La Navidad

She will give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord has said through the prophet: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel--which means, "God with us." Matthew 1: 21-22

During this Christmas season here in Mexico, we have been preparing ourselves for the second coming of Jesus which we celebrate now as Christians. Reflecting on Jesus birth and salvation and preparing ourselves for him to come again. Reflecting on what it means and how our lives would look if we really live and believe that "God with us" is exactly what it says. God is with us -- His power, His comfort, His forgiveness, His love, His faithfulness, His presence....

One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.

Psalm 27:4

Praises!

The Angelitas (Angels)



Thank you to all of you who prayed for our Christmas Drama on December 16th. I just wanted to share a couple praises and answers to prayer for the Christmas Drama. Thank you again!! God does indeed hear our prayers!

• Many parents came to see there kids! There were especially a lot of new parents who have never come to see their children before; even though their kids had been in the drama in the past. I could see on the kids faces how much it meant if they had someone come to watch them. They were gleaming! The parents also were encouraging their kids throughout the drama when their child was singing.





• The Mexicans on our team shared that they were encouraged to see many parents because it shows that God is doing something in their lives. That though they have had the opportunity to support their kids in the past, they have chosen not to and this year it was some of the first times that parents had come into our church and will know where there kids go each week.

Samuel

The Sabios (Wisemen) and Luis (right) the trouble maker

Thanksgiving

I am thankful...

That I have never been beaten
That I have a Dad who loves me and never came home drunk, never hit me
For parents that love me with all of their hearts
For heat in the winter
That my house smells good
That I can take a shower everyday
That I have always had enough money
That I was fortunate enough to graduate middle school, high school, and college
That I have always had enough food to eat
That the Lord Jesus has always given me reasons to praise Him, given me hope and is faithful
For all the people God has used to love me, encourage me and support me throughout my life
That I serve a God who loves me, who knew my name before their was time, who is worthy of all of my praise
That I have more clothes than I need
That I can go out to eat if I want to
That I have never had to take care of 5 brothers and sisters who looked to me as their mom

As I take some time to think of the girls that I love here, I wonder what their list of things to be thankful for might say. Part of me thinks they would think of some of the same things I am thankful for... their families, for food, their homes... and another part of me thinks they wouldn't know what I say. I just think of the world view I have, the experiences I have had and the life that the Lord has given me and continues to give me and I am thankful, so thankful. I am thankful that the Lord loves these girls more than I can imagine and has a plan for each of their lives.

I have been listening to this song by Selah over and over again for the past two weeks and I can't get enough of it. I desire to follow the Lord and give him all of my praise.

I will follow you through green pastures and sing hallelujah to your name,
I will follow you through dark disaster and sing hallelujah through the pain,
Even in the shadow of death I will praise you,
Even in the valleys I will say

Holy, My God, You are worthy of all my praise,
Holy, My God, You are worthy of all my praise,
You are worthy of all my praise

You are seated on your throne in heaven and you see all of us down here,
You have promised you will not abandon,
so I shall not fear

Holy, My God, You are worthy of all my praise,
Holy, My God, You are worthy of all my praise,
You are worthy of all my praise


You made every star and you taught it how to shine,
You knew my name before there was time,
all this is just part of your glorious design,
Hallelujah, Hallelujah


When I give up, God will give me everything I've ever longed for.

Goal Accomplished

Quincinera at the Rancho: Mexican Experience

Above is a picture of Ruth and I. Ruth (pronounced "Root" in spanish) is one of my co-workers and it was also her younger sister's fifteenth birthday last Saturday. The big fiesta was held at their grandparent's rancho or ranch.


The girl in the blue dress in the picture above is Ruth's sister and it is her birthday. A group of the girls are having fun before the sun goes down. Now, the rancho's in Mexico are kind of out in the country and little communities of their own. There are a group of houses together, animals all over the place and they are away from any large cities. There are not any paved roads. You drive on dirt roads.

As the fiesta was coming to a close, Juan on the right, decided he wanted to take a drive through the rancho. Please note that Juan's van shown above has two sliding doors. One on each side. A group of us including George, on the left another co-worker, got into the van including children under the age of 15. Juan opened both of the van doors, kept them open, blasted his ranchero mexican music and we went driving through the rancho on the dirt roads about 40 mph (with the doors open). Seat belts for the girls in the middle---nahhhh---they could only go flying out of the van.

But the experience gets better. One of my goals these past couple months has been to ride a random horse in Fresnillo. There are animals walking all over our neighborhood including horses and I always have "ganas" to see if I can ride one. Not that I know how to ride a horse, but I thought it would be an experience. I decided to try to continue my pursuit of riding a horse here in the rancho and got everybody on board. So every horse we would pass while driving with the doods open, on dirt roads, mexican music blasting the mexicans would ask if I could get on their horse. We got turned down quite a few times because the owners said the horse was crazy, but alas, we found one boy with a horse!!! And here is my evidence.

Another peak at the goal being accomplished.

Oh, but the fun just doesn't stop. Above is an awesome sunset before we left the party at the rancho. On the way home we had a car full including a family with 4 kids. This family doesn't have a car, as is the case with most families in our colonia. Let me include that we ate "mole" at the quincinera along with some red rice. Mole is made of chiles and chicken. The chiles are ground up to the thickness of spaghetti sauce and then the chicken is thrown in. Back to the car ride home. As I was saying not many families have cars or vans, so it is very easy for them to get dizzy and kind of queasy in the car. Well, little Danny, one of the cutest kids you will meet, started to feel a little sick in the van. And wouldn't you know, he got a little too sick and threw up the "mole" all over himself. Poor Danny. Let's just say that I don't know if I am ready to be a mom who cleans up throw up. But it did make for an eventful end to and eventful day.

