There hasn't been a lot of action in the past couple of months. Mike and Deb Leman were here for a visit in October. It was very good to have them around the guest house some. We always have some very good conversations. The chruch really appreciates Mike because he can speak Spanish and there is no langauge barrier. We look forward to their return sometime in the spring.
Last weekend we had a full guest house. Daniel and Tami Coughlin who are studying Spanish in Morelia were here for the extended weekend (some of us had Monday off). Dwayne and Ann Wulf were also here Saturday and Sunday with their kids, Cassidy, Axel, Zach, Garret, and Marshall. They are studying Spanish in Guadalajara. Both families are planning to go to Magdalena from here. It was a very different environment with four little boys around, but it was a fun change. It sounds like everyone will be back for a Thanksgivng celebration on the 21st. So we will enjoy their presence again soon.
School has been going well. The eight kids in first grade are much more adjusted now and are doing well. They have improved a lot. They just recently learned animals in English as well as some important adjectives like big, little, fast, and slow. They were acting out the animals in class the other day and, wow, it got crazy fast. We've had a lot of fun though and next week they are going to learn some foods, I think. The other classes are going well as well. All the classes exxcept 1st grade are going to end at the end of November, Thanksgiving Day is actually the last day of class. So, I will have a little more time in December to get some more things done before I come home on the 22nd.
Here are some pictures from the bondfire we had last Sunday evening. With the time change it is dark by about 7:00, so there was plenty of time for a bonfire.
It was a very nice evening and the hotdogs tasted pretty good considering I probably haven't had on since I was home in July. Besides bonfires are always good reminders of all the good times I've had back in the states with all my family and friends. Just don't have to much fun at campfires without me (of course, maybe it's getting too cold up there. I haven't heard any reports lately, so I don't know).
Here is a picture of a sunset a couple weeks ago. The sunsets have been pretty lately and you can conveniently see them very well from my bedroom window. I did doctor it up a little to get back the true color so I might have made the contrasts a little strong, but it looks pretty cool.
The past months have been a great challenge to further find my identity nd fulfillment in Christ alone. Living alone in the guest house gives me a lot of alone time whether I want it or not. Solitude can teach you a lot and the past months have been no exception. I understand so much better the journey that is being a follower of Christ. What I thought I once knew turned out to be just the smallest beginning of the truth. What I am learning, while new and deep and challenging tells me that there is so much more to learn. The more I learn the more I understand the difficulty of giving up myself for God, the more I take joy in leaving behind the world and walking with the Spirit. There is an incredile joy in this journey in the world and it only comes from coming into the presence of God. Please join with me and many, many others who are praying for God's powerful name to be heard and accepted by unbelievers in Ixtlan,in Mexico, and in every part of the world so that more can come to know this joy and hope that we have in Jesus Christ.
