Fear God, and give glory to Him

Dear friends,
It’s been over a month since I’ve had the chance to write, and a lot has happened since then. So now I want to update you a bit…

The last I wrote, we were planning to leave for Mexico within a week. That was the beginning of December. Well, our plans suddenly changed when the brethren encouraged us to just stay up a bit longer, and find a house to move into before our visit to Mexico.

The Lord was very good in providing us a house – just what we were wishing for – an old farmhouse that we can live in rent-free, if we do the 15 minute calf chores there. Another bonus is that it’s just across the road from Bro. Kevn's place! We found out about this house on a Sunday, and by the end of the week we were getting settled in there. The brethren from church were so helpful and spent a number of days doing repairs around the house, cutting firewood, etc.

So we had about two weeks to get more-or-less settled in, and then we packed up for our trip south. We left this past Friday afternoon (the 9th), and spent Saturday afternoon and Sunday with Tim Sensenigs and Daniel Hubers in Texas. Yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) we got to Reynosa, and after a number of hours of border troubles we were free to go to the García family, on the south side of the city.

We’re staying with our young brother, Eloy, and his parents for a couple days, here in Reynosa. It’s a blessing to visit with them and get rested up a bit before we go the last 14 hours or so to be with the families in Tlaxcala.
Shortly before we left for Mexico, we realized that Randall (5) and Roger (3) have basically forgotten Spanish in the past 6 months that we’ve been away from it. It’s amazing how quickly a small child adapts to his surroundings. When we first arrived in the States, they only wanted to talk Spanish, and now they can’t speak it when they try to! Randall comes to me and asks me how to say this or that, and Roger copies words when we tell him what to say. And they understand a fair amount of what is said to them in Spanish, but not all of it, like they would have before. So I guess it’ll take a little time for it to all come back for them.

We aren’t sure yet exactly how long we’ll be here in Mexico. It’ll probably be at least a month, depending on what all we need to do. Meanwhile we want to make good use of our time with the brethren here, encouraging each other on in the Way.

God bless you!

--Monica

Loving greetings!

     We’re having a quiet Sunday afternoon here in Monett. Marcus went with 3 other brethren to Branson, several hours away, to preach at a big Christmas parade. So it’ll probably be evening before he gets back.
     This morning Bro. David preached about the Good News. Jesus came to bring deliverance to the captives, sight to the blind… And there in Luke 4, after 3 minutes of preaching the Gospel, people were so filled with rage they wanted to kill Him. People don’t realize that they’re captives to sin. And they don’t want the Lord to free them from sin, and take away their fun times, or their lust and envy and hatred. So even though we are telling others about the Good News, and calling men to repentance, for a lot of them it seems to be bad news, since they don’t want to give up their own way. Recently a man wanted to argue with David as he was reproving sin with his signboard on the street, saying, “Your message doesn’t look like love. The Bible says, ‘For God so loved the world…’” Bro. David responded, “God’s love is not what’s on trial here. It’s yours.” The brethren are going to make a new signboard – “Jesus came to destroy your sinful pleasures.”
     The little boys were all downstairs playing with the farm set happily, but suddenly there was a cry of alarm. “Clayton put his shoe in the potty!” So away I ran to wash and dry my little boy, and now he’s about to go to sleep in my arms, I believe.
     Some highlights for us this month were the visit from my parents 2 weeks ago, and then the visit at La Monte, with Grandpas, Uncle Nevins, and the cousins after Thanksgiving. We also really enjoyed our visit with new friends, David and Tammy, where we stayed overnight.
     From La Monte we went to Versailles, where we visited with a number of old friends, and picked up our old black minivan. Marcus wants to take the engine and transmission out of it, for Bro. Daniel’s minivan in Mexico.
We are planning to leave for Mexico a week from tomorrow, Lord willing. We want to go by Tim and Jenelle’s place on the way south (she's my cousin, and they live in Texas) – are looking forward to that! Then I believe we will stop in Reynosa to visit Bro. Eloy and his mother Guille, maybe stop in Mexico city to visit the brethren there, then on to Tlaxcala for a little while.
     Our plans are to be in Mexico for a short time – two or three months – to finish things up there a bit, so we can return to the States and spend more time with the brethren here. We’re glad to hear that our Mexican brethren are doing well, and carrying on the work of visiting contacts, etc. So we want to be willing to step out for a time, and and to learn with the brethren here at Monett some more.
     God bless you!
                          Love and prayers, Monica

Trials - Blessings in Disguise!

