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.

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

Hello all,

I preached on this last Wednesday and just uploaded it to the La Fuente website (one of my jobs, managing the website) and I thought I would share it with everyone. Enjoy!
http://lafuenteriviera.com/index.php/multimedia/audio

Peace be with you,
john mark

Of all the things that John and I do here, going to the mission is definitely our favorite. We live and spend most of our time in Bucerias, but on Tuesdays and Saturdays, we drive 30 minutes into the jungle-covered hills to a small town called San Ignacio. We do worship, kids classes and bible studies with the people there. We also feed the people a couple times a month. Since we started working here, I have known that this is one of the poorest towns in the region. But after a few weeks, I stopped noticing the dirty faces, the ill-fitting clothes, and just focused on the kids. Basically, I forgot they are poor.  Yesterday, I was reminded. 

Let me back up. On Saturday, Pastora Maya, our pastor’s wife, stopped by the mission in San Ignacio after our service was over and we were playing with the kids. She noticed one of our youngest and most faithful attenders, a 4-year-old girl named Abby. Maya asked about how often she come to the mission and if her parents were there, if they ever came.  I didn’t know much about her family, just that she comes very faithfully with her 10 year old sister, and that I had never met her parents. Maya decided that she wanted to go home with them, to meet their parents and see where they live.

The next day, she told me about her visit. There are four children who come to the mission very often (I didn’t even realize all four of them are related!) and a cousin who also comes faithfully. Neither of their parents were home. Their mother was working cleaning houses in Sayulita 15 minutes up the road. The oldest, Alisha, said that she would be home around 6 or 7 pm. Their father was working in Vallarta, about an hour away. If he wasn’t drinking, he would be home about the same time. Maya asked if they had any food, and who would cook it for them. (Prepackaged food is very rare here, and too expensive for most people.) Alisha said that her brother and sisters like rice, and she would make if for them. Maya asked if they had a stove and if she knew how to work it. She did. Stoves here are different than in the States. They are propane and never have a striker. To light them, one must turn on the gas and light it oneself with a cigarette lighter. Alisha regularly does the cooking for her siblings because her parents work so much to support the family. Another thing about Alisha, she is almost blind in one eye.

While Maya was there, the kids showed her a photo album. It was the happiest day of Alisha’s life, her 5^th birthday party at Kindergarten. Maya was inspired by this to come back with her niece, a photographer, to take pictures of the kids and print them so they had some pictures of themselves. She invited me to go with them yesterday.

Pastora Maya with Mona, a cousin, on the porch

We drove back in to the neighborhood further than I had been before. We approached a ladder that led to a double staircase that ended at their front porch. Two little girls appeared and threw themselves into my arms. They were so excited that I was there. Daily, I wish that I could communicate more with them, that my Spanish was better, but yesterday I realized that I don’t have to speak perfect Spanish for them to feel loved. Just being faithful to them every week, showing up and doing lessons with them matters.

Their mom was home with them yesterday. Maya talked with her while the kids had their photos taken. Their mom is a beautiful lady who loves her kids and works hard for them, but is already stretched beyond her limit. She showed us her home. She knows how little they have. I was struck with how vulnerable she was.

Taking photos

The mom told us that she works 12 hours a day 6 or 7 days a week. For that, she earns about $400 USD a month. Her husband, who probably works similar hours, earns less. Maya explained that she wanted to make a photo album to give to the kids like the one they had showed her the Saturday before. The mom thanked her humbly, and told us that she had never seen a photograph before Alisha had brought some home from school. Ever. Her kids had to explain what a photo was.

The front porch and entrance to their house

The house has one room with a bunk bed made by her husband, a tv, a two burner range, and a small table that acts as a kitchen counter. The bathroom is two stories at ground level. I didn’t see a mattress on the bed frame, just blankets. Her husband and her shared the bottom with their youngest, and the older three shared the top bunk. The walls were made of exposed cement block, and two of the walls were unfinished, leaving a 7 ft x 5 ft opening. She told us that it used to get very cold at night, but they had recently bough a green mesh to cover the window. They didn’t really have a front door, just a sheet and a piece of plywood to lean against the opening.

