Thank you, Reba. I told "Aunt" Elvia (director of Aunt Elvia's Home) and she said "And God gave you peace all the way through it, right?" Indeed He did. I was surprised that I wasn't freaking out. I calmly paced my cell until I was tired enough to fall asleep on the concrete slab, and when I woke up, I paced some more.
Christian Forums
This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
-
Desire to be a vessel of honor unto the Lord Jesus Christ?
Join For His Glory for a discussion on how
https://christianforums.net/threads/a-vessel-of-honor.110278/
-
Taking the time to pray? Christ is the answer in times of need
https://christianforums.net/threads/psalm-70-1-save-me-o-god-lord-help-me-now.108509/
-
-
Depending upon the Holy Spirit for all you do?
Read through the following study by Tenchi for more on this topic
https://christianforums.net/threads/without-the-holy-spirit-we-can-do-nothing.109419/
-
-
How are famous preachers sometimes effected by sin?
Join Sola Scriptura for a discussion on the subject
https://christianforums.net/threads/anointed-preaching-teaching.109331/#post-1912042
-
The Italian Gringo
- Thread starter Vince
- Start date
thisnumbersdisconnected
Member
Vince, I did time in an American prison, for forgery. I hated it, but I was guilty of the crime. I can't imagine being imprisoned in some third-world country (sorry for that characterization as I know you lvoe the people there, and that's no reflection on them) and not know what was coming or how to deal with it. God protected you just as He protected me. How He protected me, however, was to use the prison time as the proverbial "2 X 4 between the eyes" to get my attention, and, once I'd regained consciousness ( :D ) began to work in my life and make me the man I needed to be.
Some of the finest people you meet are jailbirds.
Greetings, Gringos! It's allergy season here, but I hope that all of you are all right.
When I visited the church caravan route on Saturday, people were running up to me from all directions to hug me. Men came out laughing, wanting to hear the story, and I guess I'm "one of the guys" now that I've been in jail (for one day). And God gave us 26 on Sunday, so we're just praising the Lord. After a few sightings from the police, I realized that they're not after me, and even Soriano's is being nice to me.
In 1951, a still beaten Japan produced a cartoon series called "Iron Atom Arm," showing a robot hero protecting Japan and the US in the year 2000. The show correctly predicted giant, jet-propelled passenger planes and high-speed trains in a prosperous, peaceful nation. Six years later, a more violent American version came out, entitled "Astro Boy," and the daily re-runs were my favorite cartoon when I was ten years old.
Built to replace a dead boy, Astro Boy's pleas to his father not to reject him (in English) fascinated some of the kids at La Ola today. I'll be showing the Spanish 2009 movie on Monday. It is not a Christian cartoon, but Astro Boy's forgiveness and returning good for evil ought to be good for the kids.
And I'm still posting helpful articles on "Three Great Principles of Failure" at The Italian Gringo blogspot, and I hope that you'll all drop in.
Adios, Vicente
When I visited the church caravan route on Saturday, people were running up to me from all directions to hug me. Men came out laughing, wanting to hear the story, and I guess I'm "one of the guys" now that I've been in jail (for one day). And God gave us 26 on Sunday, so we're just praising the Lord. After a few sightings from the police, I realized that they're not after me, and even Soriano's is being nice to me.
In 1951, a still beaten Japan produced a cartoon series called "Iron Atom Arm," showing a robot hero protecting Japan and the US in the year 2000. The show correctly predicted giant, jet-propelled passenger planes and high-speed trains in a prosperous, peaceful nation. Six years later, a more violent American version came out, entitled "Astro Boy," and the daily re-runs were my favorite cartoon when I was ten years old.
Built to replace a dead boy, Astro Boy's pleas to his father not to reject him (in English) fascinated some of the kids at La Ola today. I'll be showing the Spanish 2009 movie on Monday. It is not a Christian cartoon, but Astro Boy's forgiveness and returning good for evil ought to be good for the kids.
And I'm still posting helpful articles on "Three Great Principles of Failure" at The Italian Gringo blogspot, and I hope that you'll all drop in.
Adios, Vicente
Greetings, Gringos! It was good to be able to teach an English/Bible class at La Ola today, and the class went very well. I'm there two days a week now.
I want to remind my friends that if you are arrested in Mexico, you are guilty until proven innocent. If anyone is injured in an auto accident, both drivers are taken to jail until a trial. Don't talk on your cellphone while driving, and don't drive without a seatbelt; both practices are illegal.
Although I am encouraging Gringos to retire down here, I do not censor the bad news; I was jailed for one day two weeks ago for unknowingly picking up a friend who was fleeing the police. While I was treated better than I would have been in a big-city jail in the US, it was still a bad experience. Covering up sin and minimizing problems are methods that some Christians use to "protect" people from the truth. Bible colleges are notorious for this, not telling their students that most of them will have no ministry a few years after graduating. Once you learn that you have been lied to, you need to wonder if they deceived you in other areas as well. Not everyone is to blame for every scandal, but everyone who consents to a cover-up is doing wrong.