Montanas en Mexico

Mountain Monday

Mondays are usually the day that I go on a bike ride or to the mountains which are about 6 miles away from us. George and I are the adventure seekers on the team so we usually ride our bikes as far as the road will take us and then bike through the desert roads, through some ranches and up to the bottom of the mountain.

This past Monday we found this amazing path through the valley of the mountains. It felt like we were in a whole different country and it was hard to believe we were only six miles from our colonia. We met a couple Ranchero Mexicans on our paseo through the mountains. I'd like to take this opportunity to say that Mexicans are so nice. The first man we met, Luis Rojas, had an awesome horse and a cowboy hat. He was on his way to round up his cows in the mountains. He said that anytime we wanted, we were welcome to stop by his land and take whatever we needed.

We continued along our path and met a family of about 15 Mexicans cooking tacos in the middle of the mountains. They had driven two pick up trucks along the path and were planning on bringing some cows back with them when they were done. We stopped to talk to them the first time we saw them. On our way back they were still there and insisted that we have some tacos, carne asada, with them. There is no way to be culturally appropriate and say no so we stopped in the valley of the mountains and ate some tacos. Then we hitched a ride in the back of the pick up truck to our bikes which we hid behind some cacti.

This is Mountain Monday in Mexico:)

We always pass this cow area and couldn't help but take a picture this time.

Guess how bad dead cows smell.....

Dance, Dance Revolution

Let the fun begin!!

Once a month have a "Fun Day" with the team. Whoever is in charge of fun day chooses something that they think is fun to do and the rest of the team goes along with it whether they think it is fun or not. As you can guess by now, I was in charge of fun day this past Sunday and it started off with a couple rounds in the arcade of Dance, Dance Revolution. I walk past this arcade about twice a week and pass this game. There is something about it that just cracks me up. I don't love to play it, but I do love to watch other people try. It is hilarious. Here are a couple snap shots of the event...

Right foot this time!! ... Everybody clap your hands

George is getting into it! But that kid in the white shirt in the background is awesome at this game--he was on fire and I do not want to know how many times he has practiced.

Becca is having some fun!

Salida Grande

Parque, anyone? You betcha. Each semester we take our club classes on a field trip. We decided to go to the park for an afternoon away from the neighborhood that these kids live in. The park is only about 10 minutes away, but most of the kids have only been there 2-3 times in their lives and they are 9 and 10 years old.

The field trips have been a great time to have fun with the kids and see them have fun with each other. It is a great way to build relationships with them and encourage them. We played on the playground a while, had a picnic and then we had some good games of baseball and kickball (which I should know how to say in spanish, but I don't). Oh and of course we played some "fut" or "soccer" which is a the sport of choice here in Mexico. We have two more field trips coming up. One tomorrow, October 27th and one November 10th. If you think about it pray for our time together as well as safety and order.

Lupita, Luis, and David (my co-teacher)


(Pilar, left, and Claudia, right)

Evelin

La Torta: La Realidad

Almost every Saturday I help in some way with the Torta Give-away. We also have about 12 teenagers that help us fill, bag and distribute the tortas. Without their help it would not be possible to give-away almost 25o tortas to children each week.

From the outside all you see is the sweet faces, dark beautiful brown eyes and the normal kids that live in our neighborhood. They have precious smiles. They may not be clean or have nice clothes or have shoes or live in anything larger than a one room house. They may have families that love them or families that are completely dysfunctional. But you get to know each of them and they are just kids.

However, this past Saturday was a reality check for me. It was first hand experience that made me think more than ever about the reality of hunger. All ten of the girls and I were in an assembly line filling the tortas, when all of a sudden one of the girls eyes rolled back and fainted. We quickly brought here over to a chair and I went to get her water. Not more than one minute later she began throwing up. I was not quite sure what to do or how to help. We took her aside to lay down for a little while. I quickly went to talk with one of my Mexican co-workers, Juan, about what happened and to think about what we should do. He took me aside and explained to me that there is a "bronca" that happens in the colonia. That not all families have enough food to eat and that this was the case with the girl that just fainted. That she may have not eaten for quite sometime and when she does eat something heavier or even eat the first time after not eating for so long that her stomach is not able to hold the food and that is why she vomitted. This is one of the sweetest girls that helps us each Saturday with the torta---waiting until her commitment is done with helping and all the tortas have been given away. Then she is able to eat her own.

How many more kids that help us has this happened to? How many of the kids that come to kid's club each week? I know that this is not the first time that this has ever happened, but it was a wake-up call for me to begin to pray even more about provision for the kids and families who are now my neighbors. To look to the Lord, who knows each families circumstances, and to ask Him to provide all that they need both physically and spiritually. This was a wake-up call to the reality of hunger that is a part of the majority of the world's lives.

Isaiah 58: 1-14

1 "Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins.

2 For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is rightand has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them.

3 'Why have we fasted,' they say,'and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?' "Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers.

4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.

5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD ?

6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness [a] will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.

11 The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

13 "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

14 then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Un partido de Basquetbol

Who knew that Mexico had its own professional league of basketball? I sure didn't.

A couple weeks ago I went to my first Mexican basketball game. It is not everynight that something so exciting is going on here in Fresnillo, so this was a special treat. The most expensive seats costed 40 pesos (or $4.00), but we opted for the 20 peso seats ($2.00). I don't think you can even get into a highschool basketball game for that cheap in the states.

I went with my friends Gus, Arika and Arika's brother Nestor. It was a good time and I think we all a learned a lot that night and laughed a ton. I don't think I have ever made so many mistakes that could be interpreted wrong in Spanish as I did that night. I also learned that the Mexicans get pretty into their games. Even the coaches were a little out of control.

Grupos Celulares

Every Tuesday night we have cell groups at 3 different people's houes. The purpose of cell groups is to have fellowship or community with other Christians throughout the week and encourage each other, but also to invite new people to the group each week to learn more about the Lord.

