I WILL...

This week I took down my 2009 calendar and put up my 2010 calendar. I'm sure that sounds like a fairly insignificant thing, but it is not insignificant for two reasons.

One reason is that I don't mean simply a wall calendar but a desktop calendar. I pull out each month and place them along the wall in the office so I have a large visual view of the entire year right before me. It takes some time to tape these up and to try to get them lined up reasonably straight. I think I did a good job this year. 2009 was a crooked year...at least on the wall.

Secondly, seeing 12 clean sheets of the coming year gives me a real sense that there is not just a lot of planning to do but that there's a clean start ahead of me. Where I fell short in 2009, I have the opportunity to pray and plan and allow God to make 2010 a very special year in which through Him, I will reach the goal and obtain the prize and not fall short.

2010 can still be a year in which I can accomplish whatever He wants. Not one moment of 2010 has been wasted nor ruined by some moment of sin or a missed opportunity. I don't know about you, but I like a clean, fresh start...the cross is just as purifying today as it ever has been, and the cross is the place to start when it's time to start anything afresh.

"I will" is the future tense and obviously refers to something that hasn't happened yet. Implied is a promise about something that the person speaking the "I will..." plans or intends to do. Whether or not the "I will..." statement comes to pass as promised depends partly on who makes the statement, but ultimately depends wholly on the will of God because only God knows the future and only God holds the future in his hand from eternity past.

The Bible records for us a number of significant "I will..." promises. Apparently, Lucifer made five infamous boasts of how he would take the place of God. None of those "I will's" ever came to pass and never will come to pass. He said them apart from the will of God.

The best "I will's" in the Bible come from God Himself. Hebrews contains a number of these. Note some of them here:

"' This is the new covenant I WILL make with my people on that day, says the Lord: I WILL put my laws in their hearts so THEY WILL understand them, and I WILL write them on their minds so THEY WILL obey them.' Then he adds, I WILL never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.'" (Hebrews 10:16-18)

...and perhaps my favorite from Hebrews 13:5-6:

"Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, 'I WILL never fail you. I WILL never forsake you.' That is why we can say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper, so I WILL not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?'"

Perhaps YOU WILL join with me in praying and planning about what WE WILL do for our Lord and King this new year 2010. May we be found faithful to Him each moment of each day in 2010 and until that Day.

I WILL....

Christmas Piñata

We don't recall ever seeing a piñata like this Christmas tree version we found at the market. We hated to let the kids beat it to pieces but that is what piñatas are for after all. This one did not have a clay pot in it but the kids still had a hard time doing any damage to it. After a couple times through the line (from shortest to tallest...which was pretty much youngest to oldest as well), we brought in Cameron to take some whacks at it.

I suppose we should have blindfolded him but we DID want him to break it so we could get on with the candy and toy gathering. It only took a couple of Cameron-sized whacks to rain down the candy.

This was a nice change from our first Christmas in Mexico when the neighborhood kids in Cuernavaca nearly broke one of Cameron's fingers in the greedy rush to scoop up the sugary treasure. He cringed from ever getting close to the action ever since, but he didn't have to worry about getting stepped on since he was twice the size of most of the little ones this time around...and he was careful not to squish any of them!

¡FELIZ NAVIDAD!

Upside Down - Short film from the message Right Christmas

This is really neat...nice twist. Be sure to read the scrolling words which will seem like the wrong message but it is from the perspective of an unbeliever at first. About half-way through, there's an interesting turn. Watch This!

Mute Monks "Sing" Hallelujah Chorus

Starting Over

It appears we've reached a sort of "reset" on our nativity scene. The shepherd and sheep are having a conference with the angel and behind them and further away from the manger scene are the wise men. It appears they are lined up for order of entry into the scene once again.

Of course, we all know that in the past two weeks or so, the shepherd, sheep, and wise men have already been to the manger scene so this does create an awkward moment of sorts. Are they trying to get back to the manger scene after having their turn already? Is the angel discussing the rules of arrival with the shepherd and sheep? Is the angel actually blocking their re-entrance? Did they lose their ticket stubs? Why are the wise men huddled up like this? Perhaps they are scheming a different way to get to the manger scene. I thought they were supposed to find a different way home?

