Prayer and Praise
COVID-19: Closer to Home
So far I’ve written a little about COVID-19 in general, and then more about COVID-19 in Mexico. Today I’ll continue talking about Mexico a little, but I want to bring things a little closer to home.
First of all, when I say “closer to home” I’m not hinting that anyone in our family is sick. Our family, and extended family, is healthy at the moment. Well – as healthy as normal!
Here in central Mexico, things still appear mostly normal on the surface. I’ve seen supermarkets, markets, banks, highways – even a medical lab – all in the past couple of days. Yes, every employee at the lab was wearing a face mask (I don’t think I saw anyone wearing one correctly – so I doubt they did anyone any good!). And at the supermarket, there were friendly (and not-so-friendly) attendants who freshly wiped your cart with something supposedly anti-bacterial before giving it to you.
There are very few shortages – one has been the ubiquitous face masks, and the other anti-bacterial gel. But if you go to buy something, you’ll find the shelves mostly stocked as normal.
We are trying not to be envious of those who are looking for things to do during isolation. Isolated or not (not, at the moment), we have more to do than ever – and that isn’t likely to change.
So, like everyone, we’re adjusting to the new reality.
This weekend we will be doing some “online ministry”. Today we ran a test on Google Meet to see if we could use it for our Bible study tomorrow night. So far, so good. So our study will continue via live video chat.
We reluctantly decided to go online for our Sunday service as well. I won’t go into all the reasons why, but lets just say these are difficult and complex decisions. And we see this as a temporary step. Depending on how long this continues, we may move at least to small groups again. The assembly of the saints is a “necessary service”.
I’m curious to see what happens on the internet when thousands of churches try to go online Sunday morning. We shall see! But Lord willing they will at least have a sermon (my turn to preach) that they can watch or listen to sooner or later.
Hannah is facing the new reality, in her grade 12 year, of having a grad dress and no grad. Well, of course the students will graduate, but friends in the dorm are quickly saying goodbye and moving out, as the rest of their instruction continues online.
So earlier than normal, Hannah is thinking about a place to live in the months ahead, getting a job to pay for it, and all the things that we had put off dealing with in detail until graduation in June.
And Nathanael, the lucky home school student, is struggling to keep up with school while his parents are overly distracted with everything else that’s going on!
So we’re staying in touch with family and helping where we can, and also carrying on with ministry here in Mexico. The need is great here, and it’s likely to get greater in the weeks ahead. So we’re trying to figure out, day by day, how to best minister to our community in times of great uncertainty and change. We’re all fine, but everything that’s going on is a significant strain, so as usual we appreciate your prayers.
COVID-19: Here in Mexico
A little number-crunching may help everyone understand the current situation here in Mexico when it comes to COVID-19. Now, this is very current – as of today – likely to be quite different in a week or less (numbers based on WHO stats).
So here’s a little chart showing the officially reported COVID-19 cases per capita. First, if you look at all three North American countries, you can see that Mexico is a fraction of Canada and the USA – not anywhere near the number of confirmed cases. Compare it to an average of the 15 largest countries in the world (obviously skewed toward China), it’s got hardly any cases.
Among countries on its border – Mexico again is way lower. Finally, just look at the 5 largest countries in Latin America – not including Mexico this time – Mexico has about half of the average cases.
You can think about various reasons why this may be. But the fact of the matter is, in one sense, Mexico has not seen the same need for concern because it is only just starting its COVID-19 journey. We can pray, of course, that the country is not hit as hard as other countries. But unless God so chooses, it seems very likely that the cases in Mexico are about to rise drastically.
The government needs to move very carefully on this, as does every other government in the world. And no doubt you’ve heard some of the reasons why. COVID-19 is not the only enemy. How will a rise in cases affect the health system? Will people get “tired” of isolation too early if there are too many restrictions too soon?
