July 2008

Celebrating Independence As we approached July, a little homesickness kicked in. One of our family traditions for seven years has been to w atch fireworks from the law n of the Muskingum County Library. We w ould pack up sparklers and some good snacks and claim a spot early. We w ould then walk to the river front and enjoy the festivities as we fellow shipped w ith many of our friends. We even ordered pizza one year and had it delivered to the library. This year, w e knew , would be much different. So as not to miss it too much, w e planned an old fashioned July 4th picnic complete w ith hamburgers, hotdogs and apple pie. We invited several people from our church and some new nonChristian friends. The Lord really blessed us w ith a beautiful day. We had blue skies and picture perfect w h i t e p u f f y c lou ds . As the evening closed, a rain storm appeared in the mountains. We thought this might spoil the perfect day but the rain stayed in the mountains and provided us with a rainbow that lasted for over an hour. What a back drop

as we ended the day with a few small fireworks. The local police even drove by a couple of times to check out the show . Living here has made us appreciate some of the freedom w e had in the U. S. Although Mexico is a democracy, the drug trade has forced the government to use the military to take on the role of a police force. One example of this is the check point betw een San Marcos and Guadalajara, complete with armored vehicles, M-16s and lots of very serious looking soldiers. The army personnel can stop anyone at any time and search their vehicles. We have never been stopped yet. Last w eek here in San Marcos w e were driving to the plaza (the center of tow n where most activities take place) and found it blocked off. I counted tw elve soldiers and tw o military hummers. They w ere also at the entrance to the tow n randomly stopping people and searching their cars. Pastor Cooke said this happens several times a year. It is all related to the drug trade. No arrests are usually made; it is more of a show to let people know that the government is taking care of things. Although this all sounds intimidating, it made me think of w hat true freedom really is, the freedom that no government can take aw ay. This is the freedom that Christ provided for us on the Cross! God sent his only Son so that w e may be free from the bondage of sin. Without that freedom w e would be doomed to spend eternity separated from God. John the Baptist said it best in John 1:29 “Behold, the Lamb of God w ho takes aw ay the sin of the world.” We don’t need a Fourth of July to take time to behold the Lamb of God and thank Him for our true freedom...But w e needed that reminder!

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Greetings from San Marcos! We have traded our blue skies for the dark gray of the rainy season. It rains pretty much every day now and we have seen the sun only one day this week for a brief period of time. God has granted us some mercy for the work to be done though. Most of the hard rain has occurred at night, allowing us to continue work on the roof. Also we have resolv ed most of the leaks on the bottom floor of the Home. The only water coming in is on the wall and one or tw o small drips here and there. Part of the morning routine now is sweeping the water out of the second story (for a better explanation and photos of how our floors and ceilings are constructed visit the photo section of our web site www.faceofmyfather.org). On really rainy days we work on the downstairs painting and finishing the kitchen and bathrooms. We now have kitchen cabinets! Thank you, Stewart Campbell and the team from the Zanesville Christian and Missionary Alliance! We are working to get them painted and the doors hung. Next week we are making a trip to Home Depot in Guadalajara to pick out the counter tops and sinks. We have been using the Cookes’ kitchen for the cleanup. We now have a kitchen stove and can cook some of our meals here in the Children’s Home. The shower stalls are being tiled as we speak. This will be another step toward being a little more independent.

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The “red tape” that is required to make us an official “AC” or “Asociación Civil” is in its final stages. We were presented with the documents which now have to be examined by our accountant here in Mexico. Then it goes back to the government for the final approval. We are not worried about this step because the people that must approve it have already been involved in each previous step. They will just have to put their seal on the total document. Please pray along with us that this only takes a few weeks. It is important because this will make us a nonprofit organization according to the Mexican government, giving us the right to start taking in children and to apply for our long term visas! (see following article)

