Evaluation

Well, right before classes broke for Christmas I had another evaluation. It went really well - I was nervous for this one, but Paty, my teacher, makes it quite non-threatening. So, in all it went well.
However, the director of the Spanish Course is also in the US for Christmas and since she has to review the evaluation to determine what level I am, I have to wait until the second week of January to know what level I'm at in Spanish which also determines where I am in the Spanish course.
It seems like I may be far enough along that the Spanish classes no longer are helping me & I may be able to spend a few months on my own with neighbors & friends doing a self-study course that would finish my Language study time. That will all be decided in a few weeks when the director gets back to Mexico, etc.
I know the Lord's timing is perfect. Please pray that I will be resting in Him & seeking His way instead of pushing my desires.

Happy New Year!

This year has gone by so fast! It's hard to believe that in two days it will be 2007!!

The beginning of this year I didn't know what was in store for the future (and I still don't!), but the Lord was faithful and opened up the door to go to Mexico to study Spanish. With political conditions getting worse in Venezuela, the field of Mexico welcomed me to stay there.

The Lord provided a great reliable car that continues to run great!

Even though my desire was to live with Mexicans, the Lord was faithful to provide a house for me in a perfect location - a great neighborhood and great neighbors. One of the great blessings of having a house is that the youth group from church and friends can come over anytime for however long they want to or need to!

Sometimes language learning can be boring and redundant- a lot of review seeming not to be making progress, but the Lord has been faithful in Spanish study by reminding me the reason to be diligent in learning & by bringing to mind words and phrases needed to communicate!

As I have experienced my whole life, goodbye's are hard. Saying goodbye this year to my parents & brother who went to PNG, my sister in Texas, the rest of my family, and all my church family and friends was really hard. But the Lord has been faithful in this area also - He has provided some good friends for me there too. And in times of loneliness, He is there comforting me. You also, have been a great comfort & encouragement through emails and phone calls. Another thing I thank God for is internet technology - thru Skype & Vonage, I've been able to stay in contact with my family in PNG & with Elisabeth!

I'm not sure what all 2007 will hold, but this I am sure, that He will be the same Tomorrow as He is Today and as He was Yesterday. He remains the same & in Him I can put my trust. His plan & His timing are perfect.

Thank you for all your support, love, encouragement, and most of all your prayers through this past year. You are all a vital part of me being in Mexico.

Right now, I'm in Texas with my sister for Christmas & New Years. It's been such a blessing to be back and be with her, my family, and see friends from church again. I'll be heading back the first week of January.

Teaching at the Orphanage

Last night we went to the orphanage again - we got there early & were able to spend time with the kids for a while. After supper, we were able to have our class & I taught! It went pretty well. The kids listened really well, were very attentive & it seems like they understood the story.
Next week Libni will teach again, then hopefully we can rotate back & forth so I can teach some more!
It was really exciting to be able to teach the kids God's Truth!

Did You Know?

- You can thank Mexico for introducing the world to chocolate!
- About 25% of the world's Spanish speaking people live in Mexico!
- One New Year's tradition is to eat 12 grapes as the clock strikes 12, one for each month of the coming year.
- Over 100 million tortillas are eaten in Mexico PER DAY!
- Over 1/3 of the population is 14 years old or younger
- Cats have 7 lives, the "unlucky" day is Tuesday the 13th, and they do April Fool's type pranks on December 28th!
- There are about 62 indigineous languages that are still spoken.
- Mexico used to claim it's territory all the way up to & including Alaska.

Fun at my House

Ada, Emily, Yoshi

Some of my friends, other single missionaries and a few of the Bible School students, got together at my house for some fun.

Church friends

Judit Vargas, Saraí Vargas, Sarahí Morales, Rubén Vargas, Luisa, & myself
This area is a big cattle area and every year the state holds a Cattle Expo. It's like a state fair. There's rides, food, stuff to buy & a rodeo. We went to the rodeo finals. Most of these guys hadn't been to a rodeo before. It was really fun. I kinda felt like I was back home in Texas with all the horses & cowboys & cowgirls around!

Paty

Paty Ramírez
She is our Spanish teacher. They are working on getting another teacher to help with the influx of students in the next few months. She is hard working and dedicated. It thrills her to see us speaking her language and she gets really excited when we speak correctly! It's very encouraging.

