By Ed Aulie —
Since the threat against our lives and extortion began, it has been six weeks full of prayers and inner wrestling for God’s will to be revealed. It has led us to stop, seek counsel and ask for protective prayers.
“For by wise guidance you will wage war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.” Proverbs 24:6
Prayerful Steps
Our heartfelt praise to God for the counsel of a number of pastors, many of whom have had threats on their own lives. This is something common that we share with many in the ministry here. We were advised to lay low for a season and pray for peace to go forward.
The letters of concern and encouragement from you have lifted our spirits and strengthened our faith! Your specific, targeted prayers with verses of Scripture are amazingly appropriate for this situation.
“Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?” Psalm 94:16
You did. The Mexican church did. Our families did – in prayer. The phone calls have stopped. We continue to trust God to bring to nothing the wicked scheming against us.
An Unforeseen Emergency
We have been building a small cabin central to the villages where we work. Just last Friday, two men working for us on a retaining wall were suddenly buried alive by an avalanche of tons of clayish mud from the mountain road above our house.
In a flash, a whole village was shouting, screaming, running, digging with hands so as not to cut with a shovel or pick. The mothers, children, wives and neighbors were weeping uncontrollably. What a frantic, prayerful ten minutes before they were uncovered and found…alive. What a mercy to breathe fresh air! One of the men, Marcos, said “It was as though we were born again.”
“He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.” Psalm 40:2
Coveted Prayers Needed
From three different towns ambulances, police and even a reporter arrived. Questions came. “Whose land was this? Who were these men working for? Where are you from? What do you do?”
Our desire to be low key, low profile after the threats of the last weeks was no longer possible. I (Ed) was held responsible and promised to pay for hospital expenses and support the families during the recovery. During the interrogation I could see men from other villages who have long opposed our work taking pleasure in seeing me taking heat for the incident. For years they have threatened and wanted to see us gone. Later, in the hospital, X-rays showed no broken bones, although Román will need physical therapy for neck and back out of line. He continues with a lot of pain.
Through all of this we continue to examine our hearts and ask the Lord to guide our next steps. The privilege of evangelizing, discipling and preparing the next generation of leadership has been our call. It has been our constant joy to make Christ known.
“Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways.” Isaiah 64:4-5a
Ed and Denise Aulie are working primarily with indigenous peoples of Mexico – specifically the Nahuatl of Veracruz and the Ch’ol of Chiapas. They encourage Mexican churches in the areas of Biblical leadership and healthy godly church and family life interaction. They use practical projects relating to literacy, agriculture, building etc. to have a Word-Deed ministry. Sharing the Word of God in real life context is the key aspect of their ministry. For more, go here
