Mex-i-Kids

The English course in Chalco finished yesterday and the special service has been scheduled for next Sunday. Pray that many kids will return with their parents. Andrew has decided to go to Chalco twice a month on Saturdays to support the small team there. He will hopefully be able to visit La Loma and Tultitlan once a month.

We haven't heard how the special event went at La Loma. Keep praying that the Holy Spirit will speak through the gospel that was presented and we'll let you know next week.

More than the number of seats

You know that church is about more than the number of seats and the bricks and mortar. Some sofas were gifted to the drop-in centre and a guy called Jesus (hey-soose) came to re-cover them. Praise God he came to know Christ. May many more come to know him on the seats that he has covered too! Pray for this new baby Christian as he begins this new and exciting journey.

Late for church!

Halloween may not be your favourite time of the year. Here in Mexico the holiday is extended by the Day of the Dead celebrations. Today (Sunday) is Day of the Dead. We visited some neighbours this week and they had a table set up downstairs with sugar skulls, candles, flowers and various foods and drinks that their dead relatives enjoyed while they were still alive. Dead family members are invited back to enjoy their 'offering'.

There are loads of graveyards right by our church which we didn't even think about before we left this morning. We ran into stationary traffic when we were still quite a bit away from the church. Thankfully we were able to turn around and take an alternative route so we weren't too late. As the graveyards were filling with people we were in church being reminded of Christ who defeated death through his own death and resurrection giving us a reason to live with hope and expectation.

So as the trick or treaters come to our gate in droves we are giving out little tracts with a simple gospel message. Please pray that they will be read and will have an impact for God's glory.

MOPS in progress

After a 90 minute round trip I arrived with the girls from the La Loma MOPS team in time for their first exposure to a MOPS meeting in progress. We were minus one lady who had a cold and another whose son had been out of action for 2 weeks with a cold as well. It was a special event with a team from Indiana being there and one of the members of the team giving the talk. It was such a great time and I think the girls were really excited to see MOPS for themselves. Afterwards there was lots of chat about ideas they had and experiences they have lived and are living through. One of the girls has two little boys. Her husband has been working in the USA for a year now. She is hoping he will return before Christmas. Can you even imagine living like that? Yet that is the experience of many here. One lady told me recently, "I am one of the lucky ones, my husband came back!" I am amazed at how the girl on our team has grown spiritually during the course of this year. She is dressed in pink on the left of the picture below.
These are the girls who were able to be at the meeting. The Campanario team were wonderfully supportive wanting the team presented, praying for us and having a lovely little gift for each of us.

Please continue to pray for someone to lead the kids' program. The girl I had in mind has said no so we are still looking for someone. Please pray that the person God has in mind for this role will be made evident. We meet again this week Thursday for planning.

Cold brings colds

This week it seemed to get cold all of a sudden. Now you'll probably laugh when I say that means it's getting down to about 15 degrees centigrade during the day and about 4 at night. For us though it means getting out the woolly sweaters and cuddling around the super ser at night.

Oscar kindly shared his cold with the rest of us so we've been fighting coughs and sniffles all week. Almost everyone we talk to is afflicted with the same. It means that attendances are down all round. Thankfully though it seems like the Agnews are through the worst of it. We're all stocked up with multivitamins and the kids have some new warm clothes to get us through the rest of the winter!

Mex-i-Kids La Loma

You may have been wondering how the breakfast club at La Loma has been going now that we aren't so heavily involved each week.

Well, it seems that there are now about 35 regular attenders. That is fantastic because before the attendance was quite erratic. It's a great base upon which they can grow. We asked what it was that was causing the attendance to be more regular and from the answers it was obvious that the leaders are asking questions to engage more with the kids. One of the leaders said that she asked one little boy what his favourite part of the club was. His answer was typical - the games. What is not so typical though was what followed. He went on to tell her that he loves the games because no one plays with him at home! Sometimes there is a lot more to doing a particular activity than we think. Let us encourage you to keep going. Sometimes the things we do that might not seem overtly 'spiritual' have a huge impact that will stay with the people we are ministering to and may even attract them to Christ.

This week of course is Halloween week. Here in Mexico the Halloween holiday is followed by the 'Day of the Dead' holiday. A special event has been planned at La Loma including a simple evangelistic drama. Pray that in this dark time here kids and their families will be released from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.

For several nights we will have many visitors at our door. Trick or treaters come in bus loads. Last year we had up to about 100 at a time, parents and children. This year we are prepared with tracts and sweets (candies). Pray that the tracts will be read and will be used to open people's hearts to the gospel.

Postponed

The last English class and special service at Chalco have been postponed until this weekend (D.V.). The same prayer requests from last week apply.

MOPS

Thanks once again for your prayers for MOPS. We were two ladies down at the meeting this week. I'm not sure what that means but would appreciate your prayers for them, that they will step up to the plate and grow through being involved in this ministry.

I'm so thankful that the ladies who were ther have accepted the responsibilities they have been given with pleasure. I asked one of the ladies to do something she hadn't volunteered for and even she was happy (after a little explanation).

Now begins the job of planning out each area and focusing on the ministry starting in the New Year. Please continue to pray for each of the girls as they focus on their area and see how God would lead them to plan it out.

On the mend

Well I think I can safely say the Agnew men are on the road to recovery. Thank you again for your prayers. Andrew is eating again and has been resting so that he is fully recovered when he gets back into the work.

Oscar still has a chesty cough so he's taking things a little easier too but he's his usual peaceful self and cruising around the furniture already!

Our team

Last Monday our team took some time out together. It's always great to be together. We are a small team at the moment but some are due to come back from HMA (deputation) and others are funding to come out. We are blessed to have such great people around us. Together we are involved in church planting, seminary teaching and directing, hospitality for visitors, social ministry, mentoring, English teaching, keeping finances under control etc. etc. This group of people is incredibly busy. Pray that God would be glorified through our continued unity and our labour for Him.

Sickness update

Thanks for your prayers. A little over £15 later the doctor has been at the house (how we appreciate the NHS!). Thankfully we have a couple of the medicines from previous bouts of sickness so there are just a couple more to get. Thanks to the amazing Margaret who is one of the most giving people I know and is going to pick them up for us (so Oscar can sleep on!).

So the update is that it was probably something Andrew ate. He has low blood pressure as a result and some infection but with the medicine he should hopefully be feeling a lot better soon. Chalco has been cancelled for tomorrow and most probably Sunday as well. We'll keep you posted as to what will happen there. Oh, the doctor doesn't think that Andrew will infect the rest of us so that's a positive :-)

We interrupt this week..

Last weekend we asked for prayer for the final English class and special closing service at Chalco. Today Andrew came home early from work and is not well - stomach pains, vomiting, chills... We are potentially going to have to postpone or cancel both events.

Could you please pray that in all of this God's will would be done and His name would be glorified. Is it selfish to ask that you pray for healing and God's protection over the rest of us? Oscar has a horrible cold at the moment as well so the men are definitely under par.

Thank you for your prayerful support. We wouldn't be here without it!

Mex-i-Kids logo

While living in Edinburgh we were incredibly blessed by our friendship with Heather. God has truely gifted Heather in many ways. A while back we asked her to draw us up a logo and it is just perfect for the work of Mex-i-Kids. We also have a new logo for MEFI which is just being finalised.

