Since we’ve been back from the field I would say that the #1 change for us has been the McDonald’s experience. Moving itself from a kid magnet restaurant barely tolerated by adults, McDonald’s has remade itself with drinkable coffee, a new menu, and a new look. Now, when the kids say, “Let’s go to McDonald’s,” more often than not we say, “OK!” More recently, my reduced ambivalence to this nearly ubiquitous eating establishment set up an opportunity to minister.
It all started when Brad Keller, a fellow minister, scoping out a spot to set up his Mac to catch some free wi-fi, greeted a twenty-something guy named Ricky. After exchanging some greetings and comments about the technology that we were pulling from our bags, Ricky asked us what it was that we did. It was as though he was asking us to tell him about Jesus.
I began by giving him my prayer card and explaining my mission of calling Mexicans into relationship with Jesus. He responded almost immediately with a smokescreen of excuses for not attending church. I sensed from this that Ricky was seeking, but he wanted someone to help him justify his practice of keeping the spiritual at arm’s length. I listened to what he had to say, but I gave him no justifications.
When he spoke of ministers that fail, I responded with statistics that I had heard only earlier that day that it takes some 300 A/G ministers in order to come up with only two moral failures. When he talked about judgmental churches, I encouraged him to talk to two separate ministers that lived in his area that I was sure would welcome him as he was and help him on his spiritual journey. When he brought up others’ experiences, I asked him to look to his own and to understand that he needed a personal relationship with the only on who could settle his questioning; he needed to encounter Jesus.
So I want to thank McDonald’s. Because of their change, they made possible my encounter with a searching heart. I’d also like to ask for prayer for Ricky and his friends. They have my card. They have names of pastors that they can talk to. Let’s pray that they’ll take the next step on their spiritual journey toward Christ.
Photo from LancerE’s flickr photostream
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What can we say except, “Thank God for his protection!” as we assess the situation here in the Yucatán. 
Although we are still under a red alert here in Mérida, Dean is now a category 1 hurricane and is passing into the Gulf of Mexico. From our vantage point, the hurricane has proved to be little more than a big blow. We’ve been experiencing high winds since 5 o’clock this morning, but little to nothing in the way of rain. Damage has been relatively non-existent here in the city. In actuality, the 
Storm models continue to push the landfall of Dean further south on the peninsula. This means Mérida remains at a state of alert, but hasn’t declared an emergency situation. However, in the south of the state of Yucatan and in Quintana Roo, where Dean is expected to be more of a problem, many are facing the reality of this man in the picture to the left. Several have houses made of little more than sticks or corrugated roofing. While the majority of those in this situation have been relocated into shelters, the chances are that many will have nothing to return to. Please keep these in mind as you remember the people of the Yucatán in your prayers.
We have received various e-mails about the situation that we are facing in regards to Hurricane Dean. To update those of you following the situation, the meteorologists are forecasting that the storm will take a southerly route across the Yucatan. That puts Mérida out of the range of the 150+ mph winds that will likely accompany its arrival. Still the entire state is under an orange alert which signifies the likely arrival of hurricane activity within the next 18 to 24 hours.
For two Mid-Atlantic transplants living in the Midwest, hurricanes were at most a thing of curiosity. They were the stuff of late summer Weather channel reports. Devastating and cruel to be sure but never in our version of reality. They were events that happened to others. All of that is changing in the face of the now Category 4 
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In May, I received a phone call from 
I just wanted to send out a quick update to thank those who had prayed. As you might have read in our 
“The City” in the U.S. is of course, New York City. It is one of the most important centers of commerce and culture in the country, and, who can forget, it is also home to the best team in baseball, the 
