As usual, there has been a lot going on over the last little while! One thing that’s been fun – well, more than one thing – have been related to music.
The piano/keyboard class has (finally) started up again, with at least six students. Most of them are already involved in the worship music ministry at the church.
I’ve had to refresh my own memory as I go – it’s been a while since I’ve taught the course! But the students have survived two classes so far, with seven to go. We’re having a class every couple of weeks or so, so it will take a while to finish. But I’ve got them memorizing their seven notes now. 🙂
I’ve also been enjoying leading the worship music Bible study again. Actually, it’s one of two that I’ve done before – the more general one. (The other one was specifically for keyboardists.) There’s always something new to learn as we go deeper into the Word of God to see how we can better lead people to worship through music.
And then, of course, are the regular music practices that we have, which are also fun. It’s been a bit of a challenge having less time to practice before the service, because we only rent the hall for a certain amount of time. But we usually practise during the week as well.
It’s amazing to see how this group has grown over the past few years, and it’s been great to spend a little more time with them over the past little while!
We’ve been learning a lot, as a church, about what a church actually is. And it’s a big topic! But one thing we know is – it’s important to meet together.
All bundled up to lead the music!
After our service yesterday, Ezequiel and Oscar and I went to check out a nearby hall that we might be able to use, temporarily, to meet. After some cold Sundays, meeting inside is attractive! Of course, cold season will be over soon, but then comes rainy season with its own problems.
This place has its pros and cons. One issue is that there are no doors on the bathrooms – hopefully something than can be fixed!
There is a good amount of space for the main service. There is a small little room that might work for the children’s Sunday school – certainly not ideal, it’s like meeting in a storage closet (and no door there either!).
But – hopefully it will be temporary!
For the last two Sundays we’ve been giving people opportunities to be more involved. Partly in the Sunday service and all that entails. But a big job will be raising funds for a permanent place for the church to meet. We’ve met in three main places so far, and we’d like to be a little less nomadic!
So the congregation is coming up with ideas to raise funds. The church has already saved up quite a bit. And you can be involved too – just go here, click on the country you would donate through, and scroll down to the bottom of the page to read about the Path of Life Project.
We also talked about prayer on Sunday – another important responsibility that we have as believers!
Here’s one part of the study – what we learned about our strategic position in personal prayer. Pray with us for this special need of a place to meet!
We pray…
with confidence, because Christ has saved us. (Heb 4:14-16)
with humility, because we are in need. (Psa 10:17; Jam 4:6)
with repentance, because God is merciful to forgive. (Psa 32:5; 1Jo 1:9)
with joy, because God is a good and loving Father. (Mat 7:7-11; Joh 16:24-27)
with hope, because the Spirit helps us in our weakness. (Rom 8:25-27)
without ceasing, because God is always with us. (Mat 28:18-20; 1Th 5:16-18; Heb 13:5-6)
in secret, because we look for God’s approval, not people’s approval. (Mat 6:5-6)
with expectation, because we pray according to His will. (Joh 14:13-14; Rom 8:25-27; 1Jo 5:14-15)
with patience, because we are God’s chosen people, and God will fulfill His purpose. (Luk 18:1-8)
with thanksgiving, because God has always been faithful. (Psa 100:4-5; Phil 4:6-7)
Moving is always an adventure, and this move has been no exception! As is often the case, there has been so much going on, and I have so much to talk about, that I have no time to do it!
Moving in Mexico has some added challenges that you may or may not experience in the country where you live. When you move into a house, it may be pretty stripped down (the owners of the previous house were very thankful that we had left a few lightbulbs!), and not always exactly ready to live in.
I’ve explained to some people that the previous house would have cost us a lot more in the long run, but this one is costing more in the short term. So we’ve been working on things like:
Installing one of the main downstairs windows
Repairing/replacing locks
Purchasing and putting in bathroom mirrors (still working on that one!)
Electrical/gas lines for the washer/dryer
Repair/replacement of the kitchen tap/drain
Installing lights where needed
Needed changes in paperwork
… and that’s just a start. But we’re making progress! And the house itself is in much better condition than the one we left.
Thank you so much to those who helped with the cost of some of these things through your special gifts for our move.
We were so thankful to have the generous help from friends in our church with cleaning and moving. We got the majority of the furniture and appliances moved in one day at the end of November, and then spent a good part of December moving the rest and cleaning the old house.
