The Italian Gringo

[Vince53]

Greetings, Gringos! It's a rainy, miserable day here in Mexico. I wish you were here.

The kids from our Neighborhood Bible Study had a blast at our church. We had an inflatable trampoline for them to jump on, and it went very well.

The kids at La Ola were loaded with Christmas presents, and we had a memorable Christmas dinner at the director's house. An anonymous donor bought some presents for ...Aunt Elvia's Home, and the city gave them some presents also. Last night, the kids beat a Santa Claus piñata to death, destroying a good broomstick in the process.

Today, I got drafted to help deliver food to the poor (bean soup) which they appreciated. I'm going to bring some cartoon tracts with me next week in case I get drafted again.

Colleen just arrived from the US for a one-month stay, and already the kids are in love with her. She is a valuable addition to the team.

Folks, you might have noticed that I am able to do a lot for Christ since retiring to Mexico. I hope that some of you will also consider retiring down here, because the opportunities to serve are plentiful.

See you next year, Vicente

 

[Vince53]

Happy New Year, Gringos!

It's been a wonderful year, with the Neighborhood Bible Study and La Ola Orphanage both doing well. I have a lot to be thankful for, and coming to Mexico is high on the list. When God blessed us with seven new Acer computers for La Ola, we saw a lot of improvement in the children's behavior (they're playing on the computers instead of getting into trouble). We've had new additions to the orphanage, and volunteering there has been a wonderful experience.

Aunt Elvia's Home has had a difficult year, but they have six children and a handicapped adult, and they are getting enough to eat. Anyone looking for an opportunity to serve down here has one waiting for them.

Dealing with the failure of the college I graduated from has been the year's greatest difficulty. Hyles-Anderson is literally the college that is the most despised by its graduates. Its last pastor was sentenced to twelve years in federal prison for sex crimes earlier this year, and it appears that the church there will continue its policy of covering-up sin.

The Penn State scandal was another rough event for the year. In both cases, too many people who knew what was going on kept their mouths shut, and they share in the blame for the disasters that followed. Anyone can do what's right when it's popular. The people who do what's right when it is unpopular and even dangerous are the ones who make a difference.

Another big event for me was repeatedly reading the Epistles in defferent translations. After a while, it dawned on me that the Epistles teach that love is a major part of nearly every aspect of the Christian life. Staying faithful to the end, and not going back to our old sins, is another major theme. And God's sovereignty in assigning us spiritual gifts gets a lot of space.

Windows 8, and writing on the Acer forums, have both provided a lot of enjoyment. Microsoft's incredibly bad decisión to remove the Start Button has turned a great operating system into a marketing disaster. But the kids at La Ola like my Windows 8 computer far better than the other ones.

Well, time to go. See you next week,
Vicente

 

[Vince53]

Greetings, Gringos! Nancy and I hope that all of you are doing well.

I was able to teach the mid-week Bible Study last Wednesday, and I researched Romans 12:19. The verse reads "
Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.¨" The context shows that Paul is talking about dealing with Christians as well as non-Christians. God explains elsewhere that all souls beling to Hi. He will deal with people who harm you, but you are not allowed to harm them back. He is watching out for their souls as well, and you do not know how He is working in your opponent's life.

Today I'll be teaching on the book of Ecclesiastes. One passage there teaches us that widom calms us down. You've probably read of the texting incident in a movie theater which ended up in a fatal shooting. Both men involved kept pushing the incident instead of walking away. Now one is dead and the other is in jail for second-degree murder. A wise man would have simply walked away at the beginnning.

My wife is taking me out to lunch, so I've got to run. See you next week, Vicente

 

[Vince53]

Greetings, Gringos! I hope you don't need as much pólice protection as we do. Last night, terrorists hijacked four buses and set them on fire, and the US Consulate has warned Americans not to travel on the highway to Guadalajara. This morning I took the bus for the 25 mile ride to La Ola without incident. On the way home, the highway was loaded with pólice, but nothing happened to us.

