The month of January was busy at the School of Ministry, not only with normal class activities but also preparation for the upcoming regional youth conference.  After class each morning, we donned our work clothes to clean and repair bathrooms, organize rooms for sleeping areas, move rocks, weed the patio, and… clean fish!  In order to serve fried fish during the conference, we had to prepare over 100kg of fish (fresh from the ocean from fisherman in the village) for frying!  We removed the outer scales, cut-open the bellies, removed the gills and guts, and washed each fish, before freezing it for the conference.  After 4 hours of work, we were all fish-cleaning experts!  (which seems appropriate that, after living in a fishing village, we should at least know how to prepare fish!)  We also smelled pretty fishy!!

           The School of Ministry students took a 3-day inductive Bible study method course in Los Mochis, Sinaloa (about 2 hours from Boca del Rio).  It was awesome!  Pastors and church members from the surrounding area, along with us, learned how to read, understand, and apply more from any Bible passage.  Suddenly,even the most well-known passages took on new meaning!  We have already been practicing and applying this inductive study method to our daily homework of Bible analysis! 

So that we would not have to drive back and forth from the all-day conferences, brothers from the mission church in Compuertas lovingly opened their homes to us each night.  The course was, therefore, also an opportunity to spend more time with our church family in Compuertas!  Our whole student body was thankful for this blessing!

            This Christmas, the church celebrated the married couples of the congregation in Compuertas with a romantic couples’ dinner.  Each couple enjoyed a candle-lit private table, live romantic music from a local Christian musician, and an edited version of the movie “Courageous”-emphasizing the message of the need for family leaders committed to the Lord and to their spouse and children.  For dinner, pozole (a traditional pork-corn soup) was served, followed by coffee and cookies.   

          The evening was beautiful- and truly romantic! Though Paco and I came to serve along with the other school of ministry students, we were encouraged to take a table ourselves and be ministered to as a married couple as well (though we didn’t get out of clean-up! J) We know that the married couples of the congregation in Compuertas were as blessed as Paco and I with the reminder of the great gift and commitment that is marriage. 

 The church and school of ministry hosted a Christmas party for the whole village, as a way of showing Christ’s love to the community and a means to share the message of salvation with those who do not come to church.

  It was a blast!  Almost 200 people came and enjoyed the carnival games (cake walk, dart throw, ring toss, bobbing-for-lemons, hula-hoop challenge) and the food (lovingly prepared by families in the congregation).  To add to the fun, the church staff put on a show- including a wild hat dance, a Christian boogie for the whole audience, crowd-pleasing competition games, and even a beautiful participation from the children to the song “Light the Light of Jesus”, complete with candles.   

At the end of the program, Pastor Tom then shared the message of the gospel- to a crowd of many unbelievers.  We pray that the Holy Spirit convicted their hearts of their need for Jesus this Christmas season.

We thank God for his provision and multiplication of food for this big event, and every adult and child that He brought to the church this evening!

           Though baptisms are usually held during Easter week at the church in Boca del Rio, a few of the new Christian brothers of the church in Compuertas were so excited about and ready to publically profess their new-found faith that they urged the pastor to plan baptisms this month. 

 Practically the whole congregation from Compuertas drove out two hours away to Boca del Rio for the baptisms in the river.  It was exciting to see such a packed sanctuary for church service- with both the brothers from Boca and Compuertas together (almost 100 people!).  What an awesome time of worship and teaching among so much family in Christ! 

          Another sister and I led the children’s Bible class, teaching both the Compuertas and Boca children about the significance of baptism. 

          After service, the entire congregation walked out to the riverside, and prayed and cheered for six brothers who were baptized. One, Luis, is an ex-drug addict who just accepted the Lord a month earlier; another is Betty, a mom struggling to live with a verbally abusive and unfaithful husband who placed her trust and life in the Lord; another is Jesus, an ex-alcoholic who is excited to learn more about Christ as his life continues be transformed… and more! 

