Edinburg Testimony
I just want to begin by praising God for being so faithful in this trip. He showed me the meaning of a God-instigated, God-led, and God-completed work that is not dependent on human will or plan.
I read Psalm 67, and my heart is devastated by God’s Word to me
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us—
So that Your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.
May the peoples praise You, God; may all the peoples praise You.
May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth.
May the peoples praise You, God; may all the peoples praise You.
The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us.
May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear Him.
Oh, what a wondrous and awesome work God has done in my life in this missions trip! As we were planning and planning, I did my best to use what I saw as God’s blessings in my life-my knowledge of Hispanic culture and my language skills-to prepare our team for an international missions experience in Reynosa, MX. Yet, the Friday before we would leave, disaster struck in the form of a massacre in a small town outside Reynosa. This spate of violence was enough to close the U.S. Consulate General in Reynosa, and a travel warning issued for any U.S. citizens wanting to cross the border. Needless to say, this caused much consternation among our church missions board and, after a bit of deliberation, resulted in the cancellation of the missions trip. I was the first to know, having called Pastor Fred five minutes after the meeting had been adjourned. I didn’t quite know how I would break the news to Stephanie and Akhil, the two people who were scheduled to have another language/culture-learning session that afternoon, but I tried to convey the seriousness of the situation and the clear indication that it was not safe to travel into Reynosa. Pastor Fred called an emergency team leaders meeting that afternoon, and upon arriving (late), I came upon a somber room of people with heads bowed in prayer. We reflected on our emotions; I was still in shock, while many others felt deeply hurt, disappointed, and disillusioned by the second rejection. Even though Pastor Fred brought up the prospect of a next best alternative-the reiteration of “Explore Houston”: version 2010-I was adamantly opposed to a “local” service project. Beverly mentioned McAllen, and God prompted my spirit to excitedly and enthusiastically agree that we continue pursuing the avenue of a cross-cultural missions trip. We ended on a mixed note, on one hand excited about the possibility of serving in McAllen, while we still wrestled with the reality of another dream denied.
However, by Saturday 3 out of the 4 missions agencies had denied our request. A group of 17-20 was just too much for them to handle in terms of accommodations, and on such short notice none could do so. We had one last chance-the contact of a contact with whom we had no relationship, a Mr./Pastor Garcia who spoke only Spanish. Upon this news and with the urgent reminders God had placed upon me during the missions conference, I called a prayer meeting with the Reynosa team at Susan/Ann’s house.
I remember the veiled anger and frustration, tiredness and lack of enthusiasm that I saw on those faces that night. I remember the questions-is this required? Do we have to go? I don’t want this to drag on too late…can we start earlier to end earlier?
And I was discouraged. From the bottom of my heart I was exhausted, and my faith fragile. However, God gave me the strength to pray even with my speck of faith in His promise in 1 John 5:14-15
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we asked of him.
I openly confessed that my faith was weak-that I didn’t think anything would happen. Alex was the only optimist, saying-“I know God will be glorified in this situation.” Honestly, I reacted with the thought that his naïveté as a young Christian was understandable but most likely unrealistic. At the conclusion of the prayer meeting, we left with a “one-chance-left (and that’s not very probable)” mentality, with a sense of hopelessness and resignation.
Yet God proved Himself faithful. He was gracious, He blessed us, and man, did His face shine upon us!
On Sunday morning, I called Pastor Garcia at 8:30 AM. I hurriedly explained our situation, emphasizing that we would do “cualquier cosa que quiera” (whatever they wanted) and would like any possible opportunity that they could (possibly) give us. What desperation, no? But his response was quick and decisive-I want you to come, but I need to talk with my congregation first. Let me call you at noon, OK?
I was stunned. I expected a “we understand that you’re excited, but unfortunately…” and instead got a yellow light, pending on green. Throughout the morning I struggled with my mounting excitement, and at around 12:36 PM I received a call from the Pastor. He said, “YES! We’d love to have you. When are you planning to come in? Also, what are you planning on doing?” You cannot imagine the reactions that our team had-in short, there was much rejoicing.
