Blog 47 21 Nov 2016

The Christian School:

Even though Thanksgiving is not officially celebrated in Mexico, we will be off from school Thursday to celebrate. Everyone (expecially me) is looking forward to the annual American feast!

The excitement of Christmas break must be worldwide!  We will all be glad to have a little time away from classes to spend with our families.  I am looking forward to being with my parents in North Carolina.

The Great Commission!

I was hoping to be able to post the name of my first convert by the publication date of this blog.  I did not reach that goal, however, I am drawing closer everyday and am confident that I will reach it soon.  I practice every week with Jessica introducing myself and reading through the plan. Please pray with me to learn the words and phrases necessarry to properly present the Gospel.

A recent soulwinning experience:

"Be A Part of Something Big"

Praise the Lord! Jenny and Jessica were able to see Natalie accept Christ as her Saviour during Ladies' Soulwinning time! 

Jenny and  Jessica led a teenage girl to the Lord whose father said he was already saved. They were only in town because his mother was sick. Jenny listened to him talk about their family situation while Jessica witnessed to the girl. He said they were going back to their home Saturday, but agreed that he needed to get his family into church. Jenny gave the girl her NT, and information was exchanged so that they could get them in touch with a church in their town.

On a different Friday: 
Out Soulwinning today I handed out several tracts. My partner, Hma. Anita won Lorena and her two children to the Lord today. After the sinner's prayer, Lorena did the sign of the crucifix while saying, "Gracias a Dios!" I believe she was relieved to finally know she could not be good enough to save herself and now can rest in what Jesus has done for us. I would love to see her and her children in our services.

The Local Church:
"To Every Ceature" 
Our 2016 Missions Conference

Our church pledged over 50,000 pesos per month through faith Promise Missions this year.
That is over $2,500 US Dollars - in a church with about 400-500 people in Sunday night attendance.
Our people are not rich, but they love, and understand the importance of missions.

Adapting tO my Changing Life:

One thing that continues to be a struggle for me is the inability to come and go at will.  I am dependent upon others for getting anywhere outside of walking distance.  I was excited when Uber came to Monterrey, but could not set it up on my phone with my debit card (unsure if because it is stateside card which requires changing dollars to pesos?).  A few men in the church are Uber drivers, though, so I planned an outing using one of them as my drop off and pick up and paid cash.  I had a nice afternoon at the local mall which included fish tacos and a Starbucks caramel machiato!
Still cheaper than buying a car, and more independent than always relying on friends.

Book Nook:

I have just finised: What I Learned From My Parents. This is a snippet regarding intentional parenting.  Many of you reading this know my parents and so already know some of what to expect.  I wrote this with the intent of honoring two people who consistently put the well-being and well-roundedness of my brother and myself first and foremost, regardless of circumstances or what other families did or did not do.  This, along with other titles listed below, is available digitally through Kindle Direct or in paperback through Amazon.  Order directly from me, and avoid the shipping fee, $10 each.

Where's The Next Jenny?

Every Kid Is Different

365 Days of  Thankfulness

What I Leraned From My Parents

Prayer Corner:

Please pray for Natalie and Lorena.
Please pray for the families of our Christain school.
Please pray for safety of many who are traveling for the holidays, myself included.

Blog 46 01 Nov 2016

School News:

Chapel Day

I am truly enjoying teaching K4 - K5 this year, as well as the upper levels. I am teaching the older students from 8-10, we have a break, then I teach K from 10:30-1:00. The older students have their Bible and Music classes, and volunteer monitors while I am with the K students.

(I swiped this capturing pic from our substitute music teacher.   Mrs Stephanie and her husband are here to complete Language School before moving to Zacatecas, MX, as full-time missionarries.)

The Great Commission!

This past month I have partnered with Mrs. Betty (see below), Mrs. Mari, and Mrs. Jessica.  I have passed out tracts while introducing us, but do not yet feel comfortable sharing the plan of salvation.  I continue to practice on Mrs. Jessica -- She has trusted Christ five times since my last blog!  My partners have led many souls to the Lord in October.

Every Sunday night, Pastor Jonathan takes a count of soulwinning from each Bus Route and Soulwinning group.  In the month of October, hundreds of souls have been reached through the personal soulwinning efforts of our members.

