Thursday, February 12, 2009
Mexico Blog!
Ivan created this blog for our team! Check it out! http://missiontriptomexico.blogspot.com/
more about Mexico
Hello, all!
I hope this finds you all doing well and rejoicing in the Lord today. He has won the victory in life and death and just by believing Him, we are on the winning side! No matter what is going on in our lives or in the world, we ARE the victors in this battle if we believe in Jesus. The spiritual world is a real one - and we are made to be like Jesus and glorify God in our bodies and spirits, which sometimes means that we face even more trials and struggles because those things make us realize more and more that we cannot fight on our own and NEED HIM even more!
"Everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" 1 John 5:4-5
Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers for me, and especially for this Mexico trip. This is going to be a long update, but some of you have requested it, and if the rest of you don't want to read it, don't feel obligated. :) Just know that plans are going well and the Lord is being glorified in real ways already. He's pretty amazing.
Guess what? We bought our tickets on Sunday! So, barring some natural disaster or the Lord's return, we're planning to leave Friday, March 6 from Chicago! The Lord provided them for about $100 less than we planned for originally back in December. We - Naomi, Victor, Tom and I - got together on Sunday with the couple who were letting us use their credit card and spent a good deal of time in prayer, then started looking for flights. Tom and I have been keeping tabs on them for a while now, so we had somewhere to start. It was a little stressful, because you can't really order 12 tickets on the same flight on the same purchase online, at least not in an ordinary way. So...we ended up getting on the phone with AeroMexico, and then I gave the rep all the information over the phone, which was rather intense, making sure we got all the info right. :) It worked, though, and we got the tickets for an average os $470 each! Praise the Lord! It was really cool to see Him work everything out.
We have finally got a pretty solid schedule for our itinerary worked out, which is a big relief to the guys leading and really exciting to our whole team. Of course, this is subject to change if the Lord switches our plans up - we're quite flexible. :) One of the guys on our team, Ivan Mungia, is actually from one of the towns we'll be working in, and he has helped plan the schedule with his church and such, so that has been really helpful.
So, how about a trip summary? We are going to Leon/Guanajuato, Mexico, north of Mexico City (safety should not be a big problem, considering it is not on the border or in Mexico City). We are flying straight to Leon. Our first four days will be in Leon, working with the church and going around the city door-to-door with gospel tracts and information about Bible studies and also doing street preaching. Then on Wednesday we'll be moving the team to a nearby town, Guanajuato, where Ivan is from, and we'll be doing the same thing with the church there. On Wed. night we'll be having meetings with the three churches from the area. Almost everyone on our team is going to have an opportunity to teach a session with the believers. Lord willing, I'll be teaching a women's class. All the sessions will center on different aspects of evangelism and sharing the gospel. We're pretty excited about that. It's also rather humbling and a little daunting. :) We'll have a day to hang out at a water park and some time to sight-see, but mostly we'll be doing evangelism. We'll be staying in the homes of believers from the area, which will be quite a new experience. :) So, that's basically what we're doing.
Our team. Wow, it's been cool to see how God has brought our team together. There are several that I don't know very well but I'm really looking forward to getting to know them better so we can build each other up in love and work together well. I love praying together already and I'm excited about growing in that area.
