Family Update

We feel like this month has passed by so quickly. We are getting ready for a month of furlough and already feel a little tired. Pray for God to keep us safe in travel, give us some time to rest and be to at the center of all our conversations along the way. We wish that we were going to get to see all of you this time, but we are trying to keep it short so that Quincy will not miss much school. Please pray that our time away will be renewing for us, not too hard on kids, and a time of growing for our church.

Jocotan
A good friend of Omar’s joined us two weeks ago in Jocotan. Chiche (Jose) shares a similar background with Omar, struggling with addictions. Because of those addictions, he’s now very alone. At some point during our time together, we began to minister to Chiche as a family of Christ’s. And ministering together, we experienced everything we were hoping to offer. God encouraged us and, I believe, renewed our spirits. You could see it in the eyes of each that spoke to Chiche. As they told about God’s power and comfort that they’ve experienced, it was as if they were reliving it. I especially noticed Jose Julian’s growing excitement. And Jose Julian never said a word. But he was soaking in all that was being said. He’s been struggling lately and the words spoken around him were taking seed, again, in his heart and mind. It was a beautiful day. Chiche assured us that he would be back. He usually works on Sundays, but he’d do everything that he could to be back with us soon.

Please be in prayer for our group as they desire to minister to other family members and friends. In particular, please pray for Felipa (Julian’s mom) and her desire to know God better as well as, Chuy (Lupe’s brother) his wife (Nena) and their new baby boy. All of us have been praying for specific fruits of the spirit to be filling up our lives. For the sake of anonymity, I will not attach names to these specific requests: self control, patience, faithfulness/perseverance, wisdom, and acceptance/contentment

Sponsors’ Weekend
We had a blast hosting almost 30 friends and supporters from the states in February. I think each left excited about what God is doing in Mexico. (We also invited friends of ours in Mexico City to come to Guadalajara and share about their similar work with simple churches.

(From Tim) My favorite part of the weekend was after lunch on Sunday afternoon. Everyone, Mexicans and those from the U.S., were invited to share what God is doing in their lives. Mexican brother after Mexican brother shared what God has saved them from and how grateful they are to God and to whichever Christian brother it was that God used to lead them to Jesus. Though I’ve heard most of the stories before, I was still blown away.

Planning for such a weekend involves a lot of hassle and headaches, but in the end we always feel like it was worth it. One of the extra benefits, besides being with old friends (and new), is the process itself. We spend a lot of time figuring out what we want to share and how we want to share it. And each time we feel God reminding us of the good things that are going on; that he is powerful and at work among us.

Sad News
One of the men that came for the sponsors’ weekend, Tim Hartman from Yukon, Oklahoma, passed away two weeks ago. The plane he was piloting crashed near Oklahoma City. We only met Tim for the first time when he came to visit. However, it just so happened that his brother, Doug, was my (Tim) coordinator when I was an AIMer in Lisbon, Portugal. We ask that you pray for Tim’s wife and two sons as well as Doug and the entire Hartman family.


Quincy’s School
We continue to enjoy opportunities to be involved at Quincy’s school and meet more and more of his classmates’ parents. Tim attends a parents’
“Coaching” class every other week and we take turns volunteering once a week, receiving kids as they arrive at school.

This month the first grade put on a book fair for their parents. Each group of students took turns presenting the books that they authored together. It was quite cute. And once again we were reminded that Quincy is a natural with the microphone.