Blog Dos

Hey guys! I am so sorry my blog is late! Last week was crazy, and we had a packed weekend! The picture to the left is the coast of Mexico as we are driving to Ensenada.. I know BEAUTIFUL!

So let me start off by saying thanks for all the prayers this week. I know I asked specifically for prayer for the language barrier, and I really feel blessed in that area. Although I did not pick up the language overnight, I feel a lot of growth already. I am getting more comfortable with the common phrases, and the natives continue to be very patient and encouraging!

We had our first group come down last week.. and good news.. they were from Jersey! It was really an amazing week. The group was college age, so I really got to connect with some of them. Also, a friend of mine from Philadelphia University happened to be in the group! So that was a definite answer to prayer. It was so nice to just see a familiar face in the midst of all the new ones. The group built one of the local pastors, Jamin, a brand new church. Up until a couple months ago his congregation had been meeting in a tent, but the winter weather got too chilly for that, so they ended up merging with another local church for the time being. It was such a blessing to see Jamin's appreciation in all of it. He walked around all week with a grin from ear to ear, thanking everyone for the work that they had put in! The picture at the bottom is church that was built.

Saturday night I got to go to my first Mexican wedding! That was fun! Nothing like the weddings in the states.. haha.. there were kids running up and down the aisles, dogs barking, and just a ton of commotion everywhere!! But it was fun to get all dressed up and see how other cultures do weddings! I also almost caught the bouquet! Thank goodness the lady next to me grabbed it out of my hands! haha I'm not quite ready for that yet! lol

Besides that my week was filled with packing lunches, cleaning, helping with dinner, and just getting to know the people who were here. God is teaching me a lot so far, I guess the thing that stands out the most this week is about doing works in vain. Psalm 127 talks about laboring in vain. I realized that no matter what happens this summer... I really need to focus on the fact that I am doing things for God, not for people or for myself... the things I do need to be because I love God and I want to see His plans fulfilled. Otherwise, it's all in vain. I feel like that is an important lesson for me to start off the summer with. It's so easy to just fall into this cycle where you just do things because you are supposed to, or because you think its good, but you need to do what is best in God's eyes, and we need to do it with a heart for Him.

Every morning we get up and pray with the Mexican pastors; it has been an amazing time of worship! I feel like the first thing to go when my life gets busy is my prayer life, so it has been amazing to dedicate anywhere from 1-3 hours a day just talking to God! Sometimes I get up and my heart isn't in it, but when I walk into the room and see the Mexican pastors so anxious to talk to God, my eyes are really opened to why I am here! I am really hoping to continue to stay focused during these hours of prayer. I know God can really speak clearly to me in these times if I let him..

Thanks so much for all your prayers! Again, I definitely feel covered in them! I love you guys so much and I can't wait to tell you more!

Love,
Steph