Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo is tomorrow! Our house loves Mexican culture, and Mexican food in particular. We are planning for lunch and dinner at our 2 of our restaurantes favoritos. People often confuse Cinco de Mayo with Mexico's Independence Day, which is actually September 16. Cinco de mayo is mainly observed in the United States, partly for its signifance in American History... On May 5, 1862, Napolean's matchless army suffered a surprising and devastating defeat in Mexico during the Battle of Puebla. As a result of the heavy loss, it is believed that France was unable to provide aid to the Confederate Army in their war against the North in the United States. The North then defeated the South at Gettysburg fourteen months later, bringing an end to the Civil War. Cinco de Mayo is thus a celebration of Mexican heritage in the United States.

A Powerful Story from Mexico

Less than 2 weeks ago, I received an email from Sergio, who lives in Amarillo, Texas. I've had the great pleasure of being a follow participant with this Chilean-born man of God on missions in 3 different countries through International Commission. I had previously asked Sergio to record and share with me the story of him ministering to a man shortly before his death while we were in Mexico last year. Here is Sergio's written account:

"But the daughter of the man would not allowed any faith to come to his house much less witness to him.
However, during his stay at the hospital his daughter who attends the church we were working with asked me and the other pastor to go see him at the hospital for a visit.She mentioned that he might not allow us to talk with him but we could try.
During the visit, the dad was ready to hear the gospel -I believe the Lord ordained the visit and prepared his and our hearts. As we told him about Jesus and shared the goodness of our Lord.He accepted Christ into his heart- we witness a supernatural change in his being. His face was glowing , he looked happy. I shared with him that I truly felt that the Angel of the Lord would soon be coming for Him.I repeated that to him and for him not to be afraid when they come for him. Just go with them I said.When you close your eyes for the last time, I said. You will opened them in the presence of God.No more tears or pain but everlasting joy. That evening, after I got thru preaching, the daughter come to me at 9:40 pm." I just received a call from the Hospital that dad passed way!"
She sadly stated. She went on how happy she was that after all these years her dad gave his life to God and now is in heaven.
I thought how great is His love for us. His grace and mercy that He wants none to perish. I will never forget His testimony. I still use this in my preaching to let people know that you never know when when your life will end and how much God loves them."

It was God's timing that this testimony from Sergio came to me again when it did, more than a year after I first heard it. For me it was like a cup of spiritual water for a thirsty soul.

Sergio concluded his email by saying , "...perhaps this holiday season you could share it with your family and friends as a True Christmas story and the reason for the season."

Spanish and Mandarin Most Logical Second Languages

During a kayaking trip last year, my friend Seth and I were discussing our individual efforts at learning Mandarin and Spanish respectively.

While I'm by no means done learning Spanish, I have in recent weeks considered studying a third language to the point of being capable of at least a basic level of communication. While I've seen Mandarin as the next logical choice for me, I've felt that I should search for information and opinions on the relative merits of various languages before selecting one and comitting myself to the overwhelming task of studying it...

After briefly reading a handful of wiki pages, articles, and other sites today, I'm still presently at the conclusion that Spanish and Mandarin make the most sense. I look first at the incredible time and effort that it takes to learn a second language. I would propose that in the time/effort it takes to become truly *fluent* in a language, you could get a Masters Degree in something very useful. Therefore, for me, the language I study needs to be worth it.

I found an article that I really like, in which the author explains why he believes Spanish or Mandarin should be the first choice for an American when picking an initial second language to learn. http://johnaugust.com/2009/spanish-or-mandarin

Here are the criteria that he used to decide which language(s) ought to be learned first:
1. Number of people who speak it worldwide
2. Usefulness in daily life
3. Usefulness in international business or travel
4. Availability of media in that language
5. Applicability to future language learning
6. Economic power of native speakers

The author explains how some of those points tend to favor Mandarin over Spanish, and vice versa.

At the end, he challenges people to respond and make a case why a language other than Spanish or Mandarin should be the first to learn. I enjoyed reading the feeback he received from people. Although some of the responses were less than helpful, others were thought-provoking. At this point, I'm of the opinion that Spanish and Mandarin are the two most worthwhile language pursuits for me personally. However, I'm still going to look into this a bit further.

Wednesday in Pátzcuaro

Today was a relatively slow day in terms of visitations, but there
were 9 professions of faith, including 4 from the evening service
during which Lila talked about the Great Commission in Matthew 28.
Thankfully, it seems that God has provided a lot for us to do
tomorrow.

