Catch the wave…

On Sat. May 31st, we had a fun day with the youth at a big water park, El Rollo about an hour away.  Our kids very much enjoyed it as well!  We appreciate the Downs family, who have been helping with activities such as this and with hosting youth group events at their house.  They have been in language study here and are preparing for ministry in Uruguay!  We also were encouraged that David and Lety came (pictured next to Tim) as they are interested in becoming more involved in helping with the youth.  We pray that God will provide couples such as them to continue youth activities when we go on home assignment in the fall.

Leadership council

It has been encouraging to see a leadership council from the church develop over the past few months- In addition to the pastor, there are now two elders “in training”.  There is also another church in Cuernavaca which has joined the Mexico City area Bible churches.  The pastor and another leader in training also participate in these biweekly leadership meetings, providing a different perspective in the discussions of topics such as spiritual maturity, tithing, dancing, drinking, discipleship, etc.

Its “birthday season”!

Well, it seems we have a lot of catching up to do :). Samuel turned 3 on May 10th and we enjoyed having an early “ball” party with the Cottrill’s, another missionary family based on his request to have “Hannah and Nathaniel” at his party- They finished language school here and just moved to Ixtapaluca, Mexico City for their orientation year. We sure will miss them, but are thankful for the year and a half we had together- Their friendship has been an answer to prayer for our family!

We also celebrated on his actual birthday (Mexican Mother’s day) with a yummy fruit pizza (partly for Mom’s benefit :)) with our mentors and friends, Toby and Marilyn Casteel- we appreciate their ministry to us here in Cuernavaca.

Bethany turned 1 on June 1st with a Noah’s ark party and 43 people (mostly church people). It was neat that one of the youth who came, brought her parents- Since it was on a Sunday, they came to church first and usually only come to church once or twice a year! As rainy season has started, we were glad to not get rained or “flooded” out of this ark party, but rather enjoyed the pool at our friends’ house on a VERY hot day!

Kathryn’s party is coming next Friday, so we’ll post a pic soon :).

Beach Buddies

People prayed, God answered.  As the week went on, it seemed circumstances of life were piling up, causing us to wonder if we should go on the Puebla Christian School beach trip that was going to be about a 7 hour drive away in Las Casitas, Vera Cruz.  The week started with respiratory sicknesses…Tuesday we woke up with stomach problems due to something we ate… That night, Tim was going to a meeting and had to get the suburban towed home because it would not start (later we found out it needed a new fuel pump).

Tim was scheduled to speak 3 different times during the weekend retreat and it seemed all these other life circumstances were becoming distractions to even having time to prepare…but we sensed God still wanted us to go…an opportunity when we felt weak to lean on Him, to trust Him, let His words speak and marvel as He worked.

With a few antibiotics and a rental car, we packed up Friday morning and headed out.  As we brought up the rear of a 4 vehicle caravan (with two 15 passenger vans and a suburban in front), we began to appreciate the ease with which our little rental car could pick up speed and pass the big trucks on the 2 lane curvy, mountainous highways.  We even had time to make potty stops for little ones on the side of the road and catch back up!

It was a weekend where God’s plans far exceeded ours …a weekend where God was teaching us to trust that He would do a good work in us and in others…a weekend where, in many ways we feel we received much more than we gave as God refreshed us through fun family times on the beach…a reminder that when you seek to obey and keep plugging away through the “hard” parts of ministry, there will also be times when ministry is a lot of fun :).

We were challenged to do heart checks.  God spoke through the example of David, a man after God’s own heart, and yet, a man whose sin and consequences are very plainly spoken about in the Bible.  A man who was not perfect, but chose to repent.  A man who faced consequences the rest of his life, but God’s grace was sufficient and He used him greatly…a man who followed God, not just with outward motions, but with his heart.

In this week following the trip, we’ve had the privilege of having several share with us about how God continues to use this time…a missionary kid who took the heart check seriously, and as a result made a hard choice over the weekend and followed it with an action to stop doing something that was not honoring God…a parent who has been able to continue to reinforce the things talked about as they seek to train and instruct their teenager…the school leadership expressing that the messages were very timely and that students have been clearly challenged as specific issues are continuing to be dealt with this week.

God has been teaching us to rely more on Him and be willing to “step aside” and allow Him to work…It is so exciting for us to watch and also a confirmation that in some way, God is leading us to be more involved with ministry to missionary kids.   Pray we would be willing to “listen” to how He desires to work through us in this way.

We are forever grateful to God…for His grace…for giving us the privilege of watching Him work…for the unending gifts He gives to us and times of refreshment that He brings (sometimes when you least expect it!)

Is a servant ever off duty?

“…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:26b-28

When I travel, I like a conveniently accessible room in a hotel- He did not even get a room!

I desire others to notice my needs and care in tangible ways. - People spit on Him and called Him names…He didn’t complain.

I expect my friends to be there for me when I’m struggling. - His friends fell asleep during some of His darkest moments. Then they denied they were even His friends. He responded with love and forgiveness.

These are just a few examples, but I find myself asking…How was Jesus able to live this way? An obvious answer is that He was God in the flesh, perfect and sinless. But even more than that, He knew who He was and where He came from. His value did not depend on how others treated Him - He could serve and love those who rejected Him. He knew His value came from being the Son of God. He was and always will be the King of Kings. He also took time to get away and spend time with His Father in prayer. He knew where to go to have His needs met.

Why would I often rather be served than serve? There are many reasons, but one is that I want to feel important and know that “I matter”. The problem is that everyone else is also wanting to be treated like they matter. When I remember that my value comes from being made in God’s image…When I keep my eyes on Him and look to Him to meet my needs, I too will be more willing to serve.