Well, here I am in the early morning quiet, and my thoughts are busy… so I’m going to just jot some down to share with you.

I’ve been thinking about trials – how they really are not fun, or easy, but they are blessings from our loving Father. He gives us hard situations to mold us more into His image – to refine our character and make us pure, fit for Him to use. “But he knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” (Job23:10) It’s His way of perfecting us – “Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly… Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me... The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: forsake not the works of thine own hands.” (Psa.138:6-9)

When the Lord allows a perplexing or challenging situation, let’s rejoice – He has not given up on us! He is showing His love – “For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth…” (Heb. 12:6) And He will not forsake the works of His hands, as long as we are faithful and submissive to Him. It’s another “thing” that is for our good. (Rom. 8:28)

Even the Lord Jesus Christ had to pass through fiery trials, and He “learned obedience by the things which he suffered.” (Heb. 5:8) If our divine Lord needed to learn by suffering, how much more necessary it must be for us!

So, dear friends and sisters, let’s rejoice when we are faced with yet another test – it’s another opportunity to learn and grow, and God’s love and faithfulness is shining right through it!

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psa. 139: 23, 24)

Later – I wrote this early yesterday morning, and already in the evening needed to put it to practice again – this rejoicing and thanking the Lord for tests and trials. :) Well, it’s hard, but I know it’s true, and what I need to do, so I’m gonna keep on trying!

God bless you!

Greetings!

Greetings from chilly southern Missouri! We’re taking a little recess right now, and the children are out getting some fresh air and exercise. Marcus is out in the cold fixing some vehicles at Bro. Chris’ place, in spite of the sore throat and cold that he has.

Yesterday Marcus went with two other brothers to preach at the University of Arkansas. They went the last two weeks also. There are quite a few students who stop with questions, seeming to really want to know. They go in the morning and spend all day there. Yesterday a young Muslim woman wondered about the headcovering (one of the signs they said “Christian women cover their heads). She covers her head because the Koran says to do so, and she had no idea that it’s a Christian teaching.

Last evening we were at Chris Hammens for supper, along with a number of other church families. They served us venison steaks from the deer two of their boys (11 and 12 yrs. old) shot last weekend. Brian Minter and Marcus had butchered the deer for them, so we got the heart, liver, and ribs. :)

By the way, we’ve moved back to the meetinghouse now. Wednesday night was rather eventful here. Sirens woke some of us up around midnight – a tornado had been sighted and was moving toward Monett. Since we’re right in town, the sirens at two schools nearby were very loud, but the children didn’t wake up at all. Several neighbors joined us in the basement, with their dog, and the storm raged outside (hail, pouring rain, and strong winds). But it didn’t last long, and soon after 1:00 the sirens stopped and everyone went back to bed.

(Sunday) High time to get this finished now… Bro. David preached this morning about Redemption – Ransomed from Whom? Satan has men bound in sin – servants to sin, but Jesus has paid the ransom and unlocked the prison doors for us all to get up and follow Him. We were taken captives by Satan at his will. We didn’t realize we would become his slaves when we chose our own way over God’s way. Jesus didn’t owe anything to the devil, but we did, and we were needing ransoming from our kidnapper. He says, “If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed. And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”

One of the main tenets of the modern gospel, that many of us have been taught, says something like this: Our sin has offended an almighty God, and He must punish this sin. And He can’t even forgive unless someone steps in and takes the punishment. And so Jesus died, shedding His blood, and as God saw His dreadful suffering and sacrifice, His wrath was appeased or “satisfied”. This in some way changed His mind about our sin, and He can forgive it, if we just “accept” Jesus’ sacrifice personally, by a “conversion experience”. In other words, we can get forgiven without ever even changing our lives, without ever making Him our Lord. “I’m under the blood. When God sees me, He doesn’t see my sin anymore, He sees the blood.” This doctrine removes personal responsibility to conform our lives to Jesus’ teachings. The early Christians never believed anything like this. This doctrine only came to be widely believed about 900 years ago. The Reformers embraced it. Look at the results today!

