The English Update

Tyler and I have both had the chance to step outside of our normal routines and experience some new ministry opportunities!

A few weekends back, I (Rachel) had the opportunity to attend a women’s discipleship conference a few hours from Puebla. The conference was held by an IMB partner in Mexico City who has started a booming women’s ministry. The focus was on discipleship and the doctrines of God. And, it was all in Spanish! I will admit, there was a lot I couldn’t follow, but the parts I understood were incredible! A few highlights for me were: 

• Singing contemporary worship songs in Spanish. My favorite was “Santo Por Siempre”.
  
• The breakout time when I heard (and understood) the gospel presentation tool “3 Circles” in Spanish. This is the same tool we learned while at FPO last summer (in English). It was really neat to hear the presentation in Spanish and I’m excited for when I get the chance to use it myself. Poco a poco (little by little)!
  
• Like any women’s ministry event, the fellowship was great! I went with some of the other women in the SLAM program (our year of Spanish learning here in Puebla) and enjoyed getting to know them a bit better. And my goodness the food was great! Authentic Mexican food for a whole weekend, and not having to cook or clean up, was fantastico!

I (Tyler) also got the chance to venture outside of Puebla to spend a weekend in an indigenous community about three hours away. Last Saturday I, along with a few guys on our SLAM team, went to Tuzamapan de Galeana, a small town near the border of Veracruz, Mexico. The plan was to meet up with a small church plant and join them in visiting some community members’ homes.

After meeting up with a few of the church members, we all split up into two groups and spent the day visiting some nearby homes. It was incredible to witness the pastor and church members connect with their neighbors, share Scripture, and pray together. I even got the chance to share a Bible story in Spanish at a few of the homes we visited. I was super grateful for the opportunity to share, and pray that I will continue to grow in my ability to share God’s Word in the heart language of others.

After a full day of home visits, I enjoyed the coldest shower I have ever experienced (which felt amazing after such a hot day). The next morning the church met for Sunday service, and we were so happy that one of the families that was visited by a few church members the day before came to learn more. Please pray for this small body of believers to continue growing and reaching their community.

Thank you all so much for continuing to pray for us as we grow in our Spanish and begin to step into more regular ministry opportunities. We love getting out into the community and hope to have even more opportunities to get involved like this in the coming months.

With Love,
Tyler & Rachel