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Mission Trip Opportunities:
Wales
Resources:
The Stanleys
Missionaries to Mexico
Febuary 6, 2012
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Wow! Has it really only been a month since we sent out our last update? It feels as though it has been at least a year! Where to begin…
As we prepared to make the move to Oaxaca I knew that I wanted to go down before Mary and the boys to find a house and get to know the area little. I knew the area was safer than where we currently live but it still made me nervous to think of taking them down with nowhere to live. My initial plan had been to drive the suburban down but I quickly realized that with the cost of gas, tolls and the length of the trip (19+ hours) taking a bus down would be a smarter move. The bus system is very modern and most importantly safe! Since taking a bus also allows travel at night the entire trip is reduced down to a single day rather than a minimum of two which would mean I would be away from Mary and the boys for less time. After church on January 7th Steve and I jumped on a bus in Jerez and drove overnight to Mexico City. From Mexico City we drove on to Oaxaca City on the 8th where we spent the day walking around downtown and stretching our sore legs! That evening we jumped on another bus and drove overnight to Huatulco, Oaxaca which is a located on the Pacific Ocean.
We spent several hours that morning exploring the local coast including rock climbing to a black sand beach with enormous waves and a fresh water river rushing into the ocean. After lunch we grabbed a taxi up to Pluma Hidalgo which is the city we have been praying about making our ministry center. Pluma Hidalgo is located only about 12 miles from the Pacific as the bird flies but since it stands at 4,600 feet above sea level those 12 miles take about an hour and half to climb in a car! Needless to say the views are absolutely breathtaking! The coast is lush and green and the higher you climb towards Pluma the thicker the vegetation gets until it eventually becomes a dense tropical rain forest. The road is surrounded by waterfalls and the driver told me that during rainy season the waterfalls swell to the point that many times the road is washed out altogether!
Pluma Hidalgo is a small city of around 3,500 people perched precariously on the spine of a mountain overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The land on both sides of the main road into town drops down thousands of feet with views of the Pacific Ocean on one side and an unobstructed view into the interior jungle for miles on the other. We checked into one of the two small hotels in town and immediately set out searching for houses to rent and exploring the town. Pluma exists almost solely by coffee production which makes it perfect for our ministry goals. The coffee beans grow wild throughout the jungle under the shade of the banana trees and almond groves. Villages of local Indians throughout the jungle pick the beans and then bring them to Pluma where they are roasted and packaged for sale. This interaction will give us an open door into making contacts and building relationships for our work among the Indian villages.
It was amazing to see all the ways in which God had led us to the right place to begin our ministry in Oaxaca. Pluma possessed everything that we had prayed and planned for right down to the last detail. The people are primarily of Indian descent but speak Spanish as their primary language which is perfect since Spanish is what we will have to be using to start with. There are some though that speak indigenous languages as well however, so as we minister in Oaxaca we will have an opportunity to work on our indigenous language skills as well preparing for work in the outlying Zapotec villages that do not speak Spanish. While we talked to some of the locals it became apparent that many desired to learn to speak English as well. The adults desired to learn so that they could better interact with their tourist and business contacts to boost their coffee sales and they wanted their children to learn as well to expand their opportunities. I immediately saw an opportunity to both integrate into the culture and teach the Bible by offering free English classes and using Biblical material as the source. One of the local coffee roasters offered me the use of the large room over his shop on the town square for classes for free if he could come! I told him that I would teach the classes under the conditions that they continue to help me with my Spanish and that they teach me any indigenous languages they knew. By the time I left I was inundated with requests to come to the class! Actually the last day as we were preparing to leave a man from the local city government approached us and asked if it were true that I was planning on teaching English. We told him our plan of teaching English from the Bible and that a man had offered us the use of his store for the classes. He quickly replied that it would be great for the town to learn English and that they would love to have me use the town hall for the classes for free if I was interested! What a great opportunity to build relationships and teach the Bible at the same time! We will also be hosting Bible studies in our house and have received some interest already!