The Local Church:

Our Children's Choir  

I apologize for the blurriness of the photo, but I am encouraged by our Christian School students participating in our church ministries.  All of our teenagers are involved in Bus Routes and teen soulwinning.  Two of them sing in the choir, one plays in the orchestra and helps in a Junior Church, and one helps with the sound system.

I recently started helping in the 3 year-old SS Class.  I am learning the Spanish names for many Bible characters and some simple Bible verses in Spanish.

(I am holding a visitor who stopped crying for the picture.)

Interesting & Exciting Happenings:

I have recently been helping a single lady missionary here with her prayer letters.  By her own admission, she is not very computer savy.  Miss. Betty writes down the things she wants to include in her letter, we sit down together while I type it out, then we e-mail it to her home church, where the secretary prints it out on letterhead and mails it for her to other supporting churches.

 

I have been humbled by her humility and contentment.  After a few letters in which she told about things going on at the church like big days or Bible Clubs, I asked her why she had not mentioned her own personal soulwinning.  In her own unassuming, humble way, she explained that she did not want to sound like she was bragging.  It took some talking, but I was able to convince her to include her soulwinning in the praise section of her letter.  Here is a brief summary:

     "Thank you for your faithful support which enables me to continue my ministry for the Lord through the Mount Hebron Baptist Church.  Your giving makes it possible for me to participate in Ladies' Soulwinning groups on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, as well as be involved in the bus ministry visitation on Saturdays.  This week, I was able to give the Gospel to 12 people and see 8 of them bow their heads and receive Christ as Saviour.  Praise the Lord!" 

-- Miss Betty Hall 

It is missionaries like this that give me pause when others call me a missionary.  I understand what they mean, and I realize that I also am a missionary; ministering more to future soulwinners and church leaders. But, really, I am still a teacher, teaching on the foriegn field.

Prayer Corner:

Praise the Lord for many salvations and baptisms! 

Pray for our follow-up ministries and their spiritual growth.

Praise the Lord for the scholarship students in the Christian school!

Pray for our students, myself, and the volunteer teachers.

Pray for our Pastor and his family.

Pray for our Missions Conference November 11-13.

Blog 45 27 Sep 2016

School News:

This was taken right after PE

Praise the Lord! This past month, someone contacted me to offer a scholarship to a needy student. As our tuition is very modest, it is mostly the price of the books that prevent those interested from being able to afford the school. The scholarship money was enough to purchase two sets of pre-school workbooks, and one student tuition. Here is a pic of our newest students: Aby, K5 & Sara, K4. You probably recognize Samy, and Mauricio, K4, is also new to our school this year, but he was in the first day pics of the last blog.

 

{Tommy & Jonathan are with their parents at a Missions Conference and visiting Grammy in MI}

The Great Commission!

With the start of September, I began greeting those we were inviting to church and to whom we are hoping to give the Gospel.  This is a huge step for me, as my goal is to be able to witness to someone in Spanish before the end of 2016.  Most of the time I am partnered with Jenny or Jessica, who, as of now still carry the conversation; but at least I can introduce us and offer a church tract -- small victories!

The Local Church:

September 16 is Mexican Independence Day.  We celebrated with family activities (consisting mostly of food and games) on Thursday night.  On Sunday, we had tamales after church and encouraged everyone to dress in traditional Mexican attire.

(So, much like an "Old-Fashioned Sunday" in the states.)

We all had a lot of fun and there were many visitors on Sunday.

 

Jenny & Laura in a cookie-eating contest on Thursday
 -- can you guess who won?

We continue to see many saved in our numerous soulwinning and out-reach programs.  Bro. Jon has a great vision for our church and its ministries.  

Interesting & Exciting Happenings:

The local horses have found their way onto the Mount Hebron properties.  The much rain we experienced in August and September made our grass especially appealling to them. The people here did not find this unusual at all, but I was a little taken aback at encountering horses on the sidewalk on the way to school.  Here is a pic of one in my back yard, taken from my window.  Notice the office building right behind him.

Adapting tO my Changing Life:

"Learning another language is like becoming another person."

