Annual Conference in Saltillo

Once a year the missionaries of the Mexico field with WGM get together to have a two-day annual conference in addition to several other meetings they hold during the year. The purpose of annual conference is to talk about the past year and plan for the upcoming one. Usually it is held on the border in McAllen where WGM has a private school and guest house, but this year it was held in Saltillo, Mexico. We started off on our 8 hour trip on Friday with our field directors and returned Monday afternoon.

In Saltillo we were joined by the few WGM missionaries of this field which include those who work on the border, and by some of our prayer partners who live in Kentucky, plus our missionary pastors who came down to visit with all of us one-on-one. We spent several hours in meetings and disscussing important matters pertaining to the field. On Saturday we talked about whether or not we would be returning to Mexico with WGM, and we announced that we have not yet made that descision. We of course are going to finish our term here, and we do feel called to live and work in Mexico. Currently, we have not decided whether God is leading us to return with WGM. Please pray for us as we seek God and make wise decisions for our future.

The highlight of our trip was making a visit to the Casa de Paz (House of Peace) in a very humble neighborhood in Saltillo. We had the priveledge of being there in April and meeting Annette at the annual pastoral conference, but this brief visit last weekend was extra special. Annette is a very dear woman who is part of on of WGM's congregations in Saltillo, and because she lost her house she had to move to a little neighborhood called Nueva Esperanza (New Hope). The name is ironic because when you look around you don't see many signs of hope, but Annette along with the help of a few other women, and now one of WGM's missionaries, is making that name a reality. In front of her little house made out of cardboard, scrap metal, and wood, Annette is teaching the kids in her neihgborhood about God and his love. The ministry has grown from merely giving the children a breakfast and a short lesson on Saturdays, to serving breakfast and offering lessons several times a week. The Casa de Paz also has a women's group now as well to reach the mothers and teach them about who God is and how he can change their lives. The last thing Annette said to our group after explaining her passion for the families of her neighborhood was ask all of us to pray. To pray that God would touch the lives of those they are working with, that God would give them strength to be good leaders, and that God would continue to provide what they need. Our hearts were full of joy as we saw the face of Jesus in the eyes of Annette, as we thought about the fact that she was turning her proverty into an oppertunity, and because whether she new it or not, we all left challenged. Shouldn't we all have a House of Peace?


Pictures:
Jennifer and Annette
Our prayer partners the Conleys
Sights of surrounding the Casa de la Paz in Nueva Esperanza
The sign in front of the house
Our current missionary team

Sowing Seeds

After lots of preparation, hours on Powerpoint, and lots of study, Josh drove to Irapuato last Saturday to give his first class for the new Theological Education by Extension program for present and future church leaders in Central Mexico. He went in to the class a bit nervous knowing he'd be teaching for a total of 12 hours in nothing but Spanish and he'd be communicating deep truths and information about the New Testament to a group of 20 students. The class went really well. They purpose of the class was to give the students an understanding of the historical context of the New Testament so that they would be able to read it, interpret it, and apply it to their lives in a more complete and deeper way. The class appeared to be a success! The students were very participative and thoroughly enjoyed the group projects which included comparing and contrasting different hermeneutics, interpreting and applying the parables of Jesus, and identifying the different parts of New Testament letters.


The most challenging thing for Josh was of course the Spanish. Spending 7 hours on Saturday and 5 hours on Sunday teaching in Spanish is a bit taxing but it was also a very good exercise for him. In the end, both the students and Josh learned from the class. The most rewarding thing was seeing the students being challenged to think in new ways about the New Testament and to read it in a more historically grounded manner. The section on parables was probably the most fun as the students discovered the utter importance of keeping a text in its original context both socio-cultural and literary. Some light bulbs really went on during the parable section. All in all, the class went very well and Josh was able to learn more about how to be a better teacher while the students learned more about being better disciples.
This month Jennifer is preparing her course over Sects and World Religions and is proving to be quite a challenge as she is having to develop the curriculum by herself. She's working very hard but can't help but feel stressed. Please keep her in your prayers as she works on her course and pray for peace and guidance as she does so.

Random Happenings

Hello Friends!

This weekend is a big weekend for Josh as he teaches a theological education class for those preparing to be in ministry in Central Mexico. It is part of WGM's new TEE program that we helped start here this year. He is teaching a Panoramic of the New Testament. Please pray for him this weekend as he teaches and for his Spanish. Would you also please pray for Jennifer as she prepares for her World Religions class that she will be teaching at the end of November? While Josh is out of town, Jennifer will be hosting a dessert in our apartment for her neighbors. Please pray that this will be a good time and pray that we can learn how to better reach our neighbors with God's love!

This week in our small group we talked honestly with our friends about our discouragement in ministry right now and the need for people to stick to their word. We are finding out that culturally it is not common to follow through with one's spoken work. Thankfully, our comments were accepted kindly and we feel encouraged.

We've been hosting a dinner in our homes on Thursdays to provide food and fellowship for people in and outside of our small group. To our surprise, this Thursday many people showed up for dinner and we had a great time of sharing. One person even invited several friends. Please join us in praying that our Thursday night dinners would be a time of growth and community!

We just sent out our newsletter via -mail and it will be going out this week to those of you who receive it by regular mail. If you are on our mailing list and are not receiving the newsletter, please e-mail us: jandjmexico@gmail.com and let us know. We do our best to stay in touch with you, but if you do not feel like you being informed we would like to be made aware! Remember our newsletter goes out 4 times a year and you will not receive updates otherwise unless you are on our prayer team or check our blog.

Thanks for serving with us here!

Seasons Change

God has embedded in creation the mystery of changing seasons. Spring turns to summer, summer turns, to fall, and fall to winter mimicking the cycle of life that we not only find ourselves in physically (birth, vitality, weakening, and death) but also the cycle we find ourselves in spiritually.
After having been here in Mexico for over a year we have passed through seasons of adapting to the culture. We have gone from the cultural adaptation honeymoon where everything Mexican is the best to wanting nothing more than to be home with family eating one of our favorite meals and enjoying the things we've enjoyed our whole lives. We find ourselves closer to the latter today. We are learning that when one ministers he longs for others to see what he sees, to know what he knows, and develop a life changing relationship with Jesus, but more often than not we as human beings have blurry vision, we're hard of hearing, and our weary legs don't often take us where we want to go as fast as we want to get there. We're learning that ministry is not always marked by great strides of success, by many lives being changed at once, nor by feeling successful. We're learning that ministry is often marked by great sacrifice, faithfulness in the midst of adversity, and heartache. Do we experience times where we will feel what we call "success?" Most definitely we will, but without growing stronger and more committed through the difficult times, how could we ever really be able to offer the depth of knowledge and wisdom required from us in times of success?

Dreams Do Come True

It is amazing how God answers prayer! The youth camp went wonderfully and we feel honored to have been part of it. We were put in charge of a group of 8 young women from the town of San Juan de los Lagos which is about an hour and half away from where we live. There were several towns represented at the camp in addition to Leon. To be completely honest, we were a little nervous at first because youth ministry is not our strength or something that we are very experienced at, but the majority of the girls in our small group were actually young adults and we felt quite at home with them. Somehow God used us and the activities at the camp to change these young ladies lives. We praise God that four of the ladies of our group made a commitment to follow Christ. At the end of the camp we stood amazed at how God worked in just 2 1/2 days. Our time was jam packed with games, activities, lessons, and sharing. Together we explored the life of Joseph and how Joseph remained faithful to God and did the right thing even when he was rejected by his brothers. We learned that our dreams should be God's dreams and that no matter what our situation we are loved by him. Though we were tired after little sleep and exerting a lot of energy, the reward was great in the end. To top it all off our team came in second place in the competition that took place over the weekend.