Here are some of the thoughts behind the Mex-i-Kids logo from Heather...

I was going to have 2 large people (ie missionaries) on the outside with a small person (child) in the middle. Then thought a bit ... height shouldn't exclude help! So put them all similar in height. The other reason for not making a tiny person in the middle is that in value, all are equal before God - just that those on the outside have the means to help ...
That's were the hand holding came in ... support and love shown to each other. I really liked the way the 2 hearts developed between the 3 little people. Side by side offering genuine care and heart/emotional support to each other.
They're paper cut-out people ... pretty flimsy and fragile. Just thinking about the children you are working with ... that's what we are when it comes down to it. Pretty fragile people needing God's strength and support to become whole.
The colours - the Mexican flag ... but wanted the white in the middle anyway ... to signify innocence - now I know we're not innocent, but when you consider the wrecked lives of little children ... one of the biggest tragedies is the loss of innocence and the enforced 'maturity'. I guess this coupled with the prayer, "restore to us the years that the locust has eaten" ... and the Biblical themes that God comes to cleanse, clean, purify and make innocent/without blame before Him in love ... all of this made me want white in the middle. It's perfect that that tied in with the flag's colours.
It's a simple, clean, child-friendly logo. It is Mexican :o) There is immediate ownership of it - not some import of goodness from afar, but a mission entirely focussed on Mexican children.
So that's a little background! It speaks of togetherness, kindness, forgiveness, help and journeying together with a focus on Christ's love, kindness, forgiveness, help etc through the cross.

So there it is. We hope you like it!

I love my job!

This is a special picture! Firstly because of it's situation. The tree in the background may seem pretty normal but I think it's the first autumnal looking tree I've seen here in Mexico. I love autumn colours and while in Scotland we would usually try and take a yearly trip up to the highlands to soak it all in. So this was a special sight!

The foreground though is much more special! Robin and I are in the unique position on being missionary mums to young kids here in Mexico. We have great support from our small team but there is no doubt that it is of great mutual encouragement to have each other. Tabitha lives for the times when she gets to play with her friends... and Robin is as much one of those friends as her kids are!

There is so much to learn in this job. Sometimes it seems difficult and thankless but there are too many moments that touch my heart to want it any other way. Yesterday I was preparing a bottle for Oscar when Tabitha called in to the kitchen from her position on the couch, "Mummy, I want a hug!" I guess at all periods of our lives there are urgent things that call for our attention but there are jewels in every day that I want to stop and admire. Check out our family blog for some of those special times.

Please pray for Robin and I as we seek to follow God's leading in our lives for this stage. Pray that our love for God would deepen and grow and that the actions that result from that would deeply bless the people we minister to inside and outside the home. Pray for the strength to be obedient to all the things God is teaching us at the moment about our privilege and responsibility.

There are other mums preparing to come here to Mexico and we are excited about that. Our prayer is that we will be able in some way to support these new mums (some with younger kids than ours!) as they come.

Along the mothering theme I would appreciate your prayers as the MOPS team meet this Thursday. We will be assigning responsibilities for the year. I feel happy about the way things are working out. I have approached a different girl about running the kids' program. Pray for her as she prays about her decision and pray that God's choice of person will take on each role.

Clausura

Next Saturday is the last of four English classes that Andrew is giving down in Chalco. That means that next Sunday we will both be travelling down for the clausura (or closing). This is a special event where the kids will be congratulated on completing the course and presented with certificates. It is a big push to get them to come with their parents on Sunday. Please pray that many will come along and that this little church will be encouraged. Pray that many will be touched by and respond to the gospel. Please also continue to pray for the little team down there as they passionately reach out to the kids despite being small in number. Pray for more to be added to the team so that they can effectively reach many more with the gospel.

We are also hoping to have our second meeting with the Mex-i-Kids coordinators next Saturday evening. Please pray that this would work out. I have managed to find a little time to get working on the manual and we will be looking over what has been done to make sure that everyone is in agreement. Pray for unity and vision.

A new way of posting

Gabcast! The Agnews in Mexico #1

Escuadron and Chalco

We were blessed to worship in a different church this morning. We went to Escuadron, the mother church of the one in Valle de Chalco where the Mexi-Kids program is held. It wasn't a free visit as Andrew was invited to preach and sing. The traffic was kind to us as were Tabitha and Oscar who slept most of the way. There were maybe 40-50 people in attendance. There is a similar sized congregation on Thursday evenings but made up of completely different people who have to work on Sunday and can't make it to church then. The band members go to the Thursday service so today it was acapella! We were made to feel incredibly welcome and we were so touched as we drove home past thousands of houses in very poor situations. The pastor and his wife are very keen to start a Mexi-Kids group in this church as well. There is no doubt that there is infinite potential in the area and many precious souls could be reached. It seems that everywhere we go we are surrounded by need and it is so hard to have to make decisions based on finances. For now we have to hold off on Escuadron as we help to set up and fund the new Mexi-Kids in Acapulco. We will be going to some of the longer established clubs to see if we can reduce the financial support that we are giving and will be asking if the churches can take some of the expense. In the midst of all this need it is always good to remember that God's work done in God's way will never lack His supply!

Please continue to pray for Andrew as he runs the 4 week English course at the Mexi-Kids in Chalco. He is now 1/2 way through with 2 classes down. In particular we would love you to start praying for the special service held on the Sunday after the last class. There will be a presentation of certificates etc. but the main purpose is to invite the kids with their parents to a Sunday service. Both Andrew and I hope to be there and we ask you to pray that parents will come, that good contacts will be made and that people will find Christ and be added to the church.

Drop-In Centre

It is so hard to show what is going on at the Drop-In Centre through a few photos so Andrew took a video on Friday to give you an idea. He starts at the front door and walks towards the back before swing around towards the front again. It looks very messy but hopefully we are within a couple of weeks of the finish line... and then the real work can re-commence.

Please continue to pray for Fidel as he takes some well-earned time off this week. Pray that the workers will not be held back as they work. We are so grateful to yet another team (4 people this time) who will be finishing off the electricity work.

MOPS meeting 2

We had our 2nd MOPS meeting on Thursday. The different roles were presented and each lady wrote 2 areas in which they would like to be involved and one area where they would not like to be involved. There are 5 areas of responsibility.

We have a great bunch of ladies and it is exciting to think about how God will use this ministry. I would appreciate your prayers for wisdom though. The ladies were unanimous in their desire not to be responsible for the children's program. So now I am deciding what to do... Do I force a lady into that role against her wishes? Do I find out why this is so undesireable and see if the reason is resolveable? Do I ask two ladies to share the responsibility? Do I call in someone else who is in a different season of life and wouldn't necessarily benefit from the MOPS program?

In the next few days I will prayerfully come to a decision hopefully. Personally I am excited about the kids program. I love the thought of kids dragging their mums to MOPS because they themselves want to be there. I am excited about the possibility of reaching these tiny kids with the gospel right at the outset of their lives.