We had twenty kids in the Neighborhood Bible Study on Saturday, and things are going very well there. The La Ola kids are behaving much better, partly because I am taking them for a lot of walks, which calms them down. Two outstanding workers returned to the US this week, and our newest volunteer, Joe Greek (that's his name, really) is doing a great job.

Pilgrim's Progress isn't about the Pilgrims. It's the story of Christian's journey from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. The second most widely read book in the English language after the Bible, it is easily found online in several formats. I am currently reading a modern English version, and it is still a great book.

The Canadians down here are laughing at Atlanta, Georgia. Two inches of snow, and the city has been paralyzed for two days. It last snowed here in the Gringo Zone during the 1960's.

See you next week,
Vicente

 

[Vince53]

Greetings, Gringos! Nancy and I just had a wonderful time with three of Aunt Elvia's Kids at our house to play on computers. They were very well-behaved, and we plan to have some more of them tomorrow. Poor Aunt Elvia has a rough time. I'm the only volunteer (although some of the kids have volunteer foster parents) and she is doing a great job. The place is always clean, and the children are always happy. Incredibly, they are even cheerful when forced to sit at a long table and do homework.


As a history and military buff, I write a series on a Christian forum about "years." I started with the year 1 and am now up to 1430. In doing so, I came across the life of Joan of Arc. The world's reaction to Joan is "Bewilderment." The Catholic Church couldn't figure her out, burned her at the stake, declared her innocent, spent five centuries wishing she would go away, and finally made her a saint. About thirty people are following a thread on history's most beloved military hero(ine) at http://www.christianforums.com/t7796922/ I'm one of the writers, and I hope that you'll drop in for a visit.


A couple of weeks ago, a doctor told Nancy that she has diabetes. People prayed for her, and a couple of days ago, she showed no symptoms of diabetes. I'm not making any claims yet, but we would appreciate your prayers for both of us.



Adios, Vicente

 

[Vince53]

Greetings, Gringos! We back to having pleasant temperatures and sharing jokes about the frozen North.

Good Heavens, I've discovered the cure for cerebral palsy! In addition to seven kids, Aunt Elvia's Home takes care of a young woman with cerebral palsy. Last night, she clobbered everybody playing Chicken Invaders 4 on my computer. Then she clobbered everybody playing Jetpack Joyride. Computer games--they're the solution to many problems.

I'm afraid that my beloved station wagon has run out of miracles. Despite a tune-up, it is running very badly. In three months, I have to get Mexican licence plates, and I don't have the title (I think it got stolen seven or eight years ago). I'm praying and looking for a good van or station wagon to replace it, and your prayers are appreciated.

Aunt Elvia raises money for her orphanage by selling products from catalogs, and she is doing a pretty good business. I'm looking for places for her to get more customers, and all suggestions are welcome.

The debate rages on about the ethnic joke told on a phoney newscast, with some people still upset about it. Did you hear about the four-car pile-up in Mexico City? They had to take eighty passengers to the hospital. Some Gringos are offended and most Mexicans don't get it.

Well, see you next week.

Vicente

 

[Vince53]

Greetings, Gringos! We're having a rough time with the Mexican government's new immigration laws, and your prayers are needed. I have about six weeks to buy another car, as Mexico wants $2400 to legalize my aged Miracle Mobile, which is ready to fall apart. I have enough money to buy a good used station wagon or van, and I need your prayers that I can find one.

Things are going well at Aunt Elvia's Home, but we really need some computers. We are getting a lot of work out of my laptop, but it comes down to fifteen minute shifts for each child, and it isn't enough. On the other hands, the number of volunteers is increasing, and the finances are in order.

I am still writing a series of articles on the gift of prophecy for today at The Italian Gringo No crackpot stuff, fortunately.

And God blessed us with 28 people at the Neighborhood Bible Study last week!

See you next week, Vicente

 

[Vince53]

Greetings, Gringos! It's a sea of colorful flowers down here, and Nancy and I wish you were here. We had a good day dog-walking with a new volunteer this morning, and things are going well at Aunt Elvia's Home. Volunteers have torn out the kitchen sink (literally) and are replacing the plumbing and everything else.