One thing is for sure...getting to the manger apparently was by invitation only. King Herod was denied entry...not even told where to find the manger. The wise men had a supernatural star-only invitation. The shepherd(s) received angelic invitation. I suppose birthday parties can be rather exclusive like that.

Despite the invitation-only birthday party, everyone is invited to come to the cross and the death of Christ. That might not sound as much fun as a birthday party, but I hear the Host is giving out an eternal gift for those who come. Praise God the crucifixion and resurrection affair is open to all and the public invitation still stands for all to read and accept. Hope you've joined us in coming! If not, right now is always the best time to come.

1 John 4:9 (NLT) "God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him."

Twas the Week Before Christmas...

What an odd Christmas season this has been for us this year. In our first few years here we were always busy, busy, busy with the church Christmas program and/or dinner, the annual church leader appreciation dinner, the youth Christmas party, and probably a few other things thrown in as well.

Since earlier this year we began a Sunday Bible study in our home, we're no longer involved in the church programs and parties and the dinner. With the changeover of our mission structure to teams, the appreciation dinner responsibilities were turned over to the national church leaders to plan. They didn't plan it, so it didn't happen.

We did receive a couple of invites from folks in the church, including one of the leaders who called me, to attend the church dinner last Sunday. We planned on attending but last weekend and continuing through this week I've struggled with colitis that has bothered me all year but has suddenly worsened. Last Sunday was the worst day and by afternoon I didn't think we were going to make it to the dinner.

About a half hour before we would have left for the dinner, our next-door neighbor came over to personally invite us to a birthday party for their son and to have some birthday cake with them. This same party we attended last year as well.

We didn't want to let that opportunity pass since their son and at times the mom have shown some measure of spiritual interest while none of the rest of the family to my knowledge have ever really expressed any interest. They are our neighbors after all and we even share a wall of the house with them! I wasn't feeling too great but figured a few feet next door was much easier than a drive across town and a church service and dinner that would end up lasting about 5 or 6 hours (it really did!).

It was a really good time and as the only adult male in attendance I enjoyed conversing with the dad. In the past he's made it clear that he doesn't believe in anything...no God, nothing. I also recall that it was he who wouldn't allow this same son to not attend church services or the house church with the Yingling family.

It is sad but there's always hope of somehow God speaking to his heart. The Yinglings have spent hundreds of hours over the years with our neighbors so I don't know that our time with them will be extra beneficial, but that's not really the point. Only God knows what He may do in their lives. Whatever seeds He may want to plant in their lives will be beneficial to His purpose.

We're officially "on vacation" now. We'll still have Sunday "services" with Jason and Kristin. Last Sunday we looked into the Christmas story, some of the main prophecies and some of the myths and false notions about Christmas that are commonly held.

This ended up being a well-timed topic for them. The large factory Jason works for has a departmental competition each year for designing and explaining a nativity scene. There are 200 people in his department and the administrative secretary, who was rounding up a representative for each department to explain their scenes, chose Jason. He told me that she chose him because in the past he had told her he was studying the Bible with a friend and that he was learning a lot. So, when he told her he really didn't know much about the nativity story, she replied, "Well, you're studying the Bible with that friend of yours, so you've got an inside track!"

Jason really wanted to do a good job with explaining not just the elements of the nativity scene that his department put together, but to put in some of the prophecies and the real reason why Jesus came. What a joy it was to see Jason wanting to share his faith with his co-workers.

May your Christmas celebration be worthy of the King of Kings, and we trust that all of us will likewise be ready and willing to share our reason for the hope that is within us...our hope in the Savior...with those who don't yet know and understand the "Bethlehem Baby" who came to be the "Passover Propitiation."

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY EATING TIPS

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY EATING TIPS

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving double chocolate fudge.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare.. You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-aholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read these tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by:

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Have a wonderful Christmas season!!!

