Current Events and Updates of the Ministry

We ended our last post with Theresa and me planning to join Javier on a five day ministry trip back up into the mountains of the Zona Pame to the west of the city. This return trip into the Pame region was planned for several reasons. First of all, this would allow Theresa and me to accompany Javier again in his ministry there before our planned departure date at the end of the month. Secondly, Javier wished to attend the UNTI Conference and wanted us to have the chance to do so as well (more on this conference in a minute). Then, finally, it was Javier’s wish to knock on doors (literally and figuratively) and to begin to explore how to bring the gospel into the two municipal chief centers of Lagunillas and Arrollo Seco. A desire that I have mentioned in previous blogs. To our knowledge there was no Christian witness in either of these two important villages, and it is Javier’s desire to deliver the gospel of Jesus Christ to both of them over this year and then to plant a church among new believers in each of these communities.

With these objectives in mind we began to prepare for a second trip into the mountains.

On Saturday morning we were blessed to be able to again join Cristina and the women in attending the children at the Hidden Manna Feeding Program in Buenos Aires where we were once more captured by the love and affection that they all lavish on the children there. Our hearts are always warmed by the hugs and kisses that we receive from the little ones who attend.

From Buenos Aires we returned back to our rental house in order to rush around finishing last minute details and jobs that all needed to be taken care of before leaving mid-afternoon. We knew that we needed to get out of the city by no later than 4:00 pm in order to get through the mountains and to Santa Catarina before dark.

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Despite leaving on time we still hit thick “pea soup” fog through the mountains as we headed west. I was behind the wheel, and by the time that we were in the high mountains after dark and close to our destination the fog was unbelievably think. The narrow roads were completely unmarked and without any side rails or barriers, and the knowledge of drop-offs of hundreds of feet down the sides of mountain ravines was “unnerving” to say the least. As we slowly crept along we couldn’t see more than several feet in front of the vehicle and had absolutely no guiding indications anywhere as we seemed to be floating through cloud. Thankfully we made it, but I have seldom been happier to see a destination than that evening, and Santa Catarina looked very wonderful indeed!

That evening we had a fellowship time with the local body of believers and shared a late meal together.

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Sunday morning dawned bright and sunny without any trace of the fog of the previous night. After a breakfast served by our dear eighty eight year old sister Adela, we headed out for La Parada where the UNTI Conference was to be held.

“UNTI” stands for Unión Nacional de Traductores Indidginos (National Union of Indidginous Translators). Their website can be found at https://untimexico.org/ and upon opening it you can have it translated into English. I would definitely encourage you to take a look at their site.

We were very impressed, and blessed to be able to be at the conference celebration and to see the number of Xi-Ui believers in attendance. The mission of UNTI Mexico is to work with indigenous Bible translators throughout the country of Mexico translating God’s word into the heart language of the various indigenous tribal groups. However, this specific conference represented the work being done locally among the Pame tribal group in the translation of the Bible into oral Xi-Ui.

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God is doing wonderful things in these mountains and among His people. We were reminded that His Word, the Bible, is powerful and will complete what He has purposed it to do.

After the conference ended and the attendees all shared a meal together we left for the village of Santa Maria Acapulco where we met with local believers in order to encourage them. Despite the fact that many of the women were involved with other community obligations, still a good number of children and adults attended the service under the open air “domo”. Interestingly, although a cold wind threatened to keep people away from the service, at the moment that we began singing the wind suddenly dropped off and the sun broke out of the overcast sky. From that point on the temperature was very pleasant.

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After encouraging the believers in Santa Maria Acapulco we returned across the mountains again to Santa Catarina where we spent the night.

The following morning we packed up and headed for the towns of Lagunillas and Arrollo Seco. As I indicated before, this was to be an exploratory trip to begin to bring the gospel into brand new territory. In order to fully explain what was on my heart as we began our day that morning I need to refer you to the account of Jesus sending out his disciples in Luke 10. Instead of writing out the whole event as recorded in verses 1 through16, I encourage you to read this passage yourself. However, I will refer specifically to several key verses.

In this passage Jesus called together seventy-two disciples and sent them out ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.

In verse 2 he states the truth that should be the heart cry of all of us as true believers:  “And He was saying to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest’”.

He then adds in verse 3: “Go; behold, I am sending you out like lambs in the midst of wolves”.

In verses 5 through 9 Jesus explicitly instructs his disciples as follows: “Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ And if a man of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they provide; for the laborer is deserving of his wages. Do not move from house to house. Whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat what is served to you; and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you’”.  

Jesus concludes in verse 16 with the sobering statement: “The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; but the one who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”

Our stated purpose in visiting both of the towns of Lagunillas and Arrollo Seco was to find the home of a man or woman of peace where the peace of Jesus could rest, and where we would receive an open door for the furtherance of the gospel, namely an open home where Javier could return to further explain the gospel of salvation.

In Lagunillas it was somewhat simpler in that Javier knew that there was a tiny group of Christians who had at one time been gathering together. However, the pastor who had been teaching this fledgling group had been killed in a car accident some five or six years earlier. This group of believers now had no one to teach them and had not met together as a church since the pastor died. Javier knew of one of these Christians by referral only from another believer in a different village, and they did not know of him at all. After asking around for this person we eventually found her, and a contact was established with her. Javier will now begin the challenge of bringing this tiny handful of elderly sisters in Christ together and beginning to plant a Church of believers here in this little town.