We are grateful and humbled that we were asked to be counselors at this camp, and are thankful to our young friend Rene who organized it and had the vision to show Christ's love to a bunch of youth.

Last week we followed up by taking a trip with some other missionaries to San Juan de los Lagos to visit our friends and encourage them. We got to see the virgin of San Juan and understand more about the culture that our new friends come from. Most of the town is supported by the tourists/pilgrims that go to see the small statue in the main church of the town. Here is a link if you are interested in reading more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_San_Juan_de_los_Lagos
Last year we posted something about this pilgrimage as well. Visiting this town was an eye-opening experience and a glimpse into the lives of those that live in Suan Juan. Please lift our friends up in prayer, that they will follow only Christ, and that they will have the strength to search for God's dreams for their lives. With him, their dreams can come true!

Camping for a Dream

Good afternoon this Fall day in Mexico. It actually feels a little bit like Fall and we are enjoying it. =)

This week has been a challenging one ministry wise, but is it coming to a good end. Tonight after Jennifer's ballet classes we are heading off to a youth camp to be counselors. Several small churches and missionaries in Leon are getting together to have a youth weekend to share a good time and teach youth who may not know Christ his love for the. The name of the camp is "CAMPING FOR A DREAM." We are going to talk about the dreams God has for us, the dreams we have, and the difference that a relationship with God makes in our lives. It will not look like a regular youth camp as it is geared toward youth who do not know God. We are excited about this opportunity to participate in an event with other churches and to work with youth. Please pray that God will use us to reach these youth, that we will be good listeners, and that our Spanish will be understandable.

Our Weekly Schedule and How You Can Pray:

Mondays: Our home group Bible Study and preparation for it

Tuesdays: Discipling of a couple in their home and home visits

Wednesday: Spanish study, English class in our home, (possible start of another Bible study in the near future)

Thursdays: Spanish study, theological class preparation, open supper in our home for whomever wants to have a free meal and fellowship.

Friday: Jennifer gives ballet classes, Bible study preparation, and marriage study with another small group here in Leon.

Saturday and Sunday: Devote time to have various people/families over for a meal and build relationships, Sunday we usually try to take as our sabbath.

(Every week is a little different and we try to be available for others and have a fairly flexible schedule)

Thanks for standing with us. Please continue to pray for those we are discipling, that God would give us wisdom in counseling, and that God would touch the lives of our friends!

Good Boxes and Bad Boxes

Over a surprise breakfast that our neighbors planned to celebrate Jennifer's birthday the conversation quickly turned to religion. One friend commented that she doesn't believe in many of the beliefs of the Catholic church and that is why not all of her children were baptized. Instead she wants them to choose their confirmation and baptism for themselves. Some of the other women around the table became very silent because this women was questioning the core traditions of their faith. We began to discuss faith, God, and tradition and soon it struck me that for many of these women what they call their religion, what I call a branch of the Christian church, represents no more than baptism, first communion, and confirmation. I knew that before, but I was in awe of the fact that some of the women were following their faith and belief system just for these traditions. They do not go to "misa" every Sunday nor do they confess, two very important parts of the catholic faith, but they call themselves catholic. What shocked me more than anything was that one of my dear friends started to make fun of her brother who is a very devote catholic. He does follow it teachings closely yet for her he was a fanatic. When the topic turned to my beliefs my friends started commenting on how weird the evangelical church is and told me some strange stories about their experiences with the evangelical church, and my heart sunk. I tried to explain that I didn't believe in the same things as those evangelical churches with which they had come into contact with. They suggested I come up with another name for myself than Christian in order to avoid being placed in the same box with these other Christians, which honestly are teaching things that are not true. And so I left my birthday breakfast thankful for a group of neighbors that have, time and time again, gone out of their way to make me feel at home here, who love and respect me deeply, but who are weary to get involved with our "religion" for fear of what it may mean. On one hand they are hesitant to study with people that are not from the catholic tradition, though most of these friends do not agree 100% with its teachings, and are not devote in anyway, on the other hand they are afraid of becoming fanatics and maybe what it would mean to truly follow the teaching of Jesus, or possibly of merely being associated with the evangelical church which honestly has a pretty bad reputation here. And we, continue to pray that our neighbors and others would be able to get past labels, and see God, and understand that to know him changes our lives radically. We are not as concerned what label you put on it...We have people from various traditions in our small group, the point is that our faith impacts the way we live. If not it does not hold much value.

And so, this year after celebrating my birthday and Mexico's independence day yesterday, I am more resolved to live out my faith whole heartedly, to continue to show love to my neighbors and those I work with, and seek to not only call myself a follower of Christ, but live as part of his kingdom. Doing such a thing, no matter where we live in the world will most likely not be popular, but if it is done correctly, it will change they way we live and the world around us.

Jennifer Rebecca



We like the subtitle to Brian McLaren's book "A Generous Orthodoxy"

"Why I am a missional+evangelical+post/protestant+liberal/conservative+mystical/poetic+biblical+charismatic/contemplative+fundamentalist/calvinist+anabaptist/anglican+methodist+catholic+green+incarnational+depresssed-yet-hopeful+emergent+unfishished CHRISTIAN"

PICTURES:
1) Jennifer's surprise birthday breakfast with her group of neighbors
2) Small luncheon in Leon for local pastors
3) The ballet barres in the gym where Jennifer is teaching ballet classes...We are thankful she has the barres and appreciate your donations making them possible.

God Can Do What We Cannot

Hello friends and family!

Our apologies for not writing a post sooner. One of our friends who is a missionary in Chile recently stated that it is super hard to take time out of ministry to take pictures. We agree that it not only seems intrusive at times to take pictures, but it is not an easy task, and sometimes we find it challenging to make the time to write a post. That is no excuse though for not keeping in touch with you all!

We have moments when we are frustrated in ministry, when we wonder why we are here, and when we still struggle to communicate fully in Spanish, but then there are moments like we had this week when we know that we are supposed to be here, we know we are here for a reason. One friend who has been coming to our group on and off, is struggling with his addiction to alcohol and is vacilating between going to rehab or not. This past week we almost had him convinced that he needed to go and that we were going to take him to a Christian rehab center in another city. However, after much prayer and several long conversations, he decided he wanted to give it another chance here at home, that he was going to concentrate on his work and going back to school. We remain very concerned for this friend, but know God can bring him to his knees and help him realize that he cannot get clean on his own.

Jennifer held inscriptions for her ballet classes last week and is slightly disappointed with how many students she will have to start with this week, but is not worried. We also attended the inauguration of the theological educational program by extension for WGM in Mexico. It was an exciting as we dedicated the program and look to the future of theological education in Mexico.

This weekend God answered our prayers in a big way. And we learned that he can do what we cannot! For months we've been praying for one of our friends in our small group who has helped us immensely with our Spanish and whom we've become very close to and that she would really know God, choose to accept him as savior of her life, that she would understand his love, and want to share that with others. Sadly, this weekend this friend passed through an extremely difficult situation. She called us to tell us what was happening and we prayed that God would give her strength, peace, and wisdom. And he did! The power of God moved in her life, and she told us yesterday after our small group that she met God, she wants to live for him, and never be the same. How prayer works is a mystery, but we are convinced it does! We have seen the hand of God move in this friend's life as he has revealed himself to her because she sought him with her whole heart. After spending lots of time with us, seeing the difference God makes in our lives, studying the Bible and feeling the love of God, she is a new person. And we are sure we have a purpose here in Leon, but that also we are merely empty vessels used by a loving and powerful God.


