Be a Part of Something Special

Back in Mexico!

2012-01-19T10:25:00.003-06:00

Greetings from warm and sunny Central Mexico! The weather here is quite different from the snow and cold we had in Kentucky. Actually it is unusually warm in León for this time of year. We haven't had to get out our sweaters and winter coats out at all.

Late Tuesday night we returned to Mexico after spending several weeks in the States visiting friends and family. We had a wonderful time but were eager to get home to León as well.

As we enter the new year would you please consider praying for us?

Pray for:

-Guidance and direction in ministry this year

-Spiritual growth and maturity for our church group

-For the kids of the orphanage we visit and that their financial needs would be met

-The students of Jennifer's ballet class

-Josh's preparations for the theological education class he is going to teach

Thanks for joining us through your gifts and prayers as we minister here in Mexico!!!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-21T11:33:00.007-06:00

Hello dear friends and family!

We have been busy with Christmas dinners and alike and we are sure you have been busy too. Before Christmas comes we wanted to take a moment and share some pictures with you from our time yesterday at an orphanage that we go to every week. We held a Christmas party for the 34 children that live at the orphanage called Alfan. We took them tamales, cookies, and punch as well as Christmas gifts and a piñata. It was a delight to see their faces when they got their small Christmas gifts and candy. These children have very little and may not get any other gifts for Christmas. You may expect the children of an orphanage to no be well behaved but these children are wonderful and have very good house parents. They are grateful for what they have and are kind and loving. Would you please pray for these sweet kids? Pray that they will come to know Christ and his deep love for them.

This Christmas will be spent here in Mexico with our friends, but on the 27th we will head to Michigan and then Kentucky to spend several weeks with family and friends in the States. If you are in the Kentucky area and would like to get together with us please let us know. If you don't hear from us for a few weeks it is because we are in the States.

Remember that you can send your end of the year gift to:
GO InterNational
PO Box 123
Wilmore, KY 40390
With our names on the memo line

The orphanage is also in need of funds as it runs off of donations. If you are interested in giving a gift to help the orphanage please e-mail us at: jandjmexico@gmail.com

We hope you all have a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Love,
Josh and Jennifer

Pictured: Christmas Party for the orphanage, Christmas church party

A Great Week!

2011-11-28T15:48:00.003-06:00

Last week was a wonderful one as the Reynolds family spent the whole week with us. It was nice to have family in town especially for Thanksgiving because it is holiday when we miss home. We spent the week showing the Reynolds crew around our area of Mexico. We had a great time together. We concluded our activities with a big Thanksgiving meal the Friday after Thanksgiving. Though we bought a big turkey, we slightly underestimated how many people would attend. There were 50 of us! Thankfully, we did have enough food (barely). It was a joyous celebration as we thanked God for all that he has done for us this year. We were glad to be surrounded by family and friends.

This year there is so much to be thankful for and each of you are on the top of our list. Thanks for your ongoing prayers and support. We could not be in Mexico if it weren't for you. We are also thankful to be back in Mexico this year. We are thankful for our many Mexican friends who constantly show us their love and support. And we are thankful for health and wholeness.

We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Preparing for Thanksgiving

2011-11-17T13:58:00.004-06:00

The first weekend of November we traveled up North again this time for Josh to give a Bible course for WGM's theological education program. Thankfully the class went well and we had no problems on our trip.

Last Saturday we went to the orphanage to the birthday party of one of the girls. There we were greeted by the cutest group of kids you have ever seen. We wish we could adopt several of them, but that wouldn't be fair to the other kids. We have been spending time with them once a week playing and helping out with homework. They have captured our hearts and we look forward to our several hours with them every week.

Currently, we are preparing for company. Josh's family is coming for the week and will be here to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. We are going to have a huge Thanksgiving dinner the Friday after Thanksgiving for our church and our friends. It will be a time to thank God for what he has done for us this year. Please pray that we will have a good dinner and that it would be a great time of fellowship for everyone involved.

Ballet

2011-11-05T15:11:00.006-06:00

Never before have I taught ballet to such an attentive group of girls. Hola maestra I hear as I am greeted by the sweet girls in the poor neighborhood of Cañon de la India. There lies a non-for-profit organization started by a wealthy business owner. She started several libraries with classes for children and their parents as well as a youth orchestra. They have a very nice facility complete with a little ballet studio. I have enjoyed my time there on Fridays and look forward to seeing the girls faces greet me every week. Most of the girls don't have the resources to be able to have nice ballet clothes and ballet shoes. Thankfully Bluegrass Youth Ballet in Lexington, where I used to work, donated some shoes, leotards and tights to me a while back. This week I passed them out and the girls were excited to receive some lightly used items. It is exciting to teach a group of girls who have a desire to be in class and aren't just there because their parents want them to be. These young ones ranging from ages six to ten bring me much joy each week.

2011-11-04T15:23:00.000-06:00

Praises and Prayer Requests

2011-10-26T16:27:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone! It is time for a prayer update.

Here are some things we are praising God for:

-We have our visas and are legal immigrants in Mexico

-Jennifer's ballet classes are going well

-Jennifer's grandma was very ill, but is doing much better

-Josh's opportunity to referee American football

-The visitors we had at our church meeting on Friday who are from a nearby city

-Grace and strength during adversity

As you pray please pray for:

-Safety for us, especially as we travel north next weekend

-Josh's theological education class next weekend in Northern Mexico

-The spiritual growth of people in our church group

-Unity in our church group

-Wisdom and discernment for us in all we do

-More ministry opportunities

Pictured: Celebrating Pedro's birthday on Friday with our guests from out of town

Casa Hogar

2011-10-13T13:33:00.005-05:00

This past Tuesday we had the privilege of going to visit an orphanage where we will be volunteering once a week. We walked in the door and we were immediately greeted by seventeen girls from age one to about fourteen. Everyone of them had a smile on their face and their eyes lit up when they saw the bags of candy in our hands. These children are beautiful. Why? Because while they may only have one pair of shoes, they are rich with generosity and love. As we were talking with the girls some of them were showing off their handmade bracelets. Jennifer commented that one of them was beautiful and without even thinking about it the little girl took off her bracelet and gave it to Jennifer. She didn't want to take it knowing that for that girl the bracelet was a priceless treasure, but the girl insisted and the director of the orphanage told her to take it. What a gift! And to think of all the bracelets Jennifer has and the truth is she doesn't need another one, but out of the kindness of her heart this little girl gave what little she had to someone she barely knew. We were speechless.

After spending some time upstairs with the girls, we headed downstairs to be with the boys. There are also about seventeen of them. We were hugged and kissed by a bunch of boys dressed like cowboys. They were proud of their cowboy shirts and gladly showed them off. Then we began to talk about all sorts of things and we were suddenly surrounded by a swarm of boys. They asked us all kinds of questions and were thrilled to have us share with them some short phrases in English. Later we played games and it was obvious to us that these kids, though very well behaved, were starving for attention. The two to three women that take care of them do a great job, but there just simply aren't enough adults to go around.

On the ride home we talked about our visit and our amazement of how happy those kids are with what very little they have. We on the other hand tend to take for granted the fact that we have more than one pair of shoes and two parents that cared for us. Yes, we have soooo much. Reflecting about our time there made us even more excited about being with these children once a week. The director of the orphanage spends her days running around and finding donations to pay the bills and feed the children. They live off of donations.

Overall what a humbling we had a humbling experience. Will you join us in praying for the kids of this orphanage?

2011-10-06T13:06:00.004-05:00

Thanks for praying! We had a wonderful trip to Northern Mexico and a safe one as well. Jennifer's theological education class went smoothly and she feels like the students were very interested in the topic. During the class we talked about culture and knowing your audience etc as it was a communications class. Thankfully, she was able to get through 12 hours of teaching in Spanish and feels like God was helping her along the way. We also had a safe trip home and pray that we have the same sort of success in a month when we travel north again for Josh's class.

During our church meetings we've been talking about the indwelling life of Christ and his presence in us at all times. An odd thing happened the other day. Jennifer was teaching ballet class when she had the urge to go and visit our friend Lety after class. Lety works near where Jennifer teaches ballet so it was the perfect opportunity to stop by and try to be an encouragement. Jennifer went to Lety's office, mainly just to say hi, but soon she knew that it was the Holy Spirit who had laid it on her heart to stop by and see Lety. For over an hour Lety poured her heart out as she shared about the difficulties of her job and an upcoming meeting that was going to be difficult. Lety said that in the morning she prayed to God to show her that he was real and answered prayer. She said Jennifer was the answer to her prayer because she needed someone to talk to. When we are open to Christ's leading in our lives it is amazing what can happen. Lety is in a process right now of coming to know Christ and his transforming life. Please join us in praying for her and her family as they discover the risen Lord.

Pictured:
Jennifer teaching
Us at a church in León where Josh preached

Prayer Requests

2011-09-30T16:14:00.002-05:00

Hello Friends and Family!

Today we want to write you to ask you to specifically pray for several things. Especially the trip that we are taking to Saltillo in Northern Mexico tonight and our return Sunday night. We are going by bus, but things aren't very secure. So please be praying that we have a safe trip.

Also we would like to ask you to pray for:

-Jennifer to have a wonderful class this weekend as she teaches "Communicating Christ Cross-Culturally." Pray for her Spanish to flow and for the class to go smoothly.

- Josh as he prepares to teach "The Synoptic Gospels" in a month. He still has lots of preparation to do.

-Our church group. That it would continue to discover who Christ is and the power of the Holy Spirit. For transformed lives.

-Our friend Lety. She is in a very difficult job situation right now and needs a new job or her current situation to improve.

We praise God for what he is doing in the lives of those around us and in our own lives. He is moving and we are excited!!!!

Thanks for praying for us and praising God with us!

You are appreciated!

Reasons to Celebrate

2011-09-22T13:40:00.008-05:00

This past week we had several reasons to celebrate. Thursday was Jennifer's birthday and Mexico's Independence Day, and Friday we officially started our church plant as we began talking about the indwelling life of Christ. After our meeting we celebrated Mexico's Independence with the traditional dish of "posole," a filling soup, and laughed and shared our lives with one another. In addition, we have several answers to prayer. One is that Rodrigo was able to be with us and share with the group on Friday. The other is that a couple who are neighbors of ours started attending the group and want to be a part of the church. This is a HUGE answer to prayer.

After an amazing week we went with some friends and Rodrigo to Mexico City to be a part of a house church plant there. It was a blessing to spend time with other believers who are taking the same route we are as being with them is such and encouragement. We plan to be traveling a little more this Fall and Rodrigo will be traveling a lot to be with us here in León. Please continue to pray for us as we travel and that we will have the finances available in order to do so.

Sometimes we can be rather focused on the things that aren't going smoothly in our lives and we forget to take time to celebrate what the Lord is doing in and around us. What are your reasons to celebrate?

¡Viva México! (Long Live Mexico)

2011-09-15T18:51:00.007-05:00

Greetings from sunny Central Mexico! Today is Jennifer's birthday and it also happens to be Mexico's Independence Day. So we are preparing to go downtown to eat some yummy Mexican food and watch fireworks with friends. We are thankful for this beautiful country even though it is struggling with its economy and organized crime. We still think it is a great country and we are grateful to call it home!

This past sunday we had a wonderful get together to celebrate Jennifer's birthday and the birthday of someone else in our group. It went well as everyone was able to attend and we spent the whole afternoon and evening together getting to know one another better. Tomorrow night we are starting our church meetings officially and are excited about what God is going to do among us. Please be in prayer for our meeting which starts at 8pm Central time followed by a dinner.