A woman of peace had been found, and a home was opened to be the doorway through which the peace of Jesus could come to this village.

Arrollo Seco was different. First of all, it is a much larger town – almost a small city. Secondly, Javier knew no one there. We parked near the center of town and had a quick time of prayer in the truck as we prepared to go into the central plaza to pray and see where, and how God would open doors and lead us. Immediately upon entering the plaza area Javier walked to a vender table and began talking to the man and his wife at the booth. Theresa and I were somewhat behind him and I assumed that he knew him from before. When I arrived at the table Javier introduced me to the man stating that he was a Christian missionary in the city. It turned out that they had never met before, but that simply “by the look on his face” they knew that the other person was a believer and a lover of Jesus. Or simply put, the Holy Spirit had brought them together.

Esteban and his wife Alejandra had moved to Arrollo Seco about five years previously and now headed up a little Baptist ministry in the city where a group of believers met. It was a joy to meet them and to find hearts joined in mission, and in the Faith. Incidentally, one of the things that they did was to sell at their booth in the plaza one day a week – on Mondays. If we had come any other day of the week we would not have met them. I don’t know what God will do with this connection of fellow believers, but surely nothing is coincidental in His Kingdom.

After a time of prayer in the park area of the plaza the three of us began to walk down several streets and literally look for open doors, or specifically, open courtyards where we could speak to people. It was fascinating to watch Javier as he ministered and sought men and women of peace, and an open door. With some there was no opening of door or heart and we gently thanked them and moved on. With others we were invited in and sat down and entered into conversation. If, and whenever the conversation allowed for a turning towards the introduction of the gospel, Javier gently took it. If there was rejection of the message, or if circumstances made it necessary, he simply graciously thanked them and we moved on.

That is, until we came to the home of the woman from Sychar – the woman at the well!

When we arrived at her house she was busy working inside her closed courtyard, but the doorway across the front was made of ironwork and we could easily talk through it. Javier chatted with her for some time and eventually asked her for a glass of water in order to engage her even further. She was happy to comply and brought him a glass of water.

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Somewhere around this point Theresa said something in English and the woman responded back in English. From there things moved quickly towards her inner hurts and pain. The two women began to communicate at a heart level with each other, and we were soon invited to come inside the gate. This woman who had lived for many years in the States had been severely hurt and abandoned by her husband. She has three children, one of which has severe autism and all of which are rebelling. Her life is anything but pretty or commendable. In many ways she is like the Samaritan woman, and I believe that this was a divine appointment.

Before we left we were able to pray with her and she repeated a prayer acknowledging her sin, and her need for Jesus Christ. Before leaving Theresa hugged and kissed her and they departed as heart-friends. I don’t know if she is a woman of peace in Arollo Seco and if this is where a group of new believers will take root or not. But this certainly was an appointed meeting, and we spent at least an hour with her. We will now pray that the seeds of new life take root in her heart, and if this is the house of peace where a new church can be planted, that doors will continue to open and become obvious for Javier and his ministry team.

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From her house we continued to visit with others along the streets constantly seeking for open doors and open hearts. May God throw doors wide open in this place, and may His Church be planted and take root.

From Arollo Seco we headed back across the mountains to Santa Catarina where we were to again spend the night.

The next morning we drove to El Coco in order to pick up Cirro Apolinar whose miraculous story of conversion and redemption I have told several times in previous blogs. With the four of us packed into the little truck we headed up the mountains to Chacuala and La Joya where we ministered to the believers in each village. From La Joya we returned to El Coco where the local church meets in the front “yard” of Ciro’s house. After the service with this little group of believers, now close to dark, we headed across the mountain range to the little town of Tanlacut where we were to spend the night.

The next day we visited and prayed with an extremely elderly (103 years old) believer in the tiny village of Pueblo de Tanlacut and from there headed up the road to find a couple whose home was hidden away up the side of a mountain valley. Thankfully one of the believers from Tanlacut knew them and offered to be our guide. We eventually arrived at their property but needed to walk the final mile or so up a rugged pathway to their little house.

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I have lived in Mexico for many years and I have encountered many things over those years. However, often I am still taken aback and amazed at how the poor live, and how profound poverty is for so many. This elderly couple lived all alone in the wilderness without anything, including water. Their only water source was what little rainwater they could collect from their roof – precious little for many months of the year in this region.

We had come to speak to them about Jesus and to pray for him because he is suffering with diabetes and its related affects. He cannot read, but we were able to give him a “Proclaimer”; an MP3 unit with the scripture in Xi-Ui his heart language. May God use His Word to bring life to the hearts of this dear elderly Pame couple.

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From their place we continued up the side of the mountain to the tiny village of Milpas Viejas where we met with the local Believers. We had a wonderful and loving time of worship with them and all too soon needed to head back down the steep mountainside in order to return to Tanlacut where we held an evening service with the church before driving back to Cd. Valles for the night.

