Sunday, December 20, 2009

Feliz Navidad





Hello family and friends,

Where as this month gone, or better yet the Fall? It seems like yesterday was the beginning of the semester and now it is almost 2010. We are thankful to be spending our 2nd Christmas here in Mexico and that we will not be alone. We wish we were able to spend it with family, but we are glad that Jennifer's parents will at least be able to come on the 30th of December and stay a week. Some good friends have invited us to spend Christmas with them in a nearby state and we grateful for their thoughtfulness in inviting us. We look forward to being a part of a Mexican Christmas celebration.

Pictures:
WGM Central Mexico missionary and pastor Christmas dinner
Us in Irapuato (city of the strawberries) after Josh preached
Jennifer and Julie on a road trip with Deyanira. Julie, a WGM volunteer over the the summer came to v

We have had a week full of Christmas parties and holiday activities. One thing we've noticed about Mexico is that Christmas is not as materialistic and the holiday is more about spending time together than decorating to death and spending lots of money on presents. A few years ago we decided as a family (there are just two of us) not to focus on Christmas presents and to make gifts for friends and family and give fair trade instead of buying, buying, buying. Sometimes we opt to give relational gifts like taking people out for a meal or making a memory. Our tradition of looking for a simple way to do Christmas has taken a lot of stress out of the holiday and made it rather pleasant. This year we decided to have a Christmas card exchange with our small group. The idea was that everyone wrote a Christmas card to each person in the group telling them what they liked about them. It proved challenging, but worth it in the end. We aren't sure everyone understood what we were trying to communicate, but we hope that as we grow we can learn how to give each other encouraging words rather than material goods. Could we challenge you this Christmas to tell someone how much you love them instead of buying them something? Could we challenge you to give to those in need instead of buying expensive presents. Here's to a simpler Christmas so that other may simply live!

We wish you a merry Christmas as you celebrate Christ's birth!

Lots of love,
Josh and Jennifer

Pictures:
Marriage Study Christmas Dinner
Julie and Jennifer. Julie was a WGM volunteer this summer in Mexico and came back to visit this past week.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

WORLD RELIGIONS





Last Saturday we headed to Irapuato so that I could teach one of our theological education classes about world religions and sects. Leading up to the class I had been honestly, very stressed and nervous. Sadly, when I get nervous and stressed my Spanish seems to disapear and I revert back to very basic Spanish. Needless to say after a very busy week I had lots of butterflies in my stomach on Saturday morning. Where the students going to understand me? When Josh taught his class he had a manual to work for as a basis for his lectures. There was no manual for my class which meant that I had to develop all of my lectures etc. on my own. It was a huge challenge for me, but I made it through and was more than prepared come Saturday. I can only praise God that my Spanish functioned on Saturday and overall my class went very well. Being the perfectionist I somtimes am, I wish that I could have communicated in Spanish in exactly the same way I can in English, but hopefully someday I will be able to.

My favorite part of teaching the class was seeing the students have to think in ways they weren't used to thinking. I had them define "worldview" and "religion." The task proved to be more challenging then they expected it would be. Each of us has our own definition of religion that affects how we define our faith. I hope that each student's worldview expanded during our class time and that they can some how have a better understanding of the world around them through what they learned last weekend. Culture, art and religion are passions of mine, so it was a pleasure to be able to share that passion with others and challenge them to see the world differently. My favorite classes in college were ones that challenged my way of thinking and expanded my worldview.

In February I will be going to Saltillo, a city about eight hours away, to teach the same class. I had prepared too much material believe it or not and thus I will be making a few revisions. =0) I owe a big thanks to you all for your prayers, and to my friend and Spanish teacher for editing my lectures and powerpoint!

Thanksgiving




We are giving lots of praise to God for the fact that we made it through the last two very busy weeks alive.

