On 4-28-07 Michael Lin, son of Evangelist Lin, was married to Jang Shu-Jen. The wedding worship service was held at the church in the village. 100 people came for the wedding, many of whom were friends of the wedding couple and many who had never heard the gospel before. In preparation for preaching for the wedding I tried to keep in mind that the message was not only for guiding the wedding couple but for a clear witness to God’s love for all in Christ Jesus. It was a long day as the wedding began at 8:50am on Saturday and it was 3:30pm before we returned after the wedding banquet. Be sure to check the previous YouTube posts on the blog for 4 different clips from the wedding and banquet.

Here’s some fun: Can you decipher this note that was left for me the other day? I’ll help by typing it out:

Natan tiene un paquete en Bisne emiu

The first part is easy: “Nathan, you have a package in…” But what’s “Bisne emiu”??? It took me two days to figure it out. “Bisne emiu” is how my Spanish speaking friend understood “Business Mail”, the name of my mail service back in the states!

The Lord bless you with his Peace,
NW

Each region in Mexico tends to have a “specialty” when it comes to food. Puebla is known for its mole, which is a spicy sauce with chocolate in it served over chicken. Monterrey serves meat for almost every meal. Torreon is known for its gorditas.

Gorditas (pictured above) are made of a small thick tortilla. A small slit is made in the tortilla and the inside is stuffed with a filling. There are many fillings to choose from: beans, cheese, pork, chicken, chili poblanos, and more.

Gorditas are usually eaten for breakfast, which is served between 8 and 11 a.m. As missionaries, we enjoy trying new foods and occasionally dine on gorditas for breakfast.

What an enjoyable weekend in San Pedro de Macoris. Since the congregation granted its pastor a sabbatical to study at our seminary in Santiago, a missionary goes every other weekend to teach Bible classes and lead a worship service. It is a three hour trip one way, so we try to make the most out of every trip.

After heavy rains prevented some of my Saturday visits, most of the members still came for Saturday evening Bible class — we just started at 8:00pm instead of 7:00, waiting for the rain to stop. We’re working through the Catechism to prepare Patricia and Neli for confirmation, so we studied the 8^th Commandment.

The small but faithful family of believers gathered Sunday morning for worship at 9:30 (starting the service by 9:45). The Gospel was Jesus’ third appearance to his disciples after his resurrection (John 21:1-14). Like young children who love to hear their parents read the same stories or sing the same songs over and over again, we never get tired of hearing about Jesus’ resurrection and its guarantee of victory over sin and death.

Making a few visits after the service, I was able to schedule Bible classes with some prospects in two weeks. Then it was back to Santiago to get ready for this week’s seminary classes.

Thank you, Lord, for safe travels and the joy of gathering around your Word with your saints in San Pedro de Macorís.

The Lord bless you with his Peace,
NW

Last week we took a trip to Monterrey, Mexico. Our destination was the U.S. Consulate. We entered its doors with our two-month old baby and a suitcase full of documents to prove that she was indeed our child. If we could do so, she would receive a Certificate of Birth Abroad. She would become a U.S. citizen.

My husband pulled out pictures of my pregnancy, ultrasound pictures, our high school and college records, tax forms, passports, and an assortment of other documents to show that we are U.S. citizens. The lady at the desk took the papers to review. They would decide if we had enough evidence to win our case.

At three o’clock that afternoon, our daughter received her Certificate, which states that she has been a U.S. citizen since birth.

We said a prayer of thanks upon receiving the document. It is a blessing for our baby to enjoy the rights of a U.S. citizen. She will have easy access to excellent health care, education, job opportunities, government aid…the list goes on.

While we rejoice over the Certificate, we know that she received a more important gift on Febraury 4, the day she was baptized. That day she became a member of God’s kingdom.

When we enter heaven, we won’t be asked for documentation to prove we are Christians. God will look at us and see the perfection we receive through Jesus Christ. How great it will be to be citizens of heaven! How awesome is our God to grant us citizenship in his kingdom.