Spanish Class

Spanish Class
This is where I go in the morning to attend a class taught by Paty Ramirez. Currently, there are about 10 of us. Two more families are coming before the end of the year & some more are coming in the new year. There are quite a few missionaries coming here who have not been able to be in Venezuela. I'm still pressing on to be finished in a few months.
L-R: Lyle Mack (wife Sandy not in the picture), John & Cindy Whylings, myself, Maria VanWormer (husband John is probably flying this day - he's a pilot here, but working on Spanish also), and Kelly Groteniek (her husband, Wolfgang, is also a pilot)

A few more kids

A few of the kids

Yoshi Castillo & Libni Ramirez, two Bible school students with whom I go to the orphanage with are in the back. Yoshi in pink & Libni in grey. Libni is my language helper & I help her with the class she teaches at the orphanage. This next week I'll be teaching for the first time.

Libni & Toñito

Libni is holding Toñito & that is Brisa behind them, making bunny ears.

Gaby

This is Gaby. She goes to our class also. She has 4 brothers & sisters in the orphanage with her. The whole family is beautiful. Her brother, Toñito, is in the picture above in blue. Libni is holding him. The youngest is a little girl, Josefina, smaller than Toñito, and two more are older than Gaby.

Manuel & Luis

These boys come to our class, which was originally for 5-7 year olds. Now, all ages go. Manuel, on the left is 14, is very mischievious & Luis on the right is about the same age. He's very good to correct my Spanish - not laughing or mocking when I make mistakes, but very helpful.
They both are very quick at grasping & understanding the lessons & are able to correctly answer review questions from the previous week. They also especially like it when we take candy with us!

Cielo

There is a set of twins, Cielo (Skye) & Brisa (Breeze). They are so sweet, full of hugs & love to spend time with you. They're about six. Brisa is in the group picture above.

Seeing the pigs!

Sorry these are late, I've tried twice since last post to upload the pics & the internet keeps failing. PTL, it worked tonight!
This was last week - we got to the orphanage & the directors were meeting with some Americans & the staff were behind. As soon as we got there, the kids took us to go see the two new pigs they got. (They're in the barn behind us in the picture.) Then they went to eat & we went back home.
This week, however, we were able to teach. We were also able to talk to Ed, the director (the kids call him Papa) about schedules & the best time to go teach. Please pray that we can get back into a regular schedule, to keep the lessons fresh in their minds.

Not this week!

Well, we weren't able to teach for the second week in a row. Yesterday & last week the directors were in meetings and not in charge of the kids, so things were a bit behind schedule. So the last two weeks they've just been sitting down to eat when we get there & then they go right into devotions as a group & then right to bed.
It was a bit discouraging to have it happen again. But, Lord willing, we will be able to teach again next week. The kids are really excited & capturing the message of the Bible. They love to learn & are disappointed when there is no class. They have learned quite a bit even though we've just begun to teach there!

Here are some pics like I promised!

Teaching at the Orphanage

Tonight I'm teaching for the first time at the orphanage! We're going through the Bible chronologically and I'll be teaching the story of Noah. The kids are split up in 3 classes by ages, but by now they just go to whichever class they want to - depending on the relationships they have with the teachers & helpers of the classes. So, I'll have kids anywhere from 4-17 years of age! Usually about 10-12 go to each class.

If you get this in time, please pray, I'm a little nervous.

I'll try to get some pics & post them this week.

The Lord is working through Alonso's death

More details of the accident keep coming in. Below is the translated testimony of one of the young cyclists, Pablo who is on the Chihuahua University cycling team and is a Christian, and how it has affected his life. He uses the cycling term, “on your wheel” which means that the lead rider is choosing the best path for both safety and victory and is pulling the follower by his draft which saves the following rider’s energy. The energy savings is so great that a weaker rider can stay with a strong one by staying in his draft, close to his rear wheel.

On your wheel, Alonso

Last Tuesday along with my bicycling companions I was rammed by a truck which was speeding over 60 miles per hour. But, that wasn’t the real trauma. The true shock which has devastated me and has transformed my life is the death of a hero. The truck entered our lane on a diagonal, principally smashing into Alonso who moved out to cushion my collision with the truck and thus saved my life.

An aunt of mine said, “Sometimes God allows us to meet our guardian angels.” And, thus was the case. Alonso was one who always watched out for me and took me under his wing like a little brother. I thank God for the life of Alonso and all that I learned from him.

I’ll never forget his words to me before one of our races. “Stay on my wheel, Pablo,” which means that I was to draft him and follow him to victory through the whole length of the race. I only hope that in this race which we call life, God gives me the strength to follow in his steps.