Knowing Your ABCDs January 2010 Prayer Letter (snail mail version)

McManus January 2010 PL

Tequisquiapan, QRO Mexico - December 12

The "Mary Kay" Church...might look a bit peachy here, but it's pretty pink in person.

We saw a lot of children (and adults) carrying the family picture of the Virgin to the pink church for the ceremony to bless them for another year. The framed pictures looked like they took them right off their living room wall and brought them to the front of the church. Of course, that's exactly what they did.

December 12th is the day set aside here to celebrate her birth. December 8th is set aside to celebrate Mary's "Immaculate Conception" (when Mary was conceived without sin or "full of grace" according to Roman Catholic teaching). December 3rd is Mary's "Assumption" or when she was taken into heaven (again from RC teaching). There are many cultural and religious events in December for Catholics in Mexico and we find them to be interesting, curious and at times rather sad. There's so much attention given to Mary and how they perceive her to be the source of "saving grace" that it is sad to see how their attempts to reach God are well-intentioned but are uprooted from the truth of Scripture.

We finished off our shopping with a stop at the "nieve" shop...sort of like a sorbet or an Italian ice but not too sweet and mostly fruit flavors with chunks of fruit in some of them.

A Syncretized Christmas Celebration (video)

Saturday we drove up to Tequisquiapan to check out the Christmas shopping in this local tourist town. It was December 12 which is the most important holiday to the majority of Mexicans. The 12th is considered the birth date of the virgin Mary and here in Mexico she is revered as the "Virgin of Guadalupe" who appeared in dark Mexican skin to a poor peasant man hundreds of years ago.

We couldn't help but note the odd collection of "Christmas themes" throughout the main plaza. In front of the church was a native Mexican dance troupe, a huge Christmas tree, a Mexican music band (inside a small courtyard attached to the church...they looked oddly like a prison band inside the bars), and also there was a podium and a display for the Virgin. People from all over town were walking to the church with their living room paintings of the Virgin of Guadalupe so the local priest would bless it at a ceremony which we did not stay long enough to see.

Mexico may seem to have an odd assortment of religious and cultural ideas but then again, if you're in the U.S. this Christmas season, I suspect you'll find that we Americans also have an odd assortment of religious and cultural ideas found in our public displays around Christmas. Most of the public displays in the USA are more secular and mythological than biblical, especially in these recent years as Christianity has been labeled radical (and it is!) and also anti-pluralistic, which while exclusive in the claims of Christ, it is not hostile toward unbelievers. This tolerance for false religions is quite unlike the hostility shown toward Christianity by those who oppose it.

BTW, I tried a new video editor for this clip and used a "film grain" effect just to try it out. I don't know whether I like it or not but to change it to a normal effect would take too much time. I hope you enjoy viewing it nonetheless.

Magi on the Move

(If you're just joining us for this latest episode in the "nativity scene saga," you'd probably do well to back up to some older posts where this odd installment begins. Try here and work your way to the present. If that doesn't help you, don't say I promised it would.)


I'm still trying to figure out what the significance of the latest nativity scene makeover might be.

As you can see the magi have moved to a precarious position on the CD case opposite the manger scene. A step or two back and the magi risk fatal injuries from a fall from such height. A careless bump of the CD case by a passing A, B, C or D could also result in the same fate.

Aside from the risk of death, it is a curious thing that they didn't leave their gifts with the baby Jesus but are still holding them. It is also curious that they seem to have an audience of animals now rather than huddling in reverent adoration of the Messiah. Are they intending to return to the manger scene? Did they forget to give their gifts when they were once conveniently there? Are they trying to talk to the animals? (Just how smart are these guys?!?) And what is the angel saying to the shepherd? Are Joseph and Mary grateful for the break from both men and animals? Are they disappointed that those rich men didn't leave their fine gifts?

Lots of questions but few if any answers.

