I have been here a little over a week and I don't think it has even begun to hit me that I am actually here. I have been taking this week to get settled in to my room and get used to my surroundings. Rosita and Lucio and their kids have been staying with me in the dorm this past week, as well as Xavier and Olga and their daughter Mia who live in the dorm, to help me get settled. Last weekend I sat down with Rosita and Lucio and we talked about what my time here will look like. Here is kind of what my schedule will look like:
Sundays: Church in Riveras
Mondays: Working with the youth in the morning in either El Millon or Jesus Carranza
Tuesdays: Meeting with women in El Millon in the morning. Church in Riveras in the evening.
Wednesdays: Meeting with women in Jesus Carranza in the morning.
Thursdays: Working with the youth in the morning in either El Millon or Jesus Carranza. Church in Riveras in the evening. I will then go with Rosita and Lucio to their home in San Elizario, Texas for the night.
Fridays: I will be babysitting for Rosita and Lucio while they come to Mexico and visit with church members. I will also be staying with them on Friday nights.
Saturdays: I will be helping with a breakfast for the kids in El Millon every other Saturday morning. I will also be teaching an English class in the Riveras every Saturday.
I'm excited for the ministry that I will be doing here. The language barrier will be tough but I'm still learning. I can understand more Spanish than I can speak, so it's just a matter of being confident in what I can speak. Pray that God will ready the hearts that I will be ministering to and that he will receive all of the glory!
Pictures will be in the next post. They aren't loading right now and it's time for church. :)
Until next time... Dios te bendiga!
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Flexibility is Key
It's something you hear several times when it comes to working on the mission field. At NMC you hear it during G.I. 101 trainings. You hear it during team trainings and pre-trip prep. And you hear it countless times while on the field because changes do happen and you have to embrace them and run with them. Over the past few weeks, I have encountered several moments and circumstances that have forced me to exercise this flexibility and ready myself for the changes that were soon to follow. I was rejected from the health insurance that I was planning on using last minute, forcing me to scramble around to find insurance that would cover me. Thankfully, though the last minute scrambling was not my favorite, I was able to find coverage for both the U.S. and Mexico and I'm good to go :)
In terms of plan changes, I was planning on leaving on the 17th to drive down to Mexico, taking a mini vacation on the way with my parents by spending a day in Colorado. My car had other plans. After my brakes went out for the second time in a month, and a growing crack on my windshield that showed up last week, I decided that my car was unreliable and driving was no longer my safest option for my trip. I have mixed emotions about this. I will have a church vehicle available for me to drive in Mexico when needed. That will be a blessing. And it's actually a huge stress-relief that I won't be driving as much because I hate driving and with the different policies and procedures that Mexico carries when it comes to driving and car accidents, the thought of driving a lot in Mexico scares me. I will be driving very very slowly :). We are kind of bummed that Colorado was knocked out of our plans, but better safe than sorry. And I am excited to fly. Yay! So, since we are flying, we are now leaving Friday morning, the 20th, for El Paso and will meet Rosita and Lucio at the airport and head to Juarez.
Length of stay is still yet to be determined. As of right now, I will be coming back to Indiana the 1st of October. I will still be raising money while I am gone, with the goal of staying through December. To make that goal, I still need approximately $3250. If you would like to help me reach this goal, you can send a one time gift or monthly gift to:
Nappanee Missionary Church
P.O. Box 110
Nappanee, IN 46550
*Please note, all donations are tax deductible and if you write a check please do not put my name in the memo, but use a sticky note or piece of paper to indicate that they money is to be put toward my trip.
I am getting more and more excited to go, as I am tying up last minutes odds and ends :) Thankful that God has provided me the strength to be flexible when needed and excited for what he has in store for my time in Mexico.
In terms of plan changes, I was planning on leaving on the 17th to drive down to Mexico, taking a mini vacation on the way with my parents by spending a day in Colorado. My car had other plans. After my brakes went out for the second time in a month, and a growing crack on my windshield that showed up last week, I decided that my car was unreliable and driving was no longer my safest option for my trip. I have mixed emotions about this. I will have a church vehicle available for me to drive in Mexico when needed. That will be a blessing. And it's actually a huge stress-relief that I won't be driving as much because I hate driving and with the different policies and procedures that Mexico carries when it comes to driving and car accidents, the thought of driving a lot in Mexico scares me. I will be driving very very slowly :). We are kind of bummed that Colorado was knocked out of our plans, but better safe than sorry. And I am excited to fly. Yay! So, since we are flying, we are now leaving Friday morning, the 20th, for El Paso and will meet Rosita and Lucio at the airport and head to Juarez.
Length of stay is still yet to be determined. As of right now, I will be coming back to Indiana the 1st of October. I will still be raising money while I am gone, with the goal of staying through December. To make that goal, I still need approximately $3250. If you would like to help me reach this goal, you can send a one time gift or monthly gift to:
Nappanee Missionary Church
P.O. Box 110
Nappanee, IN 46550
*Please note, all donations are tax deductible and if you write a check please do not put my name in the memo, but use a sticky note or piece of paper to indicate that they money is to be put toward my trip.
I am getting more and more excited to go, as I am tying up last minutes odds and ends :) Thankful that God has provided me the strength to be flexible when needed and excited for what he has in store for my time in Mexico.
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