HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
PROSPERO ANO NUEVO!
We have had a good 2007 and are looking forward to a blessed 2008--- here is a recap of our last year and a look ahead to 2008!
2007
Winter of 2007 was our first in Mexico. We spent most of it getting oriented to a new way of life and learning the Spanish language. We tried two tutors and a language class and had trouble getting anyone to stick with it. My tutors came by once or twice and then that was it-- my professional teacher would only show up every once in a while too!
The kids were well on their way to homeschooling and did well and Sharlene was finding a groove in the teaching process.
The most surprising part of winter 2007 was the cold. We had gotten rid of most of our cool and cold weather clothes because we were moving to Mexico! Well we had a few nights of almost freezing weather. We were only a few metres of elevation away from snow- they got some a little higher up than we are. Without heat in the house and some days with highs only in the 40's and low 50's- we had 2 weeks in the cold where we could never get warm...
I spent some time in Canada raising support and reporting on our first few months. It was good and God was faithful to supply all of our needs!
Spring came and was spent getting training for my main ministry to start in the fall- Pastor training. I took some training in San Francisco on a curriculum meant for training pastors in the developing world. It has proven to be fantastic and a great blessing to us. Within weeks I had taken the training and a found group of pastors and church leaders who had been praying for someone to come and teach them the Scriptures. We also had Rock Harbour Church in Costa Mesa, CA let us know that they wanted to financially support the training of pastors in this area! Praise God! I love it when HIS plan comes together!
Summer brought us to Canada for a planned hip surgery for Shar and camp speaking for Mike plus deputation in churches while we were there! The surgery was postponed until September, but the camps went exceeding well, praise God, and many kids there decided to either follow Jesus for the first time- or to completely dedicate their lives to Him and follow Jesus wherever and however He wants! It was good to see friends- and rain- and trees- it was a blessing over all!
Fall gave us Shar's surgery, a visit in Mexico from my mother, the start of the pastor's training ministry and homeschooling with the kids. All have gone very well. Shar is now able to walk farther than me- she can even keep up with the kids! She is very happy with her new found mobility! The pastor's training class is going well. The class has wittled down a bit from a high of 35 to an average now of about 20. There have been some external conflicts between students that have caused some to back off. Now we have mostly pastors and their wives who are making the sacrifices to be available to learn from the Scriptures twice a week.
Fall also brought Lupita into our lives-- Lupita is a little girls with a medical problem. My job has been to be chauffeur and taxi driver getting them to Dr.'s appointments and back (there have been many!!). She had surgery a few weeks ago and seems to be improving- though a Dr.'s appointment in the new year will give us more information as to how she is doing.
I am improving steadily in my language acquisition. These last few months I've picked up alot in the classes through discussions and listening to my translator turn my words into Spanish thoughts. But I still struggle with some things and find it a bit frustrating to make myself known and to completely understand folks- likely mostly because of the different sentence structure of Spanish. Shar and the kids's Spanish is coming along markedly slower with their limited time and access to Spanish. Which brings us to our 2008 plans and prayer requests!
2008
Language acquisition. We are praying about what to do with this. I would like to become more fluent so that I can teach without an translator and take part in discussions with the class. This will come, but is doing so slowly. The other part is that with Shar spending most of her time homeschooling and caring for the house and kids here, her (and the kids) don't have the same opportunity to improve in their Spanish and it affects their ability to serve here and to connect with the local families. There are a couple options-- going to the language school in McAllen Texas. This is a good option- but will be a bit more expensive. We would live in the US which would be more costly than here. It would also be from August to May- so 9 months away from relationships and ministry here. But it would give all of us a good, steady chance to learn Spanish.
Another option is to go to a specialized language school for families in /southern Mexico. The programs there are from 3-4 months long, intensive and comparatively inexpensive. We can do it with the least amount of disruption to the family and ministry, but it is intensive, which can be a bit intimidating... Please pray that we'd have wisdom, direction and provision for whatever we do!
Ministry Direction Bible Training. I will continue to teach at the Bible Institute Training in 2008. If we do go somewhere to language school, I have a local, trained pastor who now subs for me who would likely take the class while we are gone.
