BELOW IS OUR MEXICO MISSIONS
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Final Thoughts as We Close Chapter 1 in Tlaxiaco, Mexico
Well, we are here now in Bangkok, Thailand. However, before I write my first post on some of the things we’ve experienced here thus far, I want to close chapter 1 and give you my final thoughts on our time in Tlaxiaco, Mexico. The missions training was great, it has opened our mind to the things of God that we’ve never thought of before. It challenged our perception of who God is and what His word says about reaching people for the Gospel. God has become God to me. God has come out of the box that I’ve had Him in. No longer is “radical” radical, it is normal. I’ve always made radical seem “to cross the line.” Was it my low expectations of what God could actually do that made the radical seem just that “radical?” What if things that seem to be “off the wall” were actually the norm in God’s eyes? God is big, I’ve heard that so many times, but the thing is, it’s true. We tend to think God is so predictable, that He will do this and He will do that and it will look like this…ABCDE… Well I’ve got news for you, it’s not happening in any way we think it will. I’ve stopped limiting God and started expecting “off the wall” stuff. What else has changed in us while we spent the last 7 months in Mexico? Well let me say this, when you are trying to reach the unreached, you got to be content with a slow tedious work. You may not see anyone come to Christ in a year or 2 or 3 or 5. This has nothing to do with the effectiveness of your witnessing or your personality, well maybe the later it does, just joking!!. You may say to me, but I thought you said that you expect “off the wall” stuff from God, Mike. So why is it that you’re telling me that you may have to wait up to 5 or more years before you actually see someone come to Christ? Let me say this, “off the wall” stuff doesn’t mean instant, like potatoes, quick, like drive through. It means when you constantly pour yourself into some one’s life and then comes that one day, that day their eyes open up and their heart becomes illuminated. It’s that day when “off the wall” stuff has happened. It may have been some sort of a trigger that has opened their eyes and heart. It wasn’t that one thing you said to them that day, which opened their eyes. No, it was the pouring out of you into them for all those years that has led them to their decision to accept Christ and commit their live to Him. That is a big thing I’ve learned this year. It’s not always instant results, unfortunately when we talk to people about Christ and they don’t accept Him within the first 10 minutes of our witnessing. We consider them a write off, they’ll never accept Christ, is our response. When you go into a culture that may worship an ant as their God or some other type of thing, you are not always going to walk in and lay down who Jesus is and have an alter call and see 50, 100, 1000, people respond. No, there are times when you will go into another culture and no one will accept your teaching on Jesus, in fact they will want to kill you if you preach anything other than who they believe God is. There are cultures, missionaries have gone into and had to spend 1, 2, 3 decades before they saw any type of response to God, the God we know. Did souls get saved? Yes, thank you Lord!! You may ask, how many? But shouldn’t the real question be would you do it all over again for just one soul? My answer is a great big YES. One live at a time if that‘s what it takes. I don’t need or would even want to live on a mountain top high all the time. Why is that? Because God imparts so much into me during my times in the valley. Me and God were like this! (fingers crossed)
Visions From God Have Become Reality
Does God really give visions? Or is it just in our minds, something we've made up? Well let me tell you personally that God does give visions. Let me share with you two specific visions I received some years ago. I saw myself preaching at a church which was in another country. Also, I was playing drums in the Worship Band. The Worship was just incredible; the Spirit of God fell heavy in that place. These visions were pretty clear, but I thought, how is this possible. I mean who am I, my talents aren't that good. I doubted God; I doubted the visions, thinking they were just MY IDEAS. Today, I've lived them both. I preached in a church here in Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca, Mexico, my wife being the translator and I also have been playing drums in the Worship Band. I have seen the power of God's Spirit fall heavy in that place. All this done in Mexico. Yup in another country, just like the vision. Does God give visions to people? Does that sound pretty weird? Do you believe it's possible? Take it from me, who personally got the visions from God and now I've lived them, God does give visions!! Soon both Daysi and I will head to Thailand, God has shown me some real crazy stuff that we will witness over there. I won't share this yet but as reports start coming out of Thailand on the crazy things that God is doing then you will know what those visions were. God has called both my wife and I to go to places where the people have not heard the Gospel, the Unreached Peoples of the World. We want to start the foundation, not build on some one elses. Just as the Apostle Paul said in Romans 15:20-21
20 It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation . 21 Rather, as it is written:"Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand." Folks, God is moving in this world a lot more than what's being reported. God conitunes to establish His Kingdom. Will He succeed? Well you know how the story ends!! God Speed
What Is A Missionary?
