PERU, MEXICO, LONG BEACH JANUARY 2009 DAYS 8 & 9

Friday, January 23

This was one of those travel days that simply disappears into a blur. After the all-night flight from Lima to Miami (arriving at 5:30am), I waited another five hours until the flight to Dallas. I spent four more hours in the Admiral’s lounge at DFW until it was time to fly to San Luis Potosi. That 2-hr flight landed me in Mexico at 8:15pm, nearly 30 minutes ahead of schedule.

John and Robin Mazariegos pastor the Foursquare church in this beautiful city, about a 5-hour drive north of Mexico City. They, along with Grace and Hector Femat (Grace translated my book, Enjoying Your Journey with God, into Spanish) met me at the airport and took me to dinner at a Sushi restaurant downtown. We laughed about having Sushi in Mexico, but the food was delicious. They promised that I would get good, authentic Mexican food in the days to follow. I plan to hold them to that promise.

After dinner, they took me to my hotel where I went to sleep almost immediately. It was a long, long day, but it ended with a bright promise of wonderful connection and fellowship with new friends. I felt totally welcomed and embraced in my first few hours of my first visit to Mexico.

Saturday, January 24

John and I met for a fantastic buffet breakfast at my hotel, and we were joined by the gentleman who was to be my translator during the seminar. He wanted to get a feel for what I’d be talking about—and to plead with me to remember this is not his profession. I so appreciate my interpreters in my travels, and I’m the one who feels embarrassed that I need a translator. It is so honoring to have others work hard to help my words reach the people of a nation in their own tongue. I know my propensity to use slang when I get tired or excited, and I told him I would be careful with that tendency—and with the length of my sentences.

I enjoyed seeing the church facility; they have made extraordinary use of the limited space: they have two services, but even so, they’re packed out on Sunday morning. As in Peru, all the ladies greet everyone with a cheek-to-cheek kiss (right cheek to right cheek). The guys shake hands or hug other guys, but all the ladies receive and give the cheek greeting from the men. That’s how it was in Bible-times (see 1 Thessalonians 5:26, one of five such admonitions in the New Testament). I find the practice delightful, but I was not certain about the protocol in Mexico for first-time acquaintances. In Peru all the ladies—even upon greeting me for the first time—did so with such an embrace. So, I tried to take my cue from the leaders John introduced me to before the seminar began.

One thing was clear. This is a well-pastored group of people, and I sensed in and among them, the same levels of affection and dedication that were so high among the people that I was privileged to pastor years ago. Everyone I met displayed an openness and an embrace of whatever I might have to offer them. Granted, this was a select group of people—leaders from John’s church and pastors/leaders from a few other churches. I was eager to get started on the material because I could sense their anticipation for it.

The morning sessions went very well, and we had so much fun laughing and learning. About half of the 100 people understood English well enough to comprehend what I was saying before the translator interpreted my words. I felt extremely at ease the whole while—partly because of the gracious way John and Robin embraced me throughout the morning, but also because I sensed the Lord was really using my words to hit the mark in people. There were a couple times when I launched out on prophetic trails, and they wound their way right into the center of many people’s hearts. That’s my favorite part of these seminars I do. I love when God signals it’s time to get off the main road for a few minutes to address an inner need someone may have. I never tire of telling people how much God delights in them, how fondly He thinks about them, and how much He wants to get them in on what He’s doing in the world.

The lunch break (from 1:30-3:30pm) gave us a chance to go downtown to “Gordita Row” where there are several restaurants that specialize in gorditas and sopes. Corn tortillas either stuffed or covered with cheese, beans, meat, etc. Each person orders his/her own by marking on a sheet of paper (much like ordering sushi). John ordered for me. They were fantastic! At lunch, we enjoyed the company of two couples, one a dentist and his wife who live several hours away, and the other a local pediatrician and his wife. Before long, we headed back to the church for the rest of the seminar.

We finished “strong” as encouraged in the last hour by the pastor. He could sense, as could I, that the long day and the great meal were overwhelming us all. But we did finish (at 7:30pm) on a very high note, and I could relax, knowing that I had delivered what the Lord gave me for them. Many people thanked me afterwards, including the District Supervisor, who invited me back in the future. I felt deeply satisfied and encouraged.

My treat of the day came after the seminar when a group of young people took me out for a night on the town. I laughed inwardly at the prospect, knowing I would turn into a pumpkin at 10:00pm no matter what they wanted to have me experience. I convinced them that any of my children would be able to join them in the adventure, and that Lorrel/Evan would get a kick out of my situation. They were so eager to take care of me and bless me. I thoroughly enjoyed talking with them—asking and answering questions. It struck me that this was the third group of young adults I have been with this month. The KWAM in LA; the Young Leaders’ conference in Alexandria and now here in Mexico. I have a special love for that age-group, and I thank God for the ongoing opportunities I have to be part of their lives.

They decided that the best option was to go to dinner first, so they took me to a place called “The Volcano” where we could get serious tacos. The name of the establishment sounded a bit intense, and I only hoped it referred to the salsa—and not to any aftereffects. We had so much fun as they showed me how to dress and eat the various varieties of taco-like foods. I loved the salsa and the tortillas and the limes and the peppers. Throughout the chaotic meal, my young friends asked me about everything from the global financial crisis to President Obama to the war in Iraq to the Internship at Coastlands. I had such a good time we stayed there until 9:45 when the boys took me back to my hotel before they headed out into the night again.

Can you spot me in this photo?