But there are a lot of reasons why Mexico is unique. First, on a national level, we’re hearing that it’s one of two or three countries in Latin America that will be hit the hardest due to the worldwide situation. (1) Oil and gas are very important to the economy here, and prices have dropped (something that was happening anyway, virus or no virus, as I understand it). (2) Mexico is highly dependent on trade with countries that have been greatly effected – we’re talking about China and the USA.
Locally, our municipal government is already restricting public meetings. Schools are cancelling classes as of Friday, although in some places classes are already cancelled, or students simply aren’t attending.
We are low on antibacterial gel – but we have lots of toilet paper. However, with recent news that people from the USA are streaming into Mexico to buy it, that may not last long!
Now, let’s bring things to ground level. Many people in our area have multiple people in the family working, sometimes people work more than one job. People often commute from Ixtapaluca into the federal district, meaning that they leave before dawn and arrive home at 10 or 11 at night.
Many people are working so hard because they are living week to week, just trying to pay basic bills (and they may be behind on those!).
Now imagine that – unexpectedly – you have young kids who are going to be home for 4 or 5 weeks at least. Who will take care of them? And how will you pay for it? You weren’t paying for school, but now you may have to pay for child care.
And then, depending on the industry, there are lay-offs, or there are less hours.
For people struggling to pay this week’s bills, there are no savings. Prices are going up, the peso is going down (quite a bit since mid-February – but prices were already going up before then). And now you have all these unexpected expenses, and less work. Throw in some extra sickness, and you have a very serious situation.
This is not in any way to minimize the situation in Canada or the USA, where this is also wiping out savings, closing businesses, and causing emotional stress. And many of you have your stories to tell already.
But if you think of it, do pray for the situation here. The believers we know are certainly trusting in the Lord, and we want to find ways to help one another (some #caremongering, as they say in Canada!). We as a church need to take leadership in these times. But knowing how to support one another and our communities is not going to be so easy.
And other issues in Mexico continue to cause concern. Will there be people who are desperate enough to take desperate measures, raising the levels of kidnapping and violence?
Much has gone on as normal here, although that is really starting to change this week. We are trying to make decisions regarding our regular ministry, and they’re not easy decisions to make. And it’s important to think long term. This is not over, and when it is, it is probably coming again with another fancy name in years ahead. We should not be acting and planning as if this is a once a generation event. It may only be a dress rehearsal.
It has been wonderful already to see how God is working during these challenging times. Our prayer and testimony time this past Sunday might have shocked you with the severity of things that people are faced with – but also with the faith and growth that is in their lives. This is the contradiction – somehow, with the world in tumult, we see all the more that we are not people of this world.
So our eyes are open to see more of God’s immeasurable grace and kindness in the weeks to come.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:4-7
Navigating Traditions and Culture
When I mentioned earlier that we are trying to have all our get-togethers and meetings while we still can (referring to the current uncertainty due to COVID-19), I wasn’t thinking of this weekend. But it was a full one!
First, a man from our church passed away, and so our weekend began with a funeral on Friday. As far as we know, Roberto was a believer. We hadn’t seen him for a while (I think due to health issues), but he and his wife had been to our service the Sunday before he passed away. Roberto always had a smile for you.
On Saturday we joined a family from the church in Jesús MarÃa for their daughter’s 15th birthday party. A contrast indeed! It was an encouragement especially to hear the girl’s father speak and emphasize their family’s faith in the Lord.
On Sunday, we had our normal Sunday service, studying regeneration in Sunday school, and then Daniel 5 in the service – a message about “remembering” who God is and what He has done (something Belshazzar failed to do!).
Meanwhile, Mexico was making headlines with the women’s protests on Sunday, followed by the women’s strike on Monday. It has been very interesting to hear the news reports on the protests in particular.
The first news I read mentioned that many of the women were also marching for abortion rights, whereas other women were marching against the murder of girls in the womb. The next news I heard was that the pro-life women were actually a “counter-protest” – as if some were marching for women’s rights, but the pro-life group were against women’s rights! Funny how you can report the same thing different ways…
Of course most news outlets have simply stayed away from the abortion angle.
