Making a Day of It

September 25, 2006 in Culture, Mexico, Ministry by Dave | 2 comments

This Sunday marked my first opportunity to preach in Mexico. I was able to share at the Centro Familiar Cristiano “Cristo Viene,” which translated reads Christian Family Center, “Christ is Coming.” The church is pastored by Berta Sabido Castillo, a pediatrician/minister. She invited me to speak specifically to the teens of the church during the Sunday morning service. I was able to share about my personal experience of being called by God when I was fifteen. It served as a springboard as well to preach missions.

The message was well recieved and many came forward to pray following the service. Also notable were the new relationships that were formed that will last long after the words of the message have been forgotten. I was invited back to help teach leadership principles to the cell group leaders, and our familiy was invited to spend the afternoon celebrating the 21st birthday of her son Josué, who also is a student in the Bible School.

We enjoyed sharing a meal of pollo asado, chicken cooked in rasins, orange juice and olives, along with lots of tortillas. The kids were excited about drinking Coke, which is the beverage of choice here in Merida (sorry Pepsi fans), and having a part of the cake, “tres leches.” A custom of the Yucatecos is to have the person celebrating to take a Mordita, or little bite of the cake before it is cut. The picture above is what resulted during the bite. It is also a custom to push the person’s face into the cake when taking the bite.

We’ve enjoyed this opportunity share a little bit of the lives of those who are working for the Lord here in Merida, and we’re looking forward to more opportunities to come.

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Opportunity Knocks

September 18, 2006 in Day2Day, Ministry, Progress by Dave | 2 comments

Dividing up duties in my hermeneutics (Bible interpretation) class with Paul, I got a chance to lead the group in making observations about the texts that they had been given for homework.

What they were assigned to do was to determine the component parts of the passage, verbs, pronouns, conjunctions and the like, as well as to find any comparisons, contrasts, and cause and effect sequences that there might be within the text. From there, I began to show them the way that their observations can lead to questions that can guide their study of the passage.

I found it interesting to note that, although these students had taken a class in hermeneutics, before, many of them had never mined a passage in this way. While I find that to a certain degree alarming, I also see the opportunity that we have. We have the opportunity to teach them what it means to be true students of the Bible, disciples of the Word, and it is my prayer that they will be disciples that will make change in Merida and throughout southeastern Mexico.

A Culture of Waiting

September 13, 2006 in Culture, Mexico by Dave | Permalink

Life is moving in fits and starts here in Merida. There is a sense of going forward and yet standing still. It is somewhat like the noonday sun which heats this city to over 100 degrees regularly. The day continues on, but life just seems to stop under the heat.

The thing that I am referring to is our housing setup. We’ve gotten an air conditioner installed, but another needing repairs is still in the shop, waiting to be reinstalled, “mañana.” Our internet is hooked up, but our telephone will require another possible 22 days in order to be connected.

Our missionary friends say that when it comes to dealing with everyday life in Mexico, getting one thing done is a good day, getting two things done is a banner day, saying that you’ve accomplished three things would make you a liar.

So we’re learning that enterning into the culture here in Mexico takes a different kind of patience. A patience that will allow us to take the delays in stride and help us to make friends along the way.

Photo Credits: Photo uploaded by A30_Tsitika’s photos and is available at: https://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=7166654&size=s

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Back to class

September 8, 2006 in Ministry, Progress by Dave | Permalink

No, not back to language school, but back to the bible institute. We have just begun a new semester in which I will be team teaching, of all subjects, Hermenéutica, (say that five times fast) or Hermeneutics in Spanish. The picture above is of missionary Paul Kazim, teaching the class of 32 students who come from as far as Tabasco in southern Mexico in order to attend classes at Bethel Bible Institute. I’m excited as this will be a great way to expand my vocabulary and train others to interpret correctly the Word of God: one way in which we are beginning to fulfill our mission here in Mérida.

Saying “so long” to Dad and “hello” to the work

September 5, 2006 in Ministry, Progress by Dave | Permalink

We certainly didn’t want you to think that we have fallen off of the end of the earth here in Merida, although you don’t have very far to go to reach the end of Mexico from here. We only have about 20 minutes to reach the Gulf and on a clear night, they say you can see that lights of Havana Cuba from there. The reason for not updating on our progress has been our lack of internet connection.

We have moved from the Kazim’s home to our own rental, which means that on top of saying good-bye to Sandy’s home cooked Mexican food, we also have had to say good-bye to our internet connection. Fortunately, they still let us drop by from time to time to mooch their wireless and sometimes a cup of coffee. On the subject of saying goodbye, we said good-bye to Kelly’s father this morning. He flew out this morning, breaking up the two Daves team, but reuniting with Kelly’s mom and brother, Micah, who have been more than generous in letting us borrow him.

