He's ALIVE!

He is not dead, He's ALIVE! Our hope is living! He sacrificed Himself, buying our salvation, then triumphed over death and Satan by rising back to LIFE!

Happy Resurrection Day to each one of you!

Made me smile :)

Update from the Sierra

I have told many of you about a Tepehuan tribe here in Mexico where two missionaries families work. They spend 3 weeks in the village, then leave for a week and a half or so back to Durango and then go back in to the village for 3 weeks. They have been doing this for over 5 years, and have just about learned the language of the people. The people are still very suspicious and hard. They do not want the missionaries permanently there, often asking around 2.5 weeks when the missionaries are leaving. 3 weeks is the longest at a time the the missionaries can be there. But, then, the next time they arrive, things are fine again for a little while. The Lord has opened up opportunities to build relationships and learn language in this less than ideal situation. Recently, things became a little more threatening. The Lord has again preserved His work there, but please pray that it might continue. Here's some excerpts from recent updates from the missionaries:

We made it safely out to the village and are enjoying being with the Tepehuan again. There is a sacred dance underway, called a “xiutalh”, and so everyone fasts everyday till noon. At noon the shaman and his helper offer up prayers and then cleanse those that go down to the “xiutalh”. here was a meeting here in town a few days before we arrived, and we have been told that some of the outlying Lajas communities are wanting us to leave. This has been happening for years, and the town and leaders have for the most part ignored them. However, now it seems there has been an official letter made asking us to leave. At this point the person informing us has said that unless the town governor actually tells us officially, there is no need for us to panic, and so we're not. Actually, we're used to this and know that either way, God will allow us to stay or allow us to leave. It seems the problem isn’t so much us, but that there are political struggles in the village and outlying towns, and we are being used by one side to stick it to the other side. Pray that God’s will and His plan for this place will be allowed to continue. Really it is a spiritual battle, and apart from this Tepehuan friend informing us of these threats, life is going on the same for us here.

And then, this was the result of those threats:

We deeply appreciate those that prayed about our situation here. It was looking like we would be asked to leave the village very soon. We believe that God has answered prayer and the"storm" has passed, at least for now. The village leaders are looking forward to the dental clinic that we are hosting next week. We are thankful for this and trust that the very ones who are trying to have us ousted will be helped by the dentists and change their minds. We know that the Lord can work in any number of ways and we trust Him to keep this door of ministry open.

Again, thank you so much for praying. We are so grateful for those who care enough to pray. May the Lord bless and encourage you as you have us.

The missionaries just got done with the dental clinic.

What a blessing to have been able to help over 80 Tepehuan people with their dental needs! Everything went very well and we deeply appreciate your prayers.
We are also very thankful that we weren't told to leave the village. There are still rumors of people trying to get us out, something we may just have to live with. There will be a town meeting on the 30th of March when our names could come up again. So please pray that the Lord will keep the door open to ministry.
We are safely back in Durango after a long and dusty trip.

This is not over. Please pray for the meeting on the 30th. Pray that the people might recognize the good that the missionaries are doing and not feel threatened. Pray that nothing bad will come out of the meeting for the missionaries. And better yet, pray that they might be invited officially to stay.

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

Mm is for Missions

God has brought James 1: 27 to my mind recently: "What God the Father considers to be pure and genuine religion is this: to take care of orphans and widows in their suffering and to keep oneself from being corrupted by the world." Part of the Spanish program is getting involved in a work in the community. Currently, students are in three locations, 2 orphanages, and an old-folks home. It is my responsibility to coordinate these activities, and it is my pleasure and blessing to be able to visit each place regularly and work alongside the students involved in that location.
This last week, I had some long-distance help! The PreK kids at Trinity Christian Academy collected winter items for kids for a missions project. There are a lots of kids and people who are not properly equipped to withstand the cold. Especially orphanages. So, the kids collected all this:

21 hats

29 pairs of gloves

4 scarves

1 bag of socks

1 baby sleeper

2 sweatshirts

for me to give away to kids who need them. I took most of the stuff to one of the orphanages called Libres Por Amor. (Free Through Love) It's a children's home that houses about 130 kids. It's the only children's rehab place in the state of Chihuahua - most of the kids are recovering from drug abuse, substance abuse or have been removed from a drug atmosphere at home. Many have also suffered other abuses. The kids were very excited to get the hats, gloves, scarves, and one of the workers there snapped these pictures when she was giving some things to the boys...
I just saw one of the workers again today, and she said the kids are wearing their hats & gloves & loving them! Thanks so much TCA PreK kids for your generosity and serving the Lord by helping take care of orphans!

Home for the Holidays

This Christmas, the Lord provided for me to be able to go home to Texas to spend some time with family & friends. It was a wonderful time of resting, celebrating Christ's birth with family, and catching up with friends.

One night, I think the coldest night I was there, Elisabeth & I went downtown in the big city of Ft. Worth to look at lights! We had a fun time together.

It was really cold, though, so we ended up going into a bookstore & reading books inside where it was warm.
We celebrated Christmas with my Grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins, and their kids, etc. It was a houseful!
I think my Grandma enjoyed the colorful butterfly I brought her from Mexico.
On Christmas day, Elisabeth were at home in her house.

Christmas Dinner!!

One of the highlights was a real blessing from the Lord. Elisabeth & I were able to visit with the whole Hefft family, my parents' partners from Panama, who where in Dallas for the holidays. We met Ben Taussig, Katie's fiance! And, saw Doug & Sharon, and also Paul & Melissa and their kiddos. Paul & Melissa just moved to Dallas to attend Wycliffe's linguistic training. They are members of that mission and are trusting the Lord to be able to come work in Mexico in the summer of 2009! I can't wait.

HOLA & FELIZ NAVIDAD

Some friends & I went downtown before Christmas and got some fun pictures. The plaza was all decorated with lights, trees, etc. It was beautiful.
Feliz Navidad!

City Tree at the Plaza Fountains with Christmas colors
Saraí, Raúl, Katie, Judit, Me, Ruben.
There were long sparklers that people were selling at the plaza. We tried to find short things to say with easy letters! HI MOM!!
Saraí, Katie, Judit, & Me. Saraí & Judit are sisters. Saraí is the one that I do the Girl´s Bible study with. Judit helps out a lot, too. Katie grew up here and is the daughter of some missionaries. She was back for Christmas & we all went out to see downtown decorated together.

Thoroughly Chastised

I have been thoroughly chastised about not posting in over a month, so here goes. I will try to be more faithful.

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!