If I may have been lulled by the fact that over the past year the roads had improved slightly on the western side of Tanlacut throughout some of the villages that we had visited, reality soon took hold on the drive eastward from Tanlacut to Cd. Valles. UNBELIEVABLE is the only word that comes to mind!

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But we arrived home to Cd. Valles. Weary, but safe and sound.

We arrived back at home in Pinawa last evening. The road between Manitoba and Mexico is always long, and 2,800 miles in a little Mazda 3 can be trying at the best of times. But it is always worth it!

We were very blessed to be able to be with our friends in Mexico again over the past month. If God continues to open doors for us to do so we will probably go again next year. But it is too early to say right now, and both Theresa and I are much too tired and road-weary to make any long term decisions at this point. But it was very, very good, and God’s presence was with us the whole way.

Please hold up both Javier and Cristina in your prayers. They are both facing an incredible work load. I have no idea how they manage to do all that they do. Their work and the demands of their days never seems to end. But, they are also both showing the effects of the incessant stress and strain. Just after we left Cd. Valles I got word that Javier had been admitted to the hospital for stomach and intestinal issues. He is out of hospital now, but still weak. I have little doubt that stress may have played a part in this. Further, Cristina struggles with diabetes and its affects as well as heart issues and often uncontrolled blood pressure.

Please hold these dear servants of God and beloved friends in your prayers. They are incredible people, and truly serve without thought of reward or benefit.

Thank you for your friendship and love over the years.

Your fellow servants in Jesus Christ,

Steven and Theresa Frey

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19: 9, 10 (NASB)

“Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and began dining with Jesus and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, ‘Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?’ But when Jesus heard this, He said, ‘It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. Now go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, rather than sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  Matthew 9: 10-13 

Without a doubt we are all familiar with the parable which Jesus told of the Pharisee and the tax collector as recorded in Luke 18: 9-14:

“Now He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: ^‘Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and began praying this in regard to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, crooked, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to raise his eyes toward heaven, but was beating his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other one; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

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This week Theresa and I have experienced these words of Jesus lived out in the flesh. Since arriving in Cd. Valles we have been meaning to spend time visiting with Jimmy and Lilian and their three children, a young couple who are very dear to us, their children even calling us grandma and grandpa. Up until this week we have been unable to do so, but we had arranged to spend the morning with them on Sunday.

Last August Jimmy and Lilian became involved with a new ministry in the city which worked with the rehabilitation of drug and alcohol addicts, and they were very excited to introduce us to what they are doing. On Sunday morning we met them at the facility where they work for a morning service and visit. At that time we also met the pastor and overseer of the ministry, Carlos Sanchez, along with his wife Sandi.

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The “Casa de Rescate – Desafio al Cambio” (Rescue House – Challenge to Change) is an incredible ministry in Cd. Valles which is taking drug and alcohol addicts and the downtrodden and outcasts of society from the surrounding region and is rescuing them, and is truly giving them the challenge to change. Both men and women, as well as children, are being set free and are having their lives radically changed by the power of Jesus Christ and the Word of God. All of them have an incredible past and have experienced lives tortured by sin. Most, if not all, carry deep scars. Men, tattooed and literally marked by their drug dealing and often murderous past, raise their hands in praise to God. Women, some of them only young teenage girls, carry the emotional and physical scars of lives of prostitution, drug addiction, and sexual violence but their faces are now softened and beautiful with the newly-found peace that comes from salvation through Jesus Christ.

In Jimmy’s own words in a message that he sent to me on Saturday he gave the following statistics. However by today, only days later, these will be outdated because the intake of new arrivals occurs daily:

– 75 people who were admitted involuntarily [ie. either by family or by the police or other legal means] are listening to the word of God and are getting to know Jesus.

– 50 people who came voluntarily [ie., by voluntary admission for help] are serving God.

– 14 women arrived who, after a six-month process of confinement [ie., involuntary admission], have decided to stay after their required program ended, and to serve God out of gratitude for what He has done in their lives and in that of their family.

– Men and women who were trapped in drugs and alcohol resulting in lives of sadness, anxiety, and depression are being set free. People marked by suicide attempts today see in Jesus a purpose for living.

We arranged a follow up meeting with Jimmy and Lilian as well as with Carlos Sanchez and his wife Sandi for the following day so that we could visit with them further, as well as accompany them to see the property that has recently been donated for the ministry a couple of miles to the north of the city. We also wanted to bring Javier and Cristina to meet them and to introduce them to this work as well.

Perhaps this is the place to interject that neither Theresa nor I are looking for a new place to “plug in”, and certainly Javier and Cristina are both so busy already that they can barely see the light of day. However, interestingly, God seems to be placing drug and alcohol rehabilitation into our path over the past weeks. This was now the third time over only days that one variety or other of this specific ministry has confronted us.

It was also quickly apparent that this specific work, like Teen Challenge or the Father’s Farm in North Dakota, and probably any ministry which targets wounded and addicted people, is very difficult and that it is only by the grace and power of God that anyone can change at all. Many who come, especially those who are brought involuntarily, even if they complete the six-month program still cannot stay clean when they leave and there is certainly recidivism even in an excellent and God-centered program. However, many also do change, and for them the transformation is nothing but absolutely radical and life altering!

