January/February 2019 And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed… Mark 9:15

And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed… Mark 9:15

Last Sunday morning, Pastor Martín began his message at IBBM-Tepic from Mark 9 with a question: “When was the last time you were absolutely awestruck by God’s presence in your life?” He went on to share the story of the Transfiguration where Peter, James, and John were eyewitnesses of the majestic presence of God incarnate. After this apex of God’s glorious unveiling, they reluctantly returned down the mountain to a conflict with Satanic oppression -- from a foretaste of millennial magnificence to a scene of pain and misery in the body of an agonizing young boy -- a vivid image of the life on earth into which Jesus willingly came for us. And when the crowd recognized Him, they were filled with amazement. Honestly, these past two months have been bursting with incidents in which it was impossible not to marvel at God’s absolute presence. The following samples of His display leave us nothing less than awestruck.

Pastor McKeown invited Martín, Erén, and me to be keynote speakers at the annual mission conference at my sending church, North Village Baptist. That’s easy to say, but it’s nothing short of astonishing to consider God’s marvelous presence in the mission effort that began over 43 years ago on the platform, from which Martín preached, of the very church that sent Kirt and me to Mexico to share the Good News to all who would hear. Using the AWANA motto, Pastor Martín’s Sunday-morning message, based on Matthew 19:13-15, was entitled: Because Kids Matter to God… only one young boy. Martín emphasized that there is nothing better than to bring children to Jesus. Bringing them to the AWANA club or to church is good, but we must bring them, first, to Jesus’ open arms that they may know Him personally. He used the illustration of David and Svea Flood who left for Africa in 1921. Svea brought to Jesus, “only a boy.” It seemed so fruitless. Later, God miraculously used that “only child” to bring his entire village to Jesus. Likewise, God chose to unveil His glory in bringing to Himself young Nacho, who invited his young friend, Martín, to “come and hear.”  The rest of the story is history … and future. 

Recognizing God’s presence does not stop with borders, timelines, or “one young boy.” 

It’s common knowledge that Jacob and Kiki’s son, my grandson, David, battled nearly six years of brutal treatments for his relapsed leukemia. In spite of the announcement that his final CAR-T cell experimental treatment had been a failure, David is miraculously “in remission!” In August, approaching his 7^th birthday, he was ecstatic that at last, he would celebrate out of the hospital. That didn’t happen. Just days before, his dad, Jacob, was diagnosed with super-aggressive, B-cell Burkitt Lymphoma; David’s party consisted of a pineapple upside-down cake that he and his mom made to take to his dad’s room at the hospital. It was a celebration of counting it all joy, not having to understand the “why’s,” but instead, choosing not to abort the process of learning steadfastness, with renewed determination to thank Him for this, another gift, and being, once again, absolutely awestruck by God’s presence in our lives. On the third day of the NVBC mission conference, after seven months of horrifically intense chemotherapy and a not-too-favorable prognosis, we got the diagnosis resulting from Jake’s surgical biopsy: “No evidence of disease!” Absolutely awestruck!

Two days after returning from the NVBC 2019 mission conference, Becky, Pastor Nacho and Lorena’s third child, celebrated her 15^th birthday. In Mexico, a quinceañera is a big deal. Nacho’s family determined that this celebration would not be to bring glory to them or to Becky, but would give testimony to all who could come, at their open invitation, to witness God’s amazing presence and mighty power in Becky’s life. Becky chose, Guard my Heart, as the theme of for her party. Javier (who, as a young boy came to Jesus in the IBBM OANSA club) and Libertad presented her with a Bible, complete with God’s instructions for guarding her heart. Sebastián and Ely presented Becky with a watch with the admonition to continue to use her time wisely, guarding her heart from the enemy as she embarks on the next stage of life. Fifteen of the young people from IBBM exhorted her one-by-one, each with a memorized passage of Scripture about guarding her heart (and theirs). Her father shared his blessing and words of caution from God’s Word to guard her heart. And the “Lady of the Rings” presented Becky with a heart-shaped promise ring to remind her to guard her heart as God has commanded her and she has learned through faithful teaching. We talked about Lidia, a lady who, like Becky, liked the color purple, one who worshipped God, heard His Word, and whose heart the Lord Himself opened that she might be the first follower of Jesus in Europe. Lydia resolved to guard her heart in a perverse and idolatrous society like Becky’s. Once again, we find ourselves absolutely awestruck by God’s presence as Becky, the beautiful daughter of Nacho (only “one young boy”), proposes and promises to guard her heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.