Jennifer asked you to pray for a neighbor with whom she was going to be starting a Bible study. We are thankful to report that they had their first meeting yesterday and it went very well. The neighbor responded positively to the study and then opened up to Jennifer and talked to her for hours about her life's story. Would you continue to pray for this neighbor and that the idolatry in her life would be revealed and God would reign in her heart! She knows NOTHING about the Bible and doesn't know any Bible stories even though she grew up catholic. Therefore, Jennifer is starting from scratch and doing a panoramic study of the Bible with her.

Thanks for your prayers and support as always! We could not minister without you.

Pictured: Birthday party
Iván and Pedro playing music during one of our home group meetings

2011-09-09T15:37:00.003-05:00

The most interesting thing happened yesterday...I went to visit one of my neighbors, which I do fairly often, when my neighbor took me by surprise completely. She asked me when we could study the Bible together. I was a little shocked because if you knew my neighbor you wouldn't think that she would want anything to do with protestantism, but she knows us very well and stated that she realized we had studied the Bible a lot. My neighbor said that she has been around a lot of people lately who know something about the Bible and she doesn't know anything about it. Most catholics here, not all, don't know anything about the Bible except for what they might hear at mass, and many don't even go to mass. I am praising God for this hunger that he has put deep down in her heart to know more. I've been praying for my neighbors ever since I met them several years ago. Since then one has accepted Christ. Never in my wildest dreams did I think this other friend of mine would want to study the Bible with me and ask "when can we start?" Josh and I decided that our church plant would not be the best place for her, at least not yet, but I am going to meet with her once a week to study the Bible. Who knows what God will do during our times together. Please pray for our neighbor and that the Holy Spirit would work in her life use this Bible study to open her eyes to know Christ. I've spent so much time with my neighbors and sometimes I think they will never want to follow the Lord, but little by little we have seen open doors and things changing. Praise the Lord!

Thanks,
Jennifer Rebecca

Cultural Experiences and Expanding Our Ministry

2011-09-08T16:28:00.007-05:00

This past weekend we had the wonderful opportunity to go to one of our friend from our group's house and ranch (or town) about an hour and a half away. Our time with her family and seeing the local festival was truly remarkable as we had the chance to talk with our friend's grandmother who is eighty-eight years old and had all kinds of stories to tell. We learned more about small town Mexican culture and had the pleasure of getting to know our friend's family. This is the friend who stayed in our apartment while we were in the States. So she is a pretty close friend and has wanted us to meet her family for a long time. Our friend tells us that her grandmother doesn't like to talk with everyone, but we were fortunate enough to win her approval and she talked our ears off. =)

In the meantime we are working on getting our church-plant off the ground. In our next newsletter you will hear about this, but the missionary couple with whom were going to work with is not able to work with us and therefore we were left feeling rather alone this summer. Instead, we are going to partner with a Mexican national who shares our calling to plant home churches that reflect the indwelling life of Christ. We've mentioned our friend Rodrigo before and you will hear is name again in the future. We're thankful for this partnership as it came just at the right time for us. We will even be expanding our ministry by helping Rodrigo plant churches in Mexico City and in the nearby city of Querétaro. These are not big huge churches, at least not yet, but rather they are intimate groups of people seeking Christ together on a weekly basis and living life together throughout the week. Next week we will be starting to talk about Christ's life in us with our church here in León and we are praying that the right people will participate as we begin this journey. Please join us in praying for this group of people and for our new partner Rodrigo.

Answered Prayer

2011-09-01T13:23:00.004-05:00

God answers prayer and we all know that but sometimes we neglect to give him thanks where thanks is due. We want to take a few moments and praise him for several things in our life.

First off we asked you to pray for our support and thanks to many generous people like yourselves we had a strong month of support in August. We give thanks for this wonderful gift and ask that you continue to pray for strong financial and prayer support!

Second, we had the privilege of having Bert Jones, the president of GO InterNational here with us for a few days. It was great to be able to show him León and a nearby city where we are thinking about expanding our ministry. Plus, it was encouraging to have someone from back home with us here and to be able to share life together for a brief amount of time. We are always blessed by visitors in our house. We were in need of some encouragement and God sent us just what we needed.

Third of all we are thankful for a breakfast we just had with a local pastor and his family. They too have felt lonely and would like some moral support as they church-plant. We are thankful for this family's sweet spirit and willingness to reach out to us and pray for us. We hope to support them in their ministry. We give thanks for this Mexican family!

Also, Jennifer will be starting to teach English and ballet next week to underprivileged children and adults. We are thankful for this opportunity and ask that you would be in prayer for her as she makes contacts and loves these people through teaching.

And thank you for praying!!!! God is good!!!

2011-08-24T15:05:00.005-05:00

Sometimes God brings things into our lives that we would never expect. Josh has recently had the opportunity to referee football, something he loves and did for many years in the States. This has given him the chance to get to know other men his age and be a positive influence on them. God brought one of Josh's passions into his life so that he could use it for God's glory. Jennifer will soon be starting to teach classes for a non-profit organization that helps children in need. She will be teaching under privileged children ballet and she is very excited about the start of these classes because it is something she has wanted to do for a long time now. Would you pray that God sends the right children to her class room so that she can share his love with them? We never know what God will use to reach others whether it be football, ballet, or something else. We can use any skill or passion in order to bring praise to God, and we see this time and time again on the mission field. Pray that Christ's life would be evident in us as we spend time with neighbors, teach, and love those who are hurting around us. We know God is using you too in whatever you do! He uses all of us and we don't have to serve in another country in order for him to be seen in and through what we do from the most seemingly meaningless task to the greatest one.

This past weekend we had the honor of having our friend Rodrigo with us once again. He was a huge encouragement to us and he even had the chance to share with our small group. We praise God that he has provided us with a friend with whom we can share life and ministry with even if we don't live in the same city. We move forward trusting that God will provide more people like Rodrigo in our lives.

2011-08-10T17:14:00.007-05:00

This week was an especially hard week ministry wise. We had some very difficult moments and have felt discouraged. As we've been told this is normal for people who are in full-time ministry, but that doesn't make it any easier. We are praying that God would guide us as we seek to be one with him and out of our relationship with him serve others. When we serve, give, and love the hurting world around us sometimes we get hurt in return. Sometimes, things don't go smoothly for us, and sometimes we feel lonely and wonder if what we are doing is making a difference. Then we remember that Jesus too was rejected and felt alone. When he was going to be crucified his disciples left him and betrayed him. Our Saviour has gone through every trial that we have gone through, and is aware of our pain and frustration.

We are so glad that many of you are praying for us, and some of you are even praying for us daily. We are humbled and know that your prayers, by God's grace, have been sustaining us. Would you continue to lift us up in prayer?

Here are some things you can pray for:

Encouragement

Constant surrender to Jesus

Guidance and Discernment

Our friends who do not know Jesus deeply

Mature Christians to join us in ministry

Thanks for your continued prayers and support and for ministering with us here in Central Mexico. We will continue to give God the glory and praise!

PICTURED: Ricky playing the violin during one of our meetings
Celebrating Blanca's birthday
The dedication of Emmanuel y Galilea (twins)

The Virgin of Guadalupe

2011-07-25T16:22:00.005-05:00

Well today we are celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary and we couldn't be more thrilled to do so. =) We thank God for our time together and that we have stayed united during the good times and rough times. We give him all the glory. Thanks for standing behind us!

Today I had coffee with some friends and my heart was saddened by what I heard. Not only did I hear my one of my dear friends tell me the story of her broken family and the heartbreak she was going through, but also the lies of idolatry that are so much part of the Mexican culture. You see here the Virgin of Guadalupe, a representative of the virgin of Mary, is seen as a God. She is prayed to, worshipped, and images of her are everywhere. Where we live, to be Mexican is to be Catholic, and not just any kind of Catholic, but one who also worships the Virgin of Guadalupe among other virgins and images. We have to be very careful in how we approach our friends or talk to them about the subject. Really we have to let the Holy Spirit do his work because it is a VERY touchy topic. Would you join us in praying for our friends who struggle to make a connection between their faith and their everyday life and who are faced with idolatry on a daily basis? Pray that the Holy Spirit would give us wisdom when to speak up and when to be quite. Pray against idolatry and that Jesus Christ will be revealed in Central Mexico and break through the darkness of lies that have a grasp on this area. -Jennifer

Please don't forget to pray for our financial support. We are in much need of our budget being met every month. THANKS for all you do to keep us here on the field!!!!!!!

Trip to Mexico City

2011-07-19T12:32:00.003-05:00

This past weekend we had the wonderful opportunity to go to Mexico City with a friend from our group and to spend time with Rodrigo and the organic church that is just starting in the capital city. The weekend was an amazing experience because not only did we get to see for the first time a little bit of the biggest city in the world, but we were able to spend quality time with our friend and her family as well as attend the second meeting of the group in Mexico City that is also working with our friend Rodrigo. Saturday morning we gathered to learn more about what church consists of and doesn't consist of and the Holy Spirit was at work among us as we prayed for one another and shared each other's burdens. It brought tears to our eyes to be able to meet with another group of believers in Mexico City that we did not know previously, but who quickly became dear friends. When you share the same calling, the same vision, nothing can compare to sharing Christ with one another. We spent many hours together that day and then were able to spend some time with Rodrigo on Sunday as well.

We praise God that he is moving here in Mexico in sometimes small ways, but he is moving. It is nice to know we are not alone and that others are walking the same path with us though they may be a few hours away.

Would you join us in prayer for several things? One is for our finances. Please pray that our support would be strong even during this difficult economic time and that people would remember to send in their monthly support. We cannot stay here without the generous support of our friends and several churches. Also, please pray for more mature Christians to join us in ministry in León so that it will be easier for those who don't know Christ to see the love of Christ among us. Please pray for wisdom and patience on our part as we deal with hurting people. God is good and has supplied all of our needs! We would be honored if you would join us in praying that our needs would continue to be met both financially and spiritually.

Love to you all!

Refreshment

2011-07-05T17:40:00.006-05:00

Boy does time fly. We apologize for letting so much time go by without posting something. By now most of you should have received our latest newsletter and if you haven't you will be getting it in the mail shortly.

Well the weather has cooled down some and the rainy season seems to have actually started. So León is getting its much needed rain, and with the rain comes refreshment.

This past weekend we experienced refreshment as we hosted a new friend in our house. He is from another part of Mexico, but we have become good friends through mutual friends and were excited to finally meet Rodrigo in person. You see Rodrigo has been working on starting organic expressions of church for many years and has lots of experience in just the type of ministry God has called us to here in Mexico. It was an encouragement to be able to spend time talking about Christ being the head of his church, instead of the normal reaction of us wanting to take control and lead it. We discussed how slow ministry is here and that things do not grow fast, but little by little and as people see Christ's body at work and loving others, the church will grow. Right now Rodrigo is working in several cities to help support groups that are seeking Christ in their homes. Soon Rodrigo will be living in a city close to León, and we are looking forward to working with him in this endeavor to start a church where all the members are functioning and Christ is the head.

We've had some discouraging moments in ministry, but God used Rodrigo to encourage us and affirm our call along the way. Only God could have made this connection as we've both been praying for ministry partners. Would you join us in praying for more partners? More people that catch the vision of Christ being the head of his church and more believers to help us start what God called us to because the workers are few.

Pictured: Us with Rodrigo and another friend

The Ups and Downs of Ministry

2011-06-17T11:34:00.011-05:00

Yesterday was a tearful day as we said good-bye to Jennifer's close friend who had been with us since the time we arrived here in Mexico on June 1st. It was not an easy good-bye as bidding farewell to one of your closest friends ever is. But alas, we are here in León on our own once again. Not to mention yesterday was Josh's 29th birthday.

