Isn't God full of crazy surprises? 

What's really ironic is that a couple of weeks ago after church on Sunday, I was having lunch with the Tepic pastors and their families.  Among the subjects of discussion was the topic of the completion of the latest Huichol church building in Picachos and the trip we were going to take to the village on Wednesday to join in the dedication ceremony. We were all reflecting on how incredible it is that God provided all the funds, the materials, and the laborers to complete the project. Erén made the comment directed at me, "Well, somebody needs to tell the Huichol pastors and leaders that this was a very special gift from God, and that from here on out, the resources for church buildings in the mountain villages may not be available. $40,000 pesos ($4,000 U.S.) doesn't just grow on trees. So, the many new believers in villages that are proving themselves faithful through the 'test of time' may just need to be satisfied with a ramada under a mango tree." I have to admit, though I'm not as quick to speak out as Erén is, she took the words right out of my heart. Nevertheless, for some reason, with her words, I found myself immediately reflecting, "How would Kirt respond?", and I replied, "Well, if God wants church buildings in the mountain villages, I guess He'll just have to provide the resources." We both (Erén and I) were honestly thinking, "Yeah, right!"  Martín just sat there with a subtle smirk on his face and a glint in his eye that I've seen hundreds of times before…different eyes, same glint. …end of conversation.

Then, bright and early the next morning, Monday, Pastor Manuel from Picachos, Pastor Lopez from Salvador Allende, and Pastor Custodio from La Quemada showed up on my front porch. I gave them breakfast, and as they were finishing up their coffee, and we were discussing the logistics for meeting the need to disciple the 36 new believers in Guásima del Caimán and some other needs in the village of Codorniz, Martín and Erén stopped by.  We were confirming with Pastor Manuel that 24 of us from the Tepic church would be needing boat transportation to the water's edge below the village of Picachos the following Wednesday, when the phone rang. It was Pastor Steve calling me to let me know about this special gift "out of nowhere." His words were, "I've known about this for about a week now, but for some reason, I haven't been able to contact you until today… My niece attends a church that has been blessed with extra funds and has made them available in my care for a one-time donation in the amount of $12,000 to be divided among three different missionaries. We will be sending a check for $4,000 to your sending church designated for a Huichol church-planting project…"  

…"Well, if God wants church buildings in the mountain villages, I guess He'll just have to provide the resources."

What more can I say?