For those who pray for our ministry here:

*Would you continue to pray for our dear friends in our group and those whom we are discipling? That others too would understand who God is and want to change their lives completely, that they would sense the presence of God like our other friend did

*Jennifer's ballet classes, that they get off to a good start and would be a point of outreach

*Our Spanish, that we would find time to study and we would continually improve

*For our future as we plan for this year and the year that follows, for wisdom and guidance

PICTURES:
-With our Mexican parents celebrating Manuel's birthday
-Cutting the ribbon at the inauguration of the theological education program
-Josh and the kids of a friend in our group. We spent a day and night with them to try and help teach them and their mom some new discipline ideas. (They are standing by the miniature arc in the mini Leon playtown at a the main park in Leon.)

Mi Casa Es Su Casa

My House Is Your House...

That is a saying that you will here time and time again here in Mexico. When people tell you that their house is your house, they truly mean it! Often when we meet a new family they will tell us where they live and that at their address is where our house is. The beauty of this common phrase is that when people say it they mean it. Life starts in the home, revolves around the home, and is the center of everything. While in the States it is not as common to open up your home to a stranger or even to your friends anytime of day or any day of the week, here it is different. Here you always welcome people into your home and you always offer them a snack, drink, or a meal when they are at your house. It doesn't matter if you have little to offer, you offer it. And people congregate, celebrate, and talk and talk in each other's houses.

Therefore, we realized that the best place to minister was in the home. Bible studies in our apartment, meals, fellowship, counseling sessions all of this can be done out of our home. As we've opened our home more and more, we've found a great joy in doing so. And if most of life takes place in one's home, why not teach people how to live in a home rather than in a church building? So far this model is working, and God is teaching us how go beyond what we are used to and open our hearts and home even wider. We've learned that our possessions are not ours, and neither is our apartment. Rather they are all God's and they are belong to others as well. Our house is your house!

A pastor friend in Kentucky told us that once a week he had dinner at his house and invited people to come and fellowship together. Another friend in the States used to have community dinners in his inner city house. After realizing the need for more fellowship, discussion, and a safe place to learn and grow, (not to mention that many would be blessed by a free meal once a week), we have decided to hold an open-house dinner weekly. We will start this in September and many from our home group have already expressed interest and a desire to help with the dinner. Please be in prayer as we share a meal with neighbors, friends, and whomever wants to come.


Some people here in Mexico who have done an incredible job of opening their homes are our neighbors. Since we moved here they've made us feel at home and have gone out of their way for us numerous times. Without them we honestly don't know how we would have made it through the year. Jennifer starting having breakfast with the women neighbors this year and they will continue to meet this year as well.

Pictures:

-At a Ranch with our neighbors, eating and getting to know each other better

-Some of the women of the apartment building getting together for a birthday

-Celebration of new church in the nearby city of Irapuato. Dafne and her daughter dance as part of the celebration. Afterwards we all shared a meal together. Our fellow missionary friends Dany and Carminda helped this church get off the ground this year and it is a wonderful Christian community that is based on meeting in homes.

ONE YEAR IN MEXICO!

We can hardly believe that today we celebrate one year in Mexico! Time has gone by incredibly fast, but so much has happened in one short year. The truth is that we will never be the same after this year. Many wonderful things have happened in the past twelve months and many difficult things as well. We arrived here at midnight on the 8th of August with many hopes and dreams and as our professors said at Mission Training International with what "we thought we were going to be doing." God has given us a revised vision for future ministry at at this very moment we do not feel like we know exactly where we are headed, but we are different, we are stronger, and we will never look at life the same.

A look over the past year...
We have learned a lot of Spanish, we are not completely fluent like we wanted to be by this time, but considering we had many set backs with our language learning, we are doing okay and we've come a LONG way. Yahoo!

We are no longer scared to talk on the phone or take care of important matters in Spanish.

In one year we've made lots of friends and contacts in Mexico. We can fill our apartment with our new friends and that makes us smile.

We've learned once again that God is not safe, and that he does not promise us easy times. We've walked through some dark moments, moments when all we wanted to do was go back to the States, but we've made it through stronger and God has sustained us.

Most of the things we came here thinking we would do or would happen did not, but we are thankful for what we learned in the middle of the craziness.

We know that love changes everything, that if we love those around us they will see the true Lover of our souls. Loves costs all of us, but it is what God asks for...That we may love him and others!

We've discovered that people are hungry for God and a new way of doing church. God has placed it on our hearts to teach people how to know God and live in community.

More than anything, we've learned that we are human, and just because we are in God's will doesn't make us immune to anything and while we've been on this journey of discovering Mexico and our place here, we've fallen madly in love with a beautiful people and a beautiful country that we can now call home.

We look forward to another year in Central Mexico! Thanks for joining us. =)

Back in Mexico

We can hardly believe that our twelve days in the States has come and gone. The time passed very quickly and we only wish we could have visited with each one of you. However, we are extremely thankful we were able to see many of you. Our speaking engagements went well, and Josh's brother's wedding was beautiful! We truly had a wonderful time and a safe trip!

During our first few days in the US we experienced a little bit of culture shock as we adjusted to a culture very different from the one we've lived in this year. But, we adjusted quickly and are now having to reacclimate to being back in Mexico. This week has not been easy for us because leaving behind friends and family in the States once again brought some heavy hearts and even a few tears. Still, we know we are supposed to be here and our friends in our small group affirmed that this past Monday night.

Thanks for standing by us as we serve cross-culturally!

Pictures:
Us celebrating six years of marriage at one of our favorite restaurants in Lexington, KY
Josh and friend Hazim
Jennifer with her mother and grandmother
Josh's brother, Andy and his new wife Faith

Heading to the States and Missing Mexico

Hello Friends and Family,

We can hardly believe we leave our apartment at 4:30am to head to the States. Jennifer's going to Wilmore and Josh to Hollow Rock Camp Meeting in Ohio. We will meet each other this Saturday the 25th in Kentucky to go on an anniversary date to celebrate 6 years of marriage. Hard to believe we've gone through so much and that we've been working together for the past two years! We are grateful for our marriage and the time we have together as a couple!

We'll be in Wilmore through Wednesday July 29th and then we head up to Canton, Ohio on Thursday for Andy, Josh's brother's wedding. We will fly out of Pittsburgh on August 2 to head back home to Leon. While we are thrilled to be in the States, see friends and family, and celebrate Andy's wedding, we realized this week that we will actually be missed here. That while Wilmore/Lexington will always be where we have family, friends, and memories, Leon is our new home. Please pray for us as we are out of Spanish for 12 days, as we leave behind our small group and many friends some of whom we hesitate leaving right now, and for us as we go through reverse culture shock. Being back in Kentucky and Ohio will be very different for us after all we've experience this year. We are not the same couple who left Kentucky a year ago on August 5th.


If you want to contact us while we're in the States please get ahold of Jennifer's parents or shoot us an e-mail: jandjmexico@gmail.com

Remember that Josh will be at Hollow Rock Camp Meeting Thursday the 23rd and Friday the 24th. And We will be sharing at the Wilmore FMC on Sunday morning the 26th. Jennifer will stop by Bluegrass Youth Ballet on Thursday the 23rd in the evening.

Our apologies if it is not possible to see you this time around. We plan on making a visit to everyone next summer or fall. Do not worry. We want to see you. This trip was something that came up unexpectedly, and due to the new ministries we've started here, we are unable to take more time to travel. Thanks for understanding!

English classes...
Were a success! They went smoothly and this weekend all the kids have been asking when we are going to offer them again. =)

Home Group...
We covered most of chapter 4 of Mark last night in our small group time. One of the couples was missing due to the wife being sick, but we were glad to have another friend and her boyfriend with us as well. A volunteer that was with us last weekend, Julie, came back to visit us yesterday and today just so she could attend our small group again. =) It was wonderful having her with us another time.

Ballet Classes...