This will be my goal in life, to follow in the steps of him who gave his life for me so I could be here, alive and writing this today. Thank you, Alonso, because even in the moment of your departure you gave me a testimony of how true Christians leave this life. You gave me a testimony of how heroes say good-bye. In fact, heroes never die, but rather they live in the lives of those they have impacted. Thank you Alonso! I will live my life honoring you, living for God as you lived. On your wheel, forever….

by

Pablo Montaño

1Cor. 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

We can't know all that God is doing through Alonso's death, but we know He is at work and He's allowed us to see some small glimpses of it. Please continue in prayer for Alonso's family members. Many of them are very sensitive to the Lord at this time. Thank you for praying for Natalie and the children. There is no doubt that it is your prayers that are holding them up in the midst of deep sorrow and grief.

Thank you,

Marsh & Joy (parents of Natalie - wife of Alonso)

With the Lord

I ask you to pray for the field of Mexico & for the Cano/Millikan family. We have just lost a co-worker & friend.

Yesterday evening at about 6:30PM Alonso Cano was struck by a truck driven by a drunk driver. Alonso was riding with his bicycle team when the driver of the truck swerved around the trail vehicle and hit Alonso and seven other cyclists. All eight were taken to Cima Hospital, where five were treated and released. Alonso and two others were pronounced in critical condition. Surgery was performed on Alonso to try to stop the massive internal bleeding. Alonso passed away on the operating table around 2:30AM Wednesday morning. This comes as a huge shock to all of us. We know that your love and prayers will be with the family.

Alonso was married to Natalie Millikan Cano. (Her parents are Marshal & Joy Millikan - missionaries here in Mexico.) They have three children - Sofia 7 -her birthday is the 25th, Joshua 4, and Iban 2. Please pray for the family - that the Lord would uphold them, strengthen them & comfort them.

Many of Alonso's family are unsaved, but a few have just recently accepted Christ! Please pray for the new believers to grow through this & for the unsaved ones to be sensitive to the Gospel.

Alonso was one of the main teachers at the Spanish Course. Please pray for all of us in the continuing days.

You know you're in Mexico when...

at stoplights members of the Tarahumara tribe come down the row of cars for "Korima." (KO-ree-mah) They are not begging: they believe that they are the children of God, and as children of God they are able to keep God alive. They believe the "white men" (non-Tarahumara Mexicans) owe them money for this "service." They keep God alive by drinking corn beer & getting drunk. They have festivals where everyone must get drunk & this is what allows God to keep living.

...But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth & sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities- his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

Yes, they know God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark & confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshipping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.

They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshipped and served the things God created instead of the Creator Himself who is worthy of eternal praise! Rm 1:18-24

You know you're in Mexico when...

You know you're in Mexico when...

--OXXO is not hugs & kisses - it's a convenience store on every other corner.

--everyone decorates with red & green in September - Mexico's independence month

--you go to a restaurant between 12-1pm and you're about the only one there - lunch is between 2-4

--you don't get out of church until about 2pm - Sunday school starts at 10:30, church "starts" at 11:30- usually maybe 11:45 - 1:30, then after talking after the service, you don't get out until 2!

--you walk out your door and see a man driving a donkey & cart down the road in a residential area of the city!

--you can buy basically anything at the little corner store 3 houses away - homemade fresh tortillas, homemade refried beans, cheese, potatoes, rice, one stick of margarine, one bandaid, a few eggs, even lowfat lactose-free milk!

--you hear a vehicle coming down your street playing a cheery little tune - it's NOT an icecream truck; it's the propane truck selling gas tanks!

--there are 40+ tribal groups that have not heard the gospel in their language!

last family pic

Our family - before we parted ways at the airport.
My parents & brother arrived in Papua New Guinea just over two weeks ago and are settling in pretty well it seems.
It'll be probably two years until we are together as a family - when Josh comes back for college.

Trip to the Mountains

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go with 5 Mexicans on a week long mission trip up into the mountains. We went to help work on a Mexican coworkers' house there.
While we were there we were able to meet some of the indigenous believers and fellowship with them at church on Sunday. This is a very young church. I think the first believer believed last year maybe. They are all new believers, but are growing and maturing little by little! God is doing His work in them.
I have collected updates from coworkers Matt & Starr from the last few months to show you what God is doing in their area.

Matt and Starr and the others on the missionary team are working together to disciple believers Juan and Cleotilde.
“They are growing and are a huge encouragement,” Matt wrote. “Starr and I are also trying to provide teaching for the other believers who aren’t faithfully attending the study with Juan and Cleotilde.”