From now on we will be meeting every 2 weeks for planning. It gives us about 6 planning sessions before we start and as I started to map out those meetings I realised that there is a lot to cover in that time. Please continue to pray for the leadership team and also for the preparation of the hearts of ladies who will attend.

For you women!

I was so blessed this weekend to be able to listen in to a couple of sessions of a very special women's conference through a live video feed. It was called the True Woman '08 conference and was organised in conjunction with the daily radio broadcast that I try and listen to regularly. I think it is probably easy anywhere to drift away from God's highest calling for our lives as women. Sometimes we zone out and dry up a little, perhaps we let issues of this current culture to mold our thinking more than His word or don't prioritise wisely etc.

Through listening into the radio show which you can access here (go to the podcast section to figure out how to get the broadcasts daily) I am continually challenged and inspired in my daily walk. Listen in to some of the sessions by going here. This web page also has lots of resources to help us if we are serious about being who Christ wants us to be. We need to be shining brightly. We constantly hear that these are dark times and they are but lets not let the darkness overcome us, rather lets be encouraged that in the darkness we will shine more brightly.

For those who are interested to go a lot deeper into this subject and ask themselves some penetrating questions here is a list that we were sent from headquarters. Only launch into this when you are ready and open to be challenged...

Will My Spiritual Wardrobe Include Robes of Righteousness This Year?

Because we still live in a sinful world, and make choices to walk in the flesh instead of in the spirit, we get dirty and need to clean up. (Notice how well the Lord does laundry in Zechariah 3:3-5 and what kind of detergent He uses in Malachi 3:2). Prayerfully consider the following questions before the Lord, to very “yes” answer, ask the Lord to wash you clean. Keep this in your Bible and periodically and often survey yourself to check your robes.

Priorities (Mt. 6:33, 10:37-39)
➢ Is there anything in which I have failed to put God first?
➢ Am I pursuing my own desires or the will of God?
➢ Is there anything hindering me in my surrender or service to God: procrastination, ambition, pride, pleasures, loved ones, money, desire for recognition?
➢ Is there anything I am not willing to sacrifice to see God move in my life:
time, convenience, comfort, reputation?

Purity of Heart (Mt. 6:1, 23:28; I Sam. 16:7; Ps. 51:16 ff)
➢ Am I the same person at home as I am away from home? Do I try to impress people by being something I am not? Am I hypocritical?
➢ Do I deny the reality of or justify my sin?
➢ Do I practice empty or insecure worship?
➢ Am I more concerned about what others think about my life than about what God thinks?
➢ Would I pray, read my Bible, give, and/or serve as much if God was the only one who noticed?
➢ Am I complacent in my attitude toward God?

Pride (Phil. 2:3-8; Prov. 28:13)
➢ Am I full of self (self-motivated, self-absorbed, self-centered, self-sufficient, self-indulgent, self-satisfied, self-protective)?
➢ Do I talk about what I have done rather than what Christ has done?
➢ Do I fail to admit to others when I am wrong, repent, and ask forgiveness?

Obedience
➢ Have I ignored something I know God wants me to do? (John 14:23)
➢ Do I allow doubts or feelings of inferiority to keep me from serving the Lord? (Eph. 3:20)
➢ Do I willingly tithe to His work? (2 Cor. 9:7)
➢ Have I failed to be submissive to those in authority over me in my family, government, work place, or church? (Heb. 13:17)


➢ Am I guilty of not caring for my body as the temple of the Holy Spirit by overindulging or practicing unhealthy habits? (1 Cor. 6:19-20)

God’s Word (Ps. 119:97: 140)
➢ Are my personal devotions inconsistent or meaningless?
➢ Do I think about other things while God’s Word is taught?
➢ Do I fail to apply God’s Word to my life?

Spirit Control (Gal. 5:22-23; Jam. 4:7; 2 Tim 1:7)
➢ Is there any area of my life of which I have not allowed Jesus to be Lord?
➢ Do I minister in the power of the flesh rather than the power of the Spirit?
➢ Am I filled with doubt, worry, or fear?
➢ Do I have angry thoughts toward myself, other, or God?
➢ Have I complained against God or been dissatisfied with His provision for me?

Moral Purity (Eph. 5:3-4; Phil. 4:8)
➢ Do I ever allow my mind to dwell on unholy things or my eyes to view entertainment that does not glorify the Lord?
➢ Is my conversation unprofitable or empty? Do I lie or exaggerate?
➢ Is the way I dress pleasing to the Lord?

Relationships (Col. 3:12-15; Eph. 4:31-32; 1 Cor. 13:4-8)
➢ Is there anyone against whom I am holding a grudge?
➢ Is there any root of bitterness, resentment, envy or jealousy in my heart?
➢ Do I use my words to tear down others, gossip, or criticize?
➢ Am I judgmental in my attitude toward my family, the government, or my church?
➢ Do I complain, find fault, or argue?
➢ Am I rigid, demanding, or a perfectionist?
➢ Do I care more about my needs than the needs of other?


*Taken from “For Such a Time as This,” a Bible study by Jill Rhodes (pages 41-43)

Mex-i-Kids Chalco

Yesterday Andrew started a 4 week English course down in Chalco. It's a long way away and sometimes can take 3 hours to get home because of the traffic. The purpose of the course is to generate interest for the club and to encourage kids back who may have drifted off a little.

He will also be an encouragement to the pastor and his wife who run this ministry with very little help in terms of personnel. There were about 50 kids there. This ministry is what is keeping the little church in Chalco open. There are only about 20 adults who attend under the plastic covering in this very poor area. Please continue to pray that kids and their families will be reached through the breakfast club and for more helpers. There is great potential in this area for hundreds of kids to be attending but the club can't be advertised while there is only a handful of adults to run it.

I would also appreciate your prayers as I start to tackle the huge job of putting together a manual for Mex-i-Kids. We will have another meeting of leaders in a few weeks where I would like to get feedback from them on the tasks they went away with and also on the manual that I will be writing.

Thank you so much for your prayers. We are in this ministry together and we appreciate the huge part you are playing.

MOPS

We have our follow-up meeting this Thursday. It seems that everyone who was at the last meeting is keen to be involved in this ministry which is encouraging. This time we will be assigning responsibilities for the year. Please pray that the right people will be put into the various positions as we move into a period of planning.

I was approached several times by girls wanting to know if they could invite young mums to the meeting on Thursday and had to explain several times that this is a leadership meeting. It is encouraging however to know that there is interest out there for the ministry!

MEFI

Well, the team are on holiday (vacation). Please pray that they will have a restful week. Fidel, Alex and Paty work so incredibly hard often at great personal sacrifice. It is obvious that they see this ministry as more than a job, they work hard because they love the Lord and the kids they work with.

The building work will continue this week. Andrew will open and close the centre for the workers each day and will use the time to further plan and pray over the future. We really hope to have pictures of the completed work very soon. The finish of this phase of the work is within reach.

As Andrew was working on something out front at the centre this week he had an excellent conversation with a guy who was passing by. There is a possibility that this guy will return with his wife for more bible teaching. It's a challenge to us to use every contact to be spreading the good news that there is hope for this life and beyond. We don't follow empty religion, we have a living relationship with the Creator of the universe who has the best plan for our lives, desires that we enjoy Him for all of eternity and has made the way blatantly obvious in His word, the bible. Believe that he took the punishment for your sin on the cross, plead His forgiveness and live to follow His plan as laid out in the bible. There is no more fulfilling way to live life! Our continued prayer is that God will mightily use the Drop-In Centre to bring many street kids to this realisation.