I didn’t know what to do or say. It is one thing to see something like this on tv. If we are going to compare it, maybe I’ve seen worse, but never in real life, never with kids that I care about. I knew that this is what San Ignacio is like. I just hadn’t seen it before. This family is not unusual. The long work hours, the kids caring for each other because no one else is home: that is normal. I’ve heard the kids at the mission say that their parents hit each other, or that they drink too much. Life here is really hard, and I know that. It is different seeing it.

Maya asked the mom if she believed that Alisha is totally blind in one eye. The mom said that she had never asked her. She said that she had never taken Alisha to the doctor because she didn’t have time because of her work schedule. I am thinking that money is also a factor. Maya is planning on taking her to the doctor in the next couple weeks. Alisha might need surgery.

When we climbed back in the car, Maya said to me “those girls are never going to forget your face. They will remember you for the rest of their lives.” She went on about how important what we are doing is. How it will change these kids’ lives. Then, she said “I still remember the missionary who came to my village and taught me about Jesus. Her face is still in my mind.” She said that the mission is the highlight of the week for them. They look forward to it the way that we would look forward to a movie coming out or something like that. I asked her son later if Maya had been raised as a Christian. He said no. Maya was the first one in her family to accept Christ. Here is the thing: Maya is the 9^th of 10 children, raised in a very poor family on the Baja. She was exactly like these kids. She met Jesus at a mission like the one in San Ignacio. Several of her family members have accepted Christ and she has led many many children to Jesus in Sunday school, at kids programs, and on her front porch. Those kids have grown up and broken the cycle of poverty in their families. They don’t drink or smoke dope like their parents did. They have real jobs. Some are the first in their families to have steady work. They don’t beat their kids. They love their spouses. They don’t have a girlfriend or boyfriend on the side, like is so very common here in Mexico. Their lives are changed because of Jesus. That is what we are doing in San Ignacio. With my sputtering Spanish and ridiculous kids songs, I have the privilege of watching Jesus change these kids in to movers and shakers in their communities. Jesus is plucking them out of impossible poverty and turning their hearts to him. In the middle of awkward, stressful circumstances, when I can’t understand what they are saying, God is here. I am so grateful to be here too. 

-Moorea

Please pray for this family, that God will touch their hearts, and change their lives. Pray that  Alisha's eye is healed, or that the doctors will be able to correct the damage.

Please also pray for one of the La Fuente Pastors, Fredy. He has been having some health problems and the doctors do not know what is wrong. The words hernia and cancer have both been used. He is in his thirties and has two young children. He has faith that God is going to heal him. Please pray into that with us and for peace for his family.

Hello,

So this is going to be a guest post by John Mark, so it may not be as refined as you are used to but I will give this blog thing a shot. We have been doing really good, staying pretty busy with the day to day work but finding really fun things to do in our free time. We really feel at home here in Bucerías and are enjoying the work we are able to do with La Fuente (the ministry we are working for).

Team

We had a team of five people come down from Michigan from a church of approximately 1500 people to check out La Fuente. They sent down their mission’s pastor as well as one of their youth pastors to see if their church would partner with us and send more teams down. Whenever La Fuente has teams come down, Moorea is in charge of scheduling the team and what they will be doing while they are here. She acts as a coordinator and spends time emailing the teams and answering questions, acting as a go to person for both the team coming down and the pastors here when they have any questions. I also help with the teams but more logistically and hands on. I coordinated some painting and other construction projects the team helped us with while they were here. I also am the professional chauffeur for the team, picking them up from the airport and driving them around while they are here. Having the team kept us running for the whole 10 days. We ended up being behind on a lot of the stuff we normally take care of and it seems like we still haven’t caught up, and it’s been several weeks since they left. We enjoy spending time with all of the people who come. We end up meeting people from all over the US and Canada who come from all different backgrounds and are missions minded.  All in all having the team was a great success. We were able to get a lot done with their help and they have already planned a team of their youth group this summer and another team of adults next February! I think you could say they caught the vision of all that La Fuente is doing and believe in it.