Aunt Elvia's kids are all happy and they love the staff and volunteers. But they need help with their schoolwork. I've been able to improve things, but we need more volunteers and a lot of prayer.

Speaking of prayer, the fantastic Miracle Mobile is on its last legs (wheels?) The pastor and I are driving to a large used car lot this Saturday to look for a replacement station wagon or van, and your prayers are appreciated.

We had a guest speaker at my college whose father had been a lawyer. One day the boy wrote an insulting letter to his teacher and signed it. He got a one-week suspension, and his father used a belt on him every morning and evening while he was suspended. And his father told him every time "If you ever do something like this again, don't sign your name to it." Folks, be careful what you say in print or in an e-mail.

Adios, Vicente

 

[Vince53]

Greetings, Gringos! It's 80 degrees out, my tomato plants are producing their first flowers, and we wish you were here.

I have named our new van "Reaper of Souls." It seems that I'm playing a creepy game called Reaper of Souls, and when I start it up, the words appear on my desktop, on the hood of the van (which is my current desktop photo). This morning, Aunt Elvia's kids rode in Reaper of Souls for the first time, and they like it better than my old station wagon (The Miraclemobile).

This Tuesday, Microsoft will drop support for windows XP. Me? I bought an 11,000 peso laptop for 6,000 pesos, brand new. Laptops are a dying breed, because people want tablets with touchscreens. We now have two laptops at Aunt Elvia's Home, with Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, and they both work great.

If you buy a new computer, don't be afraid of Windows 8. Download the free Classic Shell, and it will give you a Start Button. Windows 8 will then work like XP and 7, only faster. And while you can easily install Firefox for free, the new version of Internet Explorer works so well with Windows 8 that it is the only browser I use. And Windows 8 includes the free Windows Defender anti-virus program, which works so well that I use nothing else.

Henry Morris, Ph.D., studied the dimensions of Noah's Ark and showed that it is physically possible for it to have held the animals mentioned. Actually, it's easier than that. The Ark contained 7 pairs of every kind of clean animal, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal. The number of kinds of animals has been increasing ever since the Creation. The garden of Eden couldn't possible have contained every kind of animal that exists today. There are far more kinds of animals today than there were in Noah's time, and the Ark could easily have held them.

See you next week, Vicente

The Italian Gringo

 

[Vince53]

Greetings, Gringos! It's a pleasant, calm day here in Mexico. We got up, walked the dogs, ate breakfast, had an earthquake...

Everything started rocking, and I thought the dog was pushing my chair. Nancy realized it was an earthquake, so we hurried out into the street. We joked with some neighbors and then went back inside.

We're finally going to dye Easter eggs at Aunt Elvia's Home this morning. People kept taking the kids on trips because they're off from school. After the earthquake, they sent two kids to my house, because they wanted me to be with them. They were eating breakfast, and I'll return in a little while to dye eggs with them.

Was it the blood moon? No, the recent red moon was a predictable scientific event. When the moon turns red and it isn't supposed to, that means something.

Our new van, the Reaper of Souls, hauled in 19 kids last Saturday for the Neighborhood Bible Study. No problem; it's built to hold seven passengers. On Monday, the church is borrowing it to drive to the Pacific coast for Vacation Bible School. Prayers for their success and safety are appreciated.

See you next week,
Vicente

 

[Vince53]

Greetings, Gringos! I just paid a $27 speeding ticket that the owner of my van got three days before he sold it to me. That's the law in Mexico. And tomorrow, Nancy and I will begin our Permanent status paper work. After that, no more yearly fees for our FM3 card.

We had an earthquake this week. The house started rocking so we went outside. We joked with our neighbors and then went back in.

Our church is running a Vacation Bible School on the Pacific coast, but our pastor has hurt his ankle and can't walk, and he is now on crutches. But I taught the mid-week Bible study yesterday, and it went well.

For the second week in a row, we had 29 in our Neighborhood Bible Study, with good behavior. This Saturday, we are taking them to a party at one of the teacher's houses.

The kids at Aunt Elvia's Home are having a blast with our two laptop computes, both of which run Windows 8.1. Once I installed the free Start Button from Classic Shell, they were easy to run, have great free games, and the kids love them.

