Meet Lolita

Looking for a teacher???

Thought I would add this little advertisement to my blog :) We are now officially looking for a Canadian certified teacher (could be a couple) to join our team and take on the responsibilities of guiding our kids education this August. Our kids will be taking courses through Alberta Distance Learning. For this following August so far it will be Izzy 9 Naomi 9 Carmy 7 and Benny 4 who will be in school. There are future dreams that once this school is established it could be opened up to other kids in our community as well. We are also dreaming that we could use the facilities for possibly teaching English. Really we are just dreaming, but anything is possible right especially when we are walking by faith. If you think you might now someone interested please pass them on to The Converge website http://www.cmaconverge.com/ and contact the administrator in charge of hiring, Frances Choi or email directly at choif@cmacan.org for more information about the Mexico City teaching position.


There is also a list of other positions that are open, ie other people who are wanting to join our team to help plant a church, as well as working professionals who would be willing to move to Mexico City.

Razones para vivir,

Our New Movie introducing our Del Valle Team

So excited

I can hardly believe that just three months before, we were preparing to leave Costa Rica and begin our new adventure in Mexico City that I was fearful of all the unknowns. I now realize how much emotional energy I wasted. If I only could have imagined how amazing God's provision would be, how amazingly his hand was already at work preparing ahead of time the people we would meet. As I write this I am sitting beside my little Tica Sister Stephanie who is visiting from Costa Rica and God willing will be back early in the New year to join us with our church plant. Now I think I am pretty creative, but I never would of dreamed that from serving hungry little kids in Costa Rica I would have had the opportunity to make a new little sister and that would not just be it but that God would wind our paths to close that she would (hopefully) join us in Mexico City. Why should I be surprised is this not the same God who put the stars in place and told the sea where its limits were? Tonight I am so encouraged we spent the afternoon with my Mexican friend and it was her birthday so we had the privilege of making her dinner and spending the evening with her!! She is going to come over on Sunday as well and join us for a morning of hearing Stephanie's story and worship with us and then we will have lunch, of course there has to be food! It is amazing the peace and joy that you feel when you are exactly in the place that you know you were created to be. I know that some days I would give anything to see my Claudia and for all the other things that seem so far away from us. But you can not even image how God supplies for your every need, there is truly nothing that we are lacking. I feel absolutely content and find my life so rewarding,believe me I also know that this has a lot to do with the fact that we have faithful people at home lifting us up in prayer. We love you, and thank you for support thank you for allowing us to live out our dream in Mexico City.
in the pictures are Stephanie at San Angel a beautiful little place with wonderful art work! The other pic is a beautiful picture of a mexican woman selling dollls.

Dia de los muertes

Well here is a very interesting custom that Mexicans celebrate each year. This November 1st and 2nd Mexicans come together and celebrate a day called Dia del Muerte (Day of the dead). They decorate their houses and schools with decorations of skeletons and even celebrate with pan de muerte, or Bread of the dead. Even Starbucks in MC even makes a special coffee drink called coffee of the dead. This celebration is a very difficult and complicated day to understand but can be broken down into two basic levels. The first level is that people have the day to remember their lost ones, remembering them by bringing things they liked to their grave sites, talking and singing, partying and celebrating the life they lived. Much like what we do in Canada by bringing flowers or going by "the house that grandpa used to live in," remember his laugh and stories. And then there is the second level that not everyone does but is very real in many of the small towns. They invite the spirits back from the dead to come eat and party with them. Although it is morbid on some levels, I think there is a lot to learn from our Mexican friends for there is great value in remembering our loved ones, perhaps it may even help some of us grieve and mourn in a healthier way. Of course I am not too sure about inviting spirits to eat with us or offering sacrifice to dead family.

I am trying to make a big decision I need to decide wheather I send Julia to school on Friday October 31 and not really know what that day will look like for her, as the teachers have requested a number of things for the offering that day. My heart desperately does not want to offend my new Mexican friends that I am deeply enjoying learning about and discovering more about their very interesting culture. It is not just a holiday that people celebrate but it is part of who they are. I really want to be a person who is open to learning from our new culture. I know that they have a lot to offer us. Please pray that I will have discernment and a sensitive spirit. As a new friend of mine is the administrator of the school pray that this will not affect my new friendship.

Answered prayer!

I am so excited!! Since we have arrived here in Mexico City I have been praying for a Mexican friend. I loved my Tica friends and learned so much from their lives. We have been praying specifically that I would find a friendship that I can practice my Spanish and learn about the culture and customs of Mexico. We are such funny creatures aren't we? Well it seems that God has answered this prayer, I met with my new friend this morning and we are going to start meeting once a week and speak in Spanish for an hour and an hour in English! I am so silly, on Sunday I started feeling overwhelmed thinking about everything I have to do, teaching Carmela (she is home schooled) and taking spanish and cultural courses (we get homework!) and then teaching someone english as well, I thought what is wrong with me, I am not qualified to do this? But God is so gentle with me, I am sure he just laughs and says oh Sandra is freaked out again, I better comfort her and remind her its not all about her! But I am with her, this is my work she just gets the pleasure of seeing how I work :)

Sunday night I was up at 4:00 am so why not read! I read the whole chapter 41 of Isaiah and I was so comforted and so much peace just washed over me, I went back to sleep as content as a baby laying in their mothers arms.

I took you from the ends of the earth, (from Canada to Mexico City!)
from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, 'You are my servant';
I have chosen you and have not rejected you.

10 So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.


How in the world do I ever forget that?
Now I am excited to meet with my friend, I am going to see her tomorrow and then on Thursday we will start meeting. Please pray for this relationship that we would be a blessing to each other and that God would use us in incredible ways, that my friend would see true love and peace in my life and that she would experience it herself as well!!!

love Sandrita
here is a picture of my baby Julia.
whatever you are going through, try not to get caught in the same trap I do, get your eyes off of you and your circumstance put them on God's power, his faithful hand that is guiding us and strengthening us. Remember when you do feel like freaking out, do not hide from Him, run to Him he loves to comfort us, just give him the chance.