Merry Christmas from Jesús María! (video)
Merry Christmas to you from the Path of Life Bible Church of Jesús María . . .
Video courtesy of Tina Barham and Rod Fry.
Iglesia Bíblica Sendero de Vida Jesús María
A Wedding, a Dinner, and a Study
A quick update about the last few days.
On Saturday we went to a wedding! There aren’t too many things better than weddings, especially if they’re Christian weddings. Love, the symbolism of Christ and His Church, family and friends together, faith, commitment – a great reason for a party!
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Anyway, this was the wedding of Isaac and Gabi, both from our church. Isaac often plays guitar (very well) in services. Gabi is one of Pastor Ismael’s daughters.
Hannah was asked to be a junior bridesmaid, so you’ll see lots of pictures of her and the wedding in our photo gallery.
In this case there were two weddings – sort of. A civil ceremony, and then the Christian ceremony. From before the wedding and into the reception the Lord was honoured – what a great thing to see!
On Sunday we had our service in the morning – a message from Genesis about Lot. We even snuck in a few Christmas carols.
On Sunday afternoon there was a special Christmas dinner for Christian leaders in the Mexico City area. This is an annual event, and this year it was hosted by the church in Santa Barbara, here in Ixtapaluca.
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They did a great job organizing the dinner, and even put on a mini-cantata with Christmas carols. (Excuse me for harping on Christmas carols, but they really aren’t a big thing here, so it’s a treat to hear them!)
Today I got to lead a Bible study – 7 Ways to look for Christ in the Old Testament. I enjoyed it – hopefully other people did too!
Now, on with the rest of the week. Another study is coming up tomorrow, and hopefully some more time with friends and family, as well as time to get everything done we need to so that we can get a break over Christmas.
Chatting after this evening’s study
A Witness in the Darkness
On Friday night we hit the streets of Jesús MarÃa – and you’ll never guess what we found there!
Ok, well, if you read my post on Hallowe’en In Mexico, you may at least have a clue.
The streets were packed – it was like a carnival. Families roamed with their kids – often all of them dressed up. Although people were mostly having fun, we could see the results of a generation brought up on horror movies. There weren’t a lot of super heroes or princesses – more witches and killers and skeletons.
This was the evening of the 1st of November, right in the middle of the Days of the Dead.
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Our friend Jos, accompanied by Tina and the youth of the church, led the kids from our congregation as they handed out flyers (written by our coworker Rod) explaining how Jesus has conquered death. They did a great job teaching the kids about the joys and challenges of sharing the Gospel.
We as adults also handed out tracts and spoke to people. Shari and I had a very interesting conversation with an older man who felt he was a very good person before God. Do pray that he will understand his need. On the bright side, he was aware of the classes we give at the community centre. It was good to hear that we do have a good testimony before many in the community.
Please pray as the believers here continue to share the Truth in their community.
Some of our group peaked inside one of the tents that was set up on the street. Inside were probably dozens of images of Saint Death – the “woman” skeleton dressed in white, representing death, that many here worship. Offerings, candles and orange marigolds (the flower featured in the Day of Dead celebrations) were everywhere. They were encouraged to return for prayers at 8pm. But we don’t pray to death – we spent time that evening praying to Someone else – the Life.
How difficult – and yet encouraging – to be a light in the darkness. We had fun, and made a few people smile, but we also encouraged people to think about what God really has to say about death and life.
Thanks for your prayers! God hears.
The Weekend Ahead: Evangelism, Planning, and Praising
It’s shaping up to be a pretty busy weekend – we would certainly appreciate your prayers!
This evening, people will be preparing for their next visit to the graveyard with the family, and they will be going to bow before shrines built to honour dead relatives. Many believe that children who have died will return tonight, and they want to help them on their journey. Adults are believed to return tomorrow night.
During the time of twilight we’re planning to be out with other believers, sharing the Gospel. Please do pray for us as we seek to show love and compassion to people who need to know of God’s salvation. Both children and adults from the church will be helping with this event.
Tomorrow I’ll be going to a meeting of Christian leaders from related churches in the area. We’ll be discussing how we can work together to strengthen the church and reach out in the year ahead.
We have a tradition that the first Sunday of the Month is a special service of celebration. I really hope I’ll be able to play keyboard on Sunday. 🙂 Because of other activities and studies, it hasn’t been a common thing this past year. But do pray that God would give us unity and love and we worship Him on Sunday.
Frankly, my health this past week has been pretty bad. I’m likely still recovering from our trip to the retreat we went to last week. So I am hoping for strength and energy to make it through all these events – and hopefully be used of God in some small way.
I need to go and continue preparing for tonight. Thanks for your prayers!
Is vast before our eyes;
We feel the heartbeat of its need
We hear its feeble cries:
Lord Jesus Christ, revive Your Church
In this, her crucial hour!
Lord Jesus Christ, awake Your Church
With Spirit-given power!
-A. Ortlund-
Leaving “The House of David”
The rented house – almost empty
Yesterday we climbed up and down the stairs of the rented house in Jesús MarÃa countless times. We moved a desk, an electric typewriter, books, crayons, song books, and old blankets as we prepared to move out.
 David and Rod prepare for the first service |
We started renting this house before the church in JM even started meeting. In March 2010, we met there for a Sunday service for the first time, packing it out. (Actually, I was sick that day, and missed the big event!)
It was a great location, right on the corner of two busy streets. But the owner never wanted to sell, so we kept renting.
In an effort to save money, and in hopes that we’ll soon have a new place to meet, the church leadership decided to stop renting the house this month. But – oh the memories!
- Of our friend David, who lived in the house and helped with the church plant until going to Uruguay as a missionary. (It’s still nostalgically called “The House of David”)
- A Good Friday service
- Of taking off the door (that you see in the picture above) so that the people who couldn’t fit inside could still hear (sort of) the service.
- Of packed-out studies, such as the Chronological Bible Study and Where did the Bible Come From?
- Of prayer meetings and answers to prayer
- Of Bible studies with the men of the church
- Hearing the testimonies of new believers
- Meals together with friends
- Of playing keyboard with the music team, packed in the tiny kitchen
- Of worship, prayer, tears, laughter, and God in it all!
A service in November 2010
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The house (the one with the dog in front). Click to zoom or see the surrounding area.
Two Answers to Prayer (or, what was in the shoebox) (podcast)
A new podcast about some answers to prayer this past Saturday.