Happy Fall! Here in Chihuahua, Fall is different than the states. There aren’t that many trees that are even changing colors. The weather here is staying in the 80’s – it’s the warmest Fall I’ve ever had! Please enjoy the Fall colors for me!
::September Sightings::
September was a fun month for me! Mexico celebrated their Independence Day. Did you think that Mexico’s Independence Day is Cinco de Mayo? May 5th really is the Battle of Puebla, and their Independence Day for the whole country of Mexico is September 16th!
At the beginning of September we went with our church to a baptism. The baptisms I’ve been involved in before have either been in churches, out at a river, or in a lake. The baptism for our church was at an alberca. The albercas are places where pecan tree farmers fill pools up once a week, then they open them for 3 or 4 days a week, people come in & swim, and then usually on Mondays or Tuesdays they drain the pools to water the trees.
There were eight friends from church baptized, including my friend Rous! It was very cool to be a part of their special day! After our church service & baptism, we spent the day swimming, visiting and eating lunch. It was a great day with our church family.
::October::
This month we went to the Apple Festival in a little town about 3 hours away. We went with some friends & fellow missionaries here, Pete & Liesl, and Jona, one of our good friends here. The little park/fair grounds area was all ready to sell us apple products. It was a pretty cool. There were vendors with lots of apple products, homemade breads & pastries, and crafts for sale. Of course there were food vendors with lots of Mexican food! We bought a box of apples to make of apple butter, pie filling, apple crisp, and soon, applesauce!
::A New Ministry::
At the beginning of October, we started a new ministry with our church. Our ministry is with the ladies in the neighborhood our church is located. On Friday mornings, the ladies, bring their children to the school across the street from the church, then they come over to the church, we drink some coffee & start in on teaching them English. Two weeks ago, some of the ladies in the church will began teaching the ladies chronologically through the Bible. We are so excited to be a part of the ministry our church is involved in & we are having a great time with the women!
::Casa Hogar::
The time that we are spending out at the Casa Hogars on Thursday afternoons is going really well! We have been able to help quite a few of the kids improve some of their reading skills, and then also encourage the others as they are beginning to learn to read. And our friends Pete & Liesl have recently joined us in helping out!
::New Family Addition::
We have adopted a gray female kitten & her name is July! She has a great personality, is sometimes crazy, & loves to cuddle with us (is that weird for a cat?). She definitely adds some fun life to our apartment! She is currently three months old & we are working on getting her vaccinated!
::Prayer Requests & Praises::
– Spanish Study – profitible times with Rous as I try to grasp Spanish! I’ve come a long, Praise the Lord! And please pray for another friend to help me out with my Spanish.
– English Ministry/Chronological Study – for the 8 ladies that are coming each Friday. Please pray for soft hearts & that they would have time each Friday to be able to come!
– Literacy Teaching at the Casa Hogar – for Amy, Pete, Liesl, & I as we work with these kids each Thursday & that they would be able to grasp the concept of reading Spanish. Praise God for Pete & Liesl as they are helping us out with kids!
Thank you so much for your prayers, love & encouragement! Please let me know if you have any prayer requests!
Serving in Mexico,
Crystal
Fall 2010::
Changing Leaves in Chihuahua
Decorations in Chihuahua for Independence Day
Baptism @ church.
Apple Pictures at the Apple Festival
Three of the ladies in our English Class!
July!