Jennifer is in the proccess of getting things together for her ballet classes she will start in September. We have a friend who is making posters and flyers for her and she will have inscriptions in August as soon as we return from the wedding. If you have a heart for ballet and are interested in what Jennifer is going to be doing through teaching ballet classes please consider making a special donation to WGM with a note for "Josh and Jennifer Reynolds' ministry" attached to the check. One need we have is to buy ballet barres for the studio space we will be renting. Any donations of ballet attire would also be appreciate (dropped off at Jennifer's parents' house in Wilmore or given to us).

Thanks for your love, prayers, support, and encouragement! We've seen God moving over the past few weeks in ways we never have before!

Much love,
Josh and Jennifer

Pictures

A Beautiful Week!

"All around you, people will be tiptoeing through life, just to arrive at death safely. But dear children, do not tiptoe. Run, hop, skip, or dance, just don't tiptoe." Unknown college professor


This week has been spectacular. The year has been full of its downs, but the past two weeks have been ups. We all need joyful times!

Our week was busy and productive. Saturday we spent the day in Irapuato to finish the planning of the theological education program that WGM Mexico is starting here in Central Mexico. Originally Josh was asked to come to help start this program. Another missionary with WGM arrived here at the same time we did and he has been the one that ended up starting the program this year. He and his wife are wonderful Honduran missionaries. While Josh was originally disappointed that he was not asked to be more involved in the program, he has realized this year that God is calling him to other things instead of full-time ministry in theological education. Both of us will however be teaching classes for the program in the Fall. Jennifer will teach World Religions and Josh will teach an overview of the New Testament. Being part of the theological education program will be challenging as our Spanish is stretched in ways it never has been before. We need lots of grace and strength in order to plan and teach these classes. =)

While we are learning that ministry, and life for that matter, is not all roses, we are also learning it can be very rewarding. Saturday evening a VIA (Volunteer in Action) from WGM who has been staying in Irapuato, came to our house for a few days in Leon. She was a huge help to us in planning our English classes for this week and an encouragement as well. We had a wonderful time with her. It isn't everyday we get to spend time with Americans. Sunday we showed her around Leon and then we spent the majority of the day with our small group. In order to get to know one another better we had an activity to create community among the men and women. The idea was to spend time together just having fun. And we did. We talked and talked for hours. Julie, the VIA, said to us afterwards that what we had been hoping to accomplish worked. All of the sudden I realized we had all become close friends. One of the people in our group during our chat at a cafe started to share her story with the other women, one that she rarely shares with anyone. Yesterday, this same person commented that she never knew that other people could really love her and care about her. She said that she feels something that she has never felt before, and she is giving thanks to God for what has been happening in her life. Another friend shared yesterday in group time that she's learned Jesus isn't as distant as she thought he was. And God is doing much, much more. He is drawing people toward him and teaching us more about him as well as we disciple others. We are overwhelmed by the things that are happening around us and excited that we are a part of this great city while we humbly share our lives and God's love with others.

English Classes...
Today we started 5 days of English classes we are holding for children. We are happy to report that our first day went smoothly and the kids seemed to enjoy themselves.

Special Visit...
Last week Jennifer's parents were with us and we had a wonderful time with them and even got to go away for the weekend to the beach, a much needed break. Then last Monday our group held a special dinner for them. Jennifer's parents commented that they know we have a family here now and are thankful for all the support we've found. It was a beautiful evening with some surprise guests that arrived to our group that night.

Big Plans...
This week we are trying to wrap up all that we have to do before we head to the States for 10 days. We leave next Wednesday the 22nd. More to come on our visit soon...

A Quiet Revolution

Where to start...

In our hearts is a quietly emerging revolution. One that began a long time ago and is giving birth to new ideas and prospects for future ministry. We've been doing lots of reading, soul searching, and growing lately. God has been placing new things on our hearts and we are pumped! First off we felt lead to start a small group in our home. One where EVERYONE is welcome, one where we grow and share together, learn from each other, and study the Bible, which can often be difficult to understand. We are learning what it means to be like Jesus, that often people who claim to be his followers fall terribly short, and we too feel convicted. Deep in our hearts we have a desire to live like Christ, to love and live with the poor, and to love all those we meet. Suddenly, life, our calling, and our faith are making sense in a way that they didn't before and we feel content. Not content in where we are, because we want to do so much more than what we are doing, we want to love deeper and go far beyond what we think imaginable, but what we have started is exciting.

There are many stories we could share with you, but let's start by saying that we see Jesus in the face of our friends. In the friend that stays at our house because he struggles with alcoholism and cannot go back to his broken home, our friend who doesn't know where she is going to get the money to pay for her children's schooling, our friend who is our Spanish tutor and has shown us love time and time again this year, or our friend from the local market who is searching for significance in his life and is going to start attending our group. Love transforms. When we live life to serve, we see Jesus. Thanks for contributing to our work so that we can be here and do full-time ministry. Thank you. God is beautiful and as Shane Claiborne says in his book The Irresistible Revolutionn "We are about spreading a way of life that exists organically and relationally and is marked by such a brilliant love and grace that no one could resist it." And as we spread that way of life we have seen some beautiful things and some remarkable changes in people. This week made us stand in awe of God, his grace, and love for us. We feel humbled to be living here and sharing life with wonderful people, though we are all broken, we can help one another on this journey that is life.

This week Jennifer had the chance to go to the doctor once again with her friend and little Vicente. Vicente is a 10 year old boy who cannot see well because he is almost blind in one eye due to a cornea problem and has severly damanged vision in the other eye. A friend of ours felt lead to use a connection she has with a doctor to help little Vicente and his vision. This precious child comes from one of the poorest neighborhoods of Leon and his family have no resources to help his situation. To give you perspective, his mother got married and had a baby at age 13. She is 30 with a 17 year old, 10 year old, and 8 year old. We met Vicente when we worked in his neighborhood on Saturdays. It is not that these people are bad, or stupid, they merely do not know any better because they've grown up in these conditions their whole life and have not been given opportunities to help them succeed. Well, come to find out, Vicente needs a cornea transplant and it costs about $4,000. Our mutual friend is looking for assistance, but so far she has not found any help. We would love to see God bring sight to Vicente so he can play and do his school work like normal. If you are interested in contributing to his surgery or know someone who would be, please send us an e-mail. In the meantime he is going to have some special lenses made that will help his vision a little. Thankfully, we have a friend from the States that donated some money that will be used to help Vicente with his lenses. We know many people like Vicente. Sadly, we cannot help everyone, but we can do little things with lots of love. That is all any of us can do. And we hope to watch this precious child open his eyes wider soon. =)

God is calling all of us to a revolution, to make a difference in the world, and do something big with our lives. Are we going to listen?

Pictures: Vicente and his house.

Challenged

The day before we left for our one week trip to Texas I was feeling tired and worn out after packing and running around that Saturday. Sunday we'd be leaving the house at 6am to drive to the States and it was now almost 8pm on Saturday evening. I was on the phone with our friend who is now part of the small group we started in our home, and I was trying to explain to her that I was too worn out to stop by and visit her. After just receiving the news 2 days prior about my miscarriage and preparing myself for the trip ahead, I felt as if I had nothing left in me for even one last visit. My friend was understanding, but sounded disappointed that I wouldn't be visiting her and I changed the subject to ask how her week had been. She explained how it had been extra hard to make ends meet and feed her children, but that thankfully they had not gone without food. A neighbor had brought some food over, and she also thanked me for giving her some leftovers from a dinner she had attended at our house earlier in the week. I never thought leftovers would be so meaningful. She asked for nothing. Then as I was on the phone with this dear friend, and I put myself, a single mom trying to feed my kids, in her shoes I thought "what can I do?" It dawned on me I might have some leftovers in the fridge and on the shelf that would go bad if they were not used soon. I couldn't leave that food in the house to go bad while we were out of town when a friend down the street did not have anything to eat. I told my her that I'd be over shortly to bring her some things I had in the fridge and say good-bye. Somehow, I found energy and I started clearing out my fridge. Josh and I have always tried to not be wasteful or buy more food than we eat, but I was stunned by the things that were going to go to waste if I didn't do something with the things in our fridge before our trip. Fruit, veggies, leftover salad, and pancake batter were some of the things I put in grocery bags to take to my friend. As I was walking down the stairs of my apartment building on my way to the car I felt convicted. How many times had I gone on a trip and not given away ALL of the good food in my house to someone who needed it? How many times had I thrown away leftovers instead of giving them to a person in need? I decided I would not do that again. I wouldn't let food go bad or forget to clear out the fridge, instead I share it. It was clear to me in that moment that to do otherwise would be to sin and to deny Christ. Mat 25:45 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me." And if we do not know anyone who is without food or needy, then maybe we should make some new friends. You would have loved to see the look on my friend's face when she and her children saw the grocery bags. They were grateful for my leftovers and they put them to use.