Many people often ask us "What is ministry like for you?" "Or what does a normal day look like for you?" We think our friend got a taste of real missionary life as we eased back into it here. You NEVER know what a day will hold. Someone might come by at 10:30pm unexpectedly or maybe a day will be full of visits, dinners, breakfasts and alike. Mostly we live life alongside others. We try to show them the love of Christ through our daily actions as well as through our group time and Bible studies.

Ministry sure does have its ups. One of our close friends and neighbor suffered a severe problem in her marriage just over a year ago. Yesterday, while Jennifer was at breakfast with her and some other neighbors, this neighbor whom we will call Rosa, decided to confront one of the other neighbors about her marriage, testifying that God was the only one who helped save her own marriage. She also said that we are responsable for our own actions and we cannot control our spouses. Jennifer was amazed as she sat there and listened to a very deep conversation that she thought would never take place. God is working through Rosa and her family and we believe he will use them to eventually reach the rest of our neighbors. God is amazingly good and is answering years of prayers for Rosa and for our neighbors. Yesterday the women at breakfast had never opened up as much as they did with one another and Jennifer knew that her many hours spent with them were not in vain. Praise God for what he is doing!

Ministry can also be discouraging. One day an old friend whom we tried to help years ago suddenly showed up at our door. We will call him José, though many of you have heard his name already and know who we are talking about. It was amazing to see God bring this young man back into our lives. You see José is an alcoholic and he is now expecting a baby out of wedlock. He has always had a sensitivity towards God and a desire to follow him, but the temptations of alcohol and his friends have always been stronger than his desire to change. We were shocked to see his face and have him back in our lives. We've spent quite a bit of time with him and tried to help in every way we can, but of course we cannot baby-sit him. And when or if he fails it can and will be discouraging and disheartening. We love José and to see him fall breaks our heart. Let's pray that God will sustain him and that the Holy Spirit will change him!

Would you join us in praying for all our neighbors and for praying for José. It doesn't matter if you know their real names or not. God knows. And pray for us as we minister out of the fullness that Christ has given to us so that we can persevere in the encouraging moments and in the discouraging ones.

Pictures: Jennifer with our friend Jennifer in León, group time, us in the capital of our State.

A Scary Day but We Arrived Safely

2011-06-07T18:13:00.005-05:00

Greetings Family, Friends, and All Ya´ll who read this blog,

On Wednesday June 1st we had a very scary drive down from Texas to León. Stay tuned for more details in our next newsletter at the end of the month.

The good news is we arrived safely to León, and we know that God was the only one that helped us get here in one piece. Thanks to all of you who have prayed and who prayed specifically that day. God used your prayers in a mighty way!

Currently, we are easing back into life here in México. We are getting used to the pace, the different rhythms, and brushing up on our Spanish of course. Last night we had our small group time, (which is getting to be a larger group), and we were blessed by everyone there. A joy for us has been to see many of our friends and hear positive things that have happened in their lives while we were in the States. Once again, stay tuned for more...

It is hot here and we do not have air conditioning. We are tired from our 32 hour trip to Mexico and a little exhausted fitting back into a culture that we love, but is not ours. Somehow, God sustains us and is giving us much peace in the midst of the daily hassles that we had forgotten about. Things like the high price of cell phone service, or getting water and groceries are so different here. Everything takes longer, but we are getting used to it and soon it will feel just like home again.

In this post mainly we wanted to let everyone know we were safe and sound in León. Keep praying! We love and appreciate you all!

Our friend Jennifer is visiting us for two weeks and helping us transition back to life here. She has been a blessing.

Quick Update

2011-05-31T08:02:00.002-05:00

Thankfully we figured out that the check-engine light wasn't a big deal on our vehicle. It was merely reminding us to change the oil which we had already done and the light is now off. So no car problems up to this point. Praise God! We made it to McAllen, TX safely and are doing our paperwork today and running errands before heading into Mexico tomorrow. Our trip hasn't been comfortable as we are packed in like sardines. One of our close friends, plus our little cat, plust lots of things we are taking back for people, equals one tight ride, but it is all worth the hassle. We are excited to have a friend with us for two weeks and how were we going to leave our Mexican cat back in the States? In addition taking things back that people can't get in Mexico or are just too expensive is a pleasure. We are taking some things for an orphanage and for several other people including our Spanish tutor friend who is going to have twins within the month.

Thanks for praying that our paperwork (visas and insurance) goes smoothly today and that we have a safe trip tomorrow!

Love to you all!

We Are on the Road!

2011-05-29T21:40:00.002-05:00

Greetings from Texarkana, on the border of Arkansas and Texas of course. We left this morning from Wilmore, KY at about 10:30am. Thankfully we arrived here safely after having some trouble keeping our car top carrier closed and then having our check-engine light come on. Please pray that nothings serious is wrong with our vehicle and that we can get it checked out and taken care of quickly tomorrow so we can get back on the road. In addition, we would love your prayers for a safe trip all the way and especially on Wednesday as that is the day we will be traveling in Mexico. If our plans change we will let you know.

Thanks for your encouragement, prayers, and support!

Packing and Getting Ready for Our Trip Back to Mexico

2011-05-24T16:14:00.004-05:00

We had a wonderful weekend this weekend sharing with the Young Adult Sunday school classes at Nicholasville UMC and spending time with some of our supporters there. Our weekend was a long one, but God used it to bless us very much by the prayers of those at Nicholasville UMC and by the prayers and sending off of the community we've been a part of in Lexington, Communality.

God has been very good to us as he has answered prayers about our stress levels, and given us wonderful churches and supporters to encourage us and to be a part of our team. He continues to surprise us with his goodness as we prepare to leave for Mexico.

Currently, we are packing bags and trying to make everything fit into our vehicle, which is no small task since we are taking things for an orphanage, friends, and one of Jennifer's closest friends is going to be traveling with us. She will be staying with us in Mexico for two weeks which will be a treat as she is our first friend to visit us there. In addition, we have to fit our little Mexican cat. Needless to say we need our vehicle to turn into Mary Poppins bag. Ha, ha, ha.

As we sit here and ponder what we've learned, where we've been, and who we've met over the course of this year we are amazed at what God has done, how far he has brought us, and we are excited about going back to do what he has called us to do. Planting a church is no small task, but we know that it, among other things, are what God has for us in Mexico. Please pray for us and that we would have discernment and wisdom in everything.

Pictured: Us with some dear supporters at Nicholasville UMC

Southern Living

2011-05-17T16:14:00.006-05:00

After some much needed R&R we headed to Fort Valley, Georgia to visit one of our supporting churches, Fort Valley UMC. We spent several great days with the heads of the committee and were thankful for the warm welcome at the church. The title of our message when we shared on Sunday morning was “Ministry in the Spirit.” In addition to giving an update about our ministry Josh shared about the fact that we can do nothing without the Spirit working and living through us. We cannot take sips of the Spirit when we want to and get re-charged to go out and minister, but rather we must live in the life of the Spirit all of the time, letting his life flow through us. The truth is we have no ministry apart from God’s ministry and we can do nothing without a deep connection to God through the Spirit. Are we connected to the Father all the time? Or are we like the energizer bunny that keeps going until we need a new battery? Those bunnies do run out of juice at one time or another.

Currently, we are in Sylvan Springs, Alabama visiting some supporters. Yesterday, they took us around their area to see some of the tornado damage. As we road around with the windows down we got cold chills seeing the houses off of their foundations, destruction as far as the eye could see, and complete subdivisions wiped out. In our entire lives we’ve never seen anything like what we saw yesterday. We felt like we just caught a glimpse of what it means to live through a natural disaster and there have been so many in our world as of late. Would you join us in praying for those affected by natural disasters in our own country and abroad and for people who live in conditions much like those after a natural disaster everyday, ones who are living in abject poverty. Our world has so many needs! Let’s do our part.

Several of you have mentioned that our blog aids you in helping to know how to pray for us. We will keep you informed in the coming days, but here is a short list of current prayer requests:

-Safe travels back to Kentucky on Wednesday

-More ongoing financial and prayer support to come in before we leave for Mexico

-Guidance as we pack and prepare to say good good-byes

-Our time at Nicholasville UMC this coming Sunday

-Our stress level as we are getting ready to make a big change and return to Mexico and we still have a lot to do before we leave

PICTURED:

Damage of an EF5 tornado in Concord, Alabama

Fort Valley UMC

Josh with some longtime friends at Fort Valley

Going Forth Fair and An Answer to Prayer

2011-05-02T20:36:00.003-05:00

Sunday we spent the main part of the day at St. Luke United Methodist in Lexington, KY. Jennifer attended St. Luke in middle school and her parents are very active members of the church. We had the honor of participating in many ways Sunday at their annual "Going Forth Fair." The congregation was challenged to go forth into the world, their communities and abroad to serve as Christ served. We felt extremely welcomed by everyone and were blessed to be a part of such a wonderful celebration of what God is doing in the world and hear how we can contribute to his work.

After participating in the early service and sharing with several Sunday school classes, José from Wilmore's Casa de José, hosted and donated along with others a HUGE Mexican meal to raise money for our trip back to Mexico. We were amazed at the turn out. Lots of people showed up to eat some pretty amazing, not to mention authentic Mexican food, and to bless us through their donations. We are in awe of what God has done and humbled by the many people who have and do contribute to our ministry so that we can be missionaries and follow God's call on our lives. And when we say "our ministry" we don't really mean our ministry, but rather God's ministry your ministry because you partner with us. We are praising God and happy to announce that yesterday God raised the funds to cover our travel costs back to Mexico! Pray that we will continue to see God's provision in more ongoing monthly support.

Here and There and Everywhere

2011-04-30T20:48:00.006-05:00

This past weekend we traveled to St. Louis, MO to spend some time with the Reynolds side of the family, visit friends, and share with a small group. As we get ready to go back to Mexico we are faced with the reality that we have very little time left with our family. Therefore, we headed West to see Josh's sister and spend some time with her small group. We had the chance to share a meal with two of the leaders of her group, and we were pleased to find out we have much in common. They are starting a group within a Lutheran church that is missional in it's focus and open to various Christian traditions. We were encouraged because it was refreshing to meet others who are doing similar things that we are doing only in a different part of the world.

Tomorrow we will be a part of St. Luke UMC's Going Forth Fair in Lexington, KY. It is going to be a long but exciting day for us as we will be participating in the early service, sharing in several Sunday school classes, and participating in a luncheon to raise support for our trip back to Mexico. We are extremely thankful for our St. Luke family and the way they have so faithfully supported us over the past three years. We look forward to a full Sunday tomorrow as we challenge people to go forth into their communities and around the world to share the love of Christ.

Perfect Timing

2011-04-21T14:21:00.005-05:00

In December we visited an Organic Church in Gainesville, FL where we were told about a Mexican whom also visited the church and who had a passion for planting organic house churches in Mexico. We became friends with Rodrigo on facebook and have been only in slight contact with him until the other day. We finally had the chance to skype with him and he gave us the incredible news that he is moving to a city only about two and a half hours away from León. We decided that we could work together and join efforts in working with a church-plant in this nearby city and with ours in León. As a group we have been in desperate need of more Mexican leadership and are thankful for this divine appointment with Rodrigo and that his new job led him to live near us. Please pray for us as we continue to pursue this possibility of working together. We were extremely excited this day, but the excitement didn't end there.

Later in the afternoon we met with a Mexican pastor who lives and ministers in Lexington, KY. His passion is to work with those who have been hurt or broken, especially by the Church. He is a very generous man and wants to help our ministry in any way he can. His small congregation is involved in many ministries in Latin America including an orphanage in León. In León of all places. We will make room to pack up some things and take them down to the orphanage from this small Lexington congregation with a big heart. We were moved by this pastor's sincerity, love, and concern for others. He wants to be a part of what we are doing in Mexico? That is amazing and encouraged us immensely. We are thrilled to get to participate in their ministry as well and get to know the family that runs the orphanage and the children that live there.

