Tornado Season
Having spent much of my childhood in the Panhandle of Texas, I have a natural fascination with tornados. During tornado season, everyone prepares for them with a mixture of fear and excitement, and then we all keep our eyes permanently fixed skyward just so that the first glimpse isn´t missed.
Tornados are a beautiful thing. Really, they are. With their mere presence, the atmosphere changes. The wind picks up, then dies down to a quiet. The air is full of electricity. The birds and animals suddenly quiet from the big fuss they had been putting up until now. The video cameras are rolling for those people whose fear is somehow embraced and rejected in the same moment because they are compelled by the intrigue and beauty of this tumultuous thing. Have you ever wondered how they form and how their path is chosen? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be able to be safely caught up in one?
This has probably been the hardest update I´ve had to write in quite a while. It´s difficult to write because it includes communicating a lot of changes that have been difficult for me to process. Two very personal things have occurred in our lives recently. One was very sad and one is very exciting, amidst a lot of turmoil and trusting.
In August, after a few weeks of fighting for survival, we lost Tsaphah my dog of five years to a disease called Ehrlichia. It came on suddenly. We gave him blood transfusions and got up round the clock to feed and water him with a syringe. We really had hope that he could pull through this. On the eighteenth, he waited until we left to go pick up some more meds before he breathed his last. Its funny how very attached we can become to animals. I'm trusting God in His loving kindness, but still mourning the loss of my dear friend.
A few days later, after having caught up on my rest, I took a test to confirm my suspicions of why I felt so awful. I was pregnant. Memo was ecstatic! I was sick. That's how it was for a few weeks as I continued to mourn Tsaphah, but now hunched over the toilet bowl.
Last week, Memo had a dream that he was holding his infant son. Wow. I asked him how he felt about that, because all he has been talking and thinking about since we found out we were pregnant was the little girl we were going to have. "Our princess", he calls her! Well, he told me that he would still love to have a little girl, but will be so happy with a son, as well. He's so excited! Three days later we went for our first doctor's appointment and sonogram. The doc said it was really too early to say for sure, but it seems there is some evidence that points to a little boy!
When I saw our little, well-defined baby up there on the screen, it truly took my breath away. We saw each of his little hands, feet and eyes. It's almost unbelievable. It's truly amazing. At that point, my perspective began to change of this pregnancy. (It also helps that I am not so nauseas anymore!)
I am four weeks into the new Titus 2 study that Janis Saville has generously allowed me to pilot down here in Monterrey. I have three groups and am about to begin a fourth. They are going very well and everyone seems to be whole-heartedly enjoying it.
The discipleship with 13 year old Cassandra is going very well. She's opening up with me more and seems to be becoming more interested in the Word. Please pray for her growth and hunger for the Word.
The church has been experiencing somewhat of a spiritual attack. It's been quite disheartening at times, because the people are disinterested and disengaged. Church attendance is at an all time low. The kids aren't coming to Sunday school. The parents aren't making an effort to encourage them to attend. I had eight Titus 2 groups organized and ready to go. Five whole groups of women never showed or called. So, now I have three with one more about to start. There have been several conflicts within the church, caused by immaturity. A lot of our members have also been robbed. As you can see our church needs your prayers. Please join us on our knees as we fight this spiritual battle. Interestingly enough, last month we celebrated the Reformation. We have been showing videos and making special mention of it every week.
Memo and I are living out of boxes (have been for over six months) in the house we have been renting from his folks since we got married (two years ago, this November!). We had to move out for a couple of weeks while some major repairs were being made. My in-laws are now suing the construction company because the house has some irreparable foundational problems. It needs to be torn down. So, that's why we are still in boxes.
However, the good news (yes, there is good news in all of this!!) is that we are expectantly waiting on the Lord to provide Memo with the visa he needs to be able to study in MTI this spring. The plan remains the same: procure said visa, move temporarily to Denton, live with my sister while Memo does MTI and the Men's discipleship program and I fulfill my duties of home service assignment (a requirement of every missionary after their first term abroad) and raise much needed support. We will be living on support while in the States, which means we will need to get busy once we get there, because we don't have enough coming in to live on at the moment. Oh, I almost forgot, we'll be having our baby (boy?) in Denton, as well! He'll get here, God willing, at the end of April. At the end of Memo's five semester training period, provided we have 100% of our needed support raised, we'll head back to Monterrey for long-term service here in the same church, IBUC.
