Tom and Collette

Tom, Collette, & Santos

First, a little history. More than 10 years ago we were living in San Marcos focusing on the ministry in Arrayanes and Mojocuautla. They had just installed phone lines and for the first time we could get internet service. I began searching the internet for any information about the Cora Indians. I stumbled across a website of Tom and Collette Beytien, a couple from Nebraska who were working with the Cora up in the community of La Mesa del Nayar. They had been working at a school for Indian kids from the Tepeuano, Huichol, Cora, and Mexicanero tribes. They worked alongside the director, an elderly Franciscan monk who at that time had been in the mountains for 35 plus years. I sent them an email expressing my desire to work more with the Cora people and included an invitation to visit us anytime they were passing through.

Since our first meeting God has continued to allow us to work together in many different ways because of our shared passion for seeing God revealed among the Cora people. Now, as we are back in Mexico and gearing up to start a new work in the area around the Mesa, Tom and Collette are back at the school. Now that the Franciscan has passed away the school has been taken over by the Alumni group, directed by our friend Santos. The school still has its roots in the Catholic tradition, but they are open to our involvement. During our trip there last week, we were invited to share during their devotional times a 6am and again at 6pm. During our trip we were able to help out by painting in the dining hall, painting the exposed wood on the exterior of one of the buildings, and building a number of shelf units for the dormitories. Pastor Horacio, his son Alfredo and David Medina accompanied me on the trip.

Right now there are more than 100 students at the school, some of them live there full time since they come from as far away as Durango and Jalisco, and the rest return to their homes in La Mesa. This school really needs help financially. To adequately house, feed, and teach this many kids is not cheap, but if I understood Tom correctly, they are doing it now for about $500 a month. They really need closer to $1500 a month. If you would like to be a part of that work you can contact Tom and Collette at familyrenewal@yahoo.com.

Road Blocks

A lot of times road blocks are good. Road blocks guide us around problems and potential dangers on the road. However, I can not remember a single time that I have been excited or thankful when I have encountered these barriers. Early this morning we left our hotel in Tucson, Arizona and headed south to cross the border into Mexico. I was tense at the prospect of dealing with Customs and Immigration but excited knowing that soon we would be home in Cofradia. After a quick stop at Customs and a relatively modest Duty payment we promptly hit the road block at Immigration. As it turns out we should have been able to get through with very little problem but the Immigration agent would simply not give us what we needed. Since we could not get the proper immigration paper we could not get the permit for our truck and trailer. Once we realized that there was nothing we could do we turned around and headed back to Phoenix. Tomorrow morning we should be able to get what we need from the Mexican Consulate here in Phoenix and then be on our way. So, after the frustration and anger this morning I am trying to be thankful for this road block. I know that God is sovereign, guiding and directing us. Proverbs 16:9 says 'The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.' (NASB) I guess what I struggle with most is that this 'man' makes a lot of mistakes as he is planning his way. I believe that God is faithful and not only directs our steps, in spite of my mistakes, but He also uses them to accomplish His work in me. I thank you all again for your prayers as we continue this journey.

We are finally on the road! After over a year in Washington we are on our way back to Cofradia. Tomorrow morning we will cross the border and by Friday we should be home. We are excited to get home and see all of our friends at church Sunday morning. Once we are settled in Cofradia we will begin to make more and longer trip back into the mountains and begin implementing our ministry plans in the Cora Indian communities of La Mesa, Cangrejo, Gavilanes and others. We want to thank everyone for your prayers and financial support as we work to establish a long term outreach ministry to the Cora people. Once we get back to Cofradia and back into the swing of things I will post another update.