God has arranged several specific connections for us, he has provided for us, and he has a plan for our ministry. We are only starting to see the beginning of it all!

Pictured: Travels and time with college friends and prayer supporters!

Ready Set...Almost Go!

2011-04-21T14:05:00.007-05:00

Time is flying by more quickly than the windy weather we've been experiencing in Kentucky, and we are happy to announce that we now have a return date for our journey back to Mexico. We will be leaving Sunday May 29th after the Wilmore FMC's early service where they will have a commissioning prayer for us.

Though we have a date we still need your help to get us back to Mexico. Would you consider making a one-time donation to help with travel expenses for our road trip down to Mexico? Would you consider supporting us monthly? Ten dollars a month can make a huge difference! Thank you for your continued support and prayers. God had worked in wonderful ways lately and we are overwhelmed by his goodness.

Together we can make a difference in Central Mexico!

God is Bigger

2011-04-14T11:22:00.007-05:00

Do you ever have so many needs that you wonder how in the world they are going to be fulfilled? Or then you think that maybe they don't matter and are not as important as the needs of the starving around the world. And maybe they aren't. And do you wonder "what is a need and what is a want anyway?"

There is a lot of gray in our lives and we often live in that gray space. However, this weekend God showed up in a BIG way and made it clear that he wants us back in Mexico as soon as possible!

Friday morning we left for Ohio to visit some supporters and speak at a church. We spent the afternoon with some close missionary friends and laughed and encouraged one another. To be quite honest as missionaries we need a lot of encouragement and the joy of being with other missionaries is priceless.

We then headed to spend the rest of the weekend with some other supporters who have become like family to us. We enjoyed every moment with them as we laughed, cried, and shared with them. God continued to provide...

One of those silly things that we don't know if we "needed" or "wanted" was a car top carrier to use to take things to Mexico. We've been asked to take things to an orphanage and many other articles and our vehicle is not expandable. So we felt like the car top carrier was necessary, but we didn't have the money to buy one. God did though and Saturday he gave us a practically new one through a wonderful older couple that felt they should give it to us.

On Sunday we shared at Cornerstone Community church and had the opportunity not only to see one of our missionary friends from Mexico there, but also one of our supporters. In addition, we made new friends and felt the Holy Spirit's presence in the service.

But God didn't stop there. He continued to provide and through a meeting later that afternoon God provided a huge amount of support for us through the generosity of a man who has a passion to support young missionaries. As I, Jennifer, write this post tears fill my eyes as I think about how much God has done in such a short amount of time, how much bigger God is than our fears, doubts, and worries, and how he accomplishes his will through the generosity and love of others.

PICTURES: From our travels to Ohio!

Sights from Nicaragua

2011-04-13T10:01:00.005-05:00

Nicaragua

2011-04-06T16:02:00.003-05:00

We'd love for you to view the video below (see the link) in order to get a better idea of our 11 day trip to Nicaragua. Our time was profitable not only because we helped others, but because those we met made an impression on our hearts. They changed us. In addition, we learned about how short-term mission trips are run and all of the work that goes into them. This trip was helpful to us as we might host a few short-term teams in Mexico.

http://animoto.com/play/dT48bVc9H0BeJwCQmouYJg?utm_content=main_link

Pray for Nicaragua. It is a needy country, but one filled with lots of love and beautiful people!

Esperanza (Hope)

2011-04-05T12:01:00.005-05:00

We want to tell you the story of a beautiful woman. Her name is Esperanza which means "hope." And Esperanza is a picture of hope. She is married to a man who lost a few of his children and his first wife in a mudslide that resulted from Hurricane Mitch in 1998. She and her husband live in what amounts to a refugee town that was built after the mudslide that forced people to relocate and leave their land. Though Esperanza and her husband Tomás have been married for eleven years, like us they have not been able to have any children of their own. And while the house Esperanza lives in has only two small rooms and is made of cinder blocks, and her life is much different from ours, she is a person who transmited much love to us during our time in Nicaragua. She helped out with VBS and was thrilled to be the star of several skits we did for children. Esperanza and Jennifer led games outside in the street one night for the little kids in her town and Esperanza was full of joy.

Esperanza's story doesn't end there...At age thirty-one she has been diagnosed with breast cancer and doesn't know if she will be able to afford the price of the opperation she needs. (GO InterNational is currently trying to aid in this effort.) While we never saw her complain about her situation, we did see her shed a few tears as she shared about her health.

Esperanza's story spoke to us deeply as we realized how much we take for granted; our health, our resources, our access to medical attention. Her story inspires us not to complain when trials come but to rejoice in the hope we have in God. For he is our only esperanza!

Off to Nicaragua

2011-03-14T12:26:00.003-06:00

Hello Friends!

Sunday morning we joined the wonderful people at High Bridge Union Church for their Sunday morning service. We gave a mission's update on our work in Mexico and enjoyed our time fellowshipping with the poeple of the church. Without support from churches like High Bridge Union we would not be able to minister in Mexico.

We are currently preparing to go to Nicaragua early Wednesday morning. If you've read our newsletter then you know that we are going to help lead a team with GO. We will be involved in VBS, construction, and a pastors' conference. Josh is finishing up several sermons and a seminar that he will be giving on church planting. As we wait for Wednesday to come around we are getting excited about using our Spanish and serving in a new part of the world. Would you please join us in prayer for our trip? The dates are March 16-27.

Pray for:

-A safe and healthy trip

-Effective communication

-Patience and kindness

-Receptiveness

-A smooth and productive time

THANKS!

Sharing, Sharing, Sharing

2011-03-08T09:57:00.003-06:00

In these days we have had the privelege of sharing our story with various groups of people. We've made it to Berea a few times and Sunday we shared at our home church which was a gift in itself. For us it is important to be able to share with those who pray for us and give to our ministry because we desire for our support team to be informed. Many people from the Wilmore Free Methodist church support us and therefore having the opportunity to tell them about our first two years on the field and our future ministry was very special. After the service we had a cookie reception with homeade cookies by Josh's mom and by Jennifer. It was a wonderful time of sharing and catching up with our church family.

Last night we went back to Berea and shared with a Bible study from Berea United Methodist. We appreciate the Ramsay's dearly. They are the kind couple who have invited us to their house several times and invited us to share with their Bible study last night. We talked about missions, what we did on the field, and church planting. They had been studying the churches of Revelation so our talk on church planting tied into their study.

Sadly we don't have any pictures from our recent adventures because either our battery has been dead or we have been so busy that we have forgotten to take them. We apologize and will try to do better next time.

Ways you can pray:

-For our speaking engagement this Sunday at High Bridge Union Church

-Our trip to Nicaragua March 16-27th

-Our preparations for the trip to Nicaragua, Josh is preaching several times and teaching a seminar on church planting

-That we would get the monthly financial support we need before May 25th

-That we can see as many of our supporters as possible in these weeks.

This Sunday!

2011-03-01T15:05:00.003-06:00

If you live in the Wilmore or Lexington area please come see us this Sunday at 6pm at the Wilmore Free Methodist Church. We will be speaking in the evening service and there will be a homeade cookie and coffee reception following the service so that we can chat a little more with those who attend. Also we will have a sign-up sheet if you would like to make a one-on-one appointment with us to hear more about our past two years and what our plans are for the future. Please join us!

Humbled

2011-02-19T07:48:00.004-06:00

Well it was a few days before we were going to head back to Kentucky and one of our close Mexican friends who is part of our group approached us and took us by surprise. She said God had placed it on her heart to wash our feet. Tears came to our eyes as we thought of her kindness and the act of someone doing such a thing. Sure enough, the day before we left she came over to our apartment to pray for us and wash our feet. What a humbling experience! After serving this person for over two years she served us in a way that no one has ever done before.

Later that evening we had our group time and at the end everyone placed their hands on us to pray for us. We were overwhelmed by our friends, the ones we've taught, praying for us. God is using our friends to bless others and Monday we were receipients of those blessings. It is humbling to receive from those you've given so much to. We never expect anything in return, but what a nice surprise to be served by those whom you've served.

On a different note we are thankful that we arrived to the States and to Kentucky safely. A US diplomat was shot by the drug cartel only a few kilometers from where we were driving on Monday. He was shot the same day we were traveling from León to the States. Only a few weeks ago a missionary was shot on the same highway we take to the States. In both cases the people were targeted for various reasons, but the violence is getting worse in Mexico. Please pray that it will calm down and people's lives would be spared. We hope to be back in Mexico by May or June and want to be able to safely drive back to León.

One week left

2011-02-08T14:27:00.005-06:00

We can hardly believe we only have one week until we head back to the States to finish up our fundraising. Time has flown by and it will be hard to once again say good-bye to our close friends here. Please be praying that we have a safe trip back to Kentucky especially since we are driving. The 15th we head to McAllen, TX from León. Pray that we have a smooth and uneventful journey.

We have had the opportunity since we've been here to spend time with our small group, make plans for the future, and do special things like help host a huge Super Bowl party. We invited all of our friends with hopes to make contact with new people and bring others into our family of faith. Thankfully one of the couples who attended the party on Sunday showed up at our small group on Monday. Join us in praying for them and others that attended the party. Here we like to party with a purpse.

Today we are headed to San Juan de los Lagos to share with some youth that we worked with at a camp a while back. We look forward to seeing them and teaching them about Christ. San Juan is a city that is very idolotrous and has only one evangelical church. We have a missionary friend who is working there and it is very slow work. We are glad we can be a part of God's transforming mission in San Juan.

Pictured at the Super Bowl Party: Josh with our missionary friend who works in San Juan and with our partner in ministry David, Jennifer with our close friend Blanca

Our Latest News

2011-01-27T13:43:00.005-06:00

Hello Family and Friends!

Greetings from Mexico. We are here on a visit and will be back in the States shortly. Before our visit we were unclear on our time frame for coming back to Mexico. We've mentioned that we desire to have a church-planting team and that is still our desire. After coming down here to deal with our apartment, where we still have all of our things, and after meeting with the missionary couple with whom we've been working, we decided that we will continue to build our team but from Mexico. Therefore, we will come back to Mexico as soon as possible and most likely it will be around the first of June. First we need to return to the States to finish raising our support and to visit our wonderful supporters.

We feel at peace and are excited about this decision. We spent many months learning more about house-church planting and going to conferences for further education. Though our time in the States was extended we know that it was for the best and that God has restored us and equipped us for our future ministry here in Mexico. We will be working with our friends to plant an organic church here in León.

In the meantime we need to raise 15% of our budget in order to come back to Mexico as soon as possible. Will you join us in prayer as we return to the States in order to raise this amount?

Thanks for sticking with us and partnering with us in ministry both in the States and here in Mexico.

Visiting Mexico

2011-01-14T11:02:00.001-06:00

We are here in Mexico for a visit and our plans are rapidly changing. Stay tunned for big news and and update about our ministry!

Organic Church

2010-12-24T08:09:00.005-06:00

Hello Everyone!

