¡Bueno!
What an amazing month it has been! I have finished my Spanish class, and will start with a tutor soon. I have preached several times in Spanish, and although my Spanish is not good it is improving. It has been very strange times that I have thoughts in Spanish! I have finally gotten to layout a weekly schedule and it has been nice to have some order in a world of chaos here. We go to the park in La Merced on Thursdays where we feed the homeless, drug addicts, and prostitutes. It is such a difficult ministry because you don’t see much fruit, but we are seeing some. There is a guy named Josué that I talk to each week, and we have really become friends. I was really encouraged one week when we walked up and he yelled at me wanting me to come where he was. I looked at Kristy and said “you know you have status when a homeless guy knows your name”. =) Every week when we go to the park he is high from sniffing glue, but the last two weeks he has stopped using it in the afternoons, so we have been able to have a reasonable conversation. I know that doesn’t sound like a big thing, but it is a start. There is also a lady Kristy has been talking with on Thursdays, and a few weeks ago Kristy gave her a bible, not knowing whether she would read it or not, but the next week she came up really excited and said “Did you know that the bible is the sword of God”. She had been reading in Ephesians, but this last week she was high and didn’t look so well. This last week they asked me to preach so I did, and I preached on biblical regeneration, and how salvation is not about praying a prayer, but Jesus radically changing your life. There were a lot of people who mocked me and told me to shut up, but the gospel will accomplish its purpose. This past Saturday we went to the santa muerte church in Tepito, and were given an opportunity to share the gospel with the lady who erected the first idol in 1985. The muerte cult is going hugely, and has now reached the United States. This lady got angry with us and told me I was not to preach there that it is her territory and I had the whole world to preach in , but not there. She also said that those were her people and that I am not to talk with them. I told her that because of my faith I have to preach to these people, and that they are not hers, or that it is not her land but Gods. I also go once a week and reason with the priest of the muerte church about three blocks down the street that I live on. I have reasoned with him that there is no basis anywhere for the muerte, and that it really is ignorant to worship such vileness. They have just erected a new idol in their church and they are calling it “angeló de muerte” which means “angel of death”. He has written a book trying to prove that she is in the bible; he pulls verses out that talk about the angel of death. Before the muerte church had no logic, but now they are trying to establish some, and I believe this new idol will be the next big thing here. I ask that you begin to pray that the Lord will crush this idol quickly, and that it will not be given validity here. It is so sad to see two and three year old babies wearing a santa muerte around their neck. I am so excited that in a few days the group from Grace will be here, and that I will once again get to serve alongside my brothers and sisters.
Food for thought:
I have been preaching through Romans here at our church, and came to verse 5 in chapter 1 “through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of His name among the nations,”. My first thought is “What is grace?” Jonathan Edwards once said “Grace is the pleasure of God to magnify the worth of God, by giving sinners the right and the power to delight in God without obscuring the glory of God.” God is at the center of grace! If He were not, and He displayed grace primarily for the sake of humanity it would be idolatry on His part, for He would be placing something above Himself, and He would no longer be God. The verse says “through whom”. Jesus is our propitiation, and did not merely give Himself as a ransom to make salvation available, but He accomplished the work of salvation on the cross. Jesus doesn’t bring people to a place where they can be saved, He saves them. Not only is it impossible for a dead man to take part in salvation, it is dangerous. If salvation is 99.99% God, and .01% man we die and go to hell. G. S. Bishop said “Grace is the provision for men who are so fallen that they cannot lift the axe of justice, so corrupt that they cannot change their own natures, so averse to God that they cannot turn to Him, so blind that they cannot see Him, so deaf they cannot hear Him, and so dead that He Himself must open their graves and lift them into resurrection.” So many times we have taken Gods sovereign work of grace and reduced it to a two minute presentation. The purpose of grace is not to get someone to heaven, but “for the sake of His name among the nations,”. As humans we are merely to reflect the attributes of God that He displays in our lives. The whole purpose in creation is that God would see His reflection and delight in Himself. When God created the tree and said “It is good” He was not saying that the tree itself is good, but His works being displayed. All creation is for the pleasure of God, and we as created beings, and some as created in Christ Jesus, are all for the pleasure of God. How is this truth practical…Some see this truth and say that God is unfair, but rest assured there is no injustice with God. As I walk up and down these streets sharing the gospel I know this; the gospel will accomplish its work. A missionary here asked me what my strategy is, and I told him that I preach the gospel. It is the power of God for salvation, and it will have its way with people. Like I said above, Jesus didn’t come to make salvation available, but to save people. He is good at what He does.
Prayer requests:
-We have a group arriving here on the 21st, and leaving the 28th. Pray that God would use them to accomplish His work.
-Pray for the work in the park La Merced.
-Pray for the people involved in the santa muerte.
-Pray for my sister in Guam. The Lord is using her in huge ways.
-Pray for our church here in our house. It is called Iglesia Manantial De Vida.
-Pray that the Lord would send more teams down here to work and catch a vision.
