Acts, Outreaches, and Other
We’ve been having a good time and a not-so-good-time here. Maybe that’s not so unusual.
We would appreciate your prayers as we join with our friends at Path of Life Bible Church in Santa Barbara to reach out into a new neighbourhood with kids’ clubs and a special study for parents. Last week’s turn-out wasn’t great, but Shari, Julian, Malu and some from the church handed out some more flyers yesterday, so we’re hoping for better things this week. 🙂
I got to make up the questions – from easy, to normal, to hard, to very hard, to “almost impossible”. (And they were.)
One group worked particularly hard to prepare, and it showed. Congratulations to the women! (The men challenged them for a while, but eventually fell behind).
If you know Spanish, you can take a look at the questions here.
The not-so-good has been health. I’ve been sick since Thursday noon, and last night was the worst night yet. Which means I’m getting better now, right? Right?
It looks like Shari has decided to join the ranks of the sick today as well. 🙁
But we’re pushing ahead, trying to get some other outreaches up and running here, getting some Bible studies going, and of course getting Hannah and Nathanael edykated.
Now Available: Only Two Religions
This looks good… Anyone want to share their copy with me? 🙂
This series can be purchased here. I think you can also watch the first part for free here.
Last 90 Days Most Popular Posts – (31 August 2014)
Wow – the last 90 days have kind of been a blur. But anyway, here is a review of the most popular posts here at Finding direction, in chronological order as always. The ones in bold were the most popular of all.
Remember, if you’re a part of our support team and you want to read the key posts that are most relevant to you, check out this page.
- Between Ontario and Ontario
- A Letter from Christ
- What I Saw in Ottawa (and why I’ve been thinking about it ever since)
- In a Fix?
- Bible Memorization, anyone?
- Yes, we are home.
- So What’s Happening in Ixtapaluca?
- Emily Arrives
- Is Being a Missionary an Extreme Sport?
- From Mexico to Canada to Mexico (video)
It’s hard to have faith…
Tonight Ismael was leading a Bible study all about trusting God to do the impossible. One of the passages we read from was 1Peter 5:6-7:
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Do you think this might be a good definition of faith? There are lots of ways we could define faith, and they all show different aspects of what faith is.
As Christians we know that “faith” has to have an object. It’s not “faith that things are going to get better” or “you just gotta have faith!” No, it’s faith in the God of the Bible.
And the God of the Bible is the Almighty, the All Knowing, the All Wise. He is also the Loving Father.
He’s the one who sees the big picture that we don’t see. He’s the one who cares for us.
So I wonder if this verse could show two aspects of faith – we trust Him enough to humble ourselves and give Him his proper place in the universe. And we cast our cares on Him – knowing that He isn’t some distant deity or an angry tyrant. He’s a God who cares, and so we can leave these things in His hands.
Sometimes it’s hard to have faith. But it should be a lot easier as we learn who God is, and how He cares for His people.
Sightseeing and Brainstorming
Did Julian and Malu arrive? They sure did!
As you may remember, some car trouble stranded them in San Juan del Río, north of the promised land Mexico City. Repairs were finally completed this past Monday, and they arrived on Tuesday. Praise the Lord!
So they’ve been trying to settle in and get their house set up. They’ve been dealing with all the typical complications involved in getting things done, but they’ve persevered.
On Thursday and Friday I went with all our mid-term missionaries to spend some time together and do a little sightseeing in other parts of the city. It’s pretty cool to have Jessica, Julian, Malu and Emily all here at the same time!
A restaurant in a cave
There was at least one thing I got to do for the first time – visit La Gruta, a restaurant at Teotihuacán (an archaeological site known for its “pyramids”). Cool atmosphere – and the food was great! I had mixiotes, an Aztec dish.
On Sunday we were able to introduce Julian and Malu to the church in Santa Bárbara, and we talked a little about upcoming ministry in a new neighbourhood here in Ixtapaluca. We’re continuing to brainstorm about what types of ministry we could be doing in this and other neighbourhoods in the weeks ahead.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we’re getting ready for a new year of school. And working on getting three of our visas renewed. And getting ready for a special event on Sunday – maybe I’ll tell you about that later. 🙂
Malu, Julian, Jessica, and Emily – strolling around downtown Mexico City