So much has happened since our last update! YES…we have made it safely to Mexico! YES…we have purchased a vehicle! (Thank you!) YES…we are enjoying being back with friends and ministry partners in Monterrey! YES…Matias and Lucas are slowly remembering their Spanish. YES…life is very busy again as the boys are in school and ministry is in full swing at the Foundation. YES…we miss you all and continue to remember our time in the U.S. with family and friends with joy and gratitude! God is so good, and He continues to be faithful to us and to His mission here on earth.
Many people have been asking how we feel now that we are back in Mexico, and we do have to admit things feel different. Every day in the news we hear of some violence related to the drug wars. However, by taking basic precautions such as limiting our travels outside the city and at night, we feel we can continue to live here with minimal risk. We are in no way being targeted by criminal activity and our biggest risk is of simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. We definitely ask for your prayers for the people who live in the marginalized communities we serve who are much more affected by the current situation.
¡¡Viva Mexico!!
On Sept. 16th, Mexico celebrated its 200th Anniversary of Mexican Independence and 100th Anniversary of the Mexican Revolution with a huge pachanga, fiesta or PARTY! We celebrated with the teens from the Foundation with a Mexican party at our house, where everyone brought typical Mexican dishes. Check out some pictures of the party at our house here… You can also read more and see some great pictures of the big celebration in Mexico City, click here.
Hurricane Alex and lots of rain…
We returned to a lot of rain and destruction in the city due to Hurricane Alex. Thankfully, our house has been protected from the rains, but there are many people who have lost everything. Covenant World Relief has partnered with the Foundation to provide relief to the communities that were affected by the hurricane and we are already serving through the Dos Cerros ministry of the Foundation. If you’d like to read more about this partnership, click here.
Other things we are excited about upon our return:
God has opened several doors for discipleship! Join us in prayer for these relationships:
Erika has begun to disciple one of the young teenage girls from the youth club, Abigail, and she has found that God is working mightily in her life!
Next week Erika will begin to disciple her mother, Adriana, a key community leader in the ministry of the Family Foundation.
Together we are meeting with Monica and Daniel, friends of ours from the Dos Cerros community, who are very interested in growing in their relationship with Jesus and learning more about the Bible.
All the plans that were made and the fun we had as a team during the Annual Foundation Planning Retreat. God is at work in each ministry and in each team member of the Foundation and it is a blessing for us to be a part of all that He is doing. We enjoyed hosting our supervisors, Dave and Wendy Mark, and appreciated their insight, questions and encouragement during our meetings.
We are thankful for how God continues to be at work in our church family at Comunidad Bautista Jireh (Jireh Baptist Community) even as we are in the midst of a transition after saying goodbye to the founding pastor, Joel Sierra, and his lovely family and sending them to serve in Nicaragua. As Covenant missionaries we have had the opportunity to support the deacon board and do some teaching and preaching during this interim time. Jireh has been a spiritual home for us and is a church committed to partnering with the Foundation’s ministry. How we appreciate the Covenant’s commitment to partnering with other denominations and organizations committed to advancing God’s Kingdom!
And finally…
Erika had the opportunity to visit a new partner church of ours, Castle Oaks in Castle Rock, CO for a weekend in September. What a joy to see how God is at work in this church and how well they connect with the ministry of the Foundation! We look forward to how God will mutually bless us and those we serve in this new relationship.
Muchas gracias! Thank you for your friendship, support and prayers for us during this transition time back into life and ministry in Mexico. We are happy to be back and excited for what God has in store for us and for the Foundation this next year.