For 400 years the indigenous people have known the name and story of Jesus – but it isn’t the same Jesus recorded in the Bible.
The one they know about never really died, so he never really rose either.
“Which means "their" Jesus never paid in full the price to bring mankind back to God from his slavery to sin and death,” wrote missionaries Matt and Starr Arnold.
This makes the actual death of Jesus a key issue.
And after 36 Bible lessons, Starr Arnold and her co-worker, Shirley, were ready to present the truth of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection to two women, Shipa and Rupa. And the women were ready to hear.
“Shipa walked the two miles last week to hear about this Jesus, although she was sick enough to stay in bed.” wrote Matt. And she was in bed for two days after the lesson.
As Starr & Shirley read from the Bible how Jesus had died, Shipa gasped. This was not the Jesus that she had heard about. Later, when she heard that Jesus rose, she sighed and smiled. Truth dawned on her face.
When asked if she believed that Jesus died in her place, her response was, “How can I not believe?”
Rupa had the same reaction. She also gasped when she heard that Jesus had died and sighed with a smile of relief when she heard He rose again.
“Later, she gave clear testimony of understanding that she is a sinner and that Jesus died for her,” wrote Matt.

Missionaries have set in motion the plans to hold the first baptism later this month. (this week sometime) Three believers Juan, Cleotilde and Marcelo were the first to ask to be baptized. This is a huge step for them and will identify them as Christians to the entire village. Pray that others will decide to join them.
The churchplanters have asked the believers from a neighboring tribe to be involved in the baptism. The neighboring tribe's church elders will come over the mountains to baptize their brothers and sister in Christ.

Last week 18 indigenous ladies showed up for a women’s meeting. Starr taught them that Jesus is God’s Son and that He was also the Creator. She then taught that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is their Savior.
A number of believers shared their belief in God’s Son. There are several women attending who have not yet trusted Christ. Pray that they will continue to come and hear God’s truth.
The men’s discipleship class began the week before. Three indigenous believers and coworkers Matt and Kevin met for three hours. Two other believers will return for the meeting this week. Pray that these five men will continue to grow and will become church leaders.

These are some prayer requests that they have asked to be prayed for. It is so exciting to hear how God is working and to be able to see it happen!

Pray that one by one, these indigenous people will not only come to know Jesus, but share the Gospel with their neighbors.

Pray that the churchplanters will clearly and patiently continue to teach the truths of Scripture, dispelling long-held myths and deceptions. And pray also for the listeners, that they will come to believe and trust in the one true Jesus.

Pray for safety of the neighboring tribe's elders as they travel for the baptism and for a good time of fellowship with their brothers and sister in Christ. Pray also for the believers as they identify with Christ in baptism, and that other believers would follow them in baptism.

I'm Back

Sorry it's been a while. Due to travelling, transition, moving temporarily & looking for a place to live I have not been able to have internet connection & I have not taken the time to update you. Look for a nice long post tomorrow Lord-willing.

And pray that I might be able to find a place to live. There has been no openings to live with a Mexican family in their home - rent a room - so I am looking into renting a small house in a central location - close to church & people from the church, friendly neighborhood, etc. We'll see what God opens up!

Lily of the Valley Orphanage

Me with two kids - the boy has a behavioral problem & has gotten kicked out of school. He, I think, wants some love. The girl, Karen, is mentally handicapped. Her sister grew up here too and has stayed on to work in the kitchen so Karen gets to see her sister everyday!

The kids love digital cameras! They love to have their pictures taken, then run to the camera so they can see themselves on the LCD screen! I taught a few of them how to use a digital camera & they loved that they were able to frame the picture themselves, use the zoom & take the picture. It was hard to get the camera back! This was taken by Blanca, who learned super quick.

Lily of the Valley Orphanage

Yoshi Carillo (student at the Bible Institute who's heading into missions) is a favorite with the kids! She's very fun, hyper-active & wise. She's good with the young ones & the teens.

Many of these kids at the orphanage have families, but their families can't afford them. They get to see their mother & siblings (and father if he's still around) for a few days each year at holiday times. A few kids are together with siblings. These guys have sad stories and crave personal attention & love.
This orphanage also accepts handicap children. The little guy sitting down in the picture is sitting down because he cannot walk. He has legs, but he drags himself everywhere with his arms. He has a beautiful smile.

Lily of the Valley Orphanage

Julie Tibberts (mk visiting her family for the summer) & some kids from the orphanage.

I visited an orphanage a while ago. Lily of the Valley Orphanage has 115 kids & is run by a couple who has never been able to have kids of their own, but now have over 100 that call them Mom & Dad. He is from Pennsylvania & she is from Puerto Rico. It is an amazing place - they have a George Muller mentality. They trust God for their daily tortillas literally & He has never let them down!

paletas

Libni showed us where to get the best paletas, at Germania paletas in the background. It's actually about 20 minutes out of town in a place famous for their icecream & paletas.

