3 Years

Three years ago today we made the move down here to Mexico City.  It seems like so much longer.  So much has happened since then.  So much has changed.  We came down with so many unknowns: home, ministry, school.  I have to confess I might have a hard time going back to the way things were when we first got here.  The 3 of us living in a tiny bedroom with no hot water for the first month, walking or taking public transportation everywhere we went, everything so foreign, a LOT of free time (read: boredom), lugging our laundry 5 blocks to do the washing and take the occasional hot shower, none of the comforts of having our own home.  Yet it was all an adventure at the time.  Now, in comparison, we are quite spoiled.  A big 4-bedroom house with 2 1/2 (albeit SMALL) bathrooms and a tiny yard, a car that circulates 6 days a week, most of our belongings from the States plus some, phone, Internet, TV, a washer and dryer, HOT WATER.  It’s good to remember the things we have to be grateful for.  But at the top of our lists (besides our own family) are our friends and ministries that the Lord has given to us.  Though at times we feel overwhelmed or discouraged, we really love what we’re doing.  Who would have thought that we’d get to do so many things that we love to do on a regular basis as part of our ministry down here?  I’m teaching music to the girls in the safe house, using materials I used over 10 years ago when I taught piano and studied guitar, and I love it.  I have so much fun with them.  I’m discipling two ladies and hold a weekly small group for young ladies, and I love it.  I’m part of the weekly staff meetings for our new church plant, La Cosecha.  We spend time praying together, brainstorming together, and encouraging each other, and I love it.  We’re part of the worship team, which means we get to play together and worship the Lord together, and I love it.  Best of all, most days I’m home with my girls doing my very favorite job as mommy and homemaker.  I get to giggle and play with my girls, marvel at how quickly Liliana absorbs the material in her preschool books, walk to the local produce and meat stands to buy food for the day’s meals, gather fresh eggs from our chickens.  God has really blessed us.  Although, in the day-to-day ins and outs, I don’t always have this “I’m so blessed” attitude.  Some days I have to confess it’s mere survival of my sanity.  All in all I wouldn’t change this life for any other.  I know it’s where God wants us.  As I read inspirational stories like that of Katie Davis, I think, “I want to do MORE, SO much MORE!”  But then I think, “With what time?”  And then instead of thinking of ways to take on the whole world, I remember that it’s more about a step by step, day by day, growing obedience to the Lord, cultivating my relationship with Him, and I know that He will open and close the doors that He sees fit in His perfect timing.  My prayer is to live a more selfless life so that my life fulfills His purposes and not my own selfish ones.  I thank Him for what He has done in the past 3 years and trust Him for what He will do in the years to come.  Some people ask us if we have any plans to move back to the States or leave Mexico, and the answer is “no.”  We’re here until God makes it very clear that He wants us somewhere else, and we have no idea when (or if) that will ever be.

 

The Holidays

So we’ve been home from the States for a little over a week, and I thought I’d give a little summary of our trip.  Highlights from our time in Oregon include my mom’s birthday (as previously mentioned), watching Violet crawl for the first time, playing racquet ball with Loren almost every day, taking Lili and her cousins ice skating for the first time, swimming at an indoor aquatic park, celebrating Christmas, and of course lots of QT with the family.  =)  Highlights from our time in Pennsylvania include Christmas Eve services and Christmas day, spending time with family and friends (among them were my bff Abby Koontz and her husband who drove out from Indiana to visit with us for a few days), Lili playing in the snow (she did not stop talking about playing in the snow before our trip, so I’m SO grateful we got a little bit of snow for her to play in), seeing Daniela (a girl from here in Mexico City who went up to visit friends of ours from Emmanuel Baptist Church), and going skiing.  I have to admit I enjoyed the liberty of having on-hand babysitters (aka the grandparents) to watch our girls, which made it easy to get up and go.  Oh, and I learned how to make cute hair bows while in the States!  Mara and I had a little sisterly-bonding time together making bows for our girls.  It was fun!  We had a wonderful time in the States, and even though the time seemed to fly while we were there, it seems like we were gone FOREVER!  Coming back home felt a little strange at first.  Several people asked us if it was hard to come back, and to be honest, it wasn’t.  For me, it’s ALWAYS hard to say goodbye to my family (I almost never make it without shedding some tears at some point), but coming back here to Mexico definitely feels like coming home.  We have such a sense of belonging here, like we’re supposed to be here.  I know that comes from God.  I think both of us were also eager to get back to the work God has given us here.  We really enjoy the ministries and church that we are involved in and at this point in our lives couldn’t imagine ourselves anywhere else.  We’re excited to see what the year 2012 holds!

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