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

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

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?

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

Thanksgiving

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

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

FELIZ DIA DE ACCION DE GRACIAS

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

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

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

¡FELIZ DIA DE ACCION Y GRACIAS!

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


Josh and Jennifer


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

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

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

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

-That we would have peace about our future

"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

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

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

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


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

Sowing Seeds

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


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

Random Happenings

Hello Friends!

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

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

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

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

Thanks for serving with us here!

Seasons Change

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

Dreams Do Come True

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

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

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