Ministry Updates

  I've decided to take a quick break from studying Mexican law and reading through their legal process (more on this later) to give an update on how the past two weeks have been and what I am up to now. I can hardly believe that two weeks has already passed since I have been back. At first things were going slowly as I figured out my new weekly routine. But now I am getting to fill my time doing some awesome things that I am excited to share about. 

   First off, I am back at El Pozo de Vida (The Well of Life) helping out in whatever capacities I can. For those of you that don't know, The Well is a Mexican non-profit organization that fights human trafficking and modern day slavery. We have four main areas in which we work which are: prevention, advocacy, intervention and restoration. I am currently helping mainly with prevention and advocacy, but I also am involved with intervention and restoration as well in more discreet ways.
   For the advocacy part, I am helping the social workers to learn more about the individual laws and protocols that have to do with human trafficking, both nationally and internationally. I will also be giving a workshop to the girls in the house on the justice system in April and am currently working on preparing my material for that. Many of you may be thinking, "How does she even know Mexican laws?" and the truth is I don't and am starting from scratch! I've been spending many hours the past week reading the Constitution, the basic foundation of the Mexican government, and bugging all my Mexican friends to help explain to me so much of this that I don't understand. 

   There have definitely been moments where I have had to stop, take a deep breath, and remember that God placed me in this ministry and He will equip me how He sees fit to do this work well. It's been a really humbling time through this major learning curve, but at the same time I am finding such strength and peace that only comes from my Heavenly Father and have really been enjoying my time with Him in a way I have never experienced before.
   The prevention aspect that I am working with comes in the form of the ministry team that goes to the immigration jail every Saturday to work with the women and young boys that are detained there. See this previous post for a more in-depth story about my first time with this ministry. I'm continually humbled and changed through these experiences on Saturday, and I am also really delighting in the team with whom I get to share these experiences. Most of them are Mexican, and all of us come from different organizations, so it is so sweet to see such diversity working for one common goal: freedom. This team and what were are getting to do each Saturday is such a beautiful reflection of the Gospel and God's Kingdom and I am continually blown away by how blessed I am to experience this here in Mexico. 

    Another "activity" that I have been doing is discipling a couple of girls that have befriended me. The times that I get to spend with each of them are some of my favorite times of the week for me because there are few words to describe how encouraging and uplifting it is to have friends that are nationals and are so supportive and excited for you to be here. Below is a picture of my dear friend Paulina who is studying Graphic Design at UVM and probably my best Mexican female friend :D 

   
    
    Monday night and Sunday afternoon I also got to spend some time hanging out with the "jovenes" (the youth) from my church. I usually don't go to their Sunday School class because I am helping instruct the class for the new believers, but despite not having spent much time with them last semester, they have welcomed me with wider than open arms and I have really enjoyed getting to share life with some of the girls in particular. I am very excited to see where the Lord leads my friendships with some of them and I am praying that He will help me to continue to open up my heart to love on all the young ladies that He brings across my path. 

Beautiful Things

Beautiful things today: brilliant sunrise, peaceful quiet time, lovely flowers, and spending time back at The Well. One of the sweet girls lit up when she saw me and kept saying "I missed you so much!" Its amazing to see so much growth since she joined us at The Well in September. My heart is so full right now. 

Day 1 Back in Mexico

So many giggles and laughs shared with this beautiful girl today. 
I am so blessed to have her in my host family!

   Well the sun has set on my first day back in Mexico and it has been such a whirlwind of a day today! Oddly enough, there are still a couple of "culture shock" little things to which I am going to have to readjust, such as speaking and hearing Spanish ALL THE TIME (that's kind of a given obviously but my brain is sure reeling right now). In this precise moment I am in this hide-and-seek battle with a couple of mosquitoes that have already managed to infiltrate my bedroom, which is quite a contrast to the cold weather I left behind in Georgia just a few hours ago. The cars outside my window are honking and speeding by just as ruthless as always, but tonight as I'm listening to all the bustle and hustle of the city sounds again, I am ever more grateful for the endless opportunities to work for the Lord and His Kingdom that await me in this busy place. I know I only have two and a half more months here, but I think that makes me even more determined to give it my all and make this the most transformational two and a half months of my life yet! I'm ready to love more deeply, to listen more gracefully, to speak more boldly, to serve others more readily, and to get more lost in the Lord than I have ever been in my life! If it isn't apparent yet, I am going to bed tonight with a great big smile on my face as I just begin to soak up all this love and grace He has poured into my life in this particular season! :D
  