Imagine a church were every member was functioning, where the body was lead by Christ, where buildings and building campaigns were not on the agenda, and where all spiritual gifts were being used. That is Organic Church. Over the past few years we have been reading books by the author Frank Viola. He and his colleagues coined the term Organic Church to represent a form of church very different to the average church and even from the mainstream house church. Frank Viola and a few others travel around the country and plant these churches. We had the opportunity to visit one for 10 days in Gainesville, FL. We also took time to visit supporters and family. Most of the people in the church had moved to Gainesville just to be a part of it and thus they were serious about doing church this way and serious about Christ. We were overwhelmed with their hospitality as they invited us over for meals and alike. Having read Reimagining Church, we had an idea of what to expect in their coorporate meetings. They take the priesthood of all believers very literally and there is no functioning pastor or worship leader. Christ is the head. Worship is spontaneous and lead by the body and so is the teaching. We were very refreshed to be a part of something truly organic in nature and something that felt very much like what we imagine the New Testament church being. We are thankful we had the opporunity to visit not only the church, but also with Frank Viola. Our desire is to plant an Organic Church/New Monastic Community. While in the States we might even take more time in Gainesville because we were told we really didn't even begin to get a taste of what the church life is like. Plus, how are we going to plant something that we have never experienced? The thing that impacted us the most was the obvious sense of community among the people of the church. There are about 40 or so people and they love each other deeply. They fellowship during the week and seem to be very close. It is an attractive community because the members love one another and that love draws you in. Isn't that how church is supposed to be? Once you experience church like this you don't want to have it any other way.

Thanks for your prayers and support in the New Year!

We wish you a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May Christ's birth be real to you today and always!

Feliz Navidad,
Josh and Jennifer

Getting Back to Mexico

2010-12-02T15:24:00.005-06:00

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We spent ours in Wilmore with a lot of family. One day was spent with the Reynolds and next with the Seitz and Traina clan. Needless to say we had our share of turkey.

We wanted to give you a ministry update so that you all know how to pray this holiday season.

Josh and I are eager to get back to Mexico, but after much prayer we have decided to wait to go back full-time until we can have a team of two other families, or a few singles who want to join us in our church planting endevours. What does this mean? It means that while we are raising support we are also raising up a team. We need both things to happen before we can return as full-time missionaries. In the meantime we are involved and will be participating with our mission agency in taking short-term teams to Latin America and Mexico, being involved in local hispanic ministry, learning about house church planting, and, of course, raising support and now a team to go back with us.

We realized that in order to be healthy on the field we really need a ministry team that is a little larger than ourselves or one other couple. Would you please pray that God would bring in 100% of our monthly support needs and that he would raise up several friends who want to commit to church planting in León, Mexico. After talking to a friend in Mexico today we were reminded how much we are needed there. Please pray that we can get back soon. We will be taking a trip to Mexico in January, but in order to go and stay we still need our support and team.

Can you participate with us and help us get back to Mexico? Here are some things you can do...

You could make a special end of the year donation to our ministry.

You could commit to supporting us at $15, $25, or $50 a month.

You could go on a short-term trip to Mexico (contact us about how).

You could contact us about speaking with your small group or at your church.

You could even join our team.

And last but not least, you can pray with us and help us reach Mexico for Christ!

A Quick Update

2010-11-18T07:59:00.006-06:00

Last week and the week before we were in Michigan for a program designed for missionaries and pastors. It is called Alongside. Our time there was beneficial as we shared with others about our time in Mexico both the joys and difficulties. We found it healing to share with other missionaries and be in a mini community with other Christian workers for two weeks. One of the highlights was being able to spend time with Trish and Dave. They have attended three of the same programs we attended this fall and have become good friends. God has guided us on a similar journey and we are thankful for being able to know them.

Thanks for your prayers for our travels and for Jennifer's family as we've mourned the loss of her grandfather.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pictures:
Us at Jennifer's grandfather's funeral
The guys making a simple healthy dinner at Alongside
Our group at Alongside

Robert Angelo Traina, One of Our Greatest Supporters Passes

2010-11-10T19:31:00.002-06:00

We are currently at a two week program in Michigan and we received the news yesterday that my grandfather passed away. For those of you who are interested viewing hours will be Friday from 6-9pm at Kerr Brothers off of Harrodsburg Road in Lexington, KY. His memorial service will be at Estes Chapel at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, KY at 3:30pm on Saturday.

As a child when asked “Who is your hero?” I would think of my grandfathers and I often responded, “My Po Po.” My Po Po is my grandpa Traina.

When I think of my grandfather I immediately think of his accomplishments. He wrote and printed a book by the time he was my age and that book is still used today as a textbook in many Bible classes at seminaries.

My grandfather came from a poor, formerly catholic Italian family. He grew up in inner city Chicago. His parents converted to Protestantism when he was young. And later in his life his love for the Bible grew. In his graduate work he took 36 hours of Bible courses and dedicated his life to studying and teaching the Bible inductively. In my parents’ basement lay notebook after notebook of my grandfather’s personal inductive Bible studies.

Over the years my grandfather’s work influenced many including Eugene Peterson who claims his work would not be possible without my grandfather’s influence. Who knows…Maybe the Message might not have existed without my Po Po. His work also greatly influenced Dr. David Bauer who teaches at ATS. Dr. Bauer’s teaching has enormously impacted my husband’s life and one of my college prof’s who’s class changed my life forever. Josh and I would not have our great love for Bible study if it weren’t for my grandfather. He has left us a gift more precious than any earthly possession.

One thing that few people know about my grandfather is how generous he was with his money. He was extremely good with his money and he and my grandmother saved all they could to give away. Their goal was to save so that when they died they would have a significant amount of money to give. He gave large amounts to support our ministry over the years and most recently blessed us with his car because he didn’t want us to get into debt buying one. He paid cash for his cars.

I can think of no other person I know that I’d rather be like. He had a sense of humor that I admired and loved to talk about the Bible and theology. Though he went through some very difficult times near the end of his life, he was a humble and kind man, never afraid to stand up for what he believed in. Recently, his words comforted me as he told me that he was proud of me for doing the right thing, for thinking outside of the box, and taking the road less traveled. He always encouraged us in our ministry and in our lives. If I could only come close to leaving such a legacy I would be happy.

Thanks Po Po for forever changing this world with you presence and for impacting the life of this granddaughter.

Love,
Jennifer Rebecca

Prayers Please

2010-10-28T15:51:00.003-05:00

Greetings Friends, Family, and Random People checking out our blog!

The last Saturday we were in Colorado Jennifer received the phone call that her grandfather Traina was very ill with an infection in the hospital. She was told that he might night make it over the weekend. We couldn't change our travel plans so when we got home we were surprised to find out that we was recovering and has been ever since then. He has now been in the hospital about two weeks. He has good days and bad days. Right now he is having trouble eating and thus is very weak. We ask that you would please pray for him and Jennifer's family during this tough time. Robert A. Traina wrote Methodical Bible Study and was Eugene Peterson's professor. He just fiinished his second book that he wrote with David Bauer. Over his lifetime he has influenced numerous people with his teaching and writing on Biblical studies. He is a wonderful and special person to us all!

This Monday we are leaving to go to Michigan for a two program called Alongside. It is especially geared toward missionaries and pastors. Please pray that we have a beneficial time there and that we would be able to further process our two years in Mexico with the staff there. Pray that the sessions will be helpul to our future ministry as well.

Praise God that we found a place in Lexington where we can learn more about intentional communities and home church. We are thankful we came across Communality and that it will be a great resource for us when we are in Kentucky.

Today, as always, we thank you for your prayers and support! We cannot minister without your partnership.

School of Spiritual Formation and Care of the Soul

2010-10-21T13:50:00.005-05:00

Have you ever picked up the phone and called one of your favorite authors? One day in August Jennifer did just that. After reading the book Soul Custody by Stephen W. Smith she decided to call him up and tell him what an impact the book made on her life. We met Steve in Colorado back in 2008 when he shared with our group at Mission Training International. In August of this year Jennifer left a message on Steve's office answering machine thinking she wouldn't hear anything back. A few days later, much to her surprise, Steve returned her call. He mentioned that he thought it would be beneficial for us to attend a school that he had started called the School of Spiritual Formation and Care of the Soul. They hold it twice a year. Steve and Gwen have a ministry called Potter's Inn outside of Colorado Springs, CO and we decided to sign up for their newsletter. Several weeks later we saw that there were two spots left for the October school and we quickly made the decision that we would attend. It was the right decision.

Our five days in the school were full and challenging as we explored themes on spiritual transformation, Christlike rhythms in our lives, and God's love. There were about 15 students from all sorts of backgrounds and denominations, including other missionaries and two benedictine nuns. We had the priveledge of learning, crying, and praying together all week. Of course we did some laughing too.

One of the challenges set before us was to have more solitude in our lives. In solitude we can hear the voice of God. We were encouraged to spend time in nature and "let the birds be our theologians." Often times we are too caught up in our busyness to be still and know God, too occupied by noise to stop and hear his voice, or we are stuck in a pattern of life that brings death instead of life to our souls. Sound familiar? In ministry, where the burnout rate for pastors and missionaries is 75%, it can be tempting to be so concerned about the doing we forget what life is all about. If we do not truly know God, how can we minister? What is our source? We can be busy "doing" things for God, but if we don't stop to spend time with him we will not be able to transmit his love. If our desire is spiritual transformation we need healthy lifestyle rhythms! Good stuff!

Our desire is to implement what we learned, and in doing so help those to whom we minister.

Growing! Raising! Planting!

2010-10-06T11:25:00.003-05:00

We can hardly believe that we have been in the States since late June. Time has flown and gone by slowly all at the same time. Our desire is to give you a brief update on our ministry so that you would be aware of our plans for this year.

After much prayer we have decided to take some more time stateside before going back to Mexico so that we can continue in ministry with more experience and broaden our horizons. Originally, we were going to be here for only about three months, but realize now that is not enough time. Usually missionaries spend six months to a year on Homeland Ministry Assignment (furlough) before going back to their country.

As you already know we are currently serving with GO InterNational after ministering in Central Mexico for two years. During our time there God brought about and cemented in our hearts, the call to house-church planting among the urban poor. At the present time we are in the U.S. for support raising, training in urban church planting and intentional communities, and waiting on God’s guidance to know exactly when he wants us to begin church planting. Our desire is to serve holistically through ministries of compassion, Bible study, creation care, and the arts.

We need your prayers right now more than ever!

Please pray for:
-Our monthly financial support to come in and be met every month with Go InterNational
-Rest, rejuvenation, and direction while we are in the States
-Opportunities to grow and learn
-Time with family, friends, and supporters
- Our friends back in Mexico, some of which are struggling with health problems.

Thank you for your ongoing prayers and support. Without them we could not minister and fulfill God’s calling!

PICTURED:
Our supporting Church in Davisburg, MI and the Pastor, Uncle Bill and family

A Simpler Way

2010-09-21T14:41:00.010-05:00

On our journey we've been looking for a simpler way to live and on our trip to Philly we were invited to go to The Simple Way in the neighborhood of Kensington. We were there for their Labor Day block party and back to school giveaway.

Here is the link to a short video. If you look closely you will see a glimpse of Jennifer in her green tank top.

It will be our favorite Labor Day for years to come we are quite sure.

Simple Way video

It Takes a Little Time Sometimes

2010-09-20T01:51:00.008-05:00

During our time here in the States we've slowed down and realized that we needed some rest and rejuvenation so that we can be ready to serve with full hearts. We did not realize what a toll the past two years took on us. Filled with joys and sorrows, and many learning experiences, we found ourselves back in the U.S. tired, weary, and ready to follow God where ever he leads. That is what we have been doing over the past few months. We've put some of the traveling we planned on doing on hold for a while in order to rest, renew, and take advantage of some opportunities that came before us.

One of those amazing opportunities transpired when we were sharing at Hollow Rock Camp meeting. On missionary day an older gentleman approached us after we shared and started asking us various questions. Right away we clicked with him because he understood our desire to reach the lost through planting house churches. We knew it was a God thing, for lack of a better cliche, because we spent the whole afternoon talking and talking with our new friend, Jim DiRaddo. Jim said that he'd like to invite us to Philly, where he lives, to make some connections with others that are planting churches among the inner city poor, and with others involved in missions.

