Howdy y’all!
I hope this update finds you in good health and growing in your walk with the Lord! I pray that in these days He would teach you to pray, even as He is teaching me!
I said goodbye to my church from the fall, Iglesia Cristiana Sion, almost two weeks ago. It was a sweet and beautiful goodbye from a people that I have grown to dearly love a
nd will miss as I move into a new and equally wonderful, but very different, season in my life and my ministry. During my final Sunday in church, Johan, my pastor, singled out pretty much every member in the congregation over age 9 to say something to me, with sweet responses ranging from “Thank you for being an example to me,” to my dear Lupita, 11, who couldn’t speak through her tears, to Johan’s many sweet memories. These included teaching him English, the many, many conversations during our rides up to the church, my favorite food – Tacos al Pastor (tah-coes ah-l pah-store) and the silly jokes I liked to make when the car proved just a little too short to clear the topes (toe-pays; road humps – those bumps in the road that are way bigger than speed bumps). I later found out that one of my jovenes (hoe-ben- ace) also jokingly requested that they stick a pink bow (to match the gifts they gave me) on him so I would take him back to the States with me… Needless to say, it made everyone laugh!
Since then, I have been waiting anxiously for school to start and for my students to return from their far off lands of Puebla, the Estado de Mexico, and who knows where else, to begin their classes. For my students at the ESCA, this will be the beginning of their final semester and, hopefully, an evangelistic outreach that will allow their celula (cell-oo-lah) to continue into the coming year. I will also, most likely, be getting involved with at least one celula, possibly two, at UNAM, which is possibly the largest university in all the Americas, boasting a student body of 315,000, well over six times that of my beloved Texas A&M University, which currently ranks seventh largest public university in the United States.
I am also looking forward to beginning the process of finding a new church. I took last week off to visit my friend and YearOut teammate, Stephanie, at her church, Iglesia Bautista “El Buen Pastor en Getsemani” (Ig-lay-see-ah Bah-oo-tea-st-ah Ayl Bwayn Pah-store En Hayt-say-ma-knee). I enjoyed my visit there, but I am also excited about finding my new church and settling in there.
Finally, I have moved twice since my last update. I spent a little over a week with my director, Paul Johnson’s, in-laws, the De Alba’s, as interim housing, while my new family finished putting in a new, tile floor on the first floor of their house. My roommate, Ashley, and I met our new family and moved into our new home just two days ago. We live with a single woman, Hermana Ursula, and her three children, Ernesto (32), Ursula (30), and Ere (26; short for a name I can’t begin to pronounce, let alone write). Ashley and I share a small room with minimal furniture. We’ve managed to find places for most all of our things, but are still eagerly waiting for bed-side tables to create just a tad more shelf space, to augment the portable armoire, a small bookshelf, and the window ledges…
As you pray for me this month, please pray specifically for:
I hope this update finds you in good health and growing in your walk with the Lord! I pray that in these days He would teach you to pray, even as He is teaching me!
I said goodbye to my church from the fall, Iglesia Cristiana Sion, almost two weeks ago. It was a sweet and beautiful goodbye from a people that I have grown to dearly love a
nd will miss as I move into a new and equally wonderful, but very different, season in my life and my ministry. During my final Sunday in church, Johan, my pastor, singled out pretty much every member in the congregation over age 9 to say something to me, with sweet responses ranging from “Thank you for being an example to me,” to my dear Lupita, 11, who couldn’t speak through her tears, to Johan’s many sweet memories. These included teaching him English, the many, many conversations during our rides up to the church, my favorite food – Tacos al Pastor (tah-coes ah-l pah-store) and the silly jokes I liked to make when the car proved just a little too short to clear the topes (toe-pays; road humps – those bumps in the road that are way bigger than speed bumps). I later found out that one of my jovenes (hoe-ben- ace) also jokingly requested that they stick a pink bow (to match the gifts they gave me) on him so I would take him back to the States with me… Needless to say, it made everyone laugh!Since then, I have been waiting anxiously for school to start and for my students to return from their far off lands of Puebla, the Estado de Mexico, and who knows where else, to begin their classes. For my students at the ESCA, this will be the beginning of their final semester and, hopefully, an evangelistic outreach that will allow their celula (cell-oo-lah) to continue into the coming year. I will also, most likely, be getting involved with at least one celula, possibly two, at UNAM, which is possibly the largest university in all the Americas, boasting a student body of 315,000, well over six times that of my beloved Texas A&M University, which currently ranks seventh largest public university in the United States.
I am also looking forward to beginning the process of finding a new church. I took last week off to visit my friend and YearOut teammate, Stephanie, at her church, Iglesia Bautista “El Buen Pastor en Getsemani” (Ig-lay-see-ah Bah-oo-tea-st-ah Ayl Bwayn Pah-store En Hayt-say-ma-knee). I enjoyed my visit there, but I am also excited about finding my new church and settling in there.
Finally, I have moved twice since my last update. I spent a little over a week with my director, Paul Johnson’s, in-laws, the De Alba’s, as interim housing, while my new family finished putting in a new, tile floor on the first floor of their house. My roommate, Ashley, and I met our new family and moved into our new home just two days ago. We live with a single woman, Hermana Ursula, and her three children, Ernesto (32), Ursula (30), and Ere (26; short for a name I can’t begin to pronounce, let alone write). Ashley and I share a small room with minimal furniture. We’ve managed to find places for most all of our things, but are still eagerly waiting for bed-side tables to create just a tad more shelf space, to augment the portable armoire, a small bookshelf, and the window ledges…
As you pray for me this month, please pray specifically for:
- My relationship with my new roommate and host family.
- My search for a new church home here in Mexico.
- My students, that they would return to school ready to graduate, but also ready to see their small group grow and continue on into the coming year.
- My funding! I sent out almost 60 letters just a week ago and am desperately in need of a good response from these letters. Please pray specifically that people would open their hearts and give as God leads them.
Much love and God bless!
Nicole
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