Dear Friends,
Hi from Durango, we hope your are doing well. We are in the the
throes of packing and getting ready to leave for Lajas tomorrow. We've had a busy time over Christmas and New year with family coming from Canada. In the middle of this we made a trip up to the border and then back to Chihuahua for a tribal retreat/conference. The time in El Paso was good to cash in on some after-Christmas sales and get some repair work done to the truck. Yes, you heard right! While our truck is a 2002
model and only 5 years old, the roads to Lajas are taking their toll. We had to have some major repairs done to the steering. Actually, with all the punishment of carrying heavy loads and making nearly two trips a month for the past two years, the truck has done surprisingly well. Considering that we had to haul all the gravel, sand and cement over
and above all the other things needed to build and finish our house,
it's a wonder the truck is still in one piece. Thankfully it is and is
running well.
I remember as a kid watching a futurist sci fi show called "Space 1999". It seemed so far in the future back then. We can't believe it is 2007. It is even harder to believe that we have been in Mexico over 8 years. We began trying to contact the Tepehuan back in March 2000. Now 7 years later we're finally living in their village - almost. The "contact stage" is from the time a missionary makes first contact with a tribal group till when they are living with that group. We possibly could have the record for having been in this stage the longest. Actually we had plans of having already learned the language, having already evangelized and by now be in the middle of discipling and watching a church grow. We're still trying to learn their language.
I say all this to say, that we're really hoping that by the end of this year I'll be proficient in the Tepehuan language, at least to be able to begin translating some Bible portions in readiness for Bible teaching. Hopefully Anne Marie won't be too far behind. So what will it take??? Lots of prayer, lots of study and more time in Lajas. We think by now the Tepehuan are used to us staying longer and soon we can be staying out there a month at a time. The goal is six weeks. One of the biggest hindrances is the fact that our airstrip is not useable to be able to fly in supplies, and the second one is that our two oldest kids, who when we started the work were the perfect age for living in a primitive place like Lajas, now are old enough to know that it's the worst place one could choose to live. They're getting closer to high school age and it won't be long that it will be detrimental for them to be with us in the tribe.
Things to praise about:
We praise God that the impossibility of living in Lajas among the Tepehuan has become a reality. We praise Him that even though this tribe said we could not live in their village, today we practically
are. We praise Him for the great bunch of people that pray for us,
communicate with us and support us so that we have been able to stick
it out. We praise Him that He loves us.
Things to pray for:
That the village will agree to repair and register the airstrip. That our children will miraculously find life in Lajas enjoyable and be able to find some friends there. For safety as we travel and live in a wild place. That we would walk faithfully with Jesus every day. That we as a team will become proficient in the Tepehuan language to be able to begin preaching the Gospel. That's why we are here and that's why we were sent.
For Jesus and His glory,
Andrew and Anne Marie
...
January 2007 letter
