Shrimp tamales...what next?

Just when we think we have seen it all, we get yet another surprise. One evening, we had become quite tired of studying and needed a break. Not only did we need a break, we also needed some practice speaking our Spanish we were learning. So, we went outside to see what aunti and uncle were doing. Uncle was sitting sedately on the porch just watching aunti in her kitchen.

Her kitchen is outdoors under a thatched roof. It is where uncle starts the fire every time she is ready to cook. It is where the laundry is done, the dishes are washed, and food is prepared in small or large quantity. The so called “house” is really only a bedroom with a bed, television, a dresser, some nails to hang up clothes and other assorted necessities, and with boxes for storing this and that under the bed or anywhere on the floor something else isn’t taking up the space. There are chairs but they are outside as much or more than inside as they even watch tv from outside on the porch where a breeze might blow and cool them off a bit.

So, John sat down with uncle on the porch and watched me enter the kitchen with aunti. She had a basket of small live shrimp and a bowl of green sauce into which she was putting handfuls of these shrimp. She continued to push them under the green liquid until they gave up surfacing. She proudly told us about going to the nearby river and netting in the shrimp. She showed us the bag of them in the freezer and another bag in the refrigerator that had already been boiled. But, the shrimp she was drowning in the sauce were neither boiled nor dead. We visited for some time and then headed back to the books.

Today, when we reached home, she came running saying, “esperame” which means “wait for me”. She grabbed up a pretty clear glass bowl and grabbed a handful of tamales to put in it. Yes, you guessed. They were shrimp tamales made from their home grown and ground corn and those shrimp that had succumbed to the thick herbal chili sauce.

John didn’t feel too inclined to try them. I pulled the whole shrimp out and ate the tamales. They were very tasty!

When in doubt, pull the bugs out and eat the rest!

Tetepelcingo outreach

Danbi the piper

hand weaving loom

Tetepelcingo interpreter

Our Spanish classes were invited to go to a nearby village for weekend  ministry. It was a three hour drive, only 45 minutes off the highway.  Quite a few of the mountain roads will not yet be passable after the monsoon
rains. There are, in fact, rains still falling, especially in the
mountains. We traveled to Tetepelcingo on Friday afternoon and returned on  Saturday afternoon. It rained hard Friday night and it rained part of the  way traveling back so we traversed some flash flooding across the roads and  wallowed through some soft sandy beds in places. The ministry for the  Spanish school students was to the children. Of all the places we have been  yet, I believe this had the most children. They were not as bashful or  reticent as most. They were fully ready and waiting for us to come. We had  songs we learned, skits, stories, and games. We spent time with them both  Friday evening and Saturday and it was well we didn't have anymore days than  that as they had far more energy than all of us combined.

The clinic was open both that evening and the next day as well but, there weren't as many clinic personnel as usual so John and I enjoyed sitting in some of the consultations to listen and to pray. There were four mini offices made of sheets hanging from strings tied to the walls inside the church building. Three were for consultation, one was for prayer, then the front held the pharmacy and waiting room. Though we only had a few that came, we had some serious cases. I viewed one lady's endoscopy and the
cancer that she has in her stomach. She was in her sixties and is coming to church regularly, claims to have received Christ, and is for sure receiving prayer and encouragement from the body of Christ. Praise God for that.
Another lady had high blood pressure which was causing several other uncomfortable side issues. Her greatest infirmity, we found out, was that she had lost three of her family members, her husband, a daughter, and a son. These weren't recent deaths but the grief of them was staying with her constantly. She told us she had headaches and that her eyes hurt from crying so much. She needs Jesus.

Tetepelcingo children

We are thankful for the opportunity we had to share the love of Jesus with these people, to cry with them, to hug them, to play with their children.
Though many of them could not speak Spanish, let alone English, love, music,
fun, and medical care transcends all language barriers. We did have a safe
trip, a good nights sleep, and good food with no ill effects as well. Thank
you for reading this and for sharing in the rewards of God's kingdom through
your continued support.