Something that so many of our Mexican friends here have taught us is generosity. To love and give even when you have little. This same friend in my above story and her family are always opening up their home to us. Even when they don't have much to eat at their house they share it with us and will hardly let us walk out the door without feeding us. I struggle with excepting things from people when I know I have enough to eat at home. Yet this is the beauty of generosity. And these people have taught me how to share and love. I could tell numerous stories of our friends endless giving, but I will pick one that happened just yesterday.

We were at a discipleship group that we are leading with some new people and I complemented the host on her very lovely ring. If you know me you know I enjoy jewelry very much. I was trying to complement her and thought the ring was nice. She told me to try it on and the next thing I knew she was giving it to me. I protested at first and then realized quickly I would be rude if I did not accept it. How ironic I thought. I didn't ask for the ring and the last thing I actually need is more jewelry. But this sweet woman made me think. How attached am I to my things? If someone said they liked my jewelry, I like my jewelry too, would I take it off and give it to them? It doesn't matter if I payed five dollars for it, twenty dollars or if I received it as a special gift. Am I willing to part with my things?

The truth is I have been challenged. Challenged in my reading, Bible study, and by living life with my new friends here. Am I willing to be like Jesus? To give all of me to others? To love and be willing to give even when I feel I have nothing to share?

Jennifer

"Awake O Lord! Why do you sleep?
Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.
Why do you hide your face?"
Psalm 44:23-24

There are times in our lives when for a moment things don't make sense. Sometimes things happen that hurt us deeply. We look to God for answers, often we get silence in return, but still in the darkness he is with us, he reminds us that life is not fair, it was not fair to him when he came to earth, but in the middle of it all he is here and he holds us.

May 28th Jennifer had her second doctor's appointment to check on her pregnancy at 8 weeks. We braced ourselves as we saw on the monitor that the baby had no heartbeat and it had not grown from the week before. With all of our might we had tried to prepare ourselves for another miscarriage, but in that very moment we were once again struck with the sadness of losing our second pregnancy, and Jennifer's body not getting the signal that there was no longer a healthy baby growing.

God is good and we know that. He has been helping us deal with this even though it is not easy to walk down this road again. We are thankful that we are here in Mexico where we can get affordable and personal medical care. So far we've been impressed with the care we've received.

Last week we headed to Texas for field meetings and our annual field retreat. Please be in prayer for Taylor Christian School as they deal with transition and having to make many tough decisions. Thankfully, we were able to enjoy our retreat in San Antonio and our time in the States. It was a nice break from our schedule and it helped us take our minds off of what we had been dealing with in the days before our trip. We arrived home safely on Sunday and had a wonderful small group meeting last night!

As you think of us please pray for peace and understanding as Jennifer goes through some procedures and tests. Also, she is not sure whether or not she should start teaching ballet classes. Pleas pray for guidance.

Thanks for you love and support!

This song has spoken to us a lot. Check it out.
Held by Natalie Grant

A Community That is Christian

We are currently reading a book called Community That is Christian. It is by a professor from Fuller seminary and is about leading Christian small groups. It was a "recommended reading" for Jennifer in one of her classes at Asbury, and we are just now getting around to reading it, but have found it to be a very helpful read as we are in the process of starting a small group in our home.

Last week we had our first get-to-know you dinner at our house for the small group/Bible study that we are starting in our home. 10 people attended not including us or the children. It went well and we were very up front about the purpose of the group. The purpose is to form an authentic Christian community, one in which we are there for each other and we grow together as we study the Bible. (See Jennifer's notes on facebook for more details or e-mail us if you would like a copy of them). With the exception of 3 people all of those who came to the dinner are not attending a church and come from a catholic background. In our group it doesn't matter if you are catholic or not. All that matters is that you want to grow and know God better. There is one stipulation of our group. Each member has to take it seriously, meaning that no one misses unless they have to and that it is a commitment. Why? Because without commitment we will not grow as a group. We will not know each other well and we will be like every other small group. That is not our goal. Our goal is to be different!

Initially, we were super encouraged by the attendance and interest in the group. Lots of people asked us if they could come and expressed a desire to be a part of the group. We want so badly to do the right thing and make everyone feel welcome. While we were hoping for 15, 10 was a good turn out. Sadly, our neighbors approached us afterwards and said they didn't want to be a part of the group. This kind of hit us hard because we don't really understand why. One neighbor said she has had a bad experience with Christians (and she really has), and that made her weary, even though she knows we are different. Our other neighbor told us that she and her family just didn't want to make a commitment. This breaks our hearts because we think that if we do not sacrifice the time once a week to study and grow together, we will never really learn. Mmm....Please pray for our friends and us as we take this journey together. Still we are not sure if we will have 5, 10, or 12 to start with, but there is a hunger, an interest...The question is will the people respond or will they listen to the voices that are often stronger telling them that it is a waste of time, not worthwhile, or that Christians are weird. Aren't we all longing to be part of a community that is Christian? One where we can grow, be ourselves, be challenged, study, pray, and walk through life together?
Many people we've talked to here and in the States are. Are you part of one?

Everything Changes

Wow! Our apologies for going so long this time between posts. We are not sure where the time is going...

Much has changed over the past few weeks. Thank you for praying for the May 5th meeting between the church we've been working with here in Leon and the WGM Mexican national church. You all deserve an explanation. So here it goes...

On Tuesday May 5th, the church here in Leon met with the WGM national church and told them that they would be separating from the Organization. They no longer wanted to be part of WGM and therefore wanted to be an independent church. The consequences mean that the church here in Leon will no longer receive support, covering, or WGM missionaries. Thus, the decision affected us. We could no longer work in that church because it was no longer part of WGM. Therefore, last weekend was our last weekend there. Saturday we painfully said good-bye to the sweet kids of Canon de la India where we have been working on Saturdays. Sunday was a very awkward day as we told our friends at church good-bye. Some did not understand what was happening, and others did. What broke our hearts was to see how torn up many of the youth were when we told them it was our last Sunday at the church. Our intention is to continue with our friendships even though we will no longer be in the church. Please continue to pray for the Leon church as it goes through many changes, and that the congregation will follow God's voice.

What does all that mean for us?

Most of you received our newsletter, or will be getting it in your mail box soon. We explained that we would be leaving the Leon church and starting other things. One of those activities will be having a small group in our house. We plan on putting a lot of energy and work into this small group with the hope of reaching our neighbors and friends who do not have a deep relationship with Christ. The idea is to grow together in knowledge of God and as a community. We already have lots of people interested and will be having the first get-together this Thursday. Also, there is a church here in Leon that is looking for WGM's covering. We will be helping them with a Bible study there once a week and may get more involved. In addition we hope to work with a friend who has a music school where we will teach English and Ballet classes. So, no worries...We will be busy and we are grateful we will not have to move from Leon.

And the big news...