I don't find myself wondering what it would be like to be caught up in a tornado anymore! I am surprised however to find how much peace Memo and I have in the midst of these tumultuous times. Tsaphah's death still feels like an open wound to me. The pregnancy is still quite an adjustment, Memo´s job keeps him traveling five days out of the week, but with all of the other things flying around, we are content knowing that we are not caught up in any tornado, but held firmly in the very hand of God. We are seeking Him, praying for His will, thanking Him for His ever present protection and provision, and pressing on towards the goal of our own daily sanctification as well as the salvation and the sanctification of the ones we serve.
We thank God for you, our supporter and our encourager. Thank you for your encouragement, your letters, your prayers and your financial support.
May God continue to bless you! Love, Suzanne and Memo
Posted November 3, 2009 by Suzanne.
Summer News
Hi all! The last time I wrote to you I told you of the upcoming Missions Conference at DBC, the plans for a VBS in Monterrey, as well as IBUC's Women's Retreat. All of that has happened already and so much more! Let me brief you on all of it...
The Missions Conference at DBC was such a special blessing. I'm sure you can imagine how sweet it is for all of us missionaries who are living in different parts of the world for several years now, to be able to see each other again. It's even better than it sounds! Worshipping the Lord in English, side by side with guys I went to MTI with, meeting their wives, meeting new babies, introducing Memo to all of them, being uplifted and encouraged by DBC staff members, eating homemade food everyday made especially for us by DBC volunteers and family members, receiving a shawl made for me by the Prayer Shawl ministry, being enveloped in giant bear hugs by people I grew up admiring and knowing the Lord better because of them. Coming home was made so sweet!
Memo and I saw many of you at the congregational conference. You see, the Missions staff and the elders of DBC love us so much and desire our success in long-term ministry so much that they have planned a special week long conference for just us missionaries and our spouses and kids, alongside the congregational conference. We took care of a lot of administrative things, but the majority of the time was spent listening and fellowshipping with some senior missionaries that have had many years of experience in the field. We were also blessed to hear John Hendricks a councelor at DBC speak to us and many other testimonies and words of encouragement. It was truly uplifting and one of the top ten highlights of my life.
Returning from the conference in June, we had to run to keep up with all of the summer events! All of my group studies ended with the school year to give way for all of the activities I was helping to plan for the summer.
The first one on the board: the annual women's retreat. This is something that I helped plan, gave a visual presentation on priorities and was the MC for one of the two days. It turned out great! The speaker gave a great seminar on how our thought life can have a huge effect on our relationship with God. I was really enjoyed it, as did all of the other ladies.
Then just a few days later, we prepared and presented vaction Bible school at Berta and Blanca's house. (They are the mother and daughter that I have mentioned to you before. Blanca runs a convenience store out of their house and Berta is a schoolteacher. They used to be the only Christians in their neighborhood until we began sharing Christ with one of their neighbors. Now that neighbor and her whole family are believers and attend IBUC with us.)
So, Berta, Blanca, Miris (a teenager from the youth group) and I taught VBS. In the days that followed many of the moms of the 18 kids that attended, began to inquire of Berta if she would consider teaching their kids more Bible on a regular basis! So, by God's blessing, Berta will be teaching the kids in her neighborhood Bible lessons about twice a month. Also, by God's grace I met and shared with a young teenager named Cassandra. She has said that she would like for me to teach her more about God and the Bible, as well. We are now meeting every Wednesday at eight in the morning. Please pray for us!
Next on the schedule? Summer is ending! Actually, I have to admit that I prefer the discipleships and studies I lead during the rest of the year, to the event heavy summer schedules. Its a time of going deeper with people that I have several weeks to really get to know.