Paletas are a frozen treat on a stick. The base can be made with milk or water - so you can choose creamy or icy. In Panama the flavors were all fruit. Here, however, they have other flavors too! They had coconut, lemon, nut, guava, banana, strawberry, mango, and others - I don't remember all that they have. However, the one I was scared to try was avocado! An avocado icy popcicle!?! Libni said that was one of her favorites!

future co-workers

This week we didn't have Spanish classes, so I took the opportunity to hang out with students from the Bible Institute & Missions Institute here. Some of these guys will be future co-workers! Others are getting Bible, missions, & churchplanting training to go back to their home areas & work in ministry there.
There is one family - the Amayas - from Honduras. There are two guys from Tijuana, two guys from here, and one guy from farther south. Libni, my language helper, is from here also. There are others in the training, but these were the ones that had not left yet for summer break or those who are staying here for the summer.

my street - north

my street - standing in front of my house looking north

my house - sorta - at least for a few more weeks

the house I'm housesitting for another missionary

She'll be coming back in a few weeks, so I'm looking for my own place.
There is an apartment above a Mexican family available located close to other missionaries which I will take if we can't find something with a family in my church or other churches in the area.

my street - south

My Street - I'm in front of my house looking south

Green Grass!

This past week all my coworkers & I got together for a conference at a hotel about 2 hours away.

It was there that I realized that there are two things that I miss about that US that I did not realize I was missing. The first is grass - green grass! In this city there is virtually no grass, much less green grass. If there is grass it is only a little patch in someone's "yard" - too little to be good for anything but mowing. The hotel had a courtyard area full of green grass! We set up a volleyball net and played in our bare feet! My first time to go barefoot outside since I got to Mexico! (In the desert here there are thorns everywhere outside called torritos - goatheads in Arizona. They REALLY hurt when you step on one!) After living so long in Panama & seeing all the jungle - it was good to see some green again here in Mexico.

The other thing that I was missing and I thoroughly enjoyed at the conference was worshipping the Lord corporately in English - singing and praying together in my heart language. It made me realize from experience the importance of learning the tribal language. They must hear the Gospel in their heart language to be able to understand clearly. I have been going to church here now for six weeks in Spanish - but the Spanish does not communicate (yet) the way sermons & songs in English do. It's the same with the tribal people.

One of other things that I really enjoyed this past week was meeting most of my mountain coworkers & learning about how things are going in the areas where they are working. I will be sharing some of that with you in the days to come.

There were beautiful sunsets every night!

Libni

My language helper, Libni, and I. She helps me twice a week with Spanish & we hang out a lot besides langauge times. She's 19 and is attending the Bible Institute here in the city. She's also studying with the Red Cross to be a paramedic.

Trip

Sorry that the pics are in reverse order. That's the way it happened. So, just scroll down, then scroll back up for chronological order!
Anyway, last week I had the opportunity to fly out to a place in the mountains where some coworkers are working with an indigenous group. As it turned out b/c of the weather, we did not leave the airstrip, but rather turned right around & flew back to the city. It was good to be able to get an idea what "the mountains" look like. I think most or all of the people we work with live in an environment like these people do.

This work has been going on for some time. There are 4 families living in the area. One couple is working on translation. Another couple is full time discipleship and evangelism. Another couple works with them in evangelism & discipleship and also teaches the believers carpentry. And the other couple lives in town and works with mestizos & indigenous people in the town.

This is not a place one of the places where I might go - but it was an opportunity to see a mountain work in Mexico & get more acquainted with Mexico & the other coworkers.

Final approach back into the city. Um, this fields in the airport area are abnormally green. This area is well fertilized & well watered. This is not what the rest of the area looks like.

A little rain! 

Stormy & clear. We flew through the storms to get to the clear. 

The base of the mountain where my coworkers live. The town is right under the plane.

Storms moving in. Notice there are vehicles. This place is accessible by road - a 9 hour drive minimum - when the conditions are perfect, but it can be up to a 12-15 hour drive if road conditions are bad. Flying saves a lot of time & is a lot less stressful!!

Our destination - this is mostly a mestizo town but there are some indigenous people who live here also. Some coworkers live at the extreme left edge of the picture right in the middle - about 10 minute drive outside of town - at the base of the mountains. They're ministry is with the indigenous people who live scattered in the mountains.