          The large church family celebrated with lunch together afterwards, which the Lord must have multiplied because I still don’t know how we fed that many people.  What a joyous occasion! 

           November 20 is “Revolution Day”, and the school children of all ages put on a parade through town in celebration.  So cute!

           I also enjoyed the “goat parade” through the village a week later- not something you see in a normal suburban area in the US, but a common sight here.  They have even come parading into the church yard to help us with weeding sometimes J. 

           Though the “church” in Compuertas is just an empty plot of land, it continues to progress slowly each week to look more like a church home!

           This last month, the school of ministry and the brothers of the church in Compuertas worked together to install a fence around the church property.  The men dug the holes for the posts, cut the wire mesh, and even installed the property door.  The women picked up the rocks and weeded the area. 

          Even if we still do not have a building, the whole church family is grateful to the Lord for the property, and each brother is very faithful to care and construct it as he is able.  We even put up an official church sign (made by Gil at the school of ministry), so it is now obviously a church site!

 Our first visiting professor arrived from Mexico City to teach a week of classes at the School of Ministry.  Dr. Eliud Gómez is not only an experienced pastor, church-planter, teacher, and theologian, he is also a lawyer and physical trainer.  We had alot to learn from him!

In the mornings, he gave a course on Hermeneutics- the interpretation of the Bible and tools to discovering the original meaning of the author. His course was so practical- we were able to immediately apply the Bible study techniques to our daily devotionals.

Over lunch and early afternoon, we would gather around him with tough theological questions and difficult ministry situations for him to advise.  We were so blessed with his wisdom gained from years of ministry experience.

In the evenings, we had class on the beach: physical training!  Dr. Gómez certifies missionaries as physical trainers, as both a ministry tool to form community fitness programs through the church and initiate one-on-one evangelism, as well as a way to financially support one’s ministry.  We were given an introduction to the physical training certification course- both in theory and practice (actually running, stretching, and swimming at the beach!)   All of us ended the week encouraged to work to get more in shape!

Praise the Lord for the opportunity to learn from Dr. Eliud Gómez this week!

           The men of the churches in Boca del Río and   C ompuertas gathered for a day of teaching and fellowship at the local water park.

           The theme of the conference was “Accepting your Responsibility”, and both Pastor Sergio and Paco shared messages on man´s God-given responsibility as husband and father in his family.  The conferences were followed by a time of worship and prayer.

          The men grilled a very “manly” lunch of steaks and beans. And then… to the pools!  These 20 grown men played like boys in the water: diving, races, dunking, breath-holding competitions, and enjoying the water-slides (on their backs, stomachs, sides, 2-at-a-time, … all possible ways!)

          This retreat was truly a blessing direct from the Lord!  A church in California provided the funds for all the brothers to enter the water park (as it would normally be completely out of their financial ability), and the park provided the conference area, stage, chairs, tables, and even grill!  We pray that the men will put into practice their knowledge of how to be family men for the Lord, and continue to meet to encourage one another in the Word in future months as well. 

           Catherine, my sister, came for a short, 4-day visit to Sinaloa!  She arrived the first week of classes at the School of Ministry, and experienced the intense schedule with us hour by hour- waking up early for prayer, cooking meals and doing chores, taking notes in class, visiting families in the village, and church services in Boca del Rio and Compuertas. 

We had awesome sister-time- I think we laughed her entire trip! Catherine slept with me in our tiny dorm room- poor Paco had to sleep on the floor, if he could sleep with our giggling all night J.  I gave her a tour of the whole village (not a very time-consuming activity in our tiny community), and took her to meet all the brothers in the congregation. Everyone received her with lots of love, and marveled to see that I have a twin sister. 

She experienced true Boca del Río life with the heat and bugs!  She finished cooking with us in the afternoons covered in sweat, and ended her trip covered in mosquito bites- 75 after just 4 days!  Though, on the positive side of Sinaloa life, she enjoyed all the fresh seafood from this fishing village, the many animals (chickens, dogs and kittens, lizards…), and the loving church family.  We miss her already!