Siloam.....Over the Horizon

New Blog Location

2008-05-15T22:12:00.004-06:00

Well, the time has come. I have moved my blog to a different service. I continue to blog, and I would love for all of you who stop by here to click over and keep up with my new blog. This blog will stay in place as an archive of the first two years of this journey/blog history. However, to continue keeping track of my life and times, check out the new and improved "Over the Horizon" at http://amberinmexico.typepad.com. I hope to see you there!!!

"And hope does not disappoint..."

2008-03-13T07:56:00.003-07:00

So, I've been reading in several places in the New Testament lately: reading through Hebrews and Acts, and then spending time in 1 Peter 2:4-12 and John 15:1-15 (meditating on the idea of remaining in Him and staying connected to the Vine), and 2 Peter 1:1-11 (meditating on life and godliness). Another passage that has been constantly running through my mind is Romans 5:1-5, which talks about faith and its journey in us towards the building up of godly character and hope that does not disappoint us.

This morning, I found myself in Hebrews 11 and was captivated by the last two verse in that chapter, which says this:

"These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect."

I have a note written in my margin indicating that when God makes us wait, it's because He has something better in mind, just as these verses tell us that God made the great saints of old wait to see the fulfillment of their promises, even until after death, because He had planned something better. I found myself convicted by the Holy Spirit of my impatience. I know full well how the Lord has plans for me (Jer. 29:11) and how His ways and thoughts are so much higher than my own (Is. 55:8-9), yet I still whine and complain that He isn't giving me what I want in the time frame in which I want it. I heard the Spirit whisper in my heart, "That isn't faith. That isn't hope. Your own impatience is the root of your disappointment, not my perceived tardiness in fulfilling what I've promised to do. Remember, I am not slow in keeping my promise, as some understand slowness. I am patient with you not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:7-8)." And as I confessed and repented of my sin of impatience and selfishness and self-centeredness, and as I asked the Lord to make me a more patient person in His divine power, which has given me everything I need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1: 3), I was reminded that patience causes us to persevere, and perseverance builds character, and character builds hope. "And hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us (Rom 5:5)." And in the end it all works out for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes (Rom 8:28).

Thank you Lord. May your patience reign in me today producing a harvest of righteousness and peace through your loving discipline and perfect planning. Amen!

I learned to make tortillas!!!

2008-03-10T21:39:00.001-07:00

Today, Sandy taught me to make tortillas from scratch and by hand!!!! This is so exciting. I learned last year how to make authentic Mexican re-fried beans, but they aren't so tasty without the real-thing tortillas! I have commented to Sandy that I want to make sure that I experience certain things that are natural to life in Mexico that I would otherwise never experience. I don't want to miss out on the real Mexico because I'm too focused on other things. Making tortillas is one of those things! So, here goes the process and pics!

You start by making the dough. You put in the desired amount of maseca, which is the corn flour, as well as a proportionate amount of regular flour (which makes the dough stick together better and also adds flavor to the tortillas). Then you add water and begin to knead the dough until it's the proper consistency. And you knead and knead and knead until nothing is stuck to the bowl anymore and the dough is all together in a nice, smooth ball.

Then starts the fun part. You take the dough in little balls in your hand and roll them around a little and then flatten them a bit. Then you put the little patty, which is called a testal (pronounced "test-ALL"), and you place it in the center of the flattening doo-dad (they call it the "machine"). Then you flatten it really good until it's about the diameter of the machine and not too thick.

A testal

The "machine"

The flattened tortilla ready to be "thrown" on the comal

Once you do this, you remove it from the machine and you put it on the comal, which is the special skillet that they use for making tortillas over an "open" fire. Now, this is the art of it. See, you have to lay the tortilla out without touching the comal and without allowing the dough to fold over on itself. So, you just have to trust that you aren't going to burn yourself and do it with confidence...otherwise it folds and looks ugly.

As you'll notice, I hold the doughy tortilla by the upper third with my thumb just slightly overlapping the edge. This makes for easier "throwing".

"Throwing" the tortilla

The other art to this has to do with the fire. Now, this fire is not propane-fueled. No, we're talking matches and firewood. So, one has to be able to control the heat of the fire under the comal. If it's too hot, they cook too quickly and burn; if it's too cool, they take too long and don't cool well enough. I have not begun the process of learning to manage the fire, but I definitely have a talent for laying the tortillas on the comal to cook.

Once the tortilla is on the comal, then you have to watch it so that you're flipping it and rotating it appropriately (according to the hotter and cooler areas of the comal and the speed of cooking) so that the tortilla cooks completely and evenly without burning. I'm not very good at flipping yet, but like I said...I have a special talent for laying them on the comal. The third art in all this is that you will always have 3-4 tortillas on the comal that you're watching, flipping, and rotating, while at the same time you are flatting out another to lay out on the comal as soon as you pull one off that is done! It's ridiculous! You know the tortilla is done when it inflates, though you'll deflate it a couple times before you take it off the comal.

Deflating a tortilla

Once the tortillas is done cooking, you put it in a pile on a tortilla cloth, and when all your dough is cooked into tortillas, you wrap the stack up in the tortilla cloth and put it on the table for eating.

My beautiful pile of tortillas!!

Sandy and I started to make tortillas after her parents left to take Mily to Cofradia for the start of classes for the week. So, her mom wasn't there to see how quickly I picked up the talent of "throwing" the tortillas. When she got home, she didn't believe us at first that those perfectly round and un-folded tortillas were actually mine!! But as she watched us finishing up, she realized we were telling the truth. Sandy did much of the flipping, since that is a definitely skill all on its own and requires a new level of coordination that I have not yet attained. So, that's why they didn't come out burned! But all in all, I'm told I did an excellent job for my first time making tortillas!! YEA!

Dental Outreach: March 5-7

2008-03-09T21:24:00.001-07:00

So, Tom brought down five dentists this past week to do two days of dental outreach both in Cofradia and in Mojocuautla. Last year when these folks came down I was in Virginia, but this year my trip is in April. So, I'm really thankful I get to experience this. It's quite different from regular teams that come down. These folks are pretty relaxed, but man do they work hard and fast! We started around 8:30 both days, and they worked until lunch (and often past the quitting hour) and then headed right back to work until around 5 or so in the evening! They only did pullings and fillings, and in two days they probably saw about 50-60 patients total between the two towns.

They divided into two teams: 2 of them headed up to Mojocuautla each day with a portable dental unit, and three of them stayed here in Cofradia utilizing our dental clinic and a lounge chair from some neighbors. I don't know how they did it in Mojocuautla, but here they did easy pullings in the lounge chair outside the clinic and they also used that chair to numb folks up that would get worked on inside the clinic. Then in the clinic they did fillings and more complicated extractions. They got their system down pat pretty quickly, and things went really smoothly!

I had a good time working with these folks here in Cofradia and getting to know them. They were a fun group of people, and it was neat to see how the local people responded to them as they filled and pulled their teeth. Several of them commented to me that this was such a blessing to them as they sat waiting to have 2-3 teeth yanked from their mouths! And then when they were all done, they walked away smiling with their mouths full of cotton and all numbed up! My mind couldn't quite wrap around it, but it was obvious that these folks really appreciated the opportunity to have an end to their pain...and isn't that what it's all about anyway?

It was neat to meet local people that I had heard about or never seen before. And it was a challenge for me in general, too, because the night the team arrived I completely lost my voice...out of nowhere! So, the first day of dental outreach I spent translating in a whisper!!! But the second day was better, and it continued to improve from there. It was certainly a lesson in patience and perseverance!

I'm sorry I don't have any pics for you, but I'm sure you can imagine. Thank the Lord for dentists who are willing to donate their time and resources to the needs of these towns! Here's to their return!

Spiritual Tenacity

2008-02-22T08:57:00.002-07:00

I've been using My Utmost for His Highest (by Oswald Chambers) in my daily devotions for so long I can't remember when I started. I really love this devotional. Normally, I go through spurts: a few weeks using it, months without it, etc. Well, I've been using it pretty consistently for some months now, and I'm really enjoying his insight and wisdom and perspective anew! This morning's devotions really spoke to me. Ozzie is talking about spiritual tenacity, and he draws from Psalm 46:10:

"Be still and know that I am God.

He says that spiritual tenacity "is more than hanging on, which may be but the weakness of being too afraid to fall off. Tenacity is the supreme effort of a man refusing to believe that his hero is going to be conquered....Then comes the call to spiritual tenacity, not to hang on and do nothing, but to work deliberately on the certainty that God is not going to be worsted."

Wow! What a powerful reminder. It's so true. He says that the worst fear of man isn't condemnation; it's that we will discover that our Savior isn't as powerful as we have believed and that in the end, He will be "worsted" -- that is, that our hope will be disappointed (though Scripture clearly says in Romans 5:5 that hope does not disappoint).

Oswald goes on to say this:

"If our hopes are being disappointed just now, it means that they are being purified. There is nothing noble the human mind has ever hoped for or dreamed of that will not be fulfilled. One of the greatest strains in life is the strain of waiting for God. 'Because thou has kept the word of my patience'."

That really hit me. I have some hopes that seem to be disappointed right now. One of which is seminary. I thought I would be able to start taking seminary classes later this year through online education and perhaps even finish a certificate of graduate studies. Then this week, I found out that due to limitations in our internet service, that won't be possible. At least not as far as I can see right now. That was pretty disappointing, but I found myself really encouraged by this devotion to remember that the Lord is greater than my limitations, and His timing is perfect: "Be still and know that I AM GOD." And if He is choosing to purify my hopes through this waiting process, then so be it. May His hopes become my own. May yours as well!

As Ozzie closed, so I do:

"Remain spiritually tenacious."

Student Leadership Conference

2008-02-20T22:34:00.001-07:00

So, the youth pastors from Cy-Fair Christian Church in Houston, TX -- Brad Pembleton and Dave Chavez -- came down this past weekend for our annual Student Leadership Conference. This is their third year doing this conference, and in March they will bring their youth group for the 6th year in a row! We love having these folks here, and the youth soak up their visits, ministry, and friendships! So, this weekend was really great, as always!!

Brad and Dave came and talked to our youth about the Kingdom of God: where is it and what does it look like? The simple answer is that it is in us as Christians and it takes the form and look of whatever we do to love others and share Christ with them, whether that be through service, through words, through prayer, or even through a simple smile or hug. Of course, we cannot share the Kingdom of God with others until we have entered into that ourselves, and that is only possible by engaging in an active relationship with Christ and experiencing His love and His kingdom in our own lives first. Then we can share with others because it will naturally overflow through us into their lives. Their talks were really great, and it was neat to see our youth participating more in the discussions than in years past! Yea for growth!

They arrived on Thursday...Valentine's Day...and that night we had dinner together with the student leaders for a time of fellowship and then of discussion about the theme for the weekend and their role in conference. This was a really great time, and everyone really had a good time. Then Friday and Saturday we had the conference meetings with the whole youth group in which both Brad and Dave shared with the youth group what the Lord had given them to bring here and teach on.

Brad teaching the first Friday night session using audience participation

More Friday night sessions

Me translating for Dave for the second Friday night session

The greatest activity of the whole weekend, however, took place on Saturday afternoon. After they finished the study portion of the evening, Brad and Dave proceeded to take the whole youth group on a walk through Cofradia. They would stop at different places and ask the youth: "So, what needs do you see here? What can you do to bring the Kingdom of God to this place, to these people and their needs?" This was a really powerful experience. We stopped at the junior high school, at the home of a needy woman in town, at the local bar, and in the town square.

The most impacting stop, though, seemed to be in front of the preschool/kindergarten. On one side of this property (which stands at the corner of two streets that cross), there is a TON of trash strewn on the road. Throwing trash on the ground is fairly common in Mexico, and if you ask people why they do it they'll tell you that it's just what everyone does. This is something that as Americans raised on the mantras "DON'T LITTER" and "SAVE OUR EARTH" we simply can't fathom being a norm of society. But here it is just that. So, when we stopped at this particular location and talked about what this littering communicates, lights started to go on in their heads concerning the theme for the weekend. Brad and Dave shared that littering is a lack of respect...respect for others and respect for God and His Creation. We talked about how His creation is important to Him and to simply treat it as a trash can communicates to Him...and to others...that it doesn't matter. This is the opposite of loving God and others.

It was really great to hear the youth picking up on these truths and beginning to brain storm and "get it", and I really believe that the message got through to them. They heard it, and they took it to heart. Only a couple of days later, Sandy and I were going somewhere in a truck when she threw a candy wrapper out of the truck window....out of pure, unconscious habbit. Over the last couple of years she has improved at not throwing trash on the ground at least when she is with me, but when it happens I call her attention to it and she realizes what has happened. But this time, as she threw the wrapper out the window, she gasped with a contorted look of horror on her face for what she had just done in light of the conversations from the weekend. This was a horror much more profound than ever before. All of a sudden, this time it was personal between her and her Lord. It was amazing, and yet shocking, to watch. God is certainly getting through!! Anyway, it was a really great weekend!

We're excited to have this youth group here in a month for their outreach to the youth. We spent some time planning the Amazing Race activity with the student leaders. It's definitely a stretch for all of us, but it is going to produce some great growth even in us as youth leaders as we step out in faith and believe that the Lord is make this whole thing come together just as He desires it to! Regardless of the activities, we will be taking the Kingdom of God to different towns and people throughout the week that the youth group is here, and it promises to be a really amazing experience for everyone!! Please keep this outreach in your prayers as we all plan and prepare for what God has in store!

Interesting Mexican Food: Capirotada

2008-02-19T15:28:00.000-07:00

So, here is installment 2 of the Interesting Mexican Foods series. This time it's a dish called "Capirotada" (pronounced "cap-ee-row-TA-da"). I'm told this is a dish that is typically made during the easter season, although Easter isn't for another month. But whatever....

It's made of tortilla, bread, raisins, nuts, fried bananas, and some other ingredients. I don't know how to make it or how to describe the texture, but it's definitely different and interesting. I tried it the first time about a week ago. Sandy bought some while she was doing housecleaning for me, and she made me try it. I spent about 20 minutes trying to explain the phrase "the jury is still out" when she asked me if I like it or not. I honestly couldn't give her an answer to the question! But then today I tried it again, and I really liked it! One of the differences is that it was cold this time whereas last time it was warm. I definitely like it better cold. I think that there were some different ingredients this time too. But regardless, I can now say that I do in fact really like "capirotada", and I highly recommend it to you if you ever get the chance to try it!

Partial January Monthly Update

2008-02-12T14:56:00.002-07:00

Well, since I haven't had a ton of blogging going on in February, I didn't want to repeat everything that I've already posted. So, I'm only going to post part of my email update for January. Enjoy the read!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Running Start…

Wow! 2008 has started with a bang! January was quite a busy month as we had three teams here between January 6 and 31. The Lord certainly blessed us through these three groups. If you'd like to read more about them, check out my blog entries for the Cy-Fair Ladies, the His Place construction team, and the Winnipeg E-Free construction team.

I would like to include a bit of a progress report on our central church construction. The combined total effect of the hard work of the His Place construction team and the Winnipeg E-Free construction team is astounding! Our central church facility looks like an entirely different place than before they joined us! Here’s what they accomplished:

All purloins for sanctuary roof were cleaned and painted
1st-story floors were poured including bathroom floors
All walls for 1st story rooms were begun
Smooth-walled the instrument storage room
Poured the ceiling/upper story concrete floor over library and nursery
Began smooth-walling the library and nursery
Columns were placed and poured and are now ready to support 2nd story walkway
1st floor sidewalk has been prepped for pouring
Parking structure roof was installed and concrete slabs were poured
Picnic corner concrete slab was poured
Grey-water pit was completed and concrete cap was poured
Trailer hook-ups to septic system were completed
Electrical wiring was completed in the library and nursery. Electrical panel and wiring were completed for trailer hook-ups
Church name and motto painted on outer church walls: "Centro Cristiano: Crece y Deja Crecer" ("Christian Center: Grow and Let Grow")

We are so excited for how the Lord is providing for this project! Please continue to pray with us for continued provision of funds, materials, and labor, especially for the fabrication and installation of the sanctuary roof. We cannot begin using the facility until the sanctuary roof is in place, which will require a highly-specialized labor team. If you are in any way interested in helping with this project, wither it be through labor or financial donations, please email me and let me know! Thank you!