One retired mega-church pastor is travelling the country, urging young people to attend the Ruckmanite (King James Only) college that he founded. He is not telling them that his college is one of the few in history to have its president arrested for sex crimes with a child, and that the retired pastor personally appointed that president. Thee are other incidents of freshmen arriving at a Bible college to discover that there are only a few dozen students, and that the faculty consists of church staff (including secretaries). And many students don't realize that their credits from an unaccredited college will not be accepted by most other colleges.
Jesus told us that the truth will make us free. The Apostle Paul wrote that he and his companions never used deceitful practices. When you see that the leadership is dishonest, you need to head elsewhere.
See you next week, Vicente
PS. Pope Francis will be receiving his first edition of The Italian Gringo today.
I want to remind my friends that if you are arrested in Mexico, you are guilty until proven innocent. If anyone is injured in an auto accident, both drivers are taken to jail until a trial. Don't talk on your cellphone while driving, and don't drive without a seatbelt; both practices are illegal.
Although I am encouraging Gringos to retire down here, I do not censor the bad news; I was jailed for one day two weeks ago for unknowingly picking up a friend who was fleeing the police. While I was treated better than I would have been in a big-city jail in the US, it was still a bad experience. Covering up sin and minimizing problems are methods that some Christians use to "protect" people from the truth. Bible colleges are notorious for this, not telling their students that most of them will have no ministry a few years after graduating. Once you learn that you have been lied to, you need to wonder if they deceived you in other areas as well. Not everyone is to blame for every scandal, but everyone who consents to a cover-up is doing wrong.
One retired mega-church pastor is travelling the country, urging young people to attend the Ruckmanite (King James Only) college that he founded. He is not telling them that his college is one of the few in history to have its president arrested for sex crimes with a child, and that the retired pastor personally appointed that president. Thee are other incidents of freshmen arriving at a Bible college to discover that there are only a few dozen students, and that the faculty consists of church staff (including secretaries). And many students don't realize that their credits from an unaccredited college will not be accepted by most other colleges.
Jesus told us that the truth will make us free. The Apostle Paul wrote that he and his companions never used deceitful practices. When you see that the leadership is dishonest, you need to head elsewhere.
See you next week, Vicente
PS. Pope Francis will be receiving his first edition of The Italian Gringo today.
Greetings, Gringos! It's sunny and pleasant here in Mexico, and we wish you were here.
The college I graduated from had been operated by the World's Largest Sunday School, back in the seventies. The church and college strictly followed a policy of covering up sin "for the good of the ministry." When the pastor's son became a flagrant sex criminal, the church covered it up, including slandering people who protested his sins. They also slandered college students (including me) who objected to the violent gangs that were encouraged to operate on campus. They turned against the Word of God, rejecting the Bible in favor of the King James translation, and they refused to repent as the church went into a massive decline.
When Jack Schaap became pastor, he managed to turn the church around. But he would not correct the slanders and falsified records of the church and college. He would not reach out to the victims of the organizations he now led. And this morning, Jack Schaap was sentenced to twelve years for having sex with a teen-ager he had been counseling. Schaap is grieved that the church has formally distanced itself from him, just as he had taught it to distance itself from its victims. "Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord. I will repay."
Meanwhile, the new pastor has made clear that the church and college will continue their policy of covering up past sins, despite four decades of scandals--obviously covering up their sins isn't working. For the last few years, I have been contacting victims of the church and college, and only two of them (including me) report any attempt at all to make things right. The Biblical promise "Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord. I will repay" is certainly true.
We had five kids from Aunt Elvia's Home over last night for a Bible cartoon, and an English/Bible class that I taught at La Ola Orphanage went very well this morning. I'll see you all next week.
Adiós, Vicente
The college I graduated from had been operated by the World's Largest Sunday School, back in the seventies. The church and college strictly followed a policy of covering up sin "for the good of the ministry." When the pastor's son became a flagrant sex criminal, the church covered it up, including slandering people who protested his sins. They also slandered college students (including me) who objected to the violent gangs that were encouraged to operate on campus. They turned against the Word of God, rejecting the Bible in favor of the King James translation, and they refused to repent as the church went into a massive decline.
When Jack Schaap became pastor, he managed to turn the church around. But he would not correct the slanders and falsified records of the church and college. He would not reach out to the victims of the organizations he now led. And this morning, Jack Schaap was sentenced to twelve years for having sex with a teen-ager he had been counseling. Schaap is grieved that the church has formally distanced itself from him, just as he had taught it to distance itself from its victims. "Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord. I will repay."
Meanwhile, the new pastor has made clear that the church and college will continue their policy of covering up past sins, despite four decades of scandals--obviously covering up their sins isn't working. For the last few years, I have been contacting victims of the church and college, and only two of them (including me) report any attempt at all to make things right. The Biblical promise "Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord. I will repay" is certainly true.
We had five kids from Aunt Elvia's Home over last night for a Bible cartoon, and an English/Bible class that I taught at La Ola Orphanage went very well this morning. I'll see you all next week.
Adiós, Vicente
Greetings, Gringos! They've got ice cream on sale all over the place down here, and I've had more ice cream sodas for lunch than I've had in years.