Some of the team painting at the church

Santa Fe

La Fuente has been working for some time trying to get a land donation from the government in a town near Bucerías called San Vicente. Nothing has ever opened up there but the government said there were several options in a nearby town called Santa Fe. Santa Fe is an area that has several large housing developments around it, yet has no church. None. No Christian church, no Catholic church, no Jehovah's Witnesses (JW’s are actually fairly numerous around here), so the opportunity to expand the kingdom is great. Last night when they had a service in a park near the land we are hoping to get there was 90 people (mostly kids) who attended! There is also a ministry in the US called Kids Around the World who wants to donate a playground to La Fuente but we need the land in Santa Fe to put it on. Please be praying that we will be able to get this land and get it quickly.

San Ignacio kids classes

Moorea playing catch with a girl from San Ignacio

We have been going through the story of Moses in the bible with the kids in San Ignacio. The older kids were doing well at remembering the story but the younger kids (ages 3-6) were not remembering it as much. Something we have found though is if you do very tactile things / hands on things with them, they are a lot more likely to remember the story. One example of this is when we were going over the plagues in Egypt and how the Israelites had to paint the door frames with lambs blood Moorea took some paper and put it up and let the kids paint it red (I lifted the little ones so they could paint the top of the frame as well).  Another example is when the Israelites went through the red sea we brought a bed sheet and had them walk through it to music. When the music stopped we would drop the sheet on them and tickle the “Egyptians” who were drowning.  The kids really liked that one.  One more example is when the Israelites were going through the desert they were led by the cloud by day and the fire by night and if it wasn’t for that they wouldn’t know where to go and basically be lost. So I made a maze out of the chairs and tables that day, then I crumpled up a few napkins in my hand to be the cloud and blindfolded the kids and put their hands on the napkins that were in my hand and led them through the maze. I then explained how that just how they trusted me the Israelites trusted God, and how we need to trust God the same. Really simple things but it really helps the kids learn the stories better.

John Mark playing with the kids at the orphanage

Friends / Crew

This is my new love language,
carne asada tacos

We have started hanging out with the same group of friends several times a week. The best part of it is they are our age as well. We typically go get taco’s from a stand after church, but we also go to the movies, go hiking, play the Wii (Just Dance 2), go to different church events, and in general stay up ridiculously late. Moorea and I have really enjoyed having people closer to our age to spend time / goof off with.

Salsa classes

Moorea told me even before we left the US to come down here that she wanted to take salsa classes. We have a friend who told us about one and we have been going for two weeks now, twice a week. Our teacher is a little Venezuelan who has studied several kinds of dance and has even danced competitively in an international dance competition that was aired on ESPN. I have really been enjoying it. I am not super motivated to work out and this is a way that I am doing at least some cardio every week. It is also nice to have a something else that my wife and I have in common that we can do together. Another perk of the class is I feel like my Spanish comprehension is getting better as our classes are taught in Spanish.

New vehicle

We had a nice little Honda civic before w left and came down here. Since deciding to stay here longer we decided it would be best to sell it and buy something that can handle the Mexican roads better (dirt roads, pot holes, cobble stone roads, heavy tropical rain). We decided to get a Toyota 4runner as it has better ground clearance, bigger tires, and can haul people and stuff easily. My dad took the money from us selling our car and started looking for one and bought a nice clean white little 4runner for us that was down in Stockton. He is having our mechanic go over it, taking care of different maintenance items and make sure its good to go.  My mom ran around and made sure everything was squared away with DMV. The CD player was broken in the 4runner and my parents are taking a cd player out of one of their other cars and putting it in ours. My parents have been such a blessing helping us get a car and make sure its road worthy. Thank you mom and dad!

Trip Home

We are planning to fly home in the end of May for two weeks and then we will drive the 4runner back down. We have a close friend getting married and Moorea is in her wedding. We will also be visiting friends and family and shopping for cloths, technology items, and other things we cannot get down here (or there is a large markup on them). We will be having a missions meeting talking about the work we are doing, stay tuned for when.

Vision Juvenil

We had the opportunity to go to a youth conference in Tepic, which is the capitol of our state with some friends and some of the youth from church. The church we are working for has a sister church in Tepic and the conference was held at that church. There ended up being 1,200 youth from costal and central Mexico, it was awesome to be able to worship with that many youth really pressing into God! We went up early and spent some time in a big park and going to the mall for a while. After the conference we went out for hamburgers and hot dogs and didn’t get home till 4:30 in the morning! (it’s a three hour drive).