-We need a van, pray for the Lords provision if He wills it.
Thank you all for your prayers and support in the work of Sing for Joy here in Mexico City.
Grace and peace to you,
Jonathan Murdock
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
One Month Update
Hola!
I made it through the first month! I am sorry that I haven’t updated in a week or so, but this week has been so busy! It has been a great week, but so busy. I didn’t go to school on Monday because the IMB missionary asked if I would lead a team from the States around the city prayer walking, so I got to skip school. We went to one of the large churches here where they have a huge celebration coming up on December the 12th. Please be in prayer for that time, people will be crawling on their knees as an offering to Mary. I had a good time, but it made me miss Grace and the truth that is taught there concerning missions and the doctrine of the church. Then Tuesday Paco asked me if I wanted to miss school again to go feed homeless people and drug addicts, so I did go and missed school again. It was such a great time! My heart has been so broken for the people here who worship the santa muerte. There was a homeless man there that had a muerte necklace on and God placed upon my heart to go and talk with him. I began asking him why he worships the muerte because Jesus has killed death and it is going to send him to hell. We talked for almost 30 minutes and he confessed that he is so afraid of the muerte and what she will do to him if he does not worship her. There was a cologne bottle laying in the street so I picked it up and asked him to worship it and he told me no that it would be foolish to do so, so I asked him what the difference was in him worshiping the muerte, and he began to get very uncomfortable as he came to an understanding of the ignorance of serving something carved by the hands of a wretched man. At the end of our conversation I asked him if he would give me his necklace and he said “No! It’s my muerte!” My heart sunk. Who is this god that can be possessed buy a human, that can be contained in the form of a skeleton on a string? He was so fearful of this little piece of metal. Sin has such a hold on these people! Thursday as we were in the park feeding the homeless, prostitutes, and druggies I met three guys that were all worshipers of the muerte. I feel like if there is anyone within a mile of where I am the Lord will allow our paths to cross. My heart was so broken for these men so I walked up very boldly and asked why they would worship something made by evil men? I think they were a little taken back by my boldness, but the Lord opened a huge door for me to reason with these men. I got myself in a little deeper than my Spanish could handle, not to mention that I was so fired up and just couldn’t contain it anymore, so I had to ask Kristi to come translate. Kristi is a missionary here, has lived here for six years, and has such a heart for the people on the street. She has also been such a blessing because her Spanish is very good, and she has been so willing to help translate for me. So she came and helped me with these guys. I spoke the truth very boldly to them wanting them to realize the how stupid it is to serve such vileness! I told them that the muerte is based on conditional love in that they believe she tells them that if they do something for her than she will give them stuff, and that God is a God of agape love. One of the guys at this point realized the truth of the muerte, but because of his fear was not willing to crush that idol in his life. When we got back to the house I asked Kristi how she thought it went, and she said she thought well, but that she thought I was going to get punched in the face. The Lord is good and has protected me so well! Our church meets on Fridays, and I have been teaching through the book of Romans. Last week Kristi translated for me, and the IMB missionary was suppose to this week. Although I am learning so quickly my Spanish is so bad. We start church at 7 on Fridays, and at 7:40 the missionary hadn’t shown up yet. We finished singing, and Paco stood up to read the text for the message. I began to pray that the Lord would fall down on me and give me the gift of tongues, because I had no idea what we were going to do! Paco prayed and told the people that I was coming to preach the message. I got up and just started preaching in Spanish. It was my goal in coming that I would preach in Spanish within four months, but even in that I have been so worried that I would not be able to preach with such zeal and passion. I was just taking it one verse at a time, and the Lord was as always so good! I was hoping that I would do as best as I could in Spanish for ten minutes or so, then they would show up and be able to translate. Friday night I preached in Spanish for an hour and twenty minutes in Spanish, and I am sure it was some messed up Spanish, the people understood and were so attentive! In some ways I felt like I was able to express myself better and with more passion than I do in English! It just goes to show that God is so sovereign and will do what pleases Him. After we got done Paco told me that I will not use a translator anymore and would preach all in Spanish. For those of you that know me and how well I speak Spanish know that it had to be a work of the Father!
The Lord is doing such great things here and is opening so many doors to minister! I truly feel at home here in Mexico, but I do miss you all so much! There is a group coming in December and I am so looking forward to seeing the scars on their hands from holding the rope as God has sent me into the well. The SBTC wants to send a group of pastors here the last week of January for a vision trip, and we need men willing to come! If you are interested please contact me through email so we can get you involved. It is not only for pastors, so if God is working in your heart concerning this please follow hard after what He is saying.