Each week someone is in charge of a "rompe hielo" or "ice-breaker" to have some fun and get to know each other. Last night the person in charge didn't come on time so we had a last minute rompe hielo which I have never heard of before, but thought I would share with you all in case you are ever in this situation:)

A woman from our group got out a box of matches and we played hot potato with the matches:) One person lights a match and passes it around the circle person by person. When the match burns out the person caught holding the match is out of the game. This can mean when the match gets so little that it burns your fingers and your fingers are burning so you have to put it out or when you are passing it to the next person. Warning...the match should not be passed to the children under 10 in your group :) It was pretty fun.


The rest of the group we discuss a passage together and then finish with prayer. It is encouraging as people ask questions about the Bible passage and share their stories. We then finish with prayer breaking into groups of men and women. Please pray for our cell group. That people continue to come faithfully and invite their friends. As well as are encouraged each week.


One more kind of funny story that happened this same night is that one woman shared she didn't used to want to live for eternity because she didn't want to live 300 years. That would be too hard. I am glad that this got straightened out quickly.
Thank you!

Got tuna juice in my hair today making the tortas.....nice:)

Un ejemplo para mi

An example for me. Lizbet is 9 years old and as petite as can be. I went to her house to play today after club. First we went to the store to pick out a snack "botana". She chose a package of four strawberry cookies. After walking to her house we began to play and had four other kids play with us. She opened up her cookies to eat while we played, yet first offered a cookie to each child playing with us. After giving each child a cookie there were none left for her and she continued to play the game never to think of asking for one of the cookies back for herself.

"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22: 36-39

El caballito

Today I visited after club with a girl named Ana Maria. Ana Maria is 10 years old and is a very pretty girl. We played games outside her one room house on a piece of cement and had the fun of having 6 of her 7 brothers and sisters play with us. All between the age of 2 and 10. They were covered in dirt, sucker and juice from head to toe. Some with shirts, some without. I cannot tell you how much fun I had with these kids. After we played some games, we read a story from Mark 10:13-16 in the children's Bible.....and just as we finished a baby horse goes running into their "backyard", filled with dirt, the outhouse, clothes on a clothes-line and a couple plants/weeds. Two of her brothers go running towards the horse with rocks in their hands (everyone throws rocks at dogs here). I wasn't really sure how to react, neither was the horse which decided to go running away with the boys chasing it. Picture the size of a 4 and 6 year old boy and the size of a smaller horse. It ended up being hilarious to watch as this horse would come closer to the house and the boys chasing it away. Ana Maria and I along with her other brother and sisters had a fun time with this and with watching the mom horse tied up freak out. Only in Mexico:) Please remember Ana Maria in your prayers with such a big family and responsibility as the 2nd to oldest in her family. That she would come faithfully to kid's club and feel loved. As well as for her mother's health.

Buenas noches!!

Solamente en Mexico

I was writing an email to a friend and thought I would share a Mexican moment with you all:)


I always have a moment of the day that makes me smile or remember that I am in Mexico.... "solamente en Mexico" and today that moment was a Mexican man on a bike (of course he was Mexican because there aren't many other races here with the except of us guerros) with a cowboy hat pulling his horse with a chain attached to the bike....the horse was definitely trotting and this cracked me up....I mean how often does a man attach a horse to the back of his bike?! Right!!!! .....the day before it was a boy peeing his pants right next to me along with the 24 kids we had in the 15 passenger van in the dead heat of the afternoon. Gotta love it!

A long awaited update!

God has definitely blessed me this week with His grace as I so often fail to serve Him as I desire to with a pure, self-less heart:

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. (Matt. 5:8)

However, it was a blessing to visit with the girls that I am with this week and get to have fun with them, learn about their lives and learn where they are with the Lord as we talk about Jesus and as I teach them to look up verses in the Bible to read together. God is teaching me boldness and confidence as it has been a challenge to get used to going to people's houses who you don't really know. It ends up being such a blessing as they are so excited that you are there.

It is also an adjustment to share the gospel with people boldly and often and intentionally talk about Jesus as I don't really feel equipped or maybe embarassed because I don't know some of the girls as well as I would like to, but I am reminded each day that this is why we are here, to serve and make disciples. God gives me the confidence, trust and words that I need when I ask him. I can see the seeds that people have planted. I am learning to trust and believe that God's word is living and it gives me peace and boldness to know that we only need to speak the word of God and he does the work on hearts. I have learned this many times, but so often I think that things need to sound pretty or right or I need to know the person better or wonder if they are having fun more then believing that Jesus is all that they need. He is what matters. So I guess I could go on and on but.... for now this is a little bit of how God is answering prayers and blessing me!

One cool thing that happened today is that I was helping get everything ready for church this morning and as I was walking to the building next door there was a guy walking on the street and asked me what time the "culta" started (yes service is culta:) you can also say servicio but it is not normal:). He was about a half an hour early so I didn't think he would come back. But God had other plans and he came!

Also, last week we got a call from a girl named Sara who is 21 and just moved to a colonia next to our colonia, but she didn't know how to get to the church and no one has talked to her since last week. For some reason the Lord reminded me that she called and I gave her a call to see if she was going to come this morning and needed any directions (like I know directions :) and speaking spanish on the phone isn't the easiest:) But God has other plans too, I decided to try to go pick her up in a place I had never gone and she came and loved the service and the people. Such a blessing! I am praying that she gets connected into our church quickly and feels welcomed!

Also, yesterday was Mexico's Independence day (Viva Mexico!) and we had a convivio at church where we cooked distec....which is hot dog, bacon, ham, hamburger, steak, chile, onion and oil all cooked in a disc over a fire. Along with tortillas which are a staple here. So many people came to have fellowship and it was great. Here is a picture of the distec:) Or not because I left my camera at the church. Soon to come!

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers and encouragement to keep blogging! So sorry I fell off the deep end on the blogging as things have really picked up! But I am excited to share in the joys here with you as well as some of the trials.

