Settling In & Prayer Update

This might be a little repetitive, but it's thorough. Enjoy
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Hello everyone!

I'm sorry I have been so quiet the last week and a half since my return to Mexico, but I did want to write and let you all know that I arrived safe and sound and that things are going very well so far.

My plane took off from Richmond International Airport around 8:30 am on Tuesday, October 16. After a short layover in Dallas, I arrived in Guadalajara around 4 pm (central time), at which point I passed through customs. Usually this is an ordeal because they don't like to give me the full 180 days on my visa that is legally allowed. So, I usually have to stick around Guad for another two days and pay immigration to extend my visa. However, this time, I had no problems getting the full time allowance, and once I was through those doors and in the taxi, I was on my way! Because I did not need to extend my visa this time, and because Sandy needed me to return pretty quickly to deal with some developments, I headed back to Cofradia on Wednesday, Oct. 17 and arrived around 1 pm (mountain time). It was a busy afternoon of visiting with people, unpacking, and settling in, but it got done. Mili was even able to spend the night after school let out (she's studying high school here in Cofradia during the week)!!

Because the rest of the staff (the Eliases, the TenBrinks, the Klippensteins, and the Taylors) all arrived back in Cofradia that same week, there was no rush to my process of settling in and getting my head screwed on straight since everyone else was doing the same. It was a very relaxing process, and I was even able to clean out my email inboxes!!! It's been quite a long time since they were without scroll bars for having so many messages awaiting attention! YEA!!

Tuesday of this week we had our first staff meeting since July. It was long, but it was productive. Of course we are all looking at having to make some adjustments to how we have done things because of the growth and the circumstances within the different ministries, so this is a time of figuring those things out for all of us!

For me, the changes look as follows:

• Mili is now living in Cofradia during the week studying high school. She has asked me to do a Beth Moore Bible study with her (Living Beyond Yourself), so once her member book arrives, we'll be figuring out schedules for that. She may also be living with me during November and December while the Silbermans are in the states (she lives with them during the week currently). Her teachers also have her helping to teach the English class, which means that I'm teaching her the English first! What I've been trying to avoid is finally unavoidable: I'M AN ENGLISH TEACHER!
• Ana has asked ME to be her mentor (quite a surprise, but a pleasant one). So, I am adjusting my schedule to accommodate a second mentor period during the week and my Bible study load will be increasing with Mili and Ana on top of already mentoring Sandy! Yea!
• Pete and Faye Klippenstein have joined our staff from Manitoba, Canada and do not speak Spanish. Dave has asked me to teach them. Therefore, I'm also now A SPANISH TEACHER(!!) with a weekly Spanish class!
• The high school that has started up in Cofradia meets in the afternoons (1:30-7:30). Therefore, our entire youth schedule has done some flip-flopping to accommodate the Junior High (mornings) and High School (evenings) schedules. It's making for some interesting (read late) schedules!

There are lots of other changes that have taken place within the church's general schedule that are very exciting and evidence of great growth in the believers who have involved themselves. So, we're all getting to know new schedules and doing a little bit of re-evaluating. It's sometimes frustrating, but otherwise I think it's a great challenge and that it's going to serve to sharpen us significantly. I'm especially excited for the increase in my mentoring load with Ana and Mili (although I will not be her primary mentor). And although I don't really like teaching, I think that the Spanish class has potential to be fun! I'm excited to involve the youth some once Pete and Faye are able to start having conversation hours to practice their Spanish!

Anyway, the next couple of months will be hectic with more staff travel and lots of staff planning for the next year. Please keep the following in prayer:

• Our staff planning meetings are coming up November 5-7. This is the time when we meet as a staff and hash our our immediate and long-term ministry goals as well as how we plan to raise the funds to accomplish them (if necessary). Please pray that we will have wisdom in our individual pre-planning and for productive three days of meetings.
• Evangelism Campaign, Nov 9-11. A Mexican pastor from Seattle, Rafael, will be joining us for this campaign, and we're trying to bring some folks down from the YWAM school in Mazatlan to handle the worship portion. We have also invited several surrounding churches to join us, and we're praying for a large turnout of non-believers who need to know the Lord! Please pray for a great harvest!
• The Silbermans will be traveling to the states for about 5 weeks or so (leaving the day after the Evangelism Campaign). Please pray for safe driving and healthy children. Their youngest is constantly catching something and has been sick more often than not in her short 1.5 years. It's always worse when they are traveling. Please pray that this would be a relaxing time for them as well. They deserve it after holding down the fort alone here for 2 months!
• The TenBrinks are trying to nationalize another truck. This is a tricky process that can go smoothly if know exactly how to do it. However, they cannot go to Arizona to retrieve the truck until their FM-3 visas arrive (they've been waiting since June). Please pray for those visas to finally finalize and for safe travels (also leaving just after the Evangelism Campaign) and a smooth nationalizing process for their new truck.
• Dave Elias will be traveling for several weeks in November & December. He leaves after the Evangelism Campaign for Flaggstaff, AZ for directors planning meetings with all the area directors and head office staff of Alternative Missions. Shortly thereafter, he and Pete will be heading to Hermosillo on a missions trip with their church in Canada. They will gone until Dec. 3. Please pray for safe travels, productive planning meetings, and for the Lord's work in Hermosillo.
• Christmas is coming! Which means lots of planning and activity! Please pray for peace and wisdom in this process! Also my sister will be coming to visit for Christmas, so please pray for safe travels and a really fun time!
  
• Short-Term Missions Season is coming! We have three teams overlapping in January to kick off our Short-Term Missions season! We are now entering our planning time for those teams. Please pray for wisdom and smooth communication and planning with these teams. They span the spectrum as far as types of teams, numbers, and activities. It will be exciting, but very hectic. Please keep this in your prayers as this planning overlaps our November and December planning and activities!

We will be busy, but the Lord is working, and it's EXCITING!!! Thank you for your prayers and for your support!! I look forward to keeping you posted on how things progress and what the Lord is doing!!

Happy Harvest Time!