The Seen and Unseen

If you were to come and visit us for a couple of weeks you would probably notice the bright colors, the crazy traffic, the street vendors, the run down buildings, and the religious symbols. You might even realize there is a dark spiritual influence, but until you have lived here it is hard to imagine how dark and oppressive it really is. We are truly invading territory held by the enemy for centuries, and he doesn’t give it up without a fight.

Spiritually this country has a foundation of human sacrifice the gods demanded. Spain brought in “christianity” and forced it upon the Aztecs. Today there are signs of both and a mixture of both. The undercurrent of these spiritual foundations on present day life should never be underestimated. It is little wonder that the missionary is often attacked and neutralized in this atmosphere. While this attack can be direct, it often comes from round after round after round of wearing a person down over a period of time.

Some forms of such an attack are blatant while others are more subtle – loneliness, strain in marriage relationships, cultural obsession with skulls and death, humiliation in learning language and culture, the dominance of Guadalupe, health concerns, family conflicts, strained team relationships, open pornography, open sensuality, conflicting expectations, fear of the police…to name a few.

For some it’s easy to dismiss this unseen spiritual reality because of sleepiness, misconceptions, or perceived excesses. But then again…let us be reminded from Ephesians 6:12 that, “…our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

So what's a body to do? Pray and keep the following things in mind: 1) the battle is real and the Enemy is a roaring lion (Eph. 6:12-17; 1 Pet 5:8) 2) strongholds are demolished through the weapons of divine power (2 Cor. 10:4) 3) through the blood of Christ we have victory over our Enemy (Rev. 12:10-11) 4) the truth of God’s Word breaks the bondage of lies, accusations, and deception (Heb 4:12; 2Cor 4:4-6) 5) prayer is a key ingredient (Eph. 6:18) 6) in this battle Christ is Supreme (Jude 9; 1 Jn 4:4) and our position in Christ gives us assurance and victory (Col. 2:9-10).

Compare And Contrast

Buddhist Altar


Catholic Altar


“From the millions of Hindu gods our family had chosen its favorite deities; and as a small child, even before I understood what they represented, I sensed and feared the power of the small figures standing on the altar and the pictures on the wall around which we hung the sacred beads. Those unblinking eyes of clay and wood and brass and stone and painted paper seemed to watch me when I was not watching. In some strange way these impassive figures seemed more alive than I was and possessed miraculous powers that held us all in awe. Our offerings and worship acknowledged this fearsome superiority.” Former guru Rabindranath R. Maharaj

“Fray Luis looked instinctively towards the wall where he knew Holy Mary, the Virgin of the Rosary, was hanging. In the semi-darkness of his room he could still picture to himself the fresh, rosy cheeks of her who…had been his only companion for the past seven years. How often he had felt her smile upon him, sensed her spirit speaking to his, thrilled to her presence in the long hours of his loneliness. And yet, she, too, had failed him, mocked him, deceived him.” Life of former monk Dr. Walter Manuel Montaño

“We would move the god figures on the family altar tenderly, unwrapping them from the soft cloth, then covering them again; bathing them, clothing them with great care and reverence.” Rabindranath R. Maharaj

“Worship is expressed by actions such as…affectionately touching it…dressing it in fine clothes…God not only classifies images made like animals or objects of nature as idols, but also images made in the form of a man or a woman. This includes images of Mary, the saints, angels, and even the images of Jesus.” Former priest Dr. Anthony P. Pezzotta


Mother Gauri – protects the people, enlightens the spiritual seeker and removes the fear of rebirth by granting salvation
Blessed Virgin Mary – Protectoress; Our Lady of Good Council; Co-Redemptrix

Lakshmi – Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity
St. Martin of Tours – Parton Saint of shop-keepers and of good luck
Saraswati – goddess of knowledge, music, and all creative arts
St. Michael – patron saint of artists
St. Cecilia – patron saint of musicians and singers
Krishna – embodiment of love and divine joy; protector of cows
St. Perpetua – patron saint of cows

Multi-Color Country - A Photo Journal

Las Manualidades

El Restaurante

Las Bolsas

Los Flores

Las Salamandras

La Decoración

El Edificio

Los Paliacates

Los Platos Talavera

Los Manteles

Tidbits

How do you celebrate Independence Day in a country that is not your own? Well you have to be creative that’s for sure. So, you look for fireworks which you can’t find, sing the National Anthem at the breakfast table, make decorations for everyone to wear including the dog, call home to be reminded of how everyone else is celebrating, roust up some bar-b-que sandwiches and watch a patriotic video on the internet.

We spent a great week with Diana’s sister Donita last week. Donita is always quick with a funny story and can keep our children entertained for hours. While we did a few touristy things, most of her time was spent just being an Aunt – hanging out, playing games, drinking frappés, watching the Euro Cup and doing a bit of shopping. Presently Donita is on the second leg of her trip visiting with Diana’s other sister in Houston and getting to know our new nephews and niece recently adopted from Ethiopia.

Christina and I had an interesting father/daughter conversation the other evening. I have to tell you I walked away very impressed with her insight and the acrostic she came up with in the moment. Life here isn’t perfect, but we are learning some profitable lessons along the way.

B – elieve the Bible
I – gnore bad thoughts
B – e not afraid
L – et yourself worship
E – ntrust your heart to Jesus

With the help of our Spanish teacher, a Mexican church leader, a missionary from Guatemala, and an MK from Chile, four study books have been completed on the book of Matthew – Spanish of course. We believe they are a nice complement to the Bibles for a number of reasons: 1) they provide culturally appropriate, life related questions to fuel thought 2) they give a good opportunity for continued follow-up – four booklets 3) they can lead into personal meaningful conversation and further study. The acid test is how the Lord uses them, but on our part they are dedicated to Him. (View the Matthew study here.)