Week of June 13, 2005

Wow, we’ve been here over a week! I feel that I better share some news with you all about our personal lives since the time is right, and I recently realized that many of you haven’t been told yet. . . Before coming to Mexico, Mark and I learned that I am pregnant! I am currently 14 weeks, and yes, we are going to have the baby in La Paz. One of the first things we did when we arrived was to find a doctor. A friend of ours from Crossroads Christian Fellowship (the American church we are primarily co-responsible for) found herself in a similar situation about 3 years ago when she and her husband moved to Mexico from the States. Her name is Iza, and she helped me to find a highly recommended doctor in the area. She even made our first appointment for us which will be next Monday, June 27th at 9:00am. I went to my Bethlehem doctor right before we left, and they copied all of my medical records to send down with me, hooked me up with a 9 month supply of prenatal vitamins and other comforts of home. We also had our first ultrasound and we saw the little one kicking and moving his/her arms and legs like crazy! Although I cannot feel any movement yet, it’s very exciting to know that he/she is active and everything is very healthy. We are very excited and very anxious about the whole process, and will be sure to keep you informed.

Our schedule is quickly filling up. The first week was like a homecoming and a very warm one at that. We had lunch with our good friends Carolina and Ruben and caught up on life. For those of you who are not familiar with this couple, Ruben is about the same age as Mark and Carolina is about the same age as me, and they attend 1st Baptist Church. Carolina’s father owns a large papeleria (paper store) in La Paz, and he is very business minded. Ruben recently quit his job with the government because of the corruption he faced everyday. He worked for the department of weights and measures, but the majority of the department accepts bribes from local companies instead of adjusting their scales to the correct level. In other words, when you get a gallon of gas, most likely, you pay for a gallon, but only receive 3/4. Because he is a Christian, he could no longer feel good about going to work each day, so in February, he quit knowing he was giving up a good income, in order to start a music ministry and a youth ministry program in La Paz. In Mexico, you just don’t quit your job to do volunteer ministry, so this was a very bold step of faith for both Carolina and Ruben. Although Carolina’s father initially disagreed with this decision, he is coming around and becoming more supportive. Ruben shares his love for Christ and music every Tuesday evening along the Malecon (the local version of the boardwalk…only it’s concrete and tile).

We also had our first Spanish lesson with our good friends Mary and Raul. Just some background info on Mary and Raul, they got married when Mary was 14 years old and Raul was 16. Now, about 10 years later, they have 3 children and attend 4th Baptist Church. Last year, they lived on the top of a mountain in La Paz right on the edge of a cliff that overlooks the whole city – the sunsets are beautiful, and the view at night is incredible. Although their house was only about 10 by 12 with a tar paper roof, walls made out of cinder blocks minus the mortar, and their floor was concrete/dirt, the 5 of them lived their very happily for years. Recently, the city did some construction to their area and basically eliminated their home. They are now renting the house next door which has a tile floor, doors, and windows, but this is only a temporary home. They hope to rebuild in the near future after the government is finished doing whatever it is that they are doing. Last year while Mark and I were here for 3 months, we met with Mary and Raul every Monday night to practice our Spanish. This couple speaks no English at all, so it forces us to use the vocabulary that we know to have a conversation. Mary is very patient with us and corrects us when we need it and gives us new words. We spent 3 hours at their home just talking and laughing. It is amazing how God can bring 2 completely different families together and make it feel like we’re brothers and sisters who have known each other for a lifetime. We plan on making Monday nights our weekly Mary and Raul Spanish night.

Saturday, we attended the 19th Anniversary of Principe de Paz – the 2nd Baptist Church. There were over a hundred people in attendance from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Baptist Churches and also from 2 of their missions in San Jose (about 2 ½ hours south of La Paz). The service lasted from about 6:30 until 10:00. Each church participated in the service with a song, scripture reading, or words of encouragement from their pastors. We felt so welcomed as we met old friends – got lots of hugs and kisses, and also met some new friends including the new pastor of Principe de Paz Juan Garcia Barandika.

The Crossroads fellowship is growing very quickly! The congregation is made up of a group of core members who are either ex-patriots, locals who wish to worship with us and learn English as a second language at the same time, tourists, and people from the boating community. When we first began coming to Crossroads, attendance was around 30-35 people. Now, 30-35 people attend throughout the summer months (the ministry’s down time) and closer to 50+ in the winter (the prime vacation months). Worship at Crossroads is generally very informal and participatory. Newcomers often say they feel surprisingly at home with the fellowship.