Baptisms

Much to our great pleasure, we had baptisms here in Ixtlan this weekend. 

Three people were baptized.  Javier and Veronica have been connected with the church for about 6 years now.  They both come from very difficult pasts, but their lives now show the might power with which God saves.  It was great to hear their testimonies of how God has pulled them out of darkness in to His marvelous light.  We pray for their two children Axel and Betel as well.  We pray that we will see them grow and become strong members of the church as well. 

Laura was also baptized.  She is from Veracruz originally and has also lived in Oregon.  She has been able to be real witness to her family and we have been privileged to have her dad, Max, and her brother, Adan, here with us for a couple of weeks.  It is great to get to know them and to share with them about the hope that we have in Christ.

It was a great weekend.  It was very busy with a lot of visitors and a lot to do, but it was a great time.  I am exhausted now and trying to get back into the swing of things before I come home again next Tuesday.   Time flies and yet trickles past.  School is challenging by good.  A classroom full of 5-6 year olds is definitely interesting.  They are slowly learning, but I am waiting for the books to come in so that we can really get started.  They should be here soon and then I will be good to go. 

Thanks for keeping us in your prayers.  Satan knows that he is losing ground in Ixtlan and we can feel and see his work.  We know that God is greater and stronger.  He has proven that many times over, but pray for wisdom and grace to follow God even when the going gets tough.

So, what's the story?

There are lots of people out there wanting to meet Bev, but seeing as we are almost 2000 miles apart, you will all have to be satisfied with the picture until a later date.

Simply writing a blog post will never tell the entire story of Bev and I (and seeing how this post is really all about the picture, you will get this small summary, which I do realize is about the same as what you got last time).  Quite frankly, I'm not even going to try.  But I know there are people out there who are curious about how God brought the two of us together. 

Basically, I will start by saying that it is really interesting to see now how God has brought the two of us together.  He has melded our interests and our passions.  He has workedn in our lives and in our hearts to increase our faith and our trust in Him and His provision.  That part of the story entails all of our lives.  It hasn't been only a matter of a few moments.  But the story goes back two years to when Bev and I met the first time.  She and her sister, Anita, came down to Mexico to visit her aunt and uncle (Marshall and Jan Heinold) who I work with.  She was just preparing to begin her first year teaching Spanish.  In the next two years, Bev came back to visit Marshall and Jan twice more.  During that time I was able to get to know her more and to see her depth of character and faith which helped me to trust that God would bless our marriage and that he will lead us in His service as the years pass.  The rest is, as they say, history.

The future holds a lot of unknowns.  But we do know that the wedding will be October 24th in Junction Ohio.  We will be living in Ixtlan, but I don't know where yet.  The house hunting is beginning.  We still need your prayers as there is so much going on right now.  However, I am thankful for a great (short) weekend up in Indiana/Ohio when we could see a lot of family, but, moreso, have some time together.

BIG NEWS!!!!

So, even though it's been several weeks and much has happened, I will skip to the big news. 

I'M ENGAGED!!!

Yep, it is true and chances are you have already heard.  I am engaged to Bev Schlatter.  God is good and has worked mightily and lovingly in our lives to bring us here to this point.  I first met Bev in Mexico two years ago and God has used those two years to help us grow and to bring us to this point where we, trusting in His leading, can joyfully move forward. 

I'm sorry to say that I cannot offer you a picture now as I am here (Mexico) and she is there (Ohio), but I will post one soon for all those who are waiting to see who she is.  I will also try to post a little more later, but better yet, I will be home on Thursday.  So, I will be able to see some of you over the short weekend.

We appreciate your prayers in the next months as there will be a lot of changes and difficulties, but with God we have abundant grace and we rest in that.  Thanks you all so much!!!

Rain or shine...

...la Escuelita must go on. 

That has been the way of things this year.  Last year Escuelita fell during an abnormal and long dry spell during the summer.  This year, it is falling on one of the wettest times of the year.  So, that has forced us to make some otherwise unwanted sacrifices here.  Namely going door to door handing out invitation in the rain. 

Now understand, I don't mean torrential downpour, but rain none-the-less.  Sunday it rained for an hour during the singing and by about 7:00 was only drizzling, so we went out in the vans to hand out invitations.  Problem was that we came to a street that was closed because it was flooded and we had to go out walking in the rain anyway.  Oh well, it is worth the opportunity to reach out to the kids here.

Today was the first day of Escuelita.  Praise God, it all went very smoothly.  We had just over 250 kids for our first day.  That number usually grows throughout the week.  Thankfully the kids behaved wonderfully today. 

Keep praying for the week.  Pray the we can have dry weather, at least for the hours during Escuelita.  Pray for the teachers.  Pray for the kids.  Pray even for the parents that might be touched by what their kids learn. 
Finally praise God that He has even given us a chance to have Escuelita here in Ixtlan and has allowed us to join with Him in proclaiming His awesome name to the world.

Home again

So, after a two and a half week hiatus, I am back in Mexico.  I had a great time with friend and family back in the states and am now gearing up for the next few weeks. 

First on the plate here is VBS, also known as Escuelita.  This is a week-long opportunity for the church to reach out to the kids of our communities and show them God's love.  It will be a challenging week filled with all kinds of activity and work, but it is always worth it.  Pray for the organization that remains.  Between 250 and 300 kids will be here each day.  That means we need to be really prepared for everything.  Secondly, pray for the teachers.  We need lots of patience and wisdom.  It is often very difficult to control and manage the classes.  We know, however, that this is God's work.  Finally, pray for the kids.  It is really all about them.  Pray that their hearts would be soft and ready for God's word to penetrate and that maybe in the course of a week, we can build up relationships with some of them that will bring them back for more throughout the year. 

