Sunny Again!

It’s another cool morning in Mazatlan.  I know if you’re reading from Michigan, it’s much colder (and probably snowing)… but it’s the coldest it’s been here in Mazatlan in 20 years.  I won’t complain because it’s amazing to see the sun and not have to wear a coat – it’s just not the 80 degrees we were expecting.  I’m glad I brought a couple of sweater.

Yesterday we got to experience a bit of the culture as we visited La Nueva Vida.  This body of Believers is very diverse and very loving.  There was a congregation of about 100 or so people of various ages and economic status, which is rare to find in Mexico, as the affluent don’t usually interact with the working class.  Denny and Ann have made some wonderful relationships with people in the church, and we really enjoyed meeting them and worshiping with them.  The pastor did not preach; rather one of the elders, who is also a prominent dentist in Mazatlan, shared the message with us.  He taught about having “Immovable Faith,” using the stories of Job, Daniel, and Peter.  It was very encouraging and a timely challenge.

We spent about 2 ½ hours at the church, and then some of the congregation brought us back to the place we’re staying.  It was about 2:00 in the afternoon, and we wanted to see some of Mazatlan before the sun set, so we took a bus to the other side of town, where we ate at the “Shrimp Bucket.”  Eric enjoyed coconut shrimp, and I had grilled fish tacos.  Our group then took a little walk down the Malecón, which is the boardwalk – and, I bought some sunglasses :-)

We took a red truck taxi back to our place and spent a couple of hours talking about Riverview’s possible involvement with Mazatlan.  It was an open time of getting on the same page and coming together as a group.

Today, we’re looking forward to a meeting with Regelio.  He is a prominent business owner who has grown up in Mazatlan.  Through God-directed circumstances, Regelio and Denny have become “amigos,” which is a reciprocal connection of trust and commitment, the building block of all things that get done here in Mexico.  Regelio has become a Believer within the last several years, and he is also part of a group of local businessmen who are philanthropists in the area.  We are meeting with him at one of the coffee shops he owns (“Rico’s,” where we’ve been using the internet each morning) in a few minutes to discuss what we’re doing here this week and how he may be involved.  It was very cool how Regelio saw a few of our guys on the back patio yesterday after we got back from church, stopped to ask how we were (because he’s friends with the owners of the house), and then Denny saw him and was able to arrange the meeting for this morning… Regelio didn’t even know we were in town until yesterday afternoon, and he made time in his schedule right away to sit down with us this morning.

Ann and Denny’s Mexican children have been a delight.  Brenda is opening up and wanting to interact with us more and more.  Ramon has been testing the waters with his American parents, which has caused us some delays and a late night for Ann and Denny – but it’s been good to be a part of this new growth.

After our meeting with Regelio this morning, we will be headed to “Ciudad de los Ninos,” which is a larger orphanage in Mazatlan, run by the Catholic Church.  We are very excited to see what new adventures, insights, and possibilities today brings!!