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Renewed by God’s Goodness (Sunday and a new week)

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Frankly, we’re glad that last week is over. It’s what I would call in Spanish, una semana tremenda. A tremendous week.

Health issues. Financial issues. It was crazy.

But we started off this week on better footing, with a great service in Las Palmas. Rod started with a great lesson about salvation. It’s not easy to explain things clearly in a short time, but he did a great job and brought up some important culturally relevant points. We even heard from some people in the church about how they came to faith.

Rod and some guest musicians led us in some Christmas carols. And we had a time of sharing. We prayed for some of the incredibly difficult challenges that people are facing right now, and also gave thanks for great things that God has done. We’re thankful for news about the mother of one of our friends, who could very easily have died recently. But God heard our prayers!

I preached, and I’m not sure how well it went for everyone else, but I keep learning new things from Luke 2:1-20.

This part of the message of the angel alone is so rich with meaning, we could do a series of sermons on it…

Unto you is born this day
in the city of David
a Saviour,
who is Christ
the Lord.

Imagine – the great Messiah being born (Isaiah 9:6)! And Luke repeats over and over the connection to David – reminding us that God promised an Eternal Ruler from the house of David (2 Samuel 7:16). A Saviour? It is God who is the Saviour (Isaiah 45:21)!

“Christ” – well, in that word is wrapped up all the promises of the Old Testament. That’s a HUGE word.

But most interesting to me this time was the last part – “The Lord”. Go into Luke and see how he uses this word. The “temple of the Lord” (Luke 1:9). The Lord is the God of Israel (Luke 1:16; Luke 1:68). The Lord God who keeps His promises (Luke 1:32). The glory of the Lord shone around the angels (Luke 2:9). The Lord revealed the Messiah to the shepherds (Luke 2:15).

And who was born? Christ the LORD!

The gospel is truly in this story. As Rod pointed out in his lesson, it is God who takes the initiative – His Word sets all this in motion – and He brings us the long awaiting Messiah – who is the Lord of all. Incredible!
Bicitaxi decorated for Christmas
Now we’re continuing the week with two more mad days of work and school – trying to finish exams and assignments and whatever else. And then – hopefully – at least a partial break over the holidays!

As you can see from this picture that Shari took yesterday, even the bicycle taxis are getting into the spirit, by decorating with garlands, bows, and even little trees. 🙂

Christmas is Coming…

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… and coming fast! And along with it come the special activities of Christmas.

Friends at a Christmas Party
Shari with her poncheThis week Shari went to a special Christmas party at the Path of Life Bible Church in Santa Barbara. The women from the Las Palmas church were invited as well. They enjoyed some special gifts and some ponche to warm them all up! (It’s been cold here, although it’s a little warmer now. Everyone, I mean everyone, is talking about the weather!)

Also, last week while we were in Pachuca, the church in the community of Jesús María had its first service in the still-in-progress sanctuary! Take a look at some photos and video at Rod’s blog – First Service in New Auditorium, JM.

We have been dealing with some health issues in the family. Without going into details, it has made it a tough week. If you’ve been praying – thanks!

Meanwhile, I’m getting ready for the upcoming services. I’m preaching tomorrow, so I’ve been thinking about that. And planning some music for the special Christmas service we’re having Friday night. This is a great time to meditate more on the incarnation of Jesus Christ. There is so much to learn – and so much wonder!

As a family we’ve been enjoying Come, Let Us Adore Him, an advent devotional by Paul Tripp. It might be a little late for this year, but I’d recommend it if you’re looking for something special for next year!

By the way, on Facebook I’ve been reposting some of my old Christmas posts. If you haven’t seen the series, take a look at Promises of a Messiah, a twelve part series about Bible prophecy and the coming of Jesus.

Sunday in Pachuca

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Yesterday we went to the city of Pachuca, north of Mexico City in the state of Hidalgo. Pachuca is a city of over a quarter million people. And the temperatures are a little cooler than here!

Iglesia Bíblica El Buen PastorAnyway, we went to La Iglesia Bíblica El Buen Pastor (Good Shepherd Bible Church). We enjoyed worshipping with our old and new friends there (with lots of Christmas songs – even one or two that were new to me!), and I preached.

Preaching was a little bit interesting this time. I was quite sick yesterday – I don’t think I realized how sick I was until today (now that I’m feeling better). So I was in a lot of pain and – better admit it – I was cold! And I didn’t realize how cold I was until I was done preaching. Added to that, we had some technical difficulties – probably all my fault (they were actually really organized and helpful).

So, let’s say with the pain and cold I was a little tense up in the pulpit. But hopefully it was still understandable! As I have been reminded again and again – and as I actually mentioned in my sermon – it is because we’re weak that God’s power is visible in us.

After the service we split up into groups to hand out tracts and talk to people. Mostly short conversations, because people were generally in a rush. Actually, it was funny. I was trying to talk to an older woman who was selling poinsettias. But she was kind of ignoring me and giving short answers. Because – she was busy trying to read the tract that someone else in the church gave her! 🙂

For some people in the church, it was the first time they had done anything like this. So it was fun to be a part of it.

After than, a couple in the church took us out for some very yummy Mexican food, that made me feel a little better (in case you’re interested, I had enchiladas con cecina, in this case tortillas with cheese and green sauce with thinly sliced and salted beef. Anyway, we very much enjoyed our time with them.