Due to the small size of the village there were not very many houses for rent. Thankfully once again the Lord knew what he was doing and the first house we looked at turned out to be perfect! We looked at a few more but none of them fit our size or budget needs. We were able to get the house under contract right away but due to some needed repairs it will not be ready for us to move in until February 12th. We are currently in the process of getting everything ready here in Jerez in preparation to move down right after the 12th. We just finished packing our house and moving out last Friday. Everything we own is currently in the trailer or in boxes and we are living out of suitcases for the next few days! The plan currently is that little Sam and I will leave with the suburban and trailer to drive to Pluma, a few days later Mary and Jack will follow on a bus to allow me more room to pack in the Suburban and because the trip will be easier on Jack that way. One other huge blessing this month is that we finally received our FM2s so we are now legal Mexican residents, instead of being here on tourist visas!
Please be in special prayer for us over the next few weeks as we complete the move!
- Please pray for safe travels with no car problems or trouble with the police, military, or cartels!
- Keep the ministry at the Children’s Home in Jerez in prayer as well. We have grown to love all these kids and will miss them tremendously! Also pray for strength for the workers here the work is just as difficult as always only with two less workers.
- Pray for the work the Lord has for us in Oaxaca that He would continue to prepare the way and that He be glorified in everything that is done.
- Please keep our finances in your prayers! As you can imagine this move is very expensive and the cost of setting up in Oaxaca far exceeds our normal monthly budget.
Thanks for your prayers and continued support! We thank the Lord for each and every one of you who have a part in allowing us to be here proclaiming Christ for His glory!
In Christ,
Nathan, Mary, Sam & Jack
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January 3, 2012
It is crazy for me to think that our first year on the mission field is over and gone. All I can say is – WOW! Over the year of 2011 we have experienced so many new things. We have learned a new language (almost)… learned a new way of cooking, eating and shopping… we have experienced winter without heat and summer without AC… we have delivered our 2nd son in a foreign country (and by we I mean ME –MaryJ)… we have “parented” 40+ different children… experienced the joy of picking cactus needles out of countless hands, legs, arms, and backsides… we have been arrested and placed in a Mexican jail (and by we I mean Nathan of course;)… we have lived through a tropical diseases (typhoid fever)…we have received thousands of hugs and kisses…we have started new small groups…learned the joys of Mexican plumbing…and of course our faith and trust in God has grown in indescribable ways!! But Sunday night at our New Year’s church service I was reminded once again the main reason that God has called us to be missionaries.
Sunday night we had our service a little different than normal. We read different verses in the Bible about the ways that God helps His children – through provision, spiritual growth, answered prayers, etc. Then for each topic we gave time for people to share a personal testimony regarding it. I want to share a couple of my favorites:
- In regards to God’s provision: “This year God provided me with a home to live in and food that I can eat.” From Genaro, 8 yrs old, who was placed at the childrens home back in August.
- In regards to answered prayer: “Since I was saved this year I have been praying that I would get to see my little sister, Joanna, once again. Then, the week before Christmas, God brought Joanna here to the childrens home to live!” From Gabi, 15 yrs old, placed at the childrens home back in April.
It really blessed my heart hearing all the ways that God takes care of His children. But that’s not all. When I was driving the bus route to drop people off after church I was talking with a lady that was a first time visitor. She said she really enjoyed the service and couldn’t wait to come back on Tuesday night for Women’s class. Then she asked me the question that broke my heart. She asked if there was any way she could buy a Bible from me because she had never had one of her own. Of course I told her I would bring one that she could have to the womens class, but I was astounded, once again. Here is a woman in her late 30s that is begging for a Bible, and how I was raised we had an extra Bible in almost every room of our house. It happens all the time here, to meet people that have never been able to read the Bible, or have never heard the gospel. I am just so thankful that God has chosen to use us in His work of bringing the message of salvation to people who have never heard.
We are so looking forward to 2012 and all of the new places and faces that God will be showing us. Thank you so much all of our faithful supporters, both in prayer and financially. May you all have an amazing 2012 worshipping our Lord and Savior!
In Christ,
Nathan, Mary, Sam and Jack
Merry Christmas!
We pray the each of you is having a wonderful time preparing for the joys of the Christmas season! The last month has been an extremely busy and challenging one but we are looking forward to things slowing down soon. The last of the kids get out of school tomorrow and we are excited about spending time with them over Christmas break before they head back to school and we transition to Oaxaca.
The weather here at the Home has been unusually extreme! We have had several nights dip down to 18 degrees, which might not sound too cold but since we have no source of heat it can be pretty miserable! We have also had the water pipes burst in several places from freezing since they are not protected very well here. It has warmed up a little now so Lord willing we are done with those temperatures!
