Doubly Thankful

This year, I was doubly blessed to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving twice this year.
Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday. The tradition was begun by President George Washington in setting aside a day to thank God for His goodness to us. As far as I know, no other nation on earth has been founded on godly principles like the US. And, as far as I know, no other nation, which includes Mexico, celebrates Thanksgiving.
However, Mexico celebrates the beginning of their revolution on November 20th. So, quite a few Americans celebrate Thanksgiving that day, because it's a day that everyone has off.

I was blessed to spend that day celebrating God's goodness with fellow friends and missionaries, L-R: Peggy Warren, Kevin & Sandra Gutwein and Shelbi, Raul & Melanie Salavarria, Harold & Sue Middleton, and two other girls, Erika VanKirk, and Emily Drake. We had two dueling guitars for a little while. Then we enjoyed a time of singing praise and worship songs to the Lord. There were a few other fun songs mixed in!

THANKSGIVING DAY

Then, on Thursday, after the kids got out of school, and after Spanish class, most of us involved in the Spanish Department and our Mexican friends got together in a large borrowed place to celebrate Thanksgiving again.

The decorations portray the goodness of God.

Thank you Lord for the godly heritage that America has. Thank you that we are able to publically say THANKS for all you have done for us.

Thank you Lord for bountiful harvests that provide us with sustinance. You provide everything we need!

Mmm... Yummy pies! Gary & Starla Kloth have a lot to be thankful for! If i remember right, they found out the week of Thanksgiving that they have "graduated" from the Spanish Course. They have reached a level of Spanish to be able to move into their regular ministry. After spending a year brushing up on Spanish, their ready to move on. However, they'll finish up the semester, keeping on study, and change ministries in January.

Carving Turkeys! Steve Marti and Joe Wisniewski. They're both in Spanish study and progressing nicely.

Look at all those pies!

Thank you Lord for taste buds and for all the variety of delicious tastes. You did not create a bland world. You are so creative!

Tasha Davis and her husband, Ron, are finished with Spanish also. Tasha finished up in the late Spring, and Ron was cleared to leave about 6 weeks ago. However, he is finishing the semester out also, working a little more on Spanish. Ron & Tasha are trusting the Lord to be able to move into a town in Durango to work with the Mexicanero people. They are descendents of the original Aztecs, and have still not heard the Gospel in their language!

Cindy Whylings, together with her husband, John, is currently in charge of the Spanish Department. I work with her!

Look at all that yummy food!

I'm getting hungry again, just looking at it!

This is just one of the tables - there were 3 or 4! L-R: Gary & Starla Kloth, together with Gaby Orrostieta, their langauge helper. Then, Shelbi, Sandra, and Kevin Gutwein, myself, and Tony Orrostieta, Gaby's brother. Then, a friend of Arehmi's, Arehmi Barrera, who is helping out at the Spanish Department teaching Spanish.

Thank you Lord, for the godly leadership that you have set up in the mission here. Thank you that they earnestly seek You, that they genuinely care for those around and under them, and that they look out for our best interests. Thank you for the wisdom You have given them to be able to aptly lead. The kids had great fun!
Yoshi Castillo has finished 2 years of Bible School and is trusting the Lord to go on to the other 2 years of mission training next year. This year she is working with some of the new missionaries, helping to teach them Spanish.

Shelbi Gutwein graduated from highschool last year, and stayed with her family here in Mexico to be able to go to the Bible School here in Spanish.

Thank you Lord for friends!

We are quite a bunch, kids and language helpers etc.

Thank you Lord that even though we're not in the US, we still have the freedom to celebrate You!

Guess what?

It snowed tonight! One of the daughters of a missionary family is turning 15, so she had a traditional Mexican Quince Años party. It was planned for outside, but at the last minute, they changed it to be inside. That was smart because it was raining when we arrived and it turned to snow in the middle of her thanksgiving service. Here's a bit that was left on my car when I got back into town.

Spanish

Things are normal on the Spanish front. I keep teaching & being available to the students & they keep learning! That's good!
Normal life pressures & the stress of being in another culture are catching up on some people. Could you pray with me that they would continue to look to the Lord to keep their focus & priorities straight and not to get overwhelmed by all the other things.
Thanks.

To Juarez

The youth group at church just recently took an overnight trip to Juarez. A church there, Gracia Soberana, invited us up for a time together with their youth.

It was a long trip!
We didn't go right to Juarez. First we detoured for a few hours in some dunes just outside of Juarez. The other church joined us there. We enjoyed God's beautiful creation a bit under the full moon.
It looks like we're in the middle of the desert! Oh, wait, we are!
A few of us.
Sand angels?We were all split up with different families from the church for the night. The next morning we had a meeting with some of the young adults in Juarez and their college pastor taught on the principles of courtship vs dating. It was very though provoking and we had some good conversation on the way back!

