Christmas Celebrations

Throughout last week, we celebrated Christmas with each of our Bible study groups. Then on Saturday night we had a dinner for our Wednesday group, giving them an opportunity to invite their husbands/dads to join us. As we crowded 35 people into a tiny space, we sang Christmas songs . . . . . . ate dinner . . .

. . . then distributed our Christmas gift bags and watched the kids receive them with such excitement!
Then I took pictures of most of the families in front of the litte tree.

Then the women started saying that it was my turn to pose for a picture. Since I had no interest in standing alone for a "family" photo, I politely declined. That's when they told me that they thought it should be a picture of me with all of my "students." I loved that idea, and I love this picture!

Feliz Navidad!

Girls Groups

When you have to miss a week with a group, there is always the risk that the group will fall apart. After only having met with my new pre-teen girls groups two Mondays, I prayed that my one Monday away in Puerto Vallarta would not cause the groups to fail. Monday morning I headed out to see if my 2 girls would be there. I was still pretty tired after my long day of riding buses back to town and my short night of sleep, but I was hopeful. Myrna was already there and had brought her 12 year old sister as well. Daniela soon joined us, and we had a good morning. They even asked if we could have a Christmas celebration this month.

In the afternoon I had my 3 girls from before plus 2 new ones! What a blessing to see these groups not only continue to exist but to grow! Please pray for these 8 young girls to understand more of God's love and His plan. Also pray for God to protect them from the dangers they face growing up in such a rough neighborhood. I am praying that He will continue to show me ways that I can bond more with these girls and pour His love into their lives.

Birthday

On Thursday during my time in Puerto Vallarta, I celebrated my birthday. I was overwhelmed by all of the phone calls, emails, and facebook posts from friends and family. What an amazing reminder of how very blessed I am!!! Plus, my dear friends Preston and Courtney went far above and beyond what I could have imagined to ensure that it was a great day for me.
Preston brought home these beautiful flowers while Courtney cooked a great breakfast.

In the afternoon we went for a walk on the malecon, looking out over the ocean and drinking Starbucks (mine, of course, was chai tea!) Then that evening we went out for a seafood dinner where we could watch the sunset over the ocean. (Can you tell I love the ocean?)

In many restaurants, when the servers are informed of a birthday, they gather and sing and bring a dessert to the guest of honor. Bubba Gump was no exception. As they circled the table and sang and clapped, our primary server held a cup of ice cream and seemed to have intentions of feeding it to me during the song. In reality, his intentions were to smear the ice cream on my face. I have to say, I laughed quite a bit in the process of trying to avoid it!

Thanks to all of my wonderful friends and family, including Preston and Courtney as well as all who sent a message or called, for helping make my day far more special than I dreamed it would be. What a blessing you are in my life!

Vallarta Ministry

While a few things I had planned to do in terms of ministry while in Puerto Vallarta did not go according to plan, I am excited about some things that did happen and have learned not to be surprised or overly upset when things don't go according to plan in Mexico.

• I was able to share informally with Preston and Courtney and a few key people in their church a bit about my role in Aguascalientes and an idea of how they could come here on a mission trip to support this ministry.
• I was blessed with the opportunity to spend some time with some people who have become dear friends over the years of my trips to Vallarta, attend a party in honor of one friend who is getting married soon, and meet a couple more people.
• The church there has just acquired a new building where they can meet. Preston has done a lot of work to get it ready for them to use, and then Friday night and Saturday we worked hard to paint over the crazy green walls. It was an honor to be a part of this momentous occasion in the history of the church, including attending the first service in the building. In spite of the associated aches and pains and paint on my clothes and shoes, it was also pretty fun to bond a bit more with these friends by working shoulder to shoulder on this project.
• Saturday night Courtney and I invited some women over to make Christmas cards. Things like this are a great way for the women of the church to have a little time in fellowship together as well as a great opportunity to reach out and invite people who don't come to church.

While I didn't get nearly all the pictures I wish I had taken, the past week added some precious memories that I don't think I will need pictures to remember. Such a blessing to be a small part of the work there and to have such special friends there. Please join me in praying for the church, La Esperanza de Vallarta, as they reach out to the people in the neighborhood where they now meet. Pray for each member of the church to continue to grow deeper in their personal walk with Christ and to reach out to those around them. Pray for Preston and Courtney and their daughter Callie as they continue to serve there and to seek God's direction for their ministry.

