Mike went to Mexico this past week with a friend, Jon Davis, to work on the sabotaged plumbing pipes in the house. We had to break through the tile, through cement and concrete, find the leaks, take out the old pipes, put in some new pieces, re-solder them and then wait to see if we did the job right. We found several pipes (which you
can see on Jon's blog which were hammered with picks and chisels. It was another opportunity to pray for those who despitefully use us. There were several times where maintaining sanctification was pretty difficult. My study is down below the two bathrooms and there were four places where water was coming through the ceiling. Two of the places had no pipes above them, so we didn't break the floor up there. There was an awful lot of water that flowed out through the broken pipes into that area so we are hoping that the water that is still leaking through is just the water finding the lowest spot and pooling there. The water to the house is now turned off. Once the water stops leaking through the ceiling, Ruben will turn the water back on and see if any more leaks through the ceiling appear. If not, it appears that we will have been successful and then the concrete and tile can be replaced. If there are more leaks, we will have to break up more of the floor. Please pray that the Lord would be gracious in allowing us to have found all of the leaks. It was a very frustrating job.
The other job that we were able to accomplish was putting the laminated wood floor down in the living room. We were able to finish that after one evening of frustration with the panels not wanting to lock. The problem was a very uneven floor. When we got up Saturday morning to do the other half, we seemed to get to a more even part of the floor and it was much faster and easier. We finished in time for Jon to leave for the airport by noon. He was a real blessing to have.Yesterday was a very good Lord's Day. Without a car, Ruben and I took a public transportation bus to church. With my tie and sweater I felt like a Mormon or a Jehovah's Witness. Ruben and I decided that I would preach the SS hour (instead of their regular lesson) and then he would preach the morning service and administer the Lord's Table. It felt very very weird to be back in the pulpit there again. There are about 10-12 people that are new that I had never met before. There were about 60 total people I would guess. Ruben told me of several people that were there who have been very sporadic this year. I'm sure that some of them came just because they heard that I was going to be there.
Being in church on Wednesday night and yesterday was a real blessing. Ruben and Heidi have done an excellent job this year and the people have grown in the Lord. He has an excellent pastor's heart and I do not believe our church could have been in any better hands. I am thankful to the Lord for Ruben, for the church people and their faithfulness, and ultimately to the Lord Himself for His faithfulness to His church.
Many of you may not know this but Heidi had to fly home last Tuesday to Indianapolis due to very poor health. Please pray for her to be able to recuperate. Ruben and Heidi both have loved being in Mexico this year and would like to stay and serve the Lord there somewhere if He would allow that. Please pray for the Lord's grace and healing of Heidi's body if that is His will and for His very clear direction and guidance to them.
If you would pray for something that may not be a big deal to you but will be to our children we will appreciate it. Our German Shepherd dog Zack was either stolen or run over recently. He often leaves our property to explore short distances but has always come back. He left about a week before I arrived in Mexico last week and never came back. That will be pretty hard on the kids as he's been a very good dog and protector.
We are planning on leaving this coming Saturday morning, going west to Chicago and then heading south. We plan on visiting Faith's sister Jan in Florida and a cousin in Mississippi. We have a lot to pack this week, and a lot of miles to drive. We appreciate your prayers in this very hectic time.
The Lord is our help and strength, a very present help in trouble. We aren't in much trouble right now, but life is very hectic. The Lord is our help and strength in the midst of hecticness.
Thank you again for your prayers,
In Christ's service and love,
Mike, Faith, Mikey, Cristiana, Carissa, Matthew, Cherith and ?
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