Mentor Gazette

Sandy and I continue to meet for mentor time. This was a bit sporadic during January due to the short-term teams we had visiting us. However, very often Sandy was here in Cofradía working along side the teams, and we found time to meet and talk during breaks or in the evenings. We have been reading through the book Stomping Out the Darkness by Neil T. Anderson and Dave Parks. In some ways this study has been “back to the basics” for both of us, but at the same time it has been a good refresher course and reminder of simple truths that often get forgotten in the midst of dealing with life and growth. So, we have both learned much, been reminded of much, and enjoyed this study! It’s got us thinking and re-evaluating many aspects of life and ministry, and we’re both quite pleased with how the Lord is working. It’s not always easy, but it’s always good.

Sandy continues to enjoy photography. Though my own time has been limited to work on her photographs, I have been able to upload a few to her ImageKind site so that they are available for purchase. If you would like to see them, you can do so by clicking here. We will continue to add more as we’re able; we have lots of ideas, just not as much time to work with them as we’d like. Thank you for your patience!

I continue to meet with Ana as well; we too are going through the same book. Though not enthusiastic at the start, she has now begun to really enjoy the book and has shared with me that she even talks about it and shares the book with one of her teachers at school who is a Christian. The Lord is working mightily in this young lady. Please keep her in your prayers that she would be receptive to His call to a deeper and more committed relationship with Him no matter what the cost.

Fundraising Needs…

Our ministry is growing, praise the Lord! This also means that we are experiencing increased interests in staff internships and increased flow of ministry visitors, all of which we are extremely grateful for! However, we currently do not have sufficient housing to keep up with this increase. Therefore, we are considering the purchase and renovation of a house nearby to be used for these purposes. In order to do this, we need to raise approximately $12,000 USD to meet the purchase price with additional funds needed for renovations. Please pray for the Lord’s beautiful provision in this need, but please also pray about how you can help us meet these goals. We are excited about this growth and hope that you will participate in it with us. Thank you!

Looking Ahead...

We are excited for the months ahead! We have two youth teams coming in March along with a group of dentists, and a group of Christian mental health professionals are coming in April who will work with us as a staff in training us to deal with various aspects of life and ministry in the mission field. Keep your eyes peeled for updates on these outreaches and training! We are convinced the Lord is working mightily this year just as he has every year thus far, and we are ready to be blessed!

In addition, I’m looking forward to a short trip home April 6-11. I will only have about 4.5 days to visit with folks, so that will most likely happen in the form of social gatherings. I will keep you all posted as the time arrives as far as locations and times for those events. I am hoping to see as many as I am able during my short visit. Thank you for your prayers and support! I would not be here without you! I am so appreciative of all of you. Blessings to each!!

FACE TO FEET
ams :)

Winnipeg E-Free Church: Jan 19-31

2008-02-03T16:02:00.007-07:00

Well, team number 3 for the month of January left a couple of days ago. What a whirlwind month this was! PHEW!

Anyway, our third team for January was from Winnipeg Evangelical Free Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. This happens to be the home church for Dave and Kathy (our ministry directors) and of Pete and Faye (who are here temporarily helping out as interns). This was such a great team! They, too, came to work on the new church, and boy did they work hard! They even did some "home improvements" here on the base! This team finished pouring the first floor cement floors, finished cleaning and painting all the sanctuary roof trusses, completed the grey-water pit, completed constructing the parking area roof, poured the parking area concrete slab, the cap to the grey-water pit, and the picnic area concrete slab (to one side of the parking area), poured columns that will support the second story walkway, began bricking the foundation for the first floor sidewalks, poured a slab of concrete at the entrance to the church in order to anchor the doors, smooth-walled the library, began bricking the first floor classroom walls, ran all the electrical wiring, poured a new floor in the church palapa on the base, painted the back base wall, painted a Noah's ark mural in the nursery, and painted the name of the church and our motto on the outside wall of the church.

Grey-water pit

More poured floors

Bricking the walls

Working on the sidewalks

Sandy, Pete, and I working with the cement as the team mixes and pours the new floor in the current church palapa on the base. Sandy was taught to tamp the cement!

Me smoothing the cement along the walls

The finished new floor in the church palapa!

Finished parking structure (grey water pit underneath) and picnic area

Smooth-walling the library

"Centro Cristiano: Crece y Deja Crecer" = "Christian Center: Grow and Let Grow"

Painting the mural -- this is the entrance to the nursery

No, seriously...they really did do all of that!!! This team worked ridiculously hard! It was even neater to watch them go because they were an older team, and at the beginning of the week many of the team members shared that they were nervous that they wouldn't really be able to contribute very much due to disabilities or limitations, etc. But there was something for everyone, and every one of them invested 3,010% into whatever job they were given!! What an inspiration!

One of the neat things we did with this group was that for devotions each night we asked someone from the local church to come and give their testimony! Tonia, Luis, Sandy, Julio and several others shared about how the Lord called them to himself as well as how He has grown them through the challenges He has allowed in their lives. I was especially touched by Sandy's testimony as she chose to focus this time on how God has changed her life in the last two years through answering her prayers for a friend.....that just happens to be me! She and I have marveled before at how amazing the Lord is and how he has used our friendship to change both of us, but it was neat to hear her share her particular story and perspective on the last few years without it being a dialog between us! It was also neat to see how the team members took her under their wings after she shared. They were so great at encouraging her in various challenges that she shared with them that are facing her right now. I know she felt especially blessed by them!

This team not only worked hard, but they had a good time too! One night, we took them over to Tonia and Feliciano's house to have a late-night snack of fried armadillo!! This is actually a very flavor-full meat, and the team devoured what they had prepared! We also took them one night to eat tacos with our favorite taco-vendor in Pilas. They devoured those as well, and with good reason!! Then in the middle of their trip, we took them to San Blas to do the Tovara Jungle Tour and relax on the beautiful beach! What a blast this was! It was especially exciting for me because it was my first time going! I've heard so much about this experience but have never been here when the staff took a team. Sandy also went so that she could take pictures, since that is something she has wanted to take pictures of for quite a while. And she did just that! She took several hundred pictures at the Tovara and at the beach! And it was a ton of fun all around!

Arriving at the taco stand in Pilas

Enjoying the best tacos ever!

The Tovara Jungle Tour is a boat tour up a natural, fresh-water spring that runs through a Mangrove. These are the kind of trees that "walk". They grow up and then their branches shoot roots back down to the ground. Once those roots have taken root in the soil, they break off from their mother branches and become new trees. They're amazing! In addition to the mangrove, there is a crocodile farm nearby that releases the crocodiles into this fresh-water spring. This farm was started a while back because the croc population in the area was waning. So, as we boated up to the head of the spring, we saw not only beautiful varieties of birds, iguanas, and even a boa constrictor, but also CROCODILES of various sizes!! The best one was found right at the head of the spring. He was HUGE and has to be the granddaddy of all the crocs in that area!

Loading up the boats

Mangrove

We encountered these during our tour. Apparently folks used to live here, though we have no idea how long ago! Cool!

The granddaddy crock!

At the head of the spring, the tour company has created a swimming hole. Of course, they have fenced off the area so that the crocks can't enter into the swimming area, but it's always a possibility to be swimming in the water and see crocks swimming on the other side of the chain-link fence! There is a dock out in the water that attaches to the walk-way and a swing hanging from a tree for throwing yourself into the water. There are also bathrooms, tables, and a little snack bar.

The swimming hole

Sandy and I in the boat heading back to the beach

We stayed there and swam for about an hour and then headed back up to the start of the tour where we then loaded onto the bus and headed to the most beautiful beach about 1 km away from the Jungle Tour. There we stayed for several hours enjoying soda, sun, and fun in the Pacific Ocean! Sandy and I spent our time at the beach taking photos.

There were rock formations there and even an abandoned house on top of one of the rock formations. Seeing it made me think of Jesus' exhortation that we build our house on the rock and not on the sand so that when the storms come we will continue to stand strong. It is obvious that this house has seen it's share of storms, and though it's missing a roof and doors, etc. (for being abandoned), it's still there and still has a rustic beauty to it!

The house on the rock

Finally, we headed back to Cofradia for dinner and rest and a few more days of work. On Thursday, Jan 31, they headed to Puerto Vallarta for some Mexico-tourist fun before heading back to Canada and the -40 C temperatures!!! What a great team this was! I had such fun with them, and we are all so thankful that they were able to come and share in this ministry with Dave, Kathy, Pete, and Faye and to encourage the local body through their work and their conversations!

Interesting Mexican Food: Tejuino

2008-02-03T15:37:00.000-07:00

Sandy and her Tejuino

So, living in a foreign country inevitably means having encounters with foods and drinks that I would otherwise never know existed. And of course, wanting to adapt to the culture in which I live, I generally try to keep an open mind and try things at least once, even if it doesn't look so appetizing or "normal". Well, this afternoon after church Sandy, provided me with a notable experience with a very Mexican beverage. It's called "Tejuino" (pronounced: teh-hWEENo). Here is my response....

BLECK!!!

This is a cold, iced beverage that is made from fermented tortilla dough, lime, and salt. Of course, I didn't think to ask what was in it before I tasted it or I probably would have passed on this particular experience. Oh well...live and learn. Of course, I suggest that if you ever get the chance to try this beverage that you give it a try for yourself. But, needless to say, I will never be drinking Tejuino again!

His Place: January 8-18

2008-02-01T10:07:00.004-07:00

The His Place team came down from Washington state again this year to do construction for ten days! It's been a busy month so far. This team arrived two days after the Cy-Fair ladies, so for a week we had two teams here at the same time! Thankfully, their activities didn't overlap!

This team did so much work on the new church facility! It's looking like a totally different place than it did when the month began! They spent a lot of time pouring concrete among other things. They poured several classroom floors as well as the ceilings/2nd floors over the library and the nursery! These are the first floors poured for the second story of the education wing! They began digging the foundations for the sidewalk and worked on the grey-water pit. They ran electrical wires for different rooms and hooked them up to the fuse boxes, and they began constructing the parking area for ministry vehicles! On top of that several of the ladies on the team spent their week cleaning and painting steel trusses that will eventually form the sanctuary roof!! What hard workers these folks are! They come every year just for construction and they always amaze us!

Finishing a newly-poured floor

Digging the sidewalk foundations

Constructing the parking area

Pouring the 1st second story floors

Working on the electrical

Working on the grey-water pit

But they didn't JUST work. They had fun too! These folks love to fellowship with the local church body. Just like we do with all teams that come down, they had the opportunity eat a meal in local homes, which they look forward to every year. And of course there was the annual Arrayanes church hang-out day. Their first Sunday here, their cooks, Judy and Yvonne, made taco soup, and we took it all to Arrayanes in the afternoon to hang out with the Arrayanes church. There was lots of soccer and frisbee-throwing, lots of visiting and getting to know one another more, and of course the delicious food provided by Judy and Yvonne. This was such a relaxing afternoon and a ton of fun, but it was a precious time for friends to be together once again!

Another fun thing we did with team was take them to a rodeo in Arrayanes. This year they came earlier than normal, so the were here during the annual town party in Arrayanes, which is January 15-16. During this time, the whole town of Arrayanes takes off from work and parties. The town roasts a pig and cow, they have bands come in and host dances, there are rodeos, and lots of drinking and having fun. So, we took the team to the rodeo on January 16, the main festival day. It was a lot of fun. I must admit I'm not a big fan of the rodeo, but we all had a really good time there watching the bull-riding and dancing horses and listening to the band (which was REALLY loud)!

Then on Friday afternoon, we took the team up to Mojocuautla to visit the town and to see where Jay and Faith are now living (since this is Jay and Faith's home church). The Cy-Fair ladies accompanied us on this trip as well. It was a very sweet time, and very eye-opening for many people. I know I had my eyes opened when I saw Jay and Faith's new house. I admire them so much for what they are doing now that they've moved up to the Cora village, and seeing their living conditions just makes it more real just how much courage and faith it is requiring of them to obey this call of the Lord's, not to mention how much prayer, support, and encouragement they need from us to keep walking forward in this. Wow!

Jay and Faith's house in Mojocautla

And then at the end of the week, the final fun activity was their annual taco night. For this meal, we take the whole team and all of the locals they choose to invite (which usually ends up being much of the Arrayanes church) to Pilas (the next town over) for tacos with our favorite taco vendor! He makes the meal specially for this team, and they always end up eating a sinful amount of tacos! This year I believe they finally passed the 1,000 tacos mark!!! Yowsers! But this night is always a ton of fun, and the air is always energized by just how much people are enjoying themselves. To top it off, the churro vendor was in town, so some of us went and bought churros as well for our dessert. What a way to end the week!

All in all it was a very enjoyable week of work, fellowship, and relational ministry! The Lord has blessed us immensely through this team, and we're looking forward to having them back again the next time they come!

Who's on first?

2008-01-24T10:55:00.002-07:00

So, I'm still reading Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, by Joanna Weaver. Last night I was reading chapter 5: "Living Room Intimacy" (as opposed to "Kitchen Service" which is the title of chapter 6 and the other side of this Mary/Martha exploration). Towards the middle of the chapter she references a Robert Boyd Munger's article "My Heart Christ's Home" (this is the one where Munger talks about how Jesus came into his heart and set up house, redecorating and cleaning out, etc.). Toward the end of her reference, she specifically cites a portion of the article concerning the Drawing Room of Munger's heart and how he would meet Jesus in there every morning for some intimate time together. But then the business of life would start crowding in until he would miss a day here, two days there, etc. Then one morning he passes by the doorway on his way out and sees Jesus sitting there waiting for him. This is the conversation that follows:

"Blessed Master, forgive me. Have You been here all these mornings?" "Yes," He said, "I told you I would be here every morning to meet with you." Then I was even more ashamed. He had been faithful in spite of my faithlessness. I asked His forgiveness and He readily forgave me... He said, "The trouble with you is this: You have been thinking of the quiet time, of the Bible study and prayer time, as a factor in your own spiritual progress, but you have forgotten that this hour means something to Me also."

What a humbling reminder this passage has been to me since reading it last night. It is so simple, yet it calls into question my entire perspective and approach to how I live for and walk with Christ. Then this morning, during my own Drawing Room time with the Lord, I was reading in My Utmost for His Highest for today, and Oswald Chambers said this about Paul (referencing Acts 26:16):

Paul was not given a message or a doctrine, he was brought into a vivid, personal, overmastering relationship to Jesus Christ...Paul was devoted to a Person, not to a cause. He was absolutely Jesus Christ's, he saw nothing else, he lived for nothing else. "For I am determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified."

The verse that Chambers references in Acts 26:16 is part of Paul's speech to the governor Festus when he appeals to Caesar after being arrested. In that verse he says that when Christ appeared to him on the road to Damascus, He told Paul that he had appointed him as a servant and as a witness of what he had seen of Christ and of what Christ would show him. As I meditated on all this together, it made me realize...Paul couldn't be a witness of something or someone that he didn't know. I know that seems just so obvious, but really it's much easier said than done. Just as with the conflict between being a "Mary" (sitting at Jesus feet = Living Room Intimacy) or a "Martha" (Christian activity = Kitchen Service), it's so much easier to go about a list of activities than to just sit and listen and let the activities flow from the rest. Being in a profession that is characterized by the activities and services of teaching, mentoring, serving, etc., it is SO EASY to lose grip on the personal relation part of it. There is just so much to DO, and often that busy-ness just takes over. But the Lord is calling to me from that Drawing Room door saying, "Hey! Come sit with me, talk with me, study with me. When it's time to go out and "do", I'll go with you." I find myself pleading for that....to re-learn how to sit as His feet as Mary did in that intimacy and that when it's time to serve like Martha, that we would go out together so that the intimacy and conversation will continue even through the service. Lots of food for thought!

2007 Year-End Newsletter

2008-01-18T21:11:00.000-07:00

This actually went out in the mail with Christmas cards, but I'm too organized to post it out of chronological order. Enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM MEXICO!

It hit me the other day: THIS IS MY THIRD CHRISTAMS IN MÉXICO! Wow! Yet, here we are once again celebrating the birth of our Savior, and I find myself even more conscious than ever before of how desperately I need my Savior! This year has been tough, absolutely, but God promised in Isaiah 43 that the flames would not consume us nor would the storms overcome us because He is the LORD, our Savior! Micah 5 tells us He came to shepherd His own in the strength of the Lord and to BE our peace. The storms come and go, but Christ remains forever the same! Peace to you this Christmas! Peace to you this Christmas!

