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

Costa Maya Newsletter July 2016

July 2016 Pedro Pablo In recent years we had welcomed many new people to our church family, but last month we had to say good-bye to one, Pedro Pablo. Pedro was a Mayan man of great stature in the community.  He had become a member of Cruz de Cristo in 2015, one of seven confirmands that day.  Pedro had studied under five different pastors, eagerly learning as much as he could in God's Word.   I came to know Pedro many years earlier as a man living on the beach, working as a caretaker. He was a man with demons and addictions that were much more than he could resist by himself.  None of us would have imagined he could become an important part of our church family.   Then a few years ago we decided to offer Bible studies in the beach community of Rio Indio. Since most people living there have no cars, I went up the beach, door-to-door, inviting everyone and offering to pick them up. The morning we went to see Pedro, he was not able to come with us, so I told him to be ready the following Thursday. I told him what time I would pick him up, but I had no idea if he would actually come. On that day when I arrived at Pedro's house, I blew the horn and waited in suspense. I could not keep a smile from my face as he came out of his house in his white polo shirt, black pants and nice sandals – Bible tucked under his arm!  God was working in many hearts that day – especially mine!  He got into the van and started his journey with us.   Almost two years later Pedro was confirmed as a member, after studying with many pastors in Bible classes, all the while grabbing every book about God that he could get his hands on. He not only learned, he shared what he was learning with his family in Chetumal, two hours away.  He and his family even discussed having classes in their Chetumal home to share the gospel with many others.    Sadly for us, he died in a fall into a well on the property where he was a caretaker. His life ended suddenly, but we know that because God allowed Cruz de Cristo to invite him to join us in our studies, he has won the victory!  Pedro (far left) will be missed by all – please pray for his family and our church family as we remember the joy he brought into all of our lives.                         ~Deb Blackburn *************************************************** Sharing God's Love in Mahahual   You never really understand the beauty of a Mahahual sunrise, the pains of poverty, or the happiness that comes from seeing a new soul brought to faith until you've experienced the beauty, seen the sadness, or felt the joy of these things for yourself. I and six others traveled to Mahahual this summer and had the opportunity to witness these things.    My group shared God's love by canvassing a nearby village called Kilometer 55. We drove down the extremely bumpy dirt road and visited homes, huts, and hammocks to spread the news. Not only did we share God's love through words, but we also shared it by helping with food preparation at the church's soup kitchen. In addition, each weekday, we taught a Bible lesson to the local children, each story with the theme, "Sharing God's Love." The highlight of these classes was hearing the roaring laughter of the kids as they watched us act out a skit of the day's Bible lesson. After each day of VBS, the kids were loaded into the church van and taken to the community center to play games. The class' favorite game was called "Drip. Drip. Drench!" Needless to say, many days I sat in the van on the way back to church feeling very soggy. If we were not teaching, we were on the beach soaking up the sun or reading in hammocks. One day we even went snorkeling!   On this trip, I learned the importance of praying for our missionaries because Pastor Valleskey's outreach in Mahahual is amazing. His humble, friendly personality makes it easy for eager ears to hear the gospel. I have been impacted by his Christian attitude, and prayers for Pastor Valleskey and the congregation are never far from my mind. It was a blessing to meet this wonderful group of people, and I look forward to the day when I will be reunited in glory with my Christian brothers and sisters from Mahahual.      ~Anna Grepo *********************************** 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 © Costa Maya Ministries, 2016, 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 **

This email was sent to costamayaministries@gmail.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Costa Maya Ministries · 8404 Saltsberry · Eagle River, Wi 54521 · USA

Costa Maya Newsletter June 2016

June 2016 Mothers and Evangelism   One thing I've learned in cross-cultural ministry is to take opportunities for evangelism as they come. For many Hispanics, Mother's Day is a day you need to go with mom to church. For our churches doing ministry in Spanish, Mother's Day Sunday can often have the biggest or nearly biggest attendance of the year. This year at Cruz de Cristo was no exception. We had a great crowd to hear the Word. Several new families visited the service. We even ran out of chairs, which is a very nice problem to have in a mission church!   The kids came in on Saturday for their usual Bible class. As part of the class, they made thank-you cards and gifts for their mothers based on the Bible story of the one leper who gave thanks in Luke 17:11-19. The Sunday service was an encouragement to the moms to share the faith of the Bible with their children, just as we see Lois and Eunice did in 2 Timothy. And then we had a little fellowship with cake and juice after the service. In the end, it was a wonderful opportunity to tell a large group of people how to get to heaven through faith in Jesus.  ~Pastor Valleskey Summer Projects   In June we're looking forward to welcoming a number of visitors from the U.S. From June 11 to 21 six students from Wisconsin Lutheran High School will join us together with their teacher, Karen Kilchemann. They will teach VBS, lead the kids in playground games in the local community center, and, in partnership with church members and neighbors, do some community clean-up and beautification projects. They will also participate in the regular church activities of the week, including the Sunday services, Saturday kids' Bible class, and a trip to Pulticub. We will definitely be keeping them busy!   Then from June 15 to August 16, Wisconsin Lutheran College student, Austin Wagenknecht, will be here to teach English classes to adults, teens, and kids. He also plans to be involved in the church's outreach. We ask God to bless their ministry among us! ************************************************* KM 55   "Kilometer 55" is an area on the outskirts of Mahahual. It got its name from a road sign on the side of the highway. Years ago many of the locals owned pieces of land in this area, and though they were the poorer people of the town, what they had was theirs and they did what they could to live off it. Then the Mexican government convinced them to trade their land to the government in exchange for government-built houses, and were promised working water, electricity, and septic. What actually happened was the people signed over the one thing that was actually their own, the government-built concrete boxes barely big enough to fit a family of four or five, and after nearly a decade is only now beginning to keep its promise of electricity. Water is collected in cisterns on roofs or makeshift platforms. If a family has a septic system of any kind they probably installed it themselves. The power comes from a massive bank of junction boxes at the edge of the area, which the people themselves must connect to and run their own electrical line to their home. Imagine the risks involved in doing that. What can a small Lutheran mission do for such a people? Well, we can make sandwiches. We can bring the kids and their parents to the church, give them a good lunch, pray with them and give them God's Word. We can invite the kids back the next day for a Bible lesson and some snacks, and we can give them a backpack stuffed with basic hygiene supplies and school supplies. Is it enough to make a major difference in their lives? Maybe not today, but is it enough to show them they are loved? Is it enough to open a door for the Gospel? Is it enough to show them the grace of God and give them a chance to know him so they have hope? Si Dios quiere (If God wills it). But since El Señor es siempre bueno (The Lord is always good), God can and will work good from what we do. We leave it to him what that good will be.                       ~B Steenbock ***************************************************** Online donations can be made at www.Costamayaministries.org or by check to Christ Lutheran Church, 121 N 3rd St, Eagle River, WI 54521   Share Tweet Forward Copyright © 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 *|*

This email was sent to costamayaministries@gmail.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Costa Maya Ministries · 8404 Saltsberry · Eagle River, Wi 54521 · USA