Perhaps what we can learn from this latest episode is that we should always remember to give our gifts...to give of ourselves if that's what we're called to give...when the opportunity arises and without hesitation. We never know what the next day may bring, nay, the next step within a day either. When God calls us to bring a gift, we should be quick to give it and to do so before we find that gift forged into our possessing hands and bodies (as these gifts appear to be with the magi).

After all, this baby would grow up to teach us that when giving, we should not let our left hand know what our right hand is doing. Thus, whatever God would have us to give, let's give it without hesitation and before the opportunity falls away. Otherwise, we risk losing the opportunity and perhaps rather than giving generously to the King of Kings, we'll be casting our pearls to the swine (or sheep...and a kudu).

I hope this has been a lesson well taken by all of us. And yes, I realize this is a stretch but hey, I've got to go with whatever the scene gives me and this one was a real challenge.

Until the next unplanned development in the nativity scene saga....

A Couple of Crossing Christmas Thoughts

I posted this on my Facebook today:

"Every day is Christmas when you are gloriously RICH...in Jesus." Ephesians 1:3

I like that. This truth helps me to remember that there is nothing apart from Christ that I nor any of His children lack. We lack nothing. NOTHING. We have it all. We're the most blessed commodity in the universe as I heard a preacher once say. Even the angels lack the blessing we have in Christ. Not one of them is a recipient of redemption. Not one of them has been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Not one. We're the only ones who have been blessed like that and the only ones who ever will. Amazing.

I like to read the local newspapers online for a headline or two each day. It helps with my floundering Spanish. Not surprisingly I don't come across articles filled with happy and joyful themes. On a typical day, the headlines highlight one or two murders, one or more tragic auto accidents, government corruption cases, a health crisis, a gruesome new detail in the war against the drug lords, and the worst of news from the global scene thrown in just in case you didn't grasp how awful things are in the world today. It's a depressing way to learn some Spanish!

Two days ago I read about a murder in Querétaro. It occurred in the morning at a large "salon de fiestas" (party hall) that is well-known in that affluent city. A 33 year-old woman who served as the director for this business was found dead by a delivery person. She had been shot once in the neck. The motive was robbery.

I think what bothers me most about reading such an article is that it could have been found in the newspaper on any other day with a different person in a different place, but it would have been basically the same theme. It's so shocking and yet it's so commonplace. Someone who wants more money finds someone who has money, kidnaps, injures or kills that person so that they can attempt to take that money. What a rotten-to-the-core thing to do. Human nature and its bitter roots of greed, jealousy, hatred and envy is so very rotten. It destroys. It doesn't encourage, it doesn't give hope or joy. It doesn't give anything good. And the spiritually blind see nothing wrong with this.

I happened to be in Querétaro yesterday for co-op and to run an errand. On my drive across the city I went right past this salon de fiestas which now in reality is a murder scene. The thought struck me at how the ideal of Christmas in the mind of the world is so different from the reality of how it plays out. There is a song that says Christmas "is the most wonderful time of the year," and yet in reality it's possibly the most depressing, violent and morally hollow time of the year. Human nature craves to be satisfied and will stop at nothing, even murder, in its vain pursuit. Yet outside of Christ there is no satisfaction. Ironically, it was only in His murder that the Father was satisfied. (Romans 3:25)

As that thought filtered through my pondering mind, the idea of Christmas came to me afresh:

"Christmas is where the infinite and holy love of God turned toward the absolute depravity of man and the two eventually embraced each other upon a cruel cross."

Christmas is often said to be the season for giving. God gave man His best, most loving and most living gift. In our spiritually dead state, we returned His gift...broken, rejected, despised and murdered.

And then there was the resurrection...and the new gift of every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Talk about a great gift return policy! What glorious riches! Love, hope, peace and life now intersect in the hearts of those who believe and are forgiven. For we are saved by grace through faith in Christ...and this is God's gift to us.

The angels proclaimed what they did not understand and what they would never receive. But we do, and in Christ, we have.

Merry Christmas!

Library Milestone

Beth and her mother have been working on the boxes of recent contributions to the library. We have a couple thousand curriculum and other items (like videos, CDs, DVDs, science equipment, magazines, encyclopedias, posters, learning aids, etc.) that we'll never input into the online catalog, but for those who want to know...the current number in the catalog stands at 6,065 books!