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Praise God for changed lives and the power of his abiding Spirit to completely make all things new!

On Monday Theresa and I, along with Javier and Cristina spent about five hours with Jimmy and Lilian as well as Carlos and Sandi visiting the land site and learning to understand their vision and passion for this ministry that God has given to them to work with the downtrodden and the despised of the world.

Sadly, even many of the churches in town want nothing to do with them because their clients are “unsavory” and filthy sinners, or at least they were. And who can trust a drug addict or a woman of the streets?

“When Jesus heard this, He said, ‘It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. Now go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, rather than sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” 

Although Casas de Rescate are located in several cities across Mexico, it only began here in Cd. Valles eleven months ago and the amount of work that still needs to be done is almost overwhelming. Since it is so new here in Cd. Valles they have grown much faster than their facilities allow. Because of this they have hurriedly constructed two temporary housing units on the landsite in which they are beginning to accommodate the voluntary men admissions. The transfer of the women has all happened since Monday and we haven’t even seen what it looks like now that they have moved onto site. When we were there on Monday afternoon the women’s shelter was only an empty building without any beds in it.

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There is also a tremendous need for facilities and personnel to teach trades to both the men and women. This is certainly their desire, but to date they have not been able to do so. Cristina is hoping to help in this area by training some of the women to sew. Personally I’m not sure how she can fit any more onto her already full plate, but may God give her strength to do so. They also need bedding and new mattress covers sewn for the clients, so this is a huge immediate need besides that of teaching the women a practical trade.

Please hold this ministry up in your prayers. This is a very good work, and they desperately need God’s grace and mercy as they labor for Him.

Besides visiting with other friends here in Cd. Valles, this week has also been filled with spending time specifically with Javier and Cristina. As I mentioned last time, Javier has felt the need to simply unburden his heart to me on several occasions while we have been here. It was apparent that he longed to be heard without judgment or criticism. The burden of carrying the load of his congregation weighed heavily on him, and it was a blessing to me to simply be able to hold up his arms in the battle. These were things that he did not feel that he could speak about to other people as they related to the shortcomings and sins of those that he cared for pastorally. I could be the shoulder to assist with carrying the load.

On Friday evening (last evening) we also had a graphic reminder of the danger that everyone still lives under here in Mexico. Although things seem safe and “normal”, the calm may not be as sweet as it seems. Theresa and I had accompanied Javier and Cristina to a little village called San Mateo where they have a children’s outreach ministry. We had a lovely time with the children there and Javier shared the simple gospel message with them from the Bible.

When we returned back into the city from San Mateo we invited Javier and Cristina to enjoy a roasted elote with us – maize corn on the cob that is roasted and coated with mayonnaise, chili powder, lime juice, and shredded cheese. It is a lovely treat, and one that Theresa has been talking about now for several days. While we were sitting on a retaining wall by the side of the road enjoying our corn, suddenly several speeding cars passed by us heading down the highway with National Guard and police vehicles in hot pursuit close behind. One of the cars turned around just down the road from us and sped back the way that it had come. By this time Cristina had realized that this was a high speed cartel chase which would probably lead to a shootout and had hurried us all away from the road. We quickly got into the truck and drove off main roads to our house. We could hear sirens throughout the city for at least a half hour after we got home, but we were all okay.

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This morning I found out that last evening there had been a major cartel war against the police and National Guard in the city. Many roads and highways had been blocked off and gunfights had taken place across the city. Apparently no one was killed, but three main cartel bosses had been captured and were taken by helicopter for incarceration in San Luis Potosí. Also, apparently there have been no cartel wars here in Cd. Valles for at least a year, and things had been calm until last evening.

All of this is a reminder again that we cannot forget to pray for our brothers and sisters here in Mexico. Theresa and I are safe enough and I am not concerned. Besides, what better or safer place can there be than being in the center of God’s protective will. However, our Mexican brothers and sisters live under the constant awareness of possible danger. May God have mercy on this nation.

Theresa and I will leave this afternoon with Javier for another five-day ministry trip back into the mountains to the west of the city to the Zona Pame. We plan on returning back to Cd. Valles again on Wednesday night. This will make our final time here in Mexico very busy since we hope to leave to return to Canada on the morning of the 28^th.

Thank you for your prayers, both for Theresa and me as we spend this time here in Mexico, but especially for our dear brothers and sisters who live and serve here day in and day out, year after year. They are the heroes! They are the ones whose arms we need to hold and support so that they do not grow weary in the constant battle that they fight against the Enemy.

Blessings brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,

Steven and Theresa Frey

“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10 (NASB)

In the last post we had just returned to Cd. Valles after having ministered in the Pame region of Mexico and were anticipating a conference in Solidaridad, a little community just outside of the city, and the group of believers which Javier serves as pastor.

Saturday morning arrived quickly.

At 9:00 o’clock Theresa and I accompanied Matt to the Children’s Feeding Program, Hidden Manna in Buenos Aires so that he could visit this particular ministry firsthand, as well as see the little squatter’s village where Cristina works so closely with the small group of new believers before we all returned to the conference in Solidaridad where Fred, along with Marty and Juan Carlos brought a clear Bible message to the church gathered there.

