Christmas Newsletter

Dear Friends,

We pray a joyful Christmas and a blessed New Year for you and yours. We pray in gratitude for the prayers and blessings with which you have graced us, and our shared work in the Lord here in Mexico. 

Teresa Ramirez was 15 years old and attending Padre’s mission school when her Father was ambushed and murdered by drunken neighbors jealous of his ranching success. There wasn’t much law in the Sierras at that time, but eventually justice was done. Not however, until after her Mother was forced off the home place, the cattle stolen, and the family left destitute. Life is difficult everywhere, it is often brutal in remote areas of the Sierras. But Teresa was tough, a survivor, and with Padre Pascual’s example became a follower of Jesus.

Now, twenty years later, Teresa is teaching at the Albergue Fray Pascual, raising an adopted son as a single parent, and is an active member of the Albergue Association Board. She is also closing in on finishing her PhD. in Human Development. She is loving, focused, committed, and competent - a great example for students and staff at the school, as she teaches her primary class of 12 to 15, 6 to 9 year old students.  The other day she asked the students in her class what they would like to be when they grew up.  Every single one of the boys enthusiastically said they wanted to be narco-traffickers because they drive new trucks and have lots of money. Now there is a Merry Christmas reality check.  

Sure they’re just kids. When I was their age I wanted to be like Gene Autry, and Collette wanted to be a ballet dancer - didn’t happen.  But at least we had positive dreams.  What do these little guys and gals have to look forward to without the help of people like Teresa?  Not much.  Here’s another problem. Teresa can’t afford to stay and teach because she has a family to raise and a degree to finish.  Two years of working for nothing, because she cares, hasn’t helped her financial situation. The Albergue needs more people like Teresa, and they need to be paid a living wage. Not much by our U.S. standards, $200 a month does the job for a licensed teacher up here. 

There is good news. For every one of the younger students figuring out their dream, there are older students who are well on their way to understanding that Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life. Make no mistake, they are still vulnerable teens with all that that implies. Yet we are excited for their futures because they are receiving and responding to the Word.  God promises His Word never returns empty. God is developing His eternal Kingdom right here, right now.  Joy to the world, the King has come!

Thanks for all of your help, we deeply appreciate you.  Feliz Navidad y Prospero Ano Nuevo!

Tom and Collette

 

 Teresa with a few of her students.

November Newsletter

Dear Family,


We pray this note finds you all in good health and in the joy of the Lord. Another month has passed and we see Jesus working daily in our midst. The students are hearing and responding to the word of God in the morning and evening Bible devotions, and are memorizing scripture in English and Bible study classes. We have noticed physical growth in many of the children, because they have more fruits, vegetables, and protein in their diet. Many thanks for the finances allowing the purchase of more than rice and beans!


We lost a young teacher named Wendy who was responsible for the first level secondary class. She was a former student of the school, is a new mom living away from her husband who lives in a pueblo hours away. She understandably chose to return to him, so Collette is now teaching Math, Geography and Reading along with English and Art. Alicia, the woman full time cooking for the school, is a gem and has offered to teach Spanish and History. There are about 28 kids in this class at four levels of ability. Please join us in prayer for financial provision for teacher compensation.
One family has four children attending the school, three of the four were born in the US. They lived in Colorado for 5 or 6 years, imagine the changes they have endured. The eldest, Ricardo, will be eligible for high school after another year here. He would like to return to the US for that education. We would like to help him by finding a host family. He is a hard worker, a student leader, and an excellent student as well. We have over a year to prepare, please pray that doors will open for his dream.


Now for an answer to prayer. Mexico Public Television sent a crew to the school to shoot a documentary focused on the power plays by the local Catholic Bishop. It will be a two part series that we will post on our website with English subtitles - God does work in mysterious ways! Our good friend Jay Tenbrink rebuilt our website www.intothemountains.org , he is also building a web site for the school. In addition, the municipal president of Tepic made a visit this past week and expressed interest in helping the school. There are growing possibilities for financial support from Mexican resources for the school.


As we look to the year end, we would ask you to prayerfully consider an additional gift for our ministry here in Mexico. We so appreciate the one time gifts, and all of you who continue with monthly giving and much needed prayers for health, safety, emotional strength, and courage to continue serving in these areas of spiritual darkness. We are very grateful and blessed by each of you. Our best wishes to you and your family during Thanksgiving and Christmas. God is so very good to us in America, we are blessed beyond our knowing. May the peace and grace of Jesus flow through you.