Even the monkeys drink coca in Mexico,
At the park in Tepic

Our neighbors

We rent the top floor in a little   two-story apartment building, and our neighbor downstairs is one of the pastors at La Fuente named Greg and his family. Greg is the worship leader for the Spanish services and a really awesome, upbeat guy. Around our apartment there are more apartments and a few months ago a tarot card reader moved in downstairs, directly across the street. We were defiantly praying and doing some spiritual warfare, both for the tarot card reader himself and his family and for the people who were lost and looking for answers coming to see him. But Greg took it one step further. In Mexico many businesses don’t have hours they work or normal days off. They just work when they want to and don’t work when they don’t want to. Greg took advantage of that fact and whenever someone came to see the tarot card reader and he wasn’t there Greg would go out and talk to them. He would invite them to sit on his porch and talk to them. He would say, “if you ever want you can come talk to me. I have what you are looking for”. He spent time counseling different ones and praying with them, and out of that one family got saved! They are even serving on the usher team now and the adults are scheduled to get baptized next time we have baptisms. Praise God!

Oliver

Oliver Version 2.0

Two weeks ago, we had a big scare. One of the pastors has a small son, about 14 months old named Oliver. One afternoon, he fell down a flight of stairs several meters high. When he hit the floor, he started convulsing and then stopped moving or breathing. He turned blue and then yellow.  Both his parents were there and said afterwards that they felt that his spirit was gone. He was dead. They immediately started praying for him, hysterical as any parent would be in that situation. Several minutes passed as they prayed. Suddenly, his eyes opened and he started moving normally. They put him in the car and sped to the hospital. When they arrived, little Oliver was acting totally normal, mimicking other patients and asking to go home. They stayed for several hours, testing him, but nothing was wrong. He didn’t even have a bruise or a bump the next morning!! We have been celebrating and praising God who is able to raise people from the dead. We are in awe of this amazing miracle that God has done for all of us who love this little boy. His parents have declared that Oliver has been born again in a literal sense – according to their reckoning, he is two weeks old on Sunday.

Thank you all for your prayers and support.

Peace be with you,

john mark

Please pray:

La Fuente will receive the land donation in Santa Fe

John Mark’s health (allergies)

Building permit for the sanctuary would come through

That we would continue to learn the language

Protection for the Staff and their families at La Fuente

Hello,

I have been thinking recently about our role working with La Fuente Riviera. There is so much happening around here with the construction, five ministry locations, and all of the people it takes to make those things happen. We are blessed to be a part of a thriving ministry. John and I can only do so much on our own, but working with La Fuente Riviera gives us the opportunity to be involved with so many events and ministry opportunities. We have learned a lot by working beside people who have done this much longer than we have. I guess what I am trying to say is that we are blessed.

Neighbors

Recently, the neighbors around the church have been expressing some frustration with La Fuente. One of them has been throwing glass bottles over the wall during youth group and there have been several others who have also been speaking badly about us. One thing they are complaining about is the noise, but the church has been in this location for 4 years, and we have been running the sound systems much lower the last couple months and that doesn’t seem to be helping. This discontent is fairly new, which is strange because not much has changed recently.  We have been praying for them. We would also appreciate it if you would pray for them and pray that our attempts at diplomacy would be effective. The congregation brought cookies to our neighbor’s houses during service one evening as an act of goodwill, and we are trying to compromise with them as much as possible.

Jesus Is My Friend

On Sunday, we had a special program for the kids for Valentines Day. It was called Jesus is my Friend. They had a special message, games and activities. I was in charge of coordinating the snacks and serving them. It was a great night. We had about 100 kids who seemed to have a great time.

Puppet Training

This weekend we also had a non-profit group from the states held a training seminar here. Kids Around The World focuses on training international Christen groups for kids’ ministry. They did a workshop on how to make and use puppets as part of our outreach program. We had 80 people from La Fuente and other local churches attend the two-day program. The training was really informative and fun. John and I made a couple puppets, and now we are thinking about how to incorporate them into what we do in San Ignacio.