Wilbur and Joanna were here for lunch with us. The Guatemalan family who had planned to come to the service with them didn’t, since their daughter had a cough. They said they want to come Wednesday.

God bless you!

Thanking the Lord for a safe trip

Hello, everyone!

Greetings from cool and rainy Missouri! This morning we (Marcus' cousin Wilbur's family and ours)quickly worked together before breakfast to get the firewood off the trailer and stacked in the little woodshed here at Wilbur’s place. We had worked hard Saturday afternoon cutting and loading the wood, and were glad to get it all in before the rain came.

After breakfast Joanna and I piled our 10 children in their big van and went up the road to gather apples at the neighbors. The older children climbed up in the tree and shook the branches and picked some apples from the ladder, and the rest of us picked up the good ones from the ground. What a blessing to have plenty of apples for fresh eating, and to make into applesauce! We had gotten a load last week also – the neighbors are just glad if someone can use them, since they have 4 trees, and didn’t want these.

Last evening (Sun.) all the families from church were invited to Kevn Stewarts’ place, for a hot dog and marshmallow roast. Brian Gray is up from Peru now, probably for a few months. His brother Thomas plans to return to Ohio for a while, and Bro. David is to fly to the Philippines on Wednesday. Then soon it will be time for us to head back to México, so it was special to all be together yet.

Dale and Cindy Lucien were with us yesterday also. They’ve been attending pretty regularly for a number of months. They’re good friends of Chris and Kim (David’s sister). And yesterday Cindy wore a headcovering for the first time – what a blessing to see her take that hard step in obedience! Their 8-yr.-old daughter Katie also had her head covered in the evening.

Bro. Johnathan Hopper’s mother also began covering her head lately, and dressing modestly. Now John and Becky are in the Philippines, so we want to do what we can to be family for her. She has an hour to drive, and doesn’t make it for every service.

Marcus has been going to preach with Wilbur and Chris Friday evenings, where they usually go, in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Two weeks ago there was a big motorcycle rally.

Marcus is busy working for Bro. Chris, who lives just across the field from Wilburs. He helped Wilbur with his electrical work one day too. We’ll probably be here with Wilburs another week or so, and then spend some time at the church yet, so Marcus and Brian Gray can work and talk together.

It’s really been a blessing spending time together with the brethren and sisters. Living together we just get to know each other so much better, and can encourage each other on. It’s a good way to “exhort one another daily, and so much the more as [we] see THE DAY approaching.” We’re getting anxious to get back to our brethren in México too. Telephones and e-mail help us keep in touch while we are apart. Lord willing we will be back with them in a couple weeks.

Feeling inadequate?

Christian, Seek Not Yet Repose

Christian! seek not yet repose,
Cast thy dreams of ease away;
Thou art in the midst of foes;
“Watch and pray.”

Principalities and powers,
Mustering their unseen array,
Wait for thy unguarded hours;
“Watch and pray.”

Gird thy heavenly armor on,
Wear it ever night and day;
Ambushed lies the evil one;
“Watch and pray.”

Hear the victors who o’ercame;
Still they mark each warrior’s way;
All with one clear voice exclaim,
“Watch and pray.”

Hear, above all, hear thy Lord,
Him thou lovest to obey;
Hide within thy heart His Word,
“Watch and pray.”

Watch, as if on that alone
Hung the issue of the day;
Pray that help may be sent down;
“Watch and pray.”

This hymn has been a blessing and a challenge to us - just lately we sung it together with the brethren.