After one full year of living in Mexico, I have noticed a few things about myself that are completely different than the "myslef" I knew from the United States.  Here are just a few samplings of instances in which I now respond completely differently:

1. I used to love to drive; just to relax and think about things.

     I no longer own a car; + driving here is very stressful.

2. I recently discovered an ant crawling on my toothbrush.

     I rinsed it off and brushed my teeth anyway.

3. One time I was awakened in the middle of the night by a spider 

     crawling on me.  I killed the spider and went back to sleep.

4. I used to make plans several weeks, or even months, in advance.

     This is no longer possible, except for grand events like

      Christmas or trips to Europe.  I am adjusting to 

     "rolling with the flow."

5. I always enjoyed a trip to the local library.

     Although I have been assured on numerous occassions that there

      is a library in Monterrey, I have yet to actually see it, 

      let alone visit it.

6. Fruits and vegetables are so abundant here that I am able to buy 

     them every week.  This makes me feel much healthier and

     stronger than the ravioli I previously used as a staple.

7.  I have not once gone out for pizza with my friends.

      I have brought home pizza from Costco: not the same.

8. I do not miss the fast-food restaraunts like I thought I would.
      We do have McDonald's and BK, but not Sonic or Chik-Fila.
      I have gotten a burger and fries a time or two, but I really don't 
      want or crave it like I thought I might.

9.  I am praying every day that the Lord helps me to adapt to my

      new life and my new lifestyle, as well as to learn the language.

      I love living in Mexico -- the pros far out-weigh the cons:
      however, it is an on-going series of adjustments. 

Blog 44 06 Sep 2016

First Day of Classes!     23 Aug 2016

Primer Dia de Clases!

First Day of School, Take 1
23 Aug 2016

First Day of School, Take 2:
6 Sept 20

We are off to a great start and are anticipating a tremendous school year.  We have two seniors and two juniors in the High School (all young men), and a brother and sister in the elementary.  The Kindergarten consists of three K5 and one K4 student.  Samy will be the first to turn 5 later this month.

You may notice which students were still enjoying summer while the rest of us were hiotting the books.  Our new students this year are Mauricio in the K4 and Joel in the high school.  Mauricio and his family live on the property of the church.  Joel is Jon and Jenny's nephew from El Salvador.  He will be finishing his last credits of High School and taking a few classes in our Bible Institute before heading to Hyles-Anderson College in January.  

You might be attending school in Mexico if 1/2 your class is named Gonzalez. 

The Great Commission!

The first Friday of the summer break our ladies' group was involved in a car accident.  Praise the Lord no one was injured! The ladies witnessed to those who were waiting at a nearby bus-stop and saw two people saved.

Mrs. Carrie Suhl (now Kaighen) was driving us in her van; the driver of the other car ran a stop sign.  Neither vehicle was traveling very fast, thus no injuries.  Her van sustained minor damage to the bumper and the license plate holder was broken; the back door of the other car was demolished.  

The aftermath

Mrs. Carrie and the Insurance Man

The many soulwinning programs of our church ministry continued throughout the summer, with slightly smaller numbers in attendance due to people being out of town or spending time with their children.  I appreciate your continued prayers and interest even though I did not give as many updates over the summer months.

Compare & Contrast

Accident Scene in US:   / Accident Scene South of the Border:

Two policemen arrive in    One officer is dropped off, the other
patrol car.                            continues his patrol. 
                                            This paticular officer was finishing his ice cream.

Each driver presents his     Drivers may or may not be licensed or 
license and insurance.         insured.           This is only
                                            really an issue if you are an American driver.

Depending on state law,     Both drivers must wait for the insurance
both drivers report the        agents to arrive and photograph the
incident to their                  scene.
respective insurances.
Usually by phone

The police determine          The police make a report and issue 
who is at fault, and make    tickets at their discretion; which may or
an official report.                may not be based on what actually
                                                                  occurred.

The ins. companies pay      Each ins. agent makes his own 
according to the official      report and determination, which may or
report.                                 may not agree with the officer's, each
                                            other's, or the facts.