Superhero Party

This weekend, the youth group dressed up for their service. The theme was “who are your heroes?” and everyone dressed up like a superhero, a character, or someone they know.  John and I were the official judges, so the kids had to present their costumes and try to convince us to pick them. It was both elaborate and hilarious.  Obviously, we chose Nacho Libre. John dressed up like a GoPro Hero 2 camera, and I was Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games. 

Land Donation

Pastor Keith and Maya had a meeting with El Presidente (the mayor) about donating land to La Fuente this weekend. He showed them several pieces of land that the government would donate to us.  Some of the pieces of land were huge.  Of course, the land that is closest to the highway (which is great because of the advertising potential and is easier to get to) are the smallest and the ones farthest from the highway are the largest. Please pray that we get a piece of land that will fit all of our needs and that the donation will go through quickly. Kids Around The World wants to donate a playground to La Fuente, and we would like a place to put it and a church. That area where land is available has hundreds of homes and would be a wonderful place to minister.

There has been some complications to our construction due to a change in government. When the mayor changes, so does all of the building inspectors. The inspectors found several problems with our plans that the other inspectors did not mention. We have been assured that they will issue us a new building permit despite these problems, but we are still waiting. Please pray that we get the permits we need and that they happen quickly.

Teams
We have had several teams contact us in the past few weeks asking to come and serve here at the church. We have five teams scheduled in the next 6 months. John and I are basically responsible for coordinating with the teams, figuring out their schedule and coordinating where they are staying and eating, we have been busy with that. We had small construction team here last month, and are expecting two more small teams in the next two weeks.  We really like working with teams. It is interesting to meet people from all over the states and Canada. We feel like this job plays to our strengths since John Mark is a jack of all trades and I lend an administrative hand in coordinating their visits.

Our home church is also planning on sending a team this summer which we are excited about as well. It will be fun to have some people from home here with us.

John Mark has been struggling with his health some. He was stick again yesterday, for the third time since Christmas. Please pray with us against his allergies which weaken his immune system and make his more suitable to catching viruses. There is so much more dust, mold, and pollen here, and there is no way to keep it out of the house because the windows and doors do not seal.

Thank you for your prayer for us and the work we are doing here. We are so grateful to have a strong support group at home.

God bless you,
Moorea


Please pray:
Peace between La Fuente and its neighbors
John Mark's health
La Fuente will receive the right government land donation
Building permit for the sanctuary that the construction might continue

On the dock, ready to watch some whales

Hello,

It has been quiet a while since my last post. Things have been going really well. We keep pretty busy with services, teaching kids classes, and other special events. We both love what we are doing and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

Whale Watching

For Christmas, my parents gave us the opportunity to go whale watching. I had never been before and it was amazing! Growing up going to the zoo, I am used to seeing animals in cages. You know what you are going to see before you get there, but this was totally different. We were speeding around, watching the horizon for a spout of water, a tail against the sky, or to snatch a sight of a long, round body under the water.  We saw a few from a distance. We even saw one dive down and fling his tail into the air. We thought that might be all for the morning, when we came up on a baby and, deep below the surface, the mama. They stayed within about thirty feet of us for a while. The baby even came close once. My friend jumped into the freezing water and got some under water footage. It was a pretty amazing morning.  

 Whale sighting

Learning to Listen

One Saturday, I really felt like we should do something a little different with the kids in San Ignacio. Through a translator, we talked about what it means to hear God.  We took some time just to listen. I separated the kids into corners and told them to close their eyes, and wait for God to speak to them. We got off to a bit of a rough start. This was totally new for them. Misha, my translator, talked to them a bit more, explaining exactly what we were doing, and then we separated again. This time it was totally different. The kids were  v e r y  still and quiet. I had never seen them like that before. I sat with the youngest ones in a group. They are about five year olds. I prayed very quietly, sometimes in English, sometimes in Spanish so they would understand what we were doing. I felt the presence of God come strongly into the room. One of the little girls with me knelt and put her face to the floor.  We stayed like that for maybe 15 minutes. For these kids, that is an eternity, and they were quiet the whole time. When we gathered back together, the kids were solemn in a way I had never seen them before. A couple of the girls looked like they were deeply moved; they looked like they might cry any moment.  Misha asked them if they had heard from God and several of them said that they had. We talked about how it is okay if they didn’t hear anything, but that God wants to speak to them and that with practice they will hear him more clearly. It was an amazing morning and I a so grateful that God touched all of us.