After a shared meal with the believers attending the conference everyone said their goodbyes and Marty and the team with him headed south for the village of Huichihuayán where he and Juan Carlos would preach on Sunday. At the same time Fred, Matt, and I loaded up the Mazda and drove east towards Tampico in order to drop off Matt for his early morning flight back to Canada. After bringing him to his hotel Fred and I returned through the night roads to Cd. Valles, again dodging potholes and other barely visible obstacles along the way. We arrived back in Cd. Valles around 1:30 in the morning.

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At 9:30 that morning (Sunday) Fred, Theresa, and I jumped into the little Mazda and left Cd. Valles heading for Tamazunchale where we would visit with a Christian brother that I had met the previous year by the name of Blas. Blas Ramirez Medina lives in the mountainside village of Tepetzintla about a half hour outside of the larger center of Tamazunchale and there ministers to drug addicts, as well as pastoring a church called Iglesia Esperanza Tepezintla which gathers in his little house.

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On our way south we stopped at the exit to Xilitla where we had prearranged to pick up Joshua Watson and Ethan who would be our contacts with Blas. Joshua would also translate for Fred as he preached. Joshua’s father, Brandon Watson, is the founder of a larger ministry called Hope Ministries located in the beautiful mountain town of Xilitla. Ethan, a young man who himself has an incredible testimony of redemption and liberation from addictions and the occult serves as a missionary with this ministry. Unfortunately Brandon and his wife were up in the States, but they graciously sent their son Josh with us, and invited us to spend Sunday night and Monday morning at their home and ministry center in Xilitla in order to become acquainted with their mission work as well.

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We spent a delightful afternoon with Blas and his wife and family, along with the young men and women which they serve – all having come from past slavery to drug and alcohol addictions. These young people are now being beautifully transformed through the power of Jesus Christ and live and minister with Blas and his family.  After a shared meal together we cleared away the tables and set up chairs in preparation for the church to gather. Soon the little living space of Blas’ kitchen and open “living room” was filled with believers. There was a wonderful time of praise and sharing as the Word was preached. After the service everyone continued visiting together before stepping off the side of the cement platform which formed the floor of Blas’ house, and walking the steep mountain paths to their own homes.

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We also said our goodbyes and headed out in order to drive up to Xilitla with Josh and Ethan for the night. After a refreshing night at the ranch center of Hope Ministries we spent the following morning to midday acquainting ourselves with their work, touring their grounds with Ethan, as well as meeting with and ministering to the leaders and men at the drug and alcohol rehab ranch (www.hopeministriesintl.com). Their calling, along with church planting throughout the Huasteca region of Mexico also involves working with drug and alcohol addiction rehabilitation. Here we also saw the lives of men being restored and set free from slavery to addictions and sin. We were thoroughly impressed and blessed, seeing God’s amazing restoring work being evidenced here in the lives of these men.

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From Xilitla we headed north again to Huichihuayán where we were to meet with Isaias Garcia Muñoz and his wife Sandi. Isaias pastors a church in Huichihuayán, and along with Sandi and other leaders from the church, they also have little “mission” churches scattered throughout the surrounding region. Isaias had arranged with us to arrive at 3:00 o’clock so that we could accompany them to a four year old mission outreach work in the isolated mountain village of Tampaxal. Here were gathered a group of new believers along with many children. A number of the women took the children aside and taught them, while the adults and older children received a message from the Word outside under the overhanging trees.

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When the service was over we shared a meal together, all received huge plates filled with delicious, steaming hot zacahuil; one of the most traditional meals of the Huastecan region. As dusk settled we headed back down the mountain roads to Huichihuayán, and from there back to Cd. Valles and our rented “home”.

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The following afternoon (Tuesday) Fred and I spend several hours sharing with and encouraging Pastor Javier whose heart was simply ready to be heard and listened to. Both Javier and Cristina live lives of constant ministry and service to others and sometimes they honestly need to have their arms lifted and supported as they do so. Javier’s pastoral heart was burdened by the load that he carries.

In many ways this has now become my role as a mentor and spiritual “elder” in their lives – that of encouragement and spiritual support. Often this role simply involves being open, available and having a listening ear. Thankfully, now with the miracle of technology this can be done both while we are physically in Mexico but also via video chat. WhatsApp has become one of my most useful tools over recent years, and allows me to keep in touch with Javier at anytime from anywhere.

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At 6:30 that evening we met with Janny and Mario and other local leaders and Bible School students at the Light of the Nations Bible Institute building in the downtown area of Cd. Valles where Fred offered teaching and directed a discussion time concerning the nature of the New Testament Church as the Body of Christ.

On Wednesday morning Theresa and I, along with Fred, visited the farm site in order to see what has been happening there over the past year. Please pray that God will light a fire and renew His vision for the land to the Board of OUpC who are now the directors and overseers of this property. It is sadly apparent that there is no vision and no plan for this land into which so much prayer, dreams, financial giving, and sweat was once poured. It is truly a heartbreak for us to see it lying barren and without any sense of expectation for its future.

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In the afternoon we shared a lunch with Javier and Cristina at our house and had a time of prayer with them after the meal. Since the time in the mountains ministering in the Pame villages the previous week both Javier and Cristina have been under heavy spiritual and physical attack. Cristina especially was experiencing physical symptoms and illness which she felt were directly related to a spiritual battle.