Mariachis? Nothing draws like music.

Mexico History



The day of September 15, Mexico celebrated the biggest one of its independence days. The independence from Spain. We have had a history lesson, and several cultural lessons related to this, spoken to us at Spanish school this week. They give us better understanding of the country and its people. It is a history full of wars, violence, political and religious struggles for power from several countries and among its own people groups. The French were here. The Spaniards were here. There were emperors. There were presidents. There were dictators. There were popes. For years, the turnover of power happened so often and each were so radically different, that it was chaos. It is not unlike our own history in many ways.

But, there is one very big difference. “One nation under God”. We have had the supreme privilege of living in a country where the reigning belief has been in a supreme God whose very supremacy has brought hope, abundance, a general unity, and morality among other things. That has never been available to the country of Mexico.

We met a man who grew up here in the state of Oaxaca, lived 30 years in the USA, met Jesus there, and is now compelled to return to his home, his country, his people. Why? Because he realizes the great darkness they live in, the great hopelessness, the great poverty of body, soul, and spirit. He told of his childhood when the priests would tell them the Good Book said “blessed is the man who is poor…he will inherit heaven”, and so they were taught poverty, that it was good. They were and are still being told that the Bible which missionaries carry is an evil book; that missionaries do witchcraft and are full of demons. Yet, their priest stands holding the same Good Book and speaking from it to the people, according to what the Church allows him to teach.

He told of how no foreigner could ever enter their villages without being beaten or shot. Even Mexican people from other cities were not accepted to live in other villages. Fear ruled and reigned and the law was within each village to take care of their own with whatever violence was necessary. He’s talking about situations only 40 years ago and these same conditions are still being found today in the mountain villages. The same lies are being told to and believed by the people.

Rueben, Spanish teacher and family

Another young man, a teacher of ours, has been relating sad political news to us this week as its has been burdening his heart. Of the huge teachers’ strikes that leave children without teachers for months. Of mountain villages where there are no teachers or schools. Of a people who have no hobbies so that when the week of work is finished for the men, they have only drinking to turn to. And for them, there is little to no stopping till they are drunk which leaves their family poverty stricken. Of the six large drug cartels that are fighting everywhere to gain the most power, including power of the government, and in the midst of the struggle are killing many innocent people. You’ve heard some of this in the news recently. He told the same stories of lies being spoken to the people that missionaries are really witches come to cast curses and fill people with demons.

Hey, this may be a modern world, but there are still a large number of people that do not know that. You may think that there are way too many missionaries who have gone or are going to Mexico, but there are still so many who have never heard the truth or been set free from their terrors by night and by day. There are too many languages, too many remote places still ruled by historic views and beliefs. There is still a very great need, a very great harvest.

There is another war coming. It is a spiritual war, full of fire and full of fight and God is setting up His people in preparation for it; to set free His bride in Mexico, especially the part of His bride that is present in Oaxaca, Mexico.

This year, Roca Blanca has the largest number of students going through the intense bible training. One of our sweet friends, who previously was a worker at the Guest House, is now in bible school and is glowing with the greatness and gladness of what he is learning and experiencing. A broken, wounded pastor and wife are here in training, thrilled to be hearing greater and deeper things, to be healing and preparing for the promotion the Lord has for them. Two doctors have left their practices for the year to receive discipleship at bible school. Lots of very young people and a number of older adults are here together, crowding every available space on the Base and renting every available room in Cacalote, to come together and eat from the same table of both physical and spiritual food.

What an exciting privilege and opportunity to be here, training ourselves in the Spanish language, preparing for the spiritual breakthroughs that God has for this state and this people in this time and this place. Watch and Pray! Watch and Pray! See the day of the Lord that is coming! See the release of the prisoners, the freedom of the captives that will take place here! See the powers of darkness that WILL BE overcome because…”THUS SAYS THE LORD”.