Anyone can view our complete online listings and perform a number of search variations at the following address:

http://www.librarything.com/home/alanbethcam

Check it out!

(and yes...I've read every book in our library...that I've read)

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...

...San Juan del Rio (at Christmas time).

Walked downtown this afternoon to pick up about $90 worth of educational copies for co-op classes. (I'm glad I took enough cash with me. I didn't think it would cost more than $30 or so!)

I was glad I wore short sleeves for this walk. It was around 80 degrees and I worked up a little sweat under my ball cap. You might remember what that kind of weather is like, right? I know some of you are probably experiencing something a few degrees cooler than this!

In fact, I just saw this line in an article about the current blizzard system barreling across the USA:
A man who was found behind the post office in Yale, Iowa died en route to hospital. He had been there for at least a couple hours, Green said.

So...be careful friends if you're in this bad weather. (I don't think I know anyone in Yale, IA and I hope you don't either.)

On my way I walked through the main plaza in San Juan and took a few pics so you could see what it looks like. Since the "Ghost of Christmas Present" hasn't mysteriously made any new changes to the nativity scene, I thought I'd give you something else to view today.

Enjoy!

the top of the Christmas tree is guarded by what some have called the "Mexican Air Force" but I would never say such a thing...more than once

the hats and scarves vendors didn't appear to have any customers while I was there...I wonder why not? (notice that most of the people in the photos are wearing short-sleeves...that's actually rather surprising given most people bundle up for the cool morning and then just keep their jackets and sweatshirts on all day...even if it gets up over 80 degrees)

Animals Exit

Just another silly installment of our nativity scene developments. Dayton apparently enjoys rearranging the scene on a regular basis. I presume it's Dayton and I presume he doesn't like to be noticed doing it. I've never seen him or anyone else doing it. Maybe Bethie likes playing with them. I dunno...I don't think so.

So...here's the latest:

Since the shepherd was already spotted having left the manger scene, it now appears that the angel was pleading with him to lead the animals out of the scene. I think from what was overheard before and adding that to today's latest sound bite...something about "a small boy," and maybe something about "beating" or maybe it was "bleating." Whatever was said, the cattle were in the way of a new guest yet to come and no doubt the smell was a bit overpowering.

Do you hear what I hear? No? Oh...I thought I heard something like "pa rum pum pum pum." I must be hearing things. Never mind.

Nevertheless, the shepherd apparently thought that there was no time like the present for the baby Messiah to get used to smelly animals and people (like himself as a shepherd), since He'll be dealing with them for the next couple thousand years...well...the people that is. Best of intentions I'm sure, but the angel didn't buy it. Nonetheless, we're grateful for the effort.

After all as it reads in Isaiah 53:6, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." Sheep are some of the stinkiest animals when they're left to the field...and we've all been there. You know what I'm talking about.

Odd thing here...there appear to be two sheep, one cow and a female kudu in this animal set. Not sure how the kudu got in there but maybe it arrived with the magi. Sure didn't come from Isaiah..."All we like kudu?!?" I don't think so.

stay tuned for further nativity scene shenanigans...

Thanksmas Party (two thumbs UP!)

Yesterday afternoon and evening we held our first annual 21 OHMS Thanksmas party in our home (rounding up our number from 20 to 21 for the newest OHM member to arrive in February!). We were missing the Hower family who are attending to some business and family matters in the U.S., but we were joined by Emilio and Christy (O'Brien) and Beth's mom for a total of 17 friends.

We were at Conference over Thanksgiving (and didn't have a turkey there), so we combined a Christmas party with a Thanksgiving feast (with a real turkey) and enjoyed the food and lots of fun.

The kids made Christmas cookies and all exchanged little gifts, and the adults followed that up by pushing our unwanted white elephants around the room as well. It was a lot of fun. I actually like my little dog that dances and sings "White Christmas," but I guess I don't like it quite as much as Dayton who hugged it and petted it and said "I love him." I am not sure where that little dog went after that!