Nancy and I had two of the La Ola orphans over last Suday, and we all had a blast. One thin ten-year-old polished off a large breakfast, a large bag of potato chips, 1/4 of a huge pot of spaghetti, three bowls of ice cream, and five yogurt pops, and she's still skinny as a rail. By George, she reminds me of myself! Except for eating, they spent most of the day playing on our computers and watching cartoons. Now I've got other La Ola kids all over me wanting to come over.
The two girls did go with us on the church caravan route, and we picked up 24 kids, despite having two families move away. But the two girls were shaken when I took them to Aunt Elvia's Home. Elvia loves her kids and is doing a great job. But her orphanage has the least amount of money and volunteers, and they could use more help. She has to babysit to help meet expenses, so we arrived to find about a dozen people crowded around a TV (which a fellow from my church donated) watching cartoons. Aunt Elvia's kids rarely get to go out unless I take them, and there are a lot of openings for volunteers and donations there.
Meanwhile, someone gave the La Ola kids some skateboards and bicycles, and I usually take a bunch of them to a nearby park with a skateboard rink. They are very nice kids and there is always a need for volunteers and donations there as well.
After the open house two weeks ago, Lucky Dog animal shelter has had some adoptions, including a large dog named Pookey. Pookey is a sweet, gentle, mean-looking dog who is perfect as a watchdog. And we've got two new volunteers to walk dogs there.
Meanwhile, I hope that all of you are having a wonderful Springtime. See you next week,
Vicente
Nancy and I had two of the La Ola orphans over last Suday, and we all had a blast. One thin ten-year-old polished off a large breakfast, a large bag of potato chips, 1/4 of a huge pot of spaghetti, three bowls of ice cream, and five yogurt pops, and she's still skinny as a rail. By George, she reminds me of myself! Except for eating, they spent most of the day playing on our computers and watching cartoons. Now I've got other La Ola kids all over me wanting to come over.
The two girls did go with us on the church caravan route, and we picked up 24 kids, despite having two families move away. But the two girls were shaken when I took them to Aunt Elvia's Home. Elvia loves her kids and is doing a great job. But her orphanage has the least amount of money and volunteers, and they could use more help. She has to babysit to help meet expenses, so we arrived to find about a dozen people crowded around a TV (which a fellow from my church donated) watching cartoons. Aunt Elvia's kids rarely get to go out unless I take them, and there are a lot of openings for volunteers and donations there.
Meanwhile, someone gave the La Ola kids some skateboards and bicycles, and I usually take a bunch of them to a nearby park with a skateboard rink. They are very nice kids and there is always a need for volunteers and donations there as well.
After the open house two weeks ago, Lucky Dog animal shelter has had some adoptions, including a large dog named Pookey. Pookey is a sweet, gentle, mean-looking dog who is perfect as a watchdog. And we've got two new volunteers to walk dogs there.
Meanwhile, I hope that all of you are having a wonderful Springtime. See you next week,
Vicente
AirDancer
Member
Thank you for your updates. I enjoy reading your posts... many, like this one today, are very uplifting & encouraging. Kids are kids, wherever they live ... skateboards, bicycles, cartoons & computers! They're all in my prayers, as are you & Nancy.
And I'm glad Pookey has a home ... hope it is a loving, permanent home!
Blessings!
And I'm glad Pookey has a home ... hope it is a loving, permanent home!
Blessings!
Thank you, Air Dancer. I'm glad to have you as a reader.
Greetings, Gringos! It's pleasant and warm today, and Nancy and I wish you were here.
I've gotten some flack about reporting a recent drug killing on my Facebook page. Decades ago, I learned that one of the worst methods of deceit is to "slant" the facts. You only tell the truth, but you omit any truths that go against what you are saying. I am encouraging my friends to retire down here, but I'm not going to deceive you: the place isn't perfect.
One reason for my hostility to Bible colleges is that they don't tell their students that only about 2% of them will ever pastor a church: that within a few years of graduation, most of them will have no ministry at all; that several years after graduating, most of them won't even be attending church; that less than half of all Christian School teachers will enter their third year of teaching; and that most Christian leadership comes from people who did not attend a Bible college.
"Protecting people from the truth" has caused more than one powerful institution to fall because of corruption. Slanting the facts easily grows into cover-up, denial, lying, and finally, slandering the people who tell the truth. When I report on my adventures in Mexico, I tell ALL of the truth, including the bad ones.
Meanwhile, we had 23 on the caravan last Sunday, the Christian cartoon at Aunt Elvia's Home went well, and I just got back from a great day at La Ola Orphanage.
And I've got a bunch of old friends that I recently located on Facebook. You're all invited to go to my page and become a friend.
Adios, Vicente
Greetings, Gringos! It's pleasant and warm today, and Nancy and I wish you were here.
I've gotten some flack about reporting a recent drug killing on my Facebook page. Decades ago, I learned that one of the worst methods of deceit is to "slant" the facts. You only tell the truth, but you omit any truths that go against what you are saying. I am encouraging my friends to retire down here, but I'm not going to deceive you: the place isn't perfect.
