Don and Martha Wehmeyer - December 2017 Update

Mérida, Mexico

Dear friends,

Martha and I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy, Happy New Year. We have been blessed this year, your prayers and support have kept us preaching and teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Southern Mexico, Colombia and Chile. We are so honored to have you as a part of the ministry our Lord has laid upon our hearts. Only one thing we ask, please write us ‘de vez en cuando’ – once in a while. Of course, we get emails and Martha is big on Facebook but we really want you to know it is not a problem to answer your emails or phone calls. We want you to feel a part of what we are doing because you are! In fact, come and visit. We have extra bedrooms and plenty of coffee to share.

Let me mention three prayer requests for 2018:
First is our ministry with theological education, especially San Pablo Seminary in Mérida, Yucatán and Berea Seminary, Palenque, Chiapas. Both of these schools are teaching solid Reformed theology but have severe financial challenges. The best thing to do is to help with scholarships as this accomplishes two things at once. The students get to study, and the professors get paid. The Outreach Foundation is the best way to send scholarship funds. $160 dollars a month pays for room, board, tuition and books in Chiapas. Mérida is $200 a month. There is no future for the Church without leadership formation. The life of a pastor in Mexico is tough, yet young people who could be entering other professions are stepping forward, so we do want to encourage them.

Second, something new for us is that we are planning a week of the Bethel Series in Mérida for 40-50 Mexican pastors. Earlier this year I went with two pastors to Madison, Wisconsin for the training and there we made plans to bring the program to Mexico. Put February 19 to 24 on your prayer list. This is a big deal as we hope the majority of churches will begin to teach the whole Bible. This year pastors will learn how Bethel teaches the Old Testament and next year the New Testament. Once the ministry is established in the churches, we trust that there will be far better Bible literacy among the members.

Third, I am working to get the Peninsula Presbytery (Mexican Church) to start supporting short-term missions to other countries. To this end I have been going to Colombia and started working with two Presbyterian churches there. Especially pray for Pastor Misael and his family. They are church planters in Chia, Colombia – about 40 minutes north of the capital. I have been there three times in the past year and prayerfully will be able to continue to lead workshops in 2018.

January 26 is a big day in our lives. Kristen is getting married to Isaih here in Mérida. He lives in Cancun and she lives in Dallas. Living halfway between the two is usually a good idea but in this case, that would be someplace in the Gulf of Mexico. We love Isaih, he is a fine Christian man and we trust the Lord will lead them as they make decisions for their future.

David is enrolled in an intensive computer programming course and seems to enjoy it a great deal. He has looked for a long time for a computer graphic artist job but has not had success so if he can’t work on the part we see, he is happy to work on what they call the ‘backside’ – the codes that make what we see work. Help us pray that he is able to finish as he has planned.

Please keep Valerie in your prayers, too. She has been doing an excellent job with the administration of the retreat center in Chablekal. A number of improvements have been made and it is getting a lot of great use. We are asking the Lord to bring us someone to help her. A new webpage is being designed and we anticipate it will attract even more use.

A thought for the New Year: Modern life is challenging people of faith from all directions. Now is a time for boldness in sharing the Lord’s message with everyone we meet. Exodus 19:4 says, “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagle’s wings, and brought you to myself.” This Christmas and New Year let us think of ourselves as eaglets and ask for a special blessing, a push.

The poem is from a book called “Walking in the Presence” by David Adam.

Come to the edge,
He said. They said,
We are afraid.
Come to the edge,
He said. They came
He pushed them, and
They flew.

Martha and I send our love this Christmas. May the Lord bless you and keep you, may his face shine upon you and give you peace.

Martha and Don Wehemeyer
The Antioch Partners