Last week, the US government received DBC's petition to invite Memo to study for five semesters. We are hopefully expecting to be TEMPORARILY moving to Denton this winter. Memo will study in MTI, as well as the Men's Discipleship program, while I perform my home service assignments and raise the support we need to head back to Monterrey.
Thank you for your prayers and notes of encouragement! They mean so much to us.
Blessings,
Suzanne and Memo
Posted August 26, 2009 by Suzanne and Memo.
All Things...For Our Good
We will be coming to Denton to be part of the SERVE Missions conference at DBC. We would love to share this wonderful experience with you, too! Please come, we'd love to see you!
At the conference, you´ll be able to: Get to know our missionaries: DBC has 73 missionary families sent out from our body serving around the world in a variety of ministries. We hope to have over 50 of these missionaries here at the conference. You will have the opportunity to hear them share with the conference, attend one of their break-out sessions, or visit one on one.
Learn about DBC missions: The conference will highlight several of our field ministries and offer break out sessions for in depth discussion of each of our key ministries
Be challenged with solid teaching: Mark Young (Executive Pastor of Missions at StoneBriar Church, Professor at DTS and President Elect of Denver Seminary) and Tommy Nelson will be challenge us on loving our neighbor
Get involved: Opportunities for local and international involvement will be highlighted throughout the conference
Bring the whole family: there will be a childrens program on both days that will take the kids to far away places like China and Kenya while having them back in time to be picked up. Kids last year loved the event and it motivated whole families to begin praying and participating in outreach.
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The conference is on Friday night May 29th from 6 to 9 PM (doors open at 5) and Saturday May 30th from 9 AM to 2 PM (doors open at 8AM)
The cost is free but we are asking everyone to register. Lunch on Saturday is $5 per adult and $2 per child and requires a ticket purchased prior to the event
To register,
1.To to the DBC website and click on the missions conference banner. Complete the registration application and submit it online
2.Fill out a registration card in the DBC church foyer in between services or at the Missions Office through the week
3.Lunch tickets can be purchased in the DBC church foyer between services.
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This Spring has been SO full of SO many good things! Not all of these things started out good, like our house being deemed structurally unsound and having to pack up (everything) and move out temporarily, or the flu epidemic that the world is so grateful to Mexico for (heehee)! But, we know that God has worked all of these things for our good. He has generously provided for the house to be completely fixed and repainted without any cost to us and because of the flu scare God arranged for Memos work travel plans to be canceled, which allowed him to be home with me as I supervised the workers, packed, moved, unpacked, then packed again and moved back. We are so thankful for His intricate care in every detail of our lives.
Ministry is running at a very fast pace and by Gods provision and grace, we have been able to not only keep up with it, but to flourish, as well! Memo has preached to the congregation three times this Spring and has more scheduled. His sermons have been centered on the Holiness of God,The Holy Day of the Lord,and Worshipping Our Holy God in Our Pain.
I have been busy planning events for the womens ministry with my leadership team. Every month we put together a womens breakfast with a different theme complete with speakers, worship ,prizes, great fellowship and of course, the actual breakfast.
Aside from preparing the breakfasts, we have been planning a church wide baptism out in the country on June 21st. That day will also be a sun, fun and truth filled celebration/exhortation for the most vital part of our church...all of our dads and husbands!!! Please pray for the hearts of our men to be humbled before God. We so need them to be the leaders of our homes, church and society that God has called them to be. This is a very urgent need in our church right now.
July 24th and 25th will be our Womens Retreat: Called to More Intimacy with God. Im so excited about that! In August we will have our first ever Vacation Bible School mission. We will be holding a week of VBS in two or three different neighborhoods where church-members live. The goal is to provide an opportunity for ongoing ministry for our church-members in their neighborhoods. (The Holiness of God studies that Im leading have been a great first step for teaching neighborhood outreach. The ladies are beginning to recognize that fascilitating a study is not as hard or scary as it looks. Yay for that! But we still have a ways to go)!
We would love to see you next week for the conference! We are super excited to be at DBC again if only for a short time.
Posted May 19, 2009 by Suzanne.
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