God's Faithfulness

This past weekend, Victor and I had the opportunity to attend a retreat sponsored by the association to which our church here in Mexico belongs.  I thank the Lord for the beautiful, encouraging and refreshing fellowship we experienced with believers from Canada, the United States, all over Mexico and even Bolivia!

One of the moments that most stands out in my mind occurred during the opening worship service.  The worship team began singing a Spanish worship song, "Tu Fidelidad" ("Your Faithfulness"), and my mind was flooded with memories! 

 

 (This is a portion of that song during the retreat this past weekend.  I didn't upload the video because we sound wonderful, but because it is heartfelt worship to the Lord with my siblings in Christ!)

That song was the very first Spanish worship song I ever heard!  I was 17 years old and spending one month serving at Mission Mazahua here in Central Mexico with Norberto and Lisa Cortes.  I was sitting in the dining room of their home, a converted mill at an old ex-hacienda, diligently transferring addresses and contact information of donors from 3X5 cards into Lisa's computer.  One of their children came along and put in a worship tape (no Cd's then!) of Marcos Witt, a pioneer in Latin American worship.  The sounds of "Tu Fidelidad" floated through the air, and I was hooked....on Jesus, on Mexico, on worshipping Him in Spanish, on serving Him...on life!

Over the years I have sung this song numerous times, but it seemed to "hit" me once again during this retreat.  Here I was, singing "Tu Fidelidad" once again in Mexico, 18 years after hearing it for the first time, but now smack dab in the middle of all the Lord had only planted in my mind so many years ago!  During those 18 years I graduated from high school, graduated from college, made numerous short term mission trips to Mexico that confirmed the lifelong call God had placed upon my life, went through thousands of flashcards to memorize Spanish vocabulary (knowing that my future life and ministry would come to depend on my ability to communicate in Spanish), met my husband, got married, started a Spanish-speaking church in Indiana, foster parented six children in two years, had Josiah, left all that behind to follow God's call to Mexico, began Fishers of Men and can now look back on the last 8, nearly 9, years of ministry here in Mexico and see His faithfulness in transforming an overgrown hillside into Refuge Ranch, growing the crusade schedule from 1 to 11 or so each year, raising up staff to support the ministry, providing for each and every one of our needs, loving, forgiving and teaching us in, and despite of, our humanness!

Singing "Tu Fidelidad" this past weekend seemed almost like a bookend experience enclosing my life from the first time I heard that worship song to now, actively living out day by day what used to be only a dream!  God is truly faithful!

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, 

according to his power that is at work within us,

to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus 

throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."  

Ephesians 3:20-21   

Below you can listen to the original version of the song sung by Marcos Witt.  Here is the English translation of the words:

"Tu fidelidad es grande - your faithfulness is great

Tu fidelidad incomparable es - your faithfulness is uncomparable

Nadie como Tu - Nobody like you

Bendito Dios- Blessed God

Grande es tu fidelidad - Great is your faithfulness"