One reason for my hostility to Bible colleges is that they don't tell their students that only about 2% of them will ever pastor a church: that within a few years of graduation, most of them will have no ministry at all; that several years after graduating, most of them won't even be attending church; that less than half of all Christian School teachers will enter their third year of teaching; and that most Christian leadership comes from people who did not attend a Bible college.
"Protecting people from the truth" has caused more than one powerful institution to fall because of corruption. Slanting the facts easily grows into cover-up, denial, lying, and finally, slandering the people who tell the truth. When I report on my adventures in Mexico, I tell ALL of the truth, including the bad ones.
Meanwhile, we had 23 on the caravan last Sunday, the Christian cartoon at Aunt Elvia's Home went well, and I just got back from a great day at La Ola Orphanage.
And I've got a bunch of old friends that I recently located on Facebook. You're all invited to go to my page and become a friend.
Adios, Vicente
Greetings, Gringos! Flowers are appearing on my tomato plants, and it looks like a good season.
We had a real disaster with the church caravan last Sunday. A very faithful family moved, and we lost a bunch of kids because we had to stop their cousin from coming because he was hitting other kids. It was our lowest attendance in three years, but I feel that we'll do better this Sunday.
I am in contact with a lot of Christians who used to do things for God and now have quit. Part of the problem is that they had a wrong idea of God. My college taught that God was pleased with your sins, as long as you had a big bus route, and that doctrine wrecked up a lot of good people. Other Christians have gone shipwreck because they put their confidence in a man who later failed. One famous preacher used to preacher used to preach against "deeper life,"and he later shipwrecked his church, college, and entire group. If you calmly read your Bible and do what it says, you'll have something that never tells you wrong and that never fails.
Some of my friends here in the Gringo Zone find themselves bored and lonely at times. We have four orphanages, three animal shelters, two libraries, four churches, a seminary, and a variety of other places that need volunteers.
We're babysitting Murphy, our neighbor's large dog for several weeks. The kids at Aunt Elvia's Home love him, and they use him for a pillow while watching cartoons at my house. Nancy and I walk him often, along with Anna (our own dog). There's always stuff to do.
I am currently reading through the Moffatt translation of the Bible. Reading different translations has given me a better understanding of God's Word, and I've learned that any translation will bring you closer to God.
Adios, Vicente
We had a real disaster with the church caravan last Sunday. A very faithful family moved, and we lost a bunch of kids because we had to stop their cousin from coming because he was hitting other kids. It was our lowest attendance in three years, but I feel that we'll do better this Sunday.
I am in contact with a lot of Christians who used to do things for God and now have quit. Part of the problem is that they had a wrong idea of God. My college taught that God was pleased with your sins, as long as you had a big bus route, and that doctrine wrecked up a lot of good people. Other Christians have gone shipwreck because they put their confidence in a man who later failed. One famous preacher used to preacher used to preach against "deeper life,"and he later shipwrecked his church, college, and entire group. If you calmly read your Bible and do what it says, you'll have something that never tells you wrong and that never fails.
Some of my friends here in the Gringo Zone find themselves bored and lonely at times. We have four orphanages, three animal shelters, two libraries, four churches, a seminary, and a variety of other places that need volunteers.
We're babysitting Murphy, our neighbor's large dog for several weeks. The kids at Aunt Elvia's Home love him, and they use him for a pillow while watching cartoons at my house. Nancy and I walk him often, along with Anna (our own dog). There's always stuff to do.
I am currently reading through the Moffatt translation of the Bible. Reading different translations has given me a better understanding of God's Word, and I've learned that any translation will bring you closer to God.
Adios, Vicente
Greetings, Gringos! The weather has finally cooled down a little, and we're getting ready for the five month long rainy season.
We're praising the Lord for 21 on the church caravan last Sunday. We had taken a major drop after we had to kick a kid out of church for fighting, but it looks like God is bringing us back up. And we had a good Christian cartoon for Aunt Elvia's Home last night.
In high school, I was taught about a form of propaganda knows an "slanted facts." You gather a huge array of facts, most of them true, to prove your point. But you carefully censor out another array of facts that prove you're wrong. It's a form of deceit that contains no actual lies, and that's why it is popular with religions. Catholic saints, who were sinners like the rest of us, are presented as role models. But other religions, including my own, present great leaders of the past the same way. If someone points out the flaws in that person, he is accused of having a "bad attitude," a phrase that does not appear anywhere in the Bible, and which God never used on people. When leaders fail, as they so often do, their followers sometimes turn against God, because they believe that the leader represented God. But while Jesus represented God, sinful men do not.
Two year old Valeria is a hyper-active child at La Ola who adores me. This week she learned how to unfasten her seat belt and open the van door while I was driving. At least she doesn't have an intelligence problem.
See you next week,
Vicente
We're praising the Lord for 21 on the church caravan last Sunday. We had taken a major drop after we had to kick a kid out of church for fighting, but it looks like God is bringing us back up. And we had a good Christian cartoon for Aunt Elvia's Home last night.
