Amanda in Mexico
August Update
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Hello from Chihuahua, Mexico! I hope this newsletter finds you well! It is hard to believe we are back into a new school year! We are very excited to see what God has in store for Oaks of Righteousness this school year!
Before I share about the ministry, I would like to share with you about my summer. This past summer I had the opportunity to go to India. I had no idea what to expect. In preparation for my trip, I had a very difficult time getting my Visa to get to India, at one point I even cancelled the trip altogether, but God had a different plan. He opened the doors for me to go and I found myself on a very long flight to Calcutta, India. I spent 2 weeks in India. The first 10 days, I spent time with my friend, Mita, at the ministry she serves in. She has a wonderful way of getting me out of my comfort zone and I had the opportunity to teach English to the Life skills students; to teach a class on values at the high school; give a message on Sunday morning; and help her in her Freedom sessions she was teaching at the Bible School. I had the opportunity to experience India’s Independence Day, as well as build relationships with many of the students and the staff at the ministry. I was truly blessed by their kindness and love they showed me and now this ministry and the people have taken a very special place in my heart. I could go on much longer about how incredible India was, but I will finish by sharing with you one of the beautiful God-moments I experienced there. One evening the students and I were roasting marshmallows (their first time trying them!) as we were getting ready for the food competition that would represent different states of India. (The marshmallows represented Canada LOL). As I was sitting there, watching the youth having so much fun with our sticky marshmallow-mess, I felt so much joy in my heart. I began praising God silently for the blessing to be in India, and He brought a verse to my mind. 1 Corinthians 2:9, “That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.’” Being in India was definitely one of these amazing gifts from God I would never have dreamt of. I felt God speaking to my heart, asking me to trust Him with my future, as well as that of Oaks of Righteousness. During the summer, I had become quite discouraged, as I did not feel qualified to be the director of Oaks of Righteousness. I was afraid of how much we would struggle again, after an incredible year of the Friesen family helping us raise support and awareness for the ministry. God used my time in India to remind me that He is in control and that His plans for my life are far more amazing than I could ever imagine!
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We definitely are missing the Friesen family, who took a leap of faith las August and came to Mexico for a year to help establish the ministry. We were so blessed and continue to be reminded of how much they did for us here in the ministry, now that school has begun again. I praise God, though, for the things they taught us, and we are already putting them into practice! This year we have 6 teachers and 48 students. Our 15 passenger van and 20 passenger bus are completely packed with some very, VERY excited kids every morning! It is so much fun to see the students excitement for learning and the genuine love the teachers have for these beautiful kids. This year we are very excited to add some new subjects to our schedule, such as dance for the Kindergarteners-Gr. 3’s; and ‘Clase Artisitica’, in which the gr. 4-9 get an elective. They can choose between drawing, dance, guitar, bass, beading or skits. The students are quite excited about this class and I am excited to see them use their creativity! Another thing we are planning on starting is a once a week after school “Club”, where all students and kids from the community grade 4 and up can come to the school and participate in sports, music, art, dance, etc. This will be an amazing way to reach more children with the gospel and to teach the youth healthy ways to have fun. The majority of the Tarahumara youth get involved in alcohol, drugs and unhealthy relationships, resulting in teenage pregnancies, at a very young age. My sister Amelia and her husband Joel currently have a youth group for the youth in the community, which focuses especially on the older youth who are working in the orchards. They are starting up again this week and it is truly exciting to see how God is working in the Tarahumara community. This year our school wants to strongly focus on relationships between parents and their children, so we have planned several family days/evenings throughout the school year. Please keep our students and their families in your prayers, as well as the staff of Oaks of Righteousness as we get back into our busy schedules. Please pray that God will be the center of every activity and intention, so that He may receive all the Glory.
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How to Support
I will share with you specific areas we will need support. If you are interested in supporting us through prayer or financially, or would like more information about a specific area, please feel free to send me a message. I would love to share more with you.
- Support a teacher (We currently have 5 teachers that depend on Oaks of Righteousness for their salary)
- Support a Student (a bit over $100/month supports a student to be able to receive an education)
- Support the youth group ministry (older youth in the community)
- Support the after school club ministry (younger youth in the community)
- Support the mountain ministry (monthly trips are made into the mountains to share the gospel)
- Support the school (expenses such as gas, food, bus maintenance, supplies, etc.)
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this new letter. I would love to hear from you if you have any questions, or if you have the opportunity to come down and see the ministry for yourself, we would LOVE to have you!
God bless! Amanda
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