Webster defines missionary this way,
1. Someone who attempts to convert others to a particular doctrine or program.
2. Someone sent on a mission--especially a religious or charitable mission to a foreign country.
These definitions give us a general overview of a missionary, however it is much more than this. Let me give you my definition, being involved in a school and doing the hands on thing, I’ve come up with some thoughts that I never had before when the word “Missionary” was mentioned.
1. A missionary is or should be a person of great patience. It has taken years for small communities to accept the teachings of Jesus. Years for just one person, is it worth it for one?
2. A missionary is or should be a person of compassion for people. If you don’t have this, ask for it. It is just as important as food to a person.
3. A missionary is or should be a person who is willing to go into a different culture as a learner. Forgetting what kind of schooling you have. There are many places in this world where the bible has not been preached yet, and whatever your schooling is, it will not help in delivering the Gospel message.
4. A missionary is or should be a person that is content in all things. You may go to a place and the only food you get is whatever’s crawling around that day. You may need to sleep on a cold hard floor with whatever’s crawling around that night.
5. A missionary is or should be a person that is humble. When you go into a community and you see that there are better ways at doing this or that but they don’t have the means to accomplish it in that manner, you need to humble yourself and do it the old fashion way. It won’t make sense to you but to them it’s the best and right way. Be a learner.
6. A missionary is or should be a person that is not afraid to work hard and possibly see no results.
7. A missionary is or should be a person that when you go into a community and you want to reach them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and they refuse you and want to kill you, you don’t quit, you go to the next village or the next or the next….
8. A missionary is or should be a person that if God calls you to an area of the world that looks dangerous, you go…..that’s pretty simple, right? Being in God’s will trumps danger!
9. A missionary is or should be a person that will end up with more questions than answers. But you’ll still know you’re right where God wants you.
10. A missionary is or should be a person that will get discouraged to the point that they may want to quit, but they continue knowing God is always with them and that this life they are called to is God Breathed.
11. A missionary is or should be a person who gets down in the trenches with the local people and shows the love of Christ in a way that is both practical and meets their basic needs.
A missionary’s life is not all glamour, in fact very little of it is. It is hard tedious work. Are you OK with being the person that sows and then someone comes along and reaps what you’ve sowed? You will be persecuted, even for doing good. How do I know that? It’s quite simple!! I look at the life of Jesus.
Can you live life with the bare minimums? Are you willing to learn a language that may take you 4 or even 5 years to master, and then preach the Gospel? What if their non- literate, how do you get the Gospel message to them, in them? Is storytelling a good way? What about teaching the bible chronologically from Creation to Revelation by means of storytelling. Effective or not if your audience is non- literate? Think about it, would it be OK to teach the Gospel to a group without having a bible in hand?
There’s a lot more than meets the eye to being a missionary. There are times of joy and times of weeping. Weeping out of joy and out of pain, frustration, brokenness, loss. Have I experienced all this already? NO! Spending time with God, asking Him what are the costs of following Him in this way, this lifestyle you have called us to? Then He gave me this to write. There is much more I didn’t write down here regarding the life of the missionary.
Have I counted the cost? Have we made the final decision to follow as God leads both Daysi and I? Yes, we have. My answer to God is we’re right behind you, lead us, we’ll follow. If you don’t understand this decision we’ve made. Let me give you a glimpse of my believe, grab a bible open it to Matthew 6:19-21……
I’ve seen this Gospel change lives where other programs fail.
Is it real? Can Jesus continue, today to change lives as He did 2000 years ago?
My answer to you is this. Yes, if your life needs a change because you can’t stand it any longer, then give Him a try. Seek Jesus until you find Him.
Looking For An Opportunity To Get Involved? Read Below.