In high school, I was taught about a form of propaganda knows an "slanted facts." You gather a huge array of facts, most of them true, to prove your point. But you carefully censor out another array of facts that prove you're wrong. It's a form of deceit that contains no actual lies, and that's why it is popular with religions. Catholic saints, who were sinners like the rest of us, are presented as role models. But other religions, including my own, present great leaders of the past the same way. If someone points out the flaws in that person, he is accused of having a "bad attitude," a phrase that does not appear anywhere in the Bible, and which God never used on people. When leaders fail, as they so often do, their followers sometimes turn against God, because they believe that the leader represented God. But while Jesus represented God, sinful men do not.
Two year old Valeria is a hyper-active child at La Ola who adores me. This week she learned how to unfasten her seat belt and open the van door while I was driving. At least she doesn't have an intelligence problem.
See you next week,
Vicente
Greetings, Gringos! Nancy and I hope that your week was as wonderful as ours.
God blessed us with 22 kids on the church caravan, and this Saturday we hope to do extra visitation with extra help. We had a good evening with the kids from Aunt Elvia's Home at our house for a good Christian cartoon, and a lot of good things are happening at La Ola Orphanage.
Three new missionaries have arrived at La Ola and the kids love them. And some retired Gringos bought two year old Valeria a high-quality metal tricycle. She fell off twice, got up crying, and immediately got back on. Bringing two of the La Ola kids home for the afternoon was the highlight of our week. They were no trouble--they spent SIX STRAIGHT HOURS on Facebook. La Ola is down to three computers, all running Windows XP, but the various missionaries let the kids use their iPads, tablets, etc., which creates a slow network. Nancy's powerful new computer uses Windows 7, while mine uses Windows 8, and the two of them had a blast. We could hear them giggling and laughing and shrieking, but when I stepped in to check on them, they were only using Facebook.
And now I have an oddity that can help you with your Christian life. Success attracts success, which means that people often will not commit themselves to something unless it is already successful. I am glad that La Ola is getting all kinds of volunteers, missionaries, and donors. I was volunteering when they were in a house on a mountain in a cow field. Today, Aunt Elvia's Home is getting along, but I am their only volunteer. The children rarely get to go anywhere, and usually I'm the one who takes them. They have no one to tutor them with their schoolwork. They have survived for several months now, and God even used someone's attempt to seize control to get them extra help. I had been strongly advised months ago to abandon them, as they couldn't possible succeed, but God had other plans. Incidentally, some of those same people had strongly advised me to abandon La Ola when they were going through rough times.
If you're willing to serve God, there are often low-status, low-profile areas available. It is God, not others, Who ultimately decides on the success of your work.
See you next week, Vicente
God blessed us with 22 kids on the church caravan, and this Saturday we hope to do extra visitation with extra help. We had a good evening with the kids from Aunt Elvia's Home at our house for a good Christian cartoon, and a lot of good things are happening at La Ola Orphanage.
Three new missionaries have arrived at La Ola and the kids love them. And some retired Gringos bought two year old Valeria a high-quality metal tricycle. She fell off twice, got up crying, and immediately got back on. Bringing two of the La Ola kids home for the afternoon was the highlight of our week. They were no trouble--they spent SIX STRAIGHT HOURS on Facebook. La Ola is down to three computers, all running Windows XP, but the various missionaries let the kids use their iPads, tablets, etc., which creates a slow network. Nancy's powerful new computer uses Windows 7, while mine uses Windows 8, and the two of them had a blast. We could hear them giggling and laughing and shrieking, but when I stepped in to check on them, they were only using Facebook.
And now I have an oddity that can help you with your Christian life. Success attracts success, which means that people often will not commit themselves to something unless it is already successful. I am glad that La Ola is getting all kinds of volunteers, missionaries, and donors. I was volunteering when they were in a house on a mountain in a cow field. Today, Aunt Elvia's Home is getting along, but I am their only volunteer. The children rarely get to go anywhere, and usually I'm the one who takes them. They have no one to tutor them with their schoolwork. They have survived for several months now, and God even used someone's attempt to seize control to get them extra help. I had been strongly advised months ago to abandon them, as they couldn't possible succeed, but God had other plans. Incidentally, some of those same people had strongly advised me to abandon La Ola when they were going through rough times.
If you're willing to serve God, there are often low-status, low-profile areas available. It is God, not others, Who ultimately decides on the success of your work.
See you next week, Vicente
Greetings, Gringos! We had a good evening yesterday with the kids from Aunt Elvia's Home, and in a little while I'm heading for La Ola.
Some of us had a good talk earlier this week about persecution. The Bible tells us that everyone who lives Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. The Love in Action orphanage has literally made slander a part of their ministry, and the fact that we just hired one of their employees (they couldn't pay her) isn't helping. Love in Action initiated an attack on Hope House a few years ago (for not letting homosexuals take boys home with them) that almost destroyed the place. Hope House wouldn't give in, and today they are booming with success. But that's part of the successful Christian life. Satan doesn't sit around, helplessly wringing his hands when Christians plunder his kingdom--he fights back. Too many Christians quit when criticism and hostility arise. They don't realize that God uses these things to make them more like Jesus, Who suffered the same things.