FULL STEAM AHEAD!

2007 has been a full year! We saw TEN short-term teams come down to reach out to the Mexican people in this area. Their activities included aerobics, open-air evangelisms, Bible study, construction, mercy ministries, VBS, an Amazing Race/Survivor event for the youth, and MORE! The creativity and passion of the teams is contagious, but it’s the relationships that change lives as the local people not only hear about Christ but are able to see Him come to life in the team members! The youth continue to leave me speechless! This year we saw growth not only in the number of youth regularly attending the weekly youth meetings, but also in their maturity and passion to share Christ with others! This summer we inaugurated four student leaders for the first time in the history of our youth ministry! They planned and executed a one-day “welcome” camp for our new students, lead youth group studies and small group discussions, disciple younger students, and continue to dream big for the ministry!

Mentoring Sandy has been the biggest blessing in my life this year. Her growth is tremendous and I am constantly challenged by how the Lord works in her. She is one of our four student leaders, and it is constantly a treasure to have her as a partner in ministering to the other youth girls!

The local church members are also catching a fire for evangelism and outreach. They have stepped up in leadership this last year and have even begun to meet weekly in several surrounding towns to share the gospel and disciple new believers in those towns.

The growth this year has been exponential! I can’t imagine what God has in store for 2008!!!

LOOKING BEYOND THE HORIZON

In November we as a staff once again spent several days setting goals for the future. A primary goal was setting fund-raising goals for the ministry budgets currently in place. I thought I would take this opportunity to share those goals with you and ask you to pray with us for the Lord to meet these needs. For the 2008 year, our needs are:

Ministry Leadership: $1650
Church Budget: $9400
Property Expenses: $3600
Youth: $8900
Indigenous Ministry: $2600
Church Construction: $12,100
Radio Ministry: $3100

The grand total budget for the 2008 year is $41,350. The Lord is always faithful to provide our needs. We, however, must also continue to be faithful to seek that provision wherever we can. We face a formidable fund-raising goal. This ministry functions because of people like you who believe in the work being done and desire to partner with us in that work. Please pray about whether the Lord is calling you to become our newest partner with a one-time gift or, even better, with a monthly commitment.

Thank you for your continued prayer support! Thank you for harvesting with us!

"LOVE AND JOY COME TO YOU..."

The year has been one of adjustments. The honeymoon period has ended, and the rubber is hitting the road. The Lord has been faithful to challenge me to grow in many areas: the way I live, the way I communicate, my paradigms and methods of understanding the world around me, even my sleep schedules and concepts of work! Nothing has been left untouched.

I am learning all over again that to surrender myself to the Lord completely is to let go of my false securities and find true security in His goodness and grace. I keep thinking of Mr. Otter’s response to Lucy in The Lion, the Witch, & The Wardrobe when she asks if Aslan the lion is safe:

"Safe? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the king, I tell you."

In Christ we cannot hide anything from His gaze, and while His love for us is secure, He simply is not content to let us remain as we are because He has so much better in mind for us! It is never comfortable to let the Lord refine me, but it is GOOD, and in His goodness the Lord guards my heart in Christ’s peace. May the Lord touch you deeply this year, and may you find true security in His goodness and grace!

HOW CAN YOU BE INVOLVED?

Please continue to keep me, the other staff members, the ministry, the churches, and the Mexican people in your prayers. If you are interested in being involved in any way, whether by receiving email updates, providing financial or prayer support, or perhaps visiting or bringing a team for a short-term trip, please contact me! I pray that you will get to experience the Lord’s work in Cofradía for yourself!

Praise the Lord

I'm almost at 100% of my budget for the coming year!
For raising up local leaders within the church!
For raising up four incredible student youth leaders!
For continued blessing in mentor relationships!
For provision in our church construction project!

Please pray for

Financial provision for the ministry areas currently in place. We need to raise $41,350 this year!
Strength and wisdom both personally and for the rest of the staff as we press onward!
Deeper commitment in the hearts of the youth.
The 2008 Short-term Mission season. The first team arrives on Jan 6, and we currently have teams booked through August!
Increased intimacy and devotion in my personal relationship with Christ! I want to be refined!
Increased intimacy and devotion in my personal relationships with Christ! I want to be refined!

December 2007 Monthly Update

2008-01-18T20:07:00.001-07:00

Well, this update is a little late, but here it is!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy New Year!!!

Welcome to 2008! And what a year this has already started to be! January has kicked off with a bang, and December was just as eventful! Between Christmas, church events, and my sister’s visit, I had no problem staying busy. But it was a precious Christmas celebration. And as the new year began, the Lord impressed yet a further call to closeness with him and to sit at His feet enjoying His presence daily! I pray that your new year has started off well and that 2008 will be a year of continued growth and celebration of God’s work in your life.

Deck the Halls

December started off with a lot of girl fun. On December 1, I hosted the second annual Youth Girls Christmas Tree Decorating party at my apartment. Last year four girls came to help me put it all up. This year, however, I NINE girls arrived!! We had some great goodies and Christmas music as well as a DVD fireplace to create the ambiance. Just as with the girls last year, most who came had never decorated a Christmas tree. So, they had an absolute blast! In the end, my tree turned out exquisitely!! I’m not sure I’ve ever had a tree so stunning, and I’ve enjoyed sitting under it’s light this Christmas season! When the decorating was over, the girls decided to watch The Chronicles of Narnia. They really enjoyed the food, fellowship, and fun, and in the end relationships between them were deepened. If you would like to read more and see more pictures, click here .

Family and Christmas

What a special gift I was given this Christmas with the visit of my sister, Heather, from Virginia! She arrived December 22, and although our travel plans didn’t go quite as we’d hoped, we still had a safe and wonderful trip back to Cofradía from Guadalajara where she arrived. The night she arrived, we enjoyed a fun Christmas celebration with La Carpa church in Guadalajara and my friend Erika and her family! We arrived back in Cofradía on Sunday, Dec 23, just as worship was ending! And from that point on it was a full week of fun and activity. Sandy, Mily, their family in Arrayanes, Ana, and many other of my good friends all had such a wonderful time getting to know Heather and being able to spend time with my family. They were all in agreement that we look nothing alike and that Heather is a ball of fun and joy! Her presence here added a special excitement and joy for me as I introduced her to my life and my loves here in Mexico! And what a special time of year to be able to do so! I couldn’t have imagined a better Christmas gift from the Lord! Now, I just need to get the rest of my family down here! :) To read more, click here and here.

The Christmas service was a precious time of remembering and honoring the Lord and His birth! I especially enjoyed the children’s presentations. They recited a poem and sang Away in a Manger as they did last year. However, this year they also presented a small “play” in which they shared about how we can live their lives and do our jobs for Jesus. It was truly precious and a wonderful reminder that we don’t need special gifts or talents to be able to honor and serve the Lord with all our hearts, souls, minds, body, and strength! Following the children’s presentation, the older kids (grades 4-6) recited a Christmas poem. On of our youth leaders has taken over this class in the last 6 months, and he did a wonderful job choosing their presentation and preparing them. They did a great job, and had a good time.

Finally, the youth presented their Christmas sketch. Julio and Mily were our two angel narrators, Cecilia and Fran played Mary and Joseph, and Ruben was the donkey who gave Mary a piggy-back ride to Bethlehem where Martin was the inn keeper who offered his stable! Ana, Gabriela, and Chuyito were our shepherds while Goyito and Roger were sheep. And Cintia, Cheche, and Pedro played our wisemen who followed the star, played by Aide, all the way to the manger. As the play ended, the youth stayed posed in a living nativity scene as Dave came forward and led the congregation in a simple rendition of Away in a Manger. Our sketch ended with the hope that all would find rest in the peace that was promised in Christ in the prophecy of his birth in Micah 5. That seemed to be the theme for our Christmas celebration this year, or at the very least for my own Christmas celebration: resting in the peace of Christ and His promises fulfilled. :) Take a peek at my blog entry about this service!

After the service was over, Heather and I enjoyed a “Family Christmas” with Mily, Sandy, Favi and her son Joan, and Lupe and her son Angel. We enjoyed some light finger foods and desserts as well as coffee and apple cider. Then we moved into the living room where Heather and I had prepared stockings for each girl as well as 2-3 gifts that were waiting for them under the tree. It was an indescribable joy to be able to share with them some of our Christmas traditions this year, especially as they were already sharing theirs with us, and to watch their eyes light up and listen to their exclamations of joy and excitement over the small gifts that they received. They all had such fun, and it was such a privilege for Heather and I to bless them in this way. Mily received some much-needed and totally fun school supplies; Favi and Lupe received clothes for the babies as well as some pampering items for themselves; and Sandy received a pocket Bible that she has been wanting for quite some time as carrying her heavy study Bible has become cumbersome with all the traveling she does between towns. It was so much fun, and words cannot describe how my heart felt to be able to pour out on these girls that I’ve come to love as my close friends…and to share this with my sister…well, my heart was overflowing from fullness! Praise the Lord for His goodness to us!

Togetherness

The day after Christmas we began our second annual Christmas Youth Soccer Tournament! This was a huge success last year, and this year it was a ton of fun as well. Chuy and Martin (two of our student leaders) were in charge of all the planning, preparation, and execution of the tournament. They did such an amazing job taking care of every detail, and the boys who participated seemed to really enjoy themselves. It was great to see new faces on some of the teams, and we’re hoping and praying that the friendships they made on their teams will bring them to youth group in the future where they can continue to hear about the Lord and His love for them! For more reading on this event, click here and here and here.

The men of the church also held a soccer tournament during December that culminated the same day as the youth finals. So, Pastor Goyo planned a whole-church potluck picnic day for December 29, which was the day of the men’s finals and the youth finals. It was such an added bonus of excitement and fun to have all the church there to watch the games and cheer on children and husbands and friends! The woman all took care of the food, and we enjoyed a wonderful lunch of birria and rice and veggies and jamaica (to drink). At the end, awards were presented for the winning teams as well as for the most goals made during the tournament and the best goalies!

Then on December 30, Sandy and I hosted a baby shower for Favi after church. We had planned some light food items and several really fun games, and we invited the whole church as well as family and friends of Favi's who don't attend. It was an added bonus that her sisters-in-law were in town from Tijuana visiting for the holidays, so they were able to attend as well! Our desire was to bless and encourage Favi after the baby was born during a time that can be difficult with adjustments and changes, and the Lord certainly did that! When it was all over, Favi was glowing with joy, and Sandy and I were filled to overflowing with the joy and blessing that comes from giving to others!

Happy New Year, 2008!!

On December 31, Heather and I headed back to Guadalajara to stay with my friend Erika for New Years Eve because her flight back to Virginia was the next day, January 1, 2008! Our trip was fairly uneventful and pleasant, and we had such a good time celebrating with Erika and her extended family on New Years Eve. We had a wonderful dinner of shrimp prepared several different ways with coffee and Jamaica, and we had a blast playing various kinds of card games with Erika, her brother and sister, and all her cousins! We rang in the new year with a time of prayer, and then Heather and I headed back to Erika’s house to sleep since we had to head to the airport at 5 am. On New Years Day I arrived back in Cofradía exhausted but content. This December was quite full of activity and fun and celebration, but more than that it was full of Jesus, of His joy, and of His peace! God made a promise long ago, and then He fulfilled it in Christ! Jesus lives and continues to reign on His throne. We are safe and secure in His hands, and that is cause enough for honor, celebration, and joy daily! I pray that as we continue into this new year of 2008, this will be true for you daily! Happy New Year!

FACE TO FEET
ams

Cy-Fair Ladies -- First team of the year!

2008-01-14T14:47:00.002-07:00

Well, our first team of 2008 has just wrapped up: the women of Cy-Fair Christian Church in Houston, TX. They came last year for the first time and ministered to the women of this area. This year, only three of them came back, but they did such a wonderful job, and the women of Cofradia, Santa Fe, and Arrayanes, thoroughly enjoyed having them here. I admit wholeheartedly that I did as well. It was wonderful to see their familiar faces and have the chance to catch up and continue building friendships, and I feel so spoiled to be able to watch them shower love and affection on the people I love!

During their week with us, they visited each one of the three main towns in which we minister: Arrayanes, Cofradia, and Santa Fe. They had an open meeting for the women that wanted to attend in each town. During that meeting they shared testimony about how the Lord worked in their lives and spiritual growth through their involvement in small group ministry; their testimonies then naturally led into a talk about the benefits of small group ministry and teaching on how to maintain healthy small groups. This was their focus because the women of the church are going to start a Bible study in which they will complete the lessons at home on their own and then meet weekly for small group discussion, fellowship, and prayer. Every other week those small group meetings will be corporate for all three towns, and each town will take turns hosting those corporate meetings. The Bible study is called He Speaks to Me by Priscilla Shirer, and it looks great. The Bible study books have also been provided by the ladies ministry at Cy-Fair, and one of the women even shared testimony about how the Lord moved in her life through this very study.

With the women in Arrayanes

Aside from testimony and teaching, they also did crafts and had time of fellowship with the women of each town. After the morning meeting, they had the opportunity to have lunch in the home of one of the women in the town. This is always a treat for our short-term teams because they get the chance to see the church members in their own homes and experience a taste of what their lives and culture and food are really like! Of course, it's also a really great time of fellowship and to get to know one-another better.

Crafts in Arrayanes

The ladies of Arrayanes

Lunch in Arrayanes with Pola

Hanging out in Arrayanes

Crafts in Cofradia

The ladies of Cofradia

Then in the afternoon, the three ladies spent time with the small group leaders in each town. They shared more details about the study and gave more pointers on leading small groups. They also had time for the small group leaders to ask questions or share their concerns, etc.

Finally, at the end of the week, they had a corporate meeting in Cofradia for all three towns. They shared about a woman named Acsah, who appears very briefly in Joshua. They shared about this woman and her boldness to ask her father for her portion of the land that he received as his portion when the Israelites began to inhabit the promised land. They used this brief story of boldness in this woman to illustrate how we ought to be with the Lord. We should come to him as our loving Father and make known our needs and our desires to Him. We need to open ourselves up to ask for what is on our hearts and then be ready and willing to receive from Him, and we should continue to ask until He has satisfied our hearts. It was a very encouraging message, which was followed by a time of communion.

It was quite clear that the women of Cofradia and the surrounding area really enjoyed having these ladies back again, as did we as a staff. They are such a joy to work with, and we are looking forward to how the Lord works through our ladies as they participate in this Bible study and open themselves up to the Lord as they never have before!

Christmas Take 2

2008-01-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday a package arrived from my friend Christina! It happened to contain a birthday present, several Christmas presents for me, and even a Christmas present for Sandy!!! I was overwhelmed when I broke open the box to find it stuffed full of colorfully wrapped gifts! She had written to let me know that a package was on the way, but I never imagined that it would contain so many things! I quickly unpacked the box and put all of the lovely gifts under my tree, which OF COURSE is still up and shining brightly in my living room.

Then last night, Sandy came over, which was really good because I was too excited for her to open her gift to be able to wait very long. I was literally about to bust! So, we opened them all. There were several individual servings of EasyMac (which I can't get here in Mexico!), a beautiful silver and white Christmas house ornament (which is exquisite on my tree!), a cd called "Glory Revealed" (which is quickly becoming my favorite cd ever!), the dvd of Oceans 12, a package of Jello No Bake Oreo Pie (my favorite!), hand sanitizer (wonderful with all the dust around here!), and a package of candy-cane Hershey kisses. Sandy was totally excited to see the dvd and the Jello No Bake; she has come to love oreo pie since I made it at Christmas, and we love watching movies. But her favorite thing was her gift: a beautiful photo album for her photography. She immediately wanted to look through all her photos and start picking out and printing her favorites so she can start filling up her own private collection of her photography.

Sandy opening her gift

Wow! I am just totally overwhelmed with the generosity, careful thought, and love of my dear sweet friend. We have been friends since move-in day freshman year at Mary Washington College, and I know that my friendship with Christina is nothing short than a gracious and unmerited gift from the Lord.

It's like Christmas all over again! Thanks Christina-Sham! Merry Christmas to you too!!

