Reflections from the Mexico Vicar

Hi, everyone! Vicario Steve Lehmann, here (pictured on far right). I was asked to do a little bit of reflecting on my life here as a vicar. I would like to take a couple of minutes and share with you the way that the Lord, in his goodness, blessed my Christmas celebration here in a little different way than what I’m accustomed to.

The hardest thing for me this December was the fact that I was not going to see a single member of my family during this holiday season - none of mom’s home-baked Christmas cookies, none of my little brothers running around trying to attack me with snowballs, no listening to my dad’s Manheim Steamroller CD’s, and toughest of all, not going to church with my whole family and celebrating together our common faith in the birth of our Savior, singing all the beautiful, familiar Christmas hymns.

But in spite of this small sacrifice in order to serve the Lord’s church here in Torreón, the Lord still richly blessed my Christmas celebration and filled it with tremendous joy. Although my “blood” family wasn’t with me, my family in Christ indeed was! The members of the church took me in and made me one of them. After the Christmas Eve church service, I was invited to go along with one of the families, and celebrate for my first time ever “Christmas Mexican Style!” I was introduced to all the delicious food they serve, got to watch all the kids bang around the piñata, and when it came to gift-opening time, they even had a small one for me.

They truly made me feel like part of their family, and I give thanks to God for the whole family in Christ that he has blessed me with down here - all the way from the Hartmans, to every last person in the church here - all of whom have gone way out of their way to make me feel at home here.

Most importantly of all, my Christmas celebration was filled with joy because of the one thing that does not change, no matter where you are celebrating: the knowledge that Jesus Christ came into this world to redeem us sinners! That is the central joy of Christmas, and the reason that we can be happy and content no matter where we are! And I truly thank the Lord that I can share this same joy with my family here, as well as with my family at home!

A blessed New Year to all in the joy of our Lord, Jesus Christ!

Note from Rachel: Steve arrived in Mexico during the summer of 2007. He will serve as vicar until August 2008. Then he will return to the WELS seminary in Mequon to finish his studies. Learn more about Steve here.