September news

   Hello, everyone! It's a little past 11:00 PM. Roger and I just enjoyed ice pops together - he had a late nap, and isn't sleepy yet. Marcus went preaching this evening with his cousin Wilbur Graybill, and several other brethren.
   We've been staying at Bro. Joe Yoder's place for almost 3 weeks now. He and his wife Fannie's children are all married, and they have a big house, with two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs for us. Marcus is busy working on Bro. Joe's vehicles. He finished a car and pickup, and is in the midst of work on a small tractor, I believe. Several weeks ago Marcus Brubaker, from Versailles, gave my Marcus a motorcycle, to take to Mexico. So he's working on that some, too. It sure is nice to have a good shop for him to work in, when it's rainy like it's been the last few days.
   Megan, Maury, and Randall study most days. Roger walks around talking to and distracting them. :| Just lately I printed out some new charts for them - that gives more incentive to do flashcards.  Clayton is 10 months old today. Just yesterday he started clapping his hands. We also discovered that he really likes the song "Only a boy named David" (especially in Spanish). He gets all excited and makes his hands go "around and around" too. :)
   I try to help Fannie with whatever I can. Today I got mowing done, and made a Mexican supper. Last week I sewed together a bunch of patches for a crib quilt. I've also been experimenting with her new embroidery machine. She wants to use it to embroider verses on the quilts she makes for her grandchildren. Oh, and another project for this week was to help Sis. Becky Hopper sew some jumpers. She and her husband Johnathan and two little boys are to fly back to the Philippines next Wednesday.
   Today the neighbor children brought their little pony over for our children to ride. They sure enjoyed that! Even Clayton had a little ride with Megan.
   (Tuesday) Sisters Liz, Joanna, and I helped Becky do some packing this morning. They are to fly across the sea tomorrow afternoon, Lord willing. We will surely miss them here, but we know that the brethren over there will be so glad to have them back. And what a blessing the communication that we can have nowadays is, through e-mails and telephone, etc.

We plan to be with Joe's for a couple more days yet, and then come stay at the church house for a little while. We also hope to spend a week or so with Wilbur and Joanna before we leave for our home in Mexico again.

Isaiah 66

Hello! It's been a day full of blessings and fellowship for us - eating dinner and supper with dear brothers and sisters in the Lord. Now it's time to crawl into bed soon, but I wanted to share a bit of inspiration and challenge that I've discovered in the Word lately.

Isaiah 66 (NIV)

1 This is what the LORD says:
       "Heaven is my throne,
       and the earth is my footstool.
       Where is the house you will build for me?
       Where will my resting place be?

2 Has not my hand made all these things,
       and so they came into being?"
       declares the LORD.
       "This is the one I esteem:
       he who is humble and contrite in spirit,
       and trembles at my word.

3 But whoever sacrifices a bull
       is like one who kills a man,
       and whoever offers a lamb,
       like one who breaks a dog's neck;
       whoever makes a grain offering
       is like one who presents pig's blood,
       and whoever burns memorial incense,
       like one who worships an idol.
       They have chosen their own ways,
       and their souls delight in their abominations;

(When we choose our own way, even in only one thing, instead of surrendering completely to the Lord, even the good things we do are an abomination to Him. He requires total obedience - giving up our own will, and accepting His, in everything.)

4 so I also will choose harsh treatment for them
       and will bring upon them what they dread.
       For when I called, no one answered,
       when I spoke, no one listened.
       They did evil in my sight
       and chose what displeases me."

5 Hear the word of the LORD,
       you who tremble at his word:
       "Your brothers who hate you,
       and exclude you because of my name, have said,
       'Let the LORD be glorified,
       that we may see your joy!'
       Yet they will be put to shame.

6 Hear that uproar from the city,
       hear that noise from the temple!
       It is the sound of the LORD
       repaying his enemies all they deserve.

7 "Before she goes into labor,
       she gives birth;
       before the pains come upon her,
       she delivers a son.

8 Who has ever heard of such a thing?
       Who has ever seen such things?
       Can a country be born in a day
       or a nation be brought forth in a moment?
       Yet no sooner is Zion in labor
       than she gives birth to her children.

9 Do I bring to the moment of birth
       and not give delivery?" says the LORD.
       "Do I close up the womb
       when I bring to delivery?" says your God.