 

These are exciting times. The problem is that the exciting can be difficult and challenging. Right now we are in the middle of a furlough, a time of significant change for our family. We always knew that as Isaiah and Elisabeth approached the end of high school we would need to take some time to help them move on to the next phase of their lives. Last May we left Mexico with the plan of moving back to Washington for a year in order to help them explore new opportunities and support them through this time of transition. The most difficult part of this process is the realization that soon our family will be split up. Even so, we are still excited about getting back to Mexico. In January we will accompany a group from our home church of His place to Cofradia for a 10 day trip. While in Cofradia we will have time to make a trip up to La Mesa and Cangrejo to explore what opportunities for future ministry are open to us. This will help us to begin preparing and planning for the next few years. Then in June of 2015 we will pack up and move back to Cofradia. Back in Cofradia we will work alongside the local church to develop an effective outreach ministry to the Cora Indians. Since the early 90's we have felt called to be a part of sharing the Good News among the Cora Indians in a way that makes sense to them in the context of their culture. We believe that studying their language and culture are integral components of an effective strategy for ministry. As well, we are convinced that we are only a small part of the team. First we have to partner with local believers from the church in Cofradia who will go with us and who share our desire to reach out to the Cora. Then we need to partner with a support team who will lift this ministry up in prayers, respond to the financial and material needs, and who will  join us in Mexico to see first hand how the work progresses.

Thank you so much for your interest in our family and our ministry and for the many ways that you support us.

Update
   Ok, it has been a while since I have updated our blog. If I could come up with a good excuse, something you would believe, I would.

   Even though the blog has been silent the ministry in Cofradía and in the mountains continues to grow and develop. Here in Cofradía the local church continues to grow bigger and stronger under the leadership of Pastor Gollo, the eldership, and the lay leaders in the different ministry areas.

 The vision of the ministry is proclaimed in this way:

·         We are a leading church where:

o   A constant sustainable growth is maintained.

o   We make sure Christ is the head.

o   Each person is a leader.

·         We are committed to:

o   having the Word of God as our authority

o   being a place where people encounter the truth and restoration

 
   We continue to work diligently to build a strong foundation with solid Biblical teaching, discipleship programs, leadership training, evangelism, and building community. We are excited for the future that God has for this ministry and the communities He leads us to.

Trip to Cangrejo
   In June we were joined by our friends from Iowa Tom Beytien and Mark Hoffschneider, as well as Pastor Hector Robles and a group of men from his church, as we travelled back to the Cora community of Cangrejo. Our plan was to visit people in their homes and share a simple study of the Prodigal Son, do a Kid's Club, show the Jesus Movie, and give out a metric ton of corn. God's plan, it turns out, was different. Soon after arriving we found out that during the 2 days we were going to be there the community was going to be full of activity. They started out with an all-day volleyball tournament, then a primary school graduation, then ended it all with a dance with a live band and cases and cases of beer. So, instead of trying to make our plan work, we decided to join them (except for the beer drinking). We formed a volleyball team and entered the tournament and were thoroughly beaten by the local teams. This type of community event involves everyone, including the surrounding villages, and is a time for visiting, having fun, and spending time together. So that is what we did. We talked with people, we participated, and we helped.

   The next morning we met with the town leaders and the ladies from all of the families in town and we gave everyone a large bag of corn. Pastor Hector share with them that the gift of the corn was not from us, but was a blessing from God, one way that He wants to show His love to them. At the end we prayed over them and their community and said our good-byes. I don't know what it is, but Cangrejo has a special place in my heart and I believe that God has plans for that community.       Cangrejo Slideshow

Baptism
   In July we loaded up the whole congregation and went out to the stream in Santa Fe for a baptism. The baptism was a great time of fellowship and excitement. After a time of worship, Pastor Gollo shared a short word and a prayer. Then Gollo and Horacio baptized 6 people! Check out the following video of the baptisms.

Baptism Video



Upcoming Trip
   Here in August we plan on making a trip back to Washington. As usual we are waiting for our visas to complete the renewal process before we can go. We really enjoy our time in Washington, visiting, sharing, and connecting with family, friends, and supporters. We plan on being in Washington from the end of August until the 1st or 2nd week of October.