Food for thought:
This last week I have really struggled with a thought…
2 Corinthians 5:19 says “That is in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” That is a tremendous statement of the Grace of God, but here is my struggle…in Proverbs 17:15 it says “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both like an abomination to the Lord.” God justifies wicked men and calls it a righteous act. The Lord knows the wickedness of my heart, and yet He justifies me and calls me righteous! How is that not an abomination?! That is the mystery of the gospel! If you want to know what heaven will be like, it will be, for all eternity, kneeling before the throne trying to understand how a holy righteous God could save such a wretch like us! I know as some of you are reading this you are thinking that this sounds so harsh, but it is all about grace! Not only does God not count our trespasses against us, He entrusts us with His name, calling us His righteousness. God is right, and we are the display of His rightness. This has been on my mind so much lately! I know that it is made possible because “He made him to be sin who knew no sin”, but why would God do that? I do not understand how people can put man at the center of the gospel! If God justified the wicked solely for the wicked to spend all eternity with Him it would be an act of unrighteousness, but it is so He could look at the ones that are his and see his work! That is Grace! I am so troubled that we have reduced this mystery to four spiritual laws, or five things you need to know about God! In the Old Testament the priest would go through so much cleansing to meet with the Father, Christ died so we would have direct access to the Father, but we have taken the seriousness of our sin and the fact that it took the slaughtering of Christ as he bore the wrath of God for his elect, and reduced that to telling people that if they simply repeat a prayer they can enter that fellowship! God cares more for the price that was paid than to cast redemption on one who out of emotion repeats a mantra with no intention of repentance! Church we have got to get back to the place where in our preaching and evangelism we are teaching biblical regeneration which is preceded and followed by repentance! God does love us and has shed his son for us! Although I do not fully understand the love of God it is his promise, and that is the mystery of the gospel!
Prayer requests:
-Pray that God would break the strong holds that the santa muerte has here.
-Pray for the group that will be coming in December. They will be here the 21st-28th.
-Although I did preach in Spanish, language is still such a barrier.
-There are about four people in my class that I have been sharing the gospel with.
Thank you for all your prayers and support! The Lord is using your prayers and gifts to reach this tribe, tongue, and nation. If you have time please write me! I want to hear what is going on in your world!
By Grace,
Jonathan
I made it through the first month! I am sorry that I haven’t updated in a week or so, but this week has been so busy! It has been a great week, but so busy. I didn’t go to school on Monday because the IMB missionary asked if I would lead a team from the States around the city prayer walking, so I got to skip school. We went to one of the large churches here where they have a huge celebration coming up on December the 12th. Please be in prayer for that time, people will be crawling on their knees as an offering to Mary. I had a good time, but it made me miss Grace and the truth that is taught there concerning missions and the doctrine of the church. Then Tuesday Paco asked me if I wanted to miss school again to go feed homeless people and drug addicts, so I did go and missed school again. It was such a great time! My heart has been so broken for the people here who worship the santa muerte. There was a homeless man there that had a muerte necklace on and God placed upon my heart to go and talk with him. I began asking him why he worships the muerte because Jesus has killed death and it is going to send him to hell. We talked for almost 30 minutes and he confessed that he is so afraid of the muerte and what she will do to him if he does not worship her. There was a cologne bottle laying in the street so I picked it up and asked him to worship it and he told me no that it would be foolish to do so, so I asked him what the difference was in him worshiping the muerte, and he began to get very uncomfortable as he came to an understanding of the ignorance of serving something carved by the hands of a wretched man. At the end of our conversation I asked him if he would give me his necklace and he said “No! It’s my muerte!” My heart sunk. Who is this god that can be possessed buy a human, that can be contained in the form of a skeleton on a string? He was so fearful of this little piece of metal. Sin has such a hold on these people! Thursday as we were in the park feeding the homeless, prostitutes, and druggies I met three guys that were all worshipers of the muerte. I feel like if there is anyone within a mile of where I am the Lord will allow our paths to cross. My heart was so broken for these men so I walked up very boldly and asked why they would worship something made by evil men? I think they were a little taken back by my boldness, but the Lord opened a huge door for me to reason with these men. I got myself in a little deeper than my Spanish could handle, not to mention that I was so fired up and just couldn’t contain it anymore, so I had to ask Kristi to come translate. Kristi is a missionary here, has lived here for six years, and has such a heart for the people on the street. She has also been such a blessing because her Spanish is very good, and she has been so willing to help translate for me. So she came and helped me with these guys. I spoke the truth very boldly to them wanting them to realize the how stupid it is to serve such vileness! I told them that the muerte is based on conditional love in that they believe she tells them that if they do something for her than she will give them stuff, and that God is a God of agape love. One of the guys at this point realized the truth of the muerte, but because of his fear was not willing to crush that idol in his life. When we got back to the house I asked Kristi how she thought it went, and she said she thought well, but that she thought I was going to get punched in the face. The Lord is good and has protected me so well! Our church meets on Fridays, and I have been teaching through the book of Romans. Last week Kristi translated for me, and the IMB missionary was suppose to this week. Although I am learning so quickly my Spanish is so bad. We start church at 7 on Fridays, and at 7:40 the missionary hadn’t shown up yet. We finished singing, and Paco stood up to read the text for the message. I began to pray that the Lord would fall down on me and give me the gift of tongues, because I had no idea what we were going to do! Paco prayed and told the people that I was coming to preach the message. I got up and just started preaching in Spanish. It was my goal in coming that I would preach in Spanish within four months, but even in that I have been so worried that I would not be able to preach with such zeal and passion. I was just taking it one verse at a time, and the Lord was as always so good! I was hoping that I would do as best as I could in Spanish for ten minutes or so, then they would show up and be able to translate. Friday night I preached in Spanish for an hour and twenty minutes in Spanish, and I am sure it was some messed up Spanish, the people understood and were so attentive! In some ways I felt like I was able to express myself better and with more passion than I do in English! It just goes to show that God is so sovereign and will do what pleases Him. After we got done Paco told me that I will not use a translator anymore and would preach all in Spanish. For those of you that know me and how well I speak Spanish know that it had to be a work of the Father!
