December 6, 2005
Dear Friends,
Christmas and New Year’s greetings!
Part of the joy of this season is to remember that Christian
faith is not wishful thinking but certain confidence based on
historical events. When we decide to live our lives by faith,
these key historical markers sustain us when the going gets rough.
I was thinking along these lines when preparing for the Advent
season. What an interesting collection of historical events mark
the intervention of God in the lives of ordinary people: in Jerusalem,
the Lord was with Zechariah; in Nazareth, with Mary and Joseph;
in the East, with the wise men; in the fields near Bethlehem,
with the pastors. This is a good time of the year to think about
how the Lord is participating in our lives, because to be conscious
of His dwelling among us is to be alive to divine beauty, wisdom,
and might.
The past year has been a time of consolidation. We now have four
full years of experience towards the founding of a Presbyterian-Benedictine
community. Since the beginning it is has proven not to be an easy
thing to do! When I read the history of the founding of Protestant
monastic communities in Sweden, Germany, France, and England,
it is easy to get excited and say, “Hey, if they can do
it so can we,” but then the delicate but unchangeable designs
of God’s will bring us back to reality.
The message of the cross is that nothing important comes without
great sacrifice. Presently we have two novices, Brother Josue
Domanzein and Sister Pricilla Encino, to begin the New Year. Both
have several years of experience and we pray God will use their
example to attract other seekers to the community. I will write
more about these wonderful Christians in the future. In addition
to working with those exploring community life, I continue to
teach a the San Pablo Seminary, lead continuing education workshops,
pastor a small church, and coordinate with American mission teams
who serve in different places in southern Mexico. One other special
project has been to attempt to convince the Mexican General Assembly
to reorganize the Presbyterian Church to better follow John Calvin’s
vision of the Holy Church as outlined in the Institutes of
the Christian Religion. This is still up in the air, and
I go with a team to Mexico City in February to see if anything
comes of it.
Concerning the Wehmeyer family this year we have all been well,
praise be to God. David, who is now in the ninth grade, has explained
to us that life is more than getting good grades. As a result
of his finely honed argumentative skills, we are now looking for
an expert in constitutional law to help us negotiate a framework
for doing some homework next semester! Kristen is applying to
nursing school in Texas. Please pray for her acceptance at Schreiner
University in Kerrville. Valerie is in the midst of her junior
year in France. She is a French and philosophy double major who
will graduate in May 2007, so if you know of job opportunities
let us know! This past fall she also taught Greek at San Pablo
Seminary and enjoyed that a great deal. Martha has been helping
at church, made a Christmas quilt, and has been taking care of
a number of house guests. We are looking forward to our home assignment
beginning in July. We will be based in Dallas and trying to visit
as many churches as possible, so please write if you are interested
in a visit.
Do you know the story of the original Mexican piñata?
The original design was a seven-pointed star. As the piñata
is hit the points are broken off until only the core is left.
When that is broken, the sweets fall out. This was done to teach
a lesson. The points represent the seven deadly sins. Once they
are defeated, then the wonderful sweetness of God’s love
becomes evident or tangible to all around. The good news of Christmas
is that the Lord Jesus Christ has come to free us from the world
of darkness and sin!
El Señor te bendiga y te guarda, haga resplandecer
su rostro sobre te, y tengo de ti misericordia.
Have a wonderfully merry Christmas and a most happy New Year!
Don, Martha, Valerie, Kristen and David Wehmeyer
Mérida, Yucatan
The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 67
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