of good faith about wanting to complete the transaction. In the wedding ceremony the idea is that the groom makes a deposit to the bride to indicate to her his intention to close the deal. It is his guarantee to her. As a part of the wedding ceremony the groom gives 13 specially designed coins to the bride as collateral for his promise to marry her. The tradition has also grown that the coins represent the full trust that the groom places in the bride in that he places all of his material wealth into her hands.<\/p>\n

The wedding was picture-perfect, and God blessed them with a wonderful, sunny day. The day before the wedding had seen torrential rains and flooding throughout the city of Monterrey (as well as Cd. Valles, as was indicated by the latest wiping out of our newly planted crop). But Saturday dawned sunny and beautiful \u2013 the perfect answer to many intense prayers by Lupita and Alfredo, her new husband.<\/p>\n

\"Steven

Steven in front of a rather cool fountain in the Fundidora Park in Monterrey<\/p><\/div>\n

I have rarely seen such focused attention and love in anyone\u2019s eyes and face as was displayed by Alfredo for his bride and new wife. As I watched them I couldn\u2019t help but think of the love affair of Jesus for his bride. In fact, the whole of history from infinity past throughout all of time has been a love affair of Jesus with his bride. From before time was created Jesus longed for his bride. As he kneeled in the clay and formed man, breathing into them the breath of life, his heart throbbed with a passion of love for his bride. The whole of the Old Testament relates the story of the longing of Jesus for his oft wayward bride. As she chased wildly after foreign gods and false lovers, Jesus pursued her \u2013 his bride.<\/p>\n

Jeremiah 31:3 states \u201cI have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself\u201d. We know that here God is speaking of his people, the Jewish nation, because the verse begins by saying \u201cLong ago the Lord said to Israel\u201d. But the mystery of our salvation as demonstrated in the New Testament through Jesus\u2019 life here on earth is that we, gentiles, have now also been grafted into the vine. We are now loved as well. We are now the center and passion of Jesus\u2019 love for his bride as well.<\/p>\n

Wow!<\/p>\n

\"And

And you thought that you would only find an inuksuk in northern Canada. Here is one that was in the Fundidora Park in Monterrey<\/p><\/div>\n

If the adoration, wild joy, and passionate love that was expressing itself in Alfredo\u2019s eyes, and that was written all over his face for his new bride, Lupita, is any indicator at all of the love that Jesus has for his bride, than \u2013 wow! Just wow!<\/p>\n

Please continue to pray with us for the right couple to take over the ministry on the Missionary Training Center farm. We really need someone there with the vision and passion for the ministry of training and equipping national missionaries. We are also praying for the right people as we begin to develop small-scale businesses on the farm so that the ministry can become self financing. We are presently trying to develop welding and carpentry shops so that they can supplement the finances of the work, besides being a place to train the ministry students in the area of trades.<\/p>\n

\"My

My real world at the moment<\/p><\/div>\n

Theresa is busy preparing a team of seamstresses who will begin a small industry of sewing curtains, and perhaps other kitchen and household items for the purpose of selling them in order to fund the Bible Institute and Project LAMBS.<\/p>\n

Please pray with us. Nothing is moving as fast as we would like to see it move.<\/p>\n

We appreciate each of you, and are grateful for your prayers and love.<\/p>\n

Your friends and fellow laborers,<\/p>\n

Steven and Theresa<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have lost count \u2013 I can\u2019t remember if this is the third or fourth time that we have been forced to rework the same field to replant the same seed sugarcane that the rain has washed away \u2013 however, I think that it is the fourth time. Today Javier and I slogged away in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1489"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1489"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1489\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1498,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1489\/revisions\/1498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}