Outside of the normal everyday affairs of the Children’s Home and Church here we have been busy with several other things. First, we have been working on our FM2 paperwork. This is the visa that will allow us to live in Oaxaca permanently and to legally preach the Gospel there. We have had some issues with getting all the necessary permissions and papers in order but I think we have everything we need together now so please continue in prayer for this. Second, we made a quick trip to the border to pick up a box trailer full of Christmas presents for the kids here at the Home that a church in Alabama collected for them. We now can use the trailer for moving our household items to Oaxaca once we get all the papers approved by the Mexican government!
The trip to get the trailer was quite interesting to say the least! The Children’s Home is tax exempt and any gifts they receive should be exempt from import taxes but it is a very difficult process and we are just learning how to do it. We thought everything was taken care of to ensure the presents would be tax exempt but the night before we were to cross the border we found out that it was not! We ended up staying in Laredo longer than we had anticipated trying to sort things out but were advised it could take weeks to be resolved. To make a long story short we prayed about it and decided to just cross anyway and trust God to take care of the import taxes. We ended up stuck at the inspection center for several hours and after speaking with everyone, including the head of the inspection center, we were told we would have to pay $1,000 U.S. dollars in taxes. Obviously we could not pay that amount and so we just continued to pray that God would intervene. We argued with the inspectors some more explaining that these were donated gifts for a childrens home. Suddenly one of the inspectors walked over and said that they had changed their minds and were only going to charge us about $93 U.S. dollars! We were so thankful because we could not have even made a return trip to the border to get the presents once the tax paperwork was done for even close to that! Also we did not have to spend more money waiting at the border trying to work things out. Thanks for all you who were praying during this time! It is so awesome to see God working!
We thank God every day for the churches and individuals who support us through prayers, words of encouragement and giving! Thank you for everything you do to allow us to serve Christ here in Mexico! Please be in special prayer for the following things:
1. Please pray that we are able to speedily complete all the paperwork necessary to allow us to move to Oaxaca full-time.
2. That the Lord would provide the additional funds necessary to cover the expenses of moving to Oaxaca. We have already had many additional expenses preparing to move and we anticipate many more in January as things start to happen. With the Christmas season our giving has decreased a little so please pray that God will fill the gap needed to cover these extra expenses!
3. Keep the Children’s Home here in prayer as we prepare to depart, that God would bring new help to show the love of Christ to these kids.
4. Remember the ministry that God has for us in Oaxaca. Pray that God would even now be opening doors and preparing hearts to hear the Gospel.
In Christ,
Nathan, Mary, Sam & Jack
November 16, 2011
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Greetings!
Happy Thanksgiving (a week early)! It is really starting to feel like fall here as the weather cools and we begin to make preparations for Thanksgiving dinner here at the Children’s Home. A few months ago we bought a turkey, which we have been fattening up for Thanksgiving, and after innumerable mornings of being startled awake by his gobbling outside our window we are counting down the hours until his departure… Not to mention we are all excited about a big U.S. style dinner and football!
Looking back over this last year we have so much to be thankful for! This year has been the hardest and most trying of our lives and yet, at the same time, it has been the most wonderful and amazing year we could have imagined! Through every trial and every struggle God has stretched our faith in His inexhaustible provision and extraordinary protection. There is something absolutely indescribable about living in total dependence on God and seeing Him work each and every day to provide for you and to use you for His glory. We are so thankful to each and every church and individual who God has used this year to allow us to be here serving Him!
This month has been an extraordinarily busy one as we have raced to get everything set for living in Oaxaca full-time while stilling serving at the Children’s Home and Church here in Jerez. Thanks to the generous support of Cornerstone Baptist Church we will be able to apply for our FM2 visas which will make us official Mexican residents! This is a huge blessing! As we have mentioned in previous updates the FM2s will allow us to legally be in Oaxaca preaching the Gospel as well as allowing us to be able to keep our vehicle indefinitely in Oaxaca. We are currently here on tourist visas which has made it nearly impossible to move as far south as Oaxaca. Lord willing we hope to have this process wrapped up by the end of this month! Please pray that all continues to go well and we encounter no problems or delays with the paperwork. On November 30th we are picking a box trailer up in Laredo, TX with the gifts for the kids at the Home for Christmas which a church in Alabama has been collecting. We will then be using the trailer to move our things to Oaxaca! We are so excited about getting to Oaxaca, but also sad at the thought of leaving all these wonderful kiddos at the home.
