Costa Maya Newsletter September 2016

September 2016 The Dog Days of Summer!   Summer is upon us here in Costa Maya with temperatures and humidity overwhelming at times.  It was 92 degrees in my casita last evening at 9 p.m.  When the heat is that intense during the afternoon hours with the masonry walls baking, it's literally like an oven when night falls.  Yet we see our blessings, knowing that even though we have no air conditioning, we have fans, and we have screens on our windows.  Many of the locals who live close by don't have either and have no refuge from the heat and bugs!  So when we begin to complain about our living conditions, we remind ourselves to be thankful for what we have.   We dodged Hurricane Earl even though we made preparations for the arrival of the storm, not knowing until the last few hours which direction it would take.  We helped people move from their humble homes on the beach into the church, fully equipped with mattresses and linens, fans, and many comforts of home that they don't usually have.  One of our families, Yallo and Lupita with the 9-month old twins, spent the night in the church until the storm had passed.  Thank you, Lord, for giving us a way to help them.    ~ Deb Blackburn *************************************** A Summer Experience Unlike Any Other This summer I had the wonderful opportunity to live in Mexico, teach two months of English classes, and experience a new world of ministry. Every day contained surprises and challenges. I will remember many of these experiences fondly. Others I will remember not so fondly, namely, the mosquitoes. What I will remember most, however, is the way I saw God working through people. Many people around Mahahual live unstable lives and often need money, food, and family support. More importantly, they all need the comfort and eternal stability of Jesus' promises as much as anyone else does. I have seen the way God works through the pastors and lay people of Cruz de Cristo. Their dedication is inspiring. By providing earthly support to those in need, opportunities arise to share the Gospel.  In addition, the English classes I taught provided a service to the community. English is helpful to many who work in the tourism industry, and through this service, opportunities arose to share the Gospel. My most joyful moment of the summer was when students showed up for the closing church service (even though they were 45 minutes late). As in all ministry, obstacles and challenges abounded. Even though not all the students finished the class, future teachers will learn from the difficulties I faced with scheduling and communication. Another challenge involved a man who heard me play viola on the beach. We connected over the music of Bach. I shared my faith in Jesus with him, and three weeks in a row he told me he would come to church. He did not come, but by faith I know a seed is planted, and God makes seeds grow. Many people in various life situations and scattered communities throughout Costa Maya need to be reached. Join me in praying that God sends able volunteers who will dedicate time to planting seeds and building relationships here. God will work through the relationships and grow the seeds of faith.  ~ Austin Wagenknecht *********************** Comment from a Subscriber: "It's exciting to see all the things that are happening in the Costa Maya ministries! You can see the hand of the Lord at work.  God's Blessings,"  Glenn B ***************************************** 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 , All rights reserved. Costa Maya Ministries 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

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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