I’m reading a lot of Cuban history in Moon’s Handbook on Cuba, and I came across the following story (pg 27) that can teach us a lot about missions and Christianity.
The Spaniards’ reputation for conquering had preceded them to Cuba. So, when they arrived in Cuba to conquer the indigenous people there, they were met with fierce resistance. One of the leaders of the resistence was a chieftan named Hatuey. Eventually, however, the Spaniards captured Hatuey and burned him at the stake on February 2, 1512. While the flames were being lit, the Spanish priest Juan de Tesin offered to baptize him, promising heaven to him if he permitted the baptism. Hatuey asked the Spanish priest if there would be Spaniards in heaven, too. Wehen the priest replied, “Yes,” Hatuey told him that he did not want to go to heaven where “such cruel and wicked people as Christians” would be.
To me, this story repeats itself in modern culture. Many people would not want to be where there are such “cruel and wicked people as Christians.” We have a no better reputation than the conquering Spaniards. We do many things to make people hate Christianity, and then we wonder why they would not want to be where we are. It doesn’t do us much good to only preach about the love of God or of His way of life. We must live it out in our daily interaction with others.
Last night, as I watched Nathan try to balance himself while taking some baby steps, I realized something about God. I’ve learned a lot of things from Nathan about God, and this is just one of them. But, if you watch the video, you’ll notice how much we wanted him to succeed. We’re cheering him on, encouraging him the whole way.
God is like that. He wants us to succeed in all that we do. He is our biggest fan. He’s the Father with the outstretched arms, ready to cheer for us when we finally get it right. He’s the one instructing us and telling us we can do it. He loves us so much that He wants us to succeed. He’s not out to get us. If we fall, He picks us up and helps us try again. He’s there at the end, waiting for us to stumble into His arms and waiting to hug us when we get there.
Happy Mothers’ Day! We celebrated American Mothers’ Day today because Mexican Mothers’ Day was Wednesday, May 10. So, Janell got two dinners for Mothers’ Day. We also went to “Obra Nueva” church and then to Tony Roma’s for dinner down in Polanco. We had fun with the other missionaries, and the food was pretty good.
In other family news, Nathan took his first steps by himself today. We were in the living room, and we decided to try to get him to walk on his own. He was so funny as he stumbled forward for four or five steps at a time with a huge smile on his face. Later, we tried to bribe him with a little whipped cream. He loved it when we would spray it right into his mouth. If you want to watch a video of his first steps, you can check it out here.
Overall, it was a great day for the family. It’s always great when we get to spend time together and when we get to rest a little. Tomorrow is the last day that I will speak in chapel at MCCA in the morning, so I’ve gotta get up early.
So, I went with Paco to the soccer game last night between Mexico and the Congo. It was a great experience. We left at 5 pm so we could get there and get our general admission seats (about $15). We got to Estadio Azteca around 7 pm because there was a ton of traffic due to the fact that they closed down one of the main roads in Mexico City for a huge protest.
When we arrived, we parked and went in to the stadium, where there was a ton of activity. We painted our faces with red, white, and green, and we went to look for our seats. We got some decent seats in the upper deck (general admission, remember), and we were ready for the game. After our two hour wait, the game started, and the only way I can describe it (even before the game) is as a whole bunch of constant noise. Mexico won, 2-1, and when we left, we could barely hear anything. The stadium was rocking and everyone went home happy, except for the Congo team. I’ll post a video later so you can hear the crowd.
Of course, even though there was little traffic on the road we would usually take home, it took us a long time to get home bacause they had closed it for repairs. So, we had to go a different way, and at 11:30 pm, there was tons of traffic. Ahhh…Mexico City.
