A Backward Glance

1. In January we spent two weeks in Mexico living in the shade of a volcano.
2. While there we visited the Basilica in Mexico City (where we saw people crawling on their knees to gain favor from Mary) and the Aztec pyramids in Chalula (where we saw altars of human sacrifice).
3. Over 800 letters were sent out to share what God is doing in our hearts and in Mexico.
4. Pre-field ministry began in Vermont. While there we gathered sap from maple trees and watched as it was made into syrup.
5. It was a honor to live in R.A. Torrey’s home while we participated in a prayer retreat at Montrose Bible Conference.
6. We traveled to and shared in nineteen churches in Vermont, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, and Tennessee.
7. The children especially enjoyed four-wheeling at our friends in Hickox.
8. Ken’s mother’s recovery from a July stoke was a “miracle”.
9. We made new friends, went swimming almost daily and played lots of ping-pong in addition to the training we received while at CIT in Union Mills, North Carolina.
10. In celebration of Diana’s 40th birthday we enjoyed a hobo dinner (cooked in a garbage can over an open fire) with family and friends.
11. Attending CrossWorld’s Pre-Field Orientation in November was one of our last mission requirements. (See image at top)
12. A Thanksgiving telephone call and a Christmas card from a dear friend in India remind us that “missions exists because worship doesn’t”.

Time For A Little Q & A

What are your current plans?
We are now targeting May as our departure date to Mexico but we have learned that exact dates and plans are in the Lord's hands. We simply move forward waiting upon Him to guide us.

What will we do until your departure?
We have documentation and business to care for (power of attorney, certificates to be apostilled, change in licenses, insurance), a house to sell and pack up, a van to purchase, ordination to prepare for and complete, churches to contact and share in, medical and dental check-ups, etc. In addition to these things we have a lot of correspondence, traveling, and just plain daily living.

What is the length of an average deputation?
It takes an average of two years to get to the field. We finished Candidate Orientation in July of 2004 but it wasn’t until March of this year that we actively began support development. We are all excited at how quickly support has come since some have waited five years to get to the field.

How’s the work going in Mexico?
In the words of a teammate, “Leaders are being trained. A 2nd House Church is scheduled. And evangelism training results in 19 youth committing to missions and 14 new believers.” It makes us want to be in the thick of it.

What’s the weather like in Puebla?
The forecast for tomorrow - sunshine along with some passing clouds, high 63F. This is not to be confused by the West Virginia forecast of sunny and a high of 33F. I think we can adjust!

Christmas At Our House

From the beginning of our marriage Diana and I wanted to forge our
own Christmas traditions. I felt Christmas was way too commercialized, had lost much of its meaning and needed to down size. Diana on the other hand thoroughly enjoyed almost all aspects of Christmas, including lots of decorations, baking, activities and celebrations. Needless to say our ideas clashed at the foot of the manager.

Through the years we have worked together to bring lots of celebration into the Christmas season while making sure that Christ remains the center of it all. We have gone to a barn for family devotions on Christmas day, given $1 gifts among ourselves, taken gifts to a child of a prisoner, trudged through snow to give away cookies, sang carols in the neighborhood, participated in a living nativity scene and incorporated Christmas ideas from other countries.

Here are some of the traditions we have made though the years: 1) Decorate the day after Thanksgiving in order to enjoy the season and avoid the pressure to have a perfect day on the 25th 2) Make a special ornament for the tree each year (make extra to give to your children when they leave home) 3) Give away cookies for neighbors and friends to show the love of Jesus in a practical way 4) Use a daily advent reading 5) Participate in the Samaritan Purse shoebox or gift ministry 6) Read a children’s book together 7) Celebrate with a Christmas breakfast 8) Enjoy the Christmas lights together and come home to enjoy hot chocolate and eggnog.

Above all find an opportunity with your family or church family to worship along with Mary when she said, “My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.”

Breaking Mexican Strongholds

Recently I did a survey among missionaries from Mexico and asked, “… from your perspective what are the Enemy's greatest strongholds there?” There were twenty-seven responses from seventeen organizations. Here are the results with selected comments:

Catholicism/Church Traditions/Works-Based Religion (19)
· “Catholicism in general seems to be the major stronghold.”
· “TRADITIONS are chains for these people.”
· “Many don't read the Bible for themselves in this culture therefore they accept the lies.”

Worship of the Virgin of Guadalupe/Idolatry (12)
· “To see people crawling on their knees trying to gain favor from Mary is enough to break even the hardest Christian heart. To see priests bow to Mary and ignore Jesus brings one to the point of anger. To see the precious indigenous people offering the sacrifice of first fruits to the feet of Mary is enough to drive a person to tears.”
· “…VERY STRONG in Mexico is…idolatry...”

Witchcraft/Occultism/Paganism/Superstition (8)
· “ ‘Curanderos’, female or male witch-doctors, are not just users of natural medicine…Such "curers" can be paid to put a curse on someone you don't like.
· “…the traditions and customs of Mexico are so much a carry over from the human sacrifices and spiritism of the Aztecs that it is really sad.”

Alcoholism (7)
· “Heavy drinking is expected among men...”
· “Many individuals are bound by drinking problems…”

Our desire is that this survey will propel us into the arena of prayer to take back the ground our enemy has gained. Mexico for Christ in our generation!