Christians often fail to realize the pain their persecutors are going through. Bitterness at people being blessed by God doesn't give success to critics. Sin does sometimes produce success, but only on a limited, temporary scale. Attacking someone whom God is blessing more than you provides a temporary escape from humility, but it won't give you success. Watching the Christians you slander as they prosper under God's Hand is painful. I often remind Christians with successful ministries that their critics are not being blessed by God, and their criticism can't make up for their failure.
Last Sunday, we had 40 riders on the church caravan, the most we've had all year! A lot of the credit goes to Mayra Neighbor, who visited the route with me when she didn't feel too well. A few weeks ago, we had our lowest attendance in three years--Satan does attack, but he can be defeated. You can't quit when things get rough, because things WILL get rough.
La Ola orphanage is HOPING to buy a bigger property than we have now. The kids are getting a lot of Christian teaching and their schoolwork is (usually) going well. It is a pleasant place to volunteer, because the leadership treats people right. There are so many opportunities to serve God that Christians don't need to criticize if they want something to do.
See you next week,
Vicente
Some of us had a good talk earlier this week about persecution. The Bible tells us that everyone who lives Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. The Love in Action orphanage has literally made slander a part of their ministry, and the fact that we just hired one of their employees (they couldn't pay her) isn't helping. Love in Action initiated an attack on Hope House a few years ago (for not letting homosexuals take boys home with them) that almost destroyed the place. Hope House wouldn't give in, and today they are booming with success. But that's part of the successful Christian life. Satan doesn't sit around, helplessly wringing his hands when Christians plunder his kingdom--he fights back. Too many Christians quit when criticism and hostility arise. They don't realize that God uses these things to make them more like Jesus, Who suffered the same things.
Christians often fail to realize the pain their persecutors are going through. Bitterness at people being blessed by God doesn't give success to critics. Sin does sometimes produce success, but only on a limited, temporary scale. Attacking someone whom God is blessing more than you provides a temporary escape from humility, but it won't give you success. Watching the Christians you slander as they prosper under God's Hand is painful. I often remind Christians with successful ministries that their critics are not being blessed by God, and their criticism can't make up for their failure.
Last Sunday, we had 40 riders on the church caravan, the most we've had all year! A lot of the credit goes to Mayra Neighbor, who visited the route with me when she didn't feel too well. A few weeks ago, we had our lowest attendance in three years--Satan does attack, but he can be defeated. You can't quit when things get rough, because things WILL get rough.
La Ola orphanage is HOPING to buy a bigger property than we have now. The kids are getting a lot of Christian teaching and their schoolwork is (usually) going well. It is a pleasant place to volunteer, because the leadership treats people right. There are so many opportunities to serve God that Christians don't need to criticize if they want something to do.
See you next week,
Vicente
Greetings, Gringos! We went nine days without water, but they got it fixed last night. We have a water tank on the roof that kept us going, along with emergency buckets.
Last Sunday might have been the highest Mexican attendance our church ever had on a regular Sunday, and we're praising the Lord. Despite some health issues, Nancy burned some Spanish Bible songs onto a CD, and the kids at La Ola LOVED it! They plan to show it at a Mexican church this Sunday.
I spent part of my day carrying two year old Valeria, who had a bad fever. They got her a doctor's appointment, couldn't get in, and finally took her to the emergency room at a clinic. A shot and some medicine, and she's sleeping it off now.
Last night we showed Christian cartoons to the kids from Aunt Elvia's Home, and then we showed them (for the first time in their lives) Walt Disney's "Snow White." Talk about shock and awe; today's garbage can't even come close.
At the park today, Erin, one of the La Ola girls, challenged five boys to a soccer game, and WON!
One reason that I like volunteering at La Ola is that we don't have the bickering, politics, plots, etc., that many organizations do have. Jesus said that all men will know that we are His disciples if we love one another, not if we advance our reputations.
See you next week,
Vicente
Last Sunday might have been the highest Mexican attendance our church ever had on a regular Sunday, and we're praising the Lord. Despite some health issues, Nancy burned some Spanish Bible songs onto a CD, and the kids at La Ola LOVED it! They plan to show it at a Mexican church this Sunday.
I spent part of my day carrying two year old Valeria, who had a bad fever. They got her a doctor's appointment, couldn't get in, and finally took her to the emergency room at a clinic. A shot and some medicine, and she's sleeping it off now.
Last night we showed Christian cartoons to the kids from Aunt Elvia's Home, and then we showed them (for the first time in their lives) Walt Disney's "Snow White." Talk about shock and awe; today's garbage can't even come close.
At the park today, Erin, one of the La Ola girls, challenged five boys to a soccer game, and WON!
One reason that I like volunteering at La Ola is that we don't have the bickering, politics, plots, etc., that many organizations do have. Jesus said that all men will know that we are His disciples if we love one another, not if we advance our reputations.
See you next week,
Vicente
Picture of Vince Massi
Greetings, Gringos! It took me eight days to give birth to three kidney stones, but I've recovered. I appreciate the prayers, e-mails, Facebook messages, and phone call. I was surprised at how much better I felt when people contacted me to wish me well. And you wouldn't believe the size of those horse pills the doctor gave me for the pain.