New Years Call 2008

2008-01-03T10:17:00.001-07:00

So, I was sitting in that bus terminal on New Years day with a couple of hours to wait for my bus to leave. I didn't want to sleep because I knew I'd miss my departure, so I pulled out my Bible and began to read...seems a little ironic as I type it now, since you always hear people say that's what they do when they WANT to fall asleep...HAHA! Isn't it amazing how the Lord changes things in us...

Anyway, so I found myself thinking back to the challenge the Lord gave me on New Years last year to live every day for Him and to have an undivided heart (Psalm 84-86). This year, I ended up in Psalm 45:10-11:

"Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear: Forget your people and your father's house. The king is enthralled with your beauty; honor him, for he is your Lord."

The Lord made it clear that this year we’ll be continuing to work on having an undivided heart (Psalm 86), but part of that process is “forgetting your people and your father’s house”, or rather all the things I cling to instead of holding onto him. I found myself asking, “Lord what am I holding onto that you want me to let go for you? What am I looking at instead of looking at you? Help me to let those things go this year and fix my eyes on you, to HONOR you and really let you be LORD in my life this year!”

So that’s my prayer for 2008: to truly HONOR the Lord; to choose the “one thing that is needed”, what is better, as Mary did at Jesus feet; and to love Him and Him only.

2008....ready...set.....GROW!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2008-01-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

Well, it's 2008! Phew! 2007 definitely went out with a BANG! It was so great having my sister here to visit! I can't even tell you! I try so hard to explain to people what it's like to be here and do this and know these people, but it's something that can only really be understood by experiencing it! Now, I just have to get the rest of my family down here! (Yes, daddy..that's more than a hint!)

So, for New Years Heather and I were in Guadalajara because her flight home left early on New Years Day. So, on December 31, we grabbed a bus to Guad and headed over to my friend Erika's house. She was really sweet and made us a quick bite to eat to hold us over until "dinner", and then she let us take a nap. We were both so tired from our extremely busy week, and plus we were up late the night before and had to wake up early to catch the bus in Penas half an hour away.

That night, the New Years celebration took place at Erika's aunt's house a couple of blocks away. So, we all walked over there and then proceeded to have a great time playing cards and various other fun games with all of Erika's cousins. WOW! Does she have a lot of cousins -- and those are just the ones that live in Guad! Around 10 pm, they served dinner. They made three different shrimp meals that were totally delicious! And then we played more games until midnight. When midnight hit, everyone hugged everyone and wished them a Happy New Year, and then the family said a prayer together as their start to the New Year. Shortly thereafter, Heather and I walked back to Erika's house to get a couple hours of sleep before our morning travels.

We caught a taxi around 5:30 am on January 1 and headed to the airport where Heather checked in for her flight. I then grabbed another taxi back across town to catch my bus home. The bus ride wasn't very pleasant. They played three rather violent, R-rated movies, and there were various other "mishaps" along the way, but I finally arrived back at the base in Cofradia just in time for our weekly staff meeting. Exhausted as I was, I made it through the staff meeting only by the grace of God. But just as we were finishing up, a young lady from Mojocuautla showed up at the base with her 2-week-old baby girl in her arms. Turns out the baby was quite ill with a fever of 103, but the lady (her name is Simplicia) didn't have money to get to the hospital in Rosa Morada. So, I had the privilege of driving her there. She is a sweet gal, and has two other children besides this little baby, who doesn't even have a name yet. I waited at the ER for her while they gave the baby something to lower her fever and waited to see results. Then we drove through town until we found an open pharmacy where she could buy the meds she'd been prescribed, at which point we headed home.

It was a whirlwind New Years, but it was a lot of fun, and what a precious way to be able to start a new year -- making sure that a new life has the chance to keep living, and getting to know someone new.

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!

Favi's Baby Shower

2007-12-30T21:08:00.004-07:00

Favi & Joan
December 30, 2007

Phew!! What a whirlwind today was! I'm still reeling. In the midst of Christmas and the soccer tournament, Sandy and I have been trying to get all the games and favors and all the little details finalized for Favi's baby shower, which was today. Joan was born December 1, but we had decided back in the summer to wait until AFTER he was born to bless her, and man did she have fun! We thought this way gifts could cover things she needed and didn't anticipate needing, the people who came could encourage her as a first-time mommy during this time of big-time transition and learning, etc. She LOVED it! And everyone really seemed to have a good time.

We found a couple of quiz games online: one of them had the word for "baby" in 10 different languages and a list of languages, and you had to decide which word went with which language. There were even several Asian languages mixed in there, but the women had almost no problem with this one! Of course we also had the staple baby-shower word unscramble game.

But the two best games were the dirty diaper game and the memory game. For the dirty diaper game, we bought 6 diapers and filled them with different condiments and condiment mixtures to look like messy diapers: peanut butter and syrup, ketchup, mustard, chile sauce, etc.. Then the women had to guess what the food items were that we used in each diaper. Most of them looked and smelled, but a couple of brave souls even tasted the concoctions!!!

Pola doing a taste-test!

The other fun game was the memory game. This one is pretty common: you bring out a tray of baby items, pass it around, then take it away and the women have a certain amount of time to write down as many items as they can remember seeing on the tray. Only we gave the game a twist. We had Favi come out and pass the tray around and then leave the room with the tray, and we told the women to write down as much as they could remember about WHAT FAVI WAS WEARING instead of what was on the tray: clothing, hair style, jewelry, etc. It was so funny!! But believe or not, these women are always paying attention!! We actually had a tie for this one!

Of course the winner of each game got to pick a prize from the prize bag, and we also had some door prizes for the oldest mom present, the youngest mom present, and the mom with the most kids, which went to Favi's mom who has 15 kids!!!

Another thing we did was ask the women who were invited to come with a piece of advice or a scripture or piece of encouragement that helped them as moms or encourages them as mom's etc. We took with us a note card notebook and made that available for each woman who wanted to write their advice or scripture or what-have-you. And then we left that with Favi to be an encouragement to her as she grows as a mother. Of course there are a lot of blank note cards left in the notebook for her to use to write scriptures or advices she comes across in her motherhood so that she has a resource to turn to in times of discouragement or frustration.

We also had a typical Mexican appetizer called "cebiche", which was made with soy, cucumber, carrots, and lime and salt, and it's eaten with tostadas. Favi made the juice and her sister-in-laws (who are visiting from Tijuana) brought sodas.

And of course, there's always the presents. She got some really cute clothes and blankets for Joan and other helpful baby items like shampoo and lotion! Everyone had such a good time passing him around and cooing at him.

This was Heather's baby-shower gift!

Both Sandy and I are pooped now, and both of us are quite certain that we won't be planning anymore baby showers any time soon if we can help it. Although several of the women commented to us that the shower was SO much fun that they want us to help them with their next showers...AND THEY AREN'T EVEN PREGNANT YET!!!! But we take that as a sign of success. The best part, however, was the huge smile on Favi's face by the end of the evening. You could see in her eyes as they sparkled with delight that she had the time of her life today! That is the best feeling in the world! As tiring as it was, I'd do it all over again just to see her like that again!

Soccer Finals & Church Pot-Luck

2007-12-29T22:52:00.014-07:00

Today we had the church pot-luck in Arrayanes along with the final game for the men's soccer tournament as well as the semi-finals and championship games for the youth soccer tournament.

The women of the church divided up the various foods and drinks and provided a wonderful lunch of birria, rice, beans, and nopales (that's a type of cactus that is edible and oh so tasty!) with jamaica and water to drink. And of course, a true Mexican staple...TORTILLAS! It was very tasty!

Heather and I enjoying this marvelous meal!

Of course, eating is a very social activity here! So, tons of people from the church came to watch the soccer games, cheer on their husbands, sons, and friends, and to have some great time together visiting and hanging out! It was a ton of fun!

Aide, Heather, and I watching the soccer games

The Arrayanes ladies chattin' it up!

Angelica & Manuel enjoying the festivities

Tonia & Caleb having a good time

Of course the soccer games were enjoyable as well. The men's game was really great. It was so cool to see our church leaders playing along side some of the men who remain on the fringes as well as some who don't come to church at all! We even had a missionary representative on one of the teams...Jay! The two men's teams played a great game, and the winners really earned their win!

The youth played hard as well. There were two semi-final games:

The Black Team

vs.
The Red Team

The White Team
vs.
The Blue Team

Semi-final Highlights

The two winning teams went on to the championship game: The Black Team and the White Team! It was quite a suspenseful game! Every time a shot was made on the goal and missed, the whole crowd groaned; every time a goal was made, everyone clapped and cheered.

We were all on the edge of our seats, and the winning team truly deserved their trophy! Announcing the winner of our 2nd annual Christmas Youth Soccer Tournament..........(drum roll please)........

THE BLACK TEAM!!!!!

When the games were all over, the awards were presented both for the men as well as for the youth. Both winning teams received trophies.

Pastor Goyo presents the winning men's team with their trophy

The winning team L-R: Jay, Juan, Luis, Hugo, ??

The presentation of the trophy for the winning youth team

Then we also presented awards for the Most Goals Made and the Best Goalie. Here they are:

THE MOST GOALS MADEFirst Place (33 goals made) = Chuy (middle)
Second Place (14 goals made) = Cheche (left)
Third place (12 goals made) = Fermin (right)

THE BEST GOALIE
First Place (86% blocked) = Martin (right)
Second Place (77% blocked) = Beto (middle)
Third Place (76% blocked) = Pedro (left)

And so ended our 2nd annual Christmas Youth Soccer Tournament.

Soccer Tournament Day 3

2007-12-28T21:59:00.000-07:00

The soccer tournament continues to go well. The guys are having fun playing, and the gals are having a good time watching. Heather continues to enjoy her time here in Cofradia and is taking full advantage of the time she has to chat with and get to know the girls. It's fun to watch her with them, even without translation help! This is so great!

After the games today, the yellow team was eliminated. The other four teams (Red, Blue, White, Black) will head to the semi-finals on Saturday, to be followed by the championship game! Very exciting!

Here are picture highlights from today. Enjoy!

Yellow Team vs. White Team

Blue vs. Red

Black vs. White

Soccer Tournament Day 2

2007-12-27T20:44:00.008-07:00

Ok, so here are picture highlights from day 2 of the 2nd annual Christmas soccer tournament. Enjoy!

Yellow Team vs. White Team

Red Team vs. Blue Team

Black Team vs. White Team

Blue Team vs. Yellow Team

Gilmore Girls Season 7

2007-12-26T20:30:00.001-07:00

This is IT! The final season of Gilmore Girls!

Here in Mexico, I don't have cable, nor do I have an antenna. Honestly, I'm glad I don't have either. There's really not much on TV that I wish to watch nor feel that it would be beneficial for me to see. The fact that regular programming isn't even available to me also makes it much easier to avoid issues over the TV when I have girls over to hang out. We HAVE to figure out something else to do, whether together or individually, because rotting our brains with the TV isn't an option.

However, I do have a DVD player, so I have a movie collection, and I've been collecting seasons of some favorite TV programs back home....or borrowing them from those here who have them. One that I'm collecting is Gilmore Girls. I got into this program in college with my girlfriends of the Lilypad, and I got hooked. I very much enjoy the characters and the witty, fast-paced banter of the show. Anyway, season 7 aired in the states while I was here in Mexico, which means I never saw a single episode. Well, it was released about a month ago on DVD! It's the FINAL season, and HEATHER BOUGHT IT FOR ME FOR CHRISTMAS!!! Since, both of us enjoy the show, we're watching it in the evenings to try and finish it before she heads home at New Years! This is so great! I finally have the complete collection! Mily and Sandy have begun to watch it as well, and really enjoy it! So much fun to share a little of my home culture with them! Anyway, off to watch more Season 7!!

Christmas Youth Soccer Tournament

2007-12-26T20:01:00.002-07:00

Today, we started our Christmas soccer tournament with the youth. This is the second year we have done this, and the youth really enjoy it, even those who sit on the sidelines and watch! It's a fun time to fellowship and reach out, which part of it's purpose: to draw new kids in. The team leaders are encouraged to be leaders not just in soccer but also spiritually among their teams, and they do a good job of it!

We got off to a good start today. This year Steve is not here, so he left Chuy and Martin in charge. They have been in charge of registration, and then just before Christmas they took care of picking team leaders and drafting the five teams that will participate. I'm so out of my league with something like this, so it's really refreshing to have these two student leaders stepping up to the plate on this. They have made this part of "running" things in Steve's absence SO much easier.

There are five teams, and they play 7 games of speed soccer each day today and tomorrow. Then Friday they will play 6, by the end of which one team will be eliminated. Finally, on Saturday they will play the semi-final (2 games) and the championship games. We're also having a whole-church pot-luck gathering on Saturday to watch not only our youth semi-finals and championship but also to watch the championship game for the adult men's soccer tournament that has been going on every Saturday this month. So, Saturday should be a really fun day! At the end of those games, we'll hand out trophies and awards for winning teams, best goalies (1st, 2nd, and 3rd place) and most goals (1st, 2nd, and third place). This is a blast! Yea for fun during Christmas vacation.

Heather had a good time at the games today, too. She spent time hanging out and chatting with the girls, and it was so fun to watch her building friendships with them. It's such a blessing to have a part of my family here to experience this first hand! Yea God!

I'm posting some pictures. Keep in mind there were seven games played by five teams (Red, Black, Yellow, Blue, & White). I'm not posting pics from ALL the games, because pictures of boys playing soccer are going to all look fairly similar. So, although I have about 30 pictures from today, I'll only post some highlights here! Enjoy!

Red Team vs. Black Team

Heather and the girls on the sidewall watching the game

Goal!

Red Team vs. White Team

Yellow Team vs. Blue Team

Family Christmas

2007-12-25T17:45:00.000-07:00

After the Christmas service, Heather and I welcomed Favi and her son Joan, Lupe and her son Angel, Sandy, and Mily for a "family Christmas morning." Granted, it wasn't morning, but that didn't matter! We had it all except the pajamas! Yesterday, I spent the morning baking goodies to eat today, and of course we had the signature Crafton apple cider!

We spent a little while snacking and settling the babies before we moved into the living room for the festivities. The girls eyes just all lit up when they saw their stockings; they didn't even notice the presents under the tree. They had so much fun unpacking those stockings, and there were explanations with every little wrapped trinket. There were hair do-dads, makeup, pacifiers for the babies, lotions, lip glosses, and of course candy! It was fun.

Then came the gifts. Mily received some much-needed school supplies, but fun ones! Heather brought her a ton of fun, colored pens and pencils, a really cute pen pouch, erasers, pencil sharpener, etc. She also received my old scientific calculator and geometry set since she will need them for her upcoming math classes. Sandy received a pocket Bible like mine. From the first time she saw it when I brought it back with me, she has wanted one like it. Her study Bible, though useful, is quite bulky and heavy. With all the traveling she does now between towns (due to being a student youth leader), she wanted something easier and lighter to carry around. She's LOVING it! Favi and Lupe both received clothes for the babies that they really liked.

A couple of the girls gave us gifts as well. Heather received some really beautiful jewelry, and I received a stuff animal and a travel coffee mug! When it was all over, we popped in one of the Love Comes Softly movies and enjoyed a feel-good movie with a gospel message. It was great. Then we loaded up the truck and took the girls home. From there, Heather and I headed straight to Jan and Doug's house for the staff Christmas dinner. Everyone contributed something, and it was a feast for sure! We ate so well, and just enjoyed each other's company with no agenda's or questions about work or ministry. It was just a really nice, relaxing time of friends and family!

It was such an amazing day! But I have to admit that my favorite part was watching the girls as they opened their gifts. Sandy and Mily were close to tears with theirs, and Favi and Lupe were beaming. Heather and I had such a blast holding the babies and watching them. There really are no words to express how full-to-busting my heart was to be able to share with them some of our Christmas traditions, and even better, to give to them. We all know that Christmas isn't about receiving presents, but Christmas IS about giving. Christ gave Himself to us that first Christmas without restraint or condition. He gave up His throne to be with us and like us and to save us. If my heart was so bursting with joy at the ability to shower good gifts on my precious friends, I cannot even imagine how bursting with joy God's heart was to share His Son with us, despite the pain it would cause, simply because He is THAT good.

Merry Christmas to every one of you!!! And may you know the JOY in your hearts that is Christ our Lord!

Presents under the tree and you can see one of the stockings there next to it as well.

