We were tremendously blessed August 5th to the 12th when a team of 4 (Dave, Emilio, Valerie, Emily) traveled to Tuxtla to support us and our work here among the university students. We had an awesome time hanging out with friends and (in Emily's case)family we hadn't seen for months, catching up on what has been happening at home and of course ministering alongside our fellow Aletheians! Our group was privileged to see God do some awesome things, we shared the gospel and saw people respond by asking Jesus to be their Lord and Savior, we had good groups for Bible study, English club, and evangelism training. We had the opportunity to do some things like take a boat tour of the Canyon Sumidero and visit the interesting towns of Chiapa de Corzo and San Cristobal. A big thanks to our group for making the sacrifice to come visit and serve along with us. Thank you to all those who were praying for us during the week and who continue to pray for us.
Life is full of ups and downs, this can especially be true in ministry. After an incredible week we were encouraged yet exhausted! We saw some momentum the following week but overall have been disappointed that we have not seen the connections we made and continue to make turn into true friends.
In the months of Aug. and September we have continued to make contacts, prayed with more people, presented our group and vision at two local churches, done evangelism training, prayed, started two on campus Bible studies, a Sunday morning meeting and have begun assisting with English classes a UVG as a way to get to know more students. Despite all this we are discouraged that only a couple new faces have been added to the group and some that it seemed were going to be solid members have not come around. We continue to struggle with cross-cultural obstacles; working within the Mexican culture is tough when it comes to making plans: our attempts at inviting people out for coffee, and to play volleyball in the park, or to see a concert often fall through. It is not easy and at times I feel desperate and carry an overwhelming weight to be successful, to start a church, to do something great, to be a standout missionary...it's an incredible burden...then I'm reminded that it is not my burden to bear and it is through these trials that I am driven closer to God. Success is being faithful to our Lord and nothing more. God IS in control and has a plan and a time, Jesus tells us to lay our burdens at His feet and to cast our cares on Him because He is able. As I daily do this I ask for your continued prayers for us and the work here. We are thankful for your support, and it can be a lonely task; we need friends who stand by us, call us, e-mail us, and pray for us. We are thankful for our awesome God who is with us every step of the way. We are thankful for all we are learning here and for all the great things we have seen happen. We are thankful for the honor of serving our God in Mexico!
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