Acapulco

Thanks for your prayers. We had a lovely time in Acapulco and both journeys went incredibly well. The kids didn't sleep that well while we were away but they did ok and are now settling back into their normal routine again.
Acapulco is divided by a mountain range. On one side is the beach front that the tourists see but behind the mountain the scenery is different. We were excited to be able to attend one of the 3 churches in Acapulco on Sunday morning. Here are a couple of shots from along the way.
Chicken for lunch anyone? This is a common site in the City as well, we've just never taken a picture.
One of the churches sits in a huge housing estate. There must be thousands of people right on the doorstep of the church. This is the view from in front of the church.
This is the church...and inside too. It was another new experience for us. First of all it was incredibly hot so we sat as close as we could to a fan! The pastor is quite a character. He plays the keyboard and his young son plays the drums. It was a fairly lively service and we enjoyed the message. People were incredibly friendly. This is the church where the next Mex-i-Kids breakfast club will start and we had a meeting with the pastor and his wife to hand over resources and chat a little about that.
One thing that struck me was how basic the church is. The pastor's desk is at the front of the sanctuary to the left of the lectern where he preaches from. His 'pulpit' (the front of the church) is also his study. But what hit me the hardest was the nursery. I guess as a mother of kids whom the nursery serves this hits home a little harder but I took a picture to show that it's not just emotion. Apart from what you see in the picture there were a couple of cupboards and a table. Our hearts are burdened for the ministries in Acapulco. This church is working hard just to meet financial needs. They make food to sell each Thursday and have various fundraising events planned. The pastor is looking for a part time job to allow him to better support his family and as well as pastoring this church he is overseeing another that is without a pastor until the new year. He is also a husband and a father of 2 boys.
Please pray for the work in Acapulco. Pray for a pastor for the vacant church. Pray for Mario who pastors the church we visited. Pray that the church will have a significant impact in that huge area. Pray for the Mex-i-Kids starting. When we asked how we could help the pastor asked us to pray. So we pass that request on to you as well. He also mentioned the need for training of the kids workers. We're trying to figure out if and how we can help with that. We saw first hand the need for that ourselves.

Acapulco is a huge city with huge needs. I don't feel it is co-incidence that we met a couple in the hotel who pastor a church in Mexico City. They were in Acapulco visiting relatives who have contacts with some street kids in Acapulco and want to formalise a work with them. They say there are many street kids there with little being done among them. The couple we met live quite close to the Drop-In Centre and hope to visit at some point soon.

So we had a break but we were also fired up to pray and do what we can to help our sister churches so far away. We'll keep you posted.

Quick update

We're just finalising the packing for a few days break. A couple of close friends are here visiting with us for a couple of weeks so it's a great excuse to get out of the city for a few days. We will be driving to Acapulco (about 4 hours without stops) and will have the opportunity to visit some folks down there too. We hope to encourage one of the pastors with training materials etc. for the church which will soon be starting the newest Mexi-Kids. We will also be able to attend his church on Sunday morning. Apart from that we are excited to be able to take some time out as a family and with our friends. Please pray for good rest, physically and spiritually. Those of you with kids will appreciate our request for prayer that the kids will sleep well in their travel beds and in a different environment. Kids not sleeping well makes for grumpy kids which makes things a lot more difficult for us all! Please pray too that they will travel well. It's a long journey for them.

Last week's MOPS meeting was really encouraging. The girls seems excited about the new ministry. In the next couple of weeks I will be talking to each of them to find out if this is a ministry that God is placing on their hearts. Then in a couple of weeks we will get together again for our first official planning meeting. Please remember the girls as they make this decision and that each one that God is calling will respond and fit into the job He has for them.

The MEFI planning meeting also went really well. Thank you for you prayers once again. Although there are still finer details to work through the changes have been well received as a whole. Praise God for team unity and pray that God will continue to lead this ministry forward in His own perfect way. As for the building. We are soooo close and yet so far. There is a lot of iron work to do, some final plastering and painting. Please pray for the workers who say that they will turn up but never do. We need to finish this building. In fact, please make this a priority for prayer for us.

On Sunday evening and Monday all day we had our annual field planning meetings. It was great to have Mark and Sarah to look after the kids so we could both be there without distraction (in the best possible sense!). What a dynamic time we had of fun and planning together. Lots of new ideas were generated and perhaps what was most exciting was the way we all worked together inputing into each others lives and ministries. We have such a great team here. We really have worked hard on team building and it shows! The kids had a great time too. I think Tabitha will be looking for a space in Mark and Sarah's luggage when they have to say goodbye.

Thank you so much for your faithful prayers. Isn't it wonderful to see God answering them so clearly? Only He can take the credit and receive glory for what is happening here.

Apology

Sorry once again for being late to update the blog. We're had a couple of days in meetings so the regular updating slot came and went. I really will try and get a proper update in the next few days.

Planning

Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Prov 16:3

This week the Proyecto MEFI team will be in planning for the year ahead. Please pray that their plans will be guided by God and that unity will continue to grow in the team. The planning will focus specifically this week on the new way to use the drop in centre with a potential of reaching more and more kids through the kids themselves.

I was reminded this week of a verse in Mark 9. I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward. I was instantly reminded once again of how grateful we are for each supporter who not only quite literally puts food on our table but also provides 'a cup of water' to so many here in Mexico. This is a promise for you - you will certainly be rewarded.

MOPS

O Thursday morning this week we have our first meeting. I'm a little tentative as to how it is going to turn out. Please pray for Robin and Erika as they present the ministry and for the La Loma girls who attend. Pray that God will touch hearts for the ministry and that He will go before planning the way and opening up more doors for evangelism.

Rehab

This week Andrew went with one of the UNIFAM pastors to a very interesting rehab centre run by a member of his church. It mainly focuses on alcoholics and at the meeting he attended on Wednesday evening the pastor gave a gospel message with great liberty and all prayed to accept Jesus as their personal Saviour. There were about 70 people there including family members who were free to air their feelings to the people seeking rehab. Those feelings ranged from, "Please do this, your family needs you" to utter anger and verbal abuse!

The program is an AA program and seems to be successful but Andrew hopes to be able to meet up with the guy who runs it to discuss an UNIFAM rehab centre. There is a real need for a rehab centre not just for street kids but for the whole of the UNIFAM churches and one that is firmly based on the Word of God. The one that we visited is not. Please pray for wisdom as we continue to investigate this together with the pastors.

Independence Day

This is a special time of year in Mexico. We are celebrating Mexican Independence. The parties happen on the 15th night (tomorrow) and everyone is off work on Tuesday. Tomorrow afternoon at La Loma we have a prayer meeting for the nation followed by a party. It will be nice to have a couple of easier days. Of course in all the churches we are being reminded of the liberty we have as children of God. Tomorrow is a celebration not just of the liberty of the country but also of our spiritual liberty. Watch out for photos next week.

There's something missing!