Me and Angel...what a cutie!

Mily opening her stocking

Sandy opening her stocking

Lupe opening her stocking

Favi opening her stocking..I think it's a pacifier!

Heather and Joan...he really enjoyed her! No fussing all day..it was a first, and a wonderful Christmas present for his mommy!

Sandy, Joan, and I watching the movie...he was sound asleep!

Christmas Church Service

2007-12-25T17:31:00.000-07:00

!!!!MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Yea! It's Christmas! And what a Christmas Day this has been!!! I can't imagine a better one. The church service was so great! The praise & worship was beautiful, and that was followed by all the Christmas programs.

First the kids did their stuff. They did a couple of songs and a small skit in which numerous of them repeated lines about different people in different jobs and how they can offer what they do and are to Jesus. It was so cute!

Singing Away in a Manger

Luis reciting his lines before he gives his gift to the baby Jesus. Daniela is playing Mary

Then the older kids recited a Christmas poem. They each took a stanza and did a wonderful job with it.

The older kids reciting their Christmas poem

Sandy and I watching and waiting for our cue to send in the youth

The last program was the youth drama. As I said a couple of posts ago, God pulled something marvelous out of his hat! Everyone showed up ON TIME, LINES MEMORIZED, and ready to go! The play went great, and it ended with the whole church singing Away in a Manger together while the youth stayed posed in the nativity scene. It gave me goose bumps at the end, and I was so proud of them despite the headaches they gave me along the way! I just love these teens to death, and I'm so thankful for them!

Getting into costume and last minute review of lines

Mily and Julio, the angel narrators

Julio announces Jesus birth to Cecilia who is playing Mary

Ruben, the donkey, giving Mary a piggyback ride to Bethlehem

The shepherds and their sheep worshiping the baby Jesus

The Living Nativity

The service ended with a short message from the Arrayanes pastor, Horacio, and then everyone had a good time greeting each other and chitchatting for a few minutes before they headed home! What a precious morning, and a beautiful way to celebrate the Lord's birth!

Christmas Eve

2007-12-24T23:45:00.000-07:00

Today, was Christmas Eve, and Heather and I spent it in Arrayanes! Today was also Aide's 13th birthday (she's Sandy and Mily's little sister), and Heather and I were invited to the party! The morning was spent tying up some loose ends, and relaxing a little bit. But then just after lunch we started getting ready and gathering up all that we were to take with us, and we headed to Sandy and Mily's house around 4:30. I took stuff to make my dad's apple cider since that was requested. They made dinner for the birthday party, which was pozole (my favorite!). Then for the family Christmas Eve celebration they had grilled beef and some other typical foods. We drank apple cider and just had a good time!

We were there until around 11 pm, and it was a ton of fun! Aide LOVED her birthday present, and I gave Mily and Sandy their birthday presents early...very early, since their birthday's are in March. I bought them each their own copies of My Utmost for His Highest in Spanish, and I didn't want them to miss out on the first three months of devotions just for the sake of giving it to them on their birthdays. So, they all got something on Christmas Eve! Heather was very warmly received by the family. Flavia and her sisters all took to her right away! Everyone says that we don't look very much alike, but I think it's because of Heather's new hair cut. It's changed her look quite a bit!

But we had a really great time just hanging out with the family, laughing, talking, and getting to know each other. Flavia's sister Marta and her family were also there since they are visiting from Guadalajara, so it was an all out party-hardy night!

Now we're home, and the presents are under the tree for tomorrow, and the stockings are all stuffed! We had a good time going through all the stuff Heather brought with her for this event. We invited Mily, Sandy, Favi and her baby (Joan), and Lupe and her baby (Angel) to stay here after church tomorrow. I've made a ton of dessert foods and some lunch type foods, and we'll have more cider and soda to drink. And then we're going to give them a taste of what an American Family Christmas is like! They have no clue what's coming, but Heather and I are biting our nails off in excitement and anticipation!

Merry Christmas Eve!!

Sandy and I Christmas Eve afternoon

The Birthday Girl: Aide, now 13!

Sandy, Heather, Mily

Heather and Flavia

Mily, Ana, & Sandy checking out all of Aide's presents

Sandy, Me, Mily

Heather, Me

Cooking the meat! Yum!

Birthday cake!

Mordida!!

Heather...

2007-12-23T22:01:00.001-07:00

MY SISTER IS HERE!! MY SISTER IS HERE!!!

Heather is visiting me for Christmas! She arrived yesterday, and we were supposed to get back here last night. However, while she was waiting for her connecting flight in Dallas, about 10 minutes before they were supposed to board, her plane was declared "unfit to fly"!!!! So, they had to find a different plane, prep it, clean it, load it, etc. Then after they boarded the plane, they sat on it for quite a while waiting for permission to taxi and take off. Apparently, the winds were a little wacko, so they were using only one runway which meant all flights were taking off and landing from the same runway, which caused huge delays. In the end, she landed in Guadalajara about 3-4 hours after her original arrival time, but she landed safe and sound. Then we loaded into the taxi and headed to the bus station. However, all the buses had filled up until the last one which was to leave at 7 pm. However, it's a 4.5 hour trip to get back to Cofradia from Guadalajara, and no one was going to pick us up at midnight! So, we loaded back into a taxi and headed to La Carpa, which is the church I attended when I was living in Guadalajara. There we met up with my friend Erika and her family at their youth group Christmas party with the plan to stay with them and get on a bus early this morning.

The Christmas party was a ton of fun. There was a group of Americans visiting from Pensylvania, and of course all the youth from La Carpa. We ate tamales for dinner, and got to watch the youth group do their christmas gift exchange...everyone had to buy slippers for the person they picked. It was so fun to see all the different kinds of slippers they found! I think next year we should try something like that with our youth group gift exchange! There was worship and a short message, and then the pinata! So much fun. When it was all over, we headed to Erika's house and hit the sack around 11 pm. My poor sister didn't go to bed the night before her flight because she had to leave the house at 2 am to get to the airport by 4 am for her 6:30 am flight! So, she was totally wiped out! We slept quite well, and then this morning we loaded on a bus at 8 am.

The bus trip was uneventful, and we arrived here in Cofradia around 10:30, just as the worship was ending in the church service. Heather headed in for a nap, and I went straight to my seat in church. What a trip! After church, Sandy and Mily hung out for the afternoon to get some time to get to know Heather. We had a ton of fun! It was so great!!

While I was gone, I left Sandy in charge of the last youth drama rehearsal for the Christmas service on Tuesday, and the youth also had their gift exchange that night. Sandy and Mili were filling me in. Apparently the drama rehearsal didn't go very well at all, so we'll see how the drama goes in church on Tuesday. Of course, God has a track record for pulling amazing things out of that hat of his, so it won't surprise me if on Tuesday everyone shows up on time (for the first time!) with all their lines memorized (for the first time!) and everything goes off perfect! That's just the kind of God we serve!

I'm told the gift exchange went really well. When it was over, the youth leaders put on Superman Returns, and they watched about half the movie before Ian took them home. I'm told that ride was an interesting experience, but in the end everyone had fun and got home safe and sound! Thanks for driving, Ian!

Anyway, now Heather is here, and we have a busy week ahead of us, but it's going to be so fun, and I'm so excited to have family with me for Christmas for the first time in several years! Tonight, Heather unpacked and re-wrapped all the Christmas presents that people sent me. We put them under the tree, and I had so much fun opening them with her there taking pictures! They were all SO BEAUTIFUL and wonderful! I was so touched by the thought that obviously went into each and every gift! How precious they all are! Here are some highlights!

New PJs from Nana and Dick!

The ring my mom promised me! I picked the stone out when I was home this summer. She made the entire thing herself and by hand! I wish the picture was better, because you can't see the intricate metal work she did. There are silver leaves all around the setting! Beautiful!

Thomas Kinkaid coffee table book and calendar from my parents! They know I love his work! So exciting!

This necklace is made of rice pearls (I think), and it's the perfect color green! I love it! Thanks Alan & Susan!

This jewelry was from my step-mom. She is now working the jewelry counter at Penney's and I'm told she spent many hours finding just the right set for me. I love them! So beautiful, and the colors of my birthstone!

This snow globe has three penguins ice skating inside it. It's from my brother & sister-in-law and their 3 kids. Heather told me that when Courtney asked Logan (who's 5) what she should get Auntie for Christmas, he promptly replied "a snow globe". So she got me this one, and told my sister the three penguins represent the three kids: Logan (5), Caroline (3), and Allison (2). It's a favorite in my house!!

Tomorrow night, we'll get all the presents ready for our "Family Christmas" with the girls on Tuesday after church. I'm looking forward to all the stuff we're going to get to do this week. Keep checking back for reports!

Book Review

2007-12-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

So, I've been trying to discipline myself to do more reading...of various types of genres. I'm not the best at maintaining more than one book at a time. But, I've realized the lack in my life that different types of books provide, so I'm trying to diversify.

One book I recently finished is called Coming Home to Myself. It is Wynonna Judd's memoirs. Now, I'm a big fan of the Judds before Wy went solo, and I read Naomi's autobiography when that came out in the 90s. But that book ended with the end of the Judds as a group and the start of Wy's solo career. So, when I saw this book in the airport bookstore back in June, I was excited because I wanted to know more about what happened once she went solo, and also I wanted to read about her perspective of all that's happened in her life, both professionally and personally!

I recently finished this book, and I really liked it! Because it's memoirs, instead of an autobiography, it reads very much like a conversation. I really like that she goes chronologically through her life yet periodically inserts reflexions or thoughts or evaluations of her experiences or of life in general, etc. It was a very easy read, and it was very pleasant. She has experienced a lot in life, and the Lord has definitely taught her and grown her a lot as well! I definitely recommend this book! It was enjoyable and informative and definitely provided a lot of food for thought!

I'm currently reading Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, which is about maintaining "Living Room Intimacy" with the Lord while participating in "Kitchen Service". It's about learning how to have both simultaneously and in proper proportions, rather than having simply one or the other, which is not healthy nor is it really what the Lord wants. It's about learning how to choose "the better part" and how to let the rest flow from that choice.

Being on the mission field, it's very easy to let the service and to-do lists take over life and not take sufficient care of the intimacy part of my life. When I was living in the states, I certainly experienced effects in my job when there was a lack of intimacy with the Lord, but they were the same effects I experienced in any other area of life, and those effects didn't hinder me from at least being able to complete my job and meet my goals. However, being a missionary, all of a sudden my personal relationship with the Lord plays a much larger role in actually being able to do my job. So, I'm really enjoying it, but I'm taking my time so that the principles can sink in well and take root in my own life! I'm trying to avoid the whole "burnout" phenomena, and I believe that these principles will go a long way in helping me with that!

And for fun, I've decided to dive into some serious literature. I've picked up Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. I've never read any of the classic Russian literature, and I just have this idea that my literary sensibilities are not well-rounded enough for that lack. So, I'm trying to fill in the gaps of my literary education! I am also trying to keep my critical thinking skills sharp, and reading the classics is always a good way for me.

And in the end, I've picked back up with My Utmost for His Highest. This is such a precious devotional for me. I go through phases with this one where I spend days and weeks reading it regularly, and then I'll go months without using it. But it's the only devotional that I've ever found that works for me. It challenges me, and it brings conviction; yet at the same time I find comfort and encouragement for the journey in the midst of it all. I'm enjoying soaking up the Scripture he points to, and the prayer time is always sweet!

So, these are my picks for now! If you have any good book recommendations of varying genres, please let me know! I'm always keeping a list, and I'm really trying to be better disciplined in my reading, so post away with your thoughts and recommendations!

November Update

2007-12-11T11:10:00.000-07:00

Season’s Greetings!!!

The holiday season has indeed arrived, and we are gearing up for our Christmas celebration here in Cofradía! This time of year is always rather hectic, but it’s all worth it. Each activity and rehearsal is just another reminder of why we are celebrating, and I’m thankful that those reminders are present daily! November was a great month as well and full of celebrations and challenge! Check it out…

Evangelism Crusade

We started the month of November with a bang! Pastor Rafael Gradilla from Washington state came to preach for a weekend-long evangelism crusade. This was such a blessing to all of us as members of the church and staff, but it was also an exciting opportunity to reach out to those who are just starting to know Christ or who have not yet heard the good news. Many church members invited their unsaved family members, and we had groups of people come from Pilas, Paso Real, Mojocuautla, and Sand Diego! Most of these towns, though close by, have remained on the fringes of our outreach for quite some time. However, the local church members have caught the fire of outreach and evangelism and have begun to visit and minister in all four towns weekly. They are seeing fruits of their labors as there are a couple of families in each of them who receive them and the Word and have received Christ into their lives. This evangelism crusade weekend was very encouraging for all of these new attenders, and provided even more opportunities for our local body to reach out to those in need.

On Friday, November 9, Pastor Rafael gave a message intended for our church body that focused on leadership. He spoke about being faithful in the little things and how the Lord will eventually increase the responsibilities and sphere of influence to those who remain faithful and willing. We looked at the lives of Stephen and Philip, the first martyr and the first missionary, and all were encouraged to open their eyes and see the opportunities awaiting us for faithful service right in our own church.

On Saturday, November 10, Pastor Rafael spoke on the excellence of the name of Jesus Christ! This service took place in our new church facility. Though the facility is nowhere near completion, we were excited to make this happen, and how excellent that the very first sermon preached in the new facility was about the excellence of the name of our Savior!! Praise the Lord that it all came together quite nicely. Electricity was hooked up the week before the service and we were able to rent chairs and move all our sound equipment over to the new church sanctuary! As the band rehearsed that afternoon and the rest of us were setting up chairs, we all looked around in awe with the realization that we were witnessing the first fulfillment of a great dream and promise as we filled that sanctuary for that evening’s service! Pastor Rafael spoke with power and conviction, and many came forward to receive prayer and to give their lives to Christ. It was a wonderful time of unity and power!

Then on Sunday morning, November 11, Pastor Rafael gave the sermon for the normal weekly service speaking on the blessing of living under the authority and filling of the Holy Spirit. Again, it was a powerful message that left its mark. Many came forward again to be ministered to, and I know I left the service that day with renewed conviction in my heart. What a blessing the entire weekend was! We are still reaping its fruits and continue to pray that the Lord will bring forth even more!

On Turning 28…

On November 16, I turned 28!!! I’m still having a hard time believing it. Thirty continues to get closer and closer, and I can’t wrap my mind around it! Mili and Sandy’s mom, Flavia, made a birthday dinner for me again this year, and the all her sisters and their families as well as all the staff families were invited. We had a wonderful meal of chicken birria with rice, and Pola made me a cake as my birthday present. It was absolutely mouth-watering!! My birthday was on a Friday this year, and Sunday night Mili and Sandy spent the night for my birthday PJ party. We had dinner in the town center at the taco stand and then bought churros for dessert afterwards. We opened my presents and just had a good time hanging out! It was a lot of fun.

I found myself much more pensive this year as I mulled over turning yet another year older. Age means nothing without maturity. I continue to see how the Lord desires to mature me more as well as how I have grown already. My prayer for this next year of life is that the Lord will keep me moldable, teachable, and open to His direction rather than getting stuck in my own ways. I pray that this 29^th year of my life will be a refining year!

Mentor Gazette…

I continue to meet with both Sandy and Ana weekly. Sandy and I started studying through Stomping Out the Darkness by Neil T. Anderson and Dave Park about three weeks ago, and Ana and I will begin the same book this week. This book deals with understanding and walking confidently in our true identity in Christ rather than in the lies we are fed by the world about who we are and where our value lies. Although this seems a very basic issue in the Christian faith, it is often overlooked, even among mature believers. Both Sandy and I are finding it refreshing to be reminded of the truths we already know and are finding that the Lord continues to dig deeper and challenge us more as He uncovers even deeper issues that root themselves in what we believe about who we are. God is certainly wonderful!