Church Building We have one of our pastors who is currently meeting in a dilapidated temporary structure consisting of 3 walls ( one of them is the side of a house) and a makeshift 1/2 a roof. A couple and a church in Canada have donated $6500.00 towards building this church. We will need 10,000-15,000 to build a rudimentary shell in the size he needs and about 25,000 total to finish it off with drywall, electrical, plumbing (rudimentary...). We can use money (
Donate to YUGO Canada or YUGO USA see www.yugo.org to find out where (
or look to the left of my blog) and we can use groups to come assist in building. Email me for more info!
Medical Missions I've been helping out driving Lupita to Dr.'s appointments and keeping our Medical Missionaries apprised of what is happening with her. I'm now going to be more involved as a liason with the pastors that the Medical Missions works with sometimes helping to make sure that those that need more medical help get it. I love the Mobile Medical Missions clinics we have and am glad to be serving them! We can always use nurses, doctors dentists and hygienists in this ministry- again- email me if you are interested in participating in this ministry.
Training Missionaries We have a couple opportunities to serve in this area. I am planning on getting training on Perspectives in World Missions in February. It is an intensive 1 week course in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
The cost for the course, transportation, accommodations, and food comes to around $1600.00. Our Medical Missions Ministry will be having Medical Missionary Internships in the summer. Part of the training will be a missions course based on the Perspectives course. I am also helping to train new missionaries who are coming to YUGO. They will stay at El Faro Ministry for a month or so their first month in Mexico while they get adjusted. I'll be helping to teach courses on Missions, conflict management and other ones as well as needed. I'm looking forward to serving in this way!!
Thank you for partnering with us this last year and for coming along with us in 2008. We are thankful for your prayers and your sacrificial giving on our behalf! This really is our ministry together as God uses what you to effect changed lives in Mexico! Praise God for what He has done in 2007 and we are reliant on Him to lead us to follow Him in His work in Mexico in 2008.
God Bless you all in 2008!
Mike for the Family!
We had friends here for the last 2 weeks of January. We had a good time doing some sightseeing with them, doing some fun stuff, showing them a cross cultural experience and involving them in Ministry too.
Irvin, Mari and Leah Penner started in Ministry with a bang as we went out together to a "Spectrum Ministry" outreach. We went to one of Tijuana poorest urban colonias. Most of the folks in this area do not have running water so Spectrum Ministries goes out to the communities every few weeks with a team of Mexicans and Americans to bath the kids in hot water showers. After we got done setting up the canvas tents that would be our shower houses, Mari and Leah began working in the girls tents fixing the newly washed hair of the girls as they came through. Before that they had a lice check, treatment if necessary, a shower and then got to pick out nice new to them clothes and a treat/toy. After they were done, the parents picked out some food before they went home.
As I was nursing a severe toothache, Shar took the penners down to an orphanage that we work with to meet the folks and hang out with the kids. The next week we went over to the US and purchased over $700.00 in groceries for the orphanage. Before they had come down, Leah (11) had organized a group of her friends to have a piano recital and coffee house fundraiser to provide forthe needs of the orphanage. They raised over $1000 CDN.
A few days later, we were able to purchase medicine, groceries and leave a cash donation as well so that they could purchase meat or anything else that they needed int he coming days.
After we handed out the groceries, Victor and Gabby (orphanage parents) invited us in to pray. I struggled to translate Irvs prayer and then Gabby prayed for us and thanked God for the provisions of their needs. Then the children all gathered around us and in a group prayer they all laid hands on the Penners and I and prayed for us- thanking God for His provision and praying for their protection and that He would double His blessings on all those who gave to help them out. It was a moving, tear-jerking moment as we stood there praying in two languages to a common Heavenly Father, understanding that we were all uniquely family- brothers and sisters in Jesus.
They spent a few days doing touristy-things in San Diego, blessing us by taking us out to SeaWorld with them!!
I took them out to see the Colonias where we work. It was after 3 days of rain so we struggled in the mud-bog, but had a good time playing in the dirt! We were again moved at the sight of extreme poverty. I was reminded of the need to pray for the families of this community as most have ramshackle homes and after 3 days of incessant, cold rain- sickness is not often far behind.
