Feliz cuatro de julio!!!
Happy 4th of July!!!
This is our second 4th of July in Mexico and it nearly sneaked past us! The kids were the ones to remember – of course! Unfortunately we weren’t able to hunt down any fireworks to shoot off tonight, but we did find a couple of packs of sparklers. These are the ones that Doug and I grew up with – the really dangerous ones that stay hot for a long time and burn your feet when you step on the wires that people leave lying around. I remember that my mom always had a bucket of water handy on the 4th of July to dunk the metal sticks from the sparklers and the other debris from the fireworks we shot off. Yes, those old-fashioned sparklers were dangerous, but they sure worked well! Ah, the good ol’ days!Well, it’s fun to remember old times, but truthfully I’m grateful for “modern conveniences”. For instance, without the internet it would be much more difficult to keep in contact with all of you. So, even though computers are basically a pain in the neck, they truly are a blessing…in disguise. Anyway, we’re once again able to send pictures. Yeah!!! The modem on the computer is still not working correctly, but we’ve found a place about an hour away where we can connect to wireless internet. Works for me!
The month of June fairly flew past! School for the kids has ended for the school year, and we’re taking a short break before we start up again. Since we’ll be taking a couple of longer breaks in the fall, we decided to only break for a couple of weeks now and then push through the summer. In a few more weeks, it will be too hot to do anything except sit in a shady spot and read anyway, so we might as well read to learn!
Doug’s school is also winding down. He is finishing the preparation for the final exam – a grueling 75 essay-question test during which he can only refer to his Bible. One of those 75 questions is, “List all the parables that Jesus used to teach on prayer, and write a sermon for each.” All of the students are working hard because they want to finish well. Doug has been given the option of continuing with the School of Ministry’s ADAPT program after graduation in a staff/student position. Pray for us as we consider this.
Practicum starts as soon as the tests are over. The Africa team is leaving in about a week. Pray for that team as they head to Uganda to encourage the believers there and serve the body of Christ. There are 11 days until the teams leave for southern and northern Mexico. They will be serving churches in Puebla, Guadalajara and Hermosillo for the next 2 months. Doug is on the team working in Puebla, although he will only be gone for 3 weeks instead of 2 months. Lord willing, Sarah and Caleb will be going with him, and we are praying that God will grow them in maturity and faithfulness while they are there. Pray also that the teams will bless the churches with which they will be ministering.
In May, I (Rebecca) was able to attend the annual Mother's day picnic at the river. It was such a blessed time! We had a great time of sharing and worship and of course fellowship and food. The ladies prepared carne asada (barbequed beef at its best) and a wonderful fruit salad with optional chammoy on the side. I opted out of the chammoy. That's one Mexican delicacy that I just can't adjust to. This is a photo of the moms of the church. Pray for these ladies. Many have non-believing husbands and non-believing children. They desire to see their families walk with Christ.
We’ve had a very special treat for the past 10 days. Rachel Burt, a missionary from Woodland CA, came down to visit and learn about our ministry. While she was here, she gave classes to the students at the School of Ministry in Boca del Rio. Rachel has worked with Child Evangelism Fellowship and agreed to share her wisdom and techniques with us. What a blessing!!! After the 5-day seminar, Rachel helped the students organize a children’s outreach filled with songs, dramas and a great Bible lesson using the Wordless Book.
About 60 kids came to see what was up. Afterward, 10 kids asked to pray with Rachel about receiving Jesus as their Savior. We believe that God is preparing our church to grow in its children’s ministry. Pray that He would continue the work He’s started and praise Him for bringing Rachel down here at just the right time!
We continue to work with the youth from the area. A couple of weeks ago, we took the youth to the river for a picnic. Twenty people piled into our van and we drove across cornfields to a fantastic swimming hole. The place in this photo is the main commuter route from San Jose to Alomito. There is a “ferry” (for lack of a better word) that transports laborers from one side of the river to the other. The kids had a blast pulling the ferry back and forth. And…well… rocking the ferry back and forth, too.
Now that we once again have reliable internet access, I'll be more faithful to send out these update letters. God's blessings on each one of you. You are in our prayers daily!
In His Loving Care,
Doug and Rebecca and the kids
Prayers and Praises:
- We praise God for the encouragement we have received from you!!! Your prayers and support are so important to us!
- Praise God that we’ve found a way to send photos with our letters again!
- Keep the School of Ministry students in your prayers over the next 2 months. This will be a time of testing and stretching beyond normal limits.
- Pray that the teams grow in faith and unity and that they will be an encouragement to those they will be serving.
- Pray for the kids and I (Rebecca) as Doug and the older kids go on the 3-week practicum. It will be very strange to be without the three of them for so long!
- Praise God for the growing children’s ministry at the church in Boca.
- Pray for the team of children’s workers as they begin a weekly kids’ class.
- Continue to pray for the Boca del Rio youth. The group is still small, but faithful! We are building relationships with many young people in Boca, Las Glorias and the surrounding area. Pray that God would continue to draw these kids to Himself.
- Pray for us as we make travel plans for August. Contact us if you’d like us to visit your church. We’d love to see as many of you as possible this trip!