Cortando mi pelo

Noticias grandes....no me creas :) (Big news....don't believe me, just kidding)

So I went to get my first haircut in Mexico which I was pretty excited about because it can cost anywhere from $2 dollars to $10 dollars wherever you decide to go. I decided to go with a place of a Mexican friend which is on the expensive side of $10 and have to say that I am pretty pleased with the new style. I pretty much didn't understand anything the hairdresser was saying to me and think that I need to brush up on my hair cutting vocabulary next time. But am good to go for awhile on the haircuts!!

Fotos: Pictures

Joanna, sus hijos and me at Eric's birthday party

Nestor, Arika's little brother, and I cheering for Claudia to be the Reina or Queen of Fresnillo

Nakira dance at the fair in Fresnillo, la Ferria. Nakira dance is Arika's dance studio.

Arika with the cake we made for her surprise birthday party on Monday, August 20th

Escuelita de Verano

The first day of Escuelita de Verano (ESV) began at 8:15 am. We had a plan to invite 300 kids each day. On a normal "club" day we have three vans to pick up the kids in the neighborhood route I was assigned to with a teammate, Jonathan. The total number of kids on our route to pick up with our 15 passenger van was about 60. The roads on our route are not paved nor are they gravel; they are some rough, rough terrain. We drive 5 mph on these "roads". Let's just say at 10 am (when we start ESV) we had not even gotten to half of the houses. We returned with the intention to form a new plan for the next day; however, Jonathan went back for as many kids as he could get in 15 min. for the day. He stopped at one more house and brought back 8 kids!

The following day we decided to start picking kids up at 8:30 with me on foot and Jonathan going to the rest of the houses, making a trip to the church and then picking me and my route up. This worked so much better--Praise God! The third door I knocked on, by door I mean there was a cloth hanging down, rather than children or a mom first coming to the door two roosters walked out. Let's just say this freaked me out at first because I don't think that roosters are the most attractive, but as the week continued this made me laugh.

"La frase" as we say here for the week was "Con Dios tenemos la Victoria" or With God we have the victory. We taught about the parting of the red sea, crossing the Jordan, and the walls of Jericho coming down....and who was the victory in each story ninos??? Dios!! That's right. This led into our last day when we taught about Jesus victory on the cross and His victory in our lives.

The week went great and we had 188 kids learn more about the victory of God the last day after we finally got our routes straight. Thank you for your prayers. They are powerful!

They Found the Secret: Encontraron la Secreta

"The human heart has no desires that God cannot satisfy. The Christian's greatest difficulty is to take literally the promises of the Savior. Said the Lord Jesus: "If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink." We are told to come to Him, not to some friend, not to some experience, not to some feeling or frame of mind. We are not even to come just to the Word of God; rather, we are to go through that Word to the person of the Lord Jesus Himself."

"To let my loving Savior work in me His will, my sanctification is what I would live for by His grace. Abiding, not striving nor struggling; looking off unto Him; trusting Him for present power; trusting Him to subdue all inward corruption; resting in the love of an almighty Savior, in the conscious joy of a complete salvation, a salvation "from all sin" (this is His Word); willing that His will should truly be supreme--this is not new, and yet 'tis new to me. I feel as though the first dawning of a glorious day had risen upon me. I hail it with trembling, yet with trust. I seem to have got to the edge only, but of a sea which is boundless; to have sipped only, but of that which fully satisfies. Christ literally all seems to me now the power, the only power for service; the only ground for unchanging joy. May He lead us into the realization of His unfathomable fullness." ~V. Edmond Raymond, They Found the Secret: J. Hudson Taylor


Right now I am reading an amazing book, They Found the Secret, by V. Edmond Raymond. As I read some of the testimonies of the men and woman in this book who have found the promise of life I am learning that the way to the Holy Spirit is by submission rather than striving and working. It is by faith.

Feliz Cumpleanos: Happy Birthday

Feliz Cumpleanos Dani y Eric

Fui a dos fiestas para celebrar el primer cumpleanos de Daniella y de Eric. En las dos fiestas tuvieron pinatas pero las pinatas aqui son muy grandes....muchisimo mas que los en los EEUU. Tambien, cantan una cancion "Dale, dale, dale" antes que empiezan la pinata. Otra cosa que aprendi es que no cantan "Feliz Cumpleanos" para los cumpleanos, pero "Las mananitas" que es otra cancion. Diverti mucho durante las fiestas. Aqui hay unas fotos de las fiestas.

I went to two birthday parties over the past month to celebrate the first birthday of a sweet girl named Daniella and Eric. In both of the parties they had huge pinatas which are much larger than the states. They also sing a song "Dale, dale, dale" each time it is someone's turn to hit the pinata. An interesting fact is that they do not sing "Feliz Cumpleanos" here in Mexico for birthdays, but another song "Las mananitas. " I had a lot of fun at the parties. Here are a couple pictures.

Pensamientos Aleatorios: Random Thoughts

Bike riding in the semi-desert on dirt roads on a day off

Where in the states could you take a bike ride and see cows a couple feet from you? (Another thought.....Who knew that cows could swim?) Pigs on the road? Wild horses? Sheep? All while riding through a "rancho"? In the states you would have to go to a petting zoo....

I still need to name my bike here, which is the fastest mode of transporation in Fresnillo. Any suggestions? Just let me know!

Movie Thoughts...

I would like to suggest the movie "Flyboys" to those of you looking for a good movie to rent :)

Also, I really really really want to see the movie "No Reservations"; however, to my great dissapointment I don't think it is going to be coming to the lovely city of Frensillo. Hopefully some of you get to see it for me:)

Favorite movie to watch for fun right now...often...."The Holiday" :)

Those are enough random thoughts for now... :)

Trust God's Providence: Confie la Providencia de Dios

"Do not fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." Matt. 10: 28-31

The point is, first, that the smallest details of life on earth are goverened by God--not a bird falls to the ground apart from him. And the second point is that God is near, and his acquaintance with our situation is total--even the hairs of your head are all numbered.