Since then, we have definitely been feeling the enemy push back. The kids have been even more distracted and other things have happened that make ministering in San Ignacio more difficult. Your prayers are vital. Please continue to pray for us and for these kids that they will love God passionately and change their community. 

Charla Pereau
In January, a lady named Charla Pereau came to visit. She was the one who started the orphanage on the Baja where John Mark lived as a little boy when his father was head of construction there. John's family met Pastor Keith when they were all living there and that is how we ended up here twenty years later. She has an amazing testimony about how God used her, a Christian house wife and a person with sever dyslexia and other learning difficulties, to start an orphanage that has grown to house many children. She has also founded a free clinic, many literacy programs and other services to the poor in Mexico. She is an inspiring lady.

Sewing Class

John Mark has started taking a sewing class they are offering at the church. He has been wanting to learn to sew so he can make his own backpacking stuff: tarps, tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, etc.  He has made himself a potholder and a nylon stuff sack for a sleeping bag so far to practice. He is getting a feel for how to use the machine so that he can move on to other projects on his own later. It has been difficult for him to find the types of materials he needs for backpacking gear like nylon straps, rip stop or waterproof nylon and plastic clasps, but he is happy practicing basic skills for now. 

Hiking

One of the things that John misses the most about being home is being able to go backpacking. There are not many trails around here. The jungle is too dangerous to hike through because a python can drop out of a tree, and there are also some panthers and crocodiles among other strange creatures out there.  The last few weeks, however, we have discovered a couple great places to go hiking. We spent one of our days off hiking along the beach in Sayulita. We covered sandy beaches, boulders, tide pools, and cliff faces. Some places the water came right up to the cliff, so we just free climbed right over the side. We covered about 7 miles that day and ended, as all hikes should, at a taco stand eating amazing food. It was super fun. We went with out fried, Zac, who is now hooked on hiking and has become our hiking buddy.

 Zac & John Mark

A beautiful hike

 Climbing

We went hiking again on our next day off. There is a river that flows out of the mountains, but it is really shallow right now since it is the dry season. We followed the river up about a mile or two, crossing it when the shore became impassable. We ended at a hot springs that is right next to the river. Some of our friends drove in and met us at the hot springs. We had a relaxing day sitting by the water and in the hot spring pools. We hear that there are even more hot springs hidden father up the river and there is also a great place to jump in the river. We definitely want to go back before the rainy season makes the river more dangerous and unpredictable (because of flash floods). That river might be our favorite place to go since it is so beautiful, quiet and the water is the perfect temperature: warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It was the only cool water I felt the whole summer. 
 

Thank you to everyone who is praying for us and who has give us support. We are continually in awe of how God has provided for us through you. We are so grateful for the sacrifices that you have made so that we can be here working with kids and supporting the local church.  We pray that God blesses each of you and gives you both a peace and a passion for his plan in your life. 

We love you,

Moorea (& John Mark) 

Please Pray:
That the kids in San Ignacio would hear God's voice in in their lives
That the kids in San Ignacio wouldn't be distracted during out teaching times

Feliz Año Nuevo!

 Planting my little garden

Christmas Time
I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas season. We certainly did. There was a whirlwind of Christmas parties, programs, and celebrations.

 Pastor Abel, Daniela, & Oliver in the living nativity (note the donkey in the foreground)

 Watching the Christmas Program

 My group of kids dancing

 Fili, a friend, at the Christmas Program

We had a Christmas program on the 18th of December with a choir, dances, and drama. I taught some of the La Fuente children, including several kids from the nearby orphanage, a simple dance, and we performed it that night. The kids were so sweet before the show. They were shaky and nervous. They probably had never been on a stage before. I asked one of the boys if he had butterflies in his stomach. Although I am positive that the phrase doesn’t make sense in Spanish, he gave me a funny look and nodded his head. They did really well, and the audience loved it.