   We are also very excited that a couple of guys from Cofradía, who are in Washington for the apple harvest, will be joining us at His Place Community Church on the Sunday of September 22nd, followed by a potluck lunch. We hope to see you there!

 

Trip to Gavilanes June 2010

On Sunday our two summer interns, Matt Hamm and Paul Mahugh, and I flew up to Gavilanes for a three day visit.

More than anything I wanted to personally connect with each of the Christian families during this trip. To that end we went to each families home, met their whole family, spent time visiting and getting to know them, sharing a portion of scripture, and praying with them for their needs. It was such a blessing to see how encouraged they were by a gesture as simple as going to their homes and spending time with them, granted some of their homes were quite a hike! Here are the families we had the privilege to get to know this time.

Rufino and Teresa

Rufino and Teresa were the first people we visited. Rufino was just about to leave when we got there. He was on his way down to the river, a two hour hike to where they can get dry firewood. Even so he spent a little time talking with us and introducing us to his family. After he left we talked with his wife Teresa about their family, work, and their faith in God. She asked for prayer for the safety and health of her family.

Maria Luisa

After visiting with Teresa we continued on, under the guidance of Adrian, to Maria Luisa’s house. Maria Luisa’s house was a 45 minute walk from Gavilanes. When we arrived Maria Luisa gave us all hugs and blessing for going all the way out to her house. Maria Luisa was the first believer in Gavilanes back in the 60s. Maria Luisa has one leg that is shorter than the other and has great difficulty walking which makes it impossible for her to go to the church meetings. Life is very hard for this small family, Maria Luisa is a widow, Josefa’s husband left her when Adrian was young, and Adrian is still trying to finish the Prepa (high school). We spent most of the morning with them, learning about their lives and faith and encouraging them. They asked for us to pray that God would continue to provide for them and protect them since they live so far out of town.

Jose

At Pascual’s request we went to visit his cousin Jose who had stopped coming to the prayer meetings almost two years ago. Jose and his wife live in a small cluster of rooms near the Secondary school with their children, daughter in laws, and grandchildren. They all gathered together to visit with us and to be honest I think they expected me to confront them about not going to church. We heard some of their stories and looked through some of their photos of when Jose and his son Geovani were working in Colorado. I shared with them from Ephesians where it tells us that we are called to one God and Father, one hope and salvation, that we are bound together in Jesus and I encouraged them to return to the prayer meetings. That evening they were the first family to show up! We ended our time with Jose by praying for God’s provision and protection from accidents as they are out working.

Crecencio

When we arrived at Crecencio’s house he was building a brick wall for the kitchen. From looking at his work he really seems to know what he is doing. He invited us in to their small bedroom since it was getting pretty hot outside. One of the first things you notice about Crecencio is that he has a hard time walking. A number of years ago he began experiencing more and more pain in his lower back. The doctors never did find out a concrete reason for the pain and difficulty walking and at one point suggested amputating his feet. He did not go back to the doctors after that. His wife Juaquina was working at the primary school at a job God had blessed her with. We prayed for Crecencio’s family for God’s provision and for heath for their children.

Roberta

Roberta’s home is on the side of the hill overlooking the town of Gavilanes. I do not believe that she speaks much Spanish because her daughter Ceneida translated everything to her and she never spoke to us directly. She told us about her children and grandchildren. She shared that even though her husband was not a believer he didn’t discourage them from going to the church meeting. She gave me a picture of her daughter Rosalina who had left her husband and children last year after a big fight. They do not know where she is and would very much like to hear from her. We also prayed that Ceneida would get a job they have at the local clinic to help support her family.

Lorenzo

I had met Eduardo, Lorenzo’s son, on our trip back in December. Since that time he and his mother Lorenza have been attending the prayer meetings pretty regularly. Lorenza and Eduardo sat outside their house to talk with us while Lorenzo stayed inside. I really sensed a heaviness and depression while talking with them. Their answers to our questions were short and quiet. After sharing the scripture with them we spent a long time praying for their health and for God to encourage them as a family. We prayed for them again that evening when they came to Pascual’s house for the meeting.

