Category: Mexico

After many miles of travel in various ways of transportation, it is good to be home. We left San Carlos Mexico June 19th and made it home to Clearwater, BC Thursday evening on June 23rd. Wednesday was a particularly long day departing from San Jose CA and arriving to Bellingham late that night. We put a 12 hour day in assuming we would find a hotel around Portland OR, but we couldn’t find one. They either looked like shady areas or else they were full. So, we just kept going and checking as we went. Finally, at Bellingham we found one hotel which only had one room left. It was 12:30AM and after 17 hours of highway we hit the hay and slept like rocks!

I continue to reflect over the blessings of my recent trip to Colombia. It had been some 15 years since I had been present with the P’s. Some of them I hadn’t seen in 25 years. We arrived to Cumaribo, unloaded our bags at the hotel, and then went out to the village where the conference was being held. The Sikuani pastors who were hosting the conference were humble and received us with much honor and love. They were eagerly anticipating our arrival and participation in the conference through teaching, but I felt like it was me who needed to learn humility from them.

As I mentioned in a previous email, we all met as a large group and held meetings in Spanish, but in the afternoon of that first day, I felt it would be good to meet separately with the P’s and hold the meeting in P. Many of the P’s don’t speak Spanish. The P’s arranged a place under a mango tree with benches, a small table and chair for me. They picked the spot under the tree saying it would be cooler. I sat down and we visited for a little while. I wasn’t sure what the Lord may have for us to discuss. Lorenzo opened the meeting with a prayer. Following that, I asked them what they wanted to talk about. They began to share their questions. The topics mentioned were pastoring, electronic Bibles, primers, a hymn book, Bible lessons, maps, radios, denominations, and organizations. So we talked about each of these topics until everyone seemed to be content and on the same page. Facilitating them with these materials is a challenge, but we are working on it. None of them are as important as having the Bibles. They expressed their great joy and thanks for having the Bibles.

I wanted to thank you for your prayers for that time together with them. I felt the presence of the Spirit of God in my own heart as He gave me wisdom and power to speak to them on each topic. I was particularly blessed to have a Bible in P in front of me on the table. I had never wanted to translate the NT. From those early days in 1991 when God changed my own heart and put a great zeal in me for the message of His grace, my deepest passion was to share that message. But in order to share that message with authority, one must have a Bible to do it. As I sat there feeling the presence of the Spirit in my heart, words of life flowed out from me in some of the best P I have ever spoken. As the Spirit directed our thoughts, I personally noticed how it was SO nice to be able to just open the P Bible to the place He was directing and to find the words of God written there in perfect P. That moment really struck me as it was the first time I was able to teach from the Bible we had done. Fernando took this little video of that moment.

We spent about 3 hours there that afternoon. The women had been cooking soup and they brought us food. Fernando and I enjoyed being served and the soup was SO good. They are amazing with herbs and seasonings. Here is the video of the pot of soup.

Russell has another location in Colombia which is much closer to the border of Venezuela and it’s a place where he said we could receive up to 200 P’s. We are praying about that and I’m open to the Lord’s leading. Russell said we would have the potential of building a recording studio right there which the P’s could also use. He talked about even the potential of a dedicated P radio transmitter. We have lots to ponder and look to the Lord about. I would appreciate your prayers on these potential projects. I would love to see the P’s themselves running a radio station some day.

All for now, more to come,

t.

Every year when we come here to Mexico to work on P translation and now this year on radio broadcast teaching for the Ps, the Lord seems to always connect us with new people and things that you would not have forethought. Attached is a photo of Dalia. She’s a tennis and Pickle Ball coach/instructor here. I met her a few years ago through tennis. We were recently invited to a birthday party of some other folks (Malu and Scott… also a new relationship which the Lord has given us) and Dalia was there. Everyone was speaking English and I saw Dalia there alone, trying to soak it in. She’s trying to learn English because much of her clientele is American/Canadian.

In that moment, it dawned on me that there was an English course starting this week. At the CEC Bible School where I teach, there are other missionaries (Ken and Ruth) who operate an intensive English course for two months to Mexican believers who are working with English speaking missions. It’s a specific English course which is meant for Mexicans who are going into ministry with English speakers. But as I looked across the patio and saw Dalia sitting there alone, something just welled up in me with this thought, “why not see if she wants to go to the English course”. So, I put a chair next to Dalia and began visiting. I asked her if she would want to go. She said “yes! I really would”.

I then informed her that the course is specifically designed for believers and it takes place at the Bible school. She said that was okay. I actually ended up talking about the Lord with her for over an hour regarding Christ and the resurrection. Her father had been studying to become a priest, but passed away 5 years ago (I think from cancer). It was a very heart felt discussion about the resurrection and the new body which God will raise up. She said, “that’s why my mother doesn’t want to be cremated. Mi mamá says, well how will God raise up a body from all those ashes”. We talked about how nothing in this entire world is lost to God. All things consist in Him. I said, “even science teaches us that this is a closed energy system. There is no new energy that comes into it or leaves. God knows where everything is and is able to raise up new bodies from the ashes or remains of every body no matter if it’s been burned, lost at sea, eaten by animals etc.” She said, “of course… if He made all of this out of nothing, then why couldn’t He do that?”