97 days of babysitting Murphy the dog, and tonight he goes home. Everybody loves Murphy, except for my stupid dog Anna, who is jealous of him.

And we have a bird nest in our shed out back! I'll try to get some photos onto my Facebook page.

Adios, Vicente

 

[Vince53]

Greetings, Gringos! After 36 hours of non-stop rain, the sun is shining again.

It hasn't been a good week. We had to cancel the Saturday program because the teachers were all gone, and my van is being repaired and needs yet another day in the shop. Still, God knows what He's doing; things will get better.

I could use some prayer, though. A few months ago, I left a successful Christian work where I had volunteered for years. Since then, serious accusations, some of them true, have been spread about that work. I had discussed what happened with my wife and my pastor, and no one else. The person to blame for the problem is publicly accusing me of spreading the accusations, and he will not stop.

A college friend of mine had a very large church bus route but ran into some hard times. Various Christians showed kindness to him, and he is now teaching Christian school and is happy where he's at. As much as I love being retired in Mexico, I envy him.

A neighbor recently needed a new computer to replace his Windows XP rig. With a little help from me, he is happily enjoying Windows 8. Once you download a free Start Button, Windows 8 runs the same way as XP and 7, only faster. At the end of April, more people were using Windows 8 or 8.1 than all Apple systems combined. Windows 7 still holds the lead, with Windows XP in second place, however.

A major problem in certain Christian groups is that they replace holiness with man-made rules. The Apostle Paul explains that these rules do not improve our flesh, but they do build pride in our flesh because we are denying ourselves. But don't Christians need some man-made rules? The Bible tells us that if you have understanding, you will hate every false way. Understanding, not man-made rules, will give you the guidelines you need for applying God's Word to daily living.

See you next week, Vicente

 

[Vince53]

Greetings, Gringos! We hope your car is running better than mine. After spending hundreds more dollars on it, our new van arrived safely home today, where it broke down several minutes later. This is one of these cases in which we ask God why is this happening, and we don't know. In the book of Job, terrible things happened to Job, but Elihu explained to him that we are not to call God to account. God knew what He was doing, and everything eventually turned out right. Meanwhile, we need that van to pick up people for church and Bible classes, so your prayers are appreciated.

One of our American friends sent a generous donation to Aunt Elvia's Home, which was quickly used for food and a visit to the dentist. And the kids are doing better in school now that we only allow them to play math games on the computers. Lupita and Elvia got a kick out of me singing to Lupita's new baby, but the kid went right to sleep so I guess she liked it.

People in the church jumped in to help pick up Mexican mothers for Mothers' Day last Sunday when we didn't have the van. It is good to be in a church that is reaching the community for Christ.

See you next week, Vicente

 

[Vince53]

Greetings, Gringos! We're having humid weather today, but my tomato plants are doing well.

We might have to abandon our van and go carless, as it appears to be unrepairable. Some people are recommending an electronics garaje to see if they can fix it. prayers are appreciated. We cancelled our Neighborhood Bible Study because we couldn't pick up the kids, but we took Aunt Elvia's orphans to a park. While there, fire ants swarmed Nancy and me while leaving the kids alone. Maybe they were tired of Mexican food.

I was able to teach the Wednesday Bible Study at our church, and it went well. Being a nice guy, I'm including the outline here:

ERRORS OF CALVINISM
"O horrible decree; worthy of the place from whence it came! Forgive them of their blasphemy who charge it to the Lamb!" From a hymn by Charles Wesley on Calvinism.
Christ enlightens all men: John 1:4,9; 8:12; 9:5
God's grace appears to all men: John 12:32; 16:8; Acts 26:22-23; Titus 2:11
Men can resist God: Jer 13:11; Acts 7:51
Our actions may win souls: 1 Peter 3:1; James 5:19-20
God wants everyone to be saved: Luke 19:10; John 17:21; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet 3:9; 1 John 4:14; John 12:47; Acts 3:26
Christ died for all: John 1:29; 4:42; 6:33; Rom 5:18; 1 Cor 15:22; 2 Cor 5:14-15; 1 Tim 2:6; 4:10; Heb 2:9; 10:29; 2 Pet 2:1-3; 1 John 2:2; Col 1:20
Why God hardens some: Is 54:15 Rom 1:21 Rom 11:32 Is 6:9-10 AND Acts 28:25-27 Is 48:8 God still desires their salvation Ps 90:3
How God elects people: 1 Pet 1:2 Election does not usually refer to salvation: Rom 9:11-13
People are saved while still blind: 2 Cor 3:13-16
Predestination is not to salvation: Rom 8:29; Eph 1:5
God the Father draws all people to Christ: John 6:44-45
The same works of God can be accepted or rejected by the lost: Luke 10:13