A few weeks ago I mentioned a chat I had had with a guy called Guillermo (ghee-yer-mo) at the Mexi-Kids party and asked for prayer for him. You can read the post again here.

Today was his first day at a Sunday service and so we were excited. Afterwards he came over to say that he is searching. He wants to change and though he has a lot of things including a wife, 3 kids and a car he is still missing something.

Please continue to pray for Guillermo and his family. His wife really wants them to attend church regularly and he says they are going to be coming along. He hasn't made a commitment yet so continue to pray that the Holy Spirit will open his eyes to the truth. His brother and family go to the church and other family members were there today as well.

Mobile Clinic

We haven't mentioned it for a while but things are slowly moving forward with the mobile clinic. This week we had a dentist who is very enthusiastic about the project over. We now have a list of materials needed for that area. Soon we will get a list needed for the medical side.

There is still a long way to go but the potential for this ministry is huge and we want to be more than sure that it is incredibly well planned. We appreciate your continued prayer for the project and for Mexicans who will be able to help with the planning.

Routine and food

Some of you who know me will be aware of how organised I like to be. So I was delighted this week to finally get a schedule on paper. Now I know what I have time for and can focus my energies in the right direction. There is comfort for me in knowing that there is a time for everything and that I don't need to be doing everything at the last moment or after a period of neglect. It is also good to be purposeful in planning activities for the week.

One thing I like to do daily is listen to a Christian radio broadcast for women. When both kids are in bed I get to tidying the kitchen (how can it get so messy in one morning?!) and what can be a tedious task has become a real growth time for me as I feed on God's word. How grateful we are for technology! If you're interested you can have a listen by clicking here.

I thought some may be interested to see the label on some frozen chicken I bought this week. Not only does it state the sell by date and the date it was packaged but it also lets me know when the poor little chickens were sacrificed. We appreciate your sacrifice little chickens.

Drop-In Centre

Here's a photo taken from the back of the drop-in centre where the roof was knocked in to create a little patio area.

The inside still looks a bit messy but the team have been working hard on little details this week. One of the counselling rooms is finished (so the most important part of the work can be carried out!) and Andrew is keen to keep finishing areas off. All efforts are focused on getting this building finished at the moment.

The ongoing health story

This week we are feeling MUCH better. I really do think that we are through the worst of it all. It was on Thursday that I felt like I had turned the corner. Then I remembered that my mum had called me on Wednesday to get an update as the folks at home were concerned and praying for us. I have no doubt at all that God is hearing your prayers. This is an instance where the answers can be reported but please be encouraged as you pray that God is hearing and answering and that you are playing such a valuable part here. We are still being careful with what we eat and taking the medication prescribed.

Last week

Andrew was busy with the team most days last week. There were some very long days and a lot of driving in the heavy traffic. We will try and get some pictures this week of the Drop-In Centre. Tiling is well underway and some of the painting has been done too.

On the streets the Cosslett team encountered a fight in Niños Heroes. Andrew feels that since we have been concentrating so much in the last year on the drop-in-centre there is much prayer needed before we hit the streets again soon. Please pray with us for the groups that we work with. Pray that even now the Holy Spirit will be moving ahead of us, for softening of hearts and for a warm reception from groups.

Many this week were glad to see Fidel again, especially the group in Baranca del Muerto who listened very well indeed. From this group one was going on a trek across the city to find his girlfriend and child. It sounds as though he is ready for a change and even to leave the streets for good. Another guy who used to hang out with the group there but has come off the streets wanted to meet us too and is interested in staying in touch. He may be a very good person to get to know more about since he was obviously a guy whom most had a lot of respect for.

As the rainy season continues we woke up one morning to find our laden lime tree all toppled over after a pretty wild storm. We're not sure what happened but it's back up now and continues to provide us and lots of friends with hundreds of limes.

I had a meeting to begin to think about MOPS. Please pray as Guille and I consider who to invite onto the leadership team. The actual meetings won't begin until into the new year but the leadership team will meet fairly frequently quite soon.

I also had our first meeting of the Mex-i-Kids leadership on Saturday. The meeting lasted for three hours! It was really good for the ladies to share how their clubs run, share ideas, encourage one another and look ahead together.

Please pray for Irma in Chalco (down south). We were all touched as she told us about their club. The church in Chalco has about 25-30 members. It was about to be closed but then Irma and her husband Cesar met Andrew and with the help of Social Ministries funding Mex-i-Kids was started. Between 40 and 80 kids attend on Saturday mornings. None of the church members can help on Saturday mornings as they have to work in the market. That means that they have helpers from the parent church (Cesar pastors both). It is a 90min journey each way on public transport. There are just 6 helpers, three of whom are Irma, her husband and her daughter. Irma prepares all the food on Friday night. She didn't know how to cook before starting Mex-i-Kids so she learned what she needed to know and prayed hard every week that no-one would get sick! In the past Irma found herself running a club for 100 kids all by herself. Seeing the potential of kids ministry she sought training. She is an incredibly humble and capable lady. With such a small team of workers they can't advertise. Irma explained that once they ran a special event for kids. They put out publicity and prepared for 200 kids. 450 kids arrived! The potential there is huge. Please pray for labourers for the harvest.

Tultitlan is by far the most organised club. They have a director, a supervisor (who monitors quality) and a co-ordinator (who keeps the program moving). There are 21 helpers in total who meet together on Wednesdays and Fridays to pray and plan. Leadership training is also soon to commence. Please pray with them that they will reach their goal of 150 kids by December. Currently they are ministering to about 40-50 kids a week.

And you already know lots about La Loma. Please pray for Janette, the new leader, who is going through a particularly difficult time with respect to family and finances.

All clubs are seeing fruit for their labours. Kids are coming to know Christ and new families are attending the churches. In Chalco Irma is particularly encouraged by all the mums who are attending and hearing the gospel though the club.

This week the music teams from La Loma and Tultitlan will get together to co-ordinate songs and actions. Perhaps one day in the future we will have a united Mex-i-Kids service...or a camp... We all need to have the same actions for songs. Andrew will co-ordinate that meeting. I will be working on putting together a manual which the leadership team will edit and approve. The manual will provide all the necessary information for new groups wanting to start (as God provides the finances). The next leadership meeting will be in October.

Health

This week I was at the doctors. It seems my intestine is struggling (possibly due to the parasite but I didn't have any tests done to identify that I had it) and somehow that is connected to low blood pressure which has been giving me various symptoms. So Andrew and I are both on medication and watching what we eat so that our digestive systems have the best chance to recover but I think as each day goes by we are feeling better. Thanks for your continued prayer for us.

Mex-i-Kids

The continuation of last week's story is that we had a great meeting with the director of the breakfast club in Tultitlan. Being released from some of the responsibility at La Loma I will be able to dedicate some time to the unification of the 3 clubs currently in operation and together the leaders will be able to prepare a model for churches which want to start a club.

This weekend we have a meeting in our house with the club leaders and the following week we have a meeting with the song leaders to co-ordinate the songs used and their actions. These meetings will hopefully be a great forum for sharing ideas and resources and for encouraging the leaders in the work. Praise God once again for a role which I can fulfill around the schedule of our children.