Saying good-bye to family certainly has not left us with lots of time on our hands. We’re getting straight to work, learning to navigate through the city, buying what we need for the house, starting up the children’s home school, and turning attention toward the ministry. I went yesterday to a service that marked the start of the semester for Bethel Bible College here in Merida. This semester I’ll be a part of a hermeneutics class that Paul Kazim is teaching. I’ll also be preparing to team teach as soon as we get our feet on the ground, something that I am looking forward to.

So, continue to lift us up in prayer for our continuing transition, that we will be able to make our house into a home very soon, that the kids can get on a good schedule that will enable them to thrive here in the city, that we will find open doors to our ministry, and that we will boldly proclaim the gospel.

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Fall Newsletter

September 5, 2006 in Media by Dave | Permalink

We’ve hit the ground in Merida, but we’certainly don’t want to leave out what has happened to get us there. Take a look at our latest newsletter by clicking on the image to the left or here to catch up on the events of the Godzwa Family.

The Road to Merida: We Made It!

September 1, 2006 in Mexico, Progress by Dave | 3 comments

As you can see, the two Dave’s finally made it from Springfield MO, all the way to Merida. The two hour trip from Campeche was very uneventful, which was a pleasant change from the travels of the previous days.

We arrived in Merida at about 10:30 AM and got right into the work, unloading boxes, receiving deliveries, and getting things situated so that we can officially move in to our home. While we’d been driving, Kelly had been doing the real work setting up house here in Merida, and we’re certainly getting close to that point. In the meantime, we’ve been enjoying the hospitality of fellow missionaries Paul and Sandy Kazim.

Of course, the sweetest thing about the journey was the reunion and the realization that even though we have moved seemingly all over the world, home is where the family is.

Even though our journey has ended, our mission is just beginning. Keep checking back to stay updated, and keep us in your prayers.

The Road to Merida: Simple Pleasures

August 31, 2006 in Mexico, Progress by Dave | 1 comment

How does the song go? When the dog bites, when the bees sting? Yes, when things don’t go the way that you’d like them to go, it is always refreshing to think about your favorite things. In this case, I thought alot about my family. I sure miss them, and the Dave’s are doing there best to reach the reunion. We would have like for it to have been today, but the local police again made that impossible. We’ve made it as far as Campeche, which sits about 2-3 hours south of Merida on the Yucatan.

I’m choosing not to dwell on that though so I’ll talk about the picture above. It is of Kelly’s dad sitting behind one of the waiters of the restaurant “El Gran Café La Parroquia” which is located in Veracruz. We had a chance to experience one of their famous “lecheros” or cafe con leche, which they pour from a distance. It was a true delight, especially after some of the unsavory experiences that we have had over the past few days.

Still, we’re blessed. Our vehicle has been great, we have our health and our stuff, we’re going to arrive in Merida tomorrow, and while our run-ins with the law haven’t been the best, I could sure imagine worse. Thanks for your continued prayers and stay tuned for the reunion post!

The Road to Merida: And the Road Goes On

August 31, 2006 in Mexico, Progress by Dave | Permalink

We’ve made it to Veracruz, though not without a bit of hassel from the Mexican Authorities. Suffice to say, although Vincente Fox has told us that it is getting better everyday, there are still some out there, on the bypass around Mexico City, that want to take your money. Watch out.

On now to Villahermosa, with a possible stay in Campeche before the final push to Merida.

The Road to Merida: Along for the ride

August 29, 2006 in Mexico, Progress by Dave | 2 comments

Did you ever feel that you were a bit out of control, kind of like you were riding in the back of a pickup with a gas grill going 50 mph? Well the experience crossing the border can feel that way, especially if you are bringing in all that you own!

We crossed into Mexico today, leaving Laredo, TX at about 8:30, hoping to get in a decent amount of miles. All went well until we chose the recommended self-declaration line in the customs process. Once there, we were told that we would have to pay taxes for many of the items that we were carrying into the country. However, it helped to be a bit unprepared in this case. I had only taken out about $100 USD worth of pesos, and after paying tolls and entrance fees, I was down to about $70. The taxes were $130, but the official basically took what I had. That was a relief as the next automatic teller that took my card was on the other side of Monterrey about 150 miles away. Still, after that situation, we basically had smooth
sailing (except of course over the speed bumps), and we are now in San Luis Potosí where the picture above was taken.

We are currently about 400 miles into Mexico and have driven about 1200 miles in two days. Please continue to pray. We have about 1100 miles still to go until we make it to Merida.

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