NTM - New Tribes Mission | Planting Tribal Churches

Weekends here in Mexico, as in most cultures I would assume, are times of increased activity and getting together.  Parties, informal and formal, are everywhere, and sometimes they land in your neighborhood, and sometimes they don’t.  Thankfully, we live in a more tranquil neighborhood, and parties are typically few and far between.  However, this past weekend brought two parties to our block, one of which was a karaoke blast, and the other one, just a simple “grill-out” with friends, and music.  Neither of these affected us greatly, but the sound of bad singing and bar-be-que filled the air!

Beyond the parties, this past weekend was filled with a flurry of activity, as every day brought something new to do, and or prepare for.  Here is a brief breakdown of what was going on with us, this past weekend.

Friday Evening

Recently our church’s weekly Bible study was changed from Thursday night, to Friday, thus allowing more people to make it, because it is the start of the weekend.  This past weekend, we showed up around 8 p.m., and got home around 11!  We are working our way through the book of Philippians, and have almost finished it, and we had the opportunity to celebrate 3 birthdays!  Below are just a few pics from our night.

We are just hanging out before the Bible study starts.

Greeting and talking, as more people arrive and we get ready to start.

And of course the kids always have fun at the studies as well.

Saturday

Saturday morning, and on into the early part of the afternoon, found Lisa cooking in the kitchen, as she prepared a meal for the Nahuatl tribal team, which consist of (Dan, Sarah and Josiah Alkire, Rachel Chapman, Katie Moore, and Tom and Teresa Elkins).  After she got it prepared and ready, we headed over to where they were staying and enjoyed fellowshipping with them for about 4 hours.  Once we arrived home, it was time for the kids to go to bed, and Lisa and myself were able to relax.

Sunday

Sunday was church day, and we love our church here in Mexico.  The church is a Calvary Chapel plant, that has been around for about 1 1/2 years, and although the time has been short, the Lord has really blessed the growth of the church.  About 6 months ago, or so, when we started coming, the regular attendance of the church was around 15 people.  Now, on a given Sunday, we usually will have somewhere between 40 – 60 adults, with another 15-30 children.  It’s awesome to see the Lord at work, here in Durango Mexico.

Capilla Calvario - Durango, Durango Mexico

For His Glory and By His Grace

Ryan

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord.

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 55:8–9

The truth embedded in the verses above, is amazing.  On the one hand, there are moments in our lives, when it is very frustrating to try and figure out what the Lord is up to, but on the other hand, there are moments, when it is incredibly freeing.  As humans, it’s hard to come to that point where we surrender our plans and thoughts, and through faith walk boldly into the uncertainty of the future.  However, when we finally do let go of our ideas, and plans, and step back and look, we realize that we were right where God wanted us, all the time.  Paul, in Romans 8:28, said;

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.”

As March draws to a close, we find our ministry of dorming the children of a missionary family, the Fergusons, coming to a close as well.  There are many contributing factors that lead both of our families to the conclusion that this ministry is no longer needed.  One of the main reasons is the drug related violence here in Mexico, that makes security issues a constant concern. We are thankful for the opportunities that we have had to be apart of their lives, and ministry, here in Durango.

As we look to the future, and what the Lord has for us, we are excited to see where the Lord will take us.  We don’t know where we will be, or what we will be doing, but there is peace in the journey as we look to God for His ways, and His thoughts.

As we close this update, our prayer is the prayer of Paul’s in Ephesians 1:1720;

“We are asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.

We pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called.

We want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people.

We pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him.  This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.”

May our days be filled with the passionate pursuit of Jesus, as we continue to discover that He is our all in all!

For His Glory and By His Grace

Ryan

This past weekend, we had a church from San Antonio arrive to help do things around our church.  The pastor, of the group that arrived, spoke on the passage listed below.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus”  - Philippians 4:6-7

Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines anxious as this;

“Greatly concerned or solicitous, respecting something future or unknown; being in painful suspense; applied to persons; as, to be anxious for the issue of battle.”

Let’s be honest.  That passage is a great one to meditate on daily!  The cares, struggles, and trails of this life, have a tendency to choke out the peace of God, if we don’t take them to Him, in prayer.

For us, it’s no different.  Mexico is saturated with drug related violence, and if we allow ourselves to dwell on what is going on around us, or what “could” happen, then we lose focus on maintaining our eyes on Jesus, and bringing everything to Him.

This past week brought ample opportunity for us to make sure that our perspective was focused on the right target, as a spike in drug related activity increased in, and around, Durango.  Thankfully,  none of our missionaries were in harms way, but the situation provided itself with the opportunity for us to take all our cares, and worries, to the Lord in prayer, and you know what happen?  That’s right;

“…the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus!”

Thanks for visiting, and may the passionate pursuit of Jesus be our driving force, as we pilgrimage through this world on our way to be with Him!

For His Glory and By His Grace

Ryan

“Yahweh is my shepherd, I lack nothing”  - Psalm 23:1

Is it just me, or are you perplexed as to where January and February went?  I am convinced that they were stolen, and replaced with March….where does the time go?  Maybe on vacation!

As we begin our march through March, we find ourselves resting and rejoicing in where God has us.  Mexico, ministry and life all look different then what we thought three years ago, but as David proclaimed, in the verse above, when Yahweh is our shepherd, we lack nothing!  Think about that.  In our fast-food, consumer culture, very rarely will you hear someone say, “I lack nothing”.  The latest Blackberry, Xbox 360 game, CD, car, or clothes, often times leaves both Christian and non-Christians alike, standing there proclaiming, “If only I had that…”.  Circumstances often times as well, are areas of our lives where we feel as though we have “missed” something, when things don’t seem to be going according to plan, or when circumstances seem less then desirable.  However, a proper perspective often times brings us back to reality and to truth.  We, as missionaries, are not immune to that type of thinking, and there have been times, over the course of the last three years, when we have thought, “What are we doing?”.  Drug related violence here in Mexico, moving to a different city, and changes in ministry are all things that have caused us to lose perspective at times, however the Lord has been faithful to draw our attention back to Him, and like David, we can proclaim, “We lack nothing.”

As we continue through 2011, may our desire and aim be that of Paul’s, found in Philippians 3:8-14;

v8. “…I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ
v9. and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,
v10. that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;
v11. in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
v12. Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
v13. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
v14. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Thanks for stopping by, and we’ll see you again, real soon!

For His Glory and By His Grace
Ryan