That initial conversation took place back in July and we kept in touch with Jim during August. Last Tuesday we returned from our 10 days in PA. God worked out many divine appointments while we were in the Philly area. We were able to meet with some people who are involved in training missionaries how to do house church, we met the president of Herr's Food who is starting a different type of church in his community focused on serving the poor. We had the chance to go to the Simple Way where Shane Claiborne and others started an intentional community in a very run down part of Philly with the hopes of reaching their neighbors with Christ's love. We visited the Circle of Hope and met with it's founder Rod White. Rod's desire is to reach the unreached generation with a circle of hope. We had many deep conversations with many people who are discovering what it means to live simply, serve the poor, and be the church in a hurting world. We were encouraged by the diversity of ministries and people that God is using in the Philly area. One Sunday we went to Lancaster, PA to attend a house church meeting that reminded us a lot of what we were doing in Mexico this past year.

God used our time in PA to break our hearts once again for the urban poor. We did not realize how much poverty and diversity existed in Philly. Also, our time confirmed our calling to church planting among the urban poor and Latin American communities, and it brought us new friends for the journey. Many of us are experimenting with new ways of doing church that don't include a building, overhead, or the like, but rather concentrate on relationships, radical discipleship and service. We are seeing a movement rise up around the world to reach the lost. Much of this is happening in home church settings. While the home church model is not the most popular, it is growing, and we too are growing as we learn more and more about it.

Thank you for supporting us in our calling to make disciples and radically follow God's call on our lives. We appreciate you.

More to come...
PICTURES:
Philly
Josh with our gracious host, Jim.
Jennifer with our new friend and hero, Liz.

Coming Back to a Land That Is No Longer Your Home

2010-09-02T16:33:00.009-05:00

We have been through much since we arrived, and God has made our next steps more clear to us than ever. More on that later...

The most common questions we have received after being back have been things like "How was Mexico?" Or "How are you? Isn't it great to be home?" While these questions are innocent in themselves they stir up all kinds of emotions in one that he could only truly begin to understand if he has lived in another country for at least a year. We've been gone for two years.

So since you've been asking when we mention the pains of reverse culture shock "What is reverse culture shock?". We thought we'd dive into the topic. Why not?

When you move to a forgein land you expect culture shock. You expect learning life's ins and outs and starting from scratch. In essence you are a child in your new country--Learning everything from how to get your groceries, to how to communicate, to how to pay your bills. Eventually you adjust and you find a rhythm in your new country, it now becomes your new "home." It feels like home, tastes like home, and smells like home. Sure you miss your family and friends from time to time, but you have new friends now and at least your immediate family comes to visit you.

Now imagine that the time has arrived after two years to leave your new "home" to go back "home." Mmm...Wait a minute... This hasn't been a vacation or short-term mission trip. And we aren't going to visit the States for a brief period of time either. We are going to be back in our "home" for a while. No one prepared us for this coming "home." No one prepared us for the tough but good thing called "reverse culture shock."

You see reverse culture shock is worse and hits you harder than regular culture shock in another country. Why? Because coming back to a place where you grew up and once called "home" no longer can be "home." In just two years your country, i.e. the U.S. has changed and you haven't been there. All of the sudden the majority of people have an iphone and some even have an ipad. Technology has advanced, but in Mexico those things are only for the extremely wealthy. Politics are different and you haven't been around to experience these changes. The home you left is now somewhat of a foreign land to you.

Also, during those two years your friends have changed, culture has changed, and so have you. WE have grown and learned, but in a completely different environment and cultural setting. The States no longer feel like "home," and we have become foreigners in our own land.

We cannot summarize two years of living in Mexico in five minutes. Remember, we weren't vacationing and it wasn't a "mission trip." The question "How does it feel to be home?" is a complex one. While we are enthusiastic about seeing friends and family at the same time we know this is no longer our "home." Neither is Mexico. Instead, we are world Christians who don't truly belong anywhere except in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Another popular question, and a good one at that, is "What is the biggest contrast you notice between Mexico and the U.S.?"

Some answers:

1. The excess of material possesions and the unlimited choices that exist for what you can buy, eat, and consume. Whatever you like is practically available. This contrast has been the most difficult to deal with because we have friends in Mexico who are struggling to survive and have very few options in their lives.

2. The individualistic culture vs. highly relational culture and the rush to always get to the next appointment, meeting, or patient. We get the feeling sometimes that everyone is in a hurry and no one has extra time to spare. This is a huge contrast to Latin American culture in general, but especially in Mexico.

So, while we are here, we may seem a little strange to you and we are because we no longer have a "home." Jesus didn't either!

Pictured with some of our favorite missionary counselors from Mission Training International at our debriefing and renewal program.

Church through the Eyes of a Child

2010-07-31T10:57:00.006-05:00

“The church is not a building the church is not a steeple the church is not a meeting place the church is the people…

I am the church. You are the church.

We are the church together.

All of the people all around the world.

Yes we’re the church together.”

I remember a long time ago my parents teaching a song that went something like that. We are the church.

Last week we had the privilege of speaking at Hollow Rock Camp Meeting in Eastern Ohio and sharing what we’ve been doing over the past two years in Mexico, and Josh confessed that he can not minister without God and challenged the audience to do everything through Christ.

Later in the day we had the opportunity to share with the children (1st -3rd grades). While we were slightly leery of doing so we hope that what we said stuck with those sweet kids and we learned more than we expected to from them.

We started off by singing a song in Spanish together and then Jennifer shared that one time in Mexico she got the verbs for ¨pee” and “bake” mixed up when she was speaking. And of course we had all the children laughing like crazy.

Josh went on to talk about the church. He asked the kids if they knew of a time when their church did not exist? He told them that every church has to begin from nothing, from scratch. So he asked…”How do you start or plant a church?” One child responded that you buy some seeds and watch them grow, but then the majority responded much differently. The first really brave boy said “well first you go to Lowe’s and you buy as much wood as you can and then you build a great big church.” Then another one responded “yeah and you need lots of bricks and materials.” Yet another “lots of paint and things.” But Josh didn’t ask them ¨what do you need to build a church?” He asked, “How do you start a church or begin one?” There was no concept in these children’s minds that the church would need people before a building, none whatsoever. In fact, though they memorized Bible verses and were taught to give money to missions, they viewed church much differently than Josh and I have come to view church.

Josh soon explained that we the people were the church and in order to start a church you have to have people. There was silence in the room. We explained that you can “have church” in your house or meet anywhere. WE are the church. Of course we went on to challenge them more on this idea of church being the people, and then Josh asked them “what is a church?” Their responses saddened us because all of them said it was a castle, a big beautiful castle. That was it. After all of our explanations the church was still a castle. One kid finally said he would go out and buy the materials necessary to build a house and have church. Mmm…Maybe he was a little closer than the others who shouted church is a castle!

Josh and I walked away sad in our hearts because the idea that church is a building is very much ingrained in our culture. We must spend money to build it, and in their own words “it is a castle.” Later we digested the conversation with Jennifer’s grandfather and he said yes, church has become Disneyland.

God has been trying to teach us over the past few years that church is not a building and it is the people, and it certainly is not Disneyland. We’ve been around a lot of needy people. We’ve seen how sharing meals and studying the Bible in homes changed how we view church, and we know that God is calling us to live in such a way that our family, our friends, and those around us know that we are the church!

Thanks for your encouragement and prayers as we’ve been back in the States and needed some time to adjust and rest. We hope you all received our newsletter okay. =D

Please be in prayer for us as we travel across country in our 1999 Camry. Right now we are in Kansas and are on our way to Colorado. We will be participating in the program at Mission Training International called DAR. It is a debriefing and renewal program. If you would like to check it out please feel free to look at their website mti.org. We won’t be back to Kentucky until August 17th and then from there we will probably be off again traveling after spending a little time in KY. If we come your way we will be sure to let you know so that we can connect. Thanks again for your prayers and support!

PICTURES:
We celebrate 7 years of marriage on July 25th. 7 years. YAHOO!
Our names appear in front at Hollow Rock among other missionaries
We pose with some of our supporters and Asbury friends for a foto

Quick Update

2010-07-19T16:41:00.002-05:00

We've had some rest and are SLOWLY adjusting to life here again. Please check out our schedule that you will find updated on the left side of the blog. Be in prayer for us as we look how to begin scheduling our calendar after August 17th and be in prayer for us as we will be traveling lots over the next several weeks. (That is why you won't see us around Wilmore).

We love each of you and have felt God's presence through you over the past several weeks. THANKS!

Back in the States

2010-07-05T16:12:00.006-05:00

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time” --John Lubbock

God is good and his grace is wonderful! Our switch to GO International is official and the staff has been nothing but a blessing in our lives as we've made our way back to Kentucky. God has used GO to be the body of Christ for us as we take a slightly different path in our ministry by switching organizations. If you support us, please understand that any money sent to WGM will not reach our account and that gifts for us should now only be sent to GO International

We are back in Wimore. We don't know if we should call Wilmore or Mexico, home, or whether to say we feel like we don't know where be belong at the moment. Currently, we are going through the process of readjusting to a culture that we haven't been emerged in for nearly two years. This adjustment period is not easy as we face a mixture of emotions. Our original plan was to hit the States running with speaking engagements and visiting all of you wonderful people. However, we arrived to the States poured out and worn out. We are now much better healthwise and are thankful for your prayers, but have decided that we still need some time to rest, be filled, and adjust to the culture before jumping into talking about our ministry in Mexico. Soon there will be a newsletter coming your way explaining this a little more. Thanks for your patience as we are learning the ropes of cross-cultural ministry. As the quote above so beautifully captures the fact that there is a time for rest.

Thanks again for your continued love and support as we minister in Mexico and in the States. You minister through your gifts, tythes, and prayers.

PICTURES: Celebrating Josh's birthday with neighbors and friends and our last event with WGM as part of their official missionary team.

Safe arrival

2010-06-24T13:34:00.004-05:00

After two really great retreats, we have arrived safely in Wilmore. Unfortunately, we didn't calculate how much time and energy we would be expending on all our preparations and travel. As a result, we both got sick before and during our trip. We're recovering, but Jennifer's strength and stamina are no where near what they should be. We're thankful for family who have taken care of us. We've decided to pause and take time to rest and get strong again before we move forward. We appreciate your continuing patience if you haven't yet heard from us. We're thankful for all of you.

Shared Enthusiasm

2010-06-03T00:23:00.003-05:00

This past weekend we went to Saltillo in Northern Mexico for a New Testament class that Josh taught for the theological education program. One of the couples that took Jennifer’s class, and who also took Josh’s, shared with me part of their story. They explained that they have only been Christians for 8 months but that they opened their home to hold a Bible study for their community. "It keeps growing" they explained. "People don’t want to enter a church building, but they will come to our home. We don’t discuss religion, we just talk about Jesus and study the Bible" they said. As I listened to this beautiful couple share their enthusiasm I was encouraged by their new found love, their hearts for ministry, and their decision to study despite the obstales they face. Fifteen years have passed since they’ve had to write a paper or attended school. While talking with Eloy and Edith, I was moved by the reality of the challenges before so many Mexican students who are ministering and are studying to become educated leaders. They are juggling their jobs, their families, and their ministries to dedicate time each day and one weekend a month to learn and get a degree from this program. Some of the students have not had any formal education beyond high school, but that is not a barrier to their determination. Eloy and Edith touched us with their lives and dedication. They are reaching out to their neighbors and have found, like us, that home groups are a wonderful atmosphere for discipleship.

We are thankful that this year we had the opportunity to be a part of WGM’s theological education program and that next year we will as well. We hope to be able to reach more Christians with various forms of theological education in the future.

In other news...
This weekend we are having a retreat for our small group and our theme is “How Deep is the Love of Christ.” Please be in prayer for us as we lead the retreat. Also, pray for those who are attending! We long to have a powerful weekend of growth and fellowship!