Waterfalls

     The other night the Lord graced me with a little bit of insight and deeper understanding into the reality of who He is and my relationship with Him. He took me to this vision, where I saw a magnificent waterfall cascading over rock faces and trickling down into a steady river that eventually turned into a long, calm creek. And I began to realize that the Lord's grace and love is like that waterfall. It exists in that hidden forest whether we see, hear, and experience it or not. There isn't really anything we can do individually to cause that abundant waterfall to cease to exist.
     There will be moments in our life where we are so far away from the mighty rushing of its water hitting the flat face of the surface below it. We may be miles and miles away from its beauty, and perhaps only being able to see the long, difficult journey that lies ahead to get to that place of wonder. Or perhaps we are coming down to the riverbank, taking a pause to refresh and drink of the crystal clear sweetness, and as we reach down to draw it near we hear the subtle rumbling of the waters upstream that run down at a faster and more ferocious pace than where we are sitting right now. We wonder, "What does a sound like that look like? What power and source drives a current so great in distance as this river I am just beginning to see?"
     Some of us picture that joyous waterfall secretly tucked away in the mountains that lie at our backdoors. Others remember that magnificent picture they witnessed on foreign ground to their determined feet.  No matter where in the world that mighty waterfall may be for you, it is truly only a pleasure and experience that we may take part of when we choose to travel, to pick up our feet, to stumble through the rough spots, to soak in the sunshine, to get a little wet, and to dare to be brave. It is already there, waiting for us to come and drink from it, bathe in its gloriousness, relish in its beauty, and be renewed by its splendor. God is there waiting. And His grace and love are pouring out incessantly. "So come now, and take it all in," He offers our longing hearts.

Prayers please!

Well... Found out today I have been fighting a staph infection for this past month and a half :/ The good news is it's apparently more common here in DF. The bad news (for me) is that I have to take a series of injections for a week :(  Asking for prayers that I will get better (especially my ears) so that I can be permitted to fly home for vacation on the 17th as planned! >>2 Corinthians 4:7-18<<
Pues ... Supe hoy que he estado luchando una infección por estafilococo en este último mes y media :/  La buena noticia es que es aparentemente más común aquí en el DF. La mala noticia (para mí) es que tengo que tomar una serie de inyecciones para una semana :( Pido por oraciones que pueda mejorarme (sobre todo mis oídos) para que yo pueda ser permitido para volar a casa por vacaciones en el 17 como estaba planeado! >>2 Corintios 4:7-18<<

Lessons learned in falling down

      Today I said something to my little sister, Renata, while we were ice-skating and it has stayed in my mind ever since I said it because I believe God is telling me this for my life right now and my experience here in Mexico. I said to her, "It isn't important if you fall down. What's important is that you get back up again after you fall." A little funny because I fell down two times this weekend in public: one time in the Metro with a ton of people around me and the other at church during worship. I was really embarrassed, but I had to get back up and continue smiling.
      I have so much in my life right now to give God thanks and continue smiling. At times, it's really difficult for me to avoid feeling proud of myself, and when I fall down my pride rises up inside of me for some moments. But I have to remember that I wasn't walking well by my own strength, that I wasn't seeing success in ministry by my own abilities, that I wasn't speaking Spanish well by my own intelligence. Only by the gracious love and power of the Holy Spirit that I have been able to experience these things. Like we sang this morning in worship, "If it wasn't for Your grace and for Your love." And those are all I need to lift myself back up and share my smile with everyone, even when I'm falling down.


       Hoy dije algo a mi hermanita, Renata, cuando estábamos patinando y ha quedado en mi mente desde lo dije porque creo que Dios me este diciéndolo para mi vida ahora y mi experiencia aquí en México. Le dije, "No importa si te caes. Lo que es importante es que te levantas después." Un poco chistoso porque me caí dos veces en publico este fin de semana: una vez en el Metro con un montón de gente alrededor de mi y la otra en la iglesia durante el culto.. Me dio mucha vergüenza, pero tuve que levantarme y seguir con una sonrisa.
       Tengo mucho en mi vida ahora para dar gracias a Dios y seguir sonriendo. A veces me cuesta mucho trabajo de evitar de sentir orgullosa de mi misma, y cuando me caigo mi orgullo se levanta dentro de mi por algunos momentos. Pero tengo que recordar que no estaba caminando bien por mi propia fuerza, que no estaba viendo el éxito en ministerio por mis propias habilidades, que no estaba hablando bien en español por mi propia inteligencia. Solo por el amor gracioso y el poder del Espíritu Santo que he podido experimentar estas cosas. Como cantamos esta mañana en el culto: <<Si no fuera por Tu gracia y por Tu amor.>> Y esos son solo que necesito para levantarme y compartir mi sonrisa con todo el mundo aun cuando me caigo.

Trusting amidst the pain

"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:17-18
There is so much that I can't see right now, that I can't understand, and that hurts so deeply. According to my emotions, these certainly could not be "light and momentary troubles". Yet according to my faith, every single tear and pain in my heart is undoubtedly worth the glory it will bring my Savior in the end. He died for me, so that I might continue to die to myself. But what life there is in obedience, honor, and trust!

"Pues los sufrimientos ligeros y efímeros que ahora padecemos producen una gloria eterna que vale muchísimo más que todo sufrimiento. Así que no nos fijamos en lo visible sino en lo invisible, ya que lo que se ve es pasajero, mientras que lo que no se ve es eterno." - 2 Corintios 4:17-18
Hay tantas cosas que no puedo ver ahora, que yo no puedo entender, y que duele profundamente. Según mis emociones, estos ciertamente no pueden ser "los sufrimientos ligeros y efímeros". Sin embargo, según mi fe, toda lágrima y dolor en mi corazón es indudablemente digno de la gloria que traerá mi Salvador en el final. Él murió por mí, para que yo pudiera seguir a morir a mí mismo. Pero, que vida existe en la obediencia, el honor y la confianza!