But on top of all the moving challenges, we had other adventures. For example,
A punctured tire while we were moving things from one house to the other
A car battery reached the end of its life as we were handing the keys of the old house to the owners
The same day, our internet stopped working
Power outages
Water pressure problems
But amid all these things, we have been able to reflect on God’s provision, the kindness of friends, and, in this season, the joy of the coming of the Messiah!
Outside of our dining room window is a tree that hummingbirds and sparrows just love. They are a constant reminder to us of Jesus’ words:
Are not five sparrows sold for two assaria? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
Luke 12:6-7
There’s still a lot to do as we unpack and continue to install what needs to be installed or repaired. But we’re so thankful for how God has provided over the past few weeks!
Check it out! On Sunday we celebrated the 8th anniversary of the Path of Life Bible Church Las Palmas. And – two people were baptized! So, as is the tradition around here, I’m sharing a video of the baptisms…
It has been a particularly busy teaching time lately, for a couple of reasons.
First, our preachers have been taking turns helping out with the preaching at the church in Jesús María.
A plant growing where our church currently meets. Ain’t it cute?
But second, since we finished our church doctrine series in Sunday school, we’ve been picking our own themes, at least until the end of the year. Plus we’ve gone back to doing special themes on the first Sunday of the month.
Having a “blank canvas” when it comes to preaching is a huge amount of work! Sometimes you can pull up something you’ve done before, but I don’t actually have a huge number of one-off lessons to teach.
I did pull out one lesson that actually was the first lesson I ever taught in front of a church – that would be at Grace Church in Newmarket – “Principles of the Changed Life”.
This past Sunday the sermon was “Christmas Traditions in the Light of the Bible”. I asked people what Christmas traditions they wanted to talk about, and away we went! Not an easy topic, for sure. But not a dull study. At least, for me!
But that’s not the only blank canvas we have right now. We’re still looking for a house to rent, but also we’re looking for a temporary/permanent place for the church to meet. The place we’re at is increasingly unsuitable and we need to find a place. So I was out taking pictures of a possible place today, and we visited another place last week.
A blank canvas can be exciting, and a whole lot of work! But we’re also getting ready to celebrate our 8th anniversary as a church. And that’s a reminder – that what started as a blank slate can end up as an amazing work of a faithful God! So we’re thankful that we need a place to meet – and a big one at that!
We returned from a quick trip to Canada four weeks ago, and we hit the ground running. The first day back in town we were already off to view a possible house to rent. And … spoiler … no news on that yet. We were scheduled to view a house yesterday, and had planned to go early to be the first ones there – but even that was not in time. It was rented before we left to see it. So – we stayed home and I packed another box of stuff. 🙂
But enough about all that! Life goes on with all the regular and irregular activities. We’re getting ready for the church’s 8th anniversary service, if you can believe that. That special event will be coming up in November. And in the meantime, we’re looking for another place to meet for the church – both temporary and permanent. As you might guess, so far availability of places seems to be low, and prices high. But hopefully we will at least find a temporary place to meet, while we look for / make a decision on a more permanent place to renovate / build.
There are lots of other things going on. After finishing up our series on the doctrine/values of the church, we’re doing some special themes in Sunday school, which has been interesting. I’ve done a couple so far, and I’m planning for another one or two. We’re also doing some special themes on the first Sunday of each month, so I’m preparing to share on the traditions of Christmas in the light of Scripture. As you might guess, it’s a whole different world here in Mexico – at least, in some ways. I’ve asked people at the church to give me some ideas of what topics they would like covered, so that should be interesting!
We recently finished preaching through the book of Zechariah, and we’re moving through 1 Corinthians now. Both challenging books, for sure! But the powerful Word of God is working!
We enjoyed a visit from Tim and Brianna last week, a couple from the USA who are planning to come and serve the Lord here in Mexico. It was great to hear their perspective and also to get together with some of our Mexican friends here to hear their perspective on ministry in Mexico. There’s a lot of work to do here! But praise the Lord that He is raising up workers.
We also had a chance to see another couple from our mission, Roger and Judy, who were down for a visit.
The institute classes are continuing, and I’m looking forward to teaching one of those. And we continue to have opportunities as a church to share the gospel at a local hospital, along with hot coffee and sandwiches. 🙂
There’s a quick update on some of the things that have been going on! I will try to communicate again soon. Since I’ve been so lazy in taking pictures and video, I will at least share this picture of Tajín ice creams. You might be able to buy Tajín where you live – it’s a salty spicy Mexican seasoning. Which, apparently, also comes in ice cream.