Thanks for taking the time to view the video on Thailand. As you can see there are so many lives that are just stuck in a life. Most don't think they have a choice regarding their lifestyle, if that's their perception then that's their reality. We may see that they can do better that they don't have to sell themselves (some are forced to sell themselves). But can they see this? Can they see any hope at the end of the tunnel? Their looking at the end of the month, not the end of the tunnel. They need someone to tell them that there is hope, that their life has meaning. That they are God's masterpiece. When they are stuck in a lifestyle of prostitution they really don't think they are loved, by any one. They feel worthless. Some, I would think take their own lives just because they feel unloved, worthless, and they are desperate. But their lives can change they need to know the One that loves them unconditionally. But who will go tell them? Who will bring them the Good News? Not only that, who will come along side of them and mentor them, show them that there are other things in life that they can do to make ends meet. It has already happened to some as you've seen in the video. They need someone willing to love them as people and invest time with them. That's why we are going to CHANGE LIVES ONE LIFE AT A TIME. If you are moved to give please e mail me privately at mmady@cogeco.ca Become the hands and the feet with both Daysi & I.These people deserve a second chance!!!
It was truly awesome to watch Daysi serve these people. You could see the love she has for them. Her face lit up like the sun as she went about helping, not only in finding the right glasses for the people, but interpreting for the optometrists Paul and Ken. We were both so happy to serve the people of the different villages. We pray that God will touch their hearts. The Pastor that was with us has had a difficult time in reaching some of the villages with the Gospel. They didn't want him in their villages. However, because of these eye clinic outreaches this Pastor received many invites into homes for dinner. Thank you Lord for openning doors for your word. We give all glory and praise to God our Father.
Just finished a really good dinner with Daysi. So since we ate too much we decide to go for a walk. We usually walk around our colonia, which we did tonight. After we had been walking for a bit we see this, what looks like a cow ahead. We think nothing of it and continue our walk. I keep my eyes on this, what I thought was a cow. Then I notice that this "cow" was starting to move towards us and coming quicker. So I pull Daysi to the side and I start to climb up this hill (not a very big hill let me add). Daysi looks and sees the BULL coming at us, we stop dead and so does the bull. We wait, so does the BULL. Then we, very carefully and slowly start to walk back the opposite way with the BULL following. We stop and talk to this family that are out with their sheep and notice they are laughing. Yes, at us!! They tell us that that was certainly a BULL and they were also waiting for it to leave so they too can get back to their home.If this BULL wanted a challenge from a gringo, he didn't get it. If I wanted a challenge from a BULL there are a lot of mechanical ones I could find. This was a challenge I didn't want. (This picture is not the same bull we encountered)
Ken and Paul, these are the guys that came down from Minnesota to bless people with eye exams and glasses if they needed them. They came with 3000 pairs packed in their luggages. You could see the love they have for people. Both Daysi and I were blessed to have had the chance to work along side of them. They walk and talk, the Great Commission. Thanks Guys.