Jennifer (for us both)

Flexible

2010-05-11T21:44:00.008-05:00

As we have been calling our supporters several have asked..."What does a normal day look like for you?" Answering this question is not easy because it changes day to day and week to week. But we would like to try and describe what we do or have been doing.

In the mornings we dedicate time to study and exercise before we start our day. Mondays we prepare for our group all day by writing a child's lesson, finishing the adult lesson, cleaning the house, and getting a snack ready and sometimes we pick people up at their house. Tuesdays we try to have people over or make home visits in the afternoons and evening. Wednesday we have had Spanish lessons, Jennifer teaches a very small English class and Josh sometimes teaches Greek, and either on Wednesdays or Thursdays we often have dinners in our home for our small group or we invite people to do something with us. Fridays we have had two Bible studies, one with a neighbor and we have had another marriage study in partner with a WGM pastor. On the weekends we try to take one day of rest and spend time in fellowship with people. Sometimes we have days in the park with our group. Spare moments are spent preparing classes we are teaching or studies we are giving. Random English classes are mixed in their as well.

Those are the "scheduled activities.¨ The truth is most ministry happens in between. We spend a lot of time with people. Whether it be dinners, visiting, counseling, and alike. There are the late night phone calls that we get because a friend needs someone to talk to and pray with, there are the breakfasts that turn into lunches, or dinners that last till late at night. There are the days when we are babysitters and days when we are chauffeurs, days when we are counselors, and days when we are teachers and friends. To say this country is very social is an understatement! When you spend time with people you gain their trust and build relationships that make a difference. One friend just came to us about some serious marital issues because she said she knew we would be there for her and understand when others wouldn't. If we had not invested time in her life first as a friend, she would not have confided in us and looked to us to help her come to know God. Now we are studying the Bible with her and are helping her through her marital difficulties.

Before coming to Mexico we remember hearing in our missions training "be flexible" and "you will only get a small fraction of the things on your to-do list done." True indeed! We have learned to take things as they come, and that sometimes it is better to plan fewer activities or we won't have time for people and their needs. Flexible is the key word!

Long Overdue Update

2010-04-29T10:04:00.009-05:00

Somehow the time is running away from us and we can't catch it. Our deepest apologies for not staying in touch better...

After several calm and encouraging weeks in ministry the hurricane arrived. We have come to realize that like life, ministry has its ups and downs. Sometimes the ups are way up and the downs are way down.

Currently we are working with another missionary couple to make church planting plans for this coming year. We are trying to schedule our time while we are in the States and wrap up things here before we leave. Life has been hectic because in the middle of our daily routine came several crisis that we needed to help our friends overcome.

Please pray for:
-Us to be wise in our time over the next month
-That our friends in our small group would love each other and learn what it means to follow Christ
-God's widsom and guidance as leaders and in church planting
-Encouragement in ministry
-A family who are close friends of ours and are dealing with a devastating situation and that God would guide us as we meet with them for Bible Study and counseling
-Maturity and growth in our lives and in our small group
-Success in scheduling our months in the States
-That our financial needs will be met as we switch from WGM to GO International

Praises:
-One of our neighbors is finding Christ in the middle of her pain
-God's peace that is present in the middle of the storms of life
-Good friends
-David and Kristina, another missionary couple who share our calling to church plant here in León and with whom we are going to partner
-We are going to be able to take a vacation soon and get some rest
-Each of you and difference you make in our lives and in Mexico
-Good health and safety
-Jennifer got to perform ballet in a little presentation for the first time in a long time

Thanks for praying for these things and keeping in touch!

True Love

2010-04-29T09:35:00.006-05:00

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

Why is this verse so difficult for us to grasp? Why do we find it hard to love? Why is love so hard to teach to others? Can it be taught? Or only demonstrated?

These are some questions that have been going through our minds lately. Last week we went to San Juan de los Lagos to see some youth that we are fond of, to share a reflection with them, and to play games. We were talking about love and that Christ calls us to love one another and to love our enemies. When we asked if that was easy to do we received varied responses. One young woman said "Yes, for me loving is easy." Others said that if they hadn't received love it was hard to love others. We wonder "is loving easy?" Our conclusion lately is that maybe for us loving is easy, but it is not easy to love someone when the love is not reciprocated. If we risk loving and the person hate us back does that change our love for them?

This past summer when we were in the States for a few days we shared how much love changes things. And it does. We are convinced of that. Christ's love for us makes a difference in our lives and allows us to love the broken, hurting, and our enemies. Lately we feel as though we haven't seen much love around us. For months we've been living out the love we have through serving others, but we wonder if it has payed off. We wonder is the love reciprocated? Do people understand that his love comes from God? That they too can experience it and pass it on to others? At times we have received nothing in return. Then it dawns on us...That doesn't matter. Jesus didn't say true love is that you lay down your life for a friend so that you get riches in heaven, or true love is that you lay down your life for a friend because it is the popular thing to do. He just said true love is that you would be willing to die in place of your friend. Are we willing to die for someone else? Are we willing to love everyone even if they reject our love, if they reject us, if they reject Christ?

Jesus came and showed us how to live and love. He taught, performed miracles, and ate with sinners. He was called names and hated by many. In the end the world rejected his love and his message. He was killed by those he loved. Does that mean his life was worthless? Does that mean that his love didn't make a difference? Maybe it means loving is not popular, maybe it means that Christ's example in laying down his life is one that challenges us to do the same.

Join us in loving Mexico, loving our friends, our enemies, and those who reject the message of Christ.

PICTURES: Fellowship in the Park!

Clearing up Confusion

2010-04-09T21:14:00.003-05:00

Hello All,

We wanted to clear up some confusion...After talking to many of you on the phone we realized that some of you are not sure when you should switch your support over to GO International. We recently sent out an e-mail with the info and it is also on our blog here how to transfer your support. We are asking that you PLEASE TRANSFER your support NOW in APRIL. WGM and GO are aware that we are doing this and have suggested that we ask our supporters to go ahead and make this change. Our WGM account will cover our expenses until June and in the mean time we MUST build up support in our GO account so that we will not go without support in June and July. Thanks for understanding and following us to GO. Without you our ministry would not be possible. If you have any questions feel free to e-mail us at: jandjmexico@gmail.com

Thank you!
J and J

Holy Week

2010-04-03T10:06:00.008-06:00

There are some weeks when we are discouraged in ministry, and then there are weeks like this one when we are super encouraged.

This week is Holy Week or in Mexico, Semana Santa. Here people get off work at least for several days and all the schools have two weeks off. Good Friday is a national holiday and most things are closed. Thursday looked like Christmas Eve at the supermarket because it was so packed full of people. Sadly, the essence of Good Friday is often lost and the day turns into a time to get together and drink too much. Yesterday, we got invited to yet another get-together with our neighbors. They are always looking for an excuse to have a party and we are thankful they include us. We were a litle aprehensive about going, but we are so glad we did. At 3pm the family who's house we were at, and our neighbors, got together to pray. They recited written catholic prayers and at the end the big surprise came. They asked Josh to share something about Jesus' death. He didn't have anything prepared, but said a few words and we were shocked that they responded so well and affirmed that Christ is risen and living among us. We should follow his example in our lives they said. What an exciting moment that was. How special that before eating we took time to pray and talk about Christ. And they included us, the "evangelicals." Later Jennifer had the opportunity to share her faith and her vision for planting a church with another person that was there for the get-together and it was received very positively. What a great Good Friday we had!

So many wonderful things have happened this week... Here is a resumen.

Monday we had a great small group time of sharing and studying.
Tuesday we went to the place where we are having our small group retreat in June and put down a deposit. It is beautiful and the perfect spot. We had someone over for lunch and then we visited with a couple in our group who needs lots of prayer.
Wednesday we talked with another person in our group for hours about her experience over the last few weeks and her commitment to Christ. We had a wonderful time of sharing and this friend expressed her interest in being baptized. Yeah! Later we went to Irapuato to see a group of highschool kids that is here from Michigan. We worked with the group last year so it was great to see them again. We got to see their drama and meet a lot of new people.
Thursday we spent most of the day running around and getting ready for the seder meal we had in our house with our small group. That included lots of cooking and translating of liturgy into Spanish. We had an amazing time and more people showed up than we expected. We had enough food and shared a specail time as we had our passover meal and then took communion. Complete with candles
Friday, well you see the description above.
Today we are eating lunch with some people we haven't seen in a long time and preparing our Easter reflection for tomorrow.
Tomorrow we are meeting in the parque for lunch and an Easter reflection with those from our small group who are in town.

Thanks for your prayers! God did some incredible things this week!

Happy Easter! He is Risen!

PICTURES:
Small group, a few people are missing
Last week's dinner. The topic was the resurrection and Josh made Indian food
This week's dinner the traditional seder plate
Jennifer and Tori, one of the highschoolers from Michigan
The leader of the group Sue, giving presents to kids in Irapuato
The puppet show in Irapuato by the group from Michigan

World Religions in Saltillo

2010-04-02T11:20:00.001-06:00

This past weekend we traveled to Saltillo in Northern Mexico for Jennifer to teach World Religions and Sects to the students in the North with WGM. Last Friday we left and Jennifer had a very sore throat and was not feeling well at all. That night she prayed that God would take at least the sore throat away and praise the Lord she woke up on Saturday without a sore throat. Her classes went well Saturday and Sunday. We pray that the students worldviews expanded and that they can apply what they learned in everyday life. They had to define "worldview" and "religion" and do activities like compare the world's main religions and give a presentation on a sect of their choice.

2010-03-23T12:29:00.004-06:00

Some days it is hard to remember that we are not the ones that are in charge of bringing about change in people, rather it is the Holy Spirit who does that work. That fact isn't always easy to recall when we are going through discouraging times in ministry. There are moments when we wonder if what we are doing is making a difference and then there are moments when we feel encouraged and stand amazed at what God has done. If we relied on how we felt from day to day we would not still be here. Instead we must trust that God will finish the work he has started and that if we are faithful to him in all we do then he will use it for his glory.

We are thankful that we have seen people grow in their relationship and in their knowledge of who God is. Also, we are thankful that we are going to have a retreat in June when we are going to baptize at least one person in our group. Last week we decided together as a group to work towards having a bakery where we can teach people skills that they can use to have a job or maybe open one where we can offer them employment. It is a way that we decided to serve the community, one with a lot of unemployment. This is going to be a huge project, but we are excited about it! Most likely we will start it when we get back from the States in the Fall and will work on preparations until then.

Last week we were thrilled to have Josh's parents here with us and spend some time with them. They hadn't been down here for over a year and it was special to be able to have to dinners in their honor. Meeting our friends was a joy for them =).

Remember that if you are a supporter of ours please tranfer your support to Go. See the last blog post for more information.

Big News

2010-03-13T08:30:00.009-06:00

First off wanted to let you know that our latest newsletter is out. It should be coming to your mailbox or to your e-mail box soon. If you are not on our mailing list and would like to be please e-mail us at: jandjmexico@gmail.com

Today we are writing to inform you of where God is leading us in the future. After almost 2 very challenging years, after much prayer and seeking the Lord, we have decided to come back as missionaries to Mexico. Our missionary discipleship term ends with WGM in June. Over the past few months we have felt God's hand guiding us in a different direction and therefore, we will be coming back as career missionaries with another organization, Go International. Go is a smaller organzation that mainly concentrates on supporting indigenous ministry and is based out of Wilmore, Kentucky. This decision was not an easy one to make, but we do feel at peace about it and know it is where God wants us. We do plan on partnering with WGM in the future to support them in the theological education program as professores.

