This has been a VERY busy month! July began with a road trip to Colorado! On my way to Colorado, I stopped in St. Louis and Nebraska to visit with friends. In the end I stayed about four days in Boulder, CO with my youngest sister and was able to attend the wedding of an old friend in Denver. If you'd like to see pictures from my trip, just click on the link to the right that says "!!My Photo Album!!". When not traveling across the country, I've been living with my parents in Richmond, VA, and on weekends I stay in the Fredericksburg area in order to be involved with my church and my small group on weekends. That has been wonderful as well, as staying up there has allowed me the time to get together with people to visit and catch up on life and all that the Lord has been up to!
In the midst of all this, my father retired and turns 59 on July 21, my sister graduated college (just befor I returned) and turned 25 in June, and my grandmother turned 90 on July 7! So, there have been parties and social gatherings galore! My aunta nd youngest cousin are also here right now from Minnesota, so that has been a wonderful opportunity to spend time with before I leave the country for a while. And we have recently found out that my brother and sister-in-law are expecting their third child! It has truly been a blessing of a month!
In the meantime, there has been a development regarding the time I will spend at Harvest Language Center in Guadalajara. It turns out that after completely all the placement tests, I will only need to complete one session there instead of two as I had originally planned. I have tested into the fourth and final level of their program, which means that I will be in Guad for 7 weeks rather than 4 months! Though I don't often like to deal with change, I'm praising the Lord for this change in plans because it means that I will be able to return to Cofradia and get back involved with the ministry and the young ladies in October rather than December. I am very excited about this!
I am continuing to try and raise support for my return to Mexico. The Lord has been faithful in providing the funds I need this summer to pay bills and cover travel costs, and He is brinign people along side me as monthly supporters! So far, I've raised about 32% of my monthly budget and about 44% of the lump-sum I need for my time at language school in Guad. This is such a blessing, but there is still a ways to go. My goal is to raise $1300/month and a lump-sum of $2200 for my return travel costs and language school. Some of you have already begun to help me meet these needs, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. However, there is still need for more financial partners. Please prayerfully consider joining me as a financial partner on a monthly basis at $25, $50, or $100 per month. If you would like to contribute financially but aren't able to do so monthly, then please know there is a place for your gift as well! One-time gifts are a wonderful way to mee that lump-sum need, which covers school costs and the extra expenses that come each month from living in a big city. If you are at all interested in partnering with me financially, please let me know; I would love to talk further with you and send/give you more information about what I will be doing in Cofradia.
As for ministry updates, while here in Virginia, I've been singing with the worship team at my church, which has been so great; I desperately missed this while I was in Mexico. I've also been looking into Bible study options for when I return to Cofradia. So far, I've been considering books by Beth Moore and John Eldredge. Please pray that the Lord will make clear exactly what materials He wants us to study and that He would be preparing the hearts of each girl He has planned for that groupl. We have lots of great ideas for youth ministry in the upcoming year: home group, Bible study, one-on-one relationships, etc. I'm excited to get back and jump in!
This week, 12 of the youth and our youth leader, Steve (one of the staff missioanries) are on a retreat in Mazatlan. Please pray that the Lord will do mighty things, that each of the kids on the retreat will be responsive to His move and work, and that they will come back ready to impact their worlds even more for Christ.
One final note/update: The new church construction is progressing beautifully, as you can see from the pictures below which were taken by Steve Silberman. For those who do not know, we are in the process of building a central church building in Cofradia that will be the location of all Sunday services and will provide classrooms and resources for ministry activities! It is a large undertaking, but the Lord has been providing in overwhelming ways. I'm shocked and amazed at how much work has been accomplished since I last saw the building just before my return to the states. Please continue to pray that the Lord's faithfulness will be evident in every way concerning this project and that things will continue to progress as beautifully as they have so far.
Well, folks, that is all the update I have for now. Again, I ask that you would please keep my finances, preparation, and future travel in your prayers, and that you would seriously consider partnering with me in this journey. The Lord has amazing things in store, and I'm excited to be a part of this. I would truly love to take all of you along with me in whatever way I can. I'm thankful for your love and support and prayer in all of this, and I pray with joy every time I remember you! Thank you!!
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