Having Family Close-by!!

Since arriving in Mexico, we as a family have been accustomed to living far from our family (i.e. parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc). It's just an aspect of missionary life that you get used to....not to say that you "like it" but it's a part of the "cost" that we knew full well when we came here. Yes, our kids call our fellow colleagues "aunt and uncle" but you still miss those family ties.

Well, in God's plan, he brought some family down to us this past spring....actually the past 3 years during the spring!! Dennis and Sharon Kirsch (my aunt and uncle) have had a wonderful ministry here since 2008 helping at our CAM-related camp close-by called "Koinonia". What an incredible blessing to have them here!!

Uncle Dennis has helped in invaluable ways at the camp with his skills in repairing, building, maintenance....well, you name it and he can do it! He did an extension on the kitchen at the camp this year....what an incredible blessing to have another third added on to the small kitchen! Now it's almost spacious!! Our house is also in much better working order due to his handyman skills that have been put to use here too! Aunt Sharon (my Dad's sister) has also been very busy helping with some data input for CAM's website called Obrero Fiel. She has done an incredible amount of work to help get a Bible study tool (called Treasury of Scripture Knowledge) online for Spanish speakers.

A couple weekends ago I traveled with them to the border just to help with any unexpected events. Fortunately, we had a safe trip with very few stops (a couple military checkpoints but that's just normal!) and basically an uneventful trip. They will soon be back "at home" in Canada. They are greatly missed here as they impacted MANY lives during their months here. I thank the Lord for the great joy of having them here and having the chance to re-connect with family!

Mega Missions Conference in Guatemala

I just returned from the beautiful country of Guatemala where I (Bob) attended a "Mega" Missions Conference in Guatemala City. The conference was held at a seminary which CAM started many years ago called SETECA. What an awesome experience to be able to attend and see how God's hand is moving to send out Latin missionaries all over the world.

Over 650 participants came from all over the world: Spain, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, El Salvador, Turkey, England, the U.S., and a host of other countries as well. A variety of workshops were offered on a variety of topics related to the missionary "enterprise" specifically from a Latin perspective. The overall theme for the conference was "Crossing New Frontiers: A Great Commission". One of the highlights for me was to see many folks go forward on the last night to commit their lives to serving God wherever that might be.

Another highlight for me was to have 9 other colleagues from Mexico (both missionary and national) with whom to share the experience! Three of us went representing the missions mobilization ministry of FAMEX here in Mexico. All of us went away even more passionate about missions as well as burdened to continue to promote a "Great Comission" vision throughout Mexico. Also, we pray that God will raise up more workers from Mexico to be sent out to the unreached peoples of the world. Please pray with us to that end.

Check out our pictures from recent events!!

Here's the link for our pictures. Check them out!

http://picasaweb.google.com/buhlersinmexico

Missions Conference at New Life Bible Church

Today we held a special missions service at the church we attend. This ended a pretty hectic weekend but we were thrilled at how God worked. The same Uruguayan couple, Augusto and Valeria, shared their plans to go to Uruguay as missionaries with FAMEX. Their presentation was very well-done and people seemed to greatly enjoy getting to know them! Perhaps our church will be able to support them in the future....we'll see how God provides. Then we invited Samuel Castro, former national director here in Mexico for Operation Mobilization, to preach and encourage our folks to actively participate in the Great Commission. He is a very motivational speaker and did a great job instilling passion for missions among our congregation. Please pray with us that God will continue to work in the hearts of the people at the New Life Bible Church in the area of missions. Perhaps some of our own youth will be sent out in the coming years! As a church we already support some missionaries in the Muslim world. May God continue to kindle the passion for missions among the Mexican churches!

Marriage Dinner at New Birth Bible Church

This past weekend was pretty jam-packed with things starting off on Friday night with a marriage dinner that Sharla and I put together. We were grateful for a good turn-out with around 15 couples in attendance. A young Uruguay couple from Puebla, Augusto and Valeria Aniano, made the 3-hour trip to be with us for the weekend. They are incredible musicians! It was a real treat to have them sing some nice romantic music for us. Then Hector Villanueva, a church leader from a nearby Bible church here in Queretaro, shared about the difference in the way men and women commmunicate. He did a great job interjecting humor while addressing this important topic of marriage communication. The evening was topp-off with a great meal of tamales and atole! For those of you who don't know what atole is.....you're just missing out! It's hard to beat a dinner of tamales and atole. You'll just have to visit us here in Mexico sometime to find out what we're talking about!

Wedding in the Huasteca

What a day we had going to the Huasteca for the wedding. We left from Pachuca around 9 AM and traveled to this remote region arriving there around 1:30 PM. The wedding was to start around 3:30 PM. Things eventually started around 4 PM. I was able to play the piano during the wedding (everything from the prelude, to processional, to accompanying the songs during the wedding, and then the recessional and postlude).

Things got really interesting when it started to rain right in the middle of the wedding ceremony. I'm under a canopy giving a sermon while it's pouring down rain. While I'm under the canopy, everyone else is running for cover....and we're talking a LOT of people. It was quite the sight to watch. Although I had a 20-30 minute sermon prepared on marriage, I only got through about 5 minutes. Honestly, no one was listening! Everyone was figuring how to stay dry (we're talking hundreds of people!). I cut everything short, figuring that we just needed to get this couple (Adolfo and Olga) married. Well, they did get married that afternoon, thank the Lord!

Now they embark on a lifelong journey together as husband and wife. Adolfo and Olga will continue to minister in this very need region of Mexico. Pray that God will protect them and encourage them in the midst of a rather hostile environment. Evangelicals continue to be persecuted in this region. They really do need your prayers!

This weekend we'll be heading to the "Huasteca" region in the state of Hidalgo. It's about 7 hours from where we live here in Queretaro. Perhaps some of you remember mission trips that I've organized to the Huasteca in recent years. Adolfo, a faithful servant for Christ in this needy area of Mexico, will be getting married to Olga (pictured above). I thank the Lord for how God has provided a wife for him. We have the privilege of participating in the wedding ceremony through music and preaching. AND something called "padrinos" of the "arras"....too complicated to explain here! Anyway, please pray for a safe trip for us and that God would use us while we're there. Also pray for Adolfo as he starts a new life as a married man!