September, 99

"El Crecimiento." What does it mean? In Spanish, it means "growth." I use this word to describe what I have experienced so far in Fresnillo, Mexico. Back home in Indiana, life can be pretty routine. God has a loving way of taking me out of routine, thankfully, and putting me in a place where I will be stretched and Challenged. By no means has my first three months here at CFCI been routine. I spent the first eight weeks of my stint here learning that my tendency is to try and control things when I am faced with something new. Ha! How funny, because I have really learned how much I am not in control, and how I was living life much too quickly and routinely for my own good in the states. God brought me Out of my comforts and elements to show me how much more awesome he is and the life he has for me in serving him. Four words I can use to describe my heart in all honesty are, I LOVE IT HERE!

God's family is big...

Man, so much has happened already, I don't even know where to start. I will start with telling you a little about my Christian Mexican family. Two days after I got off a redeye flight into Zacatecas, Mexico, I moved into a family's home whom God would use to help provide for all my transitional needs. Food, shelter, water, and most importantly, love. I had the privilege of getting to know my Mexican mother, Guillermina Medrano, and her 25-year-old son, Juan. Juan has been truly terrific in showing patience and persistence in helping me make the transition to another culture and language. He is truly a brother whom I will love forever! Thanks Juan!

Boys in the Hood...

Eight weeks after living with Juan and his mother, my roommate and new friend Jim Dahlin, who just graduated from Wheaton College, moved into our church. We call it the "bodega", which means, "warehouse" in English.

It's located in the heart of where we minister, "Colonia Patria and Libertad." The city of Fresnillo is divided up into "colonias," or sectioned neighborhoods, of which Patria and Libertad is one of the poorest The bodega houses us six single guys until our new house is completed sometime this fall. I really love living with the boys of CFCI; we have a good time together. The other four are, in no particular order, Trent, Jonathan, Andrew, and Doug.

The People...

I have really enjoyed getting to know the Mexican people here. Generally, they are warm and friendly. They also seem more expressive than we from the states do. We as "gueros", or white-skinned, are invited over to eat often by our friends here. When I first arrived, one of the church families, Juan and Mari immediately invited Jim and I over for dinner, to get to know us. By the way, in this culture, if you make plans to visit someone with a specific date and time in mind, you better show up! This culture is so relaxed that if I show up at someone's house at any time uninvited, I will be welcomed in to sit down, visit, and eat. No plans needed. So if I do make plans, I better not break them!

The children are warm, affectionate, and expressive, and being a guero, it's not too hard to get attention around here. I, and a girl named Meredith, have been chosen to lead the 7 & 8 year-old Kid's Club groups in Patria and Libertad, and the 8 & 9 year-old group in Calera, a town where we travel to put on Kid's Club in an existing church. Since we began our Kid's Club, I have enjoyed what I do here all the more. God knew what he was doing when he sent me here. Helping children know Jesus… what more could I have dreamed?

Concluding remarks...

Before this past March, I wouldn't have dreamed that this city in central Mexico would be the place God would bring me in my journey. But now that I am here, I honestly couldn't imagine being somewhere else. I look forward to the events that will shape my ministry here, my new friendships, and most of all, the "Crecimiento" that I will experience in my life.