Saturday, July 28, 2007

Snow in Mexico, an apology & chicken

Hello from Mexico! How's your part of the world? Mine's new, as usual. We're officially in the highlands of Mexico after a monster 45km day that took us from a few hundred metres above sea level to over 2000m in one day. We began in the Cordoba/Orizaba Valley, which has to be on of the most beautiful places I've walked through so far. It was green, clean, mountainous, cool & the people were so friendly that it crossed my mind that it might be a nice place to retire... Ahead of us rose Mexico's highest mountain, Orizaba Peak, some 5000m high. Even here in hot Mexico it had a huge cover of snow on it. It was incredible. At first we had a reasonable climb up what we thought was our mountain for the day but after a good hour or so we emerged on a plateau with a briliant view of where we'd come from & a rather confronting view of another mountain on the other side of the plains that rose up another 1000m - and the freeway went straight up it (well, through a few tunnels & around a few hundred corners). The higher we pushed on the thinner the air became & the more difficult it was to breath. It almost caused me to shut up for two minutes, but I found enough oxygen to keep singing & praying :-) Seriously though, it was tough on the lungs climbing up but the spectacular views & racing clouds hitting the mountain below us & scooting up over us was amazing. Our day finished after sunset, walking across the plains at the foot of the 5000m high snow capped Volcano glistening in the moon light. Loved it. Nikki & I have stopped in many churches this past week & the invitation to pray for unity has been received very well. We even meet a few people who are saving their pennies to fly to Australia in 2008 for World Youth Day so we are hoping to find each other come next July! It could be a hard task finding them amongst 2 million people though. I read the comments each week (thanks Steph) & I'd like to quickly clear the air over the comment I made last week about my resolve for unity being stronger now than when I started & the Lord's heart being for unity. At first I didn't understand the rebuke over this comment & it has taken me some time to get my head around what Miguel wrote. I say that I don't completly understand the rebuke because my comment was simply intended as a reflection on my deepening of faith over the duration of this journey & the utter hopelessness I've felt at seeing so many underpriviledged people suffering, coupled with the infighting amongst churches. I was stating that now, having seen what I've seen & heard what I've heard, the scriptures regarding unity (from the Gospels & Paul's letters particularly) are coming alive for me. My resolve is stronger - I believe. After thinking long & hard about the rebuke & reading over what I'd written I presume that due my laziness at the keyboard it can very easily read as though I'm stating that the Lord's heart is for MY style of unity. This was not intended in any way, shape or form & I'm sorry for not not taking more care with what I was writing. I agree with you Miguel & I'm very sorry if what I wrote frustrated you. The whole aim of this walk is to simply come before the Lord humbly & continue to pray Christ's prayer (John 17) for total unity. I haven't been blessed with the wisdom to unite the faith world but I have been blessed with prayer, so this is my role out here on the road; to pray & bear witness. So, my humblest apologies for cutting corners. Hmmm, now comes the tricky part of linking this to my next point of conversation, which was to be about Nikki almost choking to death on her chicken piece after I recounted a funny incident from Honduras... nope, can't think of a link-in, better move on. In typical Walk4one style, Nikki & I came within a whisker of being here illegally (& being sent home) after encountering visa troubles, which, after a few days of trying, were finally sorted out an hour after expiring. So technically we were 'illegals' for one hour. That's my claim anyway. It was a relief to finally get it sorted out. It's a complicated tale that's not particularly interesting, just lots of wrong information, an immigration department mistake & no one to sign off on the paper work. So, with our new visa expiring two months after I intend to cross over the border it's on towards Mexico City over the next 3 days with another 1000m climb ahead (we think). Please continue to pray for unity & a very big thankyou to everyone who sent my mum a brithday greeting - she wasn't overly impressed with me, but loved the emails.
God bless! Sam.
"He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, & reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, & treads the high places of the earth — the LORD God Almighty is his name." Amos 4:13

5 comments:

Lynda said...

Hi sam nad nikki,

You are gaining some very precious insights along your journey. Thankyou for your humility in sharing them with us. I pray that God's good work that has already begun in you will continue and bear fruit over the coming months and years. May God continue to abundantly bless both of you love from Lynda

Lynda said...

P.S sorry about the poor editing Sam and Nikki

Unknown said...

Sam,

My son (Chandler) and I are following your travels on a very large world map. Since you stayed here in Arriaga, Chandler has made the comment more than once, "I want to walk the world like Sam and Nikki telling people about Jesus."
Keep up the good work.

Jason

Miguel said...

Sam I mean no harm...just pause and consider...We pass this way only once...I'm not trying to convince you...it has to be revealed...How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of them that bring glad tidings...the good news...the gospel...This speaks of their walk (their lives & how they live)...
Jesus said "I am the way the truth and the Life...no man cometh unto the Father but by me. Look how Jesus sent out his disciples (Apostles) first...the twelve then the seventy, some are called to be Apostles and some Saints...Both definitely know their Calling...HE still sends them (His Apostles) out the same way He Himself went, "foxes have holes the birds of the air have nests but the Son of Man has not where to lay his head",this speaks of his homeless ministry.The rest are thieves and robbers they come up another way..Look up any references in the Bible concerning the Church...Its always referring to a people (the True Church) in a home...these are the children of God...Called and chosen...they'll never be any unity in the so called churches you speak of...how could there be...their not of God...but of man. Oh I'm sure most if not all false priests and ministers etc. will say that was for back then...Its not possible today...Just remember God's way is the same Yesterday, Today and Forever...You Pray honestly and read your Bible prayerfully...And if your of an honest and good heart the Way will be opened up.The true worshipers worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. "Ye shall know them by their Fruits"...If the Blind lead the blind both fall into the ditch.

Enough Said, Miguel

Anonymous said...

Hi Sam,

When you are on the right path powerfully doing the Lord's work, that's when the devil will try to throw obstacles in the way, often through people's negatives comments or attacks. If what you were doing wasn't destroying the devil's work, he wouldn't bother. When Jesus was in the garden of agony, he could have prayed for anything but what did He focus on? Unity:

John 17:20-23

20"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Be encouraged Sam!

Robyne