We had no knowledge of this church, no knowledge of who this person was-Pastor Garcia didn’t know who we were, and had no idea what we’d be doing upon our arrival. This was truly venturing into the darkness by faith in God alone. Looking back, I really commend Pastor Fred for his faith that this was God’s will for our team-he wasn’t fettered by the possibility that this may be some sort of gimmick, some sort of trap, or some coincidence. Instead, he stepped out in faith that this was God’s plan for us.
We didn’t even know the address of the church until the early hours of Wednesday morning, when we were slated to leave. As we went, we left with joyful hearts anticipating what was going to happen. In a brief telephone meeting with the Pastor on Monday morning, we had the idea that yes, we were going to have a VBS for the children on Wed, Thurs, Friday, with a Carnival on Saturday. Yes, we were going to have a youth program. And Yes, we were going to join them for prayer meeting in Wednesday night upon our arrival.
Once we got there, it was a nondescript, tan-painted metal-boarded building in the middle of a rather shabby neighborhood. It looked clean, but rather small. We waited in the “parking lot”-a patch of rocks and dirt-for about a half hour until Brother Julio pulled up. We exchanged greetings, and he let us into the church. Upon entering the building, I was floored. They had a state-of-the-art sound system all set up, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, full drum set, and projector. This was no little rural church mired in poverty! Or was it? It was just so confusing! The building was clean, concrete floors and whitewashed walls offset by fluorescent lighting all around and silk floral arrangements all around the church. In the back were three classrooms, brightly painted and well furnished with chairs and tables. Truly this was a strange sight in the middle of such an apparently impoverished neighborhood in a border town!
Our first glance of the pastor was rather impressive-a powerfully built man with a ready laugh, warm smile and sharp mind. Upon arrival, he welcomed us and offered to take Pastor Fred for a glimpse around the city. As his interpreter, I came along for the ride. During that car ride, Pastor Garcia shared his testimony and the mission statement of the church. They were firmly rooted in the idea that even though circumstances change, the Word of God has the power to change lives and should not be adulterated. However, while the message remains the same, the forms of worship can change! He said that “among the liberals I am conservative, whereas among conservatives I am liberal!” We got to hear a snippet of his testimony, of having come to Christ at age 16, starting to preach by 18, and having done ministry for 30 years in this church, which he lovingly described as his family. When we returned, I was thoroughly convinced that God was firmly in control of this church, and that His Word was being powerfully preached.
However, at the prayer meeting, there were very few people in attendance. I counted 6-7 families, with people filling only half the pews of the church. With such a small congregation, I was not sure about what the problem was-why were there so few in this church? What was wrong? However, as the service began, we saw worship, adoration, and powerful prayers being issued by the church for broken families and parent-child relationships. The sense of grief was palpable, especially among the mothers of the church, and tears flowed readily as the prayed for their families. After the service, Julio said that we were all staying at his house for the time we were there. I was apprehensively looking forward to squeezing together tightly on the floor of some living room, and the prospect of cold communal showers with a garden hose. Yet, how God let his face shine upon us! The house was a beautiful two-story palace, where hot water ran freely and we enjoyed a state-of-the-art kitchen, comfortable lodging, and awesome living space. It was truly a huge blessing from God, and affirmation every moment I was there of His great love for us! Griselda, Julio’s wife, later shared with me another powerful testimony-that she had been praying to God on Sunday morning, asking Him “Why did you give us such a big house? It’s such a hassle to clean and take care of it-Lord, please tell me why!” And God answered her that morning when Pastor Garcia asked, “Who will accommodate this group if they come?” Her hand was the first in the air.