(I don't pretend to understand all of this, but I love the picture these next verses give, of the comfort the Lord promises to give to His children, those who obey Him in everything now. As a mother, these verses especially stood out to me, because I know how much my little baby is comforted in my arms.)

10 "Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her,
       all you who love her;
       rejoice greatly with her,
       all you who mourn over her.

11 For you will nurse and be satisfied
       at her comforting breasts;
       you will drink deeply
       and delight in her overflowing abundance."

12 For this is what the LORD says:
       "I will extend peace to her like a river,
       and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream;
       you will nurse and be carried on her arm
       and dandled on her knees.

13 As a mother comforts her child,
so will I comfort you;
and you will be comforted over Jerusalem."

14 When you see this, your heart will rejoice
       and you will flourish like grass;
       the hand of the LORD will be made known to his servants,
       but his fury will be shown to his foes.

15 See, the LORD is coming with fire,
       and his chariots are like a whirlwind;
       he will bring down his anger with fury,
       and his rebuke with flames of fire.

16 For with fire and with his sword
the LORD will execute judgment upon all men,
and many will be those slain by the LORD.

17 "Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following the one in the midst of those who eat the flesh of pigs and rats and other abominable things—they will meet their end together," declares the LORD.

18 "And I, because of their actions and their imaginations, am about to come and gather all nations and tongues, and they will come and see my glory.

19 "I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations—to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians (famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations. 20 And they will bring all your brothers, from all the nations, to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the LORD -on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels," says the LORD. "They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the LORD in ceremonially clean vessels. 21 And I will select some of them also to be priests and Levites," says the LORD.

22 "As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me," declares the LORD, "so will your name and descendants endure. 23 From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me," says the LORD. 24 "And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind."

Which side will you and I be on? There are only two sides. Those who rebel against Him, and follow their own way, will reap the awful wrath of the Lord, and feel the unquenchable fire for all eternity. But those who tremble at His Word, who prove that they love Him by their obedience in everything, will receive His comfort in the New Jerusalem, and can spend eternity proclaiming His glory.

Decide now! Tomorrow He may quit bothering you, and leave you alone.

Sacrifices

Hello, friends! I've been wanting to share a little inspiration from the Word, but haven't had time. Now my daughter Megan is being my babysitter, so maybe I can write a bit...

Hebrews 13:14-16 "For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. By him (Jesus) therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased."

15Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.

16Do not forget or neglect to do kindness and good, to be generous and distribute and contribute to the needy [of the church as embodiment and proof of fellowship], for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

I was impressed with the thought of these sacrifices that please God - the sacrifice of praise, which we should be offering continually to our heavenly Father, and the sacrifices of good works and hospitality.

We all know that we should be doing these things, but it takes effort to do them. And our Father knows that it won't always be easy - that's why He calls them sacrifices. It takes dying on our part, to just give thanks "constantly and at all times", and to cheerfully be kind and good, and to "communicate", or share our things or time with others.

Let's look for the opportunities each day to do these things, knowing that "with such sacrifices God is well pleased." And in this way we will be seeking the city that is to come, whose builder and maker is God.

We arrived!

Praise the Lord! We made it here safe and sound, last evening a little before 10:00. The Lord blessed us with a good trip, and today we had a blessed time meeting and fellowshipping with our dear brothers and sisters here.

We're getting settled into the basement of our meetinghouse, where we've stayed other times, so it's almost like coming home to our own house.

We don't have a lot planned for the next several months, just whatever the Lord has for us. Most important is to be with the brethren here, and encourage each other in the Way.

Reynosa!

Well, we made it to Reynosa the beginning of the week - Marcus' immigration document came the end of last week. Praise the Lord! After the worship service with the brethren in Tlaxcala Sunday morning, we headed north, with Tony Barajas and Josuè Moreno.

We arrived at the home of our brother Eloy Garcìa, and his mother Guillermina, in Reynosa, Monday evening. Right away it was a blessing to see that Guille had begun to cover her head, a big step of obedience to the Lord!