We decide to not even wrap our newly purchased family Christmas gift, the movie "UP," and we watched that all together and all somehow fitting in front of our TV. What a sweet movie and I think everyone enjoyed it. If you haven't seen it, we give it two thumbs UP!

Shepherd Watch

The shepherd has been spotted leaving the nativity scene. We're not sure what's going on here but it appears his departure is at the pleading of the angel. I suspect the angels are tired of watching the sheep for the shepherd (shepherds?...where's the rest of them?)...overheard a few words like "stinky" and "wandering off a lot." Not sure if that was a reference to the sheep or maybe the shepherds. In any case, I have a feeling the shepherd won't totally leave the scene here. There's not much room on the CD cabinet for him to roam too far.

(stay tuned for further developments...or don't!)

BREAKING NEWS....(nativity scene update)

(if you don't recall the first post on this topic see here.)


Good news! The shepherd has finally been permitted in to see the baby Jesus.

Looks like he's in some sort of private discussion with the head magi. Not sure what that's about...could be cutting a deal for a Christmas carol, or the magi is letting the shepherd know that they're not really "kings" and not really from the "Orient," or perhaps the shepherd is just letting the magi know that the rope around his robe is undone...oops, how embarrassing!

A Poem - Little Girl

We are blessed to work with so many wonderful MKs here in Mexico. Recently, one of them, Carmen Brown (in the above photo wearing the brown jacket and next to her brother who is standing), shared her testimony through the video presentation below during our recent annual conference.

Carmen and her 5 siblings were adopted by CAM missionaries, Alan and Phyllis Brown, about 6 or 7 years ago now. These kids had all been abused, neglected and eventually abandoned by their birth mother. As you can imagine, they have carried a lot of pain and bear the scars of their former lives, but by God's grace they are new creations in Christ. Where there were tears and sadness before, there are now smiles...big smiles...and joy. Praise God for what He is doing in Carmen's life and in the lives of Caty, Rosa, Joseph, Ceci and Josiah. We love them all very much.

I took this photo of the Brown family a year ago. Carmen is in the middle.




Carmen's Testimony:

Just Another Routine Thursday

Back home this evening from co-op in Querétaro, followed by lunch at El Pata, SAM's Club, Wal-Mart (picked up the turkey for our T2 team's "Thanksmas" dinner this Sunday) and finally Costco.

I saw several near wrecks that included a lot of smoking tires, a Suburban that nearly knocked my mirror off at over 75 mph, and a missionary who just lost the entire front of his Chevy van to a bus that clipped it this morning taking off the grill and all the lights. In his case, it wasn't a "near wreck." That accident was initially caused by a man driving a Mercedes Benz who pulled forward at a green light only to jam on his brakes, came to a stop and picked up a cell phone! Right in the middle of the intersection...sheesh!

I duly noted the Federal Police ("Federales") trolling the main highway and pulling over cars and trucks as fast as they could get behind them (they're funding their Christmas vacations and family presents). It was so obvious to me that I actually drove the speed limit home for once. I don't normally because I find it too dangerous to drive the speed limit with cars and trucks traveling 30+ mph over the limit in the left lane and 30+ mph under the limit in the right lane and to drive the speed limit you have to stay in the middle which combines the two. It's really "no-man's land" and a death trap to be in the middle. But...I took my chances not wanting to be pulled over for "speeding." Whatever that really is here.

One of our T2 team members was stopped in Puebla last Friday while coming home from our annual conference and then stopped again in the state of Mexico on Monday when coming home from cutting down a Christmas tree at a tree farm near Mexico City. In the first stop, the policeman looked over his papers and found nothing condemning so let him go on his way. The second stop was by a pair of state police (Mexico state) and they took his papers and drove off with them! Our teammate then followed them to a more remote location and they demanded $5000 pesos for them. He called our ever-helpful immigration lawyer who couldn't make much headway with these crooks and finally advised that he pay $200 pesos in hopes of getting his papers back from them. This worked. It's not a bribe. It's plain robbery.

