The girls and I have continued to have a good time getting to know each other. Recently, we took it to the next level with intentionality! A couple of weeks ago, a group from the church in Tepic came and hosted a mini-revival sort of thing on a Friday night and Saturday. There was great worship with their worship band on Friday night along with a message from their pastor, Dwight, who is the brother to Linea Hackett (her and her husband Tom founded A.M.). Then Saturday morning, Dwight had a message for the leaders in the churches, and Saturday afternoon the worship leader, Pocho, spent some time with the youth from both bands teaching them a new song and encouraging them as musicians but as faith-walkers more importantly. Then Saturday night there was another all-church meeting with worship and another message. I had the privelage of being at all the meetings and was tremendouly encouraged by everything that was shared, both in worship and in teaching!

What was especially neat for me was the opportunity to worship and learn WITH the girls. Normally they are up front worshiping becuase they are all in the band in Arrayanes. But this time they too were in the congregation receiving and partaking with the rest of us, and it was so neat to get to interact with that part of them on a more personal level. I really sensed the Lord saying that it was time to be more intentional about interacting with them in that way on a regular basis in the time we spend together during the week. So, I spoke to them about beginning to meet once a week for the purpose of sharing what we are reading in Scripture or what the Lord is teaching us as well as praying together.

We began last week. It has been incredibly neat to hear how they are learning and growing and being challenged and encouraged in the word and to pray together. What a precious thing we truly have as members of that ONE body! Three of the girls have expressed a desire to be missionaries, and all of them have family members who are not Christians. So, it has been challenging and a priveledge to encourage them that they are already missionaries because they are members of Christ's body and have the Holy Spirit, the Great Missionary, living inside of them; they have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love, and self-control; that they have been comissioned to go into all the world preaching the gospel and making disciples and that that commission starts at home and THEN works its way outward (Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the utter parts of the world--Acts 1); that they do not need to worry about what to say but that they will know when the time comes because it will be the Spirit speaking through them--they need only obey and open their mouths and speak; that we must first nourish ourselves in Christ by getting alone with him to rest and be filled and strengthened and encouraged in his presence, and that then it is our responsibility AND our priveledge to go out and share that with others, but that joy of it is that Jesus calls us to get away alone with HIM.

The last month and a half of spending time with these girls has been such a blessing for me! I've enjoyed building these friendships and getting to know them. It certainly fills a need in my own life for fellowship, but more than anything it has been such an unbelievable priveledge to see how the Lord has encouraged them through our time together specifically. There is something different in their eyes today that was fading when I first met them. How awesome the Lord truly is and amazing are his mercies which are new every morning!