Conclusion: Nothing will befall you apart from his (God's) wise and loving providence over your circumstances. Don't fear. And, by implication, don't be angry in a way that contradicts your confidence in God's care over your life. God's providence should change the way we experience circumstances that would otherwise be totally infuriating.

~John Piper (page143, Demand #18 Trust God's Providence)

While I was spending time with the Lord the other day He challenged me and made me stop for a couple days to pray about this demand and truth. Do circumstances in my life contradict my confidence in God's care? Do I doubt, blame or have anger when the way that things look in my life are not as I want them or wish they would be? Am I trusting God's providence? His faithfulness? At first I only thought part of this word applied to me... of course I am not angry with God or infuriated with my cirucumstances. But the Lord searches and knows my heart and most definitely gave me a look into areas that need foregiveness. He reminded me of His providence--which is loving and wise.

Algunas Fotos de: Las Albercas y Acampando

Can you find the lady wearing a swim suit, socks up to her knees, shoes and a hat?! Couldn't pass up this Kodak moment! She cracked me up :)

Playing phase ten at the "albercas" the Mexican pool with our new Executive Director, Daniel Park, and his wife, Joy.

The Jones family (minus Eric) camping in Sierra de los Organos. Doug Jones is the pastor of our church, Iglesia del Gran Pastor.

Meredith and I set this baby up ourselves...and I managed to think I was locked in when I tried to open up the tent to go to the bathroom during the night...I think I slept about 2 hours that night....it was freezing!

A little bit of the "organos" --the scenery around us along with the lovely campers.

On our way out of the Sierra about 30 cows stormed our camping area...good thing the didn't bump into us when we were sleeping the night before. There were also tons of wild horses.

AC and I making "s'mutters" around the camp fire. We remembered marshmellos and hershey's chocolate but not the graham crackers. We decided to use peanut butter cookies (which are made like oreos) instead. Lovely!

Daniel

This is one of Joanna's sons, Daniel. I think he is adorable!! I am excited to play games with these boys and get to know Joanna... they're sweet!!

Algunas Fotos

Gustavo, Arika and I at a Quinciniera. Gus and Arika are a fun married couple! Arika has a "sala" or a dance studio where she teaches classes in addition to coreagraphing dances for Quincinieras. If you think of them, please pray for encouragement for Gus as he just found out he has diabetes as well as for their marraige.

Joanna and two of her four sons, Uriel and Edgar. Joanna invited me over for enchiladas and sopa at 4:00 pm; however, I ended up getting their at 5 pm. It began to rain as I was about to leave for her house and yet again I couldn't figure out where to go. Except this time it was raining and the roads are dirt and I was in the colonio... way to go Ashley! Praise God I made it over as she had prepared food for us and wasn't sure what happened. Such a fun time with her! She is 27 years old and has 4 children who are precious!!! She stopped going to school after she finished elementary school and had her first son, Uriel when she was 16. This is very normal for women in the colonia. I asked her when she began to know Christ and for about a year a friend of hers in the colonio, Gloria, invited her to come to church. She would have nothing to do with it. She grew up Catholic and felt intimidated to go to another church However, after a year of asking she decided to go one day and felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. She began to cry and this is when she accepted the Lord into her life. She goes through ups and downs, as do we all, however after spending time with her I just pray that the Lord blesses her kind heart, her attempt to trust Him and believe that He is real. For encouragement in her faith and for her husband that he would come to know Christ.

One of Joanna's sons Kevin and I hanging out on her bed. It is normal to eat in a kitchen or in a room and then play with children or talk "platicar" in the parents bedroom as their are normally 2-3 rooms in a house.

Noticias Nuevas!

Pretty sure that I did 4 loads of laundry today washing all of the costumes that the ministry has and I don't think I am ready to be a mom just quite yet. I decided to pretend that I was a mom doing laundry for her family for the day and today, July 13th 2007, is not the day that I want children of my own and clothes to wash. In the future, yes, just not quite yet:)


We have a laundry machine in the "Patio" where I live, but it needs a little help. We have a garbage can with a hose in it and have to bucket the water into the laundry machine for all of the cycles. When it is done we hang up our laundry to dry in the center of the "Patio." So while we do not have to hand wash our clothes, there is some strength training involved. I do believe that you are really living it up when you have a washing machine in your house instead of having to take it to the laundry matt....who would have thought it would happen in Mexico versus New York City:)

Una Desafia: A Challenge

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Jesús dijo a sus discípulos, “si cualquier persona vendría después de mí, él debe negarse y tomar su cruz y seguirme.

Matthew 16:24

--Jesus

Right now I am going through the book written by John Piper, What Jesus Demands of the World. I have been challenged by this verse in Matthew and the Lord keeps bringing it to my attention in different ways throughout the week. I am challenged to give up my dreams, my desires, my plan, my hopes and should I receive none of them still choose Christ above all. This is my prayer. To put all trust, faith, hope and life here on earth in His hands. I continue to struggle to make my head and my heart one, but I continue to pray that this would be true in my life.





Things that make my day in Mexico.....

• Seeing a car go by me with a stroller with a baby in it in the back of a truck...having a dad drive by with 2 kids in his lap --while driving



• Using your hands instead of a spatula to mix food



• Throwing all used toilet paper into a garbage can instead of the toilet



• Using "topes" or speed bumps to slow cars down....all traffic signals, signs, rules are more of a suggestion



• !Hijole!

Otra Cosita:

Going deeper in our lives with God is a more solitary life. I am committed to community. It is the church, it is our calling, but it is only as we are real with God and broken before Him that we have anything to bring to one another.

