With the Lord

Picture of Eugenio, taken about 2 years ago, with a friend from church.

About 2 hours ago, Eugenio, a young man from the church, passed away. It was a shock & surprise. He was run over by the bus that he was trying to get on to go home after work. He was rushed to the hospital and into surgery, but died shortly thereafter.

He was about 20 years old and had just gotten married legally, but they had yet to have their church wedding. He was working extra to be able to get a house for them to move into after the wedding.

He was a believer, so he is now in the presence of God. He was one of the first ones in his family to believe, and now almost all of his family, which is quite large, believes, in part because of the testimony of his changed life.

I did not know him real well and do not know his wife/fiance, but I know some of his family. Please would you be in prayer for them as these next few days will be especially difficult.

Wednesday - Saturday

Tomorrow I'm heading down to NTM's training center on the Lake of the Ozarks to present the work in Mexico and talk to those interested in going there as missionaries. Also, I'll be seeing if there are any girls interested in working there. I need a partner to be able to work in the tribe, so please be in prayer about that.

In St. Louis

Well, Praise the Lord I made it to St. Louis without any problems. The Lord kept me awake & alert & safe both days of driving. He gets the glory.
I was able to stop & worship last Sunday at my church in Texas. It was great to see people that I had not been able to see during Christmas.
Then, since Wednesday I've been involved in a Mission's Conference at my aunt & uncle's church. It was my first conference and it went well. I was very blessed and encouraged in my time there. They had me paired with a Sunday school group. We got together for supper on Thursday, bowling on Saturday, then I was with them for Sunday School on Sunday, so it was a blessing to be able to get to know that group. It was so exciting to see their passion for the Lord & for serving Him, be it here in St.Louis, or overseas if that's what the Lord has. Another highlight was being able to get to know some of the other missionaries that were at the conference & to hear what God's doing in their part of the world. Overall, it a great time of encouragement.

And, the Lord answered another prayer, also: SNOW!!!

I had wanted some snow since we didn't really get any in Mexico this Christmas. And, the weather has already warmed up beyond snowing possibilities. Well, the Lord sent snow starting yesterday afternoon. It is beautiful, but slippery, b/c there was sleet mixed in. So, thinks are slick. So, I'm up here freezing in the teen temperatures, but enjoying the beauty of God's handiwork.

Update from January 30th

It's starting to warm up outside - a few days this week is has been in the upper 70's (24-26). It is beautiful weather.

I want to say "Thank you" to everyone who has been praying for me. I am so grateful for your support and believe that your ministry is SO important. We have an enemy who is very real and seeks to destroy us. Please keep standing in the gap. For those of you financially supporting me, Thank you also. You make it possible for me to stay here in Mexico and not worry about finances. You are such a blessing.

We are now into our 3rd week of Spanish after the Christmas break. People are settling into routines again, and it's going well. Two families are new this semester, making the student total to 17!! It will be super cool to see all the tribal teams moving into unreached tribes in about 1.5 years when they all finish Spanish!

I have been invited to a missions conference at my aunt & uncle's church to share what the Lord's doing in Mexico. So, I leave tomorrow, to work my way up there. Please pray for me as I drive. I will spend the weekend with my sister, Elisabeth, worship at TBC in Weatherford, TX and watch the SuperBowl, continuing on to St.Louis on Monday. Then, the following week, after the missions conference, I'll head to NTM's misson training in Camdenton, MO. I'll again get to present what the Lord's doing in Mexico in the different tribes where NTM is present and also present the need for workers for the still unreached tribes.

Besides the trip, would you be in prayer with me for a partner, also? For me to be able to work in a tribe here, I will need another single female to partner with. This is for security and cultural issues, as well as just a good team principle. (Ecc. 4:9-10) Please pray for wisdom and patience. I will be able to meet some of the single students at the training center who are graduating, so please pray for that visit.

I'm looking forward to seeing all of you in the Weatherford area on Sunday and all of you in the Camdenton area in about two weeks!

Take care & God Bless,
Rachel