The last number of days we've had opportunity to visit in a number of homes, of their friends and relatives, and encourage them to take up the cross and follow. Last evening we had a Bible study here in their own home, and one of Eloy's cousins came.

Another cousin of his, Areli, and her 3-year-old son, have been living here with the family for almost a year. She and I are about the same age, and we've had some good talks (along with Sis. Guille) about submission to our husbands, etc. One afternoon Eloy's sister Edith came by just as we were about to read 1 Peter 3, so she got to hear and join the conversation, too. She said Eloy is always telling her that, and agreed that it's true - just hard.

Yesterday afternoon Areli and I adjusted a pattern and cut out a dress for Sis. Guille. Areli took a sewing class years ago, so I believe she'll make out fine with the sewing.

We want to leave in a couple hours, for the last long stretch - 18 more hours from Reynosa to Monett, MO. (We made it here in 15 hours, and were glad for Tony's help driving. Now he and Josuè plan to bus back to Mexico City today. Wish they could go along with us, but we've never been able to meet the visa requirements.)

News from the month of June, by Marcus

The Beginning of Wisdom (continued)

The Beginning of Wisdom

Our Journey to the Sierra Negra

On Saturday, May 24, we left for the Sierra Negra (Black Mountain Range), our family of seven, Marcus’ helper Tony Barajas, and Samuel and Alejandra and their two little girls. Alejandra is from a village far up in the mountains of the Sierra Negra, and she had invited us to go and visit her family. She had not been back to visit for three years, so she was anxious to see her family again, and we were looking forward to the opportunity of sharing about following the Lord with the people there.

We traveled three hours on the highway south into Oaxaca, to the town of Cuicatlàn. Since night had fallen, we found a “Casa de los Huèspedes” (House of Wayfarers) to spend the night. The next morning, Sunday, we continued on our way, three hours more on a dirt road winding up, down, and around, through the mountains. Finally we arrived at Zautla, where Alejandra’s parents and two brothers were waiting for us.

After eating there, her father Demetrio borrowed a few more horses. It took a couple hours to get all seven horses saddled, our luggage and three crates of mangos, etc. tied on the horses’ backs, as well as our children, two to a horse. Then we began the climb up into the mountains to La Soledad. Those of us who are not accustomed to such rigorous mountain climbing got to ride a horse or mule part of the way. I was glad for my sling to carry little Clayton securely along on the mule. And yes, riding was much easier than walking up over the rocks, even if we got saddle-sore after a while. (I had always loved riding horse, but had never ridden a horse up, up into the mountains – you have to hang on good and tight, I discovered. And never before had I ridden for a number of hours!) Alejandra’s mother Leticia walked the whole way, carrying her two-year-old granddaughter on her back a good part of the way. Marcus thought he was doing pretty good, being able to huff one of the steepest parts of the mountain without having to ride, until he noticed her! Up and up we climbed, following a narrow horse path, through pastures where cattle grazed, through patches of forest where branches and thorns sometimes reached out to grab us, through a cold mountain stream where we all enjoyed a refreshing drink... Once we were interrupted in our climb when a horse that was loaded with luggage fell and refused to get up. So the men unloaded it, mended the strap that had broken, tied everything on securely again, and we were on our way. The horse had a small cut from the rocks on which it had fallen, and would need to be doctored with “agua ardiente” (burning water – cane liquor). We waved to a family working in their field, planting between the stumps that remained after they cut down the trees and burned off the brush. Finally just before sunset we plodded into the village of “Loneliness” – five hours after we had started out. We passed a couple houses scattered here and there, and then climbed up into Demetrio and Leticia’s yard.

We met their other children – one more boy and 5 girls. Their youngest (3) had a fever, and we were glad to give some children’s ibuprofen, so she could feel better. (A number of years ago they lost a little 2-year-old boy, when he had a fever for a number of days that just wouldn’t come down. Leticia had gone the whole way down the mountain with him, and got on the bus to get to a doctor, but on the way she realized that he wasn’t breathing anymore. So she just turned around and brought him back home to bury him. Their next-to-youngest girl was born on a strenuous trip down the mountain. They had only half an hour to go yet when the baby suddenly came, even though it was two months early. So they had to get help to transport mother and child to a clinic, on a stretcher of some kind.)