In this particular case, the officer found the other driver at fault for running a stop sign, but only ticketed him for lack of license and insurance.  Mrs. Carrie's agent found her at fault because her van struck the car past the mid-way point; he told the un-insured, un-licensed driver that they would be replacing his door.  At that point, the other driver "suddenly" developed neck and back pain. The agent, officer, Mrs. Carrie, and Mrs. Jessica immediately started laughing, so he didn't pursue that angle for long.

The Local Church:

As I mentioned regarding soulwinning, everything in the church continued as normal; our crowds were down when people were vacationing or visiting family and up on our big days or special promotions.  We celebrated Father's Day on June 12th, so we could celebrate our church anniversary on June 19th. We had dinner on the grounds, which is sure to draw a big crowd in any Baptist church.

In Sunday-School that morning, the lesson was on Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch.  The plan of salvation and baptism was presented clearly for the many visitors in attendance. 

(Too many for one visitor's class -- everyone went with the person who invited them).  

The teacher asked each of us to  tell when we were saved.  I struggled through mine in Spanish -- I am sure my grammar was horrible, but the others understood me. Most of the others answered, "En eso iglesia," or "Con Pastor Tommy." ("In this church," or "With Pastor Tommy.") 

The lady next to me, though, said, "Con dos Americanas en mi casa." ("With two American women at my house.") Praise the Lord for soulwinners!!

One Sunday night that Jon's Dad preached, ten young people surrendered their lives to full-time Christian service. PTL!

Summer Hilites:

Don't miss pics from my August blog! (#43) Here is our last day of summer at the Flagpole.
The city of Monterrey is behind me with saddleback Mountain as the backdrop.  
This really is a beautiful country!

 

Blog 43 Summer Pics

May:

Last Day of School
This pic was worth repeating!


Car Accident while out
soulwinning.
Write up in September's Blog

Memorial Day / South Padre Island
Not a flattering pic, I know;
but we had so much fun!

June:

Hma. America giving her testimony at a Wed. Night Split Session
She has a bone disease which has confined her to a wheelchair.
One prayer request she has shared w me is her desire to
go soulwinning regularly.

Fun & Games at the Split Session!
The beginning of "Musical Chairs"

The ending of "Musical Chairs"

A relaxing day at the pool!
Samy's mom works for the people who own this little resort.
It was free of guests on this day.
Take in the view behind me!

Packing BEAMS Bibles w Mrs. Carrie

We readied 4,000 Bibles for distribution

Sembradoras -- Ladies' Soulwinning

Sembradoras -- Ladies' Soulwinning

The road where we were soulwinning.
Again, take in the view behind Mrs. Betty.

July:

The North Atlantic Coast of Iceland

My cousin's girls -- Hadn't seen my Louisville family members
in over 15 years -- Great visit!!

August:

Bridal Shower / Going Away Party for Mrs. Carrie --
as of September 3, 2016:  Mrs. Kaighen

Last day of Summer Break @ the Flagpole

1st Day of School!!

Summer Hilites:

1. On a trip to the Texas Border with Jon and Jenny for mail and shopping, it was decided we would drive the extra hour to the Gulf and visit the beach.  It was the boys' first time to see the ocean.  Lucas probably will not remember it, but the rest of us definitely will.

2. I celebrated turning 50 this year (not officially til December) by vacationing in Europe with my long-time friend, Debbie.  We had been planning for this trip for many years and decided to keep it on the calendar even after my decision to move to Mexico last year.  Pics in folders of cities we visited are on my FB page.
(None of your support money was spent for this trip.)

3.  As my hometown of Louisville was my departure city for my vacation, I was able to catch up with some friends and family before heading back to Monterrey.

4. I kept the nursery (cuna) for the first time: six children who understood no English (J & T stayed w Granny).  Lucas got a little jealous when I picked up the other baby.  The other four were aged 2-5.

5.  I spent quite a few hours of my summer in the classroom either learning Spanish or tutoring math or English.

6.  Sorry no pics, but I had authentic Mexican hamburgers a time or two this summer! -- not to be compared with McDonalds or Sonic, or any hamburger in the states: served with avacado, onions, and tomatoes and a rather large order of fries (only comes in regular or doubled -- no small, medium, or large).

7.  The First Day of School will be featured in my first blog of September -- pics included, I promise!