Sandy continues to do research in regards to the “Life Chats” idea that the Lord has put in her heart. In addition to Stomping Out the Darkness, she is also reading The Purity Principle by Randy Alcorn and a devotional adaptation of The Power of Forgiveness by Joyce Meyers. In addition she has read bits of Without a Hint by Joshua Harris. In recent conversations she shared with me how she’s beginning to see how all of these issues (forgiveness, purity, healing, etc.) are all bound up together and much of what motivates us to make certain decisions or participate in certain behaviors finds its roots in the identity we believe about ourselves (what we’re studying in Stomping Out the Darkness). The Lord is definitely revealing a lot of truth to her that is not only useful for developing this purpose He has put in her heart but also to continue to mature her and mold her into the woman He created her to be for the purposes He longs to fulfill in and through her! It’s definitely an exciting journey, and I constantly am in awe of the Lord that He has blessed me with the ability to watch and partner with her in it! Please continue to keep this in your prayers.

Anticipation..

The Christmas holiday is upon us!! We are in the midst of preparations for the Christmas service and holiday activities. The youth are rehearsing their drama of the Christmas story, the kids are rehearsing their songs and recitations. The adults are preparing for Christmas worship and Christmas sermons. In addition there is a men’s weekend soccer tournament going on every Saturday in December, and the youth Christmas soccer tournament beings December 26. Both tournaments will end the same day with their finals, and the two winning teams will play each other to see who will be the ultimate winner. Afterwards, there are plans in the making for a huge church potluck. We’ll be killing a pig for this event and enjoying a ton of other yummy Mexican dishes for the Holiday Potluck!

In addition, I’m anticipating the arrival of my sister, Heather, on December 22! Everyone here is excited to meet her and get to know her, especially the girls. Heather and I are planning an “American Family Christmas” on Christmas Day after the service for my girlfriends here. The girls know about it, but they don’t know that they will be receiving gifts. Heather and I are both very excited about this and have spent much time talking and planning and gathering. This will be complete with presents under the tree and stockings as well as yummy Christmas-morning foods we grew up with!! It’s exciting!

Please Pray…

Ministry Finances: we are in desperate need to increase the funding for our ministry right now. Things are usually pretty tight at the end of the year, but especially so this year. Please pray that the Lord will give us wisdom in how to cut down on expenses where we can as well as provide the financing that we need to keep everything running and running well.

Christmas Harvest: we have a lot of new folks coming to Sunday services now that the local body has begun to reach out to the surrounding towns. This Christmas as they hear about how God came to this earth to make a way for them to know Him personally and the peace He wants to bring them, please pray that the Lord will give them ears to hear, minds to understand, and hearts to receive him truly!

Sanity: please pray that as we the staff continue to aid in planning and executing various activities that the Lord will fill our hearts and minds with clarity, organization, and most of all peace! It is so easy for the activity to lose its heart and become pure hecticness in our lives. Pray that we hold tight to the reason that we do all of this….to know Him better and to make Him known!

Happy Holidays to each one of you! I hope you are enjoying your traditions and the spirit of the season. More than that, I hope you are enjoying the Joy we have in Christ as we celebrate in our hearts the real meaning of Christmas…the birth of our Savior and the fullness of a personal relationship with the Father!

September-October Update

2007-12-10T10:13:00.000-07:00

I realized the other day that I forgot to post this update, so I’m posting it now so that you can catch up on the goings on! Enjoy the read! If you would like to receive my monthly email updates, just drop me an email and let me know!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Greetings!!!

….from Cofradía, Mexico once again! Yes, I’m back “home” and back into the swing of things again. I’m sorry that did not get this update out sooner. September and October were hectic months full of fund-raising, visiting family, traveling, and adjusting to new schedules and new activity loads. But I’m pleased to take a moment and share some of this with you, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy each moment of living it!

Fund-Raising…

September and October were quite busy and very enjoyable. After returning from a visit with family in Minnesota, I spent several more weeks with my family in Richmond and then moved up to the Fredericksburg area until I returned to Mexico. This allowed me more opportunity to visit with friends and church family in the area where I had lived before moving to Mexico. I was also able to spend more time with people from church as well as see friends from college who are established in the Northern Virginia/DC Metro area. I enjoyed wedding dress shopping with Liz, MWC centennial activities and ice cream at Carl’s with Erica, a movie night with Chandra, dinner with the Kazmiers who had just returned from a year in Bosnia, breakfast with Christina-Sham, Disney on ice with my sister, numerous outings with Elena, and time with my nieces and nephews, just to name a few. My travels also took me to Charlottesville, Norfolk, and VA Beach to visit friends I met during my discipleship semester in New York as well as my mom, my grandmother, and my very dear friend Beth. It was relaxing and refreshing to be able to spend time with so many of my dear friends.

I also spent time trying to raise the rest of my monthly budget for living in Mexico. On September 21, I had the opportunity to share with the Spanish classes at Richmond Christian School in Chesterfield, VA about our ministry in Cofradía. I shared our promotional video in each class as well as general information about the area and specific information about our ministry vision and where I fit into that vision. The students ranged in Spanish skill from level 1 to level 3, and they were very responsive and interested. They were not only challenged in their Spanish (as I tried to share what I could in Spanish), but they were also challenged in their perspectives on poverty, on the immigration issues we face currently, and on what it means to be witnesses for Christ wherever we are. Their teacher, whom I met on the plane to Mexico after my brother’s funeral in June (a former missionary to Colombia), tells me that they continue to pray for the Cora Indians in this area, and their principle was interested in the possibility of a school missions trip within the next two years. I’m excited for this opportunity to build a connection with these students and to encourage them in a missional vision that matches the heart of Christ for the world!

Finally, I had the opportunity to share once again with my church family all that the Lord has been doing over the last year. In 2006, I introduced the church body to several of the young women I had come to know and love during my internship (Sandy, Mili, Lupe, Favi, & Brenda). This year, I gave them an update on three of those young women (Sandy, Mili, & Favi) and introduced them to three more (Ana, Aidé, and Gabriela). It was exciting to see their responses after the service, and it was humbling to see how the Lord touched hearts in a way that continues to provide for my needs. The Lord continues to be faithful to me in providing financially and, even greater than that, by providing emotionally and spiritually for the young ladies of Mexico as he builds a love for them in the hearts of those who can know them through me. It is a precious thing to witness, and I am thankful every time I am reminded of His goodness to us once again!

Homecoming…

I returned to Mexico on October 16, and I was blessed to receive the full extent of my tourist visa in airport customs! This means that there was no need to extend it, which saved money and allowed me to return to Cofradía two days earlier than I had anticipated!! The night I arrived in Guadalajara, I stayed with my dear friend Erika and her family, which was quite a joy and blessing despite my fatigue, and the next day I took the bus back to Cofradía. The last two weeks of October were spent unpacking and settling in. Much has changed in my daily routine, and yet not much has changed at all.

We continue to have our weekly youth group meetings (Vida Abundante, which means “Abundant Life”), our once-a-month youth rallies (Noche de Vida, or “Life Night”), and weekly band practices. However, due to the opening of a high school here in town whose classes last from 1:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., youth group and band practice are now taking place rather late in the evening or on weekends. While this has not been the ideal, it seems to be working, and I’m learning more about how to simply go with the flow.

We have also changed from two Sunday services to one joint service. This is a very welcome change. I’m enjoying the fullness and energy of having our various church bodies all together, and I’m reveling in the new-found ability to rest on Sunday afternoons. Even when we have student leader meetings during that time, I find that I am more rested and encouraged by the end of Sunday rather than drained and harried.

I continue to mentor Sandy; however, Ana (pictured left), who completed the Navigators 2:7 discipleship class this summer, has asked me to be her mentor as well. This was a pleasant surprise to me, and we are in the process of laying the foundation for our mentor relationship and deciding what direction of study to pursue: the book of Revelation or Stomping Out the Darkness by Neil T. Anderson and Dave Park. In addition, Mili has come to live with me during the week, and we will be beginning the Beth Moore study Living Beyond Yourself as soon as her study book arrives. Learning to walk the fine line between girlfriend, semi-mentor, and house-mom is proving to be very interesting. However, I’m very excited for the potential growth that this arrangement holds for the both of us.

In addition, I’m much more involved in some areas of teaching than I was before: English, Spanish, and Music! Several of the girls in the youth group are learning English in school and come to me for help and tutoring, I’ve been asked to teach our new staff-couple Spanish, and I’m translating for several different music classes (piano, voice, and bass)! This is proving a bit challenging and quite time-consuming, actually, but I am learning a ton as a result!

Youth Leadership

As I mentioned already, Steve and Geña are in the US until the middle of January, and they left our four student leaders in charge of running the youth activities during their absence (with me as a support and resource for them). So far they are doing a great job, which is what we expected! Jesús (nicknamed Chuy) has already led one Youth Group study and Julio is in charge of worship for those meetings. The four of them are finalizing plans for our November youth rally, LIFE NIGHT, on November 24. They are also putting together the youth Christmas gift exchange, and they decided to each take charge of one of the four studies in January. So, they are also praying for the Lord to reveal an overarching theme for that month in order to tie their studies together as a series. In addition, Chuy, Martin, and Julio will be taking charge of the Christmas soccer tournament from December 26-29, which is quite a large undertaking yet one they are quite capable of handling!

This has been Steve and Geña’s prayer and vision for the youth ministry for several years now: that the ministry would be led by the youth, while we the staff are there to oversee and act as support, guidance, and resources for them as the Lord fulfills His dreams for the ministry! We are so excited to see this vision finally start to take form and shape among our youth! PRAISE THE LORD!!

Mentor Gazette…

I’m excited about several developments with Sandy. First, she was donated a factory-refurbished Nikon D40 digital SLR camera this summer! She’s having a blast playing with it and learning its ins and outs. Her photography continues to improve, much to my daily astonishment! We have opened a bank account for her so that she may open a PayPal account and be able to therefore sell her photography online in the form of prints and other merchandise. We are still in the development stages for this endeavor, but we’ll keep you posted and let you know when her stuff is finally available for sale.

The other development that is particularly exciting concerns her leadership among the youth, specifically among the young girls. Now that Sandy is an official leader among the youth, I consider her a partner where girls’ ministry is concerned and continue to push and encourage her to identify needs or opportunities among the girls and seek ways to meet or take advantage of them. We have a very young group of girls this year in our youth group, but they are extremely receptive to the Word the Truth it offers about their identity and discipleship. However, we have also faced yet again the tragedy of a young girl running away from home to live with her boyfriend. This is always heartbreaking. It’s the fourth time in the last year, and Sandy is tired of seeing our girls fall to this!! As a result of this latest incident, she felt the call to develop a series of “Fireside Chats” that will deal with issues of Friendship, Dating, Sexuality, and other related topics from a practical standpoint. The goal is to teach them the Biblical principles that God has given us for living our lives but in a way that applies them to the practical and cultural issues that these girls face daily. The desire is that we not lose anymore of our girls! She has developed an outline for each of the major topics she feels need to be addressed, and she is in the process of doing the development of Biblical passages that apply and teach on each one. I’m extremely proud of her and excited for this passion that has been placed on her heart! Please keep her in your prayers as she continues to seek the Lord’s wisdom and power not only in the planning but in the execution of this vision!

Happy Thanksgiving!

As we approach this Thanksgiving holiday, I find myself thinking about all the blessings as well as all the challenges that the Lord has showered upon me since coming to Mexico and even just in the last few months. I can honestly admit that I would not trade this time for anything less than the physical presence of Christ. Paul said it best: “To live is Christ and to die is gain.” Amen! I pray that this Thanksgiving holiday will be filled with the peace and contentment in the Author and Perfector of our faith, because “He who promised is FAITHFUL”.

O Baby!!!

2007-12-07T11:36:00.000-07:00

FAVI HAD HER BABY!!!!!

I am pleased to announce the birth of

Joan Tapia Sanchez

on
December 1, 2007

He's so precious, and all his aunties just love him to death!! Interesting fact: it doesn't matter if someone is your parents' cousin, friend, or really an aunt, they call everyone aunt or uncle. That makes me an auntie!!!!

Sandy with Joan at 2 days old, the day they came home. This is the same day as the picture of me with Joan above.

Joan in his Santa Suit!

Joan (pronounced with the accent on the "a"...JoAN) is a derivative of John, which means "gift from God." And that he most certainly is! Favi and her husband, Javier, have been trying for several years now to have a baby without any results. Now, they have their little gift from God. Favi says that when she realized she was pregnant, she laid down on the floor thanking the Lord for answering her prayers!

I also wanted to tell you about Lupe's baby. He was born in Guadalajara, and I didn't meet him until I returned in October, so that's why I never put an announcement up. I am pleased to introduce you to:

Angel Villarreal
born
August 1, 2007.

He is such a sweet heart. He loves to snuggle, smile, and talk! We all enjoy playing with him too!

I'm definitely having fun with all these new "nephews" surrounding me! I love the two of them to death!

AND....I think I posted here back in the summer that Favi's sister, Brenda, gave birth to her second child on July 2, and that it was a girl whom they named after me! That was very exciting and touching! So, I am also pleased to introduce you to:

Amber Eileen Sanchez Villarreal

born
July 2, 2007

The two Ambers!

She is a chubby, happy little thing, and all her aunties are also enjoying finally having a little girl to snuggle with and spoil! She's a total cutie and looks just like her big brother and her cousins, Joan and Angel!

So, lots of babies to make life even more fun and sweet!

O Christmas Tree...

2007-12-05T11:57:00.000-07:00

On December 1, I invited all the youth girls to my house to help decorate my Christmas tree. I did this last year, and it was a ton of fun. Last year four girls attended: Mili, Sandy, Sandy Paz, and Ana. We had a good time, and my tree was beautiful. This year, NINE girls attneded including Sandy, Mili, and Ana (Sandy Paz is no longer in the area).

Here we are!
Left couch (L-R): Claudia, Sandy, me
Back couch (L-R): Adie, Mili, Cintia
Floor back (L-R): Ana, Cecilia
Floor front (L-R): Gabriela, Tencha

I bought my own lights that have 16 different patterns (they were borrowed last year), a few more decorations (these were actually a gift from Sandy...9 handmade porcelain ornaments that are designed like toys from Santa's Shop), some more ribbon, and a tree skirt.

These are the ornaments Sandy bought me for my birthday! They are my favorites of all! The doll is actually a bell!

I made muffins and brownies and apple cider, as well as little finger sandwiches and sweets. Flavia also had given me a bowl of Soy Cebiche (soy product with carrots, lime, and some other veggies..very yummy...eaten with tostadas). So, we had a mixture of light lunch foods and desserts, and everyone enjoyed the time.

Cintia & Tencha enjoying goodies in the kitchen

Gabriela & Adie enjoying hot homemade apple cider and coffee!

The girls made record time decorating the tree. Most had never decorated a tree before and had no clue how to go about doing so, but they did it with passion! It was rather interesting because just that week one of the three plastic feet to my tree broke and I couldn't fix it. So, I had to fill a bucket with rocks in order to get it to stand up. So, it was a little precarious with 9 girls crammed into a corner trying to decorate my tree in a way that it wouldn't fall over. But it was finished, and it's exquisite!

After we finished, the girls decided they wanted to watch Narnia. So, we popped it in and snacked away. Then it was time to get ready for youth group which was that evening! We had a really great time of fellowship, and my tree is just beautiful! It puts a smile on my face every time I see it, and its light totally changes the ambiance of my living room! Yea for Christmas trees!!

Ana & Cecilia decorating the tree while the rest of us get other ornaments ready

Since I had no tree topper or star, the girls fashioned a tree topper for me using a candle wreath ornament and the porcelain doll ornament. I love it!

Ana enjoying some sweets.

Claudia (& Sandy...half pictured) watching on as the decorating frenzie continues.

Mili with the musical "snow globe" that my step-mom sent me for Christmas last year. This is a favorite decoration among my youth girls! It plays music and "snows"!!

Ana and Cecilia beginning to put the ribbon on the tree. I prefer ribbon to garlands..it sparkles prettier in my opinion! I had two kinds this year. One is blue and gold, the other is sparkly white!

All done!!

My 28th Birthday Party

2007-11-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a couple of weeks since my birthday, but I finally got the pictures from the event. So, I wanted to post them. Sandy and Mili's mom made a birthday dinner for me again this year. We ate birria with rice, and their aunt Pola made me a chocolate cake. It was seriously the best cake I've tasted in longer than I can remember! It was a really fun time. Then that weekend, Mili and Sandy spent the night. To make it a special night (rather than all the other times they spend the night), we went and ate tacos in the town square and bought churros for dessert. Then we came back, opened presents, and watched a movie while eating churros. It was a very special birthday, that is for sure, and God has been so good to me through it all. Enjoy the pics!

