Teaching Teachers

At the beginning of May, we were able to host a missionary from Tennessee whose job in the states is training children's ministry workers.  What a blessing it was to have Lacynda Biggers stay with us for a few days and hold a training seminar for the children's ministry workers of the Vida Nueva churches.

Students were given 30 minutes to put together a 1 hour children's lesson.  Great practice -- especially that's often all the advance notice a teacher gets (sometimes less!).  The object of the training course was to give the students some tools and guidelines for building a successful Bible lesson.

In this photo Luz demonstrates a very important teacher skill: the ability to write upside down. ;^)

I think Evie had more fun that it looks like she was having in this photo!!!

After working together as a team to build the lesson, the groups then shared their lesson with the rest of the class.

We learned that the most important part of the lesson -- the part we want the children to take home with them and guard in their heart -- is the Bible truth, not the Bible story.  Evie's group used the story of the firey furnace to illustrate the truth of "God Takes Care of Me".

In addition to a class on how to build a successful Bible lesson, Lacynda also shared about the importance of capturing a child's heart...

...and we did some role playing of dealing with discipline issues in the classroom.  In this photo, Hermana Blanca and Hermana Irma make trouble for Teacher Ana.  We definitely had fun and learned a lot during this all-too-short class!

In fact, we enjoyed ourselves so much that we've invited Hermana Lacynda back this weekend for a second class!  This class will be held at Iglesia Betesda in Guasave.  We're hoping that many leaders from many churches will be able to attend!  Pray for a good turn-out!

A Walk in the Park

Parque Villa de Fañe in Guasave is absolutely gorgeous this time of year. The city has been renovating it, so it's very different from the park we used to visit when we first came here. A small railroad runs around the perimeter of the park, the city pool has been patched and painted and is now open to the public (for free, no less), the old and incredibly dangerous slippery slide and broken ferris wheel have been removed and the swings and monkey bars have been spiffed. Even the small "zoo" (I use that term loosely) has been cleaned up and the animals look to be in better shape (still makes me sad to see them in captivity, but at least their habitats are clean.) In short, it is a great place to spend the day!

Yesterday the Baginsky family left for their home in California. They spent about 3 weeks with us hanging out and experiencing our life and ministry here. Micah and Doug spent a lot of time planning our upstairs addition (keep praying about that!!!) and even got a couple of cool projects done. Emily and I spent a lot of time in the kitchen (by choice) and the kids mingled and meandered and just generally enjoyed each other's company. We just love when missionaries come to visit!

I have about 200 photos from our time in the park. Don't worry, I'm not posting them all here. You only get to see about a dozen.

I was really happy to see that they hadn't removed the carosel. It still isn't fixed, but it's so...quaint! Don't you agree?

The Baginskis and the Coults (minus Sarah)
Like the watermelon? More about that later!

This park is a favorite with the boys because of the great skateboard area. Mom, on the other hand, prays a lot when we go there!

A beautiful place for a picnic lunch or just a walk in the shade.

Proof that Doug and I were there!

We were sad to see our new friends leave, but so blessed that we were able to spend time with them praying, working and playing, too! God is so good to us!

One Step Closer

Karen and Mavil are two young ladies who have a very special place in our hearts! They are both Boca del Rio natives who graduated from the school of ministry last year and they both believe that God is calling them into full-time ministry in Africa.

They have been working and praying to raise the necessary funds (which are sizable!) and about a month ago they reached a milestone...(insert drumroll!)

Karen and Mavil finally got their passports!!! Hurrah!!! Praise God!!!

Be praying for these young missionaries. They are both serving here in the local church, but their hearts are already with the children at the orphanage in Africa. Pray that God would bless them abundantly and that His will would be done in their lives!!!

Hurricane Norbert Blasts Alamos, Sonora

Here are exerpts from an update letter we just received from fellow missionaries in Alamos, Sonora. Alamos is only about 150 miles north of us -- just east of a town called Navajoa. Please read their update and pray for this village. If you'd like to help in any way, let us know! You can also donate via Paypal through the "Make Donation" button on the left. Specify "Hurricane Relief" in the comment box.

From Daniel and Ana Jones, Rancho Maranatha, Sonora:

"He does great things past finding out, yes, wonders without number"
Job 9:10

Stories continue to be told, amazing ones that leave you totally speechless. My little sister in Mexicali keeps calling on the phone, she wants to hear them all. There are too many to tell...

This is like many, many, many homes in Alamos; and this the overwhelmed look on many, many, many people's faces. But I have to say that last evening, as I sat with my sister Elia outside her ruined house, the moon was shining so bright, the air was so clear and crispy and we were so, so, so thankful for the way the Lord spared the lives of every member of our extensive family involved in the disaster. Most things can be replaced, (well, not pictures, at least not the same ones), but lives can never be, and for not having lost any family members we don't cease to thank our merciful Father. We truly stand in awe of His wonders!



Aaliyah saw this today and exclaimed, 'oh, my goodness!' This picture is taken from my cousin Flora's back yard!

Thank you so much for all of you that are praying for us. Please do continue. We are hoping, and praying, our brothers and sisters from CC Alamos will be able to come to the fellowship day next Sunday. Many of them are so busy, either cleaning their own houses, or helping someone else. Thank God for all the help the government is sending. It is truly amazing to see all the helicopters, airplanes, fire trucks, ambulances, etc., just aiding people left and right. The CFE (electric co.), has done a remarkable work restoring electricity practically to the whole town already. Also the road that accesses Alamos was already working the second day of the hurricane, we were so thankfully amazed at how fast they did that.



Crissie is here with her friend Anabel cleaning the kitchen. Crissie, who lost everything, including her bed of course, has been spending the night at her friend's house. Uncle Pino, as you can tell, has lost one of his shoes, it was buried in the mud, he told me, and he is quite upset about it. (I think Daniel found it today!)That handsome guy above right, (you can't really tell by the picture that he is very good looking), has been shoveling mud these last two days even in his sleep.

Thank you so much for your prayers, for your concern, for your encouraging and kind words, for your help. In name of all the believers involved, THANK YOU!!!

We love you all very much,
Daniel & Ana

Life in Gotham City

We have several friends whose families are also missionaries in Mexico, and a few of them have blogs. One such family is the Millsaps family. Greg and Jan minister in Nueve Leon and I highly recommend checking out their blog to learn more about their family and their work in Mexico.

Of particular interest to me is an article that Greg wrote yesterday comparing Gotham City (of the latest Batman movie) to modern-day Mexico. This is a very powerful article and very worth the 2 minutes it will take to click over and read it here. In my opinion, Greg has hit the proverbial nail on the head with his assessment of life in Mexico. Go read it now!!! ;^)