Puerto Vallarta

Thank you for praying for my trip to Puerto Vallarta and for everything in the week leading up to my trip. I had a good time celebrating Thanksgiving with part of my IMB family, and I arrived here safely yesterday morning. Tonight I will get to spend a little time with some women who have been my friends since the first time I came to Vallarta on a mission trip.
Please pray for me as I speak to the church here tomorrow morning. I am excited for the opportunity but a bit nervous about the combination of public speaking and Spanish. Praying that God will have me say what He wants me to share about my work in Aguas.

Happy Thanksgiving

Just wanted to say how thankful I am for each of you! Hope that you are enjoying some time with family and/or friends and that you are taking time to express sincere gratitude to God for all that He has done!

Two Out of Three Ain't Bad

No, that title is not a reflection of my grammar skills. If I remember correctly, it is a line from a song. It came to mind as I was thinking about my morning. Last Monday afternoon 3 girls had asked me to come teach them English and the Bible on Monday mornings because they have school in the afternoon and can't join that group. I wasn't sure if they would remember or would come out this morning.
I sat in the beautiful sunlight a few minutes before the appointed time of 10 am, and a curious woman from one of the apartments came and sat near me and asked about why I was there. After a few minutes, she said, "Oh. Here comes a girl who seems to know you. It looks like they did remember." Her words were music to my ears! Myrna approached, carrying the little notebook that I had given them to write their English vocab. Soon Daniela joined us, and we found a spot in the shade and began.
It was such a blessing to have this time with these girls. I pray that God will pour Himself into their lives through me and that they will begin to read the Bibles I gave them. Also praying that the fact that I will be out of town next week won't cause the group to end but that they will come the following week, as they agreed to do this morning.
Not only is 2 out of 3 not bad, I'd say it is fabulous! I am continuing to pray that the other girl, Yuritzi, will join us next time and that they will invite a few other friends as well.

Prayer for the Week

The week ahead is very full and also very exciting! Would love to know that you are praying for these specific requests throughout the week.

Monday:

• 10 am meeting with group of pre-teen girls for Bible study, English lesson, and just to be a part of their lives. Please pray that these girls will remember and be able to show up as this will be our first morning meeting. Also pray that God will speak through me.
• 5 pm meeting with the other group of pre-teen girls. Please pray that the girls will participate and will feel God's love for them specifically.

Tuesday:

• 4 pm Bible study with our group that normally meets on Wednesdays. Please pray for these women and kids to grow in understanding of God and for their husbands/dads to come to know Christ. Some have brought a sister or sister-in-law with them recently. Please pray that these women will return and will come to know Christ as well.
• During the day, please also pray for me as I finish preparing my house for company and prepare a couple of dishes for Thanksgiving dinner.

Wednesday:

• Please pray for safety for other missionaries who are driving here from 3 other cities to celebrate Thanksgiving with us at Robin and Charlie's house. Also pray that we will have a good time of fellowship and giving thanks to God. (The company I mentioned above is a family of 5 who are staying overnight with me. I LOVE VISITS, and I love this family!)

Thursday:

• Pray for continued good fellowship and safety as my visiting friends see a bit of the city and then drive back home.
• 4:30 pm Bible study: Pray that the women will be able to come study with Robin, and that the little boy who was hospitalized last Thursday is doing well. Pray for Angel and I to be the embodiment of God's love to these sweet kids.
• 10:20 pm bus departure: Pray for a safe trip as I ride an overnight bus to Puerto Vallarta, arriving at 7 am.

Prayer Need

Today when we arrived at our study, we quickly learned that one of our boys was in the hospital. Diego has a significant hearing impairment and has had a seizure in the past. Today he had another one and was rushed to the hospital. The grandma and youngest brother came to the study but were both clearly traumatized from what they had witnessed. They wanted to be with the sick boy and his mom at the hospital but needed to be around to pick up the older 2 boys from school. Please pray for Diego's health, and for the emotional and financial struggles that the entire family is experiencing. Pray that they will feel God's presence in this difficult time.
*Note: We stopped by the hospital on our way home from the hospital, and we were told that only one person could go in. Angel and I waited at the entrance while Robin was escorted in. She was told that she could only stay 2 minutes (which of course she stretched a bit). The mom was very surprised to have a visitor and clearly appreciated that Robin would take the time to stop by and pray for them.