Teamwork

'The Cosslett Team' arrived on Monday. Once again Proyecto MEFI is blessed to have 5 great people to help out and to see the ministry first hand. Steve Cosslett who is leading the team is married to Helen who first introduced us to Mexico and Fidel a long time ago. We are hoping that they will join us here in Mexico before too long with little Nisha.

Check out their website by clicking here.

As the person responsible for the team on the field Andrew has been busy driving them around, showing them the ministry and working alongside them. He did manage to get a little time off on Friday afternoon. We love having teams. They are a lot of fun and encouragement and such a blessing for us and the ministry but the work is intense. Please continue to pray for Andrew's stamina as he fits in his usual responsibilities around his time with the team. Praise God for the team and pray that He will speak to each member during their time here.

Gotcha!

So when the medicine didn't resolve the problem Andrew decided to have tests done to try and get to the root of it. Turns out that he had a nasty parasite called Giardia. Treatment was another 3 day course of medicine to get rid of the bug and other medication to rebuild his intestine. Reading the symptoms I figured I should take the medicine too (it could do no harm).

So we are thankfully feeling a lot better and will perhaps be staying away from salad for a while! Thanks for your prayers.

Sadly the MacKinnon kids developed nasty throat infections this week. Antibiotics seemed to resolve the situation but we are thankful that apart from runny noses our kids were good this week. We continue to appreciate your prayers for our health and for our safety as we are out and about.

We could need you...

The little charity shop (thrift store) in Coleraine (Northern Ireland) is always looking for volunteers. Through this amazing ministry support is raised for the work here. This team of people is one of our biggest encouragements. We often think of the team working there and feel like we are working together. The shop team open the door to things that would not otherwise be possible.

If you live nearby and have any free time then please consider being involved. There are loads of ways you could help e.g. lifting furniture, manning the shop on a rota, ironing clothes etc. etc. Please leave a comment or email us if you think you can help and we will put you in touch with the appropriate people.

Fiesta!

Yesterday we had a big event to re-launch Mex-i-Kids. We had a bouncy castle, trampoline, games with prizes, face painting etc. There were just under 100 kids and some parents. We had some great conversations. Pray particularly for a guy called Guillermo (William) who described himself as an atheist. He has seen a huge change in some neighbours who attend the church and have become Christians. We had a long chat. Pray that God will open his spiritual eyes to the truth of the gospel and to his need of Him.

This morning we had a planning meeting for the new term. The mood is excited and committed. Pray with us for great things this term!

Ministry Changes

Children's ministry has always been something that Andrew and I have loved. Since we have been together we have worked well as a team in that area. In all that goes on here it has been such a joy to set up Mex-i-Kids in La Loma and to then see it spread to other areas. Just this week we heard of another Mex-i-Kids that will probably be opening. It isn't even in an UNIFAM church and we have never been to it but the daughter and son-in-law of our pastor go there and they want to run the club as a follow-up to their own Holiday Bible Club (VBS).

As a missionary mum I am so blessed to have some support here. Fellow missionaries are happy to babysit and are more than capable. Tabitha and Oscar love their missionary Tios and Tias (aunts and uncles in Spanish). I'm also blessed to have Robin, mum of four, with an incredibly similar outlook on the area of ministry and family.

Recently I have felt a growing pressure in the area of my involvement in Mex-i-Kids particularly for the stress it is obviously putting Tabitha under. It all came to a head one morning just before we went home on HMA. Andrew was away so I went to Mex-i-Kids with mum (who was visiting) and the kids. As I talked to the kids and did my organisational duties I had Tabitha hanging off my leg (Mum was attending to Oscar). Eventually in a moment of utter frustration she stood in the middle of the room and let out a blood curdling scream. The room instantly went quiet and time stood still for a bit.

Apart from the frustration of always being petted and carried (mentioned last week) there is the problem of Tabitha's travel sickness (we give her medicine before going to La Loma). Also she just cannot sleep in the nursery there so she gets tired and very grumpy. Saturday and Sunday are two long days for both kids. The bottom line is that at this stage of our family life Mex-i-Kids is not the best ministry for us all to be involved in.

As I have been praying about this I felt burdened about a ministry that could work alongside family life. A couple of years ago Robin started a ministry in her church called MOPS (Mothers of pre-schoolers). I asked her what she thought about the possibility of stating a group in La Loma. What I am about to write is an incredible story of how God was at work way ahead of me planning the way and how He has confirmed without a shadow of a doubt that this is His will.

Robin excitedly told me that she had felt God burdening her to start MOPS in another church. Before I even went to her she had gone to the leadership group of the MOPS in her church and shared that burden. The girls are more than prepared to lead their MOPS forward and just this week voted in a new co-ordinator. They told Robin that they would gladly help to train a Mexican team in the new area.

We had a meeting this week with our pastor and his wife in our home. I discussed the problem of co-ordinating Mex-i-Kids and suggested MOPS. In fact both were excited as they have been talking about starting a MOPs group. Some ladies have even been approached. There is a huge need for MOPS in the church and even this morning as I looked around the congregation I saw many young mums. There are also several young mums who would be great on the leadership team.

There was just one more area to cover. Who could take over my role in Mex-i-Kids. Miguel and Guille suggested someone who might be interested though she is going through a difficult situation at the moment. We spoke to her yesterday and as I explained the situation and what we were asking her to do her response was amazing. "It's like God is telling you what to say," she said. "I have felt Him telling me to be more involved in ministry but I wasn't sure how or where." What a confirmation!

This morning in one of the bible readings at church a verse from Isaiah 25 jumped out. On this mountain (La Loma means the hill and it is probably more of a mountain!) the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples. I thought about the other group of people (young mums) that will be reached through this new ministry and through the food of His word.

So this week I have my first meeting with Guille and Janette. Guille will be the director of Mex-i-Kids and Janette will organise the events. We have asked for prayer for such a person and Janette is a great person. I will be training Janette as far as I can though she will probably have loads of great ideas and ways of working herself.

I also have a meeting with Robin and Guille to discuss MOPS. We will initially be looking for ladies to form a leadership team with us. After some time of planning and seeing the other group in action we will eventually begin our new group in La Loma. Our first meeting will probably not be before the New Year but there is a lot of work to be done before then.

Andrew will continue to go to Mex-i-Kids at La Loma twice a month. The other 2 weeks he will visit the other 2 Mex-i-Kids groups. We also hope to get more intentional about encouraging the other teams and drawing together leaders to share ideas and resources. This afternoon we have a meeting with the co-ordinator of the Tultitlan group (up north). We will be looking praticularly into training materials.

Structural changes

Since we have returned to Mexico Andrew and Christian (our field leader) have been working on a new idea for Proyecto MEFI. It's very exciting.

Here in Mexico there are established churches called UNIFAM. La Loma, our church, is one of those. There is also a church planting organisation known as Every Community for Christ (ECC). ECC exists in all the OMS fields. Various ECC teams here work in different areas evangelising and running house churches. One such team is based in La Loma and some long-term readers may remember Zoel and his work with families living on dis-used railway lines quite near the church. The plan is to run Proyecto MEFI according to the ECC model. So what changes will take place?