Victor E - sophomore whose parents are missionaries in Japan; he's studying elementary education here at school with the plan to return to Japan as a teacher and missionary one day, a natural teacher - people naturally follow him wherever he goes
Tom M - junior from Buffalo, NY, a quiet, serious guy who is studying Bible and computers here; he has a passion for sharing the gospel with others
Naomi S - sophomore from KS, one of my best friends here at school, who loves Jesus and telling people about Him and plans on being an overseas missionary eventually
Samuel O - sophomore from Vera Cruz, Mexico, an international student studying Bible here; his family are not believers and he has a passion to preach the gospel, especially back home in Mexico
Ivan and Laura M - a couple from Guanajuato, Mexico, who live here at the school as Ivan finishes his Bible/computer degree, planning to return home when Ivan's finished; a fun, exciteable couple who are just a huge encouragement to all of us
Laura K - sophomore from TX, a sweet girl who loves the Lord and is wanting to grow more bold to share her faith with others
Jessica P - freshman from IA, who is super excited about going, as she went to Mexico once before and would like to possibly work there in the future; she is one of the people I don't know well but am excited about getting to know better
Rebekkah S - sophomore from CO, in the Intercultural Studies major here at school; she has wanted to be a missionary for as long as she can remember, specifically to Columbia, South America; she is very passionate about her beliefs
Ben M - sophomore from WI, who is quite the unexpected sort of guy - he seems quiet but he's really a ham and is quite fun-loving; he loves people and wants to be stretched and learn more about communicating through sharing the gospel and teaching
Daniel R - sophomore from IA, a quiet, gentle guy who loves life and loves Jesus and also wants to be bolder about sharing Christ and whose coming is a great answer to prayer, because he was unsure for a while due to other commitments
Michelle V - freshman, who I don't know well at all, but she's a gentle, lovely girl who also was unsure for a while whether or not she should come, but we're so thankful she is coming; I'm looking forward to getting to know her better
Celina S - a graduate from Emmaus who came to Peru with us and is meeting us in Mexico! She is a gentle girl who loves Jesus and people so much and will be such a blessing to have with us
Willy T - a middle-aged guy who is a graduate from Emmaus who still lives here in Dubuque; he's what Tom calls an "absent-minded evangelist" (and Tom knows him the best of all of us :), but he's a lot of fun and knows his Bible almost more than anyone else I know
Okay...that was long, but, there it is. :) That's our team! Thanks again, so much for praying and backing me up as I follow the Lord's leading to Mexico next month.
I hope this finds you all doing well and rejoicing in the Lord today. He has won the victory in life and death and just by believing Him, we are on the winning side! No matter what is going on in our lives or in the world, we ARE the victors in this battle if we believe in Jesus. The spiritual world is a real one - and we are made to be like Jesus and glorify God in our bodies and spirits, which sometimes means that we face even more trials and struggles because those things make us realize more and more that we cannot fight on our own and NEED HIM even more!
"Everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" 1 John 5:4-5
Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers for me, and especially for this Mexico trip. This is going to be a long update, but some of you have requested it, and if the rest of you don't want to read it, don't feel obligated. :) Just know that plans are going well and the Lord is being glorified in real ways already. He's pretty amazing.
Guess what? We bought our tickets on Sunday! So, barring some natural disaster or the Lord's return, we're planning to leave Friday, March 6 from Chicago! The Lord provided them for about $100 less than we planned for originally back in December. We - Naomi, Victor, Tom and I - got together on Sunday with the couple who were letting us use their credit card and spent a good deal of time in prayer, then started looking for flights. Tom and I have been keeping tabs on them for a while now, so we had somewhere to start. It was a little stressful, because you can't really order 12 tickets on the same flight on the same purchase online, at least not in an ordinary way. So...we ended up getting on the phone with AeroMexico, and then I gave the rep all the information over the phone, which was rather intense, making sure we got all the info right. :) It worked, though, and we got the tickets for an average os $470 each! Praise the Lord! It was really cool to see Him work everything out.
We have finally got a pretty solid schedule for our itinerary worked out, which is a big relief to the guys leading and really exciting to our whole team. Of course, this is subject to change if the Lord switches our plans up - we're quite flexible. :) One of the guys on our team, Ivan Mungia, is actually from one of the towns we'll be working in, and he has helped plan the schedule with his church and such, so that has been really helpful.
So, how about a trip summary? We are going to Leon/Guanajuato, Mexico, north of Mexico City (safety should not be a big problem, considering it is not on the border or in Mexico City). We are flying straight to Leon. Our first four days will be in Leon, working with the church and going around the city door-to-door with gospel tracts and information about Bible studies and also doing street preaching. Then on Wednesday we'll be moving the team to a nearby town, Guanajuato, where Ivan is from, and we'll be doing the same thing with the church there. On Wed. night we'll be having meetings with the three churches from the area. Almost everyone on our team is going to have an opportunity to teach a session with the believers. Lord willing, I'll be teaching a women's class. All the sessions will center on different aspects of evangelism and sharing the gospel. We're pretty excited about that. It's also rather humbling and a little daunting. :) We'll have a day to hang out at a water park and some time to sight-see, but mostly we'll be doing evangelism. We'll be staying in the homes of believers from the area, which will be quite a new experience. :) So, that's basically what we're doing.
Our team. Wow, it's been cool to see how God has brought our team together. There are several that I don't know very well but I'm really looking forward to getting to know them better so we can build each other up in love and work together well. I love praying together already and I'm excited about growing in that area.
