The Great Escape Plan

It has been about a year since we arrived in San Carlos Mexico. Actually, April 26 2019 we drove into town. It has been a year like we didn’t expect. Full of twists and turns that no one would have suggested. We are doing well here. We love our home and everything here.

At first, we rented a house on ¼ acre of land not to far from the church where I took a position as assistant pastor. The first month I worked with the lead pastor and tried to get to know the many people of the church and community.

By June we were on our own. The lead pastor had left for Canada for the summer. I still didn’t know enough names and was often calling people by the wrong name and introducing myself in the hope that they would too. And the Mexican people, oh that was worse. I couldn’t even try some of their names.

However, my grasp on the Spanish language has come up a lot. I am very grateful to the Mexican staff at the church, they all are my teachers. Each day is a new word. So now I am catching onto their names. It is so important to learn the vowel sounds and get peoples name’s correct.

So, here we are in a new town, in a new church in a foreign country, and finally Gerry and Marianne came with our car. This amazing couple arrived two weeks after us. We were so happy to have them as guests and have our car. Something familiar is good. They stayed with us for three weeks. It was great fun exploring the area together. And they spoke Canadian English not Spanish or what Americans use for their excuse for English. (didn’t the Americans revolt against the British and yet they still attempt to speak English?)

By mid July we felt we had finally got our legs so to speak. I was more comfortable with this different style of church. Lynn had made friends. I had made friends (none that hunt!). I found a motorcycle club, that are a bunch of old guys who don’t ride much, but at least they were welcoming and speak Harley Davidson.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM77vjnEaXw

Over this last year we lost two friends here to death. I will miss both of those ladies. And my dear friend in Manitoba died and I still grieve for him. Each of these three I will meet with Jesus some day, because I too must die someday day too.

Later in the fall of 2019 the lead pastor returned. My duties changed. I preached less and continued to teach Bible classes. We did a lot more visiting. Some weeks we only had a couple of meals in our own home. Eating out seems to be a local sport here. Again, it was trying to remember names.

All the snow birds and vacationers were returning. The church went from 100 to 300 people. All ages and from three countries. Now we were busy. Oh, and board meetings. All those boards meetings. I was assured that this number of meetings was way more than the usual. Finally, everything settled in and it was just good ministering at the church and throughout the community.

I think we were having too much fun. Teaching, preaching, writing, visiting, eating out and exploring restaurants, learning new (and boring) card games. Anyhow, I wasn’t paying enough attention and I got sick. Really sick! Lynn and I don’t remember when last I was that sick (motorcycle crashes don’t count). I ended up in a clinic and had bronchitis and a lung infection. I left with a bag full of pills and was told to stop having fun and rest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIjZE4kcg_Q

We continued our work here amongst the Mexicans and the expats and the snow bird types but I found myself in bed more. It took a couple of weeks and finally I gained my six pounds back, but I wouldn’t have minded if they really were lost and not back!

By mid March I was good again. And then all this Coronavirus 19 started up here too. Over the next two weeks the town lost half its population from North Americans hurrying north. Some elected to stay here, because our population here is smaller and less dense. Our weather is better and we have toilet paper.

 The Sonora State government-imposed measure on us all that were similar to other countries. We at that time only had one case in the state, but I suppose in an effort to get ahead of the pandemic this is what they ordered. We cancelled church that first Sunday. We soon came up with the plan to do “drive in church.”  http://www.sancarloscommunitychurch.com/

We were very pleased with how well it went. The weather here is almost always warm and people were content to sit in their cars. Windows were down and people were calling each other and waving. A few cars horns honked ‘amen’ and it was a positive time of worship in a bad time.

My Bible classes had finished a couple of weeks before and other ministry groups made other arrangements. Some did “on line meetings” which is very popular and people needed to continue to connect. That is what church is about; community.

Now it is April. We have travel restrictions and curfews. It is the Mexican way of curtailing the parties that are so popular here. The beaches are closed as are restaurants and many resorts. Lynn and I have April and May off work. We are only part time here, myself and the other pastor ‘job share.’  We now have no where to go. We had planned a trip to Canada, but that is cancelled. We had prepaid another trip but cancelled that one too. We lost the airfare portion on that trip.

To make the best use of our time, we have visits with friends for coffee on the deck. Social distancing and all and it is a large deck. We have restricted our trips to just stay in town and really don’t go out unless we have to. I am working on the house and yard. When it gets too hot, I resort to the garage and shop to work. We spend the morning reading and studying. I have three classes to teach this summer and next winter so I am getting the jump on preparation. And when this is all over, it will be a big shopping trip and an over night in Arizona.

From all this year we have learned that God is very big. He can see and prepare us for what we didn’t think was there.  We certainly didn’t expect all the changes that have occurred. We thought we had planned it well enough but there can be surprises.

This last year has reminded us of James 4: ¹³ Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” ¹⁴ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

We remember that we are the bondservants of Jesus, to do as He has planned for us. And that is all.

Thanks for your support, prayers and time.