I've been talking about how Christians are afraid to serve God because they might get slandered. The Bible tells us that death and life are in the power of the tongue, and it is amazing the harm that a single person with a sharpened tongue can do. This week I learned that the same thing can be accomplished with the internet. In an incident that did not involve me, a person went on to the internet to rip into a Christian orphanage because the orphanage was too short-handed (I was sick, along with a major staff member; three staff members had to make an emergency trip to the US; and there was a transportation problem) to set up a class properly. The author knows that the accusations are not true, but by attacking the orphanage to the community, the person can force them to do what the person wants.
God tells us "Above all things, have fervent charity among yourselves." Fighting might get you what you want, but it won't get you the blessings of God. If you are irritated at another Christian, God might be using your irritation to train or test you.
Our first neighborhood Bible study went well. We had three kids who have never attended our church before, as well as five kids from Aunt Elvia's Home (who attend another church), plus three of our own kids. Hopefully, since I can visit and drive this week-end, we will have even more kids. Mayra Neighbor, who teaches the class, did an excellent job.
And I'm able to walk dogs again, and they really missed me. We all need the exercise, plus there are plenty of friendly people at the two animal shelters where I volunteer.
See you next week, Vicente
Greetings, Gringos! It took me eight days to give birth to three kidney stones, but I've recovered. I appreciate the prayers, e-mails, Facebook messages, and phone call. I was surprised at how much better I felt when people contacted me to wish me well. And you wouldn't believe the size of those horse pills the doctor gave me for the pain.
I've been talking about how Christians are afraid to serve God because they might get slandered. The Bible tells us that death and life are in the power of the tongue, and it is amazing the harm that a single person with a sharpened tongue can do. This week I learned that the same thing can be accomplished with the internet. In an incident that did not involve me, a person went on to the internet to rip into a Christian orphanage because the orphanage was too short-handed (I was sick, along with a major staff member; three staff members had to make an emergency trip to the US; and there was a transportation problem) to set up a class properly. The author knows that the accusations are not true, but by attacking the orphanage to the community, the person can force them to do what the person wants.
God tells us "Above all things, have fervent charity among yourselves." Fighting might get you what you want, but it won't get you the blessings of God. If you are irritated at another Christian, God might be using your irritation to train or test you.
Our first neighborhood Bible study went well. We had three kids who have never attended our church before, as well as five kids from Aunt Elvia's Home (who attend another church), plus three of our own kids. Hopefully, since I can visit and drive this week-end, we will have even more kids. Mayra Neighbor, who teaches the class, did an excellent job.
And I'm able to walk dogs again, and they really missed me. We all need the exercise, plus there are plenty of friendly people at the two animal shelters where I volunteer.
See you next week, Vicente
Greetings, Gringo! After two bad weeks, things are getting better. We had nine kids over for a youth activity that went pretty well. Unfortunately, one girl decided to scrub the lice out of her sister's hair with shaving cream and rubbing alcohol without asking us, but otherwise, it went well.
On the comical side, we have a war of envy and jealousy going on: between the animal shelters. Lucky Dog (where I volunteer) is so successful that donors are giving them money instead of to other shelters. Pepe the Vet (where I also volunteer) isn't involved, but two other shelters are attacking Lucky Dog. And I thought only Christian organizations engaged in that kind of sin! And as with Christian organizations, the critics are not the ones who are succeeding--the ones being criticized are succeeding.
Aunt Elvia's Home has so much jealousy that I am still the only volunteer, and yet they are doing well. Christians who want to help are being frightened off by the criticism they will receive.
When David was an old man, a giant named Ishbibenob decided to kill him. Ishbibenob wasn't much: his spearhead weighed only half as much as that of Goliath. He was a giant, while David was an old man, and yet David was winning. But David's strength began to fail, and Abishai ran over and killed Ishbibenob. Ishbibenob pictures our attackers. He wasn't much to begin with, and he wasn't well thought of. Often, Christians give too much respect to critics. Let them criticize, while you go ahead and serve God. Criticizing at least gives them something to do.
It looks like La Ola will have thirteen of their fourteen children in private schools this September. And yes, La Ola is getting criticized. I took some of the older girls to the park yesterday, and they posted a bunch of pictures on my Facebook page.
Meanwhile, the drug war has settled down so much that the army no longer mans a post on an isolated section of road that the bus goes on when I go to La Ola. They had two concrete rifle stands and a barracks, and they are all empty now.
That's all for now,
Vicente
On the comical side, we have a war of envy and jealousy going on: between the animal shelters. Lucky Dog (where I volunteer) is so successful that donors are giving them money instead of to other shelters. Pepe the Vet (where I also volunteer) isn't involved, but two other shelters are attacking Lucky Dog. And I thought only Christian organizations engaged in that kind of sin! And as with Christian organizations, the critics are not the ones who are succeeding--the ones being criticized are succeeding.
Aunt Elvia's Home has so much jealousy that I am still the only volunteer, and yet they are doing well. Christians who want to help are being frightened off by the criticism they will receive.