Our love and deep affection,


Tom and Collette Beytien

July Newsletter

Dear Friends,

We pray this note finds you well and blessed in our Lord Jesus Christ. Time is flying, and we are eager to get feet on the ground with our friends in Nayarit, where we will live and serve at the school in La Mesa for the school year. Collette will be returning with intermediate Spanish and will prosper as she teaches English and Bible studies. I, on the other hand, will form a class of one at the lowest remedial Spanish level possible - undoubtedly the least equipped and most poorly prepared for this work God has placed before us. We do trust completely in the Lord, and he is so faithful!

Good news from Albergue Fray Pascual, Santos has shared with us that there are twelve young men and women testing for scholarships to continue in advanced education. The school has performed admirably with an average attendance approaching 120 students daily. Our primary goal is to help the Albergue continue to strengthen as a beacon of light. We know the life changing benefit these children and their families receive through the school and we praise God.

Thank you for your prayer, prayer changes things. Please continue to pray that the $500 a month we send to feed the children may be at least tripled in the coming year. Our goal is to raise $15 per month to feed, house, and care for each residential student. In a perfect world a total of$30,000 a year would cover operating expenses, maintenance, and staff salaries. We believe these are eternal investments with eternal rewards, for both the children, and for those of us who convert their earthly treasure to the realm of heaven. We trust in the Lord.

Jay and Faith Tenbrink are heading back to Mexico as this letter is being written. They will begin a full time focus on Christian outreach in the mountains. Joining them in their work will be friends from Centro Cristiano in Cofradia. We are very privileged to join the work God directs with the people of the Sierra in Nayarit. Please pray that many are led to the redeeming love and grace of Jesus.

Thank you again for your prayers and provisional support. We need all the help we possibly can get for this work. The school provides a powerful witness of the life transforming power of Jesus Christ to the mountain people. We would treasure the opportunity to meet with you and personally share our gratitude for you friendship, please call or email us as you are able.

May the Lord richly bless you, our love in Christ,

Tom and Collette

February Newsletter

Reflections on La Mesa trip February 1, 2015

This trip to la Mesa was a burden of trepidation to some degree on my part. I was really concerned that we would find that the school was under great duress and struggling to continue, which we found to be true.  Yet the reality we discovered was a blessed deep breath of fresh air.  There were plenty of difficulties apparent, but that they were being faithfully dealt with on a daily basis with wonderful result.  We were grateful to see nearly 100 students being cared for by Santos de la Cruz and his staff of graduates, certainly operating with great faith as they continued the work of Padre Pascual with very little in the way of financial or material support.  The days we spent with Santos and the students were productive and enlightening, full of insight as to the direction of the school as well as in defining many ways we can help both spiritually and physically.

God continues the work in beautiful ways and is clearly defining a new independence from the constrictions and power struggles imposed by the Catholic Church. Months our friend school and current school director Santos had warned us that the Bishop intended to close the school and use the facility for other purposes.  Upon Padre’s death, an Alumni Association was formed explicitly for the purpose of continuing Padre’s work- spiritual and functional education for the Cora, Huichol, Mexicanaro, and Tepehuan students.  This turned out to be a stroke of genius as the intentions of the Catholic Diocese became known, had there not been a legal entity prepared to assume responsibility for the operation of the school it would by now be closed.  The combined abilities of the alumni prevented closure, and they currently continue to strengthen the legal status as they work to form an educational non-profit corporation.   In addition, the entire battle was waged with the allied support of Cora Tribal leadership, who own the ground upon which the school is built, and demanded that the school must continue without the Catholic Church.

These developments are astounding in that the Catholic Church with its’ considerable resource base is usually all powerful and adept at getting what it wants.  There is palpable discontent with Catholicism as a result of these battles, since funding for the school was never provided by the Church itself, rather through generous gifts from Catholic patrons.  These families and individuals were pressured by the Bishop to cease support, and have obeyed completely, thus attempting to terminate 45 years of freedom through education begun by  the Padre.  This has resulted in school alumni disillusionment with the Church, but no diminishment of faith in the leading of Christ.  They clearly sense the hand of God directing them to continue the work begun by Padre Pascual.  

 With independence from the Church and the absence of Padre comes an unsurprising void in spiritual direction and leadership.  As director, Santos has a strong desire to continue in the tradition of Christ leading the way.  He has extended an invitation to assist the school in development of Bible study.  We are ecstatic for this opportunity, it represents an amazing continuation of Padres’ evangelism.  The openness to further study also opens the possibility of a new venue of shared discipleship with the fellowship of Centro Cristiano Church in Cofradia at the base of the mountains.  This is a great new focus of ministry for those equipped to share the love of Christ in discipleship.  We believe a great work of the Lord is upon the school and the peoples of the Sierra Madres’.