II Cor. 1:8.9 – “For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But, we ad the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust I ourselves, but in God which raises the dead.”
As you know we have canceled all visits coming into Mexico. Everyone has had to endure hardness at some point in life, no exception for the apostle Paul. As he describes some of the hardships he endured in Asia in II- Cor. 1:8,9. Notice the first part of verse 8, where Paul says, “For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia…” This is what we would like you to know, how the Mexican people are enduring the killings here in Mexico; I want to convey the true idea of the heavy-pressure situation they are going through. This is indeed a very heavy situation for all the Mexican people. They are under a heavy burden---an unbelievably heavy amount of stress and pressure! They are in very tight circumstances. Their minds are being ‘squeezed to the limit’. “It feels like their lives are being pushed right out of them!” – Don’t think that I’m referring to physical suffering. Of course, physical suffering is difficult; but the greatest suffering of all always occurs in the mind --- mental suffering. A person can live with pain in his body if his mind is still in control. However, when the suffering begins to work on that person’s mind, both his body and his mind could eventually break and fold. We can relate to Paul saying: “…that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life”. v. 8, particularly pay heed to that first phrase, “that we were pressed out of measure.” It literally means to throw beyond, to excel, to exceed or to go beyond anything normal or expected. It also describes something that is excessive and beyond the normal range of what most would experience.
Almost daily we see our friends’ and/or their children’s bodies lying like animals everywhere. Last Wednesday, two more policemen were shot two blocks from our church in El Cercado. One, along with his mother, was saved last year. How hard it is for a mom and dad to bury a son. We can also relate to Nehemiah 4:17 “They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, everyone with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.” When we leave the house, we never know if we will return. Wanda and I have come to an agreement that if they kidnap either one of us, that we will NOT offer ransom money, (We don’t have any). II-Co 5:8 “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord”.
In spite of the murders, we are having folks saved. Our travels are limited because of the danger. But please continue to pray for us and our finances, as we are in great need of $9,000.00 to complete our latest building.
In the Master’s Hands,
John & Wanda
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