Thank you for your prayers!

Tuesday in Pátzcuaro

One remarkable thing to mention at this point in the trip is the story of what God has done with Claudia. It was she and her
husband who came forward in profession of faith on Sunday night.  Since
then, she has been an absolute warrior for Christ, taking us to share
with her parents, aunts, and neighbors.

Monday in Pátzcuaro

The pastor initially informed the 3 of us this morning at breakfast that we had only 25 appointments for the week (that is an average of less than 2 appointments per weekday for each international participant). I was very concerned at the time, but God has done marvelous things today to open avenues to share the gospel, and I am trusting in Him for what remains to come this week.  Please pray for God to continue bringing more opportunities, and for all involved to be good stewards of the time He has given us to labor together here together in Pátzcuaro for the sake of Christ and the Gospel.

The 3 of us split ways this afternoon.  Paul and Lila went with the pastor's daughter to the town of Ihuatzio where they visited the aunt and grandmother of a church member.

I went with Pastor Davíd to a center for rehabilitation of alcoholics and drug addicts.  There God gave me the opportunity to share my testimony with a group of at least 20 men.  Despite the contrary tone set by one outspoken man, about 5 of the men openly indicated that they now believe that Jesus Christ has saved them from their sins after calling out to God in a prayer of repentance and faith in Jesus  as their Savior.

The man who came forward at the service last night came forward with his wife.  I did not learn until today that both of them made professions of faith that day.  Tonight we went in with them to visit the wife's parents.  Paul shared his personal testimony and I translated with the help of the pastor who also knows some English.  After walking them through some questions, some scriptures, and a prayer, both of the parents put their faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins.  Tears ran down the mother's face.  It was so wonderful to see the two new believers from Sunday there along with us, and hear the man rejoice about his in-laws' new faith.

Praise God that He is doing here in Mexico what seemed impossible.  I too started to be concerned after talking with the local believers that many of the people here might be too hardened in empty religion to be reachable.  God has again proven Himself mighty to save beyond all human comprehension.  He continues to be faithful, and even when our faith is weak.  I believe that prayer has an enormous role in this miraculous work of God, and I want to thank you for all of your prayers.

Sunday in Pátzcuaro

I want to thank my family and friends for your prayers. Thank you so much!

Paul, Lila (from Venezuela), and I are here in Pátzcuaro for the week.
It is a town of immense culture and unique beauty.  It has an
altitude of over 7,100 ft., compared with Denver at 5,280.

There is much tourism here, particularly this time a year, as
Pátzcuaro is known around the world for its special attention to the
observance of the Day of the Dead, a holiday in Spanish speaking
countries that is similar in concept to Memorial day, but often
appears a lot more like Halloween and is celebrated the day after
(11/1), primarily by Catholics.

Paul preached at this morning's service on Who Jesus Is (Matthew
16:13-20), and a man in the front made a profession of faith at the
end of the message.

I am planning to speak at the service this evening.  My hope is to
share what God has done elsewhere on these projects and encourage them
for the coming week in which we will be visiting their friends and
family members who are lost.

Opening Rally Day in Morelia

We are all here in the city of Morelia, the capital of the state of Michoacán, for the opening rally.  The city is amazingly clean and filled with beautiful old architecture, including large cathedrals and an old, tall stone aqueduct running through the downtown area.  The city is bustling with people doing all sorts of activities.

We stayed last night in the Hotel Las Americas.  This morning, we went from there to one of the churches in Morelia that is participating, something Divino Baptist, and there we had breakfast. The opening rally was to be held there at 3pm.

Local IMB missionary assured us this area is pretty safe.  Said that teens had came recently from the U.S. and stayed out till 2am.

Before lunch, 5 of us, including Paul, Sergio and I, decided to take a walk from the church into the city before the opening rally that was to happen there at 3pm.

We met a guy named Adam at a major plaza.  He was from England originally, and we found him as he was sitting on a bench playing guitar and singing in English.  After videoing him I gave him a small tip and we started talking to him.  He asked where we were all from and what we were doing.  He mentioned he is Jewish and stated that people didn't like the Jews, particularly in Europe.  I sat down on the bench with him as we were talking.  I asked him since he was a Jew if he believed in the Messiah.  Turns out he was unsure about anything, and he had a lot to say.  Although he seemed disturbed or troubled in some way, and possibly ill, he also seemed very intellectual.  He claimed to have read the gospels and he demonstrated knowledge of them.  He believed there is truth in the Bible, but said he had found things that he felt didn't add up, like Jesus saying you had to hate your mother and your father.  We tried to address his concern, we shared our faith with him.  He said he wanted to trust in Jesus but he needed to do some more searching first so that his decision came from the right place, a genuine faith.  Sergio led him in a prayer.  We are not sure where his heart is now.  However he came back and had a meal with us at the church before leaving for a concert he was playing in.  While there he conversed with a leading lady at the church about coming to church and also helping this week as a translator.  They even exchanged contact info.  Turns out he lives very near the church though we met him quite far from it.