I miss teaching my weekly dance class. The whole thing was in Spanish, which really tested my Spanish skills. Though there were times we didn’t understand each other (or they would pretend they didn’t understand so they wouldn’t have to listen to me), they understood me most of the time. I learned a lot from them.

Marking the kids who recieved a hygine pack on Christmas morning

 

Waiting in line for clothes and linens, Christmas morning

Christmas weekend was, as I’m sure you can imagine, very full. We had mission Saturday morning. That afternoon, we had dinner at Pastor Keith and Maya’s with their extended family from the Baja. We ate turkey, mash potatoes, posole, and tamales- all excellent. That night, we went caroling in the town square (downtown) and passed out hot chocolate and Mexican sweet bread. We were joined by several tourists and locals. It was really fun. We skyped with my family late that night, conferencing with my sister and brother-in-law in Texas and the rest of my family in California. It was cozy, loud, and crowded, just like Christmas is when we are all together.

Christmas morning, we had church followed by a program for the neighborhood kids. We had several piñatas, toys, cloths, and hygiene products to give away. The mothers also received linens donated from a local hotel. That afternoon, we went to our friends’, the Forgets’, house. We spend the day chatting, cooking, and playing Just Dance on the Wii. I made eggnog from scratch, a first for me. I am please to say that it turned out great. John and I had a fantastic day. We were surrounded by wonderful people at church and at dinner who feel like a second family. We didn’t have a tree, or presents (which were still en route from the states), but we had maybe the best Christmas we’ve ever had.

This is what we did with most of our time off

Market
We had several days off last week in celebration of Christmas. On one of those days, John and I went up to Guayabitos (g-why-ah-bee-toes) with some friends to the Thursday Market. Every week, they close off 10 blocks and vendors move in with makeshift tarps and tents to sell things. You could buy anything from local produce, to painted ceramic sinks, to vintage milkshake makers, clothes, and tacos. The worst thing I saw was a box of live chicks that had been dyed bright colors. Children were buying them for 10 pesos each and carrying them home in plastic bags. Apparently, the vendors have been known to super glue mini plastic sombreros and cowboy boots to the chicks. Because of all the toxins they have ingested through the dye and the glue, the chicks don’t live longer than a day. So so so so sad.

 Green, red, yellow, and blue chicks waiting to be sold

 Fruit stand in Guayabitos

 Star fruit at a stand on the way home on Highway 200

Fruit stand on Highway 200 (coconuts, pineapples, jack fruit, and bananas)

Because the market is much cheaper than Puerto Vallarta or Bucerías, I had been waiting to get some things, like a folk art painting on coconut paper, and a table cloth. At one point, I needed to break a bill, but none of the vendors would take it. I was so thirsty (I hadn't drank anything yet that day) and wanted to buy a limeade (6 pesos), but I only had 5 pesos. The fruit stand had been doing brisk business all morning, so I thought for sure they would have change. I picked out some tangerines and told the guy that I only had a 100 peso bill, and did he have change for it (all in Spanish!!). He assured me he did. He ran around the back, asking his co workers if they had change. None of them did. He returned a little sheepish and handed the bill back to me. I went to return the tangerines, but he insisted that I take them and wished me a good day. I laughed pretty hard: all I wanted was the change, but I got four beautiful tangerines for free instead.

 At the market

Later that afternoon, John and I played with the coolest puppy I have ever met. All in all, a really great day.

Pastors’ Prayer
On Friday, we met with the other pastors for a time of prayer and worship. It was w o n d e r f u l. Maybe my favorite thing we have done since we arrived in Mexico. It was so nice to be with people whom I have come to greatly love and respect. The time of worship was very refreshing.

