Okay, that title might be a bit of an exaggeration, but perhaps to Mike, who was anxious to get home to Faith, it might seem like a reality. I have never written an article for a blog before, so forgive me if I seem out of my element. I'm not even sure where to start, so I suppose I will start from the beginning. John 1:1...okay, maybe not that far back.
I was asked in late December if I would be interested in flying to Mexico, working on Mike’s house for a few days, and then driving from Mexico City back to Ohio. I was skeptical at first that this would be something that the Lord would have me do, but I told Pastor Brown that I would pray about it. With much prayer and the details all seeming to come together, by late January, it was a go.
The Lord worked it out that the Zartmans (Reuben and Heidi, the furlough replacements) and I would be on the same plane from Houston to Mexico City. Just one of the many ways the Lord showed His sovereignty and blessing during this trip. This saved Mike from making two trips to the airport that week. While on the plane from Houston to Mexico City, an interesting thing happened. I saw a rough looking Latino man with a spider tattooed to his neck. I could only see him from the shoulders up at first as he was inching forward down the aisle of people. As he got closer I noticed a book in his hand; Rick Warren’s "The Purpose Driven Life." While I in no way support that book, it did get me thinking that this man could have just as easily had a Bible in his hand. It was a reminder not to prejudge the Mexicans based on their appearance.
I am not crazy about flying, but that also was something that the Lord used to teach me. As I had much time to think on the plane, two thoughts kept echoing in my mind. The first is that Christ endured three hours of having the sin of the world (including my own) placed upon Him on the cross, so it is silly for me not to be willing to endure something unpleasant for Him for less than three hours. The second thought was that the Lord often uses unpleasant circumstances to fit us for a particular task. If we can endure that unpleasantness (flying in this case), God can put us in a great place of service, such as Mexico City.
Upon arrival in Mexico City, immediately after kissing the ground (I didn’t actually kiss the ground, but I could have), I found Reuben and Heidi. I was happy to have them to follow since I knew nothing of the procedure in the airport. Another blessing was that we all received green lights as we went through customs, and therefore we did not need to have our things more closely scrutinized.
When we left the airport in the van, and I got my first look at Mexico City, what struck me most was the sensuality that is paraded throughout the city. I couldn’t help thinking that this was either as openly immoral or even more so than the typical U.S. City. There are sinners that need the Lord everywhere. I did not have a lot of time to dwell on that thought fortunately, because the driving in Mexico City is enough to keep your mind off of these things. There seems to be no laws, and it was every man or woman for themselves. And I thought driving in Philadelphia was dangerous. Makes me want to pray more often for safety for our missionaries on the field (especially in Mexico).
I was blessed to attend two services at Iglesia Biblica de Padierna. Since I know very little Spanish, I wasn’t expecting to get much out of the preaching, however, God worked it out that Mike would be preaching two passages of which I am very familiar. On Wednesday night, he spoke on John 17 (Christ’s high-priestly prayer) and on Sunday he spoke on II Corinthians 4 (a chapter I have adopted as my life chapter). Because of the familiarity of the text, I was able to follow along and get something out of the Word. The Lord is good.
Another huge blessing was the hymns. It’s an encouragement to think of these folks singing the same hymns that we sing. The tie that binds Christians truly transcends language. Yes, the songs used words like El Salvador and Christo and Padre, but the message came through loud and clear. We all love the same Savior. I was especially thrilled to hear the brothers and sisters in Christ sing "I Gave My Life for Thee," one of my favorites.
I was also thinking about how when we meet in the air, our bond together will be so much more fully realized because there will no longer be a language barrier, or a sin barrier for that matter. What a day that will be. I often thought that I can be closer to someone from halfway around the world that knows Christ, than to those in my own family that do not. It’s a totally different relationship with a believer (Luke 8:19-21).
While working on Mike’s house, I learned what a cistern is. This will help me when I read Jeremiah (2:13) in that I will know what the purpose of a cistern is (although, I doubt it would be the exact same thing as the underground cisterns that we filled with water). We are blessed to have a cistern of living water that never runs dry (John 4:10). We then got to clean out the underground septic tank. It was just rain water, or so Mike tells me (wink). Mike filled up buckets and I dumped them on him while pulling them up from underground with a rope. By the end, I was almost brown enough to pass for a Mexican. Good thing there are no pictures.
From Mike’s roof, you can see out over Mexico City. It is very beautiful at night. There are more lights than anyone could possibly count. It seems somewhat ironic that with all of these lights throughout Mexico City that there is so little Gospel light there. Mexico City could sure use prayer for laborers as most places could (Matthew 9:37-38).
The final day of our stay in Mexico City included the Sunday School and church service hours and a comida (meal) afterwards. It was really great to see all of the people in the church (50+) getting along well and serving one another. As Mike and his family are on furlough, we really need to pray for the Lord’s protection of this work and His work in the people's hearts. Reuben and Heidi Zartman would covet your prayers as well.
The Lord had a few more things to teach me on the way home. I was introduced to an incredible preacher (Albert Martin) as we listened to a sermon series on the Contemporary Gospel. While I don't agree with his eschatological position (last things), I believe his soteriology (doctrine of salvation) is very respectable. I also learned that Mike is serious about a literal interpretation of Scripture. Hebrews 11:6 "But without Faith it is impossible to please him." So he married Faith. It shouldn’t have surprised me since he has spent some time with Pastor Perry, who I have often wondered if he took Exodus 38:26 "A bekah for every man..." literally too. I'm kidding of course.
As we were driving home, I mentioned to Mike that the Lord has been good on this trip and that everything has gone well. He responded "So if things went wrong the Lord wouldn’t be good?" It was a short answer and he may not even remember saying this, but it really got me thinking. The truth is the Lord is good no matter what. That is one of the great things about serving the God that we serve. He is always good. He always does what is right. It was a rebuke to me, but a well needed one.
Okay I have rambled long enough. It is my prayer that something that I have learned on this trip, might help someone else. That is the whole point in sharing these things. We all have different experiences. We need to learn from one another. The Lord was good in allowing me to have this opportunity, and the Lord would be good if He did not as well. Praise His holy name.
Aaron Jaffee
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