Snug as a Bug in a Rug...

Well, I'll try not to complain when Brad and I get stuck with a standard-sized bed in a Mexican hotel anymore. These six kids and a 15-year-old "big sister" have been sleeping on these two twin mattresses on the floor for about a week, and will be doing so until later this month when the bunk beds are delivered.

We just returned from a quick, five-day trip to Una Esperanza to check on the kids and get things moving on our new convenience store. Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE), a student organization from Texas State University, is partnering with us and funding a neighborhood store to help foster self-sustainability in Kilometer 33. Despite thunderstorms and lightning, Juan and his sons broke ground the other day and the footings and concrete floor should be in place by now.

In addition to the four girls we had before, we now have another eight-year-old girl, Juanita, and her almost three-year-old brother, Victor, living at Una Esperanza full-time. Little Juanita has lived at the ministry center off and on in the past year, and she seems to be so happy living with the other girls. We hadn't planned on a boy, but Victor's smile is heartwarming and he seems to be adjusting well also.

We brought the girls two new bikes and a wagon, and boy did they have a ball playing with them! Chelo took the girls downtown and got them all haircuts, and they looked so adorable. While we were there, we also had a de-licing day, trying to get that issue under control, which is an ever-present problem. The kids really are responding well to their new routines, and the girls are so enjoying wearing clean clothes each day. Mariquita used to wear the same outfit for four or five days when we would be at Una Esperanza. She was so dirty much of the time. Now, we have to restrain her from wanting to change clothes two and three times a day!

Many, many needs come along with feeding all these mouths and washing their clothes. The actual cost of this room has far exceeded the projected estimate, so we are just trusting God to provide for these kids. He keeps reminding us that this is definitely beyond our ability or capacity, and He is our provider! We went to Sam's Club and spent a bunch stocking up on food for the kids and trying to introduce some healthy food into their diets. Chelo's outdoor washing machine broke while we were there, so we'll have to get her a new one. She still dries the clothes on a clothes line, but the thunderstorms last week kind of negated her efforts to stay up on the laundry!

We also have made room for big Juanita, a 15-year-old girl who has been on our staff at the ministry center since January as a helper with a feeding program. Juanita is one of the few Tarahumara who have accepted Christ as their Savior and is serious in her walk with God, and she's kind of going through the fire, so to speak, right now. Her dad is an alcoholic and left the family several months ago to live with another woman and start another family. In response to his actions, Juanita's mother began an affair with another man and moved out, leaving Juanita to take care of her two brothers and a cousin who lived at their house. No one in the family has been supportive of Juanita's decision to follow Christ, and many in the community have become outright hostile toward her because of her stance for Christ. She has recently received threats of physical danger because of her decision to follow Christ, and she is now living at Una Esperanza, acting as a big sister to all the little ones and taking care of them during the day.

Please keep Juanita in your prayers. I truly believe that Juanita is a catalyst for change in this community. We prayed and held her the other day as she cried. She is so burdened for her people to know Christ, and it's not easy for her to respond with love to people who are physically threatening her and attempting to disparage her reputation in the community. I believe that the love they see through this changed young woman will win others to Christ.

I'm reading a book titled Messy Spirituality by Mike Yaconelli right now, and it's really impacting me. Truly living our lives to know God and demonstrate Him to others is messy. Thank God He doesn't require "perfect" Christians who have it all together. He sees our hearts and sees beyond our failures and our trip-ups. He loves us and can still use us. As I look around our little community of Kilometer 33, I see some who are trying to look "religious" and are of absolutely no use to the cause of Christ, and then I see those who are faltering and embarrased when they fall, but at least they're authentically trying to know God and follow Him. Those are the people I want to hang out with, to call my friends. I thank God that He still chooses to use me even when I mess things up and don't appear very "spiritual."

On a lighter note, Noah finally lost his first tooth on this mission trip and was quite proud of his snaggle-tooth smile! You can see many more photos from this trip at the most recent photo gallery on our website. Thanks for your prayers and support!