And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:1-10 (NASB)

"Fear? I fear nothing. My dictionary does not contain the word fear. I believe in God and I believe that the epistle of Ephesians says we are created in Jesus Christ for a plan, which was engaged from the early beginning. No one can cut it, and when it is completed no one can continue it." -Christian Zakaria Botros in an interview with WORLD magazine regarding his ministry to Muslims (December 13/20, 2008).

You, dear Christian were created in Jesus Christ for a plan which God ordained. Because of Him, we have nothing to fear.

The dry season...

January 2009 - A New Year and a new President of the United States of America...and for many, new difficulties and challenges. A friend sent me the "Daily Walk" devotional for September last year. One of the focuses was on Habakkuk 3:17-19. They rephrased it into a 21st century perspective. "Even if the stock market does not rise, my boss fails to give me a raise, I lose my job, the supermarket shelves are bare, and the gas stations are closed on weekends, yet I will ..." We all can come up with a list of things that attempts to steal our joy and peace. I find myself rereading Habakkuk almost daily to remind myself about where my joy and peace comes from. "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights." May we all meditate on God's Word daily and find our strength and refreshment in Him!!

As we get back into our routines in Mexico (Harvest Language School- Level 3 for Steve, teaching at the missionary school, and volunteering at the Hope House), here are a few photos that endear us to this region of God's world:

The daily cattle drive in front of our gate. They go up the mountain in the morning and down in the late afternoon. The dry season is making it hard for many animals to find food.









When people sell their wares or food products, their young children are usually with them. These children are sleeping on the steps of the Catholic Church in Chapala on a Saturday afternoon. The mother had just nursed her baby, laid the baby on the coats, and then went back to selling guavas.











Carlie Post is visiting us from Michigan and is our first official visitor since we came to Mexico last May. She is fluent in Spanish and the boys at the Hope House already love her. They asked when she was coming back. Here is a picture of them playing Blokus.

On our return trip back to San Juan Cosala, God determined that we needed traveling companions. They arrived in the form of a very friendly Mexican man named Gerado and his elderly mother. We were standing in one of the many lines waiting to get our visas and vehicle registration processed. Gerado was in line behind us, and asked us where we were going. He was so excited for us that we were in Mexico and seeing his beautiful country. He told us he was bringing his mother home to the state of Michoacan, and that it was three hours south of Guadalajara. He said it was, "the most beautiful state!" In the next line we contined talking and we shared that we actually lived in the Chapala area. He was really excited and said, "We should travel together!" He waited in the parking lot for us and said he would follow us. (Which we thought was a little strange since we are the gringos here.) So off we started, with their copper colored pick-up truck behind us. Each time we stopped for gas or a bathroom break, we'd talk a little more. We shared our cookies we had packed for the road and got to practice our new 'gustar' verb. "Te gustarian unas galletas?" (Would you like some cookies?)

Gerado shared with Steve that he had actually tried to cross the border in El Paso but had gotten 'freaked out' and had turned around and driven all the way back to Arizona and to the Nogales crossing. We knew what he meant. Border towns tend to be controlled chaos. He also did not have a map. Our first night we stopped in Ciudad Obregon. The next morning, Steve drove away with the kids to get some breakfast and I stayed at the room. I hear Gerado's frantic voice outside my door, "They have gone?" He knocks on our door. When I opened the door, the look of relief and joy on his face was priceless. When we finally parted ways, we prayed over them and gave them our map. They invited us to come visit them in Michoacan. His mother was so sweet; a typical short, round, huggable abuela. She smoothed her hair down and straightened her dress when we took their picture. She gave us all big hugs and kissed our cheeks. We were sorry to see them go. They were another "buen regalo" from God!