~Sheila Walsh

Julio ¡Ya!: July Already!

"Love for God is not essentially behaviour but affection--not deeds but delight."

"If one of our human capacities finds pleasure in anyone or anything in such a way that this pleasure is not also a delight in God, then we have not loved God with all our capacity."

"The only way that we will love God is to the degree that we know him. And remember that only Jesus can make him known in truth and fullness. (Mat 11:27) Therefore, look steadily at Jesus and pray that he would reveal God as compellingly beautiful. "

~John Piper

Un Techo: A roof

A roof over your head to keep out the flies and the rain. The picture of a family of 6 living in two small bedrooms, a kitchen and basically outside with walls (no roof or floor) yet excitedly inviting guests over to eat as they bring a table outside tells my heart that joy is not found in what you own or where you live. Eating mole, rice and tortillas with 100 flies swarming all over yet laughing and talking like everything is normal tells my heart that joy is not found in circumstances or comfort. I am thankful today for a roof over my head to keep out the flies and the rain, yet put in my place to remember that joy is found in Jesus alone.

Quinciniera:

I attended my first Quinciniera this past week. Güera (White girl) at the Quinciniera, nice. The Quinciniera here in Mexico is basically like a wedding for any daughter's fifteenth birthday. There is a ceremony, a dance, cake, dinner and it goes on into the morning of the next day. The birthday girl is dressed in an extravagant dress as well as the men being dressed in tuxes. A married couple and friends of mine here, Gus (pronounced Goose in Spanish) and Arika, invited me to come along as Arika has her own dance studio and coreagraphs the dances for the Quincinieras as well as teaches dance classes throughout the week. (I'm excited to learn how to dance like the Mexicans:) I think Mexicans are born dancing because everyone there could move around the dance floor with the live band and looked good. I have never seen a celebration like this for anyone's birthday!

Natacion: Swimming

Once a month we have"fun day" afternoons. This past Sunday we went "swimming." We arrived at the outdoor facility ready to go; however, quickly noticing that the large pool had no water and the kiddie pool had slides that were not working. There were a couple slides which the owner said didn't work, but we could try them if we wanted to. Let me just say that in the states, the pool that would have been a lawsuit waiting to happen. The price was the same with or without water in the pool. Nice thinking, a good business mind! I guess not many people go swimming here in Fresnillo. We ended up having just a fun day in the sun and bringing up buckets of water to dump down the slides so that we could make our own fun. Fun day ended up being a success and a learning experience for expectations.

Angelica y sus hijas:

Let's take a step back into my first week here in Fresnillo. I decided that I would go running one morning by myself after having gone with one of my roommates the day before. I wanted to feel a little bit of independence and get back into the routine of running. One would think that if you can get around New York City just fine that you would be able to navigate your way through the city of Fresnillo with less than 100,000. Let's not jump to conclusions just quite yet! I quickly discovered on my way home that the roads are a little more confusing than I thought as they twist and turn and quickly remembered that no one here speaks English. As you can imagine by now, I ended up taking a wrong turn and didn't know how to get home. Nice one Ashley!

Knowing not to talk to any men, I kept my eyes open for the ladies on the street. I found a couple of girls going to school and tried to explain some "landmarks" that I remembered: The gas station (la gasolinera) and the garden (el jardin). It turns out that there is more than just one of each of these landmarks and that the girls just moved to Fresnillo. They quickly pointed me to a woman and her daughter across the street.

I ran across the street in my running gear (including huge men's Steelers basketball shorts that I bought at Walmart in Zacatecas--bright yellow) and tried for directions again. This sweet woman, Angelica, and her daughter walked with me and sent me on my way home. Thank you God for watching over me!

However, the cool part about these story is that it is no coincidence that I have not run into Angelica and her daughters 3 times in the city and am looking forward to going over to their house to hang out with them soon. God works in fun ways some times and I was praying for an opportunity to spend time with them. Please pray for this family and their hearts if it comes to your mind!

Las graduaciones: Graduations

The week of July 2nd-6th was graduation week for: El kinder, la escuela primaria, la escuela secundaria, la prepa and la universidad. The schools go in the same order as the states except that "kinder" is three years and there are not enough schools so one group of kids goes to school rom 9-1 and another group of kids going to school from 1-5. There were many kids graduating that go to kid's club during the week in our neighborhood or colonia so we went to as many graduations as possible to show our support and excitement.

The graduations run on Mexican time. This means that if they start at 9 am that really means 10 am. The ceremonies are outside and last a couple hours. Each child graduating chooses a "madrina or padrino" similar to a godmother or godfather to walk with them to receive their grades and certificate. Each graduating class also does a dance in costumes including Hawaiin dancers, rancheros with cowboy hats, boots, dresses, etc..The dancing starts at a young age and is so fun to watch.

It is a huge accomplishment for many of these kids to graduate through la escuela primaria (grades 1-6) as this is as far as many of their parents have gone in school or even less. There is a sweet girl Liz, from church, who is the first to graduate from college in her family this week. A huge accomplishment!

Please pray for these children that they continue in school and that they wouldn't be discouraged or go off into the wrong path. That they would be encouraged and motivated to complete their education.

Dondo la Vuelta

"Let not your longing slay your appetite for living. Wherever you are be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God."

Jim Elliot

Recently I have been challenged by this quote. I have found myself trying to balance desires, living in between two countries and have been encouraged to live wholeheartedly where the Lord has placed me each day. This was such a good reminder to me to focus on the will of God and to remember his faithfulness wherever you are.

Playera Give-away:

Thanks to all who prayed for T-shirt Giveaway (Playera Giveaway) this past Saturday June 23rd. All the of the details worked out great: No rain, no chaos with 200 kids, and a special time for everyone. This was the biggest giveaway yet and encouraging as this means that more and more kids are learning verses from the Bible and being trained to know God's character.



