{"id":4419,"date":"2024-05-28T15:30:19","date_gmt":"2024-05-28T20:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/?p=4419"},"modified":"2024-05-28T15:30:19","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T20:30:19","slug":"optical-clinics-and-the-zona-pame-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/2024\/05\/optical-clinics-and-the-zona-pame-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Optical Clinics and the Zona Pame (part 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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In my last blog Theresa and I were on our way back to Manitoba after having been away for two months. However, it had already become apparent to us that I would need to return to Mexico again in the very near future in order to complete a ministry opportunity that had opened for us \u2013 namely assisting Pastor Javier Salazar Rodriguez in developing an eyeglass clinic in the Colonia of Misi\u00f3n which is located just to the north of Monterrey. So, after spending two weeks at home trying to catch up and put out any of the inevitable fires that needed to be taken care of immediately, I loaded up our little 2006 Mazda for a repeat of the 6,000 mile round trip that we had just completed days before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Theresa didn\u2019t accompany me on my return as the focus of the ministry trip this time was to be much more specifically involved with the eyeglass clinics with which I worked more directly. However, I was blessed to be able to be accompanied by Jude, one of our grandsons. I picked up Jude on April 17th<\/sup>, one day after his 17th<\/sup> birthday and together we headed south towards Monterrey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On our way we passed through Nebraska in order to pick up the optical supplies which I had stored there. From there we were blessed to spend Sunday in Grove, Oklahoma with Pastor Marty Dyer and his wife Karen where I was privileged to be able to share my heart at New Song Church where Marty pastors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As always seems to be the case, we arrived at the Mexican border on Thursday with our little car grossly overloaded and filled to the brim with ministry supplies \u2013 this time with glasses and optical testing supplies, plus a couple of used sewing machines, besides many other items. The border crossing is always stressful at the best of times, but much more so with a large load. We prayed fervently for a smooth passage and God blessed us with a green light and a safe and very uneventful crossing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We arrived in Colonia Misi\u00f3n without incident on the evening of Thursday, April 25th<\/sup>. After unloading the car and separating out the optical supplies which were to be left there, we spent the remainder of the evening learning to know Javier and his wife Carmen Margarita. We found out that the colonia of Misi\u00f3n where they live is completely comprised of people who have been displaced from all over Mexico and who have emigrated there in search of work in the factories in the surrounding area. Because of this rootlessness and lack of connection there is an accompanying level of crime and spiritual darkness. Witchcraft and Satanism is rife as is prostitution and other vices. The little church in which they minister is struggling. Poverty is evident everywhere. Their vision is to use the eye clinics as an evangelistic tool to serve their community in order to open their colonia for the gospel. They also have access into many of the surrounding colonias and villages where poverty and sin is so very rampant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This looks like an excellent couple, and an ideal place to begin!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our first eye clinic began the following morning. Although I had given Javier and Margarita a quick run-through training the evening before on clinical procedures, this first actual clinical day was a hands-on day of teaching and training for them. They proved to be very adept students and learned very quickly. We were able to serve thirteen happy clients on our first day, all without stress or confusion. Throughout the day we were able to establish good client procedures and a comfortable clinical setup. All-in-all, a very successful first day, and with very professional students!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    On Saturday, our second clinical day I basically sat back and watched as Javier and Margarita took over the client work. I was available if there were any issues that they needed assistance with, but very few actually arose. We saw less clients than the first day, but both of them did excellently and I was satisfied that they could now easily continue on their own, and that I could leave on Monday for Cd. Valles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Although the main focus of this trip was to train Javier and his wife and to set up the eyeglass clinic with them, my second purpose was to return to Cd. Valles along with my grandson Jude in order to accompany Pastor Javier Santos and his ministry team on another mission trip into the Pame region of the Sierra Madre Mountains to the west of the valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      On Sunday morning Jude and I enjoyed fellowshipping with our friends Oscar Salazar and his wife in their church in the larger city of San Nicol\u00e1s, and returned in the evening to worship with the little body of believers in Misi\u00f3n in the church pastored by Javier. A highlight of the day was for Jude to be able to bless the congregations by playing his violin at both churches \u2013 for an audience of several hundred in the morning, and in the evening for around ten. Still, I don\u2019t believe that God is limited or impressed by numbers even if, to our shame, we may be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      On Monday, completely confident in the ability of Javier and Margarita to carry on the eyeglass clinics alone without difficulty, Jude and I left for the eight hour drive to Cd. Valles where we would meet up with our friends, and which was home-turf for me. Despite extremely hot temperatures we arrived in the early evening without incident and were lovingly greeted by our friends there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      We spent one day in Cd. Valles taking care of some business as well as in preparation for the five-day ministry trip into the mountainous Pame region the following morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Early on Wednesday morning four of us, Pastor Javier, Jonas, Jude, and I piled into Javier\u2019s road-weary and battered old Ford Ranger pickup truck and drove to the nearest gas station where we filled up the gas tank and poured 1 \u00bd liters of oil into the engine, the old truck now using almost as much oil as gasoline due to its badly warn piston rings. We stashed an extra liter of oil in the back of the truck and headed westward towards the mountains and pounded our way over almost unthinkably bad roads to the Pame village of Tanlacut. Here we quickly ate a snack lunch that we had brought with us and once again beat our way westward up mountain passes in order to reach the little village of Chacuala where we were to meet with the group of new believers at 11:00 o\u2019clock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Here in Chacuala, a village where only several years ago the gospel had not reached, we were greeted by twenty some adult believers besides children. The service, as always here in this little village