What else can I say? The trip was a complete testament to God’s faithfulness! On Thursday we woke up to a delicious hot breakfast of tortillas and toast, with freshly picked oranges and grapefruit given to us generously by one of the brothers of the church. We then moved into a time of meditating on God’s word personally, specifically on Psalm 51. In my prayer group, Alex and Akhil discussed their thoughts and desire for brokenness, a sentiment that I deeply share for myself and for our fellowship as a whole. I was so encouraged by Alex’s desire to learn, his hunger and excitement for spiritual growth, and his wholehearted embrace of God and dependence on Him for his life. Akhil speaks as one who knows the scripture, who knows core theology, who acknowledges God-yet it amazes me that he can be so close to the truth and yet so far! My heart broke for him, and I continued to pray that God would meet him on this missions trip, that God would overwhelm his defenses and devastate his soul.
After an absolutely delicious lunch of chicken with salsa (tomato, garlic, onion, chipotle powder, jalapenos) and fragrant Mexican rice, we went to Calvary Commission where we listened to the steadfast faith of Madeleine and helped assemble shelves and sort donations. That night we were slated to have a full worship service for the adults (P. Fred preaching), a program for the youth, and of course VBS for the kids. Preparing worship was rather grueling for me, as it is not what God has given me as a spiritual gift and calling, and pastor Fred stayed behind to prepare a sermon for that night. That night, we had about the same number of families come. But that night was when God revealed the real purpose of why He sent us down to this church at this time. Pastor Fred spoke on the parable of the prodigal son, noting in his sermon the many families that struggled with their young adult children leaving the way of God, leaving Christianity to pursue their own lives apart from God. He mentioned Julio’s daughter who had recently left home, of others who had expressed concern about their sons and daughters, and finally of his own son who was currently not following Christ. His message centered on the dual truth that parents must bring up their children in the Bible, teaching them the Truth, but also personal responsibility that the children have for their own lives. Parents love their children and desire that they don’t get hurt, but that desire can become wrongfully expressed by parents trying to control their children. What he urged parents to do was to offer their children to the One who loves them more than they could ever love, and to pray powerfully for their children without trying to do whatever it takes to force their children back to the right way. During the message, every single member was weeping. The Holy Spirit worked so powerfully that even my difficulties in translation were overcome by the hand of God in that place. When Pastor Fred invited those who wanted to offer their children to God, every family stood up. Every family had at least one child who they wanted to commit to God’s hands, and offer them back to the Father who loves them so dearly.
That night, during our time of sharing they said to Pastor Fred: “We don’t know you, and we didn’t know why God wanted you here with us, but we still welcomed you. Now we know why You have been sent to us.”
God’s blessing was tremendous during that night, and He just continued blessing the rest of our time there. We grew in love for the people despite our language differences, celebrating Julio’s birthday and laying our hands in prayer over his family. We worshiped with them, Wayne, Jeff, Derek, and Stephanie leading multicultural worship services where we got a glimpse of heavenly adoration of the LORD. We met and ministered to the youth of that church by hanging out with them late into Friday night, listening to their incredible testimonies and encouraging them in their pursuit of God. Finally, we ended with a hugely successful and God-blessed Carnival for the kids and a contemporary version of a “love-feast”-where we literally had a feast of barbecued chicken, beef fajitas, ribs, frijoles charros, barbacoa, arroz con leche, pico de gallo, and baked potatoes. The main ingredient, however, as the head chef told us-was love. Lots and lots of love.
Leaving was the most difficult part, for even though we had spent only three days with them it had felt like an eternity! They had embraced us, and we embraced them in godly love and mutual joy. With our final moments together, the pastor shared with us these words: Young people, in your life the world will offer you many things. However, know this: true success is not money, fame, or power. True success is discovering the reason You were created, and to fulfill the will of Your Creator in serving others.
As we ended, this psalm speaks to how we left, singing the Urbana song “Sean a Ti” together-
May the peoples praise You, God; may all the peoples praise You.
Our time there truly showed us that
The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us.
And I can say that the cry of my heart coming out of this experience is that
May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear Him.