In order to win a T-shirt kids had to attend club a certain number of time and memorize 10-12 Bible verses. It is each CFCI team members responsiblity to listen and track how many verses are memorized from each student. The best is seeing the excitment on the kid's faces of this accomplishment and seeing kids wearing their shirts days after the giveaway because they think they are so great! Pray that these verses continue to be rooted deeper into the children's lives and become their Rock.


La Cena y Churros:

Friday night was filled with "donda la vuelta" while eating churros and listening to a Mexican jazz band play some tunes in the plaza. Dando la vuelta basically means walking around and it the cool thing to do:) The churros were awesome and it was so fun to watch some "viejitos" older people dance to the music. There was one part of the night that cracked me up.... the band started by asking for a "one minute" applause. Let's just say that one minute is kind of a long time and the Mexican band man definitely timed a minute and told us when to stop:)



Saturday night was my first experience eating on the street, literally. Elizabeth, Gus and Arika, (a fun married couple) and I went out to eat about 9:30 and a family had a restaurant out of their house. We took the table and chairs out on the street and ate some great mexican food... fun times and such fun people. We also "dando la vuelta" only in a car this night which means we were pretty cool. Driving around is literally what tons of people do at night. I am looking forward to getting to know Gus and Arika more.



Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire:

I just finished the book Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire and am encouraged and challenged by many of the author's key points. (Many of you know this is a big accomplishment finishing a book in less than a month:) It is especially fun to still be attached to NYC in some ways while reading the book as it is the journey of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Church. The importance of prayer is definitely evident throughout the book and God is teaching me slowly how to pray for others along with what to pray for in general as He has called me here. I have written down some key points, especially......the more you are forgiven or the bigger the debt you owe the more love gratitude and depth of Jesus' character you will know. The following verse in Luke says:



47Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."



I continue to be challenged by this verse and it is my desire love more and more.

Zacatecas:

Chances are many more of you have been to Spain than you have to Zacatecas. And if you have ever been to Toledo Spain, Zacatecas is very similar. It is a quaint, hilly, and somewhat European looking city. It is about 1 hour away from Fresnillo and such a fun city to get away to every once and awhile. Some of the highlights were the convent, walking along old brick roads, the cathedral, fun parks, Sam's club and Wal-mart:)

El Viernes: Friday

It's Friday! However, this doesn't mean it is the weekend just quite yet when you day off is Monday. I am getting confused with what day of the week it is and going to have to adjust to this. Tonight, Katie and I went out for some churros ($7 pesos or rather $.70). They were great! There was also a band playing with some older people dancing. They sounded somewhat like a Mexican jazz band if you can imagine that. And to begin they started out with a one minute applause, exactly. Let' s just say this cracked me up and one minute is quite a long time to applause.



On another note, Thursday was the last kid's club of the year and they will resume again August. In order to send me off with a warm welcome, one of the little girls peed all over my leg:) That's right, I took her to the bathroom, she went, wiped her and decided it would be a good idea to wash her hands...lifted her up .... and I guess she didn't get it all out of her system. Let's just say that I smelled great the rest of the day and my jeans had dried completely about two hours later. Love like Jesus does, even when it smells!





This is a picture (left to right) with Katie, Claudia, Monica and Gloria from last Sunday in Gloria's kitchen. The food was great and they are such a sweet family!

La Primera Semana: The First Week

I cannot believe that only one week ago I was in Wisconsin. It is such a blessing and excitement to get your emails and updates. Thank you, thank you! My first week in Fresnillo was busy with meeting new people, eating so much Mexican food and seeing what a typical week will look like here. There is so much to take in when learning a new language, culture, job and city. I am excited to be changed by the people here and all that they have to offer in the many examples they set for me.

There is so much that I want to share, but I am first going to stick to the basics to hopefully give you all a picture into my world here. One transition here that I have quickly learned this week is that we (CFCI) along with some national workers are the church here and many of the responsibilities are administrative and physical labor. Example, if you don't mop the floor, make communion bread, etc.... it doesn't get done! There is so much purpose and explanation that goes into each day that I hope and pray to somehow communicate effectively throughout this year. However, to start I will give you a basic run down the ministry that CFCI does in Fresnillo and as time goes on explain how it is effective with the Mexican culture. Everything that is done has to be seen with the lens of the Mexican culture and through the eyes of the Lord.

A typical week from what I can tell so far:

(One thing to note is that all the Mexicans here do not speak English at all; therefore, the English I speak is with the 8 other Americans here and is not very frequent:) Which makes me excited, so I am going to throw some Spanish words in here and there. Chido? Cool? Perfecto!)

Mondays: Dia libre (Free Day)






Tuesdays:

• Chores: This may not seem like a big deal or at least to me it didn't at first. However, it is dusty and dirty here as Fresnillo is located in a semi-desert area. Also, living both indoors and outdoors with rain, sun and wind can really mess things up a bit. We are responsible for cleaning the church, la escuela (school) and the patio.
  
• Team Meeting: Planning for the week of all that needs to get done along with a time of prayer.


• Cell Group: Bible Study with Mexicans

Wednesdays:

• Club Meeting: Preparing lessons/activities for Club (200 kids)



• Club: Includes inviting kids for 1 hour (if you saw the neighborhood it is easier to understand:), club, taking kids home and visiting with kids at their homes individually after club.

Thursdays:

• Morning Club



• Afternoon Club



• Visiting with kids individually (playing, reading a story from the Bible, practicing Bible verses, more playing and building relationships with the families

Fridays:

• A mix of doing other jobs including: bills, money items, visiting kids, etc.

Saturdays:

• La Torta (sandwich): Buying, preparing, and serving 300 sandwiches to give out in the neighborhood to children and families. This also includes preparing a short devotional to share before distributing the food and cleaning up. This takes the whole day!!
  