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It is hard to believe that we have been in Mexico for four months. Now we have to start planning for a possible “border run.” For those of you not familiar with the term, let me explain. Currently, we are in Mexico on a 6-month tourist visa. In order to comply with the law, we must leave Mexico within 6 months of the day we got the visa. Not only do w e have to leave but we have to take our vehicle and trailer as well. In October we must make “a run for the border” then reenter on a new tourist visa. This will be an expensive trip. With gas prices going up and a couple of hotel stays we will need about $1800 to make the trip. We will be staying with friends in Torreón here in Mexico, which is halfway to the border. Then we will visit a church in Harlingen, Texas, which is supporting the Children’s Home. Then it is on to Dallas to stay a few days with supporters there. If you feel led to contribute toward this trip we would greatly appreciate it. Once we obtain the more permanent FM3 visa we will not have to make this trip again. We cannot apply for that visa until the paper work for the Civil Association is complete. Mexican immigration law says that we can stay in the country while our long term visas are being processed. In the event that the AC paper work is completed quickly, we may not have to make the border run at all. We could then apply the money raised for our trip toward the cost of the long- term visas which is $500.00 per person ($2500 for the whole family) for a 5-year visa that has to be renewed ($100.00 per person) once a year. Please pray for this second option to take place it would save us money and be much easier. Also, Genna will be flying out from Dallas to Ohio for two weeks and will be speaking in some churches along with visiting friends. She and her friends have raised the money for her ticket. Please pray for a safe trip, wonderful reunions and fruitful ministry in the churches while she is in the U.S. in October.

One night on our w ay home from Etzatlan, a thought struck me. I tried ducking it, but I just w asn’t fast enough... Anyway, like I said, I was looking out my w indow , w hen this t hou ght occurred to me. How lovely everything w as. Not how silly, or different or foreign, but how absolutely lovely. This really surprised me. When w e first moved dow n here, I w asn’t too sure about this place. To be honest, I hadn’t even w anted to come. I knew my father had felt a calling for Mexico, and I knew my calling w as to follow him. That didn’t seem to be much reason as w e were waving our friends good bye though. I wouldn’t say I w as completely against coming, I just w asn’t w illing to be cheerful about it. Everyone said to us, “It’ll be such an adventure!” I don’t think I really understood those w ords. For a peace and quiet loving person, like me, an adventure didn’t sound like much fun. Since then though, my perspective on México has taken a “180” of sorts. I w ent from criticizing to enjoying, from w ondering w hy to appreciating. I used to compare things just to hear myself talk; now I compare and try to learn so I can understand. The absences just mean chances to try something different. At first, I felt morose and depressed; now I am excited! Now this doesn’t mean I don’t miss my old home. I do…something awful. And trust me…I have my moments. I even have w hole days where I don’t feel like being cheerful or helpful or looked at. I still w ant to have things MY w ay and +

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in my time. In fact, I have to stop every day and check my attitude. But I think I have finally gotten to the point w here I realized I w ouldn’t be any good unless I let God in. I w asn’t going to be a godly influence on anybody unless He was my focus. The adjustment of living here has been difficult. Simple things, like doing laundry and dishes, take more time and energy (w ell, it seems like it to me). But w e are so very blessed. I think He gives me things everyday just to let me know He is right beside me— things like a breeze w hen I feel much too hot or a rainbow after a day of cleaning rain out of our house. Peeks at little sprouts grow ing and marvelous miniature flow ers show His presence. Gradually, w e are figuring things out. A bit of w orry is slow ly being let go. We are getting closer as a family, even w hen we feel like throw ing in the tow el. And in the case of the language? Well, slow ly, VERY slow ly, it is becoming more fun. Trying to figure out how to say something is scary, but w hen you can, it’s fabulous! It can be very frustrating, if not worse, but I suppose that is w here patience and practice come in. In fact, after this I w ant to learn a few more languages ! But that’s just me. So please continue praying for our family. We are trying to do what God needs us to do, but w e need your help. Every prayer is felt, w hether you think so or not. Please pray for us to have w illing hearts, and that w e can tackle the job w ith a cheerful spirit! ,

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(Español con Anita)

This month I will teach you some construction terms! We use these words a lot when we work on the Children' s Home. construction–la construcción to work—trabajar house–la casa rain—la lluvia sun—el sol

brick—el ladrillo bucket–la cubeta cement–el cemento ladder–la escalera shovel–la pala

Now unscramble the Spanish words! 1. saac ___________________ 2. alap ________________ 3. llaoldri ________________ 4. tcbaue ________________ 5. etmoecn ________________ 6. cerealsa ________________

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