Tater Tales

2009-03-26T19:32:00.000-07:00

Hi all, it has been a long time since I was last here.
I am sick and tired of the news and the incorrect reporting they are all doing on the situation with the cartels in Mexico. They are working their way to taking Americas' guns away through what they are reporting. As many in our government now want to do.
Yes weapons that go into MX that the cartels use are form the US, but they are not LEAGLE guns in either country. What do I mean? The guns that come form the US have been acquired illegally, either through a straw buyer of from someone who has stolen them. They are not coming form law abiding citizens in the US that have fallowed all the laws that govern us when we buy guns.

It is as always in MX. The outlaws always have guns. Ever since I can remember, people have been killing each other with guns in MX and they have been outlawed for over 50 years. Criminals will always have guns, if they obeyed the law, there would be no problem. And they need their weapons to defend their business, drugs, another illegal activity. One thing that would help is to stop the drug use in the US, but no one seems to want to talk about that. For the cartel to sell drugs, they need a market, and the US is a great one. It is not that we can have and own guns in the US, it is that too many of us use drugs and don't want anyone to say anything about that. But now that the MX government is really starting to get a hold on the trafficking there, the cartels have had to fight back. The sad thing is that their biggest obstacle to overcome is the US MX boarder. Ever Sunday I go to Guerrero to preach, I have to go through a military check point. They are on the river road about two mile form the Rio Grand. They do stop drug, but not all. Then comes the river and the US law enforcement. They get some, but they can't get it all. Not the way things are. We have to close or secure the boarder first. That means stopping illegals form coming to the US. But our government does not want to do that. The majority of the Latino community in the US is Democrat. They would lose to many votes. And besides, each illegal that come to the US is one more person that the MX government does not have to care for and it is one more person who is sending money back to MX. Last year MX had over a 23billinon dollar income form workers in the US sending money back. They do not want to lose that. Maybe that is where we need to start. Tax that out flow of money. So politically it is not convenient to either country to close the boarder through the laws that we already have on the books. The fact is is that it could be done if Washington would allow it. I know to many US law enforcement agent here where I live to know that for a fact. The government ties their hands.

All the government is doing about guns going to MX is all about taking ours away. Drugs are a secondary thing, if it were not things would be different here already. One officer I know recently was sent to one of the major cities in TX with a large number of agent and arrest warrants to fill. After several days the local jail told him to stop bringing people in because they did not want to process them. He was doing his job and still had between ten and twenty warrants to serve, but he was stopped. And they say the guns are the problem. The problem are people.

But even greater than that it is an sin problem. The farther we get from God as a nation the worse it will get. Let us stand first for our Christianity and then for our nation as our forefather intended. Let us obey the Word of God and the constitution. Let not our freedoms be taken away form us.

In San Antonio

2008-06-16T06:53:00.000-07:00

Greetings to all,

I know this is long overdue. And because of that I would like to give a big shout out to all the wonderful people of North Point that hosted me while I was there. I had a wonderful time while I was there. I felt as though I were home like never before. It was great to visit so many in their home, and share with them what is going on in our lives.

I am in San Antonio right now. I had to bring Sandra to a training seminar for her job a Brackett ISD. This is so she can get certified to work with special ed kids. ( I stand corrected, it is a paraprofessional training. ) This is not her Texas certification for a teaching position, she still needs some more paper work on that, but she is working on it. Please pray that she gets it all worked out.

I am setting a Micky D’s catching up on some things I need to do on the computer. Looks as though we will be here for several days, so I hope I don’t get too bored. Sandy is back in Brackettville working her babysitting job. Brenda is busy at Oil Belt camp. She says there is a lot of work, but I believe she is really enjoying it.

Three preachers in a pod

2008-05-14T08:24:00.001-07:00

I have had a good time at North Point with the ministry team. It is interesting working in an environment as this. Three preacher and a missionary, you never know what will come up.

Thanks to North Point

2008-05-12T14:04:00.000-07:00

I have been at North Point Christian Church for the last week. I have had a wonderful time getting to know new people and seeing old friends. I’d like to say thank you to all the ones who have had me in their homes for a meal or have hosted me in any way. Also a big thank you to Tim and Mindy for providing me with a place to stay. I pray that my time here has been a time for God to work through me and the congregation in favor of the ministry in Mexico. I thank God for North Point and their support over the years. I have seen the bond of our relationship grow and strengthen this week, and only more good will come. Every time I come to NP I feel more a part and more like family. God has a way of providing all our needs. My prayer is that I fulfill my roll at NP as God wants. Once again to all, thank you.

