What a blessing it was to go back to Guadalajara last week...the place where it all began (well, sort of). Last November, I went with a team from Fellowship on a trip to Guadalajara for a medical mission/equipping trip. It was during that week that I made the big decision that I would come back here to work with the children's ministries of El Camino and their daughter churches. It was also a week filled with new friendships and countless faces of sweet children. As I was preparing and packing before the trip last week, I was a mix of emotions- excited to see if the same kids showed up, nervous if they would remember me, but mostly I kept thinking about how great I knew the week would be and how much I wouldn't want to leave. (In case you know know, after things are off and running here in Puebla, I will probably spend some time in Guadalajara as well.) Well, it was exactly that! I got to see nearly every single precious face of every kid I met last year and meet some new ones too.
Meet Karla. Look how much she's grown in the last year....but she still loves that shirt! :)
Esmerelda & Jennifer. The cutest sisters ever.
Jenny has lost some teeth since last year too...but she's still posing just the same.
Edgar Francisco. One of my new friends and possibly the sweetest little boy I have ever known. He loves to tickle, help others, teach Spanish and learn English. He has a heart of gold.
These next two chicas are extra special to me...
Andrea...I was blessed enough to be with Andrea as she accepted Christ last year. Since then, she has remained the screen saver on my phone. What a great reminder of prayer her sweet face is to me.
Johana. She and Andrea are cousins and the three of us formed some kind of special bond last year. I think about this girls every day and have been praying for them and their family over the last year. Well, this year, I got to meet their family!!
2011
me with their abuela (grandma)
Yes, all these people (and more) live in this one house together. The grandparents, and five grown children, each with their spouses, two families each have a baby, one family has four children and another two! It's one big crazy family but they are sweet as they can be. This family has touched my heart and they have a special place. I got to spend a couple of hours at their house the last night...the girls were teaching me all kinds of dance moves and introducing me to all the family members. The whole time I was praying in my head asking God, "What do I do in this situation?" I know that like most Mexican families, they are Catholic and know that this family particularly is very involved in the Catholic church. They literally live right across the street from the church we work with, Iglesia Biblica Nueva Vida en Cristo (New Life in Christ Bible Church), their kids often go to the church and they know why we are here. But I just kept telling God, "I want to be intentional. Is just being here and showing them love enough? God make something happen!" And He sure did! Before I knew it, we were all sitting down talking and they were asking me questions about my beliefs and Christianity- even telling me how beautiful they thought it was and so much more real than their own Catholic religion. It was a huge answer to prayer! I am so grateful for the time that I got to spend with them and the seeds that the Lord planted. I continue to pray earnestly for this family and so many others in Mexico that are held so tightly by "the rules" and "the cultural requirement" of Catholicism.
I pray that layer by layer, God will begin to open their eyes to his wonder and love,
so that these children,
Andrea
Valeria
Johana
Alma
Jose
Omar
Brian
and
Byron
might grow up to be world-changing followers of Christ!
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