In the evening Fred presented the second part of the teaching and discussion time with the leaders and Bible Institute students. Since this night’s session didn’t begin until 8:00 o’clock we didn’t arrive home until very late.

Thursday morning saw us packing the car and preparing to take Fred to Tampico for his early Friday morning flight back to Canada. Since we didn’t have any other pressing issues to attend during the day we decided to get a fairly early start and to enjoy our day together, perhaps even at the beach, before dropping Fred off at his hotel room and Theresa and I returning to Cd. Valles. Unfortunately, and rather unusually, Thursday in Tampico was cold and dominated by a howling gulf wind. We did try to go to the beach but ended up with fine sand covering every part of our bodies, including filling our eyes and ears. We very quickly abandoned any idea of a gentle beach walk as the waves crashed and pounded their way shoreward.  Oddly, only a couple of days before it had been a sweltering 41 degrees Celsius (106˚ F) in Cd. Valles!

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Theresa and I returned to Cd. Valles very late, and very much after dark. So, yet again we experienced the breathtaking “thrill” of near death experiences as we careened our way home from Tampico. Only, this time, the anti was made even more exciting by a drizzling rain.

Friday morning brought the inevitable piles of bedding and other laundry which needed to be washed after hosting guests, and a house which needed to be cleaned and reorganized. Our only available access to a washing machine is to invite ourselves to Javier and Cristina’s place in order to use theirs. Thankfully they were at home in the afternoon and we could visit with them and use their machine, taking this time together to unwind a bit with them before the work began in earnest again.

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Saturday dawned bright and early with Theresa and me joining Cristina and the other helpers at the children’s ministry, Hidden Manna, in Buenos Aires in the morning. After the children’s program ended Theresa and I walked through the little squatter’s village to visit with a dear Christian friend of ours. She faces multiple hardships and extreme difficulties as she tries to raise her young family. Her husband, a likable enough man, but absolutely irresponsible, has left her time and time again and has multiple women and illegitimate children scattered throughout the area. She, his legal wife, has borne him five children. The oldest son is now grown and has his own child. The other four still live at home. She, along with the family have begun a baking business from their small stick and corrugated tin hovel, making and delivering pan dulce for the neighborhood.

The oldest son works directly with her in the baking business. The second son, still in school, delivers the baked pan dulce to clients in the evenings when he gets home from classes. The thirteen year old daughter washes the baking pans, and the two little girls, seven and five years old play and take care of their little cousin on the dirt floor while his dad bakes with their mother. Life is very difficult for so many people. How truly blessed we are! Theresa and I were able to assist her with a gift of money to help make her life a little bit less stressful and sad, and so that she could have a little more capital to expand the business through which she and her sons are supporting the family.

In the afternoon our laundry had dried on the line and we were able to pick it up and return home to finish the cleanup begun the day before. However, before doing so Theresa and I delivered the sewing machines and parts that we had brought with us for Cristina’s sewing workshop. In all we delivered six sewing machines, and parts to repair three more machines that we had brought down last year and now needed repair, but for which parts were not available locally. Theresa also dropped off several bags of material for Cristina’s work shop, as well as several bags of very lightly used clothes.

These have been two very full weeks in Mexico and Javier has asked me if we are willing to go with him into the Pame mountain region again to minister for five days from the 22^nd through to the 26^th. This will mean that we return to Cd. Valles with only one day to pack and get completely ready to leave for Texas and the return journey on the morning of the 28^th.

Of course we will go with him – that is why we came. However, it will make for a very busy finish to our time here.

Thank you for your love and prayers.

We are so grateful for your faithfulness.

Your fellow servants in Jesus Christ,

Steven and Theresa Frey

I bring you greetings from our little kitchen table in Cd. Valles as the sound of the laughter of children playing across the street fills the house. It has been a very busy two weeks since my last post. The days have been very full, and very blessed. I will attempt to cover the highlights while still keeping this blog from becoming too verbose.

As I mentioned in my last post, we were preparing for the arrival of two teams with members from Canada, the United States, as well as a Christian brother from Cuba. As I stated before, we have been blessed again this year to be able to rent a small house from a sister from Javier’s church. This allows us to be independent while here and not to become an undue burden upon Javier and Cristina or other friends. Further, it provides us a place where we can host others while we are here in Mexico – both missionary teams arriving to serve while we are here, as well as hosting local friend for meals and visits.

The morning of Tuesday, February 4^th provided Theresa and me time to continue to settle in and prepare for hosting the Canadian team which would be staying with us in our little rental house in Cd. Valles. In mid-afternoon I headed east to Tampico in order to be at the airport for the arrival of Fred Erb and Matthew Reimer, both from Listowel, Ontario. Fred pastors Listowel Community Church, and Matt is one of the elders. Fred and Listowel Church have been a part of the work in the Huasteca region of Mexico for over twenty five years. Fred, along with two other pastors, are to be the keynote speakers at the upcoming conferences.