We were gone about 24 hours, which means we got to enjoy two beautiful sunsets!

The Race

Almost done!
Finally, it's over!

Before & After

Can you see the sleep still in our eyes? The sun had just come up. And I had to get up before the sun to get ready and then pick up the other girls!
We all did well. Sarah Anderson got 3rd in our division of the 5K, Chris Baxter got 2nd in her division of the 10K, and I finished the 5K! WooHoo!
Everyone got a medal, so don't think I'm something special! I just hadn't taken mine off yet.

Just a Hint

Fall in Mexico is shorter daylight, nights getting chillier (which it's not as cold this year as last - hope it stays like that), and the end of the year fast approaching. One thing we don't get is many fall colors. Every bit you see a hint of color from a random aspen or these trees called "lilas." This one is a few doors down from my house. I enjoyed seeing a bit of fall color for the few days that the leaves lasted.

I'm number 348!

I'm running a race tomorrow morning!

Happy Birthday!

Sunday, October 14, 2007 was a day of great rejoicing in Heaven!

6 new names were written in God's Book of Life!

Yesterday, after the sermon, 6 people at church got saved, and one other person, Idalí, was assured of salvation!

I had the priviledge of talking with Idalí after church. She's a young girl who has been in church for many years, but has not been involved for a while. She's been doing her own thing, and just accompanying her family on Sundays. Well, yesterday the Lord got ahold of her heart, and she is repenting of living her own way. As we talked about sin & forgiveness, her whole face lit up when she learned that ALL her sin, past, present, & future has already been forgiven. Praise the Lord for the work that HE is doing in Chihuahua!

Visitors!

This week, I am having visitors! Jeremy & Nicole Hager, staff from Trinity Bible Church, are coming to visit for a few days! I'm excited.

And the winner is...

LindaSueBuhl was right when she said the snack looked like bug pieces. They were grasshoppers. Grasshoppers with chile & lime is a snack food that they eat down in the south. It's a good thing I'm not in the south!! Fhew.

Another nod to my mother, who said to me on the phone, "Rachel, you didn't eat those did you? I know you & I don't think you would." Yes, Ma, you're right. I posed but I didn't injest. If it were a question of offending someone by refusing, YES, I would have eaten. But, since this was just a fun thing in the Spanish Dept, I claimed the right to refuse.

Mmm Snack!

Look what someone brought for snack to the Spanish Department on Friday!
It's a snack food from down in the southern part of Mexico. What do you think it is?

Grammar

Over the course of the last two months, there have been many changes in the Spanish course from what it was to what it is now. I believe that we've started well, and morale remains high. I wanted to let you know about one of the changes, because it is in regards to me. My job in the department is "the grammar teacher." I teach the grammar that coinsides with the lesson that we are learning each week. There are 3 levels of classes, so that means 3 levels of grammar! Please pray for me that I might communicate accurately & effectively & that the students might learn quickly!

x3

Well, on Sunday, another new family, Mike & Karen Kelly, got robbed while they were at church. Their house wasn't cleaned out, the theives just grabbed their laptop, digital camera, & mp3 player.
Right now, there is an increase in crime here in the city. From what I've heard, people are getting layed off work, employment is down, and sustance abuse is rising. So, it seems there is an increase in need for money. Since, white Americans stick out, and even if it's not true, being white Americans shouts "rich," we as Americans are feeling the effects of this. Please pray for the Lord's protection. We know none of this is out of His control.

The Grito

Buildings downtown are lit up in September for the celebration of Independence.
All over Mexico, on September 15th at midnight, the head of government (president, governor, mayor, etc) reenacts the first cry for independence which was shouted in 1810. It's a big deal, and every year the youth group goes down. This year, we were there together with 80,000 in the downtown area.
I got in the spirit & put on a Mexican hat!
Some of the others who went. Me, Raul, Sarai, and Ruben in front.
After the "cry", fireworks galore! My friend Magos.

2x2x2x2x2

There has been a lot of things happening here in Mexico lately. And everything has been happening in two's.

2 missionaries' vehicles have been stolen. It seems both times were professional jobs: one vehicle was stolen from in front of the missionaries house without setting off the alarm. This family is still dealing with paperwork and looking for another vehicle. The other family has basically gotten the situation resolved. 1 family was new and in the Spanish course.

2 houses were robbed within a span of a few days. Both houses were of families in the Spanish course. Praise the Lord, neither family was home, and were not hurt. They both lost things, but they have both been encouraged to see how God provided things they've lost or has brought people along to help the cleanup, etc.

2 kids broke their arms on the same day! Both kids were in the dorm. Let's just say that was a day the dorm parents won't forget! Their son broke his arm in the afternoon, so they left the kids with other people and took him to the doctor. When they got back to where they left the other kids, they ate supper. While jumping on a trampoline, one of the girls in the dorm fell and broke her elbow. There was no circulation in her lower arm, so she went directly into surgery. Her parents came out of the tribe to be with her. The kids are fine, just both in a cast for a while.