Leticia served us a delicious meal of black beans (which they raised) and tortillas in their kitchen with board walls, dirt floor and tin roof. Since there are lots of trees all around, all their food is prepared over a fire. They say, “It’s so much better to live out here in the mountains than in the city, because when you run out of money here, all you need to do is walk out and find many different herbs to make a good meal with tortillas, or shoot a wild animal, and then you have meat.”

A little later Marcus brought out our Bible story books with lots of pictures, and translated the story of Noah for the children (and adults). And then they showed us the room they had for us, partitioned off from the main section of their sleeping quarters with a curtain. We were all very tired and ready for sleep, but when we settled down on the boards covered with a woven mat and blanket, using our folded jackets for pillows, we realized how spoiled we are! No problem for our children – they can sleep anywhere. J Demetrio kindly brought us a little softer mat the equivalent of a folded blanket, “for the baby”. But Marcus and I were the ones who claimed it. As we went to sleep, we remembered the Anabaptists, sleeping in a damp prison cell, or hiding out in the woods, and we were thankful.

Marcus was awakened in the middle of the night by Alejandra`s brother urgently calling, “Shut the door! Quick! Samuel, shut the door! Shut that door!” Someone did shut the door and then it sounded to Marcus like he was digging bullets out. Outside he heard noises on several sides of the house, and imagined a few drunks coming around, trying to get in... He didn’t quite feel like getting shot, but he knew he would honor the Lord either way. Neither did he want our friends to defend us with bullets. (Alejandra had told us that her father had arms in the house.) Well, needless to say, Marcus was wide awake now, but he tried to cast his care on the Lord, and told himself that it was probably just a “paper giant”. He committed us all into the Lord’s hands, and went to the Bible for comfort. The house was deathly quiet, except for the noises outside, which he soon discovered was horses munching and pawing every now and then. AND the next morning when he asked the others about it, only one other person vaguely remembered the frantic door closing command. They said it’s nothing unusual for Adolfo (Chango) to talk in his sleep, and apparently that’s what it was. So it really was a paper giant!

The next day (Monday), Marcus, Tony, Megan and Maury went with Samuel to explore a cave down in a hollow. The men also butchered a sheep, and we had delicious meat for dinner and supper that day. Alejandra’s mother, Leticia, told me about a lion that supposedly escaped from a circus and is living around there in the mountains. She said not long ago it killed 8 of their goats, and another time came and killed 12 sheep. So that really brought the size of their herd down, and their son isn’t very excited about raising animals after that. (Somehow that story about the lion would come back to me in the middle of the night, when I needed to venture out to the outhouse... Even though I knew that it surely would be afraid to come very near the village, it made the trip in the darkness a little more exciting. J )

That evening we all went to visit Alejandra`s grandparents, who live just up the hill. In their old age, they are caring for 5 of their grandchildren whose mother passed away at the birth of the youngest, who is 6. The father is far away in Mexico City, and they don’t hear from him. We gave the grandma Ibuprofen for her awful toothache. Toward the end of the visit, the grandpa asked Marcus to share the message he had brought, so Marcus shared about Joseph to the group gathered there that evening. Even though they are Catholic, the grandpa urged his children to listen closely to the story of Joseph, and of how we’re to follow Jesus, no matter what happens. They are very concerned for their grandchildren, and want them to grow up to be godly men and women. Later the grandma told us that she wishes we could come every week to teach the children. I was impressed at the patience these old people have with their grandchildren – the noise of five children playing can get to be pretty much sometimes, but they didn’t seem to mind. And when one little boy drove his car over his grandpa’s head, the grandpa just kept right on with his conversation. J Since the grandma doesn’t have very much strength to scrub all their clothes, she has the boys scrub their own pants. It was a blessing to visit with them.

