some photos

9 Days Away

We finished up on Friday and I am now a YWAMer having graduated from their Discipleship Training School. The entire experience was absolutely amazing and God has revealed so much to me especially about what I am to do next. Inspirations, work, frustrations, hope, struggle, joy, sweat, tears, vision, answered prayers . . . it was all a part of these past six months. What's next? I will be in Corpus Christi for a few days (July 12th-14th), from there I go to Austin to pay some visits (15th-17th), and I will make one last stop in Houston (17th-18th) before heading back to Corpus Christi. I plan on spending some time with my family and working down there anywhere between 6 months to a year. I know that God has called me to for a season to help my family, further foster this cultural change I am going through, and place myself in a better position to make a longer stay in Mexico possible. I have a heart to make an impact in the Spanish speaking culture both in the States and Mexico and in order for me to do that well and excellent I have to be able to identify even more with the people. This means that I can not only communicate efficiently but effectively by being fluent. This leads me to spend at least a couple of years in Mexico to truly crystallize all that I have received. I would love to share this vision I have personally with each one of you all, so please if you can e-mail (LS1130@hotmail.com) me if you are in town for the days I am visiting and your phone number. I lost my cell phone in Chiapas, which means that I lost all my contacts. Thank you so much for all your support and prayers and being a critical part to all that has happened and where this is all going. I love you all and God Bless.

On my way back . . .

I can not believe it is almost over. We are out of the jungle and back in San Cristobol for a few day until we start the road trip back to Mazatlan. It is nice to have a bathroom, clean clothes, and not perspire every moment. Although the last few days in the jungle were incredible! We put on a kids program for all the neighboring villages and shared God´s love through games, piñatas, stories, skits, and even clowns. It is hard to express how these people have touched my heart. It was such a blessing to have my talented beautiful good friend of mine Esther Havens come pay us a visit for a few days in Chiapas. She took some absolutely wonderful images and I can not wait to share them with you all, but of course in good time because she sacrificed so much to join us. Besides being darker and probably a few ( I use that term loosely) pounds heavier my life has changed so much. With the outreach part being over I am left now with heavy reflection, decisions, anticipation, and excitement for what is next. At the beginning of my time here over 5 months ago I heard God promise to show me new things in my heart, identity, and vocation. I waited but I knew that it would happen towards the end and sure enough it has. I have a healthy fear in me for what is next but just like all the pivotal moments in my life, He has provided and affirmed the visions I have had and will continue to have. Even though I feel like it is the end, the reality is that it is truly the beginning. I can not wait to see and visit with everyone of you all who has been a part of this journey. I do have some needs in returning back to the States because my resources are just about depleted, which leaves me without a ticket back and start up expenses until I get a source of income. Please pray about this and if you are able to respond and support my e-mail is (LS1130@hotmail.com)I love Mexico and want to come back but I would like to come back to the States first before making the move.

Puebo to Pueblo

These have been the most challeging days for us on our outreach because we went from ministering to Guadalajara, which is one of the wealthiest cities in Mexico, to now in Chiapas which is one of the poorest. Besides the bugs and bathroom, or lack of bathrooms, it is amazing. We are surronded by such a beautiful scenery with everywhere you look being green and rivers and lakes being blue to green. I must admit that I am actually enjoying the bathing in the river part although I am not much of a fan of having to do my laundry by hand in it. It has been a blessing being here becuase the people in these communities are the most hospitable and hubmle people I have met here. I would venture to say that the Mexican people are the warming loving people one will ever meet on this planet. They greet you with open arms and offer everything they have even if it is not much to fill your belly and make sure that you feel at home. A pastor/missionary named Jose Cano who has been working in Chiapas for ten years is leading us throughout different Pueblos for 14 days. We put on a service and minister to the people every pueblo we go to. On Saturday we are heading out to the jungle to dispense food, clothing, and share God´s word with the lacandones. These are tribes people who live in huts made of suger cane and leaves called palapas. It is a little dangerous for us becasue we will be camping in the village with some risks of being visited by scorpians and snakes. Please pray for safety and healing with some illnesses falling on the team and that the love of Christ would be seen to the indigoenous people. I should also report that all 7 girls on my team are doing incredible under these conditions and I am not going crazy, but am very impressed by their flexibility and willingness in all this. I can not believe we leave back to Mazatlan in 10 days! I should be back in Texas in a litte over a month and God has given me some amazing vision for the next season of my life.

Chiapas

I apologize for not being able to keep up`very well with my blogs but it has been tough these last few weeks to get away and write. We have been on the road for a little over three days and we are finally in Chiapas!!! We have a couple of days to get settled in and so I plan on catching you all up on everything tomorrow. We are safe, healthy, and excited about this place. I must say that I am loving Mexico even more and God has been giving me some visions about my future concerning this beautiful country.

Back in Guadalajara

It has been over a week since we arrived in Guadalajara and it has been great so far. Our team has been split up into several groups and we are staying with host families who are very kind and hospitable. We have been doing a lot of work with one of the local churches here called Palabra de Vida. This past weekend we went to a city a few hours away to help with putting on a mini VBS for a rehabilitation center for kids on the street who have been on drugs. It is a government program that takes kids in for 3 months and teaches them about values, principles, and social skills with full time workers such as psychologists and medical doctors. A huge opportunity opened up when they agreed to allow a church to come in and teach these kids about the fruits of the Spirit. It reminded me very much of my VBS days as a Shepard for Lake Hills and it was incredible be with these young ones and to share the love of Christ with them. Another day we hooked up with a Pastor from a different colonial who took us out to the local market to ask for donations so that we could dispense them out to people in need in a pueblo a few hours away. That morning went amazing with heaps of vegtables and fruit that were given to us to give away. We put together huge bags full of a variety of the food that was given to us and put on a kids program, shared testimonies, and prayed for the people. We have a few more projects like this left here in Guad and then we are off to Chiapas in a few weeks. Also, an amazing photographer by the name of Esther Havens along with her assistant Kevin came to pay the team a visit to shoot some of the work that were are doing these last few days. Please continue to pray that God would bless this team, our efforts, and vision for what is next.

Off We Go!

We have seen some miracles done in these last few days in the area of financial support. Almost everyone has there support with exception to a few Mexican students on the Australian team who leave Saturday. Everyone on our team was given the green light on Monday and we leave this afternoon to Guadalajara around 3 p.m. Please pray for safety in traveling especially since the staff sees me responsible and fit to drive, which has placed me in the position of the second primary driver of this trip. I´m good for the long haul but the twists and turns around the mountains to Guadalajara makes me a little nervous. It is a seven hour ride so we should get there around 10 p.m. I love my team so much and there is no doubt that God´s hand is over this because of our cohesiveness and vision that stands out amongst the other teams. The time has finally arrived and I can not wait to see what is going to happen.I have 2 1/2 months left in Mexico and I know that this time is going to shape what I will be doing afterwards. Many people ask me "what is next?" and I was given the offer to come back on staff last night by our school director. Pray that God would give me clarity and affirmation for the next steps to take after my time here because decisions will be coming up sooner than I know it. May lives be changed through radical love and selflessness.