We made it!
We arrived on Monday evening after a long day of travel. The girls did so well! There were a few stressful moments, but overall, the day went great. All the girls enjoyed the plane, loved looking out the windows, and couldn’t wait for the snack cart to come down the aisle. What an answer to prayer that they did so well on the flights.
I have to brag on Tyler as he handled absolutely every last bit of the logistics that got us here. He was so on top of it and prepared for every possible hiccup. I could not have done it without him!
(Tyler here, I also have to brag on Rachel for taking such great care of the girls, most of the packing, and all of the organizing that allowed me to focus on the details of flights, paperwork, and immigration. I could not have done it without you!)
We arrived in Mexico City and immediately took the two hour drive to Puebla with the Allens, our great friends from ILC. They will be with us for this year of language, then head to their country when we move to Guatemala next October. The girls love them and immediately remembered them from “camp” (what the girls call ILC). So excited to finally begin this adventure with them.
Our house is very nice! It is the first two-story home I have ever lived in and we have a lot of space for the girls to spread out and play. We feel so grateful for the neighborhood and surrounding community, too! Just a few houses down from us is a neighborhood playground and it is a huge space for the girls to run and play! I know we will spend many evenings out there playing after the girls get out of school.
Speaking of school, a huge worry of ours was how the girls would adapt to their new school. They will all attend a preschool/kindergarten that teaches in both Spanish and English. We visited the school on Wednesday to meet the teachers and complete all the enrollment paperwork. While we were in the office registering the girls, they were invited into their classrooms to get a feel for their teachers and classmates. You guys, the Lord is so good! The office had a monitor displaying each classroom, and we were able to watch the girls slowly warm up to their new environment. It was a huge blessing for my momma’s heart! The girls were excited to return on Thursday for their first official day of School.
After we dropped the girls off at school on Thursday, Tyler and I went to take our placement tests and enroll in the language school we will begin next Monday. One of the options on the test was no sé, meaning I do not know. Even though I took Spanish in 8th, 9th, and 10th grade, I could only answer one question with something other than no sé. We have so much to learn this year, and are so excited to get started!
Saturday, we had a chance to explore the area around our neighborhood. We walked out our guard gate and found so many shops that we will be able to frequent this year. We will not have a car for the first few months until we learn enough language to take the drivers test in Spanish, so having places where we can walk to is a must! Tyler and I both felt so good after seeing we aren’t dependent on a Taxi or Uber to get groceries each week. We greeted people on the street with the little bit of Spanish we know and they would respond with way more than we could understand. Then we would try, in very poor Spanish, to tell them that we are here to learn the language and that we look forward to having more conversations with them soon. Each day this year, one of our responsibilities is to walk a “language route,” where we will practice the new Spanish we have learned that day in school with a few people. I can imagine the workers on this street will see a lot of us as we ask them to help us practice.
Thank you so much for praying for us this week. We have had some rough moments, and some really good moments too. The prayers you have prayed have helped carry us through all the adjustments and nervousness we have faced. As the girls continue in school next week and we start our classes, please continue to pray for us as we find good routines and rhythms. Today (Sunday), we will visit our host church for the first time and we couldn’t be more excited to jump into this community and start making friends. Please pray we find a few families with children who we could be friends with and who could help us learn more about this amazing culture and language.
With Love,
Tyler & Rachel
The English Update 
So excited for you all! Keep us updated as much as possible❤️
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Such a wonderful update! Continuing to pray for your transition! Love you all!
~Aunt Darla
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Tyler and Rachel, love reading the details of your exciting adventure with JESUS right there with you,
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Rachel & Tyler – so glad to hear you got there safely and are settling in – I feel so much excitement and anticipation for each of you as you adjust to a new and exciting culture. I bet the girls learn Spanish super quick – next thing you know they will be teaching you!!
Praying for you.
Take care, Karen Wright
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Glad that you arrived safely and enjoying the place.
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Hola 🙂! Love, love, love seeing the pics and hearing the updates on how things are going! The girls look adorable in their school uniforms! You guys have so many people praying for you…love you guys 💕!
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So proud of you and all you’ve learned. When you have questions, ask your girls. Thanks for keeping us in the know!!
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Happy to see you had a safe journey. All the planning in the world does not gurantee there will be hiccups along the way. All is always in God’s hands and he smiled down on you and the girls (especially) during your journey. So glad to read that you have a nice apartment in an area that works for the family in an area that will fit into your current situation. Praying for everyones language learning and for new friendships to come. God is good.
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Congratulations. It is an amazing thing to see the way the Lord provides! We have been living as missionaries in Antigua, Guatemala for 15 months. We’ve been learning Spanish here and serving in a local church. May God bless your time and language learning!
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Love all the pictures and the update! What an exciting first week. It sounds like you are in a great community! Praying for you as you all continue to settle in and learn the language. Hugs to you all!!
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Tyler & Rachel,
Thanks for the update. It’s good to see you got two words down in Spanish, “Hola Puebla!” You’re off to a good start. God bless you as you begin to build your vocabulary and understanding of the language. I pray it is a language that you will grasp quickly.
So glad you and the family arrived safely and with excitement for the future. It was good to hear that the journey to Mexico City was fun and full of great memories on which to build upon.
May God continue to provide for you at every turn.
With continued prayers, Pastor Glen
PS. The travel photos of the family are great. You ALL are very photogenic.
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Loved reading your post. Ya’ll are amazing!!!!! What a honor to know and love ya’ll. As always ya’ll are in my prayers and thoughts. Can’t wait to read your next post. Love to your whole family.
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thank you for the update! I’m so excited for you all!
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Our hearts are so FULL as we read your update today!! Praise God!! We love you all so very much! We’re praying CONTINUALLY for each of you and looking forward to hearing about all God has in store for you and those He brings into your lives!! ♥️💙♥️💙♥️
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Hi Rachel and Tyler! So excited for you all! Love all of the pictures of your sweet girls and love your family picture! So grateful to the Lord for safe travel to Mexico City, your new home, playground for the girls, and a great school for them to attend! God is faithful and He provides! Praying for continued adjustment to a new area and good spanish learning skills. Also, praying the Lord will bring new friends with children for you to meet! Look forward to hearing from you as you get settled into a new routine! Blessings, Gloria
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