Aug. & Sept. 2004 update
Dear Friends,
Sorry for the slightly extended gap in-between our updates, there
simply has been so much going on that it has been ridiculously impossible to actually show up at the desk in order to get an update happening. It all started at the beginning of August, when I had to travel by bus to Monterrey for my visa interview at the U.S Embassy. It was a slow and tedious process, but I am grateful that I have now received a five year visa, and am thankful to the Lord that I do not have to go though the process again till 2009. I arrived back in Durango around 12:00 A.M at night, and was up again the following day viciously packing the truck for a trip to Lajas. Scott (recently arrived coworker) was to accompany me for his first trip into the village, as also was Brian Colgan, a cell group leader from Saddleback Church in California. For those who missed the obvious "name drop", that is Saddleback of Rick Warren and "Purpose Driven Life" fame. All told, 8 members of the cell group came to Durango with Brian. They were a robust and eager group, and were simply wanting to investigate what possibilities were in store to be of practical support to the Tepehuan and our work in Lajas. We are excited about the possibilities of future involvement and they were a lot of fun and a great encouragement to us. It is of noteworthy cause, and merits more than a passing mention that they also brought a suitcase containing 40 pounds of Starbucks Coffee, to be distributed amongst the three missionary families here in Durango. Hence, I think we are sufficiently caffeinated till my U.S visa expires in 2009.
The trip to Lajas was great. Both Scott and Brian were immensely impressed and realized the difficulties that we face in reaching the Tepehuan. Brian was incredibly delighted with a Tepehuan toilet. He wasted no time in getting a shot with his digital camera for the pleasure and enjoyment of his home church. Due to the fact that Durango water had indelibly affected him for the worse, I can certainly say Brian spent much time heading off to his recent pleasant discovery in what one can only say was a purpose driven way.
As I have mentioned before, Lajas is going through a stretch of lawlessness. Apparently a number of young undesirables have banded together and are believed to have been the ones who killed Secundino's brother. Secundino and family had fled to Durango, and in the week before we got to Lajas, this band of outlaws had broken into his house and taken anything of value. Secundino had his niece and her kids staying there to watch the house. These thieves broke down the door, shot a few holes into the roof, told them to not move and began ransacking, carting off whatever they desired. They also broke into our house, but praise the Lord, nothing was missing. Everybody is afraid in Lajas, and many are talking about leaving the village. It is hopeful that the governing body for that area of the mountains will soon send in police to restore some order, but till then, Lajas is a very dangerous place. Pray for the registering of the airstrip. It looks like it will be a laborious and costly process. We definitely need it for contingency purposes. Also pray for peace in Lajas. Many are living in fear and there has been much killing and robbery.
The other day we had Secundino and family at our house for lunch. As we sat outside talking, I began to ask him about all the Tepehuan rituals and practices that he had fulfilled in order to receive blessing from God and from the spirits. His response was this, "I have done everything one can do. I have kept the diets, I have done the cleansings, I have danced the sacred dances, I have received the blessing from the witchdoctor, and yet look what has happened to my family and house. There must be something else out there, there must be another way." It was great to be able to clearly explain to him that we wanted to share with him God's way from God's Word. Pray for Secundino for God to continue to prepare his heart for the Gospel.
About a year ago, we met a Tepehuan lady by the name of Paulina. Due to her family's involvement in murder and revenge, etc., she moved to Durango, and has lived here for 16 years. She occasionally would drop by the house, and then we didn't see her for almost 6 months. She had booked her son, who was an alcoholic, into a Christian AA group here in the city. There they both had been given Bibles and were told to read them and to pray. From her reading of the Bible, she decided to leave the Tepehuan and Catholic beliefs and to follow God. About three weeks ago, she started showing up at our house again and began helping Anne Marie with Tepehuan study. She talked about her new beliefs and told us she wanted to tell the people in Lajas about God. She really understands very little from the Bible, and we don't believe that at this point she is saved, that is to say, we don't believe she understands what the Gospel is, but she is very close. As she has already started telling her Tepehuan friends that come in from Lajas about God, we felt it necessary to begin teaching her the Bible and about the fact that Jesus is the only way to God. We hope that if she isn't saved, that she will trust in Jesus, and that the Bible studies will help her share more clearly the message of the Bible. She was very keen to begin studying the Bible with us, so last Saturday night we went to her house. She lives in a very poor part of the city not far from our house. Her street at best can be described as a river of mud. Just to get from our truck to the entrance of her kitchen was a trek worthy of a book. We sat in her house which was a less than simple construction of boards and a cardboard roof. The floor was dirt and a thin piece of hung material acted as a door. We sat and talked for quite a while and I wondered if in the end she was still interested in studying the Bible, as she chatted incessantly about life in Lajas. Eventually she disappeared into another room outside, and returned with a Bible. Her son John Angel came in, as well as her daughter Teri. Another Tepehuan friend Mari came as well. They all had Bibles, were keen to listen, and seemed to know with surprising ease where all the references were to be found. We studied for about 40 minutes and covered basically what God is like, e.g. the fact that He is eternal, all-powerful, the only God. They were all interested and seemed genuinely excited about the next lesson (which we teach tonight). Pray for Paulina, John Angel, Teri, and Mari, that they would come to know Jesus as their saviour and would become powerful witnesses amongst the Tepehuan. We are teaching them in Spanish as they all except for Mari speak very good Spanish and our Tepehuan isn't proficient yet.
Tomorrow we leave for El Paso. We have to get some warranty and recall work done on the truck, we also will take the opportunity to buy supplies and to Christmas shop. Some folks back home have helped us in purchasing some tickets for Anne Marie and I to fly up to Dayton, Ohio for an Aussie friend's wedding. Peter (Anne Marie's Dad) and Rebecca (her sister) are coming to El Paso to help look after our kids while we whisk off to Dayton, and then Peter will stay with us for a while in Durango. We are looking forward to the break and to catching up with some friends back home. The kids are looking forward to seeing grandpa again.
Some things coming up are trips and renovation plans for our house in Lajas. We are praying for a dental clinic to happen early November.
Wel, must go. We will be in email contact while we are gone, so don't hesitate to write. Thank you to all who have been praying and supporting us, and still are. We are so grateful.
For Jesus,
Andrew and Anne Marie Ferguson
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