Jon in Mexico

The city of Puebla is the capital of the state of Puebla, which is about one quarter the size of Pennsylvania. Puebla (city), about the population of Philadelphia, has been the focus of numerous short term missions teams from CEFC as well as my home for two years. During those two years CEFC joined with me, working together with Cristo Victorioso by praying, building, visiting, discipling and teaching at their congregation. The physical church building of a congregation of believers called Cristo Victorioso finally came to completion this past year.
Mountainous San Andres (appx. 5000ft) is substantially lower in elevation than the flat city of Puebla (appx. 7000ft.). Traveling from Puebla (city) to San Andres, you literally go “down” to the mountains. (This picture was taken from the clinic in 2006)

Before I left Mexico, I sat down with Len Noble, Neil Prentice (our fellow missionary and brother in Christ in Puebla) and the elder board of Cristo Victorioso to discuss possible short term team options for the next year. One of the elder board’s suggestions was to travel to a remote village in the northern mountains of Puebla (state) and help with the building of a permanent structure for their local church body. They were referring to the village of San Andres which is about a four hour drive from the city of Puebla. In this remote town there is a Christian medical clinic that was started by a German missionary couple nearly twenty years ago. Pastor Juan, who is an elder and head pastor of Cristo Victorioso, spent a number of years serving in this remote village as a pastor and missionary with his wife and two children. The elders expressed a desire that members of Cristo Victorioso would join a team from CEFC and serve as “short term missionaries” to our brothers and sisters in this isolated, needy region of Mexico. Although the families that attend Cristo Victorioso have a very meager income and live humble lives, they realize that the people of San Andres have even greater needs, and many have already expressed an interest in accompanying us to work there this summer.

Perched atop the highest point in the village this 100 year old collapsing cathedral represents centuries-old catholic imperialism in a remote, un- modernized corner of the world. (San Andres, 2006)

Len and Ruthie Noble and I will travel to Mexico from Saturday, February 9th through Saturday, February 16th to investigate this opportunity to serve in San Andres with a team this summer.

Our Goals This February:

1. To examine the needs of the current congregation at San Andres and determine if a building project will be an asset to the advancement of the gospel.
2. To visit, encourage and fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ in Puebla.

Praise

- Through the sacrificial gifts of many of you, God has provided all of the financial support we needed already!

Prayer

- This will be a very new endeavor for Len and me. Pray that we will be very prepared to learn, ask good questions and truly seek the Lord’s direction regarding the possibility of bringing a team down this summer.
- I have missed many things about Mexico since leaving. I’m not afraid of going back, but it’s the return from Mexico back to the states again that I could use prayer for. Please pray that God would prepare my heart for the difficulties of difficulties of transitioning.

Seasonal Worker Program

This is a totally different topic, not related at all to the vision trip this February. But it does have to do with Mexicans and what I’ve been up to for the past 5 months. And it is something that I would genuinely appreciate your prayers for.

Most of you already know that since I have returned home from Mexico I have been working on the logistics for a seasonal worker program with a local construction company. Our plan, in a nutshell was to use a government sponsored program which allocates a set amount of visas each year for seasonal workers. These temporary visas, known as "H2B" Visas, can give a worker permission to work for up to ten months out of the year. “H2B” visas must be requested by companies through a very detailed process of proving seasonal needs, verifying worker shortages and showing future work contracts. Since September, we have filed all the necessary paperwork, met all the deadlines and have been actively pursuing this endeavor to legally bring up four Mexican men to work for Stoltzfus Enterprises from April to October.

Three Goals I had in Mind

When I began to pursue this project this past summer, I had three goals in mind. The first was for the workers to earn and save enough money to be able to invest in something in Mexico when they return. This could include studying at a university, going to seminary, or attending a trade school. Other possibilities would be perhaps purchasing land and starting construction on a small home or even starting a small business. The way they use the money is up to them, but I plan to advise them and help guide them in this process. My desire is that when they do return, that they would invest in something wisely and prudently, so that years down the road it will have helped them to have a steady income, or a home, or an education that can help get their feet on the ground. My hope is that it will help equip them to live as Godly Christian men when they return to Mexico, a country that desperately needs the gospel of Jesus Christ. My second goal was that it be a profitable enterprise for the company. The first year would almost certainly be the most difficult, due to the newness of everything, but I see it as a way to supply good hard workers to a construction company in an industry where it is very difficult to recruit and hire good hard working construction workers. Lastly I saw an opportunity to walk alongside of these four young men (early 20’s) as they work, adjust and learn, to help them grow and mature in their relationship with the Lord and to send them back to Mexico more equipped financially, better trained and more mature in their spiritual lives and relationship with Jesus Christ.

Recent Challenges:

Every year, the U.S. congress must pass a spending bill to approve the “H2B” seasonal visa program for the subsequent year. For the past few years H2B legislation has been approved without a hitch. This December, although H2B legislation was passed, a critical section of the bill was rejected. Without going into much detail of exactly what this means and why it happened, it basically means that it is now very unlikely that we will receive the visas for the four workers we requested.

If we don’t get the visas, what does this mean for the workers?
They will be disappointed. Working in the United States is a dream that most Mexicans have. Work is scarce in Mexico. However, each of these young men have known from the start that this program was not set in stone. I made it very clear to them that I was seeking to bring them up to work, but that it was very possible that it “may not happen” for one reason or another. Fortunately, they all have jobs at the present time, and although they earn very little, it has been enough to support them and help their extended families as well.

Prayer:

God is using this time of waiting and uncertainty to test my faith. James 1 says, “You know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” I very much want this program to work well and to be a benefit to these Mexican men and the company as well. But I also realize that even though I pursued this prayerfully, sought a lot of counsel prior and truly felt that it was a good endeavor, God may still close the door. Not necessarily because it was a bad idea, but perhaps because he has something else planned.
I do ask that you pray over these next few weeks regarding this Seasonal Worker program. If it pleases God to allow it to go through that he will give me the strength, wisdom and flexibility to help make it a success. If it pleases Him to allow it to fall through, that it would be for His glory, and perhaps to put me in a direction of his will that I would not have previously considered.
Thanks so much for praying! I appreciate it greatly.

In Christ,
Jon