Summer is over and a new semester has arrived at the Ranch. We have five returning students (the one single guy did not return) and one couple that is going through a restoration process with NTM and hope to rejoin their team next year. The five returning students are in their last year of Transcultural Studies and in the Spring of 2016 they will graduate and start raising support to head to their respective tribal ministries! One more year for them! It’s very exciting to be a part of helping to train others to reach tribal people with the gospel and disciple them.
Summer Highlights
Our Field Conference is a time when all the missionaries living in the tribe make it up to Chihuahua and we get together for 5 days. This year we were all able to go to a hotel two hours away from the city and relax by the pool. It’s always a great time to catch up with what’s happening with the believers in the different tribes, especially since I’ve been able to go to five different tribal locations. My roommate during the conference was my co-worker Edwin’s sister, Rocio, who is Colombian and works at the Bible school in Chihuahua. We had a great time getting to know each other and have already made plans to room together at our next conference!
After the conference, I had just two days to wash laundry, repack, and run errands for the Ranch before I flew to Louisiana. It had been four years since I had gone to visit family there and one of my supporting churches. I was able to make it in time to help out with their Vacation Bible School. It was fun sharing each day with the kids about life in Mexico, the things that God is doing here, and the people that He is using to take His word to reach tribal people and disciple them. One day I shared with the kids a whole five minutes in Spanish to show them how confusing it is to hear an important message (the gospel) in a language that is pretty common in the United States but it’s not their heart language! The kids gave me their “missions offering” and I was able to use it replace the tires on my SUV & also to replace my dead car battery! What a blessing!
After getting back to Chihuahua, I was responsible for staying on the property while my co-workers were out of town. A new missionary family also stayed out here with me so I wasn’t alone. We basically spent this summer sweating. It’s been hot! And my house doesn’t have air conditioning, therefore I’m planning on saving money to buy a swamp cooler for next summer.
In July, I helped out my Mexican church with their VBS. My friend Lily and I were the teachers and leaders for the 6-8 year old group. We had a good time with the little guys. Our theme this year was about the life of Joshua.
Classes started back up at the Ranch on August 10th with a week of Orientation. This semester I’m teaching a class on Self-Discipline. The next one I teach will be regarding “The Tongue” and how it can be used to build each other up or to tear down. We are still a small staff: Edwin, Anita, & myself live at the Ranch full time, Gaby & Adriana come out to teach on Tuesdays, and Alcides continues to do the work detail/maintenance in the afternoons.
This semester we have a trip planned in October to visit an Indian village with the students for a few days. And the student couple that got married in December, Erendira & Vicente are going to have a baby around Oct. 18th!
Together at the conference: Meissners, Thomas’ & me. We’ve been friends since Missionary training!
We had some bad storms this summer & lost the roof on one of our buildings! It was replaced right before the students showed up.
July is a rattlesnake killer! This “little” one was about 14 inches long. Glad she got him before I came outside. He was one of 8 rattlesnakes we’ve killed this summer. Other snakes killed have not been counted!
Awesome kids at VBS in Louisiana!
(Tania you made my newsletter!)
I had a great time going thrift store shopping, enjoying BBQ, and just being with family in Lousiana. It’s was a nice break with them!
My VBS kids getting ready for an epic obstacle course!
One last road trip with the new missionaries & the Sanez before summer ends! We went to the Copper Canyon & Crusarare Waterfalls. My friend wrote some blog posts about it here.
The banner picture (at the top) is from our road trip to the Copper Canyon!
Praises::
– an encouraging Conference with my fellow missionaries in Mexico
– a refreshing trip to Louisiana visiting family and friends
– for the replacement of my tires & car battery – Thanks Erwinville Baptist Kids!
– an awesome start to a new semester
– continued protection from rattlesnakes. We’ve already killed 8 in two months! July (my cat) even killed one!
Prayer Requests:
– for the students as they finish this last year of training, look for financial support, and pursue tribal church planting ministries in Mexico & around the world
– my classes – as I’m teaching in another language, that it would be clear for the students
– my personal life & devotional time – that I would be a blessing to those around me & God would keep teaching me more about Him!
– working together as a team & making decisions – that God would continue to guide us
– more teachers & staff to help with the workload
– for the many miles traveled each month between the city & the Ranch – there are days when I’m shocked by the traffic & the way others drive down here! It’s totally acceptable to “pause” at a stop sign, or from the far right lane make a left turn in front of three-five other lanes of traffic!
– Vicente & Erendira – as they wait for their baby boy to be born mid-October
Fall is soon upon us here in Chihuahua, and now would be a great time to visit me! With a newly constructed highway, the Chihuahua International airport is only 30 minutes from my front door! Come visit me and see what God is doing down here! Blessings, CrystalP.S. If you know of any groups (youth, adults, or a mixture) that would be interested in doing a work trip, it’s looking like in the Spring and Summer of 2016 we would have some jobs to do down here at the Ranch. Please contact me if you would be interested.
