Arrival

Uncle Wesley (my brother) was waiting for us at Newark airport and accompanied us for the last leg of the journey. It was a beautiful morning with the beautiful autumn colours I have always loved rising up above the low-lying mist. The weather has been kind to us but we are still enjoying the luxury of central heating!

I think the word ‘overwhelmed’ is appropriate for describing our re-entry. Besides needing a lot of rest and some minor medical attention we have been getting out and about. Tabitha went to see her school on Monday and stayed. She was able to go all five days and had a great time. I ventured out to the supermarket by myself. I had a list but at one stage I was wondering if I would be returning home with anything on it. I was easily sidetracked but I did have to go up and down the same aisles 3 or 4 times to find what I was looking for. Finding the item I then had to pick from one of several varieties of the same thing. I know I’ve not been away that long but it was a little overwhelming. I’ve no doubt I’ll soon be able to fly around like the others who would reach over me to get what they wanted and fly on while I stood on reading all the labels and figuring out my cheapest option! As I left I was reminded where I was as a gust of wind caught my crisps (chips) and blew them into the car park. After getting my trolley (cart) back I went to get into the wrong side of the car to drive off and once corrected I then looked for my gears on the wrong side. Perhaps this week I’ll look a little more natural!
This afternoon we had our first deputation service. The NI rep had organised a lunch and program for all the prayer group leaders. There was special music by an amazingly gifted group from Australia who are visiting the country for two weeks. As we were ministered to by the beautiful music I was aware of the love and support of so many amazing people at home and was once again overwhelmed. We gave a flying report of some of the amazing things God has been doing in Mexico and as I got to telling the group about how I had felt the effects of their prayers I found myself choking up. Those of you who know me know that I don’t often get emotional but I guess this is part of the transition process. We have met some amazing people and made some great friends through OMS. We are privileged to be a part of this wonderful organisation.

We’re looking forward to the next few months of reporting back. We have not done amazing things in Mexico – God has through the prayers and support of His people and we’ve been privileged to see some of it first hand. A part of our hearts will always be in Mexico. We hope to move to our next ministry assignment in the New Year but maybe I’ll blog about that next week…

Here we are arriving in Mexico back in 2004.

Exit

Our last few days in Mexico seem like a whirlwind. There were so many little things to do at the last minute and lots of people wanted to pop in to say goodbye. Goodbyes are never easy but when you know it may be unlikely you will ever see some of these people again and certainly not for extended periods like we have been used to it makes them even more difficult. Sunday was difficult as we said goodbye to many people in the church. In the afternoon we went out for a picnic with the MOPS girls and their families and those were some of the most difficult goodbyes for me.

In the middle of it all some of the young girls from church come around and I taught them to make cookies and banana bread. They want to raise money to come and visit. It would take a lot of cookies and bread to buy a ticket but it would be amazing if they could come. Some people talked about coming to visit so perhaps we will have the opportunity to make introductions.

The day before we left my temperature went up again. I quickly phoned the doctor to get the name of medicine that would bring it down and we got to praying that it would and that I would not be denied my place on the plane. I know many were praying for our journey perhaps without knowing the specifics but I was so aware of your prayers. All day I felt terrible and was in bed at the same time as the kids. In the morning my temperature was down and I was feeling much better. Since coming home I have been put on another antibiotic and with a lot of rest I am feeling a million times better.


On Wednesday morning we had a meeting with the wives of the pastors and as you can see from the picture Robin MacKinnon was in town. We were able to snatch some precious moments together and I feel blessed that God should have worked the circumstances for our reunion to be made possible.

Once again thank you for your prayers as we travelled. We have absolutely no doubt that we were carried by prayer. The kids, once again, were amazing. We had more incredibly tough goodbyes at the airport with Margaret and Robin. It was fantastic to travel with the Lindseys though we knew that meant even more difficult goodbyes ahead. There is no doubt that we really miss our amazing missionary family and wish we could have them all here with us. How long will it be until teletransportation is possible? Perhaps better to long for heaven where there are no more goodbyes!