And Shari was kind enough to drive us home!

Pilgrims on the highway near PachucaOn the way there, and on the way home, we saw a lot of pilgrims, on foot, bicycle, or in vehicles. It’s getting close to Guadalupe Day (the 12th) when people honour what they believe is a manifestation of the Virgin Mary. ‘Tis the season to not get a lot of sleep, as the “bombas” explode at all hours (as I write, another bomba just set off a car alarm a few metres away).

This is why now, more than ever, people need to hear the message of Christmas. It’s not a message that we can now do more things to find favour with God – or Mary – or a saint. It’s a message that God has sent His Salvation, a gracious gift.

Thanks for your prayers for days yesterday – and today!

A Quick Update from Windy Ixtapalcua

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Hello from windy Ixtapaluca! I feel like I’m on the Saskatchewan prairies, except that there are leaves everywhere. 🙂 I suppose it’s part of “Winter Storm Benji”, which seems to stretch from the Maritimes in Canada down to Mexico. It will likely be below 0C here over the weekend (lows overnight), a bit low for December here. And rather chilly in houses with no heat!
repair shop for bicycles and unicycles!
A random picture for you – Hannah was able to get her unicycle repaired the other day. We have a repair place that sets up shop on the street every Saturday near our home, and for about CA$7 for parts & labour Hannah was good to go! So here’s a quick pic of the repair place.

It’s starting to feel like Christmas here. We actually sang some Christmas carols on Sunday – certainly not a given for our churches around here. And I’ve been meditating on Luke 2:1-20, which I’ll be preaching on soon. It’s been fun to learn some new things from such a familiar passage. I hope I can share them clearly!

So this Sunday we’ll be travelling up north of Mexico City to the city of Pachuca, where I’ll be preaching. And it really feels like “north”, being 4-5 degrees cooler there than it is here. 🙂

The church is Iglesia Bíblica El Buen Pastor (Good Shepherd Bible Church), so we’ll look forward to visiting friends there.

In other news, we’re busy getting home school done for the holidays. And we’re continuing with services and studies. We have our normal study tonight, and Shari and Hannah finished up a study they’ve been having with another mother/daughter on Wednesday.

I won’t get into the earthquake relief stuff here, but that is still going on. Hopefully I can write more, either here or by mail for those who have donated to that project.

We’re also putting together our upcoming visit to Canada – next spring/summer. Although it’s a short visit, there is a lot of preparation involved (actually, sometimes shorter trips require more preparation!). But some things are starting to take shape.

We are still looking for a place to stay while we’re in Canada – preferably in north Calgary. If you know of anything we could rent/borrow/etc, please let us know. We need to find a place soon, preferably before Christmas.

We appreciate those of you who have been praying for our family, and our church. Our church is facing a lot of major challenges right now, so keep praying!

If I wrote here more often, I wouldn’t be writing such a random collection! Well, it’s me end-of-year resolution to try to write more. 🙂

Mega Service and More Meetings

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Mega Service 2017 Panorama
Music at the Mega ServiceThanks so much to everyone who prayed for the “Mega Service” this past Sunday at Ecoparque San Pedro. I think the service went fairly well. In the picture above you can see the group in the beautiful outdoor location.

Rod did a great job leading an eclectic collection of music, and I spoke on “The Word of God” from 2 Peter 1:16-21. The picture on the right shows Rod and gang.

After the service we hung out at the park, where there was horse back riding, an outdoor labyrinth, and places to play soccer and other things.

After one day at home I headed to Puebla to meet with the Camino Global team leaders. The altitude changes are usually a health disaster for me, and yesterday was no exception, so it was admittedly a day of pretty severe pain. However, it was a good time with a few of the other missionaries I don’t see often, talking about various issues.

We’ve been trying to get our van verified, which we need to do every 6 months. This time it didn’t pass (due apparently to a sensor issue), and this led to four days at the mechanic’s. We’re hoping that we can get it verified in the next few days. Verification is what allows us to drive without restrictions of certain days.

Just a little news for you! Thanks for reading. 🙂

Prayer Request: “Mega Service” – Tomorrow!

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As far as we can tell, tomorrow is the 4th annual “Mega Service” for our associated churches in the Mexico City area. We’re heading out to an ecopark in the pass between our local volcanoes for an outdoor service (under a tent or tarp). It’s one of the few places that can hold 400+ people for a price the churches can afford! I’m thinking about 10 churches will be represented, but that’s just a guess.

(And yes, for us it will be a little chilly. Around 13℃, probably. Don’t laugh, Canadian friends.)

Mega Service 2017Anyway, this is a particular prayer requests because our team is especially involved in the service. Yes, this year a lot of missionaries are involved – our friend Chuck will be leading the service, and Rod will be leading the music, with a music group made up of talented people from various churches, I believe. There will also be a communion service, led by a pastor friend of ours (Paco) from Mexico City. And of course a host of other people are involved in setup, take-down, organization, watching kids….

And – I’m the speaker! So I would appreciate your prayers for everyone involved, including me, that God’s Word would touch hearts. And that the fellowship would be an encouragement to many.

We’ll be heading up about 9am, and the service is supposed to start at 11am, with time before and after to hang out with people, eat lunch after the service, etc.

Thanks for your prayers!

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