Thanksgiving night turned out to be a huge hit. Josh fixed a turkey and we had a few appetizers and side dishes not to mention Jennifer's famous pumpkin roll. About twelve people had told us for sure that they were coming, so it was a suprise to have twenty-four adults plus kids show up. When we looked at the food we had prepared we thought it wouldn't be enough, but it was went a long way and we even had leftovers! Our living room was packed and thankfully there were enough seats for everyone. Yeah! Two missionary friends called and asked if they could spend the evening with us too, and a few people in our small group invited friends. The most special part of the night was when we went around the room and shared about what we were thankful for. Everyone shared and some tears were shed as well. For us it was a joy to share the day with so many friends, knowing that we are not alone here and that we have a "family" in León. The night was truly a beautiful one and it was a treat for us to introduce this important American holiday to our Mexican friends.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

FELIZ DIA DE ACCION DE GRACIAS



Happy Thanksgiving everyone! It is hard to believe a year has passed by already.

We have much to be thankful for after a very challenging year! First off we are thankful for you, your prayers, and support! We would not be here without you! As we thank God for our old friends we also thank him for all the wonderful new friends we´ve made who are part of our lives, and that today we will share our holiday tradition with many of them. Josh is preparing a turkey, Jennifer is cookind pumpkin rolls and we are expecting a full apartment tonight.

Many times we focus on the difficulties we are facing and we neglect to give God praise for the victories and joys in our lives. And there are many. More than usual we are thankful for the food we have to eat, the jobs we have, and that we always have enough. We are thankful that we have each other in the good times and in the bad times, and we are thankful for the way God has grown us this year.

¡FELIZ DIA DE ACCION Y GRACIAS!

May you have a wonderful holiday praising God for who he is and what he´s done in your life! Hugs from Mexico.


Josh and Jennifer


Prayer Requests:
-That God´s love and grace would grow in our small group and among our friends

-That all of our friends would experience the transforming work of Christ in their lives

-That THIS WEEK Jennifer would finish her class preparations and have a good class in Irapuato this weekend. She is teaching world religions and sects.

-That God would give us good health, rest, and encouragement

-That we would have peace about our future

Friday, November 20, 2009




"The Hot Air Balloon Festival is coming up in two weeks," said our friend, "We should all go and camp at the park." It sounded like a great idea. Nearly everyone in our group was willing and able to go to the park and camp out for a night to see the famous Festival de los Globos in the Metropolitan Park here in León. This type of group activity and the desire to do things together is exactly what we have been wanting to see from the members of our group and it was very exciting to see that they were coming up with things to do as a group by themselves. Saturday morning several of our friends helped us out by setting up the campsite and getting things arranged for us, because we were busy all afternoon in a meeting in Irapuato. When we returned we realized that most of our friends in the group were upset with one another. Each one of us had done something that had upset the other.
The idea behind our group is that we not only are centered on the gospel word but we are also centered upon the gospel community. The end result that we are striving for is that we are not only hearers of the Word but doers of the Word and that theology and praxis are united. We are realizing that uniting a diverse group of people in one Spirit is not something that we are able to do. We have tried to model love, grace, and community. We have done the best job we can of proclaiming the good news of Jesus to those in our group. Yet, we are still very slow to make the jump from head knowledge to heart living. We are realizing that uniting these wonderful friends of ours in one Spirit is not something that we are ultimately able to do, rather, the unity comes from the Holy Spirit herself. We are also realizing that ministry is a path filled with highs and lows as we see ourselves and our friends making great strides in maturity and understanding and as we see each other fail to live out the grace and love of God we have received. We want nothing more than to see our friends become the body of Christ to one another and to this city. We are certain that this is the desire of God and we are waiting upon him to move among us in this way. We must be faithful and persevere and be careful not to rely on ourselves or our abilities to accomplish His purposes.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

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

Friday, October 30, 2009

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.

Friday, October 23, 2009

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!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

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?

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

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!

Friday, September 25, 2009

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!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

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.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

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.)

Monday, August 17, 2009

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.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

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. =)