Victor E - sophomore whose parents are missionaries in Japan; he's studying elementary education here at school with the plan to return to Japan as a teacher and missionary one day, a natural teacher - people naturally follow him wherever he goes
Tom M - junior from Buffalo, NY, a quiet, serious guy who is studying Bible and computers here; he has a passion for sharing the gospel with others
Naomi S - sophomore from KS, one of my best friends here at school, who loves Jesus and telling people about Him and plans on being an overseas missionary eventually
Samuel O - sophomore from Vera Cruz, Mexico, an international student studying Bible here; his family are not believers and he has a passion to preach the gospel, especially back home in Mexico
Ivan and Laura M - a couple from Guanajuato, Mexico, who live here at the school as Ivan finishes his Bible/computer degree, planning to return home when Ivan's finished; a fun, exciteable couple who are just a huge encouragement to all of us
Laura K - sophomore from TX, a sweet girl who loves the Lord and is wanting to grow more bold to share her faith with others
Jessica P - freshman from IA, who is super excited about going, as she went to Mexico once before and would like to possibly work there in the future; she is one of the people I don't know well but am excited about getting to know better
Rebekkah S - sophomore from CO, in the Intercultural Studies major here at school; she has wanted to be a missionary for as long as she can remember, specifically to Columbia, South America; she is very passionate about her beliefs
Ben M - sophomore from WI, who is quite the unexpected sort of guy - he seems quiet but he's really a ham and is quite fun-loving; he loves people and wants to be stretched and learn more about communicating through sharing the gospel and teaching
Daniel R - sophomore from IA, a quiet, gentle guy who loves life and loves Jesus and also wants to be bolder about sharing Christ and whose coming is a great answer to prayer, because he was unsure for a while due to other commitments
Michelle V - freshman, who I don't know well at all, but she's a gentle, lovely girl who also was unsure for a while whether or not she should come, but we're so thankful she is coming; I'm looking forward to getting to know her better
Celina S - a graduate from Emmaus who came to Peru with us and is meeting us in Mexico! She is a gentle girl who loves Jesus and people so much and will be such a blessing to have with us
Willy T - a middle-aged guy who is a graduate from Emmaus who still lives here in Dubuque; he's what Tom calls an "absent-minded evangelist" (and Tom knows him the best of all of us :), but he's a lot of fun and knows his Bible almost more than anyone else I know
Okay...that was long, but, there it is. :) That's our team! Thanks again, so much for praying and backing me up as I follow the Lord's leading to Mexico next month.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Mexico News!
Countdown...4 more weeks until our team leaves for Leon Mexico! Oh wow! :D This is the part where it starts getting really exciting. Everyone has made their decisions about whether or not they're going, so our team is settled (unless the Lord changes things). We are about to buy our tickets. We are starting to get a feel for the team dimension - figuring out how we each work and how to build each other up. The skits we'll be using for the street evangelism are going really well, just about all together.
So, just wanted to ask for a couple of prayer requests. This week I'm planning to email the itinerary and more details about the trip, but it would be wonderful if you all would pray for these things in the meantime.
- We need to buy the tickets ASAP, and we need to know what direction the Lord would have us go. Please pray that He will provide just the right tickets, all on the same flight, preferably.
- Please pray that the Lord will provide the rest of the $3500 needed for our team to go down to Mexico.
- Please pray that our team will, as a group of people with diverse personalities and different circles of friends, learn how to relate to each other and serve each other and just get to know each other.
- Pray for wisdom as we, especially Victor and Tom, keep making decisions about the trip.
Thanks!
So, just wanted to ask for a couple of prayer requests. This week I'm planning to email the itinerary and more details about the trip, but it would be wonderful if you all would pray for these things in the meantime.
- We need to buy the tickets ASAP, and we need to know what direction the Lord would have us go. Please pray that He will provide just the right tickets, all on the same flight, preferably.
- Please pray that the Lord will provide the rest of the $3500 needed for our team to go down to Mexico.
- Please pray that our team will, as a group of people with diverse personalities and different circles of friends, learn how to relate to each other and serve each other and just get to know each other.
- Pray for wisdom as we, especially Victor and Tom, keep making decisions about the trip.
Thanks!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
...such and such...
Hello, all! Sorry for the long lapse in blog writing. It's probably irritating to try to follow my blog when I'm such a sporadic writer. I've been thinking of updating for a while now, but the beginning of a new semester with all the changes in schedule and the emotions connected to life in general and relationships in particular kind of make it hard to write regularly. So...yeah. I know many of you, my readers, are praying for me, and I appreciate that so much.