Ciera Stoyer got married one week ago, and I'm still getting "likes" on the wedding pictures I posted. She and her husband will be returning to work as missionaries.

For Decades, I have been seeking out and helping graduates of my Bible college. The college encouraged and honored violent gangs, rejecting holiness in favor of man-made rules. And for decades I have been teaching that if you are miserable and bitter in your church or denomination, go somewhere else!

See you next week, Vicente

 

[Vince53]

Greetings, Gringos! The weather is nice, the van is running well, and we wish you were here.

Mexico is all excited about the World Cup Soccer championships. Mexico plays Cameroon Friday, June 13. The US plays Ghana Monday, June 16. Don't laugh. A couple of years ago, the US made it to the semi-finals and were eliminated by Ghana.

25 years ago today, the Tiananmen Massacre began. As the Chinese citizens rebelled against their Communist masters, the army stayed loyal to the rulers and brutally suppressed the people.

To my surprise, we had eighteen kids in the Neighborhood Bible Study last week. We had cancelled the previous week due to vban probles, and had to walk the kids home the two weeks before that when the van broke down. But it's running fine now.

Thieves climbed the fence into Aunt Elvia's Orphanage this week, stealing a few hundred dollars worth of merchandise from her store. That store supports the orphans. But some of us took Elvia out to lunch yesterday, and we had a good time.

And TV commercials are advertising a new deodorant product for women. It's call "Bi-O."

See you next week,
Vicente

 

[Vince53]

From: Vince Massi (threeofu@hotmail.com) Sent:Sat 7/12/14 10:15 Greetings, Gringos! It's been a while, mostly since things haven't changed until this week.

God blessed us with 31 kids on the church van this morning. I had to make two trips, and the van only stalled one time. We had been running in the teens for a few months. I had been getting discouraged, but this week God really moved us up.

I have told how my college vice-president had sought revenge on students, including me, who opposed the violent gangs that he wanted on campus. He's getting ripped into pretty badly on a Christian hatesite, with a lot of false accusations. God does take revenge, but we don't need to help Him with slander. My college drilled into us that if we refused to quit, God would eventually bless us with results. What they taught us was true. That same college vice-president gets part of the credit for what God is doing down here.

Speaking of Christian sites, a guy posted a complaint that the Christian site had inappropriate contento ads. The administrator explained that the ads are chosen by Google based on your viewing habits.

The US (not Mexico) has made it impossible to cash US checks in Mexico. I used to make deposits from my retirement account into my Mexican account, but now I'll have to use wire transfers. On the other hand, our permanent status cards have come through, and we don't have to hassle with the government every year in order to stay here.

"Phantom," our new cat, is doing very well. She picks on Anna, our dog (who is descended from German wolves), so we have to spend extra time with Anna.

Folks, we really need prayer about our van. It runs, but it is not as trustworthy as the Miraclemobile (our old station wagon that is now with the Lord). Aunt Elvia's kids will be sent off to camp for two week on Monday, and someone actually paid to send poor Elvia on a vacation (Boy, does she need one). Prayer is needed there as well. And Vacation Bible School starts in two weeks--we'll be having it in two different churches every day for a week, and we hope you'll be praying for us.

Adios, Vicente

 

[Vince53]

Greetings, Gringos! We need more weeks like the last one. Vacation Bible School was a great success, with four vehicles bringing in people at different times. My van ran well, for which I praise the Lord. The kids had a good time and learned a lot. On Sunday, we had the award ceremony, and several parents showed up.

