Amanda in Mexico: July Newsletter

Hello from Chihuahua, Mexico! What a blessing to be able to write to you once again what the Lord has been doing here in Mexico! This past month we had the opportunity to participate in 2 missions trips. The first one was a 2 week missions trip was to Monterey, Nuevo Leon with Discipleship International. We were back home for 3 days, then we went on a 1 week missions trip to Corarayvo, a village in the mountains.

Monterey: July 1-14.

On July 1st, my sister Amelia, our friend Ana Cristina and I boarded a plane to Monterey. We were hit with a heat wave when we arrived. We had temperatures around 40*C the whole time we were there. In Monterey, we met up with other Christians from Chiapas, Puebla, Canada and the locals from the churches. What a blessing to meet so many new people who love Jesus! The 3 of us, along with one other girl from Chiapas stayed with the pastor couple. They did an amazing job making us feel loved and at home… at times it felt like we had gained a Mexican “mom” as the pastor’s wife treated us like her daughters, haha. But it didn’t end there, we also gained “grandparents” and “aunts” as the Candian group shared their wisdom with us and spoiled us! Hahaha. We went house to house asking people if they had time to hear about Jesus. Some said no, others accepted reluctantly, and then there were those who opened the doors with joy, ready to accept the gospel. I learned so much from my brothers and sisters in the Lord who have experience in evangelizing already. The first time I had to translate the questions “Do you believe in a God?” and “Where will you go after you die”, I felt pretty nervous. I was sure people would get upset. Yet, I found that many people actually want to talk about God, even if they aren’t ready to accept the gospel. Many people opened up, sharing about their life experiences and their beliefs. God was definitely working and had prepared the hearts of some who were just waiting to have someone introduce them to Jesus!

We also had the opportunity to visit a Juvenile Detention Centre, sharing testimonies and the gospel message through an illustration. It was neat to see many of the youth had already opened their hearts to the gospel and a local church was investing in the youth weekly. I was so blessed and encouraged through the trip. I want to encourage those of you who have wanted to go on missions trips before, but haven’t gone for different reasons, to take that step out of the normal, every day life.

Mark 16:15 He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

Corarayvo: July 18-22

The following Monday, we were off to a small village in the mountains. Since we are currently in rainy season, it was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! The river was full and the mountains were covered with lush, green grass. The first day we arrived, we went house to house with our host family, inviting children to a VBS and women to a Bible Study. A sister in Christ who has been walking with the Lord for many years taught the women about their worth in God’s eyes and His love for them, meanwhile my sister and I did the program with the kids. The women sincerely enjoyed learning about how Jesus sees them and that God created them equally valuable to men. Out host family toured us around their village and we had a lot of fun! We saw people hungry for change, for a real love. Please pray for this village that one day there will be a Christian church for them to invest in them and guide them.

Matthew 18:20

For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.

Lastly, I want to finish sharing a huge praise item with you! As you know, we have been praying for so long for more helpers in the school, especially now that I will be moving to the mountains for a year. I shared with you last month about Esther coming to help, which we are so excited for! This past month we got another phone call from a young lady who had heard one of our presentations at a church. She is interested in coming for a 3 month term… and wants to bring a friend! We are beyond excited to see what God wants to do this school year with the students! The youth have been praying so long for this and this will open the doors for many new classes and opportunities for them to grow into the people God wants them to be!

Please join us in praying for the following points:

• That God will send a godly, male role figure to invest in our boys.

• For the girls who are joining us in the ministry

• For Ana Cristina and I as we will be preparing to move into the mountains this month.

• For wisdom and direction to serve God wholeheartedly.

• For provision for the ministry.

Thank you so much for being part of this journey with us! We are truly blessed to have people battling in prayer for us and we couldn’t be here with out you. We would absolutely love to have you come see what the Lord is doing here. If you are interested in coming for a visit, please let us know! God bless! Amanda