Costa Maya Newsletter August 2016

August 2016 The Hatza-Ha Festival   This past Friday, July 29, I saw for the first time the opening day of the annual Hatza-Ha Festival in Mahahual. It's something unique to our town, as far as I can tell. "Hatza-Ha" literally translated from Mayan means something like "a gust of wind and rain that gets into your house," according to the master of ceremonies. The event began after Hurricane Dean destroyed much of Mahahual in 2007. It's a celebration of nature and Mayan culture, a time for prayers and ceremonies intended to keep hurricane winds away from our coast.    As with many things in our region, the religious picture is mixed. You can see in the photo of the cross and altar a combination of Christian and Mayan symbols and practices. Unfortunately, this mixing of faiths does nothing to bring people eternal peace. There's a great need to preach Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6), our only Savior through faith in him!     ~  Pastor Valleskey ********************************************** A Familiar Face With Pastor Martin on vacation at the end of June, we were excited to see Pastor Eduardo Vasquez return to shepherd our flock.  He had been with us for six months prior to Pastor Martin's arrival.  It was a joyful time, a happy reunion with many that he had worked with earlier.  He also gave comfort to the family of Pedro Pablo, the beloved member we lost last month, as he knew his family very well.  Also having married Yallo and Lupita in our church last year, he was pleased to get his first glimpse of the twins.  Remember the pictures of the tiny twins in a prior issue?  Well, Marina and Lidia are now 8 months old – proving time does fly.  We are thankful for time spent with Pastor Eduardo – a humble and gentle man.  ~ Deb Blackburn *********************************************** God at Work in Every Mission Field   In June I was blessed to fly from our mission to attend the LWMS Convention in Chicago. I have wanted to go for several years, but this was the first time it was possible.  Being surrounded by over 1,000 godly women (and men) was simply amazing!  I was able to visit with many missionaries working in various countries – Thailand, Russia, China. What a wonderful awakening to realize how much gospel work is being done all over the world. I remember talking to the missionary from Russia who said they were working on a campaign to reach 200,000 people! My first thought was to be humbled by our smaller mission here. Then I remembered that the Lord has put us in Costa Maya for a reason, and we thank Him for the opportunity to serve in His Kingdom where…every soul counts!        ~ Deb Blackburn ********************************************** Online donations can be made at www.Costamayaministries.org or by check payable to Costa Maya Ministries and mailed c/o Fred Starck, 1765 Natures Way, Lindenhurst, IL 60046.   Copyright ©2016  Costa Maya Ministries, All rights reserved. * Our mailing address is: 8404 Saltsberry Eagle River, WI 54521 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list