Everything at the Children’s Home is going well. Two new boys have joined the Home since our last update, Ilan and Jaime. However, the month has not been without trials and problems! Just after we sent out our last update Jon, Mary’s brother, hit a little boy while driving people home from Church. The little boy was rushed to the hospital in Zacatecas and placed in the ICU. Jon was placed in jail. Eventually Jon was released because he was a minor pending further investigation. It turned out that the boy had a fractured skull from ear to ear and his brain was swelling which was causing seizures as well as an inability to swallow and move properly. Thankfully the Lord answered our prayers and the boy is making an amazing recovery! He is home now and able to walk, talk, and swallow! He will be in rehab for several months but the doctors expect a nearly complete recovery! Also Jon has been cleared of all charges after the boy’s family made a statement to the police stating the he ran right out in front of the van and there was no way that Jon could have stopped. Please continue to pray for the boy’s full recovery, and the emotional recovery of Jon as this was especially traumatic for him.
Also this month four of the younger kids here at the Home were taken from school by their mother without permission. We are gravely concerned for their safety as they came here from a very abusive home both sexually and physically. The DIF (Dept. of Children & Family Services) helped file a police report but no one has any idea where the family lives. Please be in prayer for the safety and return of Wendy, Rudi, Angelito and Miguel.
In addition to the trials there are always joys that come with working here! This month Mary and I were able to host a Fall Fest at the Church. We had about 40 teens in attendance for preaching, food, a massive bonfire, a huge game of capture the flag and of course S'mores! It was the first time for most everyone to try smores and they loved them of course! I have attached a few pictures to the update.
Thanks again for each and every one of you that support us financially and through prayer! Without God working through you we could not be here! Please keep us in your prayers over the next month as we finish our visas, collect the trailer and start moving things south.
In Christ,
Nathan, Mary, Sam & Jack
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Greetings,
It’s hard to believe that the summer is already over and the fall is upon us! It seems odd since the weather here is still very warm, and we are not greeted on every corner with pumpkins and festively colored leaves. September was quite a busy month for us here at the Children’s Home! Early in the month two new boys, Oscar (8) and Jhovany (10) joined the Casa Hogar family which brings the total number of kids up to 35. There are now 21 boys and even with the new addition the boy’s end of the house is getting very full!
Mary’s grandparents were here to visit for part of the month which was a blessing. Her grandpa was able to finish several projects that had been in dire need of attention and the kids loved having her grandma here to bake cookies and play games every day! Around the 23rd of the month her grandparents and parents headed back to the states. Her parents wanted to take some time to spend with Mary’s sister and brother-in-law, Alison & David and their new baby girl, Kennedy, as well as their oldest daughter Cadence. This left Mary and I here at the Children’s Home until October 12thto take care of the kids and the Church. We have had a great time spending extra time with all the kids although it is sad to think of leaving them shortly! Also I have really enjoyed the opportunity to preach every service!
The day Mary’s parent’s left about 7 of the kids woke up with tonsils the size of basketballs sticking out the sides of their throats (ok maybe not quite that big) and I woke up with a double eye infection! We took the kids to the doctor and found out that they had a severe tonsil infection and would need antibiotics. We had to give penicillin injections for seven days! Thankfully this seemed to do the trick and it did not spread to the other kids!
We also have had a huge blessing this last month. The first week of September we started transitioning Sam off his seizure medicine in hopes that he had outgrown the seizures all together. It has now been a month and a half without seizure meds for him, and he has not had one seizure, Praise the Lord! Thanks for all your prayers for him. Jack is doing great and growing like a weed! He already weighs only ten pounds less than Sam. Speaking of blessings our Spanish is dramatically improving every day! It has taken some time but after months and months of living here it seems to be getting through even my thick skull!
Please be special prayer for the situation here in Zacatecas and Mexico. There have been a higher than normal number of problems here and extra prayer for safety and protection would be appreciated. We are working on transitioning to Oaxaca which includes trying to find a house there and getting our paperwork in order. Please pray for safety as we travel back and forth looking for a house and for speed and the finances to complete the paperwork we need to live there permenately preaching the Gospel.
Once again thanks for all your prayers and support! Without each of you we could not be here serving the Lord.
In Christ,
Nathan, Mary, Sam & Jack
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