2 people have/had typhoid. It is a sickness that causes fatigue and gets you run down. One lady has recovered and the other is still trying to rest and take her medicine. She's one of the teachers at the Spanish course.

2 deaths. One year ago, Alonso Cano, an NTM missionary who taught in the Spanish course, died after being run over by a drunk driver. We just passed the one year anniversary. A few days after that, we buried little Glenn Isaac Urquhart. He was the firstborn son of fellow missionaries; he was 2 months old, although he had been born early and with downs syndrome, he was recovering so well, he was about to go home. But all of a sudden, the Lord called him home.

As you can see several things have been happening in the Spanish course. Please pray for the students & teachers and for other missionaries here. It seems like we're taking a hit right now, and we would covet your prayers. Satan is trying to discourage and cause disunity. The first bit of a missionaries time overseas is a vulnerable, hard time for new missionaries, and Satan wants to take advantage of that.

They're ripe!

Finally I have ripe tomatoes. They are so good. Mmmm.

Look how green it is!!

This is a open area that I pass fairly often in the city. Usually it is just plain brown dirt, if any vegetation, you can't tell b/c it is also brown. But with all the rain we've had for the last month and a half, it is GREEN! And there are little wildflowers along the sides of the roads. It is so pretty.

New students have started Spanish study

We have fun! These first two weeks the students are just listening. Their ears are getting adjusted to hearing Spanish, different tenses and commands, etc. They are focused on comprehension and are learning a ton! Even if they don't know every single word, they understand what the teacher says.
Here we are learning the names of fruit/veggies, food. They are learning so fast.

Aaron & Kimberly Knapp (on the left) and Dan & Sarah Alkire (Sarah is on the right, Dan is not in the picture) are also new to Mexico this summer and are just beginning Spanish study. They too, are trusting the Lord to be able to plant a church in an unreached people group.

Starting the New Semester

At the start of every semester, the new students have a set of excursions they go on to get "immersed" in the Mexican culture and to get to know their way around the city a bit. The last outing is always to have "coffee" with the teachers. This year, there are 3 new families who are entering the Spanish course and 3 other families have come from other Latin American countries and have moved into other ministries. Those families tagged along sometimes for the fun of it and to get to Mexico also! They all had a great time.
The last night we went to a restaurant that overlooks the city. We got their early, before the crowd so the waiter could explain any questions the students had about the food. So, we had crash course lesson on Mexican food! It was great.

The sunset was lovely.

It was a cultural activity. Dany, one of the Mexican teachers, accompanied the group and brought his wife, Berenice and son, Miguel. We were able to observe how culturally to act/dress at a restaurant, etc.

Mike & Karen Kelly and baby Tucker are one of the new families here in Mexico. They are beginning Spanish study and are trusting the Lord to be able to work in a tribe after Spanish. Peggy Warren, left, is a teacher who used to work in Panama. She was my parent's neighbor! She's now working here in Mexico. It's fun to have her here.

Joe & Nicole Wisniewski arrived in January, and never got to go on the outings for their semester, so they tagged along! It was fun to get to know them a bit more, since I only usually see the when we talk grammar!

Steve & Marta Murray are new to Mexico, but before that they were in Colombia & then Panama. Steve was actually one of my teaches in High School! It's great to have them here also. Welcome guys!

The city at sundown.

Friday Nite, errr Saturday Morning :)

We took a break of about a month during July/first part of August from our weekly girl's Bible study because of schedules and people being gone, etc. So, as a "kick-off" to get running again, we decided to have a sleepover at my house. It would also serve to get to know some of the girls that we didn't know as well. There are several newer girls that I don't know very much.
I told the girls to get to my house around 8pm, and we'd start to make pizzas. I would direct them, but they would make homemade pizza.
So, around 10pm the first ones showed up.

Sarai & Tania
All of us: Magos, me, Sarai, Tania, & Judit
Then, around 11pm, just after all the "work" was done & the pizzas were coming out of the oven, 2 other girls showed up. They'd already told me that they'd be late, b/c one of them had to play for a wedding. So, they came after her commitment was fulfilled.

There were fewer than I'd hoped for, I had hoped that all the girls who attend the Bible study would be able to come. But, they couldn't/didn't for different reasons. The Lord was in control, though, I'd left all the details & the "worrying" up to Him. We had a good time just the few of us & the smaller number served to get to know each other better.

We'll try it again, though!

Monday nite we started up again with a review of what we've studied. We reviewed with questions, and I was pleasantly surprised with what the girls had learned/remembered. The Lord is working in their hearts & they are learning His Word!

A Green Getaway in the Cement Jungle

This is my backyard. It is a place that I can escape to to relax, prepare for class, study for Bible study, etc. It's my own personal get-away.