was held under a spreading shade tree in the center of town. Jesus was worshiped through song and preaching, and the service ended with the sharing of a meal that the women of the village, even in their poverty, had brought. Oh, all of the doctrinal duckies might not yet be completely in a straight row for some of these new believers, but the love of Jesus was displayed in full force through their lives. Whereas only a year or two ago they were involved in shamanism and paganism, today they are worshiping Jesus, their Lord and Savior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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        From Chacuala we reloaded the pickup and jolted our way back down the mountain pathways to the tiny village of La Joya where we were greeted by the children of the village as we drove in. They cheered and whooped as they ran to the little galera where their service is held. These children are \u201cJonas\u2019 little flock\u201d and he is in charge of their teaching and care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        From La Joya it was off to El Coco for a late afternoon service in Ciro\u2019s \u201cfront yard\u201d. Here we met with the group of new believers that Ciro pastors whenever Javier is not there to do so. In fact, many of these were brand new believers that I had never met before. Please remember to keep Ciro and this little group of Christians in El Coco in your prayers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        From El Coco it was off again \u2013 unfortunately now very much after dark, back to the village of Tanlacut where we were to spend the night. After an amazingly hot and very miserable night we got an early morning start for the tiny Pueblo de Tanlacut where Javier pastors several very lonely elderly believers whom others have forgotten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        From Pueblo de Tanlacut we rattled our way to the tiny village of Agua Nueva where we were to hold an 11:00 o\u2019clock service in the little Pame Missionary Center called Casa de Fe <\/em>(House of Faith). The service was set for this time in the morning rather than later in the afternoon because the believers who attend here must walk down a mountain for 1 \u00bd hours from their tiny mountaintop village of Milpas Viejas. Already by the time that we arrived at 11:00 it was well over 110 degrees and it would only get hotter as the day wore on. We met and worshiped with three women who had walked the 1 \u00bd hour journey down the mountain to the service, one of them with a child on her hip. They too brought along a meal to share with us. I am always humbled when I look at my own self-centeredness and lack of commitment in the face of the love for Jesus like that which these women displayed. Thankfully, Javier was able to drive them back up the mountain to their homes so that they didn\u2019t need to walk in the blazing heat of the afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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        From Agua Nueva it was back to Tanlacut where we were to hold an afternoon service. However, we found out that all but one of the believers from the tiny church where out of town. We prayed with the one brother who was there and headed back across the mountains to Santa Catarina and to the home of Adela, the elderly widow who loves to host the missionary teams whenever they are in the Pame region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        It happened to be Jonas and my birthday, so after sharing a meal and birthday cake with Adela and Rafael and Crucita, a couple with whom Javier works closely and who are his local leaders-in-training, we held an evening service and prayer time together before retiring for the night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        The following morning we headed out for the village of Santa Mar\u00eda Acapulco, which you may recall from previous blogs is the ancient religious and cultural center and heart of the Pame region. It is both literally and spiritually a high place, being built upon the summit of a mountain. Here, for hundreds, and probably thousands of years Satan has been worshiped. I had been there several times, but this time more than any time before I saw the direct confrontation of evil versus good. As we visited door to door we prayed for several who were visibly oppressed by evil spirits. One young man with whom we were ministering absolutely could not pronounce the name of Jesus and became visibly agitated when Jesus\u2019 name was spoken before him. In one home we were told about an incident that had taken place in the village about a year and a half earlier where a young demonized man had brutally murdered an elderly man outside the village and had then desecrated and cannibalized his body. These are not normal things!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Prominently in the middle of the village, and elevated high on the hilltop is an ancient Catholic cathedral. In all honesty, architecturally and historically it is a very interesting building. However, spiritually it is the epicenter of deep demonic paganism, witchcraft, and shamanism. This is the very heart of Satanism in the region \u2013 the high place and foci of evil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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        Here in Santa Mar\u00eda Acapulco, inside enemy territory and directly across from the pagan cathedral, we held a service in the \u201cdomo\u201d in the heart of the town and sang and worshiped the name of Jesus Christ. A good number of children and several adults attended. Many times this is how a church is planted; by beginning to minister to the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        After the service in Santa Mar\u00eda Acapulco we headed back down the mountain to the little village of La Parada where we met with Jos\u00e9 Santos and his family. Jos\u00e9, as you might remember from previous blogs is one of the translators who, along with other members of his family work in Bible translation into Xi-Ui, their native Pame language. Javier was scheduled to preach the following day in the village of La Cuchilla in one of the churches in which Jos\u00e9 pastors. We spent the evening fellowshipping with Jos\u00e9 and his family at their home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Although the story of the amazing things that God did on this missionary journey has by no means ended, I will close here for now. They will have to be the subject of the next blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        It is my prayer that by reading these accounts you will be encouraged to pray for and remember these dear brothers and sisters as they literally labor on the front lines, and are engaged in open warfare with the enemy of our souls. They need the cover of your prayers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Thank you for your love for our brothers and sisters in Mexico,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

        In my last blog Theresa and I were on our way back to Manitoba after having been away for two months. However, it had already become apparent to us that I would need to return to Mexico again in the very near future in order to complete a ministry opportunity that had opened for us […]<\/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\/4419"}],"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=4419"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4460,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4419\/revisions\/4460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}