I spoke to Ken and Ruth about Dalia and they decided that even though they weren’t sure where Dalia was spiritually, that she would be welcome to come to the course as she may just come to know the Lord during the course if she doesn’t already. They reduced the fee for her since she wouldn’t be staying at the school, so Dalia is enrolled! This morning, I introduced her to Ken and Ruth and to the class. She is there as we speak.

As you think of her, ask the Lord Jesus to reveal Himself to her. I sense this whole thing came about by Him. You can see attached photos which I took this morning. There’s Dalia in the worship session which they sing in both Spanish and English each morning.

t.

Good morning and happy mothers day to all mothers who must be honored for their incredible and imperative roll to human existence and human development. Thank you!

This morning I will be speaking at Agape church. Then in the afternoon at 5 PM I have been invited to speak at ‘El Shadday’ church which is a Mexican church with a large attendance of young Mexican people. Pastor Miguel invited me to share the P story with his congregation. Miguel also operates a Bible School Seminary and Missionary training program at his church. I will be honored to share our story with them.

Please pray for me in these meetings, that I may speak the word of God in truth and in Spirit and that this word would take effect in the hearts of the hearers to spring forth into life, to liberate and edify. Pray that I may readily find the words in Spanish to express what the Spirit lays on my heart.

Thank you,

t.

Robin and I were blessed with a visit from our long time friend Brady for the past two weeks. Brady just left yesterday back to his home in the US. What a pleasant young man. We thoroughly enjoyed our time which was filled with many deep and meaningful conversations, excellent activities, food, and more. 20 years ago, Brady came with his father to Venezuela to visit our work among the P’s. We have had a close relationship since then including many, many conversations about the Lord.

God is at work in all of our lives. We are all on the journey of knowing and experiencing God. Some of our conversations with Brady were about steps of faith and sensing the leading of God in our lives. It was a joy to see Brady taking steps of faith while on this trip. One of these steps involved potentially selling his house at this time, not knowing exactly where that may lead. He mentioned a neighbor who may be interested in it. This house is special to Brady, he’s poured a lot of work, time and planning into it, but there is a deeper longing in his heart to walk with God. The sale of his house could be a pivotal moment for him in his journey of faith. He contacted his neighbor today, and the neighbor responded immediately with a yes. They will be meeting on Wednesday to discuss a potential negotiation.

I’m mentioning it to you to ask for prayer — prayer for a powerful answer from God, confirmation and peace in Brady’s heart to take this step of faith as the sale of his home could lead to other things which the Lord may have prepared for him.

Thank you for your sincere prayers for our beloved friend as he seeks to walk in the fellowship of the Lord Jesus in spirit and truth.

t.

You never know what a day will bring, but God knows it. I wonder how often something comes to mind and causes us to pray. It is a mystery how God uses prayer. It’s like He runs His own thought through us back to Himself and by doing so manifests His divine intent in the world. I often reflect on what our lives would be without your partnership and the many prayers that are voiced to God on our behalf through you. Again, I have the sense that through your prayers God was watching over us in a recent wheel issue on our car. I wonder if your prayers made the difference of a disaster or not. Only God knows, but I kind of think this one is obvious. Click here to check watch the video to see what I’m talking about.

This morning, I spoke in church. The sermon was on the gospel of which I have been teaching on for the past few weeks. The emphasis is on the grace of God and our receiving of God’s perfect gift of righteousness by faith alone and not of works. It was one of the bolder messages I’ve given on the topic, but I feel quite strongly about the grace of God and His absolute righteous status poured out upon us through faith alone. This blessing is unconditional as it depends on Christ alone and received by us through genuine faith alone, apart from works. How easily we tend to slide into a performance based righteousness and try to gain God’s favor by our performance as Christians. Today’s message evidently offended one person, while another commented that it was the best sermon they had ever heard. I find that so strange, yet so common. Pray that the Lord would gift me with careful words that speak life and that those who hear the words would understand the truths which the Lord desires us to know. Pray for the offended person.

I am still waiting on the Lord for confirmation on a potential trip to Colombia to see the P’s. Please pray for the Lord to lead me in this. I just want to be obedient to His leading.

I have now recorded 25 radio programs and they are on the airwaves into Ven! I have not heard any feedback from the P’s yet, but I haven’t heard anything from any P’s in a long while. E should be arriving back to Wi-Fi any day now. The recording of the P new testament is scheduled for May. I hope E gets out soon. I have a few other projects that I would love for him to do while out in town like translation of a children’s book. We are also awaiting a more accurate estimate on how many more Bibles are needed based on his census work.

The final week at CEC school here in Mexico is about to end. Pray for all the students as they seek the Lord’s guidance as to where to go and how to fulfil their respective callings. Adam has no family. It kind of breaks my heart as I hear his story as he reminds me of my own son. May God bless them and guide them and be Father to them as He truly is.

Robin feels 100%. She’s finished her antibiotics and has a follow up doctor’s appointment tomorrow to review the ultrasound. I over did it with tennis last week and had a bit of a migraine. I played all out and so it told me that I’m not ready for that level of tennis yet. Still praying to find the Lord’s path for me in all this, but enjoying the great improvement.

Thanks for your faithful partnership,

t.