It is hard to believe we have been here 1 year and 7 months and that it is time to make this decision about our future. We came here to learn Spanish and learn about ministry in Mexico. While we have had a very rough ride we did learn a lot! Thankfully our Spanish is very much improved and we are communicating well. There is always more vocab we wish we used while talking, but we have come a long way and feel good about our progress. In terms of ministry we have also come a long way. God has used some difficult experiences to refine our calling and lead us in a slightly different direction. When we arrived we thought our role as missionaries would be in theological education and support ministries. While we still enjoy and want to be a part of theological education, we have seen a huge need for church planting and raising national leaders organically. There are so few evangelical churches here that the population is not being reached. Sadly, the evangelical churches that exist are not doing a good job of communicating the gospel and reaching out to non-believers. Bad theology and mainly the prosperity gospel are all too common.

Over the past year God has given us a passion for the people around us and a vision on how to creatively reach them. After a brief time in the United States visiting our wonderful team of supporters we will return to use our home church planting model. Please be in prayer for us as we are also discussing the possibility of working with another missionary couple here in León who shares our calling. Pray for us as our group continues to meet with these missionaries while we are in the States. Pray that this transition from WGM to Go International will go smoothly. Pray that God will provide ALL of our financial needs.

What does all this mean?

We will be in Mexico till mid-June at which time we will drive back to the States for about 3 months. We hope to be back here by October. During our time in the US we want to see you and give you an update on our ministry. We would love to meet with you one-on-one, have you host a small group in your home, or speak at your church. If you are interested please contact us ASAP as we are putting our schedule together now and things will be tight because we won't be home for long.

Currently, we are in the process of asking our wonderful supporters if they would be willing to go ahead and switch their support to Go International. If you support us we would grately appreciate it if you could start that process so that we will not be lacking support in June. THANKS!
Go to:

gointernational.org

And then go to:
1. donate
2. create account
3. ways to support Go
4. staff ministries support account
5. Josh and Jen Reynolds
You can select the amount, duration and if it is ongoing and automatic withdrawal.

Or you can send support to:
Go International
PO Box 123
Wilmore, KY 40390

(checks made out to Go International with our names on the memo line)
Go's phone number: 859-858-3171

If you have automatic withdrawal with WGM you can call WGM to cancel.

Thank you for your continued support. We will not be able to return without it!!!!! Your faithful support has kept us here over this term and we are THANKFUL!

If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact us.

Your Missionaries in Central Mexico,
Josh and Jennfer

2010-02-24T16:08:00.005-06:00

At this point we are really not sure that you all are reading out blog. So if you read it PLEASE leave a comment so we know. Thanks!

Also, thank you for praying for our field meeting that we had in McAllen, TX over the weekend. It went very well and we even had some time to enjoy things about the States that we miss. Mainly, salads. We had a great week and made it back home to León safely.

Last week we had the priveledge of having David Harriman share at our small group. He talked about the stones we have in our lives that are barriers between us and Christ. They could be addictions, hate, pride, or any number of things. We are thankful David had the chance to come and share because though we had a very small crowd in comparision to our normal Monday nights, those who attended were very touched by what David shared. One couple especially seems to have made a further commitment with Christ and we are praying that they understand what that means. Would you join us in praying for this couple? That they would accept Christ fully as Lord of their lives and that they would understand that he is the only way, the truth, and the life. This couple has been attending our group for a while now, but the wife especially has very eastern religious views. We long for them to understand that Christ is the only way to salvation. Thankfully, they are very faithful to coming to our activities and to coming to the Bible study.

Tomorrow night we are holding our Thursday night dinner. Most likely we will have some new visitors. On Thursdays we have started having a discussion on a certain topic. One night we talked about baptism. Tomorrow we are talking about Christainity's view towards other religions. Please pray that we will have wisdom to lead the discussion well and that people will accept what we say.

Thanks for your prayers and support as always!

Pictures: David Harriman's visit
Celebrating our 9th Valentine's Day together
An excursion we took with our neighbors (all the ladies in the group)

Who is invited?

2010-02-01T18:01:00.003-06:00

Hello friends and family. If you read this blog would you please post a comment so that we know you read it. We have no idea how many people actually keep up with us through this blog. Thanks!

When we think of evangelisim and how our churches are going to reach those who don't know Christ what do we think? Do we believe that we should invite non-Christians to church and they will hear a sermon and bam, they will accept Christ? Truthfully, it is not likely that a non-Christian would have any desire to go to church, and if they did they probably wouldn't understand what was going on. Many churches have gone to a "seeker friendly" service with hopes to reach those who don't go to church. I applaud their efforts because at least they are trying to reach those who wouldn't normally set their foot in the door of a church, but often the sermons get watered down and the believers are left searching for more depth.

We decided to start a small group with hopes that evangelism would take place out of that setting, that people would feel like they can bring their friends and in a non-threatening, but intimate environment people can come to know Jesus. After several small groups are formed then we could start a service where the small groups get together and have worship and a teaching. The service wouldn't be a place to invite your non-Christian friends, but instead a celebration for the believers. Sadly, we heard recently that it wasn't a good idea to have non-believers in our small group. Let me ask then how are people supposed to come to know Christ? Outside of community? What a better way to show someone what it means to folllow Christ than in a small group Bible study. This year two people have come to know Christ because of our small group, so we think it is a great place for non-Christians.

This past week we had two visitors who have very unique religious backgrounds. One of our friends who has been part of the group for a while is still clinging to her universal/buddist philosophies, while her husband claims to be a Christian. Please pray for her and the other people who are coming and for those who will visit in the next few weeks who do not have a personal relationship with Christ. Pray that they will come to know him, that their philosophies would be broken down . Pray that there would not be any confusion during our studies and that Christ's truth would prevail. We are continually amazed by how many people we work with have rejected catholicism and have turned to cults, sects, and strange eastern philosophies. We need guidance as try to guide these people to truth.

We challenge you to think about your church setting? Are there activities that exist where you feel comfortable inviting your non-believing friends? Do you have a small group where they could go? Do you have friends who aren't Christians? These are some important questions to consider as we seek to fulfill the great commission.

Santa Cena

2010-01-20T15:32:00.007-06:00

Last Tuesday evening we had the joy of sharing communion with our small group and for some of our friends it was their first time to take communion outside of a catholic church and it had a new meaning because instead of thinking that the bread and the wine were actually Christ's body and blood they understood that it was a symbol we took in remembrance of what Christ did for us. It was a specail time as two people from our group accepted Christ this fall, and taking communion had a new significance for them.

We are excited to see how God is working, and this week we had the chance to talk about the future of our group and what else we want to do doing the week. Next week we will be evaluating the needs in our community to see what we can do to better reach those needs. We've had a longing to work with the poor for a while, but haven't known how to get started. Please be in prayer as we figure out the best way to start something as a group and reach the poor around us.

This past week we were in Saltillo for the annual WGM's pastoral conference. We had the opportunity to listen to a veteran missionary share about how we could have an integral ministry and reach out to our community. We also heard an update on all the WGM churches and works in Mexico. Our 3 days of meetings were long, but good. It was good to see that the field had progressed from where it was last year. Overall we fell more encouraged about the state of the WGM Mexico field.

Please continue to pray for us as we make a decision this month as to how we are going to return to Mexico. We've prayed, fasted, and sought God, but still have not heard a response from him. We need his wisdom to make the best decision as we look toward our future in Church planting here in Leon.

THANKS!

Pictures:
Annette in Casa de Paz handing out clothes for the poor children she works with in Saltillo.

Around the table giving updates on our ministry during one of our meetings.

New Hearts...The Best Christmas Gift

2010-01-08T12:02:00.006-06:00

The holidays are now over here in Mexico. Wednesday was the day of the kings and it is a very important day for the children here as they receive gifts. We also said good-bye to Jennifer´s parents and feel sort of sad because we always wish we had more time with them and that we could see our family more than a few weeks a year. However, we are thankful for the holidays because were able to rest some and spent time with family and friends. We are feeling much more rejuvenated as we start this year.

Meet Juan Pablo...Little seven year old Juan Pablo is the son of one of the single mothers who has been attending our small group. His mother comes from a difficult family situation, but his grandmother is a Christian and she watches little Juan Pablo and his brother a lot. We have invested much in this family over the past six months inlcuding teaching Jaun Pablo´s mom some things about discipline and keeping the kids overnight one time. We rejoice that his mom accepted Christ a few weeks before Christmas, and though she has a long way to go, she has begun to make some changes in her life. Sometimes we get discouraged because we don´t see her changing as fast as we would like, but God is doing something. Jaun Pablo´s grandfather and uncle who live with him are alcoholics, and we have been praying for them for a long time. This Christmas his grandfather wanted to go to the Catholic church to give thanks to God and Juan Pablo and his grandmother went with him. The other day with tears in her eyes his grandmother retold us the story. Juan Pablo insisted that he had something he wanted to give God thanks for. He said he had prayed that his mom and grandfather would have new hearts and that now they do. He wanted to thank God for the hearts they had received. His grandfather has been sober for several months now and we can hardly believe it. Who would have thought that little Juan Pablo would have been praying for his family. We know that God heard his prayers and we too thank him for what he has done in this family. Please continue to pray for them as they struggle to make ends meet and live with conflict daily. Pray for Juan Pablo´s mom, that she will fall more in love with Christ and let him transform her life, and pray for her brother who is currenlty walking in the wrong direction and doesn´t want anything to do with God.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T16:36:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year to you all!

We are very thankful for some days of rest that we have been enjoying. Before Christmas we found ourselves rather stressed out and tired, but we are feeling much better now. We spent Christmas with some close friends and Jennifer's parents arrived on the 30th and will be here a week. We praise God that we haven't been alone for the holidays!

This year we look forward to what is ahead as we make some big decisions about our future and where God is leading us after June. We long to be God's hands and feet to a hurting and dying world and teach people how to be the body of Christ, the church.
Join us in seeking God in your plans for your life this year. Together we can make a difference in this world.

Here is wishing you a great 2010 from Mexico!

Feliz Navidad

2009-12-20T17:46:00.008-06:00

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.

WORLD RELIGIONS

2009-12-05T10:58:00.007-06:00

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

2009-12-05T10:07:00.006-06:00

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.

FELIZ DIA DE ACCION DE GRACIAS

2009-11-26T08:43:00.004-06:00

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

2009-11-20T11:09:00.004-06:00

"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.

Annual Conference in Saltillo

2009-11-05T13:49:00.008-06:00

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

2009-10-30T11:01:00.005-06:00

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

2009-10-23T13:44:00.007-05:00

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

2009-10-15T17:47:00.004-05:00

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

2009-10-06T14:18:00.007-05:00

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

2009-09-25T14:23:00.006-05:00

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

2009-09-16T10:45:00.005-05:00

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

2009-09-01T13:46:00.007-05:00

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

2009-08-17T11:09:00.008-05:00

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!

2009-08-08T23:07:00.008-05:00

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

2009-08-05T15:03:00.010-05:00

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

2009-07-21T11:06:00.006-05:00

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

2009-07-15T00:22:00.007-05:00

A Beautiful Week!

2009-07-14T19:02:00.004-05:00

"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

2009-06-27T16:38:00.006-05:00

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

2009-06-17T08:51:00.006-05:00

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

2009-06-09T13:11:00.005-05:00

"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

2009-05-28T15:22:00.004-05:00

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

2009-05-18T08:32:00.008-05:00

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

2009-05-02T16:47:00.009-05:00

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

2009-04-28T08:22:00.003-05:00

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

2009-04-23T13:56:00.006-05:00

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

2009-04-11T15:35:00.008-05:00

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

2009-04-04T20:56:00.005-06:00

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

2009-03-28T20:57:00.008-06:00

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

2009-03-24T16:55:00.006-06:00

"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.