MOPS

On Tuesday I had the privilege of sharing at the other MOPS group in Mexico. I didn't have to travel too far as the church is on the same land as the seminary where we are living! I love MOPS and I love how eager these girls are to do a great job in their privileged position of being mums of young kids.
On Thursday we had our meeting in La Loma and the topic was 'True Beauty' with an overview of some of Esther's great qualities. In both groups numbers have gone down since everything was closed because of the swine flu. We appreciate your prayers that God would bless both groups numerically and as a result that lives and families would be transformed by the power of the gospel and applicable teaching. It felt so good on Thursday to tell the girls that there are people interested in them and praying for them that they don't even know. These girls are constantly testifying to the change MOPS is making in their marriages and families. There is a depth of biblical wisdom in this area among older women in our churches at home that perhaps we take for granted. In a few years we hope to see even more long-term fruit for the labour of MOPS in Mexico City.
Downstairs the kids enjoyed popcorn and a movie...and comfy cushions made by friends at home. Thank you again Ann and the team! The leadership of the kids' work has changed hands. It's a little unstable and we'd appreciate prayer that God provides people every week to work with the kids. There has always been someone...but sometimes just one!!

Play time

This is the little space outside the classrooms at La Loma a few months ago...

Ezekiel, in the blue t-shirt below, has worked so hard along with some others in the past few weeks to completely transform the look. Here he is adding the finishing touches with his daughter. Tabitha was keen to get in on the action too of course!
The next day Andrew went out to build the equipment...
and the next day, Thursday, it was put to the test at MOPS.
The mums were in their meeting of course but here one of the Dads shows his daughter what to do.
The boys have fun...and are versatile.
It's a huge hit. The kids love it and so do the adults. Thank you SOOOOOOO much to those who made it possible. There is still some softer flooring to go down but our biggest prayer is that this excellent play area will attract kids and their parents, bringing them to church where they will hear the gospel. Of course the prayer continues as we hope for their salvation! It will be used whenever kids are in the building...a lot!

Who turned up the speed?

It seems so hard to believe that in less than a week we will be back in N. Ireland. It's hard to imagine exchanging our t-shirts for sweaters, not sitting in horrendous traffic or speaking in Spanish. More importantly, it's hard to imagine that we are saying final goodbyes to so many people we love so much. I think we are still in denial about that. Tania (above) has been our friend ever since we came back in 2004. She is a fabulous Spanish teacher but it wasn't long before we established a friendship outside of the classroom. We have invited so many people to come and see us but we definitely hope that Tania will be able to come... and maybe you will get to meet her!
This is our view most mornings. In the distance there are two peaks - a pointy one and a more gradual one just to the left of it. They are the volcanoes just outside the city. Once the sun gets up they disappear from sight because of the pollution...but we aren't sleeping the best so we usually get plenty of time to see them. Below is the view out the back.
Since the last time we posted we have been flying around visiting people. We have managed to close 6 of the 9 cases.

Andrew felt achy all over and had a pretty constant headache for a week. He had no fever thankfully and though the tiredness hasn't lifted the rest of the symptoms seem to be a thing of history. We appreciate your prayers for him as he is susceptible to severe headaches. But we know prayer works!

I developed a heavy cold but avoided going to the doctor. Until last Thursday. I had twisted a muscle in my back but continued doing the things I had planned and by the evening it was quite angry. My temperature went up and so I succumbed to the inevitable. I was diagnosed with bronchitis and given a pile of medicine. It's the first time since coming to Mexico that I have had asthma-like symptoms even though I had it bad as a kid. Anyway, time heals as they say and things are looking up.

The kids have been great healthwise. They are tired though and so after tomorrow we are hoping they will be able to get the rest they need before the big journey. Tabitha has struggled with all the changes and is expressing it in anger. We went out with our old neighbours this morning and it was lovely to see our happy, singing daughter again. I should imagine things will settle down once we finally get on the promised airplane and she sees family that she has been desperate to see for ages. She has no idea of the painful consequences of our leaving but she has so much to look forward to.

God willing we fly out around 9.o0am local time (3.00pm in Britain) on Thursday. We should arrive in N. Ireland (with 15 layers of clothing each!!) at 9am local time Friday (3am Mexican time) It's almost 24 hours when you consider the drives to and from the airports. We continue to appreciate your prayer as we say our final goodbyes (the hardest are last!) and for a safe journey (with kids who sleep!).