{"id":1746,"date":"2016-03-09T19:21:18","date_gmt":"2016-03-10T01:21:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/?p=1746"},"modified":"2016-03-09T19:21:18","modified_gmt":"2016-03-10T01:21:18","slug":"not-all-who-wander-are-lost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/2016\/03\/not-all-who-wander-are-lost\/","title":{"rendered":"Not All Who Wander Are Lost"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A

A pump jack against an early morning sky. This is what makes our world go round<\/p><\/div>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Theresa and I, although we may be living that life style at present, do not necessarily fall into the same category as my friend\u2019s late grandmother. For us, the line from a poem in J.R.R. Tolkien\u2019s novel \u201cThe Lord of the Rings\u201d; \u201cNot all those who wander are lost\u201d<\/span> <\/i>probably best describes our journey of late.<\/p>\n

Not to bore you to tears by rehashing the what\u2019s what and who\u2019s 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 \u2013 get a gate, and work for the year.<\/p>\n

Of course, as life would have it; you already guessed the rest\u2026<\/p>\n

\"A

A New Mexico sunrise – liquid gold<\/p><\/div>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cguaranteed\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

Of course, as life would have it; you already guessed the rest\u2026<\/p>\n

On the 11th<\/sup> 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\u2019t change the inevitable. We began to look for other options, but none opened.<\/p>\n

We didn\u2019t 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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 27th<\/sup> and get packed. On the 28th<\/sup> we needed to drive up to New Mexico in order to train for licensing in N.M., and then on the 29th<\/sup> at 5:00 a.m. we were to take over a station in New Mexico called Thomas \u2013 not close at all to any normal landmarks which could be found on any map \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

\"\"We began seeing a future of being bounced between pillar to post; however, beggars can\u2019t 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The morning of day eight arrived and of course, as life would have it; you already guessed the rest\u2026<\/p>\n

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\u2019t 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!<\/p>\n

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 \u2013 so well indeed that they shut down the gate because they didn\u2019t 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 \u2013 Theresa in the days, and I at night. So when I said that I didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

This is now day one \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

\"Our

Our very newest granddaughter Violet Raina born on January 30 to Diana and Nathan. We can hardly wait to see her<\/p><\/div>\n

It has been an \u201cinteresting\u201d 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\u2019s care and provision at each step along the way. That is to say, it is when we don\u2019t get caught up in naval-gazing and feeling sorry for ourselves.<\/p>\n

\"My

My mom holding her newest great-granddaughter<\/p><\/div>\n

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 30th<\/sup> at 10:05 a.m. to her proud parents Diana and Nathan.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cinjenio\u201d, 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 \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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 \u2013 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 \u2013 both for God\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"Javier

Javier preaching at the mic of the local Christian radio station – Cielos Abiertos (Open Heavens)<\/p><\/div>\n

Javier writes: \u201cThe 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 \u00a0were 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<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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\u2019s purposes in their lives\u201d<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Javier then went on to explain: \u201c<\/i>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.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

\"The

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<\/p><\/div>\n

While, he adds, \u201c<\/i>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. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

During the training at the Missionary Training Center we attempt to sow a desire into the hearts of the trainees that indeed they can\u00a0 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.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

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)\u201d.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

In a more introspective look Javier adds: \u201cFor 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.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Not only do<\/i> 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\u201d.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

That then my friend, is why I do what I do!<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Your fellow servants in the Lord,<\/p>\n

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

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, […]<\/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\/1746"}],"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=1746"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1746\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1754,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1746\/revisions\/1754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}