The weekend has reminded me that we need to continually pray for people as they navigate traditions. Funerals are full of traditions in any culture – but where do those traditions come from? Are they good, bad, or neutral? In many cases, funeral traditions are actually a denial of the gospel.
15th birthday parties are full of traditions – and here we have the same questions. In Mexico, this tradition does not originate from a Christian point of view, though it has been adopted by many Christians. So where do you keep traditions, where do you change them?
And of course on the weekend everyone was talking about rights, and protests, and vandalism, and abortion, and violence. So many things mixed together – so hard to navigate the course and seek God’s will and purpose when there’s money and politics and evil and good all mixed in together.
So keep praying! We keep going back to prayer and the promises and truths in God’s Word to be our anchor. Because, as we say in Mexico, all this is very complicado – a loaded word that means much more than complicated. It means difficult, confusing, challenging. People need the Lord!
As I mentioned to one of Roberto’s family members the other night, when Jesus enters a family, He can bring healing and unification. But He can also bring conflict (Matthew 10:35-36). Because the truth has a way of doing that – especially when it’s rejected.
For more details on some of the events of the weekend, check out Rod’s post here – A Funeral and a Party
Mexico Groans
Last night we went to a movie, and I was reminded once again how much the people of Mexico need the Lord – as we all do.
Of course, everyone is talking about COVID-19. When we purchased some water before the movie, the cashier pointed out that they had not one but two large bottles of anti-bacterial gel on the counter for our convenience.
We remember well the H1N1 pandemic back in 2009. For a while, meetings were greatly discouraged, and we started talking about the role of the church in times of crisis, and when and how that precious Sunday morning service should be cancelled. Of course, the bigger role that the church has played in times of major sickness in the past was to care for the sick, especially when the number of cases overwhelmed the current system.
Only a handful of cases have been confirmed in Mexico (not as many as in the rest of North America), but apparently face masks and hand sanitizer is already in short supply in our state!
Anyway, this isn’t a discussion of the virus (I bet you have opinions, right?), it’s just a discussion of the anxiety that people must have, people who have no hope in God.
Back to the movie theatre. Once the previews started – oh, I won’t get into those, but — no, I really won’t. But a special cartoon was played at one point, reminding kids that they have a superpower – they can say “NO!” to strangers.
Recently there was a high profile case of a seven year old girl who was kidnapped from her elementary school. She was apparently taken by someone she knew, and she was murdered. How many people are crying out to God? They certainly are angry at the school, and at the government. Once in a while there’s a shout at the murderer.
Another of the previews went through movie theatre security. I suppose if there’s an earthquake, a fire, a shooting – whatever there may be – we are to listen to those in charge and stay calm.
Three reminders in a few minutes (actually, more than three – but let’s keep this short!) that Mexico – is groaning.
In some ways, I don’t want to paint too bleak a picture. Most people here are carrying on with life as normal (though perhaps washing their hands a little more often!). But there must be a lot of anxiety and anger in those who have no hope of God’s justice, no hope of God’s care, no hope of God’s sovereignty.
So we provide hope, because God has given it to us to give away – the gospel.
Let’s just say we’re having meetings while we still can! Tonight we’re starting a new hermeneutics study (a study on how to read and understand Scripture). On Thursday we’re meeting with our team of missionaries. On Sunday we continue various studies, including our study of Daniel – which continues to speak to us of God’s sovereign control of our world.
And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
Daniel 7:27
Back from Colombia
As you probably know, Hannah got back from Colombia about 10 days ago. With delayed flights on the way back, everyone had a lot of sleep to catch up on – and they probably have a lot of school to catch up on too!
Anyway, Hannah told me to thank everyone who prayed for their prayers! She says specifically, “It was a great and edifying experience for the whole team. It was really cool to see God at work in the various ministries we visited and served at, and we learned a lot from them.”
I’m sharing a video from the team below, so you can see some of what they did for yourself! You can also see their blog posts here, including one that Hannah wrote.