The English Update

Our training in March was all about Bible Storying! We really enjoyed delving into accurately and intentionally crafting Bible stories. One of our biggest takeaways was focusing less on word-for-word memorization, and more on deeply internalizing the story, enabling us to tell it from our hearts. Please pray for us to continue internalizing God’s Word, and for us to find every opportunity to share it with those who are far from Him.

Semana Santa (Holy Week) with Noni and Gpops was such a great time to show off our city and allow the girls some special time with their grandparents! Even a bit of sickness in the girls and Rachel, we managed to have a blast! We loved taking them to some of the cool places we have discovered here as well as exploring some new places together! The girls loved playing dress-up, coloring, and snuggling with their Noni and Gpops.

We hear things are warming up back in Virginia! Here in Puebla, it has gotten super hot! Most places do not have air conditioning, including our house and our school. So when it is hot outside, it is also hot inside! We have been told that May is the hottest month here and that the rain comes in June and helps to cool things down. However, this past weekend it got cloudy and windy in the afternoon followed by some thunder and rain! It has repeated that same cycle the last couple of days and we are loving the cooler breeze in the evenings! Such a relief! We hear Xela (Quetzaltenango, Guatemala) is much cooler than it is here in Puebla, Mexico. And word is, six months out of the year, every single afternoon, it rains for a little bit! We plan to get the girls rain boots when we get there! 

Speaking of Guatemala, we are over the halfway point of our year of language learning before we move to Xela. We are so pleased with our progress in Spanish learning over the past six months (even though it has been slower than we originally thought) so we are eager to see how much we can learn in these next six months. We have almost made it to the level in school where “they say” there is minimal new information and it becomes more about honing in your skills and becoming more fluid in your speaking and understanding. We long to be able to make sense of all that is in our brains and be able to not only hear it in conversations but also fluently speak it! 

About two weeks ago I (Rachel), along with one of our good friends Anna, took my first trip out to a nearby community to share Bible stories. It reminded me so much of our work in Lesotho from before we had the girls. We drove about 45 minutes out of the city, turned onto a dirt road, and drove straight up a hill to the first house. There were children playing outside, the wind was blowing, and we were overlooking a large lake. It felt so much like our home in Lesotho. It was a sweet time of conversation and learning. Pray for Tyler as he goes out again tomorrow (Thursday, May 25th) and will share the story of the Good Samaritan.

Our church’s ministry through Operation Christmas Child has ended. We loved that time every Saturday afternoon in two local parks as we witnessed our friends share the gospel with these children week after week. Last weekend there was a closing celebration where the kids showed off the verses they had learned and performed a song. We practiced the songs so much and our girls really had fun with it! Please continue to pray for these children to seek the Lord and learn more about His love for them.

As always, thank you so much for your prayers and support as we settle into our lives on mission. Your prayers for acquiring language and building relationships have been such a blessing, and we can clearly see how the Lord has provided us with opportunities to grow in both. Please continue praying for our girls to thrive in their new home, and for their friendships here to go deep as well.

With Love,
Tyler & Rachel