Is this bragging or self-promotion? No, we recognize that God is blessing us with results because we're doing what He says to do. It's great to be in a church where God is doing something. But you do need to understand that if you want to see results, it will cost you something--you have to get out there and work.

I recently completed a series on "The History of Irresistible Grace" on a Christian forum, and found my posts followed by accusations and insults by Calvinists. No Scripture or knowledge, however. I don't want to be in churches like that. I want to be where God is doing something. For the record, John Calvin taught that the lost cannot respond to God. Then he taught that God only gave grace to some people (the Bible teaches us that God's grace has appeared to everyone). Someone realized a fatal flaw: if the lost cannot respond to God, then when God gives grace to some, they cannot respond. Calvinism doesn't work. Period. Case closed.

Aunt Elvia's kids just got back from two weeks at a Christian camp. It was a good vacation for everyone, except maybe their poor counselors.

And you ought to see all the soccer shirts I've bought at greatly reduced prices! The US finished the world Cup #15 out of 232 teams. And Mexico? They are #10, Amigos.

Adios, Vicente

 

[Vince53]

Greetings, Gringos! We're having pleasant weather and we wish you were here.

People have donated a large used refrigerator and a large used stove to Aunt Elvia's Home. They are doing a thriving business selling homemade desserts from their front patio, and these two donations will help a lot. The kids are having a lot of problems with schol because they are so far behind. Yesterday, their teacher got on me (again) about letting them play computer games instead of educational programs. And do you know what their favorites educational program was? Microsoft Word. They had a good time typing out words and helping each other spell them correctly.

During Vacation Bible School, we averaged 28 kids on our van route. Last Saturday, we had 18, but three of our families were away. Your prayers are appreciated, as the Neighborhood Bible Study is doing well.

There has always been a belief that to be a successful Christian, you should blindly obey your leaders. You should never question them or listen to criticism. But what if you have the virtues described in the book of Proverbs? Are you better off when your leaders cover up sin, or should you be told the truth? The Italian Gringo

Bad news: It is now impossible to write US checks to a Mexican bank. We have to use money transfers, which are much more difficult and expensive. But otherwise, it's still pretty good living in Mexico.

See you next week.

Vicente

 

[Vince53]

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Greetings, Gringos!

Learning that they will be playing the US Girls' Soccer Team this Saturday, North Korea's leadership has issued their team new soccer equipment.

I took Aunt Elvia's Kids to the park. I pulled some weeds and shook the dirt at them. So they all started pulling weeds and shaking the dirt at each other. When they got home, they told Elvia that I had been throwing dirt at them.

We had 27 in the Neighborhood Bible Study, and our van is still running. Please pray for us to have continual growth and good learning as well.

We seem to be coming out of the fog as Mexico has once again allowed Americans to write US checks in Mexico.

Our cat, Phantom, continues to be able to disappear at will, but she is a very lovable cat and we're glad we have her.

And I'm still writing a series on the Virtues of Proverbs at The Italian Gringo

See you next week,
Vicente

 

[Vince53]

Greetings, Gringos! I've recently become a soccer fan, and yesterday was a big day The #1 ranked (out of 181 teams) US Women's Team played #19 Switzerland for the first time. All 10,000 tickets were sold out in five hours, because--if American goalie Hope Solo (That's her name. Really) could hold the Swiss scoreless, she would hold the world record for 172 scoreless victories.

I watched part of the game as an outstanding American team and a hopelessly outclassed Swiss team both put in stellar performances. Of course the Americans won, but the Swiss managed to score one goal. And then, the soccer forums came alive with criticism of the players on both teams. That's how it goes--do a great job, and the critics are falling all over each other.

After the Apostle Peter won Cornelius and his family to Christ, he returned to find himself criticized for going to Gentiles. There is a proper place for criticism, but when unsuccessful people criticize successful people, that's not the proper place. Everywhere I have gone as a Christian, I find the people who are getting things done for the Lord being criticized by the people who don't.

Accusing the brethren is Satan's ministry. Let him do it without your help.

See you next week.
Vicente