Cartolandia – Cardboard Town
That afternoon, we loaded up the rest of the sheets and blankets that had been donated to us. About twenty of us headed east to an area called Villas del Miramar (Villas of the Ocean View). This is a shanty town on an abandoned piece of property. There are no villas or ocean views nearby. It is huge, much bigger than I expected. All of the people live in houses that have been cobbled together from tarps, cast off bricks, and asbestos sheeting. We had a program for the kids while 400 or so adults received care packages of bed linens, towels, etc. We also gave out some gifts and clothes for the kids. It was really humbling to meet these families who had so little. Many of them heard about the nearby La Fuente mission in San Vicente for the first time. Some of them seemed very interested in coming to the mission. It was an amazing experience and I’m grateful that we got to be a part of it. John Mark is responsible for editing the footage for a short video. I’ll post it once it is ready.

 People from the shanty town

 400 people lining up to receive something

AJ and Misha leading the kids'program

Waiting to give out bags of linens

Playing in the Park
Last week, we were in San Ignacio, playing with the kids at the park. It was dark and one of the boys playing soccer ran into one of the little girls playing jump rope. She started crying and I tried to comfort her for a minute or two before Misha, the pastor’s daughter, took her from my arms and tried to calm her down. Misha asked her what happened, and the little girl told her. Misha threatened idly, “he ran you over? I’m going to punch him.” The little girl was surprised and stopped crying. “Can you punch him?” she asked. “No, of course not. It isn’t good to hit people.” Misha responded. “I see my mommy and daddy hit each other all the time”, the little girl replied. I see this little girl twice a week. She is super sweet and seems so innocent. None of us had any idea her home life was like that. When Misha told me that story, it broke my heart. It reminded me why what we do is important. I can’t change her home life, but I can love on her. Teach her that Jesus is with her no matter what is happening in her life. Pastor Keith and Maya used to teach classes about Jesus to kids in their neighborhood on their front porch. Many of those kids have grown up to be pastors and church leaders. Instead of following their parent’s legacy of poverty, unemployment, teen pregnancy, and broken families, those kids are living healthy, meaningful lives. I met one of them today. That is why what we do in San Ignacio matters. God can use it to change these kids’ lives. I pray that he does.

 Our weekly stop at the churro stand in Centro

 Being silly at the grocery store with AJ

New Year’s Eve
We went to a bonfire party on the beach on New Year’s Eve. At midnight, hotels all around the bay lit off their own fireworks display. We could see fireworks from here to Vallarta. We lit a few fireworks of our own and a friend tried to write 2012 in the sand with gasoline, but the fire just looked smeared. The hotel nearest us released over 50 Chinese floating lanterns after the fireworks, lighting the sky with bright, ever-changing constellations. Later, we moved inside, calling some of our friends in California to wish them a happy new year. After a couple rounds of Wii dancing, we headed home.

By firelight, New Year's Eve

The next morning we had church, and I was scheduled for my first time as a side singer on the worship team for the English service. I haven’t sung on a worship team in a long time, like 6 years. It was really really fun. I didn’t realized how much I missed it.

Dr. John Mark

Tepic
Yesterday, we left Bucerías early to be in Tepic for a pastors meeting. We drove through field after field of blooming sugar cane. I had no idea that sugar cane could bloom, but it was lovely. After we arrived, we stopped at a taco stand for breakfast, and I had goat meat for the first time. It was very good. We spent the rest of the day in meetings (and eating more amazing food.)

John and I are staying here tonight. Tomorrow, we are getting extra training on the new website template. One thing about being in an all Spanish speaking environment is I am realizing how much I still have to learn. Small talk is the hardest, especially in a noisy room where other people are having small talk.

What a Year
John and I have had an amazing, crazy, tragic, beautiful year. We lost our house to a short sale, decided to move to Haiti, God switched the flip and we ended up in Mexico. We left the states, endured humidity, made dear friends, began preaching and ministering, went scuba diving, lost a friend in a construction accident, started learning Spanish, watched monsoon lightening, had our first Christmas away from family, and decided to make a two year commitment to La Fuente. Pastora Maya said it best “If you feel a little terrified, that’s a good thing.” This year has surprised us at every turn, but honestly we wouldn’t want it any differently.

Thank you for all of your love, prayers, and support. We absolutely know that we couldn’t be here without you. We are humbled by the sacrifices that our friends and family at home have made for us. We are so grateful. May God richly bless you, surprise you, and be near to you this year.

Love,
Moorea and John Mark