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Navigating Traditions and Culture

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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!

Quinceañera Mariachi
A Mariachi Band serenades the 15th Birthday Girl

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 María 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

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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.

Hand sanitzer

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

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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.

A Few Things to Pray For…

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Hannah is already about 3/4 through her time in Colombia! Today, tomorrow and Monday – and then Monday night they leave for Canada. They’ll be home on Tuesday.

So keep praying for Hannah and the team – especially for energy for the last bit of their trip, and that the Holy Spirit would use them in the lives of those they meet!

This past week the women from the Las Palmas church hosted another women’s breakfast! About half of the women were first time guests to any of our church events, so brand new friends. About 30 women all together.

Women's breakfast - February 2020

So please pray for these women! They had a craft time, and our friend Viri gave a clear presentation of the gospel.

Valentine's Day craft!

Pray for our service this Sunday. We were unable to meet at our normal location again – they’re having a “Fiesta Expo”. I should have told them that the biggest fiesta of all is the Church on a Sunday morning, celebrating the Resurrected Lord! 😀

But anyway, we’re continuing our marvellous series called “Words” in which we’re studying words related to salvation. There’s so much to learn about salvation! And I’ll be preaching as we continue our odyssey through the book of Daniel. Please pray that God will work in people’s hearts.

Pray also for our children’s Sunday school. They’ve been talking about the Law of Moses and the Ten Commandments, as you can see here:

Ten Commandments craft

This Sunday our friend Sandra will be teaching them about the Tabernacle.

Actually, some intense topics this weekend! As usual, we really need the Spirit to work through us (and often in spite of us!).

Tonight (working backwards here) we continue our Discovering Life (Descubriendo la Vida) study (we’ve been learning about the attributes of God). And next Saturday we start our next institute course – a 60 hour Old Testament Survey, which will be going every two or three weeks or so until the end of June.

So — just a few little notes about what’s been happening here! Thanks for your prayers!

The Colombia Team Lands (and how to find them online)

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Well, if they’re on schedule, the Prairie Christian Academy team has just landed in Bogotá, Colombia!

If you received our recent newsletter (and if you haven’t, you should soon, if you’re on our Support Team), you know that Hannah is part of a team of women who are on a missions trip to Colombia. They will be involved mostly in children’s ministry, especially in poorer areas.

We would appreciate your prayers for Hannah and her team mates! They’ve had a long trip, and after a rest tonight they’ll hit the ground running tomorrow (Saturday). They leave Colombia on the 17th, arriving back home on the 18th.

Interestingly enough, Bogotá is almost 400 metres higher than Ixtapaluca, at 2640! So even though it’s further south than we are, it’s actually slightly cooler at this time of year (down to 6℃ / 43℉ tonight). But that’s better than Three Hills at -9℃! So I’m sure they’ll be enjoying the climate change.

If you’d like to follow the adventures of the team, check out:

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