Month: June 2012

  • "New" Car!!

    Toyota Sienna 001 After a month and a halfof tedious used car shopping, Paco and I are now the proud owners of a 2000Toyota Sienna 003 Toyota Sienna! 

     

    Toyota Sienna 006 This new car purchase wasquite a surprise for us; just two Toyota Sienna 004 month ago we had no intention of purchasinganother vehicle (though evidently the Lord had different plans J). My sister and brother-in-law had given us their 2000 Honda CRV inJanuary when we arrived in California, which we had planned on driving for years.  However, as we investigated the importationlaws of vehicles into Mexico, we unfortunately discovered that the car did not fitthe importation standards. 

     

    Toyota Sienna 002 With so little time tocar shop before our return to Mexico, the search was frustrating and stressful.  But the Lord knew our needs and blessed uswith exactly the car we sought- even with the little extras, like a luggage rack,tow hitch, and cd player.  The mechanicsaid the car is even in better mechanical shape than most its age.  Thanks to the financial help of my lovingparents, and negotiating expertise of our friend here in California, the minivanwas exactly in our budget!  Already, Godis providing for our return trip to Mexico next month!

  • Family in Christ in Kentucky

    May2012 089         Special friends and partners in ministry in Kentucky invited us to visit their home and church in beautiful May2012 085 Louisville.  (Paco especially loved the open, green areas of the state!)  We May2012 105 had a wonderful time- everything May2012 106 from a ladies´ tea (prepared by the guys for the girls!) and dress-up to backyard soccer and croquet!  We also enjoyed visiting their local church body, Sojourn Church, and sharing our testimony and God´s plans for our ministry at their home Bible study group.  We were received with much love, and thank God for our family and ministry May2012 108 May2012 104 partners even as far away as Kentucky!

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  • Memorial Day in the Park

    May2012 048 Memorial Day was celebrated by our Spanish ministry with a Mexican-style-barbeque and potluck day in the May2012 070 park!  The day was perfect- sunny, volleyball and soccer, lots of families and May2012 062 children, and TONS of food… aMay2012 051 couple of the sisters just kept grilling steak after steak. J The event also offered the opportunity to testify May2012 060 our faith, as we worshipped and shared a Bible message on true freedom in Christ in the middle of the park.  Afterwards, we prayed and thanked the Lord for the men and women in our ministry who have served with the armed forces.  The day was a time of special fellowship with our Spanish church family and May2012 044 celebration of our freedom!

  • Church Women's Retreat to Mountains

    May2012 040           The women of our church, Calvary Chapel Rancho Santa Margarita, enjoyed a three-day retreat to Big Bear, May2012 037 California in the mountains.  Besides awesome fellowship, the retreat was aMay2012 035 time of prayer and Bible study, with May2012 008 the theme of the weekend “Joy in Trials” from James 1- a message we all need to remember :) .  I was so blessed by my sisters´ love, and especially by the Lord´s messages for me! I was impacted by Exodus 6:2 by God´s simple response to Moses´ worries: “I am the LORD”; by Psalm 40:1 which reads “Patiently, I will wait on the LORD”, and finally by  J esus´ nearness in the disciples´ time of distress to calm the waters in the May2012 041 storm in Matthew 8:24-26. With May2012 033 God for us, who can be against us in times of trials?!!

  • Church Visit and Love in Pomona, CA

    May2012 041 - CopyMay2012 046  One of our School of Ministry professors, Pastor Fausto, invited us to share our testimony and vision for missions with his May2012 047 church, Calvary Chapel Pomona Gardens, for a weekend.  Not only did he and his wife Josie May2012 042 treat us like treasured guests, the whole May2012 039 congregation also received us like kings!-they invited us over for dinner, stood in line to meet us, and prayed for us and our ministry! We were overwhelmed by the love of our family in Christ.  It was a joyful (though a little nerve-racking) experience  to May2012 050 testify of God´s work and plans in our lives seven times over the course of the weekend- at the couple´s Bible study, men´s breakfast, leadership devotional, youth service, two Spanish services, and an English service.  We are blessed to have such a loving group interested in and praying for our ministry in Mexico. 

  • Car Wash with Spanish Ministry

    May2012 013 “Amor Y Verdad”, the Spanish ministry of our church, held a car wash to raise funds for the Spanish men´s,May2012 007 women´s, and youth retreats being planned for this summer.  It was a very May2012 016 thorough wash!- some of theMay2012 002 members professionally buff May2012 033 headlights and others brought good vacuums and soaps, so the cars all left spotless and the customers happy.  God provided about 50 cars to wash in just one day!  We pray May2012 019 that the ministry will have funds to send everyone on retreats this summer!