Josh's little brother, Andy, has been visiting us this week, and he announced that he will be getting married on August 1st of this year in Ohio. Josh will be his best man. All that to say that we got the fun surprise of finding out we can go back to Kentucky for a few days at the end of July. We will spend 10 days between Kentucky and Ohio. Our time will be busy, but we are looking forward to it. We didn't think we'd be back to Wilmore until the summer of 2010. We said we wouldn't go back unless a close family member died or got married. There you go!

As you pray, please pray for us as we try to come up with money for the unexpected expenses of going home for the wedding etc. We are so excited about being at Andy's wedding, but did not budget for two plane tickets back to the states. If you could please pray for God's provision in this area we'd be very grateful!!!!!

This weekend....


We had a wonderful weekend, and yesterday we are thankful for the opportunity we had to share a testimony at the main WGM church in the area in the city of Irapuato. We spoke about the MTI car wreck, the pain and sorrow we've faced over the past 2 years and how God is not safe. We had shared this testimony many times before in the states, but translating it into Spanish and making some changes to it was a little nerve racking. The good news is that yesterday in the Sunday morning service God really moved and people responded to our message. The service was amazing and we are thankful we could be used to change people's lives. God is not safe is not an easy message to share and is not always received well, but we have come to find out that it is so true. God never promises our safety and though he is with us, we are not safe from harm and danger.
In the evening last night we drove to a little town called Valle de Santiago where there is a new WGM church plant. We also shared our testimony there and enjoyed getting to know the people of that group. The day went beautifully until we got lost in Valle de Santiago on the way home. Thankfully, we finally found our way back to the main road. ;) One big yahoo is that we were able to give the testimony in Spanish and were understood. Yah!


Thanks for reading this very long update!!!! Thanks for praying, thanks for giving, and thanks for caring!

God is good, and we are super excited about what he is doing and our plans for this year! Yahoo!

Update

Hello all!
Mmmmm...So many things we could say, but we aren't sure where to start.

Let's start with this influenza epidemic again...

Okay, honestly, by now we have come to the conclusion that this flu ordeal is not as big of a problem as the media and even the Mexico government is making it. We have reason to believe that they might want to blow it out of proportion because they want to put fear in the people to distract them from other things. If you have questions about our theories and why let us know. Anyway, some of you have heard that more than 100 people, or even bigger numbers, have died in Mexico. This is NOT true. Check out the World Health Organization for official numbers (www.who.int). We have been keeping close tabs on this and many have died due to complications with pneumonia as well as the flu. As of today 16 people in all of Mexico, a country of over 200,000,000 people, have died. Please do not panic or be alarmed. You can however pray that all this disappears quickly. It is killing the already terrible economy here and I'm sure around the world as well.

Special Prayer...

This Tuesday the 5th of May there will be an important meeting between the church here in Leon and the national Mexican church of WGM. The meeting is an extremely crucial one. Would you please join us in prayer that God's will would be done? Thank you!

Newsletter...

Many of you have been asking us when you'll be getting our next newsletter. It will be coming your way soon. It is just waiting for approval. =) Thanks for your patience!

God is doing something BIG...

Last week we started writing about the local church and a church plant model that God has been developing in our hearts. Jennifer posted her thoughts on her facebook page under her notes if you are interested in reading them. We have received many positive comments in response to what she wrote and in several conversations we have had with others. Now, we are excited and looking forward to the future because we think we will be able to use this model and help national pastors use it as well. In addition, we got to visit some friends in a nearby city last week who are using the same type of church model. God has honored them and their obedience and has grown their church plant like crazy in a matter of a few months. It was a treat to spend the weekend with this special missionary couple, be a part of their worship service, and share our ideas and callings. Josh was thankful they gave him the opportunity to preach or rather share a Bible lesson with them at their worship service last Friday. Our missionary friends are Honduran and they arrived here in the country the same time we did to work with WGM in Irapuato. We are thankful for them and their friendship and for what God is doing through them!

More to come soon...

The swine flu

Hello All! We've received some notes of concern about the swine flu outbreak that started here in Mexico. You wonder how are things where we live? First off we are not making light of the situation because it is serious and spreading, however, the number of infected people and deaths is still small in comparison to the shear number of people that live here in Mexico. The main problem has been in Mexico City where 30 million people reside. We cannot explain to you just how many people live here and live close together in these cities. For example in the city of Leon, where we live, there are over 2 million people. That puts things into perspective. Also, 6,000 children die of hunger daily, that is one every five seconds (hunger facts international), unclean drinking water kills 4,000 people a day, and in 2007 2 million people died of Aids. Last we checked the swine flue has killed 149 people. Once again we are not trying to make light of the situation as we know it is a real concern, but what if the papers and news made a big deal about how many die daily from hunger, dirty water, or Aids? Aren't those things that could be stopped or prevented? How sad that they are ignored.

There have been two confirmed deaths from the swine flu in the state we live in called Guanajuato. So far none in our city. Schools are closed for at least a week and many public events and museums have been cancelled or closed. The ironic thing is we had a trip planned this coming weekend to Mexico City with a lady that we are discilping because she is from the city, but of course we aren't going now.

Thanks for your prayers and concern. Keep praying and pray for the epedemic of world hunger as well. =D

Much more to come soon...

Up and Down and All Around

Hello All! Whew so much has been going on and we have many pictures and stories to share that it is hard to pick a few.

Last week we traveled north to the city of Saltillo to the annual WGM conference in Mexico. There the pastors and missionaries met for a few days to share about their congregations and talk about important matters. Our time there was very informative for us as we got to know the national pastors and learn more about the history of the the Mexico field. Currently the field is small and struggling, but we hope God will use it for his glory as it moves forward into the future. One of the highlights of our trip was getting to know one of the northern pastor's and his family. One night he took us to a very poor part of Saltillo where his church has an outreach to the poor who live in houses made out of boxes. There we sat at a table of a kind lady's house and talked for hours as we watched the sunset behind the surrounding mountains. In that humble atmosphere this national pastor shared his heart with us that he has for this country, his struggles, and hopes. We shed some tears and came away with a burden for the pastors of Mexico who are struggling to get things done and make ends meet.

This past weekend we had the opportunity to share Christ's love with several people. On Saturday Jennifer went over to one of our neighbor's house to talk with her about our pregnant cat (that is another story) and our neighbor brought up the fact that Jennifer was a different kind of Christian than many Christians she knew. Our friend talked and talked with Jennifer for a long time about Christ and the church and what we believe. She was encouraged and mentioned that if we start a Bible study she'd be interested in it. God works in amazing ways and uses us when we least expect it. Praise God!

Sunday morning we were on our way out the door to church when a young Mexican man approached us and started speaking perfect English with us. He shared with us about his story and how he recently got back from the states and was looking for a job so he could eat. We talked with him for quite a while and were able to give him the job of washing our car. =) He looks for jobs in our neighborhood and we hope we can build a relationship with him and feed him if he is hungry.

Sunday afternoon we had a single mom and her daughters from the church over for lunch. They stayed and talked all afternoon and it turned into a very long and delightful Bible study. This friend of ours is hungry to know the Bible and God and has so many questions. We are thankful we can be here to support her!

This weekend we head to a nearby city where we will visit with some other missionaries and Josh will share at a new church plant.

Thanks for praying for us and our transitions.

Sending each of you a hug from Mexico.

Semana Santa

Greetings this Saturday before Easter. The thought sometimes crosses our minds that we have no idea how many people read our blog, but we hope you find it somewhat interesting and helpful to catch a glimpse of our world and be a part of what we are doing.

This week we said good-bye to the group from Michigan that spend 10 days here in Central Mexico with us. It was a sad parting at the airport because the group was a mature group that brought us many smiles and reminded of us home. We're thankful for their visit, their help, and there attitudes. =) We didn't realize how much energy it takes to work with a short-term team. It was a challenge, but a good one. Jennifer enjoyed working in the kitchen and Josh enjoyed helping with projects. Unfortunately Jennifer got sick and had to stay at home a few days, but overall it went rather smoothly.