I have an exciting new semester of classes. Here's my schedule:
Monday/Wed/Friday
8:25 am - Christian Evidences (with Mr. Iverson) - new teacher, interesting topic, although it's not new stuff, I'm hoping to become more equipped to remember and be able to relay this information to unbelievers
9:20 am - Ecclesiology (with Mr. Glock) - study of the church with Grandpa Glock...every class is just an encouragement listening to his teaching, his encouragement, his love for the Lord and the Word
1:25 pm - Methods in TESOL II (with Mr. Harrison) - my last TESOL class!
Tuesday/Thursday
12:40 pm - Christology/Pneumatology (with Dr. MacLeod) - doctrine of Christ and of the Holy Spirit
2:00 pm - Personal Evangelism (with Mr. Hernandez) - really great class...talking about Jesus and the Gospel...of COURSE it's great! :)
I have lots of good reading, so that's a nice change, as last semester I didn't have much reading - more projects and papers. A friend of mine brought me new highlighters from Japan over Christmas, and they're getting lots of good use. Seven lovely, bright colors...ever see a red highlighter? :) I also got a new Bible for Christmas, a beautiful, just-right-sized ESV, so I'm having a lovely time discovering God's Word again in a new setting and new phrases. :) It is quickly becoming "claimed" as my own Bible. :)
Sooo....we have started planning our trip to Mexico hard core, now! One opportunity that may be available is teaching!! Some of us on the team may have the opportunity to teach classes to the believers in Mexico covering things that we are learning here at Emmaus. Oh my word!!! That's like my life dream! I never ever thought there was the possibility of being able to teach on a mission trip. I would love to teach, so I'm praying that we'll be able to do that. Please pray about that! :)
We'll need to be buying our tickets within probably a month or less. There are quite a few who are planning to go, and only a couple have the money as of right now, so please pray that the Lord will provide and that people will be willing to share financially with the team. There are also several who have yet to decide 100% whether or not they're going to come with us, so please pray that the Lord would give them wisdom and direction. Also, please pray for our work on the Spanish language. Right now, I'm pretty tired, and it's hard to work on a language, feeling unmotivated, along with the rest of school and church family responsibilities.
So, those are some requests you can be lifting up before the Lord.
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
I have an exciting new semester of classes. Here's my schedule:
Monday/Wed/Friday
8:25 am - Christian Evidences (with Mr. Iverson) - new teacher, interesting topic, although it's not new stuff, I'm hoping to become more equipped to remember and be able to relay this information to unbelievers
9:20 am - Ecclesiology (with Mr. Glock) - study of the church with Grandpa Glock...every class is just an encouragement listening to his teaching, his encouragement, his love for the Lord and the Word
1:25 pm - Methods in TESOL II (with Mr. Harrison) - my last TESOL class!
Tuesday/Thursday
12:40 pm - Christology/Pneumatology (with Dr. MacLeod) - doctrine of Christ and of the Holy Spirit
2:00 pm - Personal Evangelism (with Mr. Hernandez) - really great class...talking about Jesus and the Gospel...of COURSE it's great! :)
I have lots of good reading, so that's a nice change, as last semester I didn't have much reading - more projects and papers. A friend of mine brought me new highlighters from Japan over Christmas, and they're getting lots of good use. Seven lovely, bright colors...ever see a red highlighter? :) I also got a new Bible for Christmas, a beautiful, just-right-sized ESV, so I'm having a lovely time discovering God's Word again in a new setting and new phrases. :) It is quickly becoming "claimed" as my own Bible. :)
Sooo....we have started planning our trip to Mexico hard core, now! One opportunity that may be available is teaching!! Some of us on the team may have the opportunity to teach classes to the believers in Mexico covering things that we are learning here at Emmaus. Oh my word!!! That's like my life dream! I never ever thought there was the possibility of being able to teach on a mission trip. I would love to teach, so I'm praying that we'll be able to do that. Please pray about that! :)
We'll need to be buying our tickets within probably a month or less. There are quite a few who are planning to go, and only a couple have the money as of right now, so please pray that the Lord will provide and that people will be willing to share financially with the team. There are also several who have yet to decide 100% whether or not they're going to come with us, so please pray that the Lord would give them wisdom and direction. Also, please pray for our work on the Spanish language. Right now, I'm pretty tired, and it's hard to work on a language, feeling unmotivated, along with the rest of school and church family responsibilities.