The theme this year is Joseph.  It is an exciting story the connects drastically to the life of Jesus.  We hope that every day we can point the kids more and more to Jesus and what He has done for us.

The second thing that is happening is the start of adult English classes.  Monday the 2nd of August is the first day of the classes.  It will be here fast with VBS next week.  I have a lot of prep to do yet, but I am hoping that it can start well.  I don't know how many people are going to be showing up.  There are always several who came in the first couple of weeks of class that still want to enter, so who knows how many will actually be in the class.  Hopefully we will have a good class. 

In other news.  My luggage still hasn't arrived.  It was late at the airport, so they were going to deliver it to be yesterday, but it turns out there are two Consistoriales #22 addresses in Ixtlan and they never found me.  So, hopefully it will be here around noon today.  We'll see.

Apologies

To all who are faithful in checking this blog and to all who gave up weeks or even months ago.  My apologies.  Turns out that I am really not very good with keeping up the blog.

Here is an update for the last month or month and a half:

April ended with a bang.  The eye clinic and the wedding.  There was lots going on and everyone was busy.  Since then things have slowed down considerably.  May was the month of finishing up my afternoon and evening English classes and catching up on all the other stuff going on right now.  So, now it's June and I have about a month before I come home to visit.  I know the real reason that everyone checks this site is the random chance that there will be a picture.  So here you go.

First: This was a first for me. A mango/avacado sandwich with cilantro.  Sounds strange and possible disgusting, but actually quite tasty.

Here are some pictures from the school...

Here are the kids messing around taking a picture.  It's really neat to see how they have connected throughout the year and get along so well now.

Jose Carlos with Armando and Mauricio in the background on Dia del Nino.  Jose Carlos and Mauricio are brothers and their family rents out these trampolines, so they were lucky enough to get this one for the celebrations.

Leslie and Litzy with Milagros in the background.  The three girls.  Also on Dia del Nino.  Matt had the bright idea to involve water balloons on this day.  The purpose was to toss them back and forth with towels, but I think most of them ended being thrown at me.  hmmmm. 

The school year ends on July 9th, but I am coming home on the 2nd of July.  Ben Stoller will be spending some time here this summer and I am going to talk him into being my substitute for the las week.  He doesn't know that yet though.  I am looking forward to seeing everyone then and getting a lot of work done between now and then.

Keep praying for the church here in Ixtlan as well as Barra Vieja, Morelia, and Queretaro.  Also, keep praying for the school.  We already have 10 students enrolled for next year's first grade class and expect to fill up to the 15 student limit by the time school starts in August.  Hopefully our second grade (this years class) class will fill up too. Next year we will have both first and second grade and will continue to add a grade each year. 

Anyway.  I'll be in touch later.

So much for that New Year's Resolution

Yeah, every week didn't happen at all.  So you will get a big update at once here and I'll see what kinds of pictures I can find.

Grant and company:

Grant Hermann came to visit with his brother Greg and his Grandpa Marvin Leman.  They spent about a week here and helped with several different things.  Grant has spent two summers here helping out, and came to visit over his spring break.  It was nice to have the visitors around and someone else to drive.  Thanks, Grant, for all the driving you did while here.  We like to take advantage of those who know the routes when they visit.

Jeff and Barra: 

Jeff came down at the end of March and we went and spent a week in Barra Vieja.  It was a great time to enjoy some hot weather, the ocean, and the church members there in Barra.  It's hard to explain everything that goes on there in Barra.  We did studies several of the afternoons we were there and we also spent time with other people in the community that we, or other people, have met.  The weather was beautiful and we even saw some pretty interesting animals around the house this time.  Julie Beer and Elise Maller were able to spend a couple of days in Ixltan as well right when we got back.  It was great to catch up with them and have them be able to see where I live. 

Here is a frog that was camping out in the yard.  It was about the size of my hand.

This big old lizard came around the first day but then never came back.  I think it didn't like Jeff sticking the broom in its face. 

Here are a bunch of fish that Esteban caught when he took us fishing.  Jeff and I weren't so lucky.  We aren't yet experts in using a net to fish. 

Here is a picture of Marco gettting Coconuts down from the tree.  He has a really sharp knife attached to the end of that pole.  They fall really hard too.  You have to watch out.

Loren's Eye Clinic:

Loren Shrenk came down from the 10th to the 11th of April for an eye clinic.  He did 14 operations this time.  Since Loren and Betsy come down more often with Julie Heorr, it is a lot of fun to spend time with them again and to see them.  I always enjoy a bunch of good food and time to sit around and talke while they are around.  Praise God that the eye clinic went well.  Pray that all the glory goes to God and Him alone.  Pray also that those hearts would be softened to the gospel.

WEDDING!!!!!

Yeah, we had a wedding in Ixtlan.  Jonathan Aupperle and Berenice Navarro were married this weekend.  It was a great weekend.  Mike and Deb Leman arrived on Wednesday, so I was able to spend some time with them before the Magdalena crew arrived.  All the Secondaria kids, middle school kids, came down for the wedding along with several of the teachers, Bill and Joan, and some staff.  Todd Stoller, the three middle school kids, and Ben Shick stayed here at the guest house with me.  We had a blast getting to know each other.  Saturday was full of keeping the kids, all the boys and girls, entertained with breakfast and a trip to the Geyser.  Now everyone has left and peace once again reigns in this house but it is really quiet. 

I have to say.  It is sad that I don't have more pictures, especially from this weekend, maybe I can get someone to send me some to post later. 

Keep praying.  We need the prayers and appreciate them so much.  I think visitor season is officially ending now.  It will be nice to get back into my routine, but it will be very quiet.  Pray for us as we get back to normal.  Pray that new opportunities would open up here, and that we would be able to serve and glorify God effectively here.