stories
Teaching Together
We laugh when we tell the story of how we ended up teaching every Saturday (our only day off) 8 am-12pm. Kevin decided we needed to stay after church one Sunday for what we thought were announcements. It was and because we did, the Pastor volunteered us to teach a children’s activity the following Saturday, so Kevin said yes. As I am continuing to learn Spanish, I understood a great deal but in the car, I asked Kevin to fill me in. Well, he did! What we didn’t know, is what a great blessing it was to not only teach the ten young students the Bible and English every Saturday morning, but what a blessing it was to see our kids teaching, participating, and serving. We always hear parents talk about how proud they are of their child’s achievements in sports and academics but don’t forget to recognize the acts of service they do.
Serving the Mission Behind the Mission
The job that we have is important when living overseas! What does a Logistics Service Coordinator do? That is a great question. Imagine going inside a bank to deposit a check. If you’re old enough to remember, you might shudder and think, “That’s why we have a drive-through…” If you’re not, you may be thinking, “I just use my phone, grandpa. Here let me show you…” Kevin had to go to the bank to update his address and get a new ATM card for the account he has had for 7 years. After 4 different visits each lasting three hours, he finally updated his address!! His ATM card was another battle for another day! Our mission is to share the Gospel with those around us, some are focused on different groups of people like the Indigenous or urban areas like the universities. Daily, they spend time sharing their faith, preaching the Gospel, and getting to know those around them. Now imagine, if each of our missionaries, had to go inside a bank, get their drivers license, or renew their visa paperwork, but each of those tasks required research in a different language and culture, waiting in line not just a few minutes but hours over several days. They would have an opportunity with those waiting in line, but it wouldn’t be strategic or a good use of their time. This is where Logistics comes in – Kevin works hard with his team to keep the missionaries on task by taking on these types of activities, so the Gospel continues to be shared where God has called missionaries…not necessarily the bank or the DMV, but the college campuses, the indigenous communities, and throughout Colombia.
Too much Spanish
A most recently story is that currently the boys are going to an English speaking school in Colombia. Andrew received a note home from his teacher that said, he was speaking too much SPANISH in class today. We are proud of our boy’s Spanish level that they have. We have enjoyed seeing them run and play with Spanish speaking children daily. They can order their own food and enjoy life here because of their Spanish knowledge.
Saying goodbye
Saying goodbye was harder than I thought as a mom. We knew we were only going to be in Mexico for a year or less so making deep friendships could or could not happen. I honestly was only thinking about our friendships. Yes, it was hard saying goodbye to the others who we knew for three months prior. Yes, it was hard saying goodbye to my language partner Edith who sold Mary Kay from her car outside the boy’s school. The hardest goodbyes were seen as my children had to say goodbye once again to friends, teachers, and a school they loved. I worked diligently to make cupcakes for their last day, a scrapbook of their year so all their friends could sign it, and we let them stay until the last minute to say goodbye to friends and teachers. They truly were blessed in their Mexican school with an excellent director, teachers, office staff, and friends. As the only Americans in their school, they were invited to more birthday parties then I can count, and the parents were always willing to help and assist me when trying to understand more about what was expected for a Science Project. The boys made friends and became more fluent in Spanish, yes, more than mom!
Welcomed In
A family from our church, invited us over for lunch after the service. Church runs from 11 am until 2 pm and usually a nap follows. We put aside our expectations not knowing how long we would be expected to stay, and going along for the ride. We decided that we would make no plans for afterwards and just enjoy our new-found friends’ hospitality. Lunch was delicious with homemade fettuccine Alfredo, carnitas with hot corn tortillas, and chicharrones (Mexican pork rinds). Benjamin loved the chicharrones while Andrew had thirds for the carnitas! We laughed through lunch, practicing Spanish, telling stories, and hearing about how the family came to be in Puebla. It was a great and delicious way to start off our time!