December Update

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So this year for me has been pretty crazy, full of changes and surprises.  Thank you for sticking with me.  Thank you for holding on through the crazy ride God has taken me on.  Thank you for your constant encouragement, prayers and committed financial support.  This whole missions thing really is a team sport; thank you for being there for me, backing me up, pushing me along and at times carrying me through this process.  We all play different positions, but our goal is the same: To follow the Coach’s instructions, because He knows best.

I’m not sure why the whole sports metaphor came about; maybe I just miss playing softball and tennis. :)

These past few weeks have been a busy and fun mix of events.

Living in a foreign country, even though I’ve been here for 5 years, still makes me laugh sometimes.  Certain things take 5 million times longer than they do in the US (those of you who have lived in a foreign country know what I'm talking about).  This month I had to renew my health insurance here.  To make a long story short I had to go to 4 different offices all over the city.  Driving in Guadalajara is fun.  As my mom would put it, “The only time I was afraid in Mexico was when we were driving”.  I had a fun journey with the GPS on my phone trying to get me to one of the health insurance clinics.  Thankfully GPS leading me down that dirt road alongside the canal did spit me out onto the freeway!

The other night a friend of mine, Nayelli, took us to the streets of Guadalajara where a lot of girls are being sold/trafficked.  I thank God for bringing Nayelli into my life, she has experience in this area and has been able to guide us to the different parts of the city.  Specific alleyways.  Bars.  Night clubs. Street corners.  Parks.  Table Dance clubs where many minors from other countries are hidden.   We have been going to the streets mainly to pray for the girls and pray for strategy.  Strategy on how to reach out and rescue these girls.

On the street with Karen and Nayelli

On another note, my mom came to visit for Thanksgiving!  It was so nice having her down those few days just to spend some quality one-on-one time together.

My mom and I at a cafe overlooking Ajijic

This past weekend I was able to participate in a Walk for Freedom, part of the A21 Campaign, where we raised awareness about the trafficking of girls here in the city.  It was a great time to not only raise awareness, but also to network and make more contacts.  We even made the news!

 

The women wore high heels to identify with the girls and red tape over our mouths to represent the impotency the girls have to cry out for help.

 

As we walked, the men walked alongside us and informed the public about trafficking here in Guadalajara and how we all can make a difference.

It was also a great time to fellowship with other girls and the pastor's wife from my church.

This month I have also been finishing up my master's degree online (Biblical Family Counseling) with a Mexican Christian university.  It has been a long time coming, as I have only been able to dedicate a small portion of my "free time" to it, but this month I will have completed all of the courses and in January I will start my thesis to finish it off!  Praise God!

Something God has been teaching me these past few weeks is that this is not a 100 meter dash race.  There is no reason to run as fast as I can, getting worn out and exhausted after 100 meters.  It is a cross country race.  One step at a time.

My prayer is that this Christmas season we would all slow down and truly enjoy every step we take. 

Enjoy the stage of life we are in and thank God for it, rather than looking behind or too far ahead. 

Let us be thankful for today and live today for Him, letting Him guide our steps.