An unexpected friend

I haven't been writing in this blog for some time. I've wanted to, but probably some big guys with white jackets probably would have showed up at the door to take me away... and rightly so. I guess I thought that since the divorce was final, I could sort of move on, but it hasn't worked that way.

But over the last couple of months, God has been guiding me in ways I never expected. He let me go down, and really far, stripping everything away. Almost forcing me to that place where I could do nothing but cry out to Him. One Wednesday, when I couldn't even get myself across the border to Buenos Aires, I got in my car and just began to drive. I drove, and prayed, and as I drove, my prayers became more and more desperate.

A couple of days later, while I was working on a sermon using Biblegateway, I noticed an advertisement for ChristianCafe. My kids had been saying for some time, "Dad, you need someone to help you around here." But I didn't pay them much attention, because they're always kidding around with me (and vise a versa). Anyway, out of curiosity more than anything, I went to the site, answered some questions, did some looking around, eventually writing back and forth with a few people. But once the conversation got around to missions, the border, or evangelism, things got really quiet and they would drop of the map. But I sensed a growing desire for company, or for someone to be able to talk to about anything and everything. Then one day, noticed someone with no picture, from Nogales on that site. I wrote a simple note, sort of casting out a line, really doubtful about the whole thing anyway. But she wrote back, and thus we have been writing back and forth for a couple of weeks until we were brave enough to try a phone call. Even though almost all of our conversations are in Spanish, we felt very comfortable talking with one another. Finally after a couple of weeks on the phone, we decided we would try a meet at a pizza shop. When I got there, she wasn't there, she stayed in the car, watching from the parking lot to see if I looked scary or not. Finally, she did come out, and we ordered a pizza, but hardly eating at all. Instead we spent almost five hours talking, sharing testimonies, and getting to know one another. A month and a half later, we haven't stopped.

I have wanted to share this sooner, but I guess after twenty three years of marriage, I wasn't sure how this sort of news would be received. But I am at the point now, where I know for sure that God is in this. I'd be a complete fool, blind, deaf and dumb to not see it by now. So, I will begin to make this more and more open now. And I ask for prayer, that our Father will give us wisdom, guidance, and grace so that Alma and myself might be able to discern His will for us.

Spurgeon's Morning Meditation

I just had to include this gem that I found this morning from the prince of preachers. Just what I needed. I hope in blesses you too. 

“And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul.”

1 Samuel 27:1

The thought of David’s heart at this time was a false thought, because he certainly had no ground for thinking that God’s anointing him by Samuel was intended to be left as an empty unmeaning act. On no one occasion had the Lord deserted his servant; he had been placed in perilous positions very often, but not one instance had occurred in which divine interposition had not delivered him. The trials to which he had been exposed had been varied; they had not assumed one form only, but many—yet in every case he who sent the trial had also graciously ordained a way of escape. David could not put his finger upon any entry in his diary, and say of it, “Here is evidence that the Lord will forsake me,” for the entire tenor of his past life proved the very reverse. He should have argued from what God had done for him, that God would be his defender still. But is it not just in the same way that we doubt God’s help? Is it not mistrust without a cause? Have we ever had the shadow of a reason to doubt our Father’s goodness? Have not his lovingkindnesses been marvellous? Has he once failed to justify our trust? Ah, no! our God has not left us at any time. We have had dark nights, but the star of love has shone forth amid the blackness; we have been in stern conflicts, but over our head he has held aloft the shield of our defence. We have gone through many trials, but never to our detriment, always to our advantage; and the conclusion from our past experience is, that he who has been with us in six troubles, will not forsake us in the seventh. What we have known of our faithful God, proves that he will keep us to the end. Let us not, then, reason contrary to evidence. How can we ever be so ungenerous as to doubt our God? Lord, throw down the Jezebel of our unbelief, and let the dogs devour it.

Alfonso Update

Thank you all for praying for Alfonso. He is doing a lot better. But that isn't saying a lot. He still doesn't get around really well. His feet and knees swell up when he walks at all. He still has this persistent head ache in the back of his head and is broke all the time. But his spirits are up. We enjoyed a can of sardines together on Sunday and had a great time of fellowship. Several times now I have thought, "well, this is it. Here goes another saint off to glory." But, the Lord has other ideas, and we thank Him for it. He get a lot of his encouragement knowing that many of you are praying for him. Me too for that matter.

Thank you for your prayers!

Pray for Mexico's Elections

As we pray for our election process going on right now, let's not forget to pray for our neighbors to the south as they are doing the same thing.

"A bomb attack on the offices of the national TV network Televisa in Matamoros in Tamaulipas state on March 25th has raised fears of a resumption of the threats that were aimed against the organizations in the same place in 2010. The latest attack caused only damage and no injuries. However, it occurred in the wake of two other attacks in the same part of northern Mexico, which has a history of violence."
(See Reporters w/o Borders)

Good video from our Sheriff Tony Estrada

Video on Youtube of Sheriff Tony Estrada. Click here to watch.

Driving in and through Nogales

You should defer non-essential travel between the city of Nogales and the cities of Sonoyta and Caborca (which area also includes the smaller cities of Saric, Tubutama, and Altar), defer non-essential travel to the eastern edge of the State of Sonora which borders the State of Chihuahua (all points along that border east of the northern city of Agua Prieta and the southern town of Alamos), defer non-essential travel within the state south of the city of Ciudad Obregon with the exception of travel to Alamos (traveling only during daylight hours and using only the Highway 15 toll road, aka cuota, and Sonora State Road 162), and exercise caution when visiting the coastal town of Puerto Peñasco. Sonora is a key region in the international drug and human trafficking trades, and can be extremely dangerous for travelers.  The region west of Nogales, east of Sonoyta, and from Caborca north, including the towns of Saric, Tubutama and Altar, and the eastern edge of Sonora bordering Chihuahua, are known centers of illegal activity.  U.S. citizens visiting Puerto Peñasco are urged to use the Lukeville, Arizona/Sonoyta, Sonora border crossing, in order to limit driving through Mexico, and to limit travel to main roads during daylight hours. 

Working Together

As we begin the New Year, we started by doing some tearing down so that we could do so rebuilding. Here Gracie and Cesar and I are getting ready to head out to the dump after we cleaned up a shed and carport we tore down. We thank God for providing some work for in us this way, as well as work remodeling a small home, and eventually this carport again. Pray the Lord's leading as to our support for ministry, either by "tent-making" type work, or full time work, or full time ministry through the support of His people.