Met the pastor of the church that Paul and I are going to work with in the city of Pátzcuaro, about 40 minute drive from Morelia. We went with Pastor Dávid after the rally to Pátzcuaro. This town is amazing. Turns out that it is a tourist location, and it is absolutely filled with rich beauty and culture. Paul and I were very blessed to be sent here. The pastor showed us around the town. Out hotel, his church, and the 3 plazas where all the activity is are all within walking distance downtown. It is like being in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, but with even more culture.

Prayer Needed for the Trip to Mexico

We are leaving Friday for the mission trip to Mexico. I would like to ask family, friends, and fellow believers to please partner with me in prayer, both this week and in the coming week of the trip.

Please pray for the trip. Please pray that God will:
1) prepare the churches there for His work
2) prepare the hearts of the people that we will be reaching-out to
3) prepare those of us who are going as His witnesses
4) give each us a spirit of love, humility, kindness, patience, and peace
5) put the truth of the Gospel on our lips and keep us from preaching any falsehood
6) work in a mighty way through this trip and bring salvation to many

I have a few special prayer needs of my own. Prepare pray for me that God will:
1) let me go without anxiety about what needs to be finished at work
2) prepare the message(s) for me to share if I am asked to speak at a service
3) let my kids be on their best behavior for their mother while I'm away
4) give me peace, clarity, and assurance for the doing of His work on this trip
5) keep me focused faithfully on Him and on showing love to everyone I encounter
6) keep me from losing anything (i.e. passport)

Thank you so very much for your prayers. They really are very important. I believe that God will hear them, and they will make a difference.

In Christ,

Kris

I decided to make a commitment to go to Mexico with International Commission in October of this year. I feel like God has really opened the door for me to go. I mentioned the trip to Stacy and she said, "Put it on your calendar." My wife's eager support and her peace with it was a real confirmation for me.

The coordinator is a man named Bob, who served in the same city that Lynn and I did when we were all in Venezuela together on a previous project with IC.

This trip is to the state of Michoacán, in the southwestern part of Mexico. Bob says that they may need me in one of two cities: Tumbiscatío or Zacapu.

Tumbiscatío


Zacapu


Please pray for this project, and for my role as a participant. Please pray that God will prepare the people there in Mexico to hear the message that He has for them, and that he will prepare me to serve Him faithfully on this project in whatever He may have planned.

How Were Visitations Carried-Out in Nicaragua?

We visited people in a variety of places throughout the city of Managua, including homes, businesses, at the hospital, and on the streets. One or more members of the church were responsible for leading us to each location and introducing us to one or more people that needed to hear the Gospel. After a brief introduction, we usually started by reading the testimony of one of the foreign participants (i.e. Paul and I). When Paul and I went out together, we usually used his personal testimony because it speaks to people in Latin America who may relate to Paul's Catholic upbringing. After sharing our testimony, we asked the person a series of questions about their own beliefs (i.e. Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins?). During that process, we shared some scriptures to present the Gospel message from the Bible, and we ultimately asked them about their desire to receive salvation in Jesus Christ. Those who wanted to put their trust in Christ that day were led in a prayer to God in which they acknowledged to Him their sinfulness, expressed repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, and asked God to take control of their lives, and to help them live for Jesus. For those who prayed such a prayer and afterwards acknowledged their belief and their decision to accept Christ, we then collected their name and contact information to ensure that the local church will be able to follow-up with them and help lovingly guide them in their first steps as a new believer, including Baptism.

Photos from Nicaragua Posted on Flickr

Tonight I uploaded 40 photos from Nicaragua to Flickr. I hope you enjoy them. I am sure there will be more uploaded as I continue sorting through them this week. Below is a link that you can use to access the new pictures on Flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/krisandstacy/sets/72157614707059545/

May God bless you!

We are back from Nicaragua!

Our flight home arrived about 12:25 AM Monday morning at the Dallas/Ft. Worth aiport.