Trip

2008-04-30T13:14:00.000-07:00

I just got back from San Antonio. I went to pick Brad up at the airport. I had dropped he and Linda off last Wednesday to go to Rockford. They went up for a board meeting. This meeting was a re-organizational meeting for the ministry. Terry Stine, former missionary to MX and current president of Boise Bible College, was present to help with the whole process. I would like to thank him for all his work.

My trip has been pushed back by at least one day. I have had to have more work done on the truck before it is ready for a long road trip. I hope to leave early Friday, stop in and see Brenda, Dad and some of the family in Salem on Saturday on my way to North Point. I will be there for two weeks.

Please pray that all goes well on my trip.

It Runs

2008-04-24T15:37:00.001-07:00

I know some had doubts, others wondered if it would ever happen and yet others new it would not, but it has happened. The S10 is going. After setting here for almost a year I have finnaly got it going. I still have some details to work out on it, but it is running and has plates. I will be taking it north for Brenda to use this summer at her job. I will bring the Suburban back with me. Diesel in Mexico is around $2.10 a gallon, so I hope to save some money with it.

Fishing Fun

2008-04-24T15:07:00.000-07:00

I want to give Bob and Gene Slate a big thank you for taking us fishing this past Saturday April the 18^th. We had a lot of fun with them on Amistad Lake. We were able to catch 9 fish and a lot of sun. It was the first time for Sandra Sandy and me to fish out of a boat.

Sandra had a hard time with the fishing. She enjoyed it, but she did not catch anything. Sandy did real well. She ended up catching one. I did OK. I caught 3, but I lost more tackle than anyone. Bob said I was getting expensive and they showed me how to fix my own rigging.

We all enjoyed the lake. It is wonderful to see and feel the beauty of God’s creation. One would not think such a beautiful thing would be found in an area as this, but yet it is here. It is good to stop and take a look around and see what an awesome God we have. Let us praise Him for who He is, the Great “I AM”.

Prayer of a child

2008-04-18T14:43:00.001-07:00

Prayer,

It is one of the things that we depend on. It keeps us going when we have no other thing to hold onto. And yes it is something that we cling to when we have hope in no one but God. Prayer is also something that I love to hear that people are doing for us. When we have God’s children praying for us, we are strengthened and encouraged. And to me it is very uplifting to know that children, those that Christ said were to be allowed to come to Him, are praying for me. In the photo you can see the letter I got today from an eight-year-old from North Point Church. He states that he is praying for me. For that I praise God, for I know that God has heard Cody’s pray and that brings strength to my soul. I know he is not the only child praying for me. There are more at North Point and other congregations. I too ask God to bless these children. That He, through those around them, might teach them all His truths and bless them with all His riches. Those riches that we store up in heaven and that have eternal value. May God find me to be a worthy servant, doing what is expected. A worrier that uses the weapons that God has given for battle in a way that is pleasing to Him. So again, I give thanks to God for prayers offered by Cody and others, both young and old. I thank Him for the support that each of you, His children and our family, have given and are giving. May we all give God the glory for what we do and who we are.

Thank you to all the kids of the North Point Awana and their prayers.

PLEASE PRAY

2008-04-14T11:37:00.001-07:00

I believe it was July of 2006 when I started my fill in preaching at the church in Guerrero. I started there when the minster and his family moved on to a different ministry thinking that I would be able to find a replacement in three or four months, and I would move on to other parts of the ministries. Well I am still filling in. It has been a wonderful experience for me and my family. We have come to love the congregation there and love being with them. But time has come that we find someone to move in and work there on a full time bases. I have been blessed by seeing the congregation grow spiritually and in number, but there is only so much I can do being there only one or two days a week, and partial days at that. Things have come up on many occasions that a full time minster could have tended to that I have not. One week one of the ladies went in the hospital on Tuesday and was out by Saturday. I did not even know about it till we were there Saturday evening when all was over. And that has happened on more than one occasion. And as you can imagine things like this and others have taken place on a regular biases and I have not been able to minister to their needs. So I ask that you pray that God would send the correct preach by this summer. We need a God fearing man that is ready to tackle the problem a peculiarities of Guerrero. Someone who can reach out to the men in the community and make a difference in the lives of those families where the wife is already a child of God. Someone who can stand firm in the Lord and be a witness for the community, that they may see God working through him. Someone that will work along side of the ministry and myself to do all that God has called us to do in Guerrero. Along with this we will need added income for the ministry. The more we are, the more money required. So please pray. We know God is great and good. We know that He can do all things. We know that He has an answer to our needs. Please ask Him to make it know to us, that we may see His hand working in Guerrero. Pray that we may have the faith we need to trust Him in all we do here.