Although Tampico is a city on the coast only about 150 kilometers to the east of Cd. Valles, in reality it is a very nerve-wracking and tedious three hour drive to get there. In the daylight the road is bad, and often requires some fancy downshifting and dodging of potholes and maneuvering into and out of unannounced “surprises” along the way. At night, however, it is terrifying! Since the roads are dark and almost devoid of any markings, navigation becomes extremely difficult after dusk. Lanes sometimes cease to exist or make sharp changes without any apparent reason or announcement, and massive potholes are always ready to take out the suspension and tires of any unsuspecting or complacent driver. Coupling this with the incessant glare of undimmed headlights from oncoming traffic facing the same dilemma of poor visibility, these drives to Tampico are never “fun”.

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Unfortunately, because of the schedule of the flights coming in from the United States and Canada these trips to Tampico always require night driving. Since the incoming flight lands at 8:00 pm (assuming that it arrives on time), arrival back to Cd. Valles rarely can be done before midnight. Since Fred and Matt had different return flights back to Canada I needed to make this trip into Tampico three times over the past two weeks – certainly enough elevation of blood pressure to last me for another year before doing so again!

Immediately after meeting with Fred and Matt at the airport I got a call from Martin (Marty) Dyer telling me that he and his team from the States and Cuba had all arrived in Monterrey and were prepared for an early morning departure for Santa Catarina, in the Pame region, where we would meet the following evening in preparation for the conference which would commence on Thursday morning. Marty pastors New Song church in Grove, Oklahoma and has also been a part of the ministry in the Huastecan region of Mexico for many years. Marty and I have worked together now for over twenty five years. Traveling along with Marty was Keith Martin, a brother also from Grove, Oklahoma, as well as Juan Carlos Cardosa, a pastor and brother from Cuba. Oscar Salazar was also with them as their translator and friend.

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After a close to midnight arrival back at Cd. Valles Theresa and I got Fred and Matt settled in for the night, and tried to catch a good night’s sleep in preparation for a mid-day departure on Wednesday for the Zona Pame, and the upcoming Fourth Annual Conference of Pame Believers which would take place in Santa Catarina, beginning at 10:00 o’clock on Thursday morning.

Wednesday morning provided us time for packing and preparing the vehicles for the trip over the mountains to Santa Catarina. We would be taking two pickup trucks, both packed to the gills. I would drive one loaded with people and supplies for ministry. Javier would drive the other packed full with the musician team as well as their instruments, speakers, and sound equipment. We gathered everyone and got off in a mid-afternoon start for the mountains, planning on a 6:00 o’clock rendezvous with Marty and his team at Adela’s house in Santa Catarina. We would then hold a prayer time and fellowship there with the local body of believers around an evening meal before settling in for the night.

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Everything went well for the first half hour or so of the trip until we began to climb higher into the ever-heightening mountain terrain. All of a sudden, Javier who had taken the lead, pulled over to the side of the road at a curve where there was absolutely no shoulder between the narrow road and the steep side of the mountain. Grossly overloaded trucks and speeding cars pulled around us as we stood on the side of the road examining what was obviously a big problem with the little Ford Ranger that Javier was driving. Matt, a heavy-duty truck mechanic, quickly identified that the whole inside of the fourth sparkplug had blown out of the main body of the plug, and the harness had been completely burnt off. Although three cylinders still fired, because the one sparkplug had completely blown out its inner core there was a very loud noise erupting from the engine whenever it ran.

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Eventually, while trying to avoid getting killed by traffic, we were able to push the truck in order to assist the barking engine in getting the vehicle to the other side of the road and into a somewhat safer place. Javier then called back to Cd. Valles and asked a mechanic friend, Román, to please come to fix the truck. Román arrived shortly with a new sparkplug and cable. Soon he had the truck up and running after having replaced the apparently badly made plug, along with the burnt cable and we were on the road again.

We climbed and groaned our way ever higher up the road for about another half hour until suddenly Javier pulled over to the side of the road again in as precarious a place as before. Surely not again! But sure enough – another sparkplug had blown out its insides and burnt off the plug harness cable! However, this time it was number 3 plug.

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Again we risked life and limb and pushed and limped a short way up the road in order to relocate the truck in a place where the traffic was not roaring like missiles around us. By now however, we realized that we didn’t just have a bad set of plugs, but we had a genuine engine problem and needed a different vehicle. Again Javier called to a very patient Román and asked him to bring another sparkplug and wiring harness and to please bring a second driver in order to try to limp with the truck back to his shop in Cd. Valles where he would need to see what was wrong with it.

Javier then called to Santa Catarina where Marty and the team had already arrived in order to ask if someone from there could come and pick up the load and crew from the crippled truck. Oscar said that he would come out to get them, however, he was at least three hours away.

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While we waited for Román to arrive, the truck was unloaded beside the road in the increasing dusk. We then waited in the thickening darkness high up in the Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains for Oscar to arrive with his truck so that we could reload the musical equipment and passengers and drive on to our destination.

Oscar did arrive, and we did make it to Santa Catarina late that night, but not before a very adventure-filled drive across the mountains, and certainly not by 6:00 o’clock as planned.