One thing is sure, in mesmerizing moments of God’s action of unveiling His presence, we are never the main characters. When we, and those around us, behold Him, the contrast of His power and that of the enemy, leaves us greatly amazed, and we can do no less than bow our heads giving Him the glory for what great things He has done.

And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed…Mark 9:15

2nd annual Huichol pastors' conference at La Bendición 

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May/June 2011 “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:”

May/June 2011

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:”  2 Corinthians 9:8

"Your mission, should you choose to accept it is..."   No such thing as Mission Impossible; God’s all-sufficient grace has proven to be always more than enough for every good work.

15^th Huichol Old Testament translation Workshop - Mother-tongue-translators (MTTs), diligently committed to the project, have worked in their respective remote mountain villages to finish nearly 90% of the Huichol Old Testament in first-draft form. They all faithfully attend workshops in Tepic along with the trained linguist consultants for the purpose of team-checking the drafts. 10 % has been printed for community testing. A back-translation, consultant check and final proofreading are still necessary steps before publication. The team has a long way to go before this virtually impossible job is done. They met in Tepic the first 2 weeks of May to continue reviewing God’s work in history through the Genesis patriarchs and begin reviewing Job. The task is formidable, but there’s no such thing as a Mission Impossible.

José Lopez returns to the Sierra Madre – June 3 was a day of practically impossible historic significance! José López finished a week of teaching Theology Education by Extension (ETE) to students in the remote village of Los Aires. Remember…we prayed after his excruciating surgery last year for his leg to heal for this very purpose? UIM pilot, David Wolf, airlifted him to the Tierra Blanca strip; José hiked 45 minutes to Los Aires, then we picked him up at Tierra Blanca a week later. Though we had our doubts that José would ever again return to the Sierra Madre villages, there is no such thing as a Mission Impossible.         

Discipleship trip to Mojarras - Román, an MTT, and 9 other Huichol believers from La Quemada followed their nearly impossible Divine calling to hike 6 hours with musical instruments in hand to the village of Mojarras (They got lost on the way which added another hour to the trek.) for the purpose of fellowshipping, teaching and encouraging in their Christian walk, the brothers and sisters of that very remote village. (The young people who came to the seemingly impossible first ever Huichol camp in Tepic in April returned to their villages with a spark that has reignited the thirst for God’s Word.) Emilia, another MTT (another impossible feat… for a Huichol woman), discipled several of them in her recent “mission” trip to Los Aires.  

Just before Román left Mojarras to return home to La Quemada, one of the brothers who had been happily photographing events of the “fellowship meeting” with his newly-purchased, second-hand digital camera, agreed to pass the pictures from the memory card of his camera to Román’s OT translation laptop, Maricuxi.    (I sure would have loved to have seen those pix!) Of course, Román was incredulous and horrified when the alarms sounded that an invading virus was detected…from a CAMERA memory card, no less. Another valuable cyber lesson learned, but alas, too late. This was a very costly and time-consuming setback, but thanks to Kaspersky, Panda, Wycliffe tech support and mostly God’s all-sufficient grace in all things, it was not a Mission Impossible. 

IBBM-Tepic Baptisms - Ten new believers from the Iglesia Bíblica Bautista Misericordia – Tepic (IBBM) gladly identified themselves publically as followers of Christ. We planned an all-day church-wide outing to a campground near Tepic to celebrate with them their determination to place their faith in the All-sufficient One who promises to fulfill in them this Mission Impossible. 

IBBM-Tepic OANSA - The Tepic OANSA (AWANA) Club observed the end of the 2010-2011 term with the annual visit from Sparky on Awards Day. The kids were excited to receive the medals they have been working hard to earn all year long; and we leaders are elated to know that each award represents the hiding of God’s Word in the tender hearts of the children with whom we have been working. Then we exerted one last effort for the year to prepare the OANSA Fair on the following Saturday afternoon when each clubber got to spend his or her hard-earned OANSA pesos on games, prizes, ice cream, cotton candy and other treats.  

Four exemplary clubbers have fulfilled all the requirements for becoming brand new leaders-in-training. All 4 started out as Cubbies and have completed all of the OANSA manuals. They are now working to complete a 16-week discipleship class and a year of internship hoping to achieve the privilege of serving in the OANSA club as official club leaders at the end of next year! Developing future church leadership is a Mission Impossible, humanly speaking; no such thing for the Supreme Commander… There’s always more than enough grace for every good work.