Mexico

Well, we crossed the border today. You can count on spending a good hour at the border. We got our car insurance ($220.00 US), our tourist passes (Free), and our Temprary Vehicle Importation Permit ($25.00 US) at separate booths in the same building. The Gentleman at the Tourist Pass booth asked if we had anything to eat, and if we could bring him some fruit, so Lori packed him a lunch. They did not check our vehicle at all.

The town right across the border is Matamoros. Here is a few pics we took along the way:

In the developed area, each house has a water storage tank on the roof. They fill the tank at night due to the city's low water pressure and then they have water for the next day that is gravity fed. After about 20 miles of speedbumps you start to enter the country which is much like South Dakota, with field after field of corn. The corn was about 12" high and as we moved south it got taller.

Some of the area's were not so developed and it appears they had no running water or electricity. There is alot of poor in Mexico as we have seen thus far.

There are also hundreds of roadside stands. At 3:22 PM we crossed the Tropic of Cancer.

We had one mishap at our first gas stop in Mexico. A young lad smashed into us at the Pemex gas station. After getting a translator to communicate, it was found out that he had no licence, then he jumped into his car and sped off.

By the way, the window washers at the gas station do not get wages, and therefore it is courteous to give them a tip. Also, at the gas station you have to pay three pesos to go to the washroom, but that does not include toilet paper or the toilet seat. Lori and Jess are getting very strong legs from doing leg squats.

Landscape

We arrived at Tampico at 6PM. We followed our translators who found a hotel for us right downtown. It just happens they were on their way to Tampico. The man was a Jewish ex-rabbi who "got bored with himself" and is now searching out Christianity. We had a brief talk and I passed him along one of our books "Our Creator's Revelation to Mankind". His wife who was a native Mexican said that it was no coincidence that we met after they read part of the book along the way to Tampico.

Downtown Tampico

My faithful interpreter Cain Chavira at the hotel. This man is invaluable when you live in the land of Babel. I can truely understand why the people were scattered from one another when they rebelled 4500 years ago on the plains of Shinar. It would have been very frustrating not knowing what each other was saying. Cain helped me with my insurance claim which may prove to be futile in the end, for it appears they want to fix the vehicle in Mexico, and we will have no time for that. He said they may pay us out at the border when we leave Mexico. Buyer beware....

Here is some of the money we used. We thought it was a real good deal at the border, we gave them $300.00 US and they gave us back $3270.00 Mexican pesos. Missing here are the $100.00 bill, the $20.00 coin, the .50c coin, the .20c coin, and the .10c coin.

Care for a shoe shine?

Unfortunately, as far as we could see, the city was fully given over to idolatry.
"They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed. Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing? Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed: and the workmen, they are of men: let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together. The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint. The carpenter stretcheth out his rule; he marketh it out with a line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the house. He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it. Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto. He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire: And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god. They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand. And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree? He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?" (Isaiah 44:9-20)

There was much merchandising going on outside a big cathedral, people selling their idols. It immediately reminded me of when Jesus entered the temple area of Jerusalem and saw the same thing, and in righteous anger began to overthrow the moneychangers table.

They were praying to statues made by men and rubbing them and kissing them.

The Bible says there is "one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1Timothy 2:5). Prayers to idols of dead saints will avail nothing.

Many are obviously not aware of the Lord's second commandment: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments" (Exodus 20:4).

As we were handing out some tracts in the pavilion, one gentleman approached us, who spoke broken English, and asked us what we were doing, so we sat down with him. He asked us if we were Catholic or Christian. He was very aware of the difference. He was watching us and going and talking to the people we were handing out the tracts to and asking what we were telling them. He said that the last lady he talked to said that I was Christian, but she was Catholic. As it turned out, he was a believer as well and said that all those he tried to evangelize thought he was crazy. He said a prophet is never accepted in his own town. He asked us to come to his house, so we walked about 8 city blocks and came to his very humble home. His wifes name is Mina, and their two young boys were Fernando Jr. and Daniel.

His wife, who does not speak English, told him that she was surprised that we were Christians. When I asked him why, he told me all the Canadians they ever met were never Christian. He showed me his Bible and it was in Spanish and English. Perhaps this is where he learned some of his English.

Us and them. It was certainly a refreshing time.

Fernando and Daniel. Their desire was to come to Canada where he might find permanent work. He is a cement finisher.

Our Mexican Field Trip 2005

Day 5: Tampico