A Change In Plans

Have you ever thought you were sure of what God's plan was for your life, only to find that what you thought it was wasn't exactly what He had in mind? I have encountered this exact situation since I have been here. I will explain, but first let me say I do love it here. I love the communities. I love the people. I love the simplicity. This will always be a home away from home for me.

I am one who believes that God's call for all who love Him is to go out and make disciples. That is always what we are called to do, whether near or far. I have had opportunities to do both throughout my lifetime and it has been very clear to me for many years that God has laid Juarez heavy on my heart and I have come here every chance I have had. A few years back I believe I was called to a longer term of ministry here, feeling as though it was supposed to be for a year. Throughout my planning process for this trip and my support raising, it became evident that a year was not going to be possible right now. But I was dedicated to be here for however long I could be because I was sure that is what I was called to do. In my last post, I informed everybody that because I did not drive my own vehicle down here as planned, it allowed me to have enough money to stay through December. But shortly after that post, I began to get a very unsettling feeling and I began to pray about it. After praying, this is what I believe God is directing me to do: I believe I am right where I am supposed to be for this time, but I do not believe my time here is supposed to exceed a couple months for this trip. I still believe I have a calling here in my future for a longer period of time, but it is not supposed to be right now. So, I will be returning home August 15 after all of the Back to School parties are done here.

One thing that I do not want to be left unsaid is that I have been incredibly blessed and humbled by the amount of prayer and financial support that I did receive for this trip. It is all much appreciated and I would not have been able to come without the help of my supporters so THANK YOU!!! Knowing that I will have money left over after my time is finished here, the remaining money will be used to help the ministries here and projects that Rosita and Lucio are wanting to complete in the churches.

Prayers are appreciated as I head into my last week of the ministries that I am a part of and prepare for the team to come next week. I'm excited to get the Back To School portion of my trip started and I am excited to have the team here as well! :)

Dios Te Bendiga

Dios Te Bendiga - God Bless You: It's the first thing you will hear when you walk into a church. They bless you, and if you are kind and understand what they are saying to you, you bless them back. And I have indeed been blessed in the 2 1/2 weeks that I have been here so far. I would like to share some blessings with you :)

• First and foremost, I would like to announce that I will be staying here until December. Due to my car mishaps and not driving down here as I originally planned, I was able to save a lot of money which extended my stay to 6 months. God is good!
• Last week I began my weekly visits with women from the churches in El Millon and Jesus Carranza. Frustrations and blessings spill out of this ministry. Frustration because of the language barrier and not being able to communicate what I would like to. Blessings because I do know some Spanish and often enough to understand the main concept of what is being said. I have the opportunity to get to know the stories of these women and pray with them. The blessing mostly comes from the opportunity to bless them. God is good!
• I am always learning here. Learning about culture, learning the language, learning how to make new things. I love it. Whether I am out visiting a family, doing my daily Spanish/English class with Olga who also lives in the dorm, or simply helping make a dessert - I always learn something new on a daily basis. And lately I have been learning multiple new things on a daily basis. God is good!
• I feel at home here. This doesn't mean I don't miss home because I do, but I am comfortable here which is a huge blessing for a 6 month stay. I am surrounded by people I know and know enough Spanish to get help if I need anything. I enjoy the simplicity and gratitude that the people here model so well. There are so many lessons that we, as Americans, can learn from these people who live not even a mile across the border from the U.S. God is good!

I indeed have felt God's blessings so far and know there are only more to come. I am excited for the many opportunities before me to bless others, as this is what I am here to do. :)
Until next time... Dios Te Bendiga!

Bienvenido a El Millon

Here are some snapshots of the little "town" that I live in...

If you look closely, you can see the border fence.

  I live here :) Right next to the church in the picture below.