Well eventually what will happen is that the Proyecto MEFI team will be based out of La Loma. Our pastor (and the current president of UNIFAM), Miguel Romero, will be the pastoral supervisor of the Proyecto MEFI team (just as he is of Zoel's team). The Proyecto MEFI team will then be like an ECC team with their focus being the new church plant in La Raza. La Raza is the name of the area where the Drop-In Centre is and so it will maintain its function but will also be the church called UNIFAM La Raza. Church services won't necessarily happen on a Sunday. We are excited about this change and Miguel is a great pastor to be supervising the team. His own testimony is an incredible story of how he was rescued from alcoholism and family breakdown and he has a real love for the ministry.

As the building work nears completion the big question is over who to invite. Please pray for wisdom in that regard. Previously we have invited whole groups and have seen some do well and others not so well. A new idea is to invite leaders from the groups. Working on influential members from a number of groups may impact even more kids. A couple of group leaders have already been asking to be discipled. How exciting!

Continue to pray for the Proyecto MEFI team as it works through the changes. Pray for unity and vision and pray that in all of this God would be glorified, His will be done and His kingdom extended.

Disinfecting and de-bugging!

Well if last week was a high then this week in some respects was a little lower. Just after blogging Andrew's stomach didn't feel so good and the next day we were both miserable. We have been taking medicine all week and although we are feeling somewhat better we still have moments when it seems like the medicine hasn't worked 100%. Thankfully both kids have been fine so it may have been something we ate rather than something we 'caught'!

Some friends recommended that we take medicine to get rid of the infection for 3 days and then to take a course of 'de-bugging' medicine. It's not uncommon for Mexicans to take such a course every 6 months or so. Andrew had only done it once and I hadn't ever done it so it was not before time. So anyway, we'll see how it goes this week but hopefully we'll feel normal again soon! Thanks for your prayers.

Drop-In Centre

A huge thank you to this great team from Foundry, Houston (and José in the middle) who worked so hard all week on the Drop-In Centre. They got within about an hour or so of finishing all the electrical work but ran out of materials at the very end! They also did many other bits and pieces including a lot of plastering work. We can't wait for the work to be finished and for the Centre to be fully operational. There have been so many people involved hands on. This truely is a team effort. This week Alex and Paty will take some time off. Fidel will also take a couple of days but he's waiting until after the next team (which arrives next week) before taking more time off. We will take tomorrow (Monday) off and besides a few meetings Andrew will work mostly from home this week.

Holiday Bible Club (VBS)

The VBS started with a bang on Monday with about 110 kids. At it's peak there were over 150 kids in attendance. The leaders were enthusiastic and excited. Andrew was in charge of the songs which meant picking new songs, inventing actions and doing them in get-together times as well as practicing them in workshops during the mornings. When they were all together the kids would chant for more each time a song ended. Here is a video of clips from the singing. See if you can spot Andrew and the smiles on the kids faces...

On Wednesday Andrew felt exercised to make an invitation at the end of the day. About 60-80 kids responded. (At least that's what it looked like to Andrew when he asked kids to raise their hands before praying.) What does that mean? Well some who responded will have done so many times before, some go to the church week by week and are used to responding to invitations. Without wanting to limit what God was doing at the VBS I would say that 60-80 kids were sensitive to the message of the gospel being preached. Follow up is an extremely important task and we would appreciate your prayers for the follow up program - Mex-i-Kids.

On Saturday Mex-i-Kids will be re-started with a big party. We had a planning meeting for it this morning. If we want the momentum of the VBS to carry on then we need the enthusiasm from the leaders to continue. Unfortunately it seems that that is already waning a little. Saturdays are days that children go to visit relatives or have other clubs to go to, some adults normally work on Saturdays or have other commitments. The exciting thing is that at least 2 or 3 new families were at church this morning as a direct result of the VBS. Andrew and I have always been excited about the potential of kids work. Please pray with us that God will burden the hearts of available people to carry on this amazing work. Pray for committed workers for the harvest.

You must be praying...

It is so overwhelming to be able to report specific answers to prayers requested on the blog. We feel sustained and strengthened by your prayers and are continually built up in our faith in our amazing God who loves to give good things to His children and to see His name glorified in the earth. From the little to the large, nothing is too difficult for Him!

Tabitha continues to settle in to life here. She is much more comfortable being surrounded by Spanish. She still resents being the centre of attention everywhere she goes and the constant petting and carrying she gets. Today I had to go down to the nursery in church to make up a bottle for Oscar and Tabitha was happily playing with her little friend Sawli. Days at church are very long for the kids so I only took them to the Bible Club on Wednesday and Saturday. We continue to appreciate your prayers for wisdom to know what God would have us do day by day and how we can best glorify Him. Perhaps I will elaborate that thought more later.

We got our little car back early in the week. It goes but there is a strange rubbing noise when turning corners so we'll have to take it back to the mechanics this week to try and get that sorted. Last week was too busy to be able to leave it back and Andrew has been driving it all over the place.

Praise God especially for the strength He gave Andrew to be able to get through this busy week without headaches as well.

Transition

The team is here and ready to start work tomorrow (Monday). There has been a lot of progress in the Drop-In Centre. Andrew was delighted by what has happened while we have been away. The Proyecto MEFI team have worked very hard.

After the US team leaves the Proyecto MEFI team (the Mexican part!) will take a week off before another team arrives from the UK to hopefully put finishing touches to the Centre.

Praise God the annual meeting of the church leaders, church planting teams and missionaries went really well. Andrew's report seemed to be well received. There was a real sense of unity.

Tabitha had a blast spending lots of time with the MacKinnons as I helped Robin to pack boxes for their house move on Saturday. It was a great chance for us to have some time to begin to catch up and to make what could potentially be a stressful situation a chance to bless, be blessed and have some fun along the way.

The move took place on Saturday. Andrew was with the team, Margaret was looking after 6 kids (all under the age of 7!), Christian was in the old house with the removal guys and Robin and I were unpacking the kitchen. When we were finished we popped out for a message. We took my little car. We were quite tight for time. As we made our way back to the house my right foot seemed to lose the ability to keep the car moving! With said foot to the floor we managed to make it at about 5 mph to a place where we could pull over. Now here is how God intervenes - we were able to pull in to a spot where we were safe (outside a lovely little park!), we were close to home, we had a mobile (cell) phone (with credit and battery charge!) so we could phone Andrew who had arrived home, we had bought food so we had time to eat it, we had each others company, our kids were happy at home with Margaret... So Andrew came and rescued us. We took his car and he nursed my little car to the garage. We took a back route to the MacKinnons new house which neither of us knew which was potentially a bad idea (but good because of the backed up traffic on the main road). We followed our noses (another bad idea if you know either of us!) and praised God when we took a turn up a very steep hill (which the Clio would have struggled with even at full potential) which led us straight to the MacKinnons road. An eventful afternoon!

So tomorrow my little car will be serviced and hopefully the guys will find out what the problem is and hopefully it won't be too drastic. Andrew will have to go to the Holiday Bible Club on his own as he will go straight to the Drop-In Centre afterwards. Please pray for his stamina this week. It is particularly busy for him as he has that same schedule every day. I'm hoping that the little car won't take long to fix so I can take the kids out for at least a couple of mornings.