Oh and another of our teammates was stopped on our Thursday stretch of highway a couple of weeks ago. The Federal policeman tried to claim that he changed lanes too quickly. That ranks up there with another missionary we know who once was pulled over for...ummm...errr...ah-ha!...he was driving with his headlights on and windshield wipers in operation at the same time! Gotcha! Uh-huh. The missionary just laughed at him and the policeman ended up laughing and letting him go! It's quite the game here.

Anyway, on our 40 minute highway drive I also noted the dozen or so prostitutes that work on the shoulder of the highway 24/7 and sit in their blush-inducing costumes waiting for customers right there in broad daylight. (I feel sorry for them to tell the truth. Oddly, most of them are rotund and quite unattractive which sometimes makes for unkind but unforced chuckles from somewhere in the front seats of our car.)

Just another routine Thursday in Mexico. And really...that's pretty typical for our Thursdays. Just thought maybe you'd like to know what a routine Thursday looks like for us.

Camp Koinonia Multi-Purpose Building (video)

Camp Koinonia Director's House

Camp Koinonia Multi-Purpose Building

New Developments at Camp Koinonia

We travel up a couple thousand feet in elevation most every Monday for Beth's weekly math tutoring with Matthew, the son of the current camp director. We look forward to the drive and the beautiful setting up there. I generally take a book to read and then talk the entire couple hours with Matthew's dad, Rich. :-)

This week Rich and I walked over to where he's overseeing the construction of a multi-purpose building. It will be used primarily as a gymnasium and auditorium able to seat about 300. They've had events there larger than that but it should be sufficient for the vast majority of events and all their camps. There is room for only about 120 or so campers in the cabins and grounds.

I took some photos of this beginning phase and also a video which I'll post here if I can.

I also took some photos of a small 1300 square foot house that is being built for this family and future directors of the camp. It's located up near the entrance to the property. The Musgrave family have been living in a camper and an RV for the past couple years so will be a great blessing for them to be able to move into this house within a couple months.

The funds for the house have been pledged and it's just a matter of time before the logistics work out to complete the house.

The multi-purpose building is another matter. The original cost of construction as set by a U.S.-based engineering ministry (a few years ago) was about $300,000. Rich thinks they may be able to do it for half of that or even a little less. Some of the design has been tweaked which should bring down the cost a good bit. Steel prices for the trusses have been at recent lows and there was enough money to get some of that before this month when prices spiked again.

So far he's been working with about $20,000 or perhaps closer to $15,000, so not a lot of work has been done. The foundational supports are in place and basically the project is about ready for walls and trusses. Some excavation with a Cat might come before that. I don't recall the exact order.

Obviously, the camp is going to need a lot of help financially. Over the past two years, Rich has been working with the books for the camp and has made it profitable. However, the camp is not a ministry trying to make a profit so this is a limited source of income for the project.

Two churches in Celaya gave the equivalent of about $500 which was a huge deal. Most of the churches here are struggling financially within these challenging economic times. Unemployment in this particular region is among the worst in Mexico since it is highly industrialized and dependent upon U.S. orders.

So, while seeing funds come from the Mexican brethren is a tremendous blessing and exactly the kind of support we'd like to see, it isn't likely that a large percentage of this project will be funded by the churches here. Only a couple of churches in this region even have pastors and most can't afford to pay one.

I'll place the photos of the construction in a new post but I wanted to give you some context of the project first. The camp is open for use by evangelical churches and groups in the region and we've been blessed to be able to use it as well for our MK homeschoolers' spiritual emphasis camp (next one coming in April 2010) and our upcoming MK homeschool science camp (May 2010).

For groups using the camp for overnights, the fee is about $4 a day including meals. Camp Koinonia is a great resource for hundreds of believers to use and is a project we'd love to see supported. If you and/or your church would like information about how to be personally involved through financial gifts and/or construction teams, please let me know. I'll get you connected.

Thanks!

emerge: cross-cultural ministry short-term trips and internships for 2010

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