The party area in their yard just outside the kitchen. The house is to the left outside of the picture.

The party in full swing. There's eating at the table, and visiting here in front. A good time was had by all!

The cake arriving. Boy was it yummy! Thanks, Pola!

Flavia (blue shirt) and Pola (black shirt) cutting the cake and giving it to me to serve.

La Mordida. The typical tradition is the birthday person takes a big bite out of the cake, and with little kids, they will push their head into the cake as they take the bite! No worries...Mili is faking it here!

Opening presents in my recently-flooded apartment. That's why things are so out of place!

This was giving to me by Faith's mom, Leeann, who was visiting during my birthday. It's hand-made by an indigenous group here in Mexico. Beautiful! Thanks, Leeann!!

Some cute magnets given to me by Aide, Mili and Sandy's little sister. I LOVE them and was in desperate need of magnets, so I really appreciated this gift!

Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T10:35:00.000-07:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!

New Link

2007-11-20T23:00:00.000-07:00

Just to let everyone know, I have added a slide show of Sandy's photography on the right under my profile. It feeds from the albums I've created of her stuff on my Flickr site. Under the slide show is a section for links related to her photography. Currently, there is only one. It is for the website we have created to sell her stuff (there is nothing for sale quite yet). As we continue to get our acts together concerning her photography, we'll post updates here so you will know where to see her stuff and how to buy prints and other merchandise if you so choose. But in the meantime, enjoy the slide show!

Revolution Day Parade

2007-11-20T22:59:00.000-07:00

So, since today is Mexican Revolution Day, there were no classes. However, all the kids have to dress in their uniforms and are part of a parade. Each school has its own color guard (carries the flag), and they all have their own ways of dressing up in traditional costumes and celebrating the day. I don't know if I have mentioned yet, but Mili is now living with me while Steve and Gena are in the states. She started high school this year (even though she's turning 18 in March), so she needs to stay here in Cofradia during the week. Anyway, Mili was chosen to be Sargent of the High School Color Guard! She was in color guard in middle school as well, so she knew what she was doing, but it was my first time seeing her in one of these parades. So, i took the opportunity to head to the center of town for the ceremonies that kick off the parade and to take pictures of her and of other kids parading and having a good time. There's also some video, so enjoy!

Here's a video of the elementary school color guard presenting the flag for the pledge to start off the festive events. Enjoy!

The Cofradia Parade. All four schools are represented plus many others! The event is put on by the elementary school, so they are in front.

They dress up in traditional costumes.

The high school color guard. Mili is in the front row all the way to the Left. That is the Sargent position.

The preschool color guard.

The rest of the preschool in uniform and formation.

Sandy took some pictures in Arrayanes as well. The two towns have their own schools, so they both had parades simultaneously. So, here are some of Sandy's pics.

The babies dressed up as soldiers.

This is Coco. He just turned 2 and is Brenda's sons. She is one of Sandy and Mili's cousins.

This is the Arrayanes junior high color guard. Aide, Sandy and Mili's little sister, is also Sargent. She's front row left.

Diego, Sandy and Mili's little brother is here marching with the elementary school. He's the second to the left with the red ball.

Day of the Mexican Revolution

2007-11-20T17:41:00.000-07:00

Today, November 20, which is called "Day of the Mexican Revolution." There are several key dates in Mexican history that most foreigners consider to be sort of like Independence Days: May 5 (Cinco de Mayo), September 15-16 (El Grito), and November 20 (Mexican Revolution Day). I often confuse them, so I figured there are others who do as well. So, I'm posting articles that explain each of these three important patriotic days. Enjoy and please continue to pray for peace and growth in this country!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
article taken from: http://www.inside-mexico.com/revolucion.htm

November 20: Commemoration of the
Mexican Revolution

On November 20, Mexico celebrates the anniversary of its Revolution. On this date, in the year 1910 the war to overthrow the dictator Porfirio Díaz, began.

General Porfirio Díaz had been an important military figure during the wars against the foreign invaders, and had tried to overthrow President Benito Juarez in 1872. Then again, he rebelled against President Lerdo de Tejada in 1876 and won.

Don Porfirio , as he was called, had been in power for more than 30 years (1876-191). Under his rule, Mexico had political stability and grew in many areas, creating new industries, railroads, kilometers of railroad tracks as well as the increase of foreign capital. Non-the less, this progress was not translated into the peoples’ well being. Soon there was political unrest. The unhappiest sectors of the Mexican society were the peasants and labor workers. To defend these two popular sectors, Ricardo Flores Magón founded the Mexican Liberal Party. Flores Magón was obviously persecuted by the Porfirist regime, and died in an American prison. In 1906 the army brutally repressed a strike of miners in the Cananea mine in Sonora. As you can see, Díaz did every thing in his power to crush any uprisings. The Cananea massacre is historically considered the spark that finally ignited Mexico’s Revolution.

Porfirio Díaz wasn’t oblivious to all this pressure, so in 1908 in an interview given to an American journalist, James Creelman, he stated:

"I have waited patiently for the day when the people of the Mexican Republic would be prepared to choose and change their. Government at every election without danger of armed revolutions and without injury to the national credit or interference with national progress. I believe that day has come."I welcome an opposition party in the Mexican Republic," he said. "If it appears, I will regard it as a blessing, not as an evil.”

In early 1909 Francisco I. Madero founded the Anti Reelectionist Party.

Madero came from a wealthy family from Coahuila. He had studied business in France as well as in the U.S. He vigorously fought against reelection and for democracy and liberty in Mexico through his political newspaper articles.

The Anti Reelectionist party designated him to run for President in the elections of 1910.

Díaz was now under constant pressure, and on June 6^th he ordered the imprisonment of Madero, augmenting that he was “inciting rebellion and offending the authorities”. Francisco I. Madero was taken to a prison in San Luis Potosí, where he awaited the results of the elections. There he learned that through an electoral fraud Díaz declared himself President of Mexico one more time!

Then and there Madero, who had always been a pacifist, decided to flee from prison and call for a National Insurrection on November 20 1910. He declared the electoral process invalid and appointed provisional Governors. Immediately, uprising broke out in several Mexican states. The first were Puebla, Coahuila, Chihuahua, and Sonora.

Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, was taken by the insurrectors: Pascual Orozco and Francisco “Pancho” Villa. When the city surrendered Madero set up his provisional government there. Díaz was then forced to resign and had to abandon the country.

Some of the most important Revolutionaries were Pascual Orozco, Francisco Villa in the northern states, and Emiliano Zapata in the south.

New elections took place in 1911, and Madero was elected President of Mexico. Unfortunately, peace was not to come to this country for a while. Several Revolutionary leaders couldn’t settle their differences. Madero wanted to work steadily and patiently towards bettering the economic and social situation. But many revolutionary commanders wanted immediate change, which was impossible to accomplish. Pascual Orozco, for example, led and lost a revolt against Madero.

Three Porfirist generals also attacked President Madero, who in turn, appointed Victoriano Huerta to repress the offensive. A fatal decision…. In time history would prove that Victoriano Huerta was the utmost traitor of the Revolution. Francisco I. Madero was captured and assassinated by Huerta’s accomplices. The vice-president and a brother of Madero were also killed.

Huerta’s victory would be short-lived. A new Revolutionary movement emerged with unprecedented force; it was called the Constitutionalist Movement. Huerta had to flee the country in 1914. In 1917 the Constitution was reformed. Fighting among revolutionary groups did not end until 1920.

The Revolution had at last triumphed!

Mexican Independence Day

2007-11-20T17:40:00.000-07:00

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
article taken from: http://www.inside-mexico.com/featureindep.htm

Mexican Independence Day

September 16: El Grito de Independencia

El Grito every 16^th of September is the Mexican Fiesta par excellence! On this day Mexicans all over the world celebrate Mexico’s independence from Spanish rule.

As you know, indigenous peoples were the first to inhabit what is now known as Mexico. They created great civilizations such as the Olmec, the Teotihuacan, Maya, Toltec, and of course the most powerful of all, the Aztec Empire.

After Christopher Columbus “discovered” America, the Spaniards carried out expeditions to find gold and riches from these faraway lands. In 1521, about 500 Spanish soldiers arrived in Mexico, headed by an ambitious man: Hernán Cortés. At this time, the Aztecs had built a great empire that ruled over all Mesoamérica. So the Spaniards decided to direct their attacks towards them.

The indigenous nations that were under the Aztec rule were tired of the physical and economic hardships imposed upon them by this empire. This circumstance made them think that by helping the Conquerors defeat the Aztecs, they would be better of. So they decided to aid the Spaniards. This is how the Conquest of what is now Mexico began.

On the 13^th of August 1521,Cuauhtémo, the last Aztec emperor was captured. The indigenous allies of the Spaniards raided Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec empire. They didn’t know it at the time, but they had been liberated from one oppressor and fallen in the hands of a much more powerful authoritarian. This was the beginning of three centuries of Spanish rule. The new colony was named Nueva España, New Spain.

The years that followed were devastating. The conquerors brought with them diseases unknown to the natives. The epidemics that broke out as well as the merciless workload imposed upon the natives dramatically diminished the Indian population. There were approximately 20 million Indians inhabiting this territory before the Conquest, and after just one century of Spanish rule there were only 1 million left!

Colonial society was highly stratified. Spaniards born in Spain, occupied the higher echelons, followed by Criollos, those born in Mexico from Spanish parents; Mestizos, the mix- blood offspring of Spaniards and Natives; Indios, Native Indians; Negros, African slaves.

Each socio-ethnic group had different rights and duties. The privileged were the peninsular Spaniards. Discontent steadily grew, especially amongst the Criollo, who were always treated as second-class subjects of the Spanish Crown. It is no surprise then, that Criollos were the spark that ignited the Independence movement.

In 1808, Napoleon invaded Spain, and decided to impose his brother José Bonaparte, as king of Spain (1808-1810). The Criollos found in this circumstance the opportunity to seek their independence form Spain. Influenced by the concepts of liberty, equality and democracy proposed by the French philosophers Rousseau, Montesquieu, Voltaire, and by the war of Independence of the United States, they decided to start a revolt. It was 1810, and their plan was to start the war on the 2^nd of October. Unfortunately, their plans were discovered in early September. The movement was in trouble. They had two alternatives; either abandon their plans, or move faster and start the revolt immediately. Fortunately for our country they decided upon the second alternative.

In the early hours of September 16, 1810, father Hidalgo, accompanied by several conspirators –Iganacio Allende, Doña Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez- rang the bell of his little church, calling everyone to fight for liberty. This was the beginning of the Independence War, which lasted 10 years.

Celebrating!

(see my post from El Grito 2006)

And this is the moment that every 16^th of September is re enacted in every plaza o zócalo of Mexico, and commemorated by Mexicans all over the world.

Streets, houses, buildings and cars are decorated everywhere in the country. On every street corner there are vendors selling flags, balloons, sombreros and rehiletes -shuttlecock, all with the green, white and red, our National Colors. Flags wave from practically every house and building. Lighted decorations are set up in every city, the most spectacular being those of the Zócalo, main plaz, in Mexico City. This main plaza of every town and city is the place where the great 16 De Septiembre celebrations take place. People of all ages come to this fiesta, to take part in the collective gaiety!

Food is always a very important part of these festivities. Literally hundreds of stands are set up several days before and offer the traditional antojitos, most aptly described as a variety of finger foods, Mexican candies, and punch. Punch. ponche, is a drink made of fruits that are in season: guayabas, sugarcane, raisins and apples, and such a delicious aroma!

During September, Mes de la Patria, the month of our nation as it is called in Mexico, restaurants serve traditional Mexican dishes, such as Mole Poblano, Chiles en Nogada, Guacamole and chips.

During the evening of September 15, people start gathering in the zócalo. Many people walk around dressed in typical Mexican dress: men as Charros and women as China Poblanas, or indigenous dresses. Those who don't own a typical outfit, at least dress find something to wear in the colors of the flag.

Live Mariachi Music bands play to the delight of all present. There are also photography stands where one can have a picture taken, attired with a sombrero and atop a wooden horse!

The euphoria is collective and all are prepared to shout, yell and make as much noise as possible with fake trumpets, noisemakers and whistles! As the evening advances, the plaza gradually fills with more and more people; suddenly there is practically no room to move. Excitement and euphoria reach a crescendo at the culminating moment when a government official arrives in the zócalo, at 11:00 P.M. to give the grito or cry of Independence. This ritual recreates the moment in which Father Hidalgo, gathered his followers in Dolores Guanajuato.

It is customary for our President to deliver the grito in Mexico City’s zócalo. It is in this plaza, atop Palacio Nacional, the National Palace -a beautiful colonial building where the President’s offices are located-, that the original bell rung by Hidalgo is placed. And this is the bell that is rung every 16^th of September.

The ceremony reaches the high point when the crowd joins in proudly shouting out the names of the heroes of our Independence, to end with the exciting VIVA MÉXICO!

When the grito ceremony ends, the sky lights up with multicolored rockets that shower our hearts with the pride of knowing that we are a free and independent nation.

Cinco de Mayo

2007-11-20T17:38:00.000-07:00

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

article taken from: http://www.mexonline.com/cinco-de-mayo.htm

The History of Cinco de Mayo

Introduction
The holiday of Cinco De Mayo, The 5th Of May, commemorates the victory of the Mexican militia over the French army at The Battle Of Puebla in 1862. It is primarily a regional holiday celebrated in the Mexican state capital city of Puebla and throughout the state of Puebla, with some limited recognition in other parts of Mexico, and especially in U.S. cities with a significant Mexican population. It is not, as many people think, Mexico's Independence Day, which is actually September 16

Setting The Stage
The battle at Puebla in 1862 happened at a violent and chaotic time in Mexico's history. Mexico had finally gained independence from Spain in 1821 after a difficult and bloody struggle, and a number of internal political takeovers and wars, including the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) and the Mexican Civil War of 1858, had ruined the national economy.

During this period of struggle Mexico had accumulated heavy debts to several nations, including Spain, England and France, who were demanding repayment. Similar debt to the U.S. was previously settled after the Mexican-American War. France was eager to expand its empire at that time, and used the debt issue to move forward with goals of establishing its own leadership in Mexico. Realizing France's intent of empire expansion, Spain and England withdrew their support. When Mexico finally stopped making any loan payments, France took action on its own to install Napoleon III's relative, Archduke Maximilian of Austria, as ruler of Mexico.

Mexico Confronts The Invasion
France invaded at the gulf coast of Mexico along the state of Veracruz (see map) and began to march toward Mexico City, a distance today of less than 600 miles. Although American President Abraham Lincoln was sympathetic to Mexico's cause, and for which he is honored in Mexico, the U.S. was involved in its own Civil War at the time and was unable to provide any direct assistance.

Marching on toward Mexico City, the French army encountered strong resistance near Puebla at the Mexican forts of Loreto and Guadalupe. Lead by Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin, a smaller, poorly armed militia estimated at 4,500 men were able to stop and defeat a well outfitted French army of 6,500 soldiers, which stopped the invasion of the country. The victory was a glorious moment for Mexican patriots, which at the time helped to develop a needed sense of national unity, and is the cause for the historical date's celebration.

Unfortunately, the victory was short lived. Upon hearing the bad news, Napoleon III had found an excuse to send more troops overseas to try and invade Mexico again, even against the wishes of the French populace. 30,000 more troops and a full year later, the French were eventually able to depose the Mexican army, take over Mexico City and install Maximilian as the ruler of Mexico.

Maximilian's rule of Mexico was also short lived, from 1864 to 1867. With the American Civil War now over, the U.S. began to provide more political and military assistance to Mexico to expel the French, after which Maximilian was executed by the Mexicans - his bullet riddled shirt is kept at the museum at Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City. So despite the eventual French invasion of Mexico City, Cinco de Mayo honors the bravery and victory of General Zaragoza's smaller, outnumbered militia at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.

Today's Celebration
For the most part, the holiday of Cinco de Mayo is more of a regional holiday in Mexico, celebrated most vigorously in the state of Puebla. There is some limited recognition of the holiday throughout the country with different levels of enthusiasm, but it's nothing like that found in Puebla.

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo has become increasingly popular along the U.S.-Mexico border and in parts of the U.S. that have a high population of people with a Mexican heritage. In these areas the holiday is a celebration of Mexican culture, of food, music, beverage and customs unique to Mexico.