Here in Mexico, and in Latin America in general, this week is called Semana Santa. It is a very big week here as all of the schools are out and many people are on vacation. The catholic churches celebrate in a big way and mainly they celebrate the death of Jesus on Good Friday or Viernes Santo. Since we love Latin America we have always wanted to see a famous procession on Good Friday. Many towns have processions were they reenact Jesus' walk to Golgatha and his crucifixion and processions where they take Jesus' body and reenact taking it from Golgatha to the tomb. Much like there are many passion plays in the states, there are many processions here in Mexico. Some of them are rather eery as there can be a lot of self flagellation etc. Yesterday we were thankful for the opportunity to travel to the nearby city of Dolores Hidalgo with one of our Mexican friends and see a procesion del silencio. One of the processions where they walk around the city with Christ's body after he died. For us it was an extremely eye opening experience as we stepped into a new world and culture. Much of it was very beautiful and reverent. However, we were struck by the homily in the middle of the procession about Mary the mother of Jesus. We knew that the catholic church here puts a huge emphasis on her, we'd studied it, seen the evidence in churches, but we where shocked when a priest in the middle of the procession spoke about her. He said nothing of Christ and his sacrifice for us, but rather he spoke of Mary's sacrifice and her example that we should all try to follow. We were saddened by the more or less worship of Mary and the lack of emphasis put on Christ and his example for us. Sadly, the catholic church doesn't give much attention to Christ's resurrection and that he is alive. We are glad that this Easter we can celebrate his sacrifice and death, as well as his miraculous resurrection!

HAPPY EASTER! FELICES PASCUAS.


Photos:
Chichimeca children in the mountains. Josh went with the team to visit a Chichimeca congregation.

Josh with the indigenious Chichimeca pastor

The group from Michigan, us and other missionaries

Suffering Christ in the cathedral in Dolores Hidalgo

Michigan in Mexico

Hello this Saturday! Jennifer here, I just wanted to check in quickly and give you and update.
Monday morning a group of high school kids from Michigan arrived to spend their Spring Break helping out at the church and sharing prepared skits etc. in some poor neighborhoods. We've had a very busy schedule as we've been co-hosting our first short-term team. Josh has been helping out lead projects and I've mostly been in the kitchen preparing meals for the team with a Mexican, Honduran, and sometimes a Brazilian. Quite an experience and very good for my Spanish. Last week we had a very full week preparing for the team and we are thankful we also had the opportunity to help one of our friends in need when her six year old daughter had to go to the hospital. Praise God she is just fine. All that to say we've had some long days the past few weeks and sadly, the lack of sleep caught up with me and I started getting sick this week. Last night and all day today I unfortunately had to step out of my role and stay home. Though I've had stomach problems over the past year and half, I have not had a fever and sore throat at all. This is the first time in so long. Please pray that I will recover quickly so I can jump back in to helping and go on a trip that is planned for the group on Monday. I have a hard time sitting at home when there are other things I could be doing ;).

Muchas Gracias!

We hope you have a wonderful week as you prepare to celebrate Easter!

Love,
Jennifer Rebecca

Cultural Information

Some of you know a lot about the Mexican culture and others of you completely unaware of the culture in which we live. So, we thought we'd give you a taste of our surroundings.

First off, Mexico is extremely diverse and probably more so that the U.S. Just like the the U.S. it is made of states and each state has it's capital city. As most of you know, we live in the state of Guanajuato in the city of Leon. Guanajuato is located in the dead center of Mexico. We came from central KY and moved to Central Mexico. Leon is a huge city in comparison to the cities we are used to in the States. Many dispute the exact population, but it has aroung 2 to 2.5 million habitants and is growing daily! Honestly we thought adjusting to a large city was going to be more difficult than it has been because we were raised in the tiny town of Wilmore outside of Lexington which is not a big city at all. Thankfully it the adjustment to city life has been smooth, though at times we do miss the grass and the countryside.

While we have almost every modern convincience here including Starbucks, (is Starbucks a modern convienience?), we live in a very different world than were we lived in the U.S. For one the social classes here are VERY distinct. It is as if three worlds are coexisting in the same city, but each world is unaware of the other. Yes, lower, middle, and upper class do not really overlap in daily life unless they run into each other at Wal-Mart. (Just a side note, Wal-Mart's prices are often high here.) For us the class system that is so pronounced makes us sad and often makes us stop and think. The sad reality is that those in the lower class or lower middle class will most likely never have the chance to better their circumstances and will remain in their class for the rest of their lives. As foreigners we are able to make friends with people of all social classes. The other day we were talking to our tutor about this and she said that it is not common to have friends in various social classes. We are thankful for the ability to live in all three worlds. We live in a middle class neighborhood, but have friends in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city as well as the wealthiest. Sometimes we feel as if we are living in contrasts. The difference between the worlds is startling. God continues to give us the grace to move between all three.

Here are some fun facts:

-You only drink filtered or bottled water here. Most people, including us, buy our water jugs from companies that go from building to building and through the neighborhoods shouting "water, water" and their brand of water. Then you shout out to them how many jugs you want and they deliver it. The same is true for the gas. All homes have gas water heaters and gas stoves.

-It is true, Mexicans love spicy food and chiles. And so does Josh! From spaghetti to sandwiches, chile and salsa are everyday condiments. In central Mexico corn tortillas are also a staple! In fact, food in general is a staple. Much of life here revolves around food!

-Where ever you live there is a little tiny store nearby that you can go to for milk, eggs, and all kinds of things. Most likely it will be in someone's house. Here the norm is not to buy all your groceries once a week, but instead go to the market daily and get things you need last minute at the convinient stores. It is a different way of life and we are starting to enjoy it.

-Certain times of day traffic is crazy here and other times it is perfectly fine. Driving is sometimes very aggitating for us because the mentality is totally different from what we are used to. It is kind of like playing frogger only you are the frog dodging pedestrians, other cars, and bicicles oh and of course there's the pot holes and speed bumps everywhere. =)

-The prices of many things are not lower here though the salaries are. However, fresh fruits and veggies are way cheaper in comparison to the states. Even the apples from Washington that are imported are cheaper than in Kentucky. Being able to eat fresh fruit and fruit juice when ever we want is a huge treat. When we tell people the price of produce in the States they cannot believe a pineapple or an avocado would cost so much. One time we bought 2 lbs of oranges for 50 cents. Gas is about $2.80 a gallon and the economy is of course struggling.

-In the city everyone lives in town houses, houses right next to each other, or in apartments. Their is hardly any grass or green space unless you go to a park. There are some very nice parks here.

-Many people have cars and many do not. There is a good reliable, but slow, public bus system. There are taxis everywhere and of course all kinds of cars as well. We are thankful for our old Camry as it has been a huge blessing to us and others and given us a lot of mobility. We even found a reliable mechanic.



We could go on and on about interesting cultural things, but we will save some for the future. The short of it is we are in URBAN ministry and feel very at home in this setting.

Some of you have asked about our safety. Truthfully, central MX is much safer than the border when it comes to drug problems and kidnappings, though Mexico City is pretty dangerous. However, common theft etc. is on the rise right now here in Leon too because of the very high unemployment rate and lack of resources. And for us it is understandable. So far we have had nothing happen to us and aren't worried even if we were to have something stolen from us.

Okay, this post was way long, but one last thing...

This week a group from Michigan is coming on a short-term trip and we will be leaders and very occupied with them for 10 days. We look forward to sharing everything with you after they leave.