We are told that these 2 guys are coming down from the States to perform eye exams for some of the local people in the area villages. Giving their time and resources. The day has come, we hear they arrive safely in Oaxaca and Dan (staff member) is there to pick them up for the 3.5 hour drive back here in Tlaxiaco. Well, that didn’t exactly happen as planned. They were able to get the eye exam machine through customs but the 3,000 pair of glasses didn’t make it through. Custom officials held the glasses until we came back with a letter describing exactly what the glasses were going to be used for. They thought that the glasses were going to be sold for profit. We came back with the letter, however this still was not good enough. Their conclusion was you should have done it the right way in the first time. There was one option they gave us and that was to go back to the USA and try to re-enter Mexico with all the proper paper work. That’s great but that option just won’t work for us. After many prayers and Dan’s persistence they finally let the glasses through. We are only 3 days behind. Day 1, first outreach, after lunch they let us know that the outreach team needs 3 volunteers Daysi and I quickly respond along with 2 other girls. Let me just tell you this, this was an incredible time. I stood there looking out at the landscape and thought, “I can’t believe we are in Mexico on an eye exam outreach, helping people see better and hopefully not just physically but spiritually” Both Daysi and I were so grateful to be a part of this. The most emotional part on the outreach was when we went to our 2nd village. There came in an older lady, she took the eye exam and her eyes were pretty bad. From her results we were able to find her a pair of glasses that were perfect for her. Her countenance on her face changed as she put these glasses on. She sat around looking so proud, she was so grateful for her new (used) glasses. Everyone that came through to have their eyes checked was so grateful for the glasses they received. I also had the opportunity to give people drops in their eyes, might not sound like a big deal but for myself it really was. Seeing how grateful these people were just because I gave them a few drops in their eyes made me want to sit there and cry. These people have taught me, not I teaching them. God has done something in my heart that I’ve been praying for a long time. God, give me a heart and give me compassion for people. Well, I believe He has answered me. My heart was changed, God is always faithful when we ask Him from a sincere heart. Daysi was also so excited to do this. We later discussed our experiences with each other and agreed that this is what God has called us to do. We want to bring the Good News to people that haven’t had the opportunity to respond. We want to get our hands dirty (sit in the smoking section of life) if that’s what it takes to reach the unreached for Christ. There are many people groups that have not heard of Christ or have not had the opportunity to respond. We want to change that. Our desire is to be the hands, feet, voice, be ambassador of Christ. The bible says in Matthew 24:14 and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. There’s a lot of work to be done. So many have yet to hear. Thank you for your ongoing prayers and support. It allows Daysi and I to be effective in what God has called us to do.
We would like to share with you how grateful we are for this opportunity we have had so far down here in Tlaxiaco, Mexico. If it wasn’t for the people that give to us this would not be possible. Both Daysi and I thank you not only for your giving, which is so helpful to us, but for your prayers. We pray that God will bless you in ways you never thought. We have had many opportunities to speak into peoples lives. A young girl that Daysi has been ministering to, wants to get baptized. We thank God for this. It’s not what we do but what God continues to do through us. We remain open to His direction..
Again, we thank you, you are also the hands, feet, voice down here in Tlaxiaco just as much as we are.
IN HIS LOVE
MIKE & DAYSI MADY
It was truly awesome to watch Daysi serve these people. You could see the love she has for them. Her face lit up like the sun as she went about helping, not only in finding the right glasses for the people, but interpreting for the optometrists Paul and Ken. We were both so happy to serve the people of the different villages. We pray that God will touch their hearts. The Pastor that was with us has had a difficult time in reaching some of the villages with the Gospel. They didn't want him in their villages. However, because of these eye clinic outreaches this Pastor received many invites into homes for dinner. Thank you Lord for openning doors for your word. We give all glory and praise to God our Father.
Just finished a really good dinner with Daysi. So since we ate too much we decide to go for a walk. We usually walk around our colonia, which we did tonight. After we had been walking for a bit we see this, what looks like a cow ahead. We think nothing of it and continue our walk. I keep my eyes on this, what I thought was a cow. Then I notice that this "cow" was starting to move towards us and coming quicker. So I pull Daysi to the side and I start to climb up this hill (not a very big hill let me add). Daysi looks and sees the BULL coming at us, we stop dead and so does the bull. We wait, so does the BULL. Then we, very carefully and slowly start to walk back the opposite way with the BULL following. We stop and talk to this family that are out with their sheep and notice they are laughing. Yes, at us!! They tell us that that was certainly a BULL and they were also waiting for it to leave so they too can get back to their home.If this BULL wanted a challenge from a gringo, he didn't get it. If I wanted a challenge from a BULL there are a lot of mechanical ones I could find. This was a challenge I didn't want. (This picture is not the same bull we encountered)
We would like to share with you how grateful we are for this opportunity we have had so far down here in Tlaxiaco, Mexico. If it wasn’t for the people that give to us this would not be possible. Both Daysi and I thank you not only for your giving, which is so helpful to us, but for your prayers. We pray that God will bless you in ways you never thought. We have had many opportunities to speak into peoples lives. A young girl that Daysi has been ministering to, wants to get baptized. We thank God for this. It’s not what we do but what God continues to do through us. We remain open to His direction..