The Lord is doing such great things here and is opening so many doors to minister! I truly feel at home here in Mexico, but I do miss you all so much! There is a group coming in December and I am so looking forward to seeing the scars on their hands from holding the rope as God has sent me into the well. The SBTC wants to send a group of pastors here the last week of January for a vision trip, and we need men willing to come! If you are interested please contact me through email so we can get you involved. It is not only for pastors, so if God is working in your heart concerning this please follow hard after what He is saying.
Food for thought:
This last week I have really struggled with a thought…
2 Corinthians 5:19 says “That is in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” That is a tremendous statement of the Grace of God, but here is my struggle…in Proverbs 17:15 it says “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both like an abomination to the Lord.” God justifies wicked men and calls it a righteous act. The Lord knows the wickedness of my heart, and yet He justifies me and calls me righteous! How is that not an abomination?! That is the mystery of the gospel! If you want to know what heaven will be like, it will be, for all eternity, kneeling before the throne trying to understand how a holy righteous God could save such a wretch like us! I know as some of you are reading this you are thinking that this sounds so harsh, but it is all about grace! Not only does God not count our trespasses against us, He entrusts us with His name, calling us His righteousness. God is right, and we are the display of His rightness. This has been on my mind so much lately! I know that it is made possible because “He made him to be sin who knew no sin”, but why would God do that? I do not understand how people can put man at the center of the gospel! If God justified the wicked solely for the wicked to spend all eternity with Him it would be an act of unrighteousness, but it is so He could look at the ones that are his and see his work! That is Grace! I am so troubled that we have reduced this mystery to four spiritual laws, or five things you need to know about God! In the Old Testament the priest would go through so much cleansing to meet with the Father, Christ died so we would have direct access to the Father, but we have taken the seriousness of our sin and the fact that it took the slaughtering of Christ as he bore the wrath of God for his elect, and reduced that to telling people that if they simply repeat a prayer they can enter that fellowship! God cares more for the price that was paid than to cast redemption on one who out of emotion repeats a mantra with no intention of repentance! Church we have got to get back to the place where in our preaching and evangelism we are teaching biblical regeneration which is preceded and followed by repentance! God does love us and has shed his son for us! Although I do not fully understand the love of God it is his promise, and that is the mystery of the gospel!
Prayer requests:
-Pray that God would break the strong holds that the santa muerte has here.
-Pray for the group that will be coming in December. They will be here the 21st-28th.
-Although I did preach in Spanish, language is still such a barrier.
-There are about four people in my class that I have been sharing the gospel with.
Thank you for all your prayers and support! The Lord is using your prayers and gifts to reach this tribe, tongue, and nation. If you have time please write me! I want to hear what is going on in your world!
By Grace,
Jonathan
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Its almost been three weeks!
I have almost made it three weeks! It’s so hard to think it has been that long! This last week has been great, but has been a struggle. I have not been able to communicate, and I miss all of you so much. I was sure before I came that it would be very easy to establish communication, but I had to remind myself that I am in a third world country. Since the last update so much has happened. Last Thursday I started going to the park in La Mercidad where a church feeds the homeless, prostitutes, and drug addicts. I met a guy named Soel; he was walking up to get food and fell and scratched his face pretty bad. He was high on a type of glue that they sniff here, homeless, and hating life. I picked him up sat him down, and began to love on him. He was so scared when I put my arm around him; I’m sure because he gets beat up a lot. I got him some food and we began to talk. He is 22 years old and his parents kicked him out of his house when he was 15. They live a block away and will not have anything to do with him. The park is full of people just like Soel, but my heart really broke for him. I shared the gospel with him and we will begin a bible study in the park this Thursday! In praying about coming the Lord laid upon my heart to start a bible study with six guys, and I had no idea how that would work. It’s so amazing that the Lord has already begun that process. In praying for our time together I have asked the Lord to prevent him from getting high this week so that he will be able to focus on what the Lord will show him. I truly believe Romans 1:16, which tells us that the gospel is the power of God for salvation, and it is my eager hope that that process would begin in Soel’s life this week. I also found out that there is a church of the santa muerte two blocks from our house. I will post pictures soon. I went in and had a brief conversation with the priest of the church, which has lead to another conversation this week, and I am going to go there to visit with him every Wednesday. When I walked into his office I was quite stunned at what I saw…On the top shelve of his bookshelf he had a statue of; Mary, Jesus, santa muerte, and Buddha. I felt like Paul walking into Athens in Acts 17. I also have had the opportunity to share the gospel with several of my classmates during our break time. There is still a huge language barrier but I am learning quickly. No one in the house I live speaks Spanish, and I have not been able to communicate with you back in the states, which in some way has been so good and the Lord has shown me great things in that.
