The English Update

Since our last update, we have had the opportunity to jump into a few ministries here and around Puebla and we wanted to share a bit about what God is doing and ways you can specifically pray.

Last Thursday, I (Tyler) was invited by a partner church to travel outside the city for an evening of evangelism in the community. We visited a few homes up in the mountains, sharing Bible stories and praying with the families and their friends. With my limited Spanish, I did my best to follow the conversations and learn as much as I could about Bible storying in the Latin American context. Please pray for continued opportunities for me to join in these visits, and for the families who open their homes each week to come to know Jesus.

Then on Monday, I (Rachel) was able to attend one of our church’s ministries where they bring dinner to the Children’s Hospital and pray with the parents of sick children. The church collects donations for drinks, sandwiches, and dulces (sweets), then a small group meets in the hospital waiting room. The loud speaker announces to the hospital that all parents are invited to come grab a delicious meal. While they eat, church members sit with them and ask about their children, writing down their names and sicknesses on a small piece of paper. Then, they pray for their family and the healing of their child.

The children are also prayed for at that week’s prayer meeting and then the small slips of paper will be handed out on Sunday so that the children can be prayed for by the rest of the church. I am very excited to join them for this monthly ministry, increasingly growing in my Spanish and soon speaking with and praying for the families myself. Please pray for this outreach ministry to continue to grow and for me to be able to engage well with this opportunity.

Lastly, this weekend our whole family was invited to join in a weekly outreach opportunity for kids in our community. We knew very little about it, but went with open minds and an eagerness to learn. Turns out, our church meets with two small groups of kids who are all recipients of Operation Christmas Child boxes. After receiving their gifts, the kids return each week to play games, learn a Bible story, and pray together. There were even a few kids who came for the first time and received their gifts this weekend. So cool!

Our home church in the U.S. always packs and sends so many boxes overseas, and it was such a joyful surprise to learn that our church here in Mexico is one of the many churches around the world who receives and distributes them each year. From what we understand, there are about twenty kids participating in the three month long program. Please pray for these children to learn so much about the love of Jesus and for the group leaders from our church to teach and lead well.

Two key dates for prayer:
Tuesday, February 13th at 3:30 EST: Rachel will have her first oral language interview.
Tuesday, February 20th at 4:00 EST: Tyler will have his first oral language interview.

Oral language interviews are regular assessments that we will take during our first term to help determine our current language level and areas of needed growth (which are many). We really appreciate your prayers for clear thoughts, calm hearts, and kind, patient conversation partners for these exams.

With Love,
Tyler & Rachel