We had our first Sunday back in La Loma today. We were given a warm welcome. It really was lovely to see people again and to be a part of the service. Tabitha did well. We have noticed that when people are speaking Spanish she goes very quiet, starts rubbing her 'blankie' and sucking her fingers. Last week we had her surrounded by Spanish in short doses a few times so this morning was her first real test as we left her in the nursery with no English. She seemed to have a great time. We appreciate your prayers as she continues to make the transition back into Spanish again.

We're back!

Thank you to so many who were praying as we said our goodbyes and travelled back to Mexico. Once again we felt sustained by your prayers. The goodbyes were difficult of course. I think they get more difficult. It is not just hard to say goodbye but it is ten times harder to take our kids away from their grandparents. They have played such a vital role in their lives over the past few months and we know the love between them is mutual. Blissfully unaware of what was going on Tabitha remained chirpy throughout.

The first flight was tough. I wasn't feeling well so after the first couple of hours Andrew had both kids to look after. Both were quite unsettled but thankfully I was feeling much better about an hour before we landed and was able to help for the rest of the journey. The connection went smoothly and the kids slept for most of the second flight. Both slept quite well the first night as well. Margaret, who has always been so wonderfully helpful and picked us up from the airport, stayed overnight.

We've been settling in, unpacking and some of our friends have come to visit. This week we look forward to catching up with people and finding out what has been going on in our absence. On Wednesday the 3 days of meetings with all the churches and representatives begin. Andrew will attend. Please pray for unity and vision as decisions are made for the future.

A work team from the US arrives on Saturday to help with the construction at the Drop-In Centre. The work has not proceeded as fast as we had hoped for and so the opening will be delayed for a few weeks. The team's visit coincides with the Holiday Bible Club (VBS) at our church in La Loma so we really are diving into the thick of it!

We appreciate your prayers as we settle back into our routine here and make decisions about what we can and cannot take on. Our time at home was indescribably refreshing and wonderful. We're ready to get going and we're excited to see how God will bring glory to His name as you pray with us...

Long Journey

Sorry for the lack of frequency in reports here. Things have been hectic as we get ready for going back to Mexico. We leave tomorrow (Friday) at 8am our time and should hopefully arrive almost 24 hours later. I should imagine a bed to lie out on will be very welcome!

If you remember us at any point throughout the day we would appreciate a little prayer! Pray for the kids in particular that they would be able to sleep, that the layover and connection in Newark would go smoothly and that Tabitha will not be sick!

We appreciate prayer too for our families as we say goodbye. We have been totally spoiled by friends and family. Our time at home has been such a blessing. It will be hard to say goodbye. We will write more very soon about what lies ahead in the next few weeks and what has been happening while we have been away from Mexico.

Final Stage

We are now back in N. Ireland again. Our time in Scotland was a total whirlwind but absolutely fantastic. It was so refreshing to meet up with good friends. The final week was particularly busy. We travelled home on the ferry yesterday and after Tabitha's nap she had a fever and was really clingy. We had visitors who prayed with her and with paracetamol her temperature came down. Thankfully it stayed down and with a good nights sleep she seems to be fine. It was probably just an over-tired little girl. She absolutely loved playing with so many kids. It always amused me to tell her the names of the new people she was going to meet each day to which her response was always, "That be nice!"

Oscar was back at the medical centre for routine injections today. His weight continues to improve and he is now close to the 25th centile. He is incredibly smiley. In particular he will always smile for his big sister who has been taking more notice of him lately. Tabitha is desperate to drag Oscar out of his chair so they can bounce on the bed together. Hopefully it's a sign of the good friends they will become.

We are beginning to pack now and think of what we need to take and what we can leave behind. This is the month of family reunions with siblings coming in from Canada and England. We would appreciate your prayers that we would return to Mexico well rested and excited about the work ahead. Please pray too for Tabitha's transition back to life in Mexico. Her personality seems to have changed since she has been at home. She is much more settled and placid. It is obvious that she was under considerable stress in Mexico. Pray for us as we consider how to help her in and through the cultural adjustment.

Rafael

We were so sad this week to learn that our very good friend Rafael from Spain lost his battle with cancer on Saturday. We met Rafael and Laura through an outreach cafe in our church in Edinburgh. Each August at the height of the tourist season our church opens its doors to the public. The music group play and sing some contemporary and praise and worship music. Free coffee is served and people are on hand to chat and give personal testimonies. Back in 2003 Andrew was singing and I was looking specifically for Spanish speakers. I met Rafa and Laura and instantly we hit it off. Over the years we have visited them several times in Madrid and they returned to Scotland to visit us. The last time we saw Rafa was when he visited us in Ireland a couple of years ago.

This was a friendship which was very strong despite being in different countries. We have so many happy memories of fun times. There was always lots of laughter when we were together. But Rafael was always eager to get into deeper things. Having been hurt and left rather disillusioned by previous experiences be was on a quest to know what the real truth was. It can't have been a co-incidence that one night in 2003 they happened to drop into a church (which they would never have done had they known it was), that we had been learning Spanish and introduced ourselves, that we hit it off and had many opportunities to share our simple faith. And our gracious God allowed us to enjoy a super friendship too.

Let us offer what we have and make the most of every opportunity.

Half Way

We have now spent 2 wonderful weeks in Scotland and are halfway through our trip to the UK. It has been so fabulous to spend time with fantastic friends. We are blessed beyond measure to be able to soak up so much love and support.

The kids are doing really well even with the moving around. It has been amazing to see Tabitha really settle down. She is full of confidence and happy to interact with anyone. She is loving time with other kids and as you may see from her blog she has had various visits with some kids. Consequently she goes over their names all the time. She has started to pray herself in the evenings and it just touches our hearts to hear her give Jesus thanks for individual people that she is meeting. Of course there are still obstacles to overcome and we have our struggles but generally she is responding positively to discipline and just such a joy to parent these days. We haven't had any travel sickness but most journeys are under 30 mins. Thank you for your prayers for her.

Oscar is doing well too. The appointment mentioned in the previous post showed that his weight was leveling out and he was not putting it on nearly as fast as he should have been. Consequently he has been weaned and a diet of soya milk and some basic solids seems to have helped. After 2 weeks his weight was beginning to rise again though he still brings up quite a lot at different times of the day. He continues to delight our hearts with his gorgeous smile which he shares from the moment he opens his eyes.

It has proven difficult to get in touch with folks in Mexico at appropriate times. We did get a brief conversation with our pastor's wife. She told us that the breakfast finished small in number due to holiday days. We pray that leaders will come back refreshed after a short break and that the Holiday Bible Club at the start of August will be a great platform for re-starting again.

Once again thank you for your interest and prayers. We are overwhelmed by the support of so many at home. We just can't get enough of spending time with folks and while we are tired (late nights are not rewarded with late mornings with kids to attend to!) we are refreshed by the love of friends and fellowship together.(an evening of fun and sharing with the youth from our church on Saturday evening. It is incredible to see these kids who are growing up far too fast. We taught some of them when they were little (wasn't that just and month or two ago?) Missionaries in Mexico will recognise the game we are playing here. Thanks Leroy for teaching us this one.)