After spending much time in prayer this last week Paco and I have decided to go to the Day of The Dead festival on Saturday to pass out gospels of John. This is a Catholic holiday, but the santa muerte have taken it a step farther. Whereas the Catholic Church honors the dead and spends the time remembering those who have passed, the santa muerte worship death itself. In Tepito they have blocked off four blocks to have a huge party that will be to honor the saint of death. It is literally worship of satan. Paco and I will go around ten in the morning on Saturday and stay there all day until it gets dark. We will spend the day sharing the love of Christ, and handing out Gospels of John with the hope of starting conversations. It says in John 1 that Jesus is the light of the world, and in 1 John 1:5 that in Him there is no darkness at all. Even the dark is light to God! Before I came the Lord showed me that these people don’t need me they need my God. It has been my prayer that I would be the display of God’s rightness, and a light to the nations.
Food for thought:
Yesterday here in Mexico was a huge day for the Catholic Church. It was a day that they honor a saint, and spend the whole day remembering him. There were so many people carrying statues of this saint all over the city. Parents dressed their babies to look like him, and there were so many teenagers as well as adults with statues. Last night when I was laying in bed I had a thought…”Who is this God that not only can be formed by human hands, but that needs a human to carry him around?!” Then it hit me! Here in Mexico they worship created things just was we do in the states, they just don’t try to hide it, or try to justify it by calling it something else. As stupid as I thought it was for these people to waste their time and money on a non-responsive piece of stone, how often do I do the same with idols in my life? Acts 17:24-25 says “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” And yet so often we even take godly things and make them idols. Lenard Raven Hill told a story one time of a girl in his church who wanted to be a missionary her whole life, and when she graduated college set out to do so. He didn’t have a peace about her being a missionary, or even that she was regenerate. They spent so long talking and trying to work through the issue, but she was afraid if she was saved God would not let her be a missionary. She was willing to sacrifice fellowship with the Father for missions! How often do we do the same? We all need to examine our heart and clear out the idols we have made.
Prayer Requests:
-English Bible study on Tuesday nights. We had twelve yesterday, and I shared the gospel. I feel like the Lord is working in the hearts of a couple people there.
-My fellow classmates at UNAM where I attend school. I have begun the process of sharing the love of Christ and believe He is also working there.
-The church. We meet in our house, and there is no more room. We had 25 last Friday in a very small living room. There is a house for sell across the street that is for sell and we are praying that the Lords will be done with it.
-I am starting this week to teach Paco how to prepare a sermon so that he can start preaching at the church as I disciple him.
-The bible study with Soel, and that the Lord will work in the park on Thursdays as we feed the needy.
-For our time in Tepito at the day of the dead festival on Saturday. That He would open the hearts of the people that the Lord will protect us as He sees fit.
Thank you all for your prayers and support as God works through Sing For Joy Missions to make His name known among the nations!
By Grace,
Jonathan
After spending much time in prayer this last week Paco and I have decided to go to the Day of The Dead festival on Saturday to pass out gospels of John. This is a Catholic holiday, but the santa muerte have taken it a step farther. Whereas the Catholic Church honors the dead and spends the time remembering those who have passed, the santa muerte worship death itself. In Tepito they have blocked off four blocks to have a huge party that will be to honor the saint of death. It is literally worship of satan. Paco and I will go around ten in the morning on Saturday and stay there all day until it gets dark. We will spend the day sharing the love of Christ, and handing out Gospels of John with the hope of starting conversations. It says in John 1 that Jesus is the light of the world, and in 1 John 1:5 that in Him there is no darkness at all. Even the dark is light to God! Before I came the Lord showed me that these people don’t need me they need my God. It has been my prayer that I would be the display of God’s rightness, and a light to the nations.
Food for thought:
Yesterday here in Mexico was a huge day for the Catholic Church. It was a day that they honor a saint, and spend the whole day remembering him. There were so many people carrying statues of this saint all over the city. Parents dressed their babies to look like him, and there were so many teenagers as well as adults with statues. Last night when I was laying in bed I had a thought…”Who is this God that not only can be formed by human hands, but that needs a human to carry him around?!” Then it hit me! Here in Mexico they worship created things just was we do in the states, they just don’t try to hide it, or try to justify it by calling it something else. As stupid as I thought it was for these people to waste their time and money on a non-responsive piece of stone, how often do I do the same with idols in my life? Acts 17:24-25 says “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” And yet so often we even take godly things and make them idols. Lenard Raven Hill told a story one time of a girl in his church who wanted to be a missionary her whole life, and when she graduated college set out to do so. He didn’t have a peace about her being a missionary, or even that she was regenerate. They spent so long talking and trying to work through the issue, but she was afraid if she was saved God would not let her be a missionary. She was willing to sacrifice fellowship with the Father for missions! How often do we do the same? We all need to examine our heart and clear out the idols we have made.
