Hello,
Things are starting to slow down a bit since high season is almost over. Our English speaking congregation is about half of what it was three weeks ago and it will shrink down even more in the next couple weeks. We are sad to see our snow bird friends leave, but they will be back in the fall.
My sister was able to come down to visit me and she will be here for a month! I am really excited to have her here. I had a few days off while the rest of the staff was at a conference in Tepic. Kaela and I spent some time catching up, hanging out on the beach, and eating tacos.
On our day off, we went to the hot springs at the river with our friends. We hiked around a bit in the river, slipping on rocks. There is small rope swing upstream from the hot spring pools. We played there for a little while, jumping, swimming, and chicken fighting. We had a pretty great day.
San Ignacio Mission
At the mission, we have been learning about Moses and the Israelite. The past two Tuesdays, we decided to show Prince of Egypt to the kids to help them understand the story and understand how everything fits together. We made pop corn and watched it. The kids really enjoyed the film. When God parted the Red Sea, most of the kids were enthralled. Their eyes were big and they mumbled “whoa!” Also, one of the moms who had never come to the mission before stopped by that day. She is the mom of the family I blogged about a couple weeks ago. She seemed a little timid, but I greeted her and invited her in for some popcorn. Even though I don’t speak Spanish and we can’t communicate much, she seemed happy to see me. She sat with the other ladies for a few minutes and chatted. I am praying that God meets her and that her entire family comes to know Him. That Tuesday, I am praying, will be the first step for her.
John and I also had an opportunity to teach the adults at the mission this month. I spoke on who we are in Christ, our position as sons and daughters of God who can come boldly before the throne of grace and who can expect God to move on our behalf as he promises. We are both learning a lot about preparing sermons and teaching. We were talking last night about how much we have learned and grown since we have been here. We are grateful for the opportunities that we have here and for the things that God is doing in us and through us. John also preached on a Wednesday night for the main service at church. There is a link to the sermon in the post below.
Youth
John Mark has been spending a lot of time with the youth recently. There is a flock of 15 year old boys who follow him around, trade music with him, and mimic him in subtle ways. They are really cool kids. Some of them have started coming to the mission with us and hanging out with us outside of church. They are crazy and fun and “so fifteen”. John used to help out with the youth group at Glad Tidings before we were married. He missed it after he started working 60-80 hours a week, too busy and exhausted to make time for the youth group. Now that he has time for it again, he is realizing how much he loves it. Hanging out with youth and mentoring kids is his passion. One of the kids is throwing a dubstep/hard style/techno rave and video shoot after youth group this Saturday. The two of them stayed up late last night cutting and mixing the music, discussing which songs were worthy to be included. They will probably pull another late night tonight to try and get it done.
En Vivo
John’s contribution:
En Vivo is a three day conference that happens once a year in Tepic at the main La Fuente Church. Everyone looks forward to it all year and we were hearing about how cool it is for several months. Moorea wasn’t able to go, but I was very excited to be able to go and was asked to drive one of the vans up. I ended up staying with the youth guys and halfway baby-sitting and halfway getting into trouble with them. It was a really good opportunity to really bond with and pour into some of the youth I haven't spent that much time with. I had more fun after hours with the youth guys but the conference itself was amazing as well. The worship was outstanding. Absolutely amazing. And a few of the preachers were from the US so those services were bilingual which was nice for me.
It was a blessing to be able to go and be with the youth. The mom of one of the guys who was staying with us came up to me the next Sunday to thank me. I have never met her before and it was a kid I have only talked to in passing before the conference. I was really able to get to know him over the couple days of conferences. She came up and was thanking me for all that I had done and how her son had a really great time and she had already seen a change in her son. She was really genuine and it was encouraging to me to get some feedback.
En Vivo 2012 from Jesiah Hansen on Vimeo.
Santa Fe
Please pray for the church we want to plant in Sana Fe. The government has promised us a piece of land that is 6000 sq meters (1.5 acres). We have started meeting in a park there, doing breakfasts, kids programs, and Bible studies. There aren’t any churches (Christian, Mormon, Catholic or otherwise) at all there even though the area is home to hundreds of families. The people are really excited to have a place to meet. Well, some of them. A small group has started a petition to try and keep us from meeting in the area. Apparently they don’t want a Christian church there. Ironically, the lady who started the petition is now attending our meetings regularly. Pastor Keith said that when the work of God is moving forward, we should expect some opposition, but we are just praying that doors will open and we will receive that land anyway. Please pray with us for that area.
Thank you so much for your prayer and support. We absolutely could not be here without you. We are really excited to be part of a ministry that is moving forward, helping people in practical and spiritual ways. We really feel like we are where we are supposed to be. Thank you for helping us follow God’s direction for our lives.
God Bless you.
God Bless you.
Moorea
If you would like to partner with us financially, please note that your donation is for “Holmes” and send it to:
Glad Tidings
PO Box 1630
Yuba City, CA 95992