Prepared with Love

"Man, this pot is heavy," I thought as I carried the giant glob of spaghetti. We were loading up the car with enough spaghetti to feed a platoon of Marines and taking it to El Cañon de la India where our church has a work with the children of the neighborhood. Today, we wanted to do something extra special for the kids at our church's project by cooking them a big meal: spaghetti with meat and vegetable sauce plus Jennifer's world famous homemade chocolate chip cookies. We took so much joy in being able to provide something good and rare for the kids. Seeing their faces light up as we gave them the homemade cookies was unforgettable. Many of the kids in El Cañon de la India don't eat well nor with regularity (especially in these times of crisis) and very few of them have ever had the luxury of eating homemade cookies. Providing a meal every Saturday morning along with Bible lessons and tutoring is a pleasure for us, and seeing the smiles on so many faces that we have come to love and care for in the past months was a gift that cannot be repaid. As we served the food and saw the excitement on the kids' faces, we too were filled with excitement and joy because we knew that we were able to show God's love to these kids who so often are pushed to the margins and neglected. We pray that through the church's work in this neighborhood that many may see a new way of life and a new way to love.

A Couples' Retreat

The road was long and full of many curves, twists, and turns reminiscent of the roads in Eastern Kentucky. We were on our way into the mountains surrounding Leon for a marriage retreat in the Sierra de Los Lobos ("Mountain of the Wolves") where our friends from church have a cabin. We arrived and quickly set ourselves to cooking and putting up our tents. That night we had the privilege of talking with one another about our lives and our cultures. We enjoyed each other's company throughout the retreat and were challenged to reflect upon the areas of our marriage that need our attention and how we can be better spouses. One of the highlights for us was just being in the countryside again. We love living in the city but we didn't realize just how much we missed the trees, grass, and wildlife. The retreat was a time for getting to know our friends better, our spouses better, and enjoying the earth that God has given us. We don't often take time to talk deeply with one another about how we can be a more godly spouse and we think that for the couples who attended God worked in their relationships.

REGRESAMOS A MEXICO

We arrived home to Mexico safely and without any problems during our trip. We had a very long bus ride both to the border and back to Leon, but we are grateful we didn't have any accidents! And we are happy to announce that we missed it here while we were away and that, when we were in Texas, we felt very odd. Now we understand what our professors talked about during our training in Colorado when they said we would become a mixture of two cultures, two worlds: that of our home country and that of our new country. Now that we've been here for 7 months we truly understand this phenomenon of feeling at home and yet a foreigner in our own country and in our new one. This paradox is one that all missionaries live with and many other people who live abroad as well. =) This mixture of two cultures is where we live and why we find ourselves speaking with each other in Spanglish sometimes. Uh oh. All that to say that we are content here, but we did enjoy being on the border for a few days as well.

Thank you for praying for us and our meetings! Everything went smoothly and we sensed the presence of God with us as we discussed our future ministry and participated in our field meeting. God moved in wonderful ways, and we know he answered many prayers! We were also able to attend the 60th anniversary of Taylor Christian School in McAllen. WGM started the private Christian school in order to serve the Latin immigrants in the neighborhood where the school is located on the border. While we were there it was exciting to hear the vision the missionaries hold for the future of the school.

We have a lot going on in our lives over the next few weeks, and we are extremely grateful for your encouragement and prayers! Thank you for the phone calls and e-mails that have assured us of your support! You enable us to continue in our ministry here and your participation with us is invaluable!

As we work with our leaders to define our future ministry over the next few weeks we will let you know of those details as they become available. Meanwhile, please continue to pray for God's guidance and discernment as we meet with our leaders and work here.

PICTURES:
-One of our many views from the bus when we were close to Leon.
-Taylor Christian School's Anniversary
-Our friend and fellow missionary Jorge (from Boliva, but married to an American) celebrating his new American citizenship. He works and lives on the border.
-Our little friend Oscar after his school talent show here in Leon.

Headed to the Border

Hey family and friends!
Most of you received our prayer update, but we just wanted to make sure you knew that we were headed to the border today for a few days for field meetings. Just incase you don't hear from us for a little while that is. Please keep these meetings in your prayers and our travel safety as we will be taking the bus there and back. We will write a more detailed post when we return next week.

Thanks for all the encouraging emails and facebook posts. We appreciate each one of you!

Love,
Josh and Jennifer

Getting to Know One Another

Since we've been here our stereotypes of Mexico have been challenged as we learn more about the people and culture we've grown to love. One thing that surprised us is how long it has taken to get to know people. We noticed that many people generally seem happy and cheerful. And if you ask, "Cómo estás?" They are going to respond, "Muy bien gracias." If someone asks you the same question and you say something different it will most likely surprise them and they may not understand why you would give another answer. One of our language professors told us that many Mexicans function this way. They are happy and cheery in front of everyone, but when they are behind closed doors it is a different story. I don't think this phenomenon occurs only here in Mexico, but maybe it is more common. As we've been trying to deepen relationships here the idea that one is always fine (especially if you are a Christian) has been a roadblock. Thankfully this week we saw some progress. We had commented to each other that we wish this one family would open up to us because we know they are struggling right now and we'd like to talk to them about their situation. And it happened! Transparency! When we asked the famous question this week, "How are you?" finally the father responded "actually I'm really sad." He then began to open up about all the problems he had been having with his children and how devastated he felt because of all that had transpired the week before. Wow. We were shocked. And last night during a Bible study the same family admitted that they felt more comfortable around us and were glad that we could all share honestly with one another. Mainly, we've learned that if we are open and real with others, they are more likely to be open with us. Only in a community with a spirit of honesty can we grow. Sometimes it takes sacrifice on our part to humble ourselves enough to be honest about the things that we are struggling with in our lives. But lets be truthful...Isn't it freeing? We can only experience God's deep love for us in true Christian community. Have you ever experienced that? Are you striving for it?

Also, last night we celebrated our friend Jorge's birthday. Jorge and Erika have become good friends of ours. Why? Because they have opened their home to us time and time again. They've invited us out for tacos and invited us to super numerous times. They have been there for us when we've felt lonely and for that we are grateful! Jorge has his own salsa business and Josh has enjoyed helping him make them on a few occasions. Jorge's birthday celebration was special because his family didn't ever celebrate his birthday and to this day his mother doesn't even call him to wish him happy birthday. We were glad we could celebrate with him and bring a smile to his face. =D

A full weekend

Last week was a special week because it was our last week of language classes in Guanjuato. Friday was a bittersweet day as we said good-bye to our teachers and several students with whom we had built relationships, but we look forward to our new schedule. We will meet with a tutor several times a week as well as meet with people every day to focus on conversation. Meanwhile, Josh is gearing up to start some English classes at the church and Jennifer is hoping to launch some ballet classes if she can get the details worked out. We are also looking at the possibility of starting a small group in our home, and we will continue our involvement in various ministries at the church and community. In addition, we are preparing to teach some theological education classes this summer for a ministry training program at our church. Yes our plates are full. =)

Thanks for praying for us and Blanca this weekend. Blanca is recovering, taking some time off of work this week and she is still very sore.

Saturday was a great day in spite of the fact that Friday afternoon Josh came down with a 24 hour virus and was very ill. We had to cancel our Valentine's date for Friday night and pray that Josh would be well enough for Saturday's activities. Thankfully, by Saturday afternoon he was feeling much better and was able to go to the youth Valentine's party and the couples' meeting. The youth group party went smoothly, and we think that those who attended were interested in our story. We hope we were able to connect with them and help them understand how important it is to have Christ in your relationships. Afterwards we were encouraged because we had several youth approach us and ask us some deep questions. Following the youth party we attended the couples get together. There we met some new friends and had a wonderful time of reflection and fellowship as we discussed the theme of complaining and how it is destructive in a marriage. Saturday was a late night as we stayed up late cooking for Sunday's big international potluck at church. Sunday morning Jennifer enjoyed helping in the kitchen and serving a variety of plates from the Americas. We are grateful for the way God worked through the various activities over the weekend!