Prayer Requests:
-English Bible study on Tuesday nights. We had twelve yesterday, and I shared the gospel. I feel like the Lord is working in the hearts of a couple people there.
-My fellow classmates at UNAM where I attend school. I have begun the process of sharing the love of Christ and believe He is also working there.
-The church. We meet in our house, and there is no more room. We had 25 last Friday in a very small living room. There is a house for sell across the street that is for sell and we are praying that the Lords will be done with it.
-I am starting this week to teach Paco how to prepare a sermon so that he can start preaching at the church as I disciple him.
-The bible study with Soel, and that the Lord will work in the park on Thursdays as we feed the needy.
-For our time in Tepito at the day of the dead festival on Saturday. That He would open the hearts of the people that the Lord will protect us as He sees fit.
Thank you all for your prayers and support as God works through Sing For Joy Missions to make His name known among the nations!
By Grace,
Jonathan
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Hola!
Hola!
Well, it has almost been a week since my arrival here in Mexico City, and what an amazing time it has been! After a very short plane ride, and a not so shot bus ride, which was really cool because the seats are soooo big and I was able to sleep some, I arrived in Mexico City Sunday morning around 8:30. I got picked up by a guy named David, he is an IMB missionary, and we came to Paco’s house. After we visited for a while and ate I took a nap, then Paco and Ely (Elizabeth) took me down to the center of Mexico City. There was a big fiesta going on down there for something. That evening we sat around the table and visited for almost three hours, which doesn’t seem like a lot, but I don’t speak Spanish and they don’t speak English! It is so cool how God allows us to communicate even passed the barriers of language. The next day we got on the metro and went to the University to check on language classes for me. They said I had to come back the next day and take an exam to see what class I would go to, and then the struggle to get me a cell phone began! We spent the whole day trying to figure it out, but to no avail. That evening Ely’s mom Juanita made enchiladas (not fake ones) and they were amazing! The next day I went to take my test and they told me I would be in Basico 1 (it’s the class for people who don’t know espanol). Then we met up with the IMB missionary that is over the whole region, his name is William, and spent the rest of the day with him. There is a school here for missionary kids to go to from several denominations, and William’s daughter goes to this school, so we visited it while picking her up. Her name is Deidra. There may be an opportunity for me to teach History and Logic there in the future. After that we went to an English class that William and his wife teach every Tuesday, it is a really cool ministry! They are teaching them English through the Bible. The next morning I met up with a man who works in the area of Tepito and he took me to Tepito for my first time. Please pray for the region of Tepito! I do not even know how to describe how it is. We went to an area near Tepito first and helped serve food and drinks to the homeless drug attics, and prostitutes. It was such a sad sight. I began to share the gospel with a young kid probably around 13 or 14, and his sister a prostitute not much older than I. As I was sharing Christ with them the young boy started smoking pot while right in front of me. I have been all over the world, and I have never seen a scene like that one. I was pretty sure that was the worst thing I would ever see, and then we took a bus to Tepito. Like I said, I don’t even know how to describe it other than it is dark. Finally today I started school! I really like it! I have made a few friends there already, and may have a chance to teach a bible study during our break once a week. We start at 8:00 and it ends at 12:00 Monday through Friday. During that time we have a break, and I think the Lord may open a door for me to have the Bible study during that time. God is so cool! I saw a couple people standing outside the classroom who looked like they were probably from Africa, so I asked them where they were from, and they said two of them were from Haiti, and one from Africa. I got so excited, so I asked the guy where in Africa and he said Zambia! Yeah! Crazy! I have been to both of those countries! But even more amazing, there are 72 dialects in Zambia so most people speak English. This guy speaks the same dialect that they spoke where we worked! Out of 72 what are the chances?!?! I got to use some words that I still remembered! Then I find out that there is a guy from the Congo in my class! So amazing this sovereign God we serve! This afternoon we finally got all the paper work turned in for my phone, so I should have it by Monday. Thank you all for your prayers and support. The Lord has a huge plan for the area of Tepito, and I am glad we get to share in that work!
A word of encouragement:
This is a verse I read this morning…
1 Thessalonians 2:8, “So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God, but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us”
I read a quote a long time ago that said; “People are one of three things to you: scenery, machinery, or ministry.” It means people are either like a tree we just pass by and look at, someone who serves us as a machine, or a person that is in need of the grace of God. It has been my prayer all day that I would not only share the gospel here, but that I would also pour my life into the people around me. Just as Paul said, that I would be willing to invest my life in the people that God has placed in front of me even if it cost me my life. I believe that is what it means to be a Christ follower. We should all strive to get to the place in our lives where we will pour out our life so that others would know the love of Christ.
