"Warm" greetings to you from Cofradia! And when I say warm, I mean it! Temperatures have been heating up since the beginning of February, which was, by the way, and exciting month. It began with a youth leadership conference led by two pastors from Cy-Fair Christian Church in Houston. They will be returning with their youth group for a short-term missions trip in just a few days, and this will be their fourth year coming down here. However, this was the second year they have done a leadership conference. Last year they talked about servant-leadership. This year they spoke on authority. This is not a new topic for our youth, but the angle was slightly different, and it was even a blessing for me to hear it presented in this way: authority = love. That's right. They taught about how authority is not about enforcing rules or putting a damper on our find in life, but rather it's about protecting those whom we care about, and especially so with the Lord. He disciplines those he loves, but he also places guidelines on us so that we may stay away from what will hurt us and run headlong into the goodness that He has in store for us! It took a little tooth-pulling to get the kids to participate in the discussions, but even then there were illustrations abounding of love and lack of love through their honesty or lack thereof. They even used a local soccer game to illustrate our need for authority and the guidelines that the Lord gives us through His love and in His word. It was truly a wonderful weekend.
HOME AGAIN...JIGGIDY JIG!
At the end of that weekend I then headed home to Virginia for a whirlwind, two-week vacation. It was time to renew my visa, and the cost and timing worked out so that I could just take a trip home rather than a border trip. It was able to take care of some much-needed tasks, such as my 2006 income taxes and a new haircut, but more than that it was such a blessing to spend time with my family and friends. I wish I coul dhav ehad more time with each one, but I'm so thankful fo rthe time I did have. I was able to hug and kiss one of my nephews; I was able to hold new babies born to dear friends, although sadly I was not able to meet my new neice, Alison Joy, born Feb 10; and I was even able to get all gussied up and go out wiht some girlfriends in VA Beach one night just before returning to Mexico. That is something I've actually missed a little lately, so it was such a blessing! In addition I got to experience the cold and SNOW for the first and only time all winter!! The Lord knew how much I had been missing that part of winter, and I had told everything that although it had warmer than usual all winter, the Lord was saving the cold for me and would unleash it upon my return, so much so that it would snow! Well, that's exactly what happened! The day I flew home there was an ice storm, and as we broke through the clouds to land in D.C., everything was white. I almost cried in gratitude! Then, the day before I left, it snowed all day. My church services were canceled, and I arose in the morning to about 4-6 inches of real, life, fluffy SNOW! What a great pleasure it was to show the girls videos of snowball fights and sledding, and even more so to actually stand in it! God is truly so good to me!! I also was able to spend some time with friends in Guadalajara since I was there a couple days before and after my flights. That too was a blessing as Guadalajara is about 4-5 hours east of us, and it is difficult to visit for short periods only.
I returned to Cofradia on March 1, just in time to celebrate the one-year anniversary of my "move" to Mexico (March 4, 2006)!!! I am now in the process of catching up on all that I missed while gone as well as preparing for our next short-term group arriving March 10 for a week of youth ministry that is looking to be quite exciting!
IN CLOSING...
Please continue to keep me and this ministry and the Mexican people in your prayers:
- The last 12% of my monthly support that is still lacking: about $150/month. (Also a praise report! Only 12% to go!! WAHOO!!!)
- Sandy and I are beginning a new study: Living Beyond Yourself by Beth Moore--her choice!! It will be a challenge however on my end due to the fact that the videos are not in Spanish, and I'm doing this study in English with the staff ladies as well. Please pray that the Lord will provide wisdom and perseverance on my end and that he will continue to strengthen, encourage, and grow Sandy.
- For Sandy and Mili and their family. They are facing many personal difficulties right now that cause friction amongst them. Please pray for Sandy to continue standing strong on the word of the Lord in the face of opposition, for Mili to stay true to her first love, for her father to give his life over to Christ, and for their mother to have wisdom to know how to navigate all this.
- Our radio ministry is going VERY well, but we would like to expand it to be 2-3 times a week instead of one. This requires funds. We are in the process of seeking supporters for this ministry. It costs us $200/month for one half-hour spot each week. To increase to three it will cost $600/month! Please pray for the Lord to provide consistant support for this ministry.
- We are excited that our Short-Term Missions (STM) season is jam packed. Please pray for the Lord to be preparing and working through the teams on our schedule, for the ground to be fertile for both harvest and spiritual growth, and for stamina and excitement and wisdom for us the staff as we navigate short-term missions and long-term ministries simultaneously!
FACE TO FEET
ams :)
PS: Please forgive me for my gross neglegence in keeping my blog and photo site updated. I am in the process of correcting that. I am so grateful for your patience. Please continue to check both from time to time to see the newest, old news. :)
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