So, those are some requests you can be lifting up before the Lord.
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Feliz Navidad!
Sorry, folks, I have Spanish on the brain. :)
Ah, Christmas break. School feels like it was 100 years ago. I'm at home, enjoying my family, my sleep, my Bible, and my Spanish studying, in no particular order. It's so lovely to not have deadlines and responsibilities and pressure on every side.
Lord willing, I'm planning on going to Mexico over spring break with a team from school (more details to come), and so I'm hitting the Spanish study really hard. I've worked on it every day for a couple of hours since I've been home. In spite of the fact that I'm rather overwhelmed with the amount of work that goes into learning a language, I feel like I'm actually making some sort of progress. Maybe, by March, I'll actually be more conversational. :) We're not sure how many Spanish speakers we'll actually have on our team, so Naomi and I have decided that if for no other reason than that, we're going to really work on Spanish. I have other reasons, of course, too...part of my heart is still in Peru. I'm not sure what will happen if I leave another part of my heart in Mexico... It's likely that for the rest of my life, no matter where I go, I'll be leaving pieces of my heart there. :)
Anyway...I'm still at home for at least the next few weeks, with my family. We're enjoying life together, making cookies, playing Apples to Apples, singing Christmas carols at the tops of our lungs (no kidding), watching movies, yelling at each other, laughing with each other, discussing Christmas presents at length, et cetera.
One of my Spanish projects is reading through the gospel of Juan, hopefully at least a couple of times before I go back to Emmaus. I read 3 chapters today.
Porque tanto amo Dios al mundo, que dio a su Hijo unigenito para que todo el que cree en el no se pierda, sino que tenga vida eterna.
I hope you all have a lovely holiday season with loved ones, whether at home or away. I've been memorizing Ephesians since I've been home, and it's been wonderful to reflect on the amazing blessings we have in Christ. He "has blessed us with ALL spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ!" Over and over again the first chapters say "in Christ...in Christ...in Christ"! It's all about Him and His glory. We live for no other reason. And all the gifts He gives us to enjoy are meant to draw us closer to Him so we can glorify Him all the more. Rest in Him today!
Ah, Christmas break. School feels like it was 100 years ago. I'm at home, enjoying my family, my sleep, my Bible, and my Spanish studying, in no particular order. It's so lovely to not have deadlines and responsibilities and pressure on every side.
Lord willing, I'm planning on going to Mexico over spring break with a team from school (more details to come), and so I'm hitting the Spanish study really hard. I've worked on it every day for a couple of hours since I've been home. In spite of the fact that I'm rather overwhelmed with the amount of work that goes into learning a language, I feel like I'm actually making some sort of progress. Maybe, by March, I'll actually be more conversational. :) We're not sure how many Spanish speakers we'll actually have on our team, so Naomi and I have decided that if for no other reason than that, we're going to really work on Spanish. I have other reasons, of course, too...part of my heart is still in Peru. I'm not sure what will happen if I leave another part of my heart in Mexico... It's likely that for the rest of my life, no matter where I go, I'll be leaving pieces of my heart there. :)
Anyway...I'm still at home for at least the next few weeks, with my family. We're enjoying life together, making cookies, playing Apples to Apples, singing Christmas carols at the tops of our lungs (no kidding), watching movies, yelling at each other, laughing with each other, discussing Christmas presents at length, et cetera.
One of my Spanish projects is reading through the gospel of Juan, hopefully at least a couple of times before I go back to Emmaus. I read 3 chapters today.
Porque tanto amo Dios al mundo, que dio a su Hijo unigenito para que todo el que cree en el no se pierda, sino que tenga vida eterna.
I hope you all have a lovely holiday season with loved ones, whether at home or away. I've been memorizing Ephesians since I've been home, and it's been wonderful to reflect on the amazing blessings we have in Christ. He "has blessed us with ALL spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ!" Over and over again the first chapters say "in Christ...in Christ...in Christ"! It's all about Him and His glory. We live for no other reason. And all the gifts He gives us to enjoy are meant to draw us closer to Him so we can glorify Him all the more. Rest in Him today!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Anything special I should know?
Liz (about to use Victor's Mac to burn a CD, and trying to open the lid): Is there anything in particular I should know about this thing?
Victor (turning the laptop around on Liz's lap): Well, you open it from the other side...
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