So I thank you before hand for your attention in this matter, and I know God will listen to your prayers.

God Bless

Summer plans.

2008-04-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

Summer looks to be working out a lot different than we were thinking it would. Brenda applied for a job at Oil Belt Christian Camp and got the job. She needs the job to help pay for school, but this means that she will not be coming home this summer. That will be quite a change for us. Both the girls have always been a very active part of our summer activities. Also Sandy is looking at a babysitting job for the summer. If she takes it on, that will limit the time she will be with us in Mexico, but again she needs to start saving money for school. Sandy is looking to go to culinary school when she graduates for high school next year. Both of the girls summer activities will affect our summer trip. We do not know when we will get to go or if we will get to go north. As the summer program works itself out we will have to make a decision on what we will be doing and let everyone know.

Where in the world are we?

2008-04-07T15:25:00.000-07:00

Many of you have ask where we are at. Here is a map that shows just that. If you copy and past the longitude and latitude below, you can see these places in satellite photos on the wed. For example: Google Earth or Flash Earth and others. If you click on the map you will see a lager image of it and its details.

Tate's Home in N29° 18' 1.93" W100° 25' 50.93"
Bergs house and RBCM office N28° 57' 0.13" W100° 37' 32.42"
San Calos Church N29° 02' 21.06" W100° 54' 26.29"
San Carlos Camp N29° 01' 14.62" W100° 55' 39.10"
Guerrero church N28° 18' 37.42" W100° 22' 51.00"

First three

2008-04-04T14:40:00.001-07:00

We have had our first three groups of the year. Five people form North Point were here from the 19th to the 25th of January. They worked on the church building at San Carlos and made some cement block.

The second and third groups were here over their spring breaks. West Town Christian Church from Knoxville TN was here from the 15th through the 21st of March and put up the first dorm. They also help with VBS at the San Carlos church.

The third team was from Scottsburg IN. They put up the second dorm and help with VBS in Jimenez. There Sandra and I taught some of the classes.

The dorms, though new have a long history. The walls were built by Cross Roads ministries at the National Missionary Convention in Cincinnati OH in November. We were to get the walls by the 29th of the same month, but due to red tape at the boarder, they did not come in until two months latter. But thanks be to God that they made it in. There are walls for two more dorms that we hope to have up for camp in July. Tim making cement blocks

North Point crew in Jan.

New dorm being built by First Christian of Scottsburg IN

Sandy and I at Pinks All Out

2008-04-02T12:43:00.000-07:00

Sandy and I went to Pinks All Out in San Antonio on the 8th of March. We were invited to go with Larry and Sean Davis. They are a father and son from the church here in Brackettville. Larry is a drag racer himself. This was the first racing event that I had been able to go to in about three years. Also this was the first time Sandy had gone with me to something like this, and we all had a great time.
You can see Rich Christensen in the pic's.

Up coming travel

2008-04-02T10:40:00.000-07:00

I am to travel to Illinois the first of May. I will be going to North Point Community Christian Church in Winthrop Harbor. I will be there for two weeks. I will be working with the church on their upcoming trip to Mexico. On the 11th of May I am to be preaching the closing sermon of a series of “reproducing church”. My task is to focus on the "ends of the earth".
After my time there I will be heading to Lincoln to pick Brenda up. She and I will be coming home for our summer activities. While in Illinois I hope to see as many family members as possible. I will also be picking up my Suburban. It had broken down last spring. Caleb and Kelly Baker went north for Christmas and took the Suburban north on a trailer. They took it to Nathan Schnautz. He had it fix for me. I am really grateful to them for their help.

2008-04-02T10:33:00.000-07:00

I hope this will be a good place for me to keep up to date information about what is going on in my families life. I will post about the work with RBCM in Mexico, things here in Brackettville and some of my personal enjoyments. This is something new for me, so I am sure things will change as I go along.