Commercial interests in the United States and Mexico have also had a hand in promoting the holiday, with products and services focused on Mexican food, beverages and festivities, with music playing a more visible role as well. Several cities throughout the U.S. hold parades and concerts during the week following up to May 5th, so that Cinco de Mayo has become a bigger holiday north of the border than it is to the south, and being adopted into the holiday calendar of more and more people every year.

Our Youth...

2007-11-18T23:12:00.000-07:00

I was supposed to sing with the worship team this morning, but it didn't happen because I've come down with some sort of throat/chest cold. But since I had to pick up Mili at 7 am for practice, I sat in on practice anyway. I found myself thanking the Lord that we have such amazing kids in our youth group. He's done some wonderful works in the hearts of SO MANY young people.

Then as I sat there watching this worship band, composed primarily of youth and led by a 17 year old (Mili), my eye happened to catch that one of the police men walked out into the middle of the street and was just standing there listening to them practice (the police station is right next to the the base). In that moment it struck me: so many of the young people around here are running off with their boyfriends/girlfriends because they can't control their passions, or they are getting involved with drugs, alcohol, smoking, etc., or they're staying out late and sleeping in. To those kids, Sunday is just another day. It doesn't mean anything. Those policemen deal with fights and crimes, and from time to time those issues involve youth. And what are our kids doing at 7 am on a Sunday morning? They show up WILLINGING to set up all the instruments and speakers and sound, then they practice the entire worship set for the second time this week. They aren't sleeping in, and they don't complain about it. Not only that, they ENJOY worshiping the Lord with their voices, instruments, hearts, and lives...even at 7 am in the morning!!! I watched that policeman out in the street and thought about what amazement might have been passing through his mind at that moment, about what kind of a testimony these kids are to the changing and life-giving power of Christ, and I prayed for them and thanked the Lord that the future of this area, this state, and this nation will be eternally different because he changed a few kids here and now. How incredible is that?!

So, I thought I'd post a video from Sunday's worship service. Mili is now taking voice lessons with Faye, one of our new staff members. She has come a long way as a worship leader and as a vocalist since I first started listening to her almost two years ago. She used to have a very hard time staying on pitch, but she has learned to hear the music and adjust herself. She really does have a beautiful, strong voice. Well, now she's taking voice lessons from Faye, and we're in the process of changing the songs into keys that she can actually sing (many of them are simply too high for her since Steve is usually the one leading). The rest of the band isn't too thrilled about having to learn all new chords, but they'll get it quickly enough. This was the first time she sang after her first voice lesson, in which she learned about supporting from her diaphragm. I was stunned in practice at the voice that came out of her when she sang the way she was supposed to...and she did a pretty great job staying on pitch even when her backup vocalist rarely did!

I'm just so proud I could bust!! Enjoy!

Youth-led Youth Ministry

2007-11-18T22:50:00.000-07:00

So, Steve and Gena are in the states getting a much-deserved rest and time with their family. This means that they aren't here to lead youth meetings and worship, etc. So, who's in charge then?

THE YOUTH!!!

Or more specifically, the student leaders (and myself as their support and resource). Last night was our weekly youth group meeting. Julio led worship, I did announcements, and the plan had already been in place for Chuy to do the study. He shared from the first chapter of Stomping out the Darkness by Neil T. Anderson and Dave Park. He did a really great job, and everything I hear is that the small group discussions afterward went very well. I know in the one group of girls, which was led by Sandy, the girls were all very open and participatory. They were all 12-15 years old plus Mili who is 17, so it was good that they were all answering questions, etc. I was especially impressed when one of them gave a very personal admission that even though Scripture tells us we're no longer sinners (but rather saints who from time to time sin), she still feels like a sinner. Talk about honesty and vulnerability! And she's 12!! It was very encouraging to me that she felt comfortable enough to share something like that in our small group time. The Lord is working in them, that's for sure!

Julio leading worship at youth group.

Bible study time. We had almost 30 kids there that night!

Chuy leading the study from Stomping Out the Darkness.

Julio's small group praying at the end of their discussion time.

Then this afternoon, the student leaders had a planning meeting that they put together! All I did was help them set a time to start! They met here at the church and discussed the status of plans and the schedule for this week's youth rally, LIFE NIGHT. They also discussed issues pertaining to the youth gift exchange for Christmas, the youth Christmas sketch, and weekly youth group studies for the next two months (while Steve and Gena are gone).

The other issue that was discussed was the re-starting of our Navigators 2:7 discipleship course. We want to start it from the beginning for those who have never started the class before. All of our student leaders have completed this course and continued on with mentors who are either staff or church leaders, and now they themselves are leaders. We want to continue to reproduce this growth and leadership. So, the student leaders are excited about having the opportunity to participate in the teaching of this discipleship course this time around! I think it will be really cool!! So, Steve....they are all onboard!

God is just so great!

Ana

2007-11-17T09:36:00.001-07:00

Ana is my newest mentoree. She turns 15 on Nov. 25 (which is a big deal here in Mexico, by the way), and she's handful sometimes. But she's really sweet, and she has a good heart.

Last week we had our second meeting, and I told her to start thinking and praying about whether she wanted to study a book of the Bible or if she wanted to do the book Stomping Out the Darkness by Neil T. Anderson and Dave Park. And of course, if she chose to study the Bible first, then what book she wanted to study. On Sunday, she dropped the bomb...

"Amber! I know what book I want to study!!! REVELATION!!!" she said with all the excitement in the world.

And I started back-pedaling in my head. Of all the books in the Bible, she HAD to choose Revelation. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a great book. Lots of meat to chew on. Lots to learn. Interesting read. And I'm sure it's even more than that. But there's also a lot there that remains cryptic to us because we're not SUPPOSED to know how it ALL is going to work out...not until it happens.

But how can I crush her enthusiasm for Scripture. I want to encourage that! I don't know many 15-year-olds (and especially in our youth group) who are excited to study one of the most difficult books of the Bible. But just thinking about it really revved her up.

"Oh Lord, fan that flame in Ana, and please give me wisdom to rightly divide your Word of truth."

Birthday Musings..

2007-11-16T14:24:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!

I love birthdays, especially mine. I love the concept of celebrating our lives, especially when Christ is involved in those lives. It's a gift to get to live this life, it's a gift to be able to know others and share in their lives. I love the idea of celebrating the blessing of others and the fact that all those years ago God set those blessings in motion when we had no clue they were even on their way. How amazing!

But I find that this year, my birthday holds a little less of the luster it usually has for me. I normally get so excited WEEKS before it arrives, and I plan activities and such just enjoy the day the best that I can. This year, I feel like it sneaked up on me and surprised me....that I wasn't quite ready for its arrival. I mean it's still a good day, don't get me wrong. And I'm enjoying it. But for the first time I can remember, it's not so exciting, and the most confounding part is that I'm not sure why!

Oh, well, regardless, I'm going to enjoy every moment of this day, and I'm going to enjoy prolonging it with sleep-overs in the week to come and packages that will arrive in a couple weeks, etc. I fully support the concept of celebrating a birthday for an entire month! And that's what I fully intend to do!

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

Evangelism Weekend

2007-11-12T23:02:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had a guest pastor come and preach for an evangelism crusade weekend. His name is Rafael Gradilla. He's originally from Guadalajara (and therefore Mexican), but he and his family live in Seattle where he pastors a church. It was a total blessing to have him here.

Friday night he preached just for the church and encouraged them in leadership. He talked about the blessing of being a leader as well as the responsibility. He preached about Steven and Phillip and how they were faithful in the smallest thing, beginning their ministry as deacons feeding the widows at the table. And because they were faithful to the Lord in the smallest things, He placed them in greater and greater influences and ministry until Steven ended up a martyr for Christ and Phillip ended up preaching in Samaria, thus fulfilling Christ's word to the disciples when he said they would preach with power when the Spirit came upon them and would be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judah, Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the world. It was an encouraging word in so many ways, and the ministry time was precious indeed!

On Saturday, we had the service in our new church facility. It's not anywhere close to be completed or ready for regular services. However, we did finally get electricity, and the sanctuary floor and platform have been completed since March. So, we moved all our sound equipment over there for the evening, rented 130 chairs, and set it all up. It was a great time, and what a precious moment to be witnesses to the realization of a HUGE dream -- that being this church facility and the unifying of our current church bodies and the harvesting of even more souls for the Lord! It was so incredible! The pastor spoke about the excellency and power of the name of Jesus Christ. What a blessing, and again, an encouragement! And of course, more amazing ministry time afterward!

The service in the new sanctuary...you're actually only looking at about half of it! You can't fit the whole thing in a picture this close!

The youth during worship

Pastor Rafael Gradilla preaching on Saturday

Then on Sunday morning he preached the Sunday service. He spoke about the blessing of living under the filling and influence/guidance of the Holy Spirit. He spoke from 1 Samuel when Samuel anointed Saul as the first king of Israel and the results of living under the filling and influence/guidance of the Holy Spirit:
1. Filling of the Spirit and living out of the fruit of the Spirit in us, namely love.
2. Authority.
3. (oops...I forgot this one, but I'll fill it in when I get the audio sets..forgive me)
4. Divine provision.
5. Becoming a new person.
6. Power to do all that is put before us to do.

Again, the ministry time was powerful. The Lord was moving (of course) all weekend. Lives were changed. Lives were saved. Hearts were healed. Sins were repented of and forgiven. Lives were filled, etc!

Sunday morning service with Pastor Rafael

I found myself challenged at every step in my own personal devotion, in ministry, in attitudes and thought, etc. It was a time of renewing and challenge. Quite an answer to prayer, really. Now to make sure that I continue to daily seek to be faithful in the little things, to remember who's power lives in me always, and to keep in step with the Spirit first and foremost in all things! It sounds easier than it is, but I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

The Warning...

2007-11-12T22:50:00.000-07:00

"Don't fail them," he said to me. "These young women are looking to you. In your personal life, your thoughts, your actions, don't fail them. Don't fail them."

Yikes...talk about pressure....talk about being scared to your knees. There's nothing like that warning to drive a woman to her knees in prayer, begging the Lord to not let her fail them....to not let me fail them.

"Lord, please don't let me fail them!"

Flooded...

2007-11-10T22:54:00.000-07:00

So, today, in the middle of our evangelism weekend, my apartment flooded. Yes it did!

Here's the irony of the last few days. Thursday night and Friday night I was awakened in the middle of the night by mad itching on each of my arms (one on Thurs. and the other on Fri.) resulting from mosquito bites received while blissfully sleeping and even dreaming. However, even in my dreams the itching would start and would eventually wake me up. I would then find these huge welts and my whole arm itching from reaction. Each night I got up (this being about 2 am) and spent some time trying to ease the reaction with benedryl creme and after bite liquid. Then I spent time finding those blasted mosquitoes so that I would not be woken again for the same reasons. Thursday night I killed one. Friday night I killed three and was aware of a fourth but he flew out of my room before I could catch him. So, I just shut the door to keep him out, which worked.

So, last night I went to bed praying desperately for the Lord to reveal to me that fourth mosquito before I went to sleep so that I could sleep the whole night without being woken up in the middle of the night with more bug bites.

I did sleep through the night....only to wake up in the morning to an inch of water covering all three rooms of my apartment! Everything was SOAKED! I vaguely remember hearing water running in my bathroom about 10 minutes before my alarm went off, but in my sleepy delerium, I thought someone was in the shower (even though no one else is currently sharing my bathroom). But when my alarm went off at 7, I got out of bed to go turn it off and stood up in a pool of water. That woke me up fast, and I raced to get Dave.

The irony: the two nights when there was no good reason to be awake in the middle of the night, I am awakened. But the one night it would have been good to have been awakened for some reason, I sleep quite contentedly and peacefully and then have to clean up a flood! Go Figure!!!

Turns out the hose that runs to the tank on my toilet broke off from the tank and was flooding my apartment for about an hour before I woke up. Dave and I spent an hour squeegeeing water out of my apartment. Then Cunda (a local woman who often works for us when we have teams) came and helped me clean up and dry off my floor and put all my WOOD furniture up on blocks. Yes, ALL my furniture is wood!

Then Sandy helped me dry off the bottom of all the furniture and get all the rest of the stuff dried off as much as possible. As it is, half my stuff is spending the night outside still drying out or waiting until the floor is dry enough to have something sitting on it without causing mold to grow underneath.

Mold is the biggest concern now. It's still pretty humid here and hot. It's not unbearably hot like it was this summer, but it's still in the 90s easy by 11 am. And the humidity is generally around 90% by the afternoon. So, all my windows and my door were open all day to dry stuff out today, and tonight I shut all the windows and doors and turned on the AC that is in my bedroom. Usually that is only for cooling my bedroom, and I only use it (usually) from about May through September/October. If it's really humid at night then I'll turn it on, but usually by this time of year it's not necessary because the nights are starting to get really cool. However, Dave said that in order to keep the humidity down in my apartment to prevent mold from setting in, I need to keep the AC on all day and night for the next several WEEKS! So, this will be an interesting change of atmosphere in my apartment. :)

Anyway, of course this happened in the middle of our evangelism weekend. We have a pastor visiting from Seattle (Rafael Gradilla). He's Mexican, but he lives and pastors in Seattle. He's been down here before, but it was before my time. I am really enjoying his preaching. Last night he did a service just for the church on leadership and the blessings and responsibilities that holds for us if we are faithful in the little.

Today we had an evangelistic service in the NEW CHURCH facility!!!! It is the first time we've had any events in that facility. It's not anywhere near to being finished. There isn't even a roof on the sanctuary yet. But we just got electricity this week, and the sanctuary floor and platform are completed (in Feb and March), so we had what we needed to do this. Tonight the sermon was on "Excellency of the name of Jesus Christ". It was GREAT! And the ministry time after both services was such a welcome time. The Lord is working! It's neat to hear stories, and it's neat to be ministered to for once in a great while!

Tomorrow morning at our Sunday service, the pastor will preach again, this time on "Living under the filling and guidance of the Holy Spirit." I'm excited to hear it. This is reviving type stuff. And there were a ton of people who came forward tonight to receive Christ or to receive prayer for their needs.

Keep us in prayer the rest of this weekend please, and especially going into the next weeks and months as that's when the spiritual high starts to where off and the rubber starts meeting the road!

And please pray AGAINST mold in my apartment because once that sets in, it's really difficult to really get rid of it!

It's Tough...

2007-11-05T00:16:00.000-07:00

...watching your friends struggle and suffer and not being able to do anything for them to fix it and make it all better. I get that from my dad, I think...being a "fix-er". It's something the Lord has been working on me about for many years now: learning how to stop trying to do His job in the lives of others. But I'm not sure it ever gets easier. Sure, each time the Lord tries me in it, (hopefully) I come out the other side better able to step back and let Him be the sovereign, omniscient, perfectly Good God that He is in the lives of those I love. But nowhere in the equation have I yet to find that learning how to do that better makes it any easier to watch my loved one suffer and struggle. I KNOW they have to do it for themselves, but that doesn't mean that I have to like that it is that way......or maybe that's part of the lesson too. I'm not sure, but suffice it to say that it has been a roller coaster couple of weeks being back here in Cofradia.

My closest friend is hurting and struggling just to come up for air in so many ways. One moment the horizon is bright and she sees the light at the end of the tunnel, and then a split second later it's GONE and she's nothing but a ball of pain and confusion. She doesn't do much crying about it yet. I'm sure she will at some point. But I've done my fair share already just watching the whole process.

It's that age-old battle between what we KNOW and what we FEEL. They don't always match, and in those instances, I know that I need to choose what I KNOW, but what I FEEL often seems so much more powerful and convincing. Of course, that's the exact same battle she faces moment by moment herself. If I'M struggling in that battle (and it's not even my struggle), then how am I supposed to help her? I know that it's only the Lord that makes that work somehow, but wow is it hard!

Just keep praying folks. Just keep praying.

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. ... My eyes and my heart will always be there." ~2 Chronicles 7:14-15, 16b

Creativity Keeps Going...

2007-11-02T23:09:00.000-07:00

So, one of the cool features that Sandy's new camera offers is the ability to superimpose one picture on top of another inside the camera. This feature then allows you to control the level of transparency of both photos. It's a really cool feature. So, here are Sandy's first attempts at using this feature. They came out pretty cool, if you ask me!