It Went Well!!

Today was the day for my new group to start. As the kids gathered around Charlie, I went over and invited the older girls to come over to a table I had set up. I started with 3 girls aged 9-10. and 2 more girls that age joined us a little later. We introduced ourselves, had a little English lesson, had a brief Bible study, and then we made personalized ponytail holders and talked. It went really well!

An interesting thing happened, though. Schools here offer 2 different sessions, so some kids attend school in the morning and others in the afternoon. The afternoon session doesn't end until 6 pm, but we meet at 5 pm. However, today was a holiday and school was not in session. Of the 5 girls who came to my group, 3 are usually in school in the afternoons. They were upset that they wouldn't be able to keep meeting with me and immediately started conspiring to leave school early every Monday to be home in time for our group!

I was touched by this, and I didn't want to lose them from my group either. I asked them if they wanted to meet in the mornings before they go to school. I told them that I could come twice every Monday so that they would all be able to participate. We agreed to try 10 am next week for the girls who have school in the afternoon. It will be interesting to see if they come out that early. I told them several times that if I drive there I don't want to just sit outside by myself, and they assured me that it would not happen. I think it meant a lot to them to receive such undivided attention. They need to know how special they are as daughters of the king.

I feel like it was a good start, and my excitment about this group continues to grow. Praise God for this amazing blessing! Please continue to pray for these sweet girls.

Girls Group

On Mondays Robin and Charlie have a study at an apartment complex. Robin and 2 of our Mexican women have been teaching the women while Charlie and one of our Mexican teenagers have been working with the kids. While Robin and Charlie were gone, the 2 Mexican women agreed to teach the women, but they still wanted me to do a craft with the women. The teenage boy who had been helping with the kids joined a soccer team and could no longer come. This left me alone leading a big group of rough kids (rough neighborhood = rough kids). Then, each week one of the Mexican women would come relieve me of my duties with the kids long enough for me to go over and teach the women's craft. It was quite a circus!
This past Monday was the first time that Robin and Charlie would resume leadership of this group. I volunteered to go help Charlie with the kids because I understood very well that they are a lot for one person. The kids range in age from around 2 to around 13. This time we had a few more of the older "pre-teen" girls than usual. They were laying on their stomachs on the tarp working on a word search, and they asked me to help them. So, I got down on my stomach between them and began searching for words with them. They started talking to me VERY RAPIDLY, using a lot of slang that I don't know, and I was completely lost. I jokingly asked them to repeat what they had said in English. Their response? You speak English? Tell me how to say this word . . . and what about this word . . . . We had a great time, and I bonded with them very quickly. as we loaded up the van, one 11 year old girl in particular just kept giving me hugs, each one lasting longer than the one before. I was touched but a bit surprised at how quickly she had gotten so attached to me. She, as many of the kids in this neighborhood, clearly craves attention that is lacking in the home.

As I finally extracted myself from her to get in the van before Charlie drove off, my heart just couldn't let go. I felt like God was calling me to work specifically with this group of girls, separate from the rest. As I prayed about it over the next couple of days, I became more convinced that this is exactly what He is leading me to do. Please pray for me this coming Monday (Nov. 15) at around 5 pm as I attempt to begin this group. Pray that the girls will come, will be receptive, and that their lives will be changed as a result of what God desires to do. I am extremely excited about this and am praying that God will guide and direct me in every aspect of it.

Plumbing Saga

After this paragraph, I don't really want to talk about this plumbing saga any more. It has dragged on and on to the point of exhaustion. I've had days with plumbers here, with men repairing concrete, with tilers, and also days of waiting on a plumber who said he'd come and didn't. Even as I write this, the plumber is finally here for what should be his final visit. (He was just 35 minutes late today.) When he leaves today, the ordeal should finally be over. For that, I am grateful! While I know the situation could have been far worse, it has an interruption that I really don't care to deal with any longer. I am definitely grateful that my landlord has been the one contacting the workers and making sure the work happened eventually!