At 10:00 o’clock the following morning the Conference began. Pame believers from little villages scattered across the region gathered together for a time of fellowship and teaching. As I have emphasized before in other blogs, these annual gatherings are very important for these new believers because they bring together the Pame Christian community who, only a handful of years ago, had never heard the evangelical gospel message. Today they joyfully gather in the unity of their love for Jesus Christ. These annual gatherings bring together a body of believers who speak the same heart language and experience the same cultural roots.

We were all blessed to receive teaching from Fred, Marty, and Juan Carlos as they ministered to those gathered. Oscar and Juan Carlos translated from English into Spanish for Fred and Marty, while Jose Santos, a Pame brother and Bible translator, translated from Spanish into Xi-Ui, the language of the Pame people. Translation can get a tad bulky as it passes through three languages, but that is what is often involved in cross-cultural and cross-linguistic ministry.

The following morning we pilled everyone and everything into three trucks and headed out for Santa Maria Acapulco, the spiritual and cultural center of the Zona Pame, and the very epicenter of demonic witchcraft and paganism of the region. I have spoken often of this place in other blogs, and so will not do so again here. However, let me simply reiterate the miracle which has happened over the past three years in which a small group of believers has been planted in this once-closed village. Today the light of the gospel is shining forth in this onetime stronghold of the Enemy. The light may still be the flicker of a candle, but it is shining bright and true nonetheless.

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Juan Carlos, the brother from Cuba brought a powerful message to the gathered group of believers inside the central “domo” while others, not wanting to be counted with the believers, listened from outside the fence and from across the road. But, inside or out, the message of the gospel was heard.

After a lunch of ham and cheese bolillos was served to everyone in attendance (along, of course, with the mandatory Mexican requirement of Coca Cola served in a disposable cup), we once again piled back into the trucks – only two this time, and headed back for Cd. Valles where we were all going to try to get a night’s sleep before the conference in Solidaridad in the morning.

We made it back to Cd. Valles fairly late – tired and ready for bed, but safe and sound nonetheless. Everyone was dropped off at their respective homes or hotel rooms as the case may be, and we all tried to relax and get a good night’s sleep in preparation for the 10:00 o’clock conference the following morning.

Since we all have an attention span that should not be tortured beyond measure I will end here for now. Primeramente Dios, I will post the second instalment very soon.

Again, as always, we thank you so much for your love and prayers. Your prayers are a vital part of the ministry, and the strength of the Lord is that which sustains us.

Your fellow laborers and servants in Jesus Christ,

Steven and Theresa Frey

Theresa and I arrived safely in Cd. Valles on Tuesday evening after a very pleasant and wonderfully uneventful crossing of the border and drive from Texas. We did, however, get the Dreaded Red Light at the border upon crossing and were pulled over for inspection.

As our poor little Mazda 3 was loaded to the gills as usual, any such inspections could potentially have meant a complete unloading of everything item by item, and taxes and tariffs placed on anything at the whim of the inspectors. Nonetheless, even though we were loaded with everything from six used sewing machines and bags of cloth for the sewing school, to groceries and personal items and suitcases, what was most obvious upon opening our trunk and looking into the back of the car was bags of groceries, toilet paper, frying pans, and miscellaneous pots and pans – basically the paraphernalia which verified our claims that we were on our way to spend a month in Mexico where we had rented a house in Cd. Valles. The customs inspection ended up being a very brief check of our paperwork and passports and we were on our way again with much relief and rejoicing.

The little Mazda, as ugly as it may be, has once again proved itself to be worth its weight in rusted metal and semi-threadbare rubber and has purred like a kitten all the way from Manitoba to Cd. Valles – all 4,000 kilometers of the way. To this day it still doesn’t burn a drop of oil!

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We have been very blessed again this time to be able to rent the little house from Herlinda, a sister from Pastor Javier’s church, which we have rented now for the past three missionary trips to Mexico. By doing so we are able to be independent, and not become a burden to others while here. Further, it also allows us to host others in our home – both locally for meals and visits, but also other groups coming to Cd. Valles in order to be a part of the ministry while Theresa and I are here.

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Thankfully things seem to be on track for the plans in the upcoming weeks. All ‘t’s seem to be thoroughly crossed, and all ‘i’s dotted – of course we will see as things actually shake down in real life. Remaining conscious of the old adage: “Twixt cup and lip tis many a slip”.

Yesterday we were privileged to attend the Children’s Feeding Ministry, Hidden Manna in Buenos Aires with Cristina and Javier and the women who assist them there. Later in the afternoon we also attended a brand new children’s outreach in the little village of San Marcos, several kilometers outside of Buenos Aires.

This morning we gathered with the believers at the little church in Solidaridad for their morning worship service. When it was over we joined the believers in Buenos Aires who meet at 7:00 am, and by the time we joined them they were completing the construction of a base for a “tinaco”, a large water storage tank for their outdoor bathroom on the side of their little half-completed church building. I will give further information concerning this little group of faithful believers in a later blog.

I will try to keep you up to date on events as they happen over the upcoming weeks.

We appreciate all of your prayers for both Theresa and I, as well as those for the local leadership and the ongoing work here in the Cd. Valles region of Mexico.

We are blessed to have you as friends and fellow laborers in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We know the true value of your prayers and support for the work of Christ.

Thank you,

Steven and Theresa Frey