Empanadas, Bruno Mars, & Sunburns

     It's been a while since I've had an out-of-the-country adventure. And by "a while" I mean, almost 6 whole months. God is calling me to a season of rest and steady learning - refinement. So although it's kind of killing me, I'm called to Texas for the moment. But that hasn't stopped me from a whole new set of adventures!

     I work with college students at Austin Community College through Hill Country Bible Round Rock. It's a difficult ministry; ironically there's a lack of community at the community college. It is nothing like a 4 year school so it's a whole new ball game for me, but I'm enjoying our weekly outreach of serving coffee and snacks to students on campus. I'm also nannying for 2 little girls - Ella & Emma. They're 4 and 5 years old and are so energetic! Everything is new and exciting to them so I'm enjoying our time baking, watching Veggie Tales, and reading at the library. 

Homemade Empanadas at Midnight upon our arrival in Mexico

     And the highlight of this year so far was my trip to Jose Maria Morelos, Mexico with my church. As you probably know, I love corn tortillas, Spanish, and all things Mexican. However, this was a completely different trip from all the other ones I've taken. In the past year, God's really revealed to me my heart for Spanish-speaking cultures of the world. In hindsight, I see that this passion has really been there all along, through my family's heritage of being pastors & missionaries several Hispanic countries, as well as my love for speaking Spanish since I won my "Spanish Bee" in 1st grade. So I went into this trip with a new perspective: "what would it be like if I lived in an environment like this one day?"

My teammate & I with some kids from Esperanza

     On Saturday we traveled from 3:30am to 11:30pm the first day, flying into Cancun and then taking what turned out be a 6 hour drive to JMM! We were given delicious empanadas when we arrived then went to bed to rest before a busy Sunday at church. Sunday I got to work with some middle & high school aged students (my favorite!) at the church. We talked about Elijah & Elisha and they wanted me to read 2 Kings in Spanish (probably just so they could laugh at how slow I read and how I didn't know how to say "Eliseo" and "Elias"). Sunday evening we went to a nearby village called Esperanza (Spanish word for "Hope") to watch the kids perform songs they had practiced for our visit. They sang songs like "Father Abraham," "If You're Happy and You Know It," and "I'm in the Lord's Army." We also got to talk to 2 teenage girls (the Mexican girls in the photo above) about their life, school, and words in English vs. Spanish. This conversation helped me build confidence about speaking in Spanish - which I did a lot for the rest of the trip! 

Painting the Church #HillCogoesttoMexico

     On Monday & Tuesday we were happy but exhausted. We helped paint (and later repaint) a local church in JMM and then went to nearby villages that are heavily Catholic or traditional Mayan. We partnered with the small churches in these villages to go hut-to-hut sharing the story of Jesus, our testimonies, and praying for anyone who needed it. At the end of each walk around the village, the church hosted a service for all the people we talked to during the walk. We had a great turn-out of people, especially kids, and we handed out a lot of Bibles. A few of us Americans got to share our testimony while someone translated it into Spanish and sometimes Mayan! My favorite part was playing with the kids, and letting them teach us how to play their local games and football (soccer). With each group got to I walk them through the Gospel (in Spanish!) and tell them the story of Jesus. Then late on Tuesday night our group went to the city centre of JMM to just hang out and talk to the locals. Immediately I had a group of 15 elementary aged kids

Sharing Gospel in Spanish w/ Gospel Beads

around me, wanting to teach me a game. We played several games for a while and then we sat down to talk and I shared the Gospel. These kids were way more involved in the story than even the churched kids in the nearby villages. It was amazing to watch them process through the story, even though they had probably heard it before. A guy from our group had brought over necklaces, bracelets & pins that helped tell the story. So after we gave them out, I got to walk all of those kids through the story as well! It was an amazing experience and I went to sleep that night with a full and joyful heart. 

     

Shared the Gospel with these kids from Tobasco

     Wednesday we went to the local university to sit in on a Mayan class! What a confusing language, but I did learn a lot and we got to talk to the students at the end of class and explain what we were doing there. Afterwards a couple of students gave us a tour of the campus and while walking around, a professor asked us to join his Environmental Politics class. We played a game with the students and answered questions about how Texas, specifically Austin, handles environmental issues. We got to share with them about the responsibility we believe God has given us to look after our earth and the environment. A news crew even came out to interview Jacob, our leader, and some translators to explain "what the gringos were doing here!" :) It was such a neat opportunity and God surprised us big time! 

The Church Building in San Diego

     We drove back to Cancun and spent our last day on a boat snorkeling and at the beach, reflecting on all the God had taught us that week. It was so beautiful; I've never seen water that clear and fish that up-close before! I'm so thankful for this amazing opportunity to go somewhere I love and share what God has called us all to share! Thank you God for my incredible team, and for the endless adventures you call to experience with you!

     Here's a couple main things God taught me: 

Walking hut-to-hut with women from the church

1. Pray ALL THE TIME. "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you profess" (1 Peter 3:15). To do this, we need to be in constant prayer, asking for eyes like Jesus and guidance from the Holy Spirit to recognize opportunities. The leader of our group from the Mexican side, Atlay, was a huge encouragement in this area of prayer. He prayed for any and everything and really challenged our group to do the same. Pray for the big things that are really game-changers in your life, but don't neglect praying for the small things that may not seem that important. God cares about every detail of our lives (Psalms 37:23) so talk to God about the little things - like paint drying the same color ;) And have the boldness and confidence to pray for something again and again. Pray for and with the people I do life with, no matter what their faith background might be.

Kids I played games with in the City Centre

2. Be flexible and walk with the Spirit. It's a wild goose chase, following the Holy Spirit. Be prepared to change your plans when you let Him lead! In the story of Mary & Martha, be like Mary, content to sit at the feet of Jesus and just be. Don't miss out on anything! (Luke 10)

3. Faith like a mustard seed - we heard this story in song-form several times on the trip. Apparently it's a popular Spanish tune. When we pray, believe that God will accomplish all that He has promised. 

4. Be content. This last year has been full of ups and downs. I'm really beginning to understand the passions and calling that God has given me and I'm ready to dive in and use them. But God hasn't given me the green light to go - yet. He has called me to stay in Texas a little while longer - to grow, to learn, to prepare, and mature. Even though I want to be in that next stage of life, living in a Spanish speaking country as a full-time missionary, I remember people like David, or even Jesus! From the beginning Jesus knew His calling but for 30 years God was up to something before he gave Jesus the ok to start His ministry. This is so 

This was just beautiful & perfect. Spent our last day in Cancun before flying back to Texas

weird to me, I mean, why God? Why wait? But something very important happened during that time of waiting. Same with David. God had to grow David and teach him things as a shepherd before He could officially become King. God, help me be patient and content during this season. Thank you for allowing me time to prepare for what you've called me to do. I'm sure I'll be so extremely grateful for this time one day! In the meantime, help me be fully here, where you've called me to be. Help me not miss out on opportunities here, just because I'm too focused on the future. I trust that your plan is perfect!

Our team on the Catamaran in Cancun - absolutely love this team!