Pascual

As we usually do we stayed at Pascual’s house. Even though he and his wife Lina had to work two of the days we were there we found a lot of time to visit with them. Their two oldest children had just returned from attending Prepa in Durango so it was a pretty full house. During our visit Pascual told us that about two weeks ago they were return home around dusk to find three men pounding on the door where they have a small store. As Pascual and Lina approached the men turned, holding rifles and their faces covered with bandanas. They began shouting for them to hand over the money from the store and then began shooting from about 10’-15’ away. Lina had pulled Pascual back and then behind her and she began praying. As she was praying the three men took off running. This incident was very unsettling for them and they ask a number of times for us to pray for their safety.

Please pray for our brothers in Gavilanes. Pray for safety, provisions and health. As well, pray for a boldness to share their faith and the word of God to their families. Pray that God will open the hearts and minds of the people so that they will see the truth and believe in Jesus. Pray for miracles for our brothers in Gavilanes!

Trip to Cangrejo

On May 20th I took a group of 9 men from Sinaloa to Cangrejo for a short visit. The group was led by our friend Hector Robles, a pastor from La Cruz. This was a follow up trip to the one Hector, Agustin and I took back in October of last year. Hector's group brought 2 tons of corn, 300lbs of beans, 40 despensas (bags filled with basic food items such as; oil, flour, salt, sugar, chilis, etc.) and more than 60 pairs of ladies shoes. As well they brought a huge movie screen and projector so we could show the Jesus movie dubbed in the Cora dialect.

At first we were a bit nervous because more and more we are hearing news reports of people getting robbed on the roads back in the mountains. Since the vehicles they were riding in have license plates from Sinaloa we ran an even greater risk. You see, the Sinaloa cartels and the cartels here in the mountains don't get along very well so with Sinaloa plates they would tend to be more aggressive toward us. So, the morning before we left we prayed. We all know that God protects us and watches out for us, but it is in times like these that our trust in Him is tested. I find that I am comfortable trusting God as long as I am convinced that I am following His will and not just trekking through the mountains for the fun of it. During our trip to Cangrejo everything went slow, but smooth.

Arriving in Cangrejo we met with one of the community leaders and arranged for a place to sleep and a place to eat. As usual we were well received and as we ate dinner a number of people from the town stopped by to say 'Hi'. In the morning we drove down to the waterfall for a look around. While we were there we explored the fenced in area that the community has set aside for their corn fields. For the last year or so we have been working on the idea of providing a tractor with farm implements (but I will save that for another post). That afternoon everyone gathered at the town hall and we distributed 110lbs of corn, a despensa, and 4lbs of beans to each family, and shoes to all the ladies. Then as it got dark we showed a cartoon of the crucifixion of Jesus and then the Jesus movie in Cora. During the movie, and it is a long movie, no one left. Everyone watched attentively until the very end. In the morning as we were getting ready to leave a lady and her granddaughter approached me and she gave me a Cora bag. I asked the granddaughter if she wanted to sell it to me or if it was a gift. She asked her grandmother, who doesn’t speak Spanish, and then translated back to me that it was a gift of appreciation for all that we had given them. The grandmother spoke again and the granddaughter told me that she wanted to know when we would be going back to show the movie again. What an amazing commentary on the effectiveness of showing the movie in their native tongue.

On our way home we stopped in La Mesa del Nayar at the school that our friend Pascual runs. We had saved 2 bags of beans, some despensas and the remaining shoes for the school. Pascual seems to be doing well for someone who has a pacemaker and a dislike for following doctor’s orders. After a short visit there we headed back down the mountain to Cofradía.

Thank you so much for your prayers and your support. This trip was a huge success in many ways in spite of the physical and spiritual challenges. As well, just as I was leaving for this trip we were blessed with the finances we needed.

Again, thank you.