Life and Death

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On Saturday, we crossed into one of the most dangerous cities in this hemisphere. (Juarez, Mexico) The violence here over the last year and a half has claimed an average of 7 people PER DAY. We met with a pastor of a small local church and asked him what ministry looks like in this context. More than once, he has witnessed to someone who was killed weeks or even days after he presented them with the glorious Gospel of our Lord. He and the members of his church have to be careful who they speak to as “association” with someone marked for death (even if that means being seen talking to them in the street perhaps inviting them to church) can and has brought death to innocent people and even their families. However, this level of violence has been the norm for this pastor rather than the rule. He was part of a gang during his teen years which was being violently eliminated by a rival gang. He entered a seminary although he was not even a Christian as a way to “hide”. There he was broken and converted by the Gospel and even recently has had the opportunity to share the Good News with a friend from his old gang (in fact, the last surviving member apart from himself) not long before that young man too, along with his wife and children, were killed. While in the U.S., pastors might counsel a church member through their retirement account taking a dip in the latest recession, this pastor’s counseling sessions have all too often included explaining to parents how their childrens’ violent deaths (including one case of torture and being burned alive) fit into the sovereign and gracious plan of God. Pastors like this need your support and prayers. Write me and I would love to put you in contact with him. Perhaps you could even go waaaaaay outside your comfort zone and travel to Juarez and assist in his ministry.

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