Prayer Requests:
-That God would continue to mold me and shape me to look more like Him.
-For the area of Tepito. We will be going to visit the homeless/drug attics/prostitutes every Thursday afternoon and early evening.
-Please pray that I would learn the language quickly!
-For the school I go to, and the possibility of a bible study there.
-I know this may be a selfish one, but I miss home a little, because I can say that I was truly loved there, and it nature to miss those that love you.
-I am teaching at the church that meets here at our house Friday at seven, then preaching Sunday, then teaching again next Tuesday at the English bible study.
By Grace,
Jonathan
Well, it has almost been a week since my arrival here in Mexico City, and what an amazing time it has been! After a very short plane ride, and a not so shot bus ride, which was really cool because the seats are soooo big and I was able to sleep some, I arrived in Mexico City Sunday morning around 8:30. I got picked up by a guy named David, he is an IMB missionary, and we came to Paco’s house. After we visited for a while and ate I took a nap, then Paco and Ely (Elizabeth) took me down to the center of Mexico City. There was a big fiesta going on down there for something. That evening we sat around the table and visited for almost three hours, which doesn’t seem like a lot, but I don’t speak Spanish and they don’t speak English! It is so cool how God allows us to communicate even passed the barriers of language. The next day we got on the metro and went to the University to check on language classes for me. They said I had to come back the next day and take an exam to see what class I would go to, and then the struggle to get me a cell phone began! We spent the whole day trying to figure it out, but to no avail. That evening Ely’s mom Juanita made enchiladas (not fake ones) and they were amazing! The next day I went to take my test and they told me I would be in Basico 1 (it’s the class for people who don’t know espanol). Then we met up with the IMB missionary that is over the whole region, his name is William, and spent the rest of the day with him. There is a school here for missionary kids to go to from several denominations, and William’s daughter goes to this school, so we visited it while picking her up. Her name is Deidra. There may be an opportunity for me to teach History and Logic there in the future. After that we went to an English class that William and his wife teach every Tuesday, it is a really cool ministry! They are teaching them English through the Bible. The next morning I met up with a man who works in the area of Tepito and he took me to Tepito for my first time. Please pray for the region of Tepito! I do not even know how to describe how it is. We went to an area near Tepito first and helped serve food and drinks to the homeless drug attics, and prostitutes. It was such a sad sight. I began to share the gospel with a young kid probably around 13 or 14, and his sister a prostitute not much older than I. As I was sharing Christ with them the young boy started smoking pot while right in front of me. I have been all over the world, and I have never seen a scene like that one. I was pretty sure that was the worst thing I would ever see, and then we took a bus to Tepito. Like I said, I don’t even know how to describe it other than it is dark. Finally today I started school! I really like it! I have made a few friends there already, and may have a chance to teach a bible study during our break once a week. We start at 8:00 and it ends at 12:00 Monday through Friday. During that time we have a break, and I think the Lord may open a door for me to have the Bible study during that time. God is so cool! I saw a couple people standing outside the classroom who looked like they were probably from Africa, so I asked them where they were from, and they said two of them were from Haiti, and one from Africa. I got so excited, so I asked the guy where in Africa and he said Zambia! Yeah! Crazy! I have been to both of those countries! But even more amazing, there are 72 dialects in Zambia so most people speak English. This guy speaks the same dialect that they spoke where we worked! Out of 72 what are the chances?!?! I got to use some words that I still remembered! Then I find out that there is a guy from the Congo in my class! So amazing this sovereign God we serve! This afternoon we finally got all the paper work turned in for my phone, so I should have it by Monday. Thank you all for your prayers and support. The Lord has a huge plan for the area of Tepito, and I am glad we get to share in that work!
A word of encouragement:
This is a verse I read this morning…
1 Thessalonians 2:8, “So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God, but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us”
I read a quote a long time ago that said; “People are one of three things to you: scenery, machinery, or ministry.” It means people are either like a tree we just pass by and look at, someone who serves us as a machine, or a person that is in need of the grace of God. It has been my prayer all day that I would not only share the gospel here, but that I would also pour my life into the people around me. Just as Paul said, that I would be willing to invest my life in the people that God has placed in front of me even if it cost me my life. I believe that is what it means to be a Christ follower. We should all strive to get to the place in our lives where we will pour out our life so that others would know the love of Christ.
Prayer Requests:
-That God would continue to mold me and shape me to look more like Him.
-For the area of Tepito. We will be going to visit the homeless/drug attics/prostitutes every Thursday afternoon and early evening.
-Please pray that I would learn the language quickly!
-For the school I go to, and the possibility of a bible study there.
-I know this may be a selfish one, but I miss home a little, because I can say that I was truly loved there, and it nature to miss those that love you.
-I am teaching at the church that meets here at our house Friday at seven, then preaching Sunday, then teaching again next Tuesday at the English bible study.
