Pastor Wiedmann's Corner
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Let Us Pray!
This is part of a note from Ruth Schaller, who works w/ our WELS Mission to the Children in Mexico. The workers there are in great danger! (The note was about collecting dental floss & other personal items and it came in the past day or so). Please pray for the missionaries & the workers in this field. Thanks! Sheryl HagenLWMS Paperland Circuit prez
.....We greatly appreciate your collecting the floss. God willing, we will be able to get it to the women. I say that for very real reasons. So much has changed in Mexico in the past three weeks and we have been on email, phone calls and conference calls with Pastor Hartman in Torreon, Pastor Bob Smith who is chair of the Latin American Board, Pastor Tim Westendorf who is our Tucson liaison and Pastor Baerbock. They spoke for about 75 minutes.
Let me explain. The mafia of the drug cartels has taken over Northern Mexico and the area is extremely dangerous. When I went on the 8th of May we were stopped by masked men with assault rifles. They are everywhere! We were locked down in Saric while a gun battle was supposed to occur (not sure if it did or not--did not hear it if it did.) We were finally allowed to leave but were told to drive slowly so no one would think we were the opposing mafia coming for a battle. Pastor was told to go straight to Atil where the parsonage is and not stop in Cerro Prieto at all. We already knew we could not go to Cerro Prieto as the headquarters of the mafia are right across the street from where we hold services. A month ago three children of one of the store owners we deal with were executed. That is right around the corner from where we meet!
Last weekend the MttC volunteers who came back had very disturbing reports. Pastor Baerbock was called and told he could leave at any time, just to stay packed and ready to go if he felt in danger (actually he has been several times and his neighbor behind him, a known drug dealer, was tortured and killed and his house smashed with axes. His wife and child lived.) Right now both of my villages have been invaded and I am not allowed to go at all. Our hearts are bleeding and we pray for our people all the time. We were able to come home to a virtually safe area; they face this danger every day. Many of the mafia are on methamphetmines, making them horrendously dangerous.
For now we are relying on contacts to get the material and floss to the ladies, pay the stores and get the food coupons to the villages. I am praying that Pastor Baerbock can pick up the baptismal napkins the women are making for CrossWalk Ministries in Phoenix when he comes for the board meeting on Monday.
The movers are coming to pack the Baerbock's items in Mexico about 8 weeks ahead of the schedule he had first planned. For now it is day-to-day as we strategize how to keep our Mexican pastors safe and functional. It is heart breaking! Yet we are so grateful that God's Word is alive and well and these people know they are saved and their future is secure no matter what happens around them or to them.
How quickly life changes! We had two groups of students scheduled to come in June and July. While some areas are safer, we cannot be responsible for taking them to a dangerous country. I have asked one of the leaders to use this as a "teaching moment" to help young people understand mission work, foreign work and unpredictability. Pastor B. would not be the first pastor to escape with is life. Kirby and Audrey Spevacek years ago in Albania come to mind!!!!? As we get closer to LWMS perhaps I can update the president with a letter to read at the convention. I know that Dan Koelpin has been kept apprised of our actions.
We are grateful for your prayers and love!
Your sister in Christ,
Ruth
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