Monday, September 22, 2008

My Home Forever

Car News: The final word is that I'm not taking a car because IRS won't allow my support to cover car insurance. And I can't afford it on my own for a whole year. But it's all good. I think my dad is still going to drive me down there in his hybrid space car. So that will be fun. And cheap on gas!


This is a beautiful verse...

"For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come." Hebrews 13:14

It describes my life. I hope it always will. I don't care for what so many seek. Money, a "good" job, a big house, the best car, designer clothes. I want love, joy, hope, peace to flow from my life. I have no lasting city here, no lasting home. I love America as much as I love Mexico, China, Guinea, Iraq.

That verse reminds me of a little girl I met at Roca Fuerte (Strong Rock). A church in Maneadero. I can't remember her name for the life of me. She is about 10 years old. I first met during the Spring Break trip I took with South Hills in March. We went to Roca Fuerte's midweek evening church service. This little girl came to sit next to me. Through worship she lifted her hands high to God and shouted out the words with all she had. She was beautiful. Dark, sun-kissed skin, brown eyes and long brown hair. I wondered how this little girl had such a passion to worship God. Later in the servicea woman went up front for prayer. She looked about 55. Her name was Nieve and she had cancer. Tammie, a few girls on the trip and I surrounded her and prayed for her and her family. The little girl sitting next to me also came to pray with us. This woman was her grandmother. The next day we did a VBS at Roca Fuerte and had a bithday party for my new friend. She wore a purple Cinderella dress and was a princess for a day. She beat the crap out of the pinata and took a big bite out of the cake.

I didn't know I would see her again after that week. When I went back in May for my internship I saw her at church and VBS all the time. Always with a great big smile. But her grandma, Nieve, wasn't getting any better. She went to Tijuaa a couple times for treatment. She died in late July. I haven't mentioned yet that the little girl lived with her grandparents because her dad laft and mom died when she was young. Not that 10 isn't still so young. Now she lost her grandma and they were talking about sending her to another city to live with an aunt. Before Nieve passed away, we had been planning on building Nieve and her family a house. They postponed it a couple weeks and built them a house the week after I left. During that week, Tammie had a special conversation she had with that little girl. The little girl said, "The next house I have will be made of gold and my grandma will be there."

For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.




This is a picture of Ricardo (the pastor of Roca Fuerte) praying for the little girl on her birthday.

After she took a big bite of that cake!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Remembering the Good Old Times

So, as some of you know, the car I bought from my dad has since died. One day it was fine and the next morning the transmission had given out. So at this point I'm not completely sure what do to. Do I get a new car, fix up the old one, or don't take a car at all. This decision now hangs on whether or not I will even be able to afford gas and car insurance for the year. I'm talking to the people at Praxis headquarters about how to go about this. Meanwhile, the sad, dead Isuzu is sitting in our driveway and I'm driving my dad's little hybrid car around town. (Much better on gas mileage!)

Speaking of Praxis, I haven't told you guys that this is the program I will be a part of while in Ensenada for the next year. The program is through The Christian and Missionary Alliance which is the denomonation of South Hills Church which is where I go to church here in Henderson. Here is the webiste with info if you are interested in checking it out. http://www.cmalliance.org/serve/praxis/index If you click on the "Communities" link and find Ensenada that is where I'll be working.

I talked to Tammie today and she asked me "So are you still missing Mexico?" My knee-jerk reaction is to say "Yes, of course." And I do miss living there and seeing all of my friends down there. But I don't constantly miss them and I don't constatly think about Mexico like I did when I first got home. I get so wrapped up in living and doing what I need to day-to-day. We are such a short minded people. How easily and quickly we forget the joys and love of the past. So I wanted to just put some pictures up here. Partly for you to see but also to remind myself of why I'm moving to a foreign country and why I'm raising so much money. It's all love.

The beach is only 20 minutes away! And it's so beautiful.

Of course I love and miss the kids so much. At each church I was able to get to know the kids and share life with them. One of the things my monthly support covers is language tutoring. I'm excited to go back and learn more Spanish so I can communicate much more easily.

This is Reynario (middle), his wife Ortencia (left), and Ruben (right). This picture was taken on the first Sunday and Reynario and Ortencia's newly built church. Ruben is the advisor of all of the C&MA churches in Ensenada and he was their to bless the new building.


The picture below was taken while we had a group from Princeton, NJ. They taught English for a couple days in a park in Ensenada that previous groups had helped paint and clean up.

Watching houses and churches being built from the ground up is so fun. Each group comes with such energy and excitement and the job is always done at the end of the week no matter how big the task is.


Thanks to all of you for your love and encouragement through my time back in the States. My plan right now is to head back to Ensenada in the first week of November. I'm not a big planner as most of you probably know so I haven't set a solid date. I don't like to put myself in a box. :) If you would like to support me please let me know. I would love to get to talk to you.

Please pray for boldness for me. It's not easy asking people for their money but I know God has all the money in the world and He will supply. I just need to ask. The worst someone can say is no, right?

I love you guys!