By Grace,
Jonathan
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
The Departure
Dear friends, family and blessed saints in Christ Jesus,
As many of you know the Lord is closing one chapter of my journey and beginning to scribe the next, or finish the story all together. For the past four years I have had the great privilege of serving as the associate pastor/ youth pastor of Grace Baptist Church here in Salado, TX., and what a sweet time it has been in my life. I have never felt more loved than I have in the last four years. Thank you church. Philippians 1:6 says "And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus." I truly believe that Jesus is the "Author and Finisher" of my faith, and He will surely do it. On Saturday October 11th I will get on a plane and fly to Monterey, Mexico where I will take a bus to Mexico City, Mexico. There is an area there called Tepito that I will be serving in. It is a rough area of around two million people. There is a cult there called the Santa Muerte, which means St. of death or holy death. The streets of this dark place are lined with statues of the Santa Muerte where people of all ages and backgrounds seek happiness in these idols made by the hands of sinful man. I will arrive in Mexico City on Sunday the 12th, and will start language school on the 14th. The Lord has opened a door for me to live with a family near the area that I will be working in. Their names are Paco and Elizabeth. They have started a church in their home, and have agreed to assist me in any way they can. I will be traveling into the area of Tepito in the mornings walking the streets prayer walking and meeting people, then in the afternoons I will attend school. It is my hope that within the first year I will meet a few guys and start a Bible study with them, and as the gospel changes their lives, and start a church in Tepito. This area of Mexico is called the "Heart of Darkness", and I believe that even the dark is light to God, and that Jesus is the light of the world. I want to be the mirror that will reflect that light that the world may see the glory of the Father. Psalm 92:4 says "For You, O Lord, have made me glad by Your work; at the works of Your hands I sing for joy." It is my deep passion that the people of Tepito would see the works of the Lord and sing for joy! That people would see the gospel radically transform peoples lives as they are regenerated and this would erupted in endless praise of the King, and transform the country of Mexico, and spread to the ends of the earth.In closing I want to thank each one of you who that God has used to shape and mold me. In life there are many ups and downs, trials and tribulations, good seasons and bad ones, but through them all I can truly say I am loved by the King. The puritans used to say the valley is the place of vision, Oh! so true that is. "as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death." Philippians 1:20
See you in Glory!
By Grace,
jonathan
Prayer Request:-I do not speak Spanish well. Pray that i would learn quickly.-I have never met anyone in Mexico City. Pray that God would allow me to make friends.-Tepito is a dangerous place, so pray that I would have discernment about when to be out and when not to be.
As many of you know the Lord is closing one chapter of my journey and beginning to scribe the next, or finish the story all together. For the past four years I have had the great privilege of serving as the associate pastor/ youth pastor of Grace Baptist Church here in Salado, TX., and what a sweet time it has been in my life. I have never felt more loved than I have in the last four years. Thank you church. Philippians 1:6 says "And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus." I truly believe that Jesus is the "Author and Finisher" of my faith, and He will surely do it. On Saturday October 11th I will get on a plane and fly to Monterey, Mexico where I will take a bus to Mexico City, Mexico. There is an area there called Tepito that I will be serving in. It is a rough area of around two million people. There is a cult there called the Santa Muerte, which means St. of death or holy death. The streets of this dark place are lined with statues of the Santa Muerte where people of all ages and backgrounds seek happiness in these idols made by the hands of sinful man. I will arrive in Mexico City on Sunday the 12th, and will start language school on the 14th. The Lord has opened a door for me to live with a family near the area that I will be working in. Their names are Paco and Elizabeth. They have started a church in their home, and have agreed to assist me in any way they can. I will be traveling into the area of Tepito in the mornings walking the streets prayer walking and meeting people, then in the afternoons I will attend school. It is my hope that within the first year I will meet a few guys and start a Bible study with them, and as the gospel changes their lives, and start a church in Tepito. This area of Mexico is called the "Heart of Darkness", and I believe that even the dark is light to God, and that Jesus is the light of the world. I want to be the mirror that will reflect that light that the world may see the glory of the Father. Psalm 92:4 says "For You, O Lord, have made me glad by Your work; at the works of Your hands I sing for joy." It is my deep passion that the people of Tepito would see the works of the Lord and sing for joy! That people would see the gospel radically transform peoples lives as they are regenerated and this would erupted in endless praise of the King, and transform the country of Mexico, and spread to the ends of the earth.In closing I want to thank each one of you who that God has used to shape and mold me. In life there are many ups and downs, trials and tribulations, good seasons and bad ones, but through them all I can truly say I am loved by the King. The puritans used to say the valley is the place of vision, Oh! so true that is. "as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death." Philippians 1:20
See you in Glory!
By Grace,
jonathan
Prayer Request:-I do not speak Spanish well. Pray that i would learn quickly.-I have never met anyone in Mexico City. Pray that God would allow me to make friends.-Tepito is a dangerous place, so pray that I would have discernment about when to be out and when not to be.
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