When David was an old man, a giant named Ishbibenob decided to kill him. Ishbibenob wasn't much: his spearhead weighed only half as much as that of Goliath. He was a giant, while David was an old man, and yet David was winning. But David's strength began to fail, and Abishai ran over and killed Ishbibenob. Ishbibenob pictures our attackers. He wasn't much to begin with, and he wasn't well thought of. Often, Christians give too much respect to critics. Let them criticize, while you go ahead and serve God. Criticizing at least gives them something to do.
It looks like La Ola will have thirteen of their fourteen children in private schools this September. And yes, La Ola is getting criticized. I took some of the older girls to the park yesterday, and they posted a bunch of pictures on my Facebook page.
Meanwhile, the drug war has settled down so much that the army no longer mans a post on an isolated section of road that the bus goes on when I go to La Ola. They had two concrete rifle stands and a barracks, and they are all empty now.
That's all for now,
Vicente
Last edited by a moderator:
Greetings, Gringos! We need more weeks like this past one!
26 kids attended our neighborhood Bible study last Saturday, with 11 more hanging over walls or listening from the sidewalk. Mayra Neighbor did a great job leading the group. And the Christian cartoon we were able to show at two orphanages went well. I'm really happy about the Bible study at La Ola Orphanage. The kids were polite but not enthused, so I started teaching "meaner" lessons about the need to live a new life after you accept Christ. I am surprised at how well the response has been.
Although my computer works fine, I need a laptop for when I am teaching at an orphanage. Laptops here in Mexico are roughly double the price that they are in the US, so I'm understandably frustrated.
A women's prayer group came to Aunt Elvia's Home this week, and they did a good job encouraging Elvia and the kids who are there. I've had trouble recruiting volunteers to work there, and it is the most needy of the orphanages in this area. We had their five kids over this week for a Christian cartoon, and then they wanted to see Snow White for the sixth time, but things went well.
And we got our new church prayer letter started. We have several people who faithfully attend a couple of times a month, and when they disappear, nobody notices. We've had people get surgery and nobody from the church contacted them, because nobody knew. Hopefully, this will improve things.
See you next week,
Vicente
26 kids attended our neighborhood Bible study last Saturday, with 11 more hanging over walls or listening from the sidewalk. Mayra Neighbor did a great job leading the group. And the Christian cartoon we were able to show at two orphanages went well. I'm really happy about the Bible study at La Ola Orphanage. The kids were polite but not enthused, so I started teaching "meaner" lessons about the need to live a new life after you accept Christ. I am surprised at how well the response has been.
Although my computer works fine, I need a laptop for when I am teaching at an orphanage. Laptops here in Mexico are roughly double the price that they are in the US, so I'm understandably frustrated.
A women's prayer group came to Aunt Elvia's Home this week, and they did a good job encouraging Elvia and the kids who are there. I've had trouble recruiting volunteers to work there, and it is the most needy of the orphanages in this area. We had their five kids over this week for a Christian cartoon, and then they wanted to see Snow White for the sixth time, but things went well.
And we got our new church prayer letter started. We have several people who faithfully attend a couple of times a month, and when they disappear, nobody notices. We've had people get surgery and nobody from the church contacted them, because nobody knew. Hopefully, this will improve things.
See you next week,
Vicente
Greetings, Gringos! It's hot and muggy as the rainy season has been delayed, but we're doing well. A neighborhood church got eight of our kids for their Vacation Bible School, but we still had twenty in our neighborhood Bible study at the park. Six kids who have never attended our church stayed for the whole event.
Are the wicked getting you down? Having trouble dealing with criticism because you're doing what's right? Jeremiah 17:7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. 8 "For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.
La Ola Orphanage is very happy that most of their kids will be in private schools this year, and the kids are happy to be there. We took nine of them to the park today, and as soon as we got there, five of them pulled out iPhones, cellphones, tablets, etc., and spent their whole time on Facebook. I'm having car trouble, so I couldn't bring two of them to my house this week-end, which they like because I let them stay on Facebook all day. Most of the kids are well-behaved most of the time, but getting them to exercise is a challenge.
The Christian cartoon we showed last night to Aunt Elvia's Home was so successful that we'll be showing it at La Ola next week.
No, everything is not peaches and cream. A history film we showed for home school at La Ola flopped. And I'm having car trouble. And a two-year-old at La Ola spent the day pitching fits. That's part of serving God, too.
Adios, Vicente
Are the wicked getting you down? Having trouble dealing with criticism because you're doing what's right? Jeremiah 17:7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. 8 "For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.
La Ola Orphanage is very happy that most of their kids will be in private schools this year, and the kids are happy to be there. We took nine of them to the park today, and as soon as we got there, five of them pulled out iPhones, cellphones, tablets, etc., and spent their whole time on Facebook. I'm having car trouble, so I couldn't bring two of them to my house this week-end, which they like because I let them stay on Facebook all day. Most of the kids are well-behaved most of the time, but getting them to exercise is a challenge.
The Christian cartoon we showed last night to Aunt Elvia's Home was so successful that we'll be showing it at La Ola next week.
No, everything is not peaches and cream. A history film we showed for home school at La Ola flopped. And I'm having car trouble. And a two-year-old at La Ola spent the day pitching fits. That's part of serving God, too.
Adios, Vicente