The Lemon

One problem with having 4 kids, like we now do, is you have to figure out how to get them from place to place. This is especially important while living in a foreign country, because A) a lot of the driving that we do is VERY long distance, from Wyoming to southern Mexico, and B) you REALLY don't want to have vehicle problems in while driving in a foreign country with 4 kids in the back. Also, we tend to travel with a lot of luggage, which comes from having a large family, and comes from us many times heading to places like retreats, youth camps, etc, all of which require instruments, supplies, sleeping bags, and other large items. So, when Samuel was born, we had to make a vehicle switch. The old van we owned, a Toyota, would fit 4 kids, but with 4 kids we wouldn't be able to fold up a seat to fit more luggage, so we would be very limited on space for items. We decided to buy an older, MUCH larger 7 passenger Dodge van, with plenty of room for kids, luggage, instruments, and finally with a hitch for hauling even more supplies to camps and retreats. We knew the gas costs would kill us, but they'd be offset by the blessing of being able to get around with everything we needed.

The beast of a van we bought to bring to Mexico.

At the last minute, we decided to leave the old Toyota behind with family instead of selling it, in case we had problems and needed the van again in some unforeseeable future.

Well, that future has arrived.

Unfortunately, the van we purchased has been a lemon. Right off the bat, it was in the shop with some fairly costly problems, and it has been in the shop nearly every month since then for a variety of issues. And those problems have added up to a point where we can't keep paying each month just to have a vehicle that might work. It's not a wise use of our resources financially, and it has been an added stress that we just don't need.

Our van earlier this year, stuck in a parking lot with a broken ball joint and a tire about to fall off. One of many mechanical failures we've experienced this past year.

So, next week, I'll be driving back to Wyoming for a very fast trip. While there, I'll leave this van behind to sell, and pick up the Toyota to bring it back to Mexico. It's too small for us, but I know that it's more reliable that the other van, and we'll have to make it work for a time until we're able to get something more appropriate for our family and our ministry here.

So please pray! Pray that I'll have safe travels there and back (6 total days of driving, assuming I have no car problems). Pray for Sara and the kids as they stay behind in Mexico while I'm gone, that they will be protected and provided for in every way. Pray for God to give us the right vehicle at the right time that will be perfect for us and the ministry here.

And most of all, pray that the Gospel will keep going forth here in Mexico, no matter what vehicle we have!

When God Moves People

Monday, Samir flew to Oklahoma.

This has been a difficult year for us here in Guzmán relationaly. This is always true in missions, especially in the first few years. You leave behind family, friends, jobs, churches, and connections, to go around the world. You immerse yourself in a new culture, a new language, with new people. It takes a while to build up friendships, and sometimes even longer because you're always the outsider. You're always the one who can't communicate as well, who can't understand the things that they take for granted, the one who doesn't understand why that play on words was funny, or who doesn't understand the importance of what was just shared with you. So there's always walls that you struggle to get around and over in order to build real, deep, important relationships and friendships.

This was compounded for us because, unlike most missionaries that attended language school with us, we weren't heading to Mexico to work with anyone who was already there. We didn't have a team; we didn't have Americans there waiting for us who would be able to show us around, introduce us to people, be our friends, and bear our burdens. We didn't really know anyone here in Guzmán when we came here. We simply tried to trust God, and stepped out into the unknown.

Over time, we started making friendships. We began to meet people, grew in our confidence of the language, and share more of ourselves with others. We invited people into our homes. Sometimes they invited us into theirs. We became part of a church, and spent a lot of time with them. Things were still lonely, but it got easier.

Then, earlier this year, we had to make the decision to leave that church, which cost us many of our friendships (If you don't know that story, you can ask us about it another time, this isn't the place to retell it). So, for the past few months, we've been without a lot of the connections and friendships that we've come to rely upon. It's been a challenging few months.

Us with Marlene and Samir at his going away party during our home Bible study.

But, in the midst of this all, God has given us some good, Godly encouragement, friends who lift us up and who we're blessed to spend time with. Among these are two couples, Marlene and Samir, and Laura and Gonzalo. We spend every Thursday night (usually along with a few other times per week) with Marlene and Samir and Marlene's sister Sara, making dinner, and usually playing games and talking until midnight. We see Laura and her kids (who are our kids' best friends here) several times a week as well, and Sara and Laura are very close. Even as things have been challenging since leaving the church, we've had some people our age to spend time with and be encouraged by. Marlene and Samir and Laura and Gonzalo have also been very instrumental in helping us start our new house church here, serving along side of us and encouraging us in the work.

But, Monday, Samir flew to Oklahoma. He's been blessed with an opportunity to work there as a veterinarian for a few years, and after spending the past few months getting his visa approved, a few days ago he was finally able to travel there to begin working. Marlene will be leaving to join him shortly once her visa is ready and Samir has prepared things there for her. We're excited for them, and excited to see how God uses them there in western Oklahoma. But it's hard to see them leave.

Sara with Laura, Samir, Laura's mother, and Marlene

At the same time, Gonzalo has been transferred to work in Manzanillo, about 2 hours south of us, and Laura and the kids will be moving there in the next few weeks to join him. This will be especially hard for our family because the kids all spend so much time together. Zoe, Caitlynn and Gabe are already having a hard time with the idea that their friends won't be living here anymore.  It's also challenging for us to see Marlene, Samir,Gonzalo and Laura all leaving Ciudad Guzmán at about the same time.

Most of all though, it will leave a big hole in us. In some ways, after what's happened over the past few months here, we almost feel like we're starting all over again with our friendships in Guzmán. Sometimes, we don't always share our prayer requests because we don't want to sound like we're whining, or like we're not happy to be here. We're incredibly blessed to be serving here, and we do love it here. But we also want to be faithful to pray for one another, and we can't do that if we don't tell you how to pray for us. So, would you pray for us in our loneliness? These next few weeks will especially be difficult for us. Pray that God will give us new connections and friendships, and that we'll be able to form deep relationships with more people. Pray that God will sustain us and be with us as we struggle with missing people. Pray that He will be our comfort and our strength in the middle of this.

Pray for Samir and Marlene as they begin a new life in Oklahoma, going through much of what we're going through here. Pray that God will use them there and encourage them. Pray for Laura and Gonzalo in Manzanillo. Pray that they will find a church to be a part of and serve in. Pray for both of these couples, that God will keep their marriages strong as they go through the stressful changes that come with moving to new places with new jobs. Pray that they will grow during these times, and that God will use them wherever they are.

Thank you for your prayers for us. And thank you for your continued support for this ministry here in Mexico. God bless!