NTM

It is high time for an update!  A lot has happened in the last 6 months and the next 6 months look like even more will happen.  We have watched the Lord moving in our lives, answering your and our prayers, working His will to get the gospel to the Nahuatl people of Mexico. 

After the exciting moment in April of receiving permission to live in the village, all the team members returned the U.S. for various visits and responsibilities.  Our family made a huge loop, traveling through Texas, Oregon and even Washington D.C visiting churches, family, friends and the occasional national park .  The trip was so full of wonderful highlights; from baptisms to bison to babies, it would take a book to cover them all. 

One thing we want to share is an answer to the prayer request pertaining to our new ministry in the mountains of Mexico.  We were able to pick up our new “mountain truck” in Pennsylvania:  a 1999 Chevy Suburban, generously donated by friends here in Mexico.  (We found that a family of mice had moved in under its seat while it was waiting.  That problem proved “entertaining” to resolve, but all turned out well.)  This vehicle will be our family’s transportation into and out of the tribe because the village airstrip is still unregistered and unusable.

We returned to Mexico in mid August anticipating our move to Durango.  Some of you may recall that we had housing lined up, but that fell through during the summer.  Our partners Dan and Sarah Alkire took a trip down to Durango and within a week located two suitable houses in the precise neighborhood we needed them.  In early September we caravaned down with 5 vehicles and 4 trailers, excited and ready for the next phase the Lord had for us.  That week found all the members of the “Las Moras Team” (already unified in spirit and purpose) finally united in one place. 

We are:

Ron, Tasha, Benjamin, Emma, Joshua and Nathaniel Davis

Dan, Sarah and Josiah Alkire

Tom and Teresa Elkins

Rachel Chapman

Katie “Tater” Moore

            We quickly settled in with school beginning for the kids and meetings for the adults to plan the next trip into the tribe.  That trip was just completed last Sunday and was a huge success.  We traveled in with John and Teddy Ann Courier, a hydrologist and his wife.  John evaluated the local water supply and gave us recommendations on how to improve it for the community and also ensure water for our families.  We also met with the community to discuss the construction of our homes.

            In April we left a large sum of money with the community to cover the cost of the adobe bricks we had asked them to make.  When we returned last week, the leaders were eager to show us the accounting and their progress:  2000 large bricks!  Praise the Lord!  We arranged for the construction to continue until our next visit and discussed locations and local work teams to lay the foundations and walls.  It has been amazing to see the people so helpful and reliable.  They are making the difficulties of moving into a remote, tribal location much easier!

           Pray with us that in all these successes we won’t neglect the one responsible for them: the God of creation who desires to see these people reached.  Praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.  For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.  Psalm 117

            For our next trip in November we will take in materials to mark foundations, drawings of our homes, molds for the smaller bricks we need and some bags of concrete to begin the improvements of the water supply sources. 

            Continue to pray for our safety on these trips and that we continue to build relationships with the people.  Also, please pray that we won’t get discouraged.  In just one week we had some things stolen out of our Suburban, the Alkires had their truck stolen but recovered a half mile away and the kids’ teacher broke her arm in a fall!

            Thanks for sticking with us as we press on! You are a valuable part of our team!

Love in Christ,

Ron, Tasha, Benjamin, Emma, Joshua and Nathaniel Davis

Tom explains our request at the meeting

     “De acuerdo!” they exclaimed in a chaotic chorus of voices and raised hands.  “We agree!”
     I could scarcely believe my own ears as we sat in the crowded, smoke washed meeting room of about 150 or more villagers.  I felt my face stretch into a smile and a rush of excitement settle in my stomach as the full implication sunk in… we can move in!  We finally had official permission to start construction of our homes and begin to live among the Nahuatl Indians of Mexico!
     A new stage has begun in our lives… again!  What an exciting time to be a servant of the living God and watch His hand move in our lives. Proverbs 16:9 says, “A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.”  Many of these steps haven’t gone where, and especially, when I have wanted them to, but His plan is so much better than ours!  His perspective is so much greater than ours! “My ways are not your ways,” He said in Isaiah 55:11.  And that is a good thing!
    Well, here we are, anticipating this new stage of construction in the village and yet preparing to leave Mexico for 2 months of Home Assignment in Oregon and Michigan.  The rains will begin here this month and prevent us from doing any building out in the village, so we will try to spend this time with you!  So, we leave this morning on a trip that could take us over 7000 miles and through 3 countries (Mexico, U.S., and Canada)!  We will be spending most of June in southern Oregon, than off to Grand Rapids, Michigan where we will stay with Tasha’s family and also meet up with some of our teammates and spend some time getting to know their friends and supporters.  (I get tired just thinking about it!) But it is going to be a great time.  We are excited to hear how God has been working in your lives and eager to share how He has been working in ours!
     Well, if I don’t finish this soon, you won’t get it!  Please pray for us as we travel across the country: for safety, unity as a family and opportunities to share “a reason of the hope that is in (us).”
     Hope to see you soon!

Love in Christ,

Ron, Tasha, Benjamin, Emma, Joshua and Nathaniel Davis

Coming soon… articles to catch you up with our happenings since the last post in April!

So sorry about the dry spell!

Technology can be useful, clever, complicated, inconvenient and often frustrating.

But on occasion it can be quite amazing.  Well, we have added a pretty cool piece of technology to our team.  It is a tracking device called SPOT.  Our trips into the mountains often put us into unsafe communication voids (no cell coverage ) This SPOT gives us the ability to be tracked by our family and mission safety team by using GPS and satellite technology.  With the deteriorated security situation here in Mexico and the occasional deteriorated vehicle situation (break downs ), SPOT keeps us a button away from a call for help.  Praise the Lord that technology can be used for His glory as we spread the Word!