Sundays:

• Church: Including set up, serving during the church service, clean up (I should communicate that clean up here always means sweeping and mopping along with hand washing all dishes including the communion cups with grape juice that we throw away in the states in order to re-use them)



• Prayer Walks in the neighborhood

It is my prayer that I will effectively communicate and bless each of you with the things that God is doing here in Mexico as He hears and answers our prayers. I hope that this gives you a better pictures into my days here and to soon show you the hearts, culture and lives of the Mexicans leaving here along with opening our eyes to an eternal perspective which is seen so much clearer to me here.

El Miercoles: Wednesday

God is good and my transition thus far to Fresnillo has been such a blessing. It is definitely a transition to do ministry full time just because it has always been something I have done and loved in addition to a job, but now it is my job and it is awesome! The people here are so welcoming.

Today, I observed the kids club in, La Colonia, that CFCI runs during the week with children ages 3-10. There will be 2 more clubs on Thursday, both in the morning and in the afternoon. There are 2 fifteen passenger vans and one normal van that we used to pick up the children in the neighborhood. Here are a couple pictures of the road (rather the roller coaster) and neighborhood where we pick up the kids.

Normally, one might think that a 15 passenger van sits 15 people; however, here in Fresnillo the 15 passenger vans seat 31 children each and the normal van has a limit of 12 children. The children are precious. I cannot put into words how excited I am to be here and confident that God is in these neighborhoods. I am confident that the Lord loves these children and that He has lead me here as a tool to teach and show this kids who He is. It is also so awesome to be able to spend more time with the Lord, truly seeking his example for ministry.

El Patio

It doesn't take very long to get settled when you only have 2 suitcases to unpack for a year. I will be living in "El Patio" while I am in Fresnillo with 2 other missionaries, Becca and Meredith.


"El Patio"

The patio is located in "El Centro" which is the center of town and surrounded by a lot of stores. There are five rooms in "el pasillo" (the hallway) when you first walk in, mine is the first room and the other rooms are used for other bedrooms, an office, and a prayer room. The hallway leads into the patio. So far I really like living both outside/inside all the time. I love having the sunshine! However, with sunshine comes rain. This means that when it is raining you have to walk through the patio and get pretty wet if you want to get to any other room besides your own. The rest of the rooms including 2 bathrooms, a computer room, kitchen and living room all come off of the patio. Christ for Children International (CFCI) uses this house as their main meeting room and planning room for all of the clubs.

Here are a couple pics:

El Tiempo Intermedio: The Time In-Between

I cannot believe that I left New York City for a time just 10 days ago and have had the opportunity to spend such special time with my family and friends who are like my family in the time I have been given before I head off to Mexico. This also means that I have not actually been home (Racine, WI by the lovely Lake Michigan) for more than 24 hours since I have made the 13 hour drive with my dad from NYC to Racine. This transition time has been a gift as God reminds me of His goodness through faithful friendships and such encouraging conversations.

A little snapshot of the past couple days is as follows (mostly to remind me of the little things that can make you smile after being in the car for 13 hours 4 different times):

Racine to Oklahoma City: Big XII Tournament (5/22/07-5/27/07)
My dad and I headed across the midwest to see my brother, Gary, play short stop with the Missouri Tigers baseball team in the tourney. (my dad and I like to call it "special time") A little informative update is that their team finished 2nd in the Big 12 to Texas--quite an accomplishment and they ended up beating Oklahoma State their last game in the tournament 13-1 by the slaughter rule. I miss watching games! My mom flew in for the weekend games to be with the whole family and so she could drive 13 hours back home with us:) I have a new love for the electronic game "Deal or no Deal" and I am ranked 2nd to last in the family competition.

Racine to Minneapolis: Too short! (5/28/07-5/30/07)
Less then 12 hours after arriving in WI from OK, I headed via car to Minneapolis to spend time with my girls Jen and Jess from college who are like my sisters. I wish I could have spent so much more time in Minneapolis to see other good friends (all of you who are reading this that I did not see at all!) and it is such a blessing to know that I could move back in a heartbeat because of the special friendships in Minneapolis.

God's planning is so perfect as Jen just arrived to the states after spending a year and a half teaching in southern Sudan. It was so encouraging to be able to talk to her about God's faithfulness and how much more trust we need in order to live life to it's fullness with Christ leading the way. T0 be reminded that almost no one in the world lives as we do here in the States and the way that God's word is so powerful and takes on such new meaning as we live out the grace and faith that we have been given. So refreshing and timely!

I forget how much I love being outside after a fun bike ride through the wilderness of the Minnesota River and getting rained on hardcore. Jess has convinced me that a road bike needs to be purchased soon in life so we can take bike trips and they can teach me how to be a true camper.

Racine to Missouri: Baseball Regionals (6/1/2007-6/2/2007)
The day after arriving home from Minnesota, my family and I headed to the Missouri Regionals to watch the final college ball games that my brother would play. Their regional incuded: Kent State, Miami, and Louisville. It is double elimination and Mizzou won the game on Friday night and Saturday night. The games were awesome and they brought in a crowd!! My mom, dad and I left Missouri and Saturday night after the game (10:30 pm) arriving in Racine at 5:30 am on Sunday morning so that I could speak about Christ for Children International and be prayed over at my home church, Grace, for the morning services. It is crazy to see how God works all things out!!

I am missing friends, routines, the lifestyle of New York City already, but trust that if I have left something great, that the Lord must have something greater planned to do both in the lives of the children and families in Fresnillo as well as in my life and the live of others.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

El Comienzo: The Beginning

I have come to the conclusion that I think too much before I write and am yet to decide how I begin to "blog". My hope is that this may be a way to encourage and inform my friends and family (you all) about the things that God is teaching me, the ways that God is working and the prayers that are being answered while I am in Fresnillo. Thank you for the ways in which you have shown me what it looks like to live with Jesus as your joy and life.