We had planned to head for home Tuesday morning, since Samuel needed to be back at work Wednesday morning. But Demetrio was really tired (Monday he had to make the long trip back over the mountains to Zautla, to return the horses he had rented, and only got home an hour or so after dark). He urged us to stay another day, so Samuel went home by himself, by bus. We visited in another home, and Marcus fixed Demetrio’s big chainsaw, and went with him to saw up a log and to look at his crops planted pioneer style among tree stumps and fallen logs.

That night it rained, and Wednesday morning it was still raining. They say that when it starts raining there it hardly stops, and now is the time for rainy season to begin. So we wondered when we would be able to leave. Wednesday morning we were able to visit in the home of Alejandra’s cousin Bulmaro, a young man who has a wife and two small children. Later Marcus worked on some other appliances for the families. We also had a good talk with a woman who stopped by. She was dressed modestly, with her head covered, and no earrings or other adornment. When we shared about what it means to really follow Jesus, she said, “What you’re saying is true. Come back again, and don’t just stay here – get in all the homes to tell what you’re bringing.” (By God’s grace we want to.) She wanted literature, and we gave the messages on paper that we hand out. In the afternoon the sun came out and dried things off a bit, but Demetrio urged us to wait until morning, since it was still threatening to rain. Alejandra was anxious to go, since her husband had already gone back to Tehuacàn, and we were minded to, too, thinking that it would probably rain more in the night, and make things muddier yet...

So we decided to head out, and by 5:00 we were heading down the mountain. We took only four horses this time, since it was mostly downhill, and we had less things to take back. Our children were tied on the horses again, and we adults walked most of the way. Well, it was quite an adventure... It rained some, and they tied big sheets of plastic around the children, to keep them dry. The rest of us got wet, but then the rain stopped and we dried out, at least our top half. The way was muddy and slippery and rocky, and then the sun went down and we still had a long way to go. Those of us who were walking had gotten ahead of the ones on horseback, trying to get as far as we could before dark. But then we waited for them to catch up, and sure enough, when we finally heard them coming down the neighboring mountain, we heard Roger crying in fright. He needed his daddy’s firm voice to calm him down. He just didn’t like the jolt of the mule’s steep stepping downward.

Well, we finally sloshed into Zautla around 9:00 (it seemed a lot later than it really was J ). We were muddy and wet up to above the knees, and our feet didn’t want to cooperate very well anymore. We bedded the children down on the mattresses in the back of our dear old suburban, and got changed into our dirty, but dry, other clothes. A man there wanted to talk to Marcus yet – turned out that he wanted Marcus to check his bus, so we decided to sleep there that night. Our family slept in the suburban, Tony in the cab of a nearby truck, and the others in the house.

The next morning Marcus fixed the bus, they served us a good breakfast there, and then we came on our way home.

For WHAT Are You Living?

Today my husband repaired a young man’s VW bug, and since he was still working over lunch hour, Rafael's mother Yolanda brought his lunch over. They both sat with us at the table, and after the meal Yolanda kindly washed up a big stack of dishes for me. While we worked, we got to know each other better.

In the course of the conversation, she asked me if I don’t miss living in the States. She thought we are “suffering” here in Mexico, and could be a lot happier if we’d go back to the States. But I objected – “We certainly aren’t suffering here. We have so much – we are rich! The Word of God says, ‘Having food and raiment, let us be therewith content.’ (1 Timothy 6:8) Our Lord didn’t even have a place to lay his head.”

As Yolanda went on to mention, so many Mexicans, as well as people from other Central American countries, want to go to the States, (and do) because they long for a “better”, more comfortable life, with more things. And for Yolanda, it was hard to understand why we would choose to live here in Mexico, when we were born in the States.

I was glad for the opportunity to share with her. We are not living for the life here and now – our eyes are set on the life that is to come! And when our goal is to please our Lord and to be in the place that He wants us to be, we are content and happy wherever He calls us. We “desire a better country, that is, an heavenly”. (Hebrews 11:16) We are looking for “a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” (Hebrews 11:10)

Oh, let us use this short life that we have to prepare for eternity – the life that is to come. Can we, like the Lord Jesus Christ, say, “I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me”?

Our Lord commands, “Love not the world; neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.” (1 John 2: 15 – 17) Let us live each day for eternity.