Praise God for all the incredible work He has done through this trip to Nicaragua! I thank you all for having kept-up with this blog during the past week so that you could be a pray partner with us during this project. I really I saw God responding to those prayers from the beginning to the end of this trip. Thank you so much, and may you also be blessed with the tremendous joy that He has given me through this project.

I felt God's presence throughout the trip as he guided us, protected us, led us to those who needed Christ, and opened their hearts to hear and repond to the Gospel. I thank God for the marvelous work He did, and for the great weather we had there in Managua that allowed a wonderful week of hard work in the Lord with an atmosphere of unexpected comforts.

It is great to be home now with my wonderful wife and our two beautiful baby boys! I'm SO glad to be back, because I've missed my family dearly.

Please check for new photos attached to the blog entries that you may have already read below. I uploaded some new photos this evening, and I may continue to do so this week.

May God bless you!

Closing Rally in Nicaragua

On our last full day in Nicaragua, the local church where I served took us to a tourist area named Mayasa. It was fantastic! There we enjoyed a breathtaking view of the country's majestic volcanos and enormous lakes. I had the opportunity to ride a horse along a ridge that overlooks the nearby volcano lake.

The experience of God's creation there was exilherating.

That evening we went to the closing rally where project participants from the various nations met together one last time to share testmonials and celebrate what God did in the many church communities throughout Nicaragua where they served that week. There may have been 1000+ people there. Graciela, who also attends church with me back home in Texas, was given the honor of being the onstage translator at that massive event, which was held at the same church in the city of Managua where my team had served all week. That gave me one final opportunity to say good-bye and exchange contact information with some of the dear brothers and sisters in Christ from that church with whom I had served throughout the week.

Final Day of Visitations in Nicaragua

They took four of us to a public hospital this morning after getting an authorization letter. It was one of the most intense experiences of this trip.

A man just outside the hospital doors asked me to share my testimony with him. He prayed to receive salvation in Jesus Christ. He is shown in the photo here, holding a new bible.

Migdalia and Margarita took me first to the Intensive Care Unit. Inside was a man who had tried to kill himself. He looked nearly dead, but he was conscious and able to respond yes to the questions we asked him while leading Him to Christ. We also prayed for a young boy named Cristofer who had very visible abnormalities in his body and nervous system. Before leaving ICU, we joined hands in a circle with the many doctors that were present, and prayed for them and for healing there.

Afterwards, we went into the men's ward. There we led a male patient in his twenties and the woman who was living with him to Christ.

We also went into the women's ward and prayed with some patients and a few of their family members who were very brokenhearted.

Just outside the women's ward there was a woman lying on a metal gurney with a colored towel draped over her. She would writhe in pain from time to time as we stood and ministered to her. After praying to receive salvation in Jesus, she was smiling with joy desite her discomfort.

Later that afternoon we went to the pastor's neighborhood where Migdalia shared my testimony with two young men on the street and led them to Christ.

During the evening church service, local coordinator Sergio came up to me and asked if Paul and I wanted to go on a visitation at that moment. We followed him to the back of the church where we were introduced to a woman who took us to a friend's house to share the gospel. It turned out to be a unique and amazing experience. The woman of the house and the man she was living with had been interested in giving their lives to Christ but told their friend (the church member who brought us) that they wer waiting for the right time. Thankfully God opened her heart that night to respond to the gospel. Just as we were all joining hands to lead her and her tenage daughter in prayer, another family arrived. It looked at first like a distraction from the enemy, but it turned out to be a blessing. the family was visiting Nicaragua from there home in California. The father was bilingual and said he and his family were Baptists. He ultimately helped with translation and gave a wonderful word of spiritual encouragement to the woman after she received Christ. It was amazing to see how God brought together people from different countries and backgrounds and languages who after just meeting each other were instantly cooperating under God's leadership to the same goal of sharing His love in Christ Jesus with that woman.

Paul and I got back to church just in time to share a farewell message with the church congregation at the close of the service. I took the opportunity to tell them what an encouragement they have been to me and what a great job they have done this week. I pointed out specifically an adolescent girl named Rosa Maria who had taken a copy of the witnessing pamphlet with my translated testimony to her house and used it to lead her mother to reconciliation with God in Christ that week. She also had us meet with her brother and a friend after the service and with her help they both were led to Christ also. As we were leaving she mentioned that her father was there to take them home. She had tried to lead him to Christ earlier that week with my testimony, but he had refused. So she, Paul, and I went out to the street and met her dad and she shared Paul's testimony with him, and he was led to Christ.