Our Family Update

Hmmmm Grueling? Transforming? Surprising? Just trying to think of the words to describe our year.  It started out with disbelief that we had actually left Mexico City.  We felt torn, yet at peace that we had made the right decision to come home so that our family could receive some counseling and give God time to heal us from some traumatic events.  So as Nathan and I struggled through questions,"God are you serious, this is your plan for us?" "You called us to plant a church and we were faithful, you planted a church and yet our family wasn't protected?! 

It was a journey of questioning and worrying and a lot of praying.  But through this whole journey, even when life felt crazy and out of control, I always had an image of Jesus with me as my Pastor.  I could see that he was always one step ahead of me as he led me by the hand and for some crazy reason even though I didn´t understand him anymore, I still trusted him.  Well, we continued to pray that God would not only heal our family but that he would also guide us and show us what was next for us as a family.  Should we stay in Canada, should we go to a different country or back to Mexico City.  I had committed and prayed Ezekiel 11:17-21 for our family every day.  And one day God answered that prayer to my complete shock.  You know when you pray and you really want to see something happen but you just feel in your heart that it is probably never going to happen well that is exactly how I felt.  But one day after an amazing prayer time that I could never of planned, there were lots of tears, there was freedom and forgiveness that flowed out of where there used to only be hardness.  And as if that wasn´t enough, every member of our family is very excited to go back to Mexico City and can´t wait to go back.  So here we are doing our normal home assignment telling the churches all about the work that God planted in MC and his faithfulness that we have experienced.  God is good ALL the time...even when we can't see it. 

We Are Ready!

We are so excited to start sharing with our cluster and everyone who has been so supportive to us!  We are thankful for the time of rest and restoration that our family experienced and we feel that it was exactly that.  But we are sensing that its now time to start connecting and we are so excited to share!  There are so many stories and so many amazing ways that God has worked in our journey of being International Workers in Mexico City.  The amazing Mexican people that we have met and had the privilege to see their lives transformed. 

Be Unto Your Name - Hillsong w/ Lyrics

I woke up with these lyrics on my heart this morning.  I have the tendency to be anxious and want to know what lays ahead of us as a family.   We are each in our own process of resting and healing.  Some of us have moved along and are doing amazing but others seem to be stuck and looking through human eyes I am tempted to say "this is impossible, I see no end in sight." I want to know the plans ahead of us.  But I am reminded like I was this morning  that my life just like our current circumstance is just a vapor in God´s sight and it will not last forever.  It is for but a moment that we walk through this season.  The only thing that does not change is the Lord, He remains the constant forever.  

Contentment

I am not sure exactly when but as we were preparing to return to the girls After spending a week in Mexico City tying up loose ends.  I felt the image of a cocoon.  I felt that it was symbolic of what this next year for us in Calgary is going to be. As I reflect of the purpose of a cocoon, the obvious comes to mind a caterpillar being transformed into a beautiful butterfly.  In my spirit I already feel like this process has begun.  Just like the caterpillar it is forced to be removed from its ordinary routine and his life is now blanketed by a rest a time of restoration but not only that but a time of transformation so incredible that what butterfly would ever after going through this miraculous transformation would be disappointed with the outcome, what follower of the living God does not come through pain, or trial, or adversity and not resemble a little bit closer the beautiful image of Jesus.  We come out of our cocoon, or the recovery with a life that truly notes the fruits  of the spirit and finds them just a little bit sweeter.  Life is a choice, we may not be sure but at some moment whether it is  an internal voice that triggers the caterpillar, it makes takes the first step and begins to spin its cocoon.  For us the cocooning stage looks a little different, instead of clinging to a branch and being still, it is at this point in our journey that we chose to cling to the Father´s character, for all that we do not see or have answers to we instead rest in the fact that our God is faithful, He is good, He is at work in and around us, He has not left us.  When we chose to do this inspite of the pain we are walking through then like the caterpillar we are covered with a protective coat and place of rest.  Ours is knit together with the peace that can not be shaken, though the mountains will fall and all be replaced we know that there is a restorer who´s will is to restore us molding us more beautifully than we could have imagined.

We have such peace to enjoy this year in Calgary!

Your Faithfulness

Your faithfulness Lord, is the theme through out the bible and through out our lives.  In exodus 12 and 13 the Isrealites were confused as they were supposed to be leaving Egypt and then they were told to wander back into the desert.  To them this plan questioned their trust, did Moses really know what he was doing?  Was the faithful God of Israel really still in control?  At one point they even said they would be happy to just be slaves in Egypt.  But you had a plan, if they did not follow you even when they didn´t understand the plan, and the route seemed strange almost foolish, then they never would of walked through the Red sea, they would not only have surely died in Egypt and they would of missed out on an opportunity to see your mighty hand part the sea and stay the enemy.  How many times Lord are we like the Israelites?  We aren´t sure of the road you have chosen, can we really trust a God who would ask us to go back into the very places we are trying to escape?  But you are aware of the terrors that befall us, nothing eludes you.  You know the end from the beginning.  You know who we are and the persons we will become after we trudge through whatever road lays ahead of us.  You know that we will be people that will be more trusting, more balanced, more beautiful because we chose by your grace to follow you.  Your faithfulness Lord is the theme of our lives.

A journal entry January 21

I feel as if we were a garden full of beautiful flowers thriving and growing.  The gardener came and he pruned and he dug out everything to prepare for the winter.  In order to turn the soil. There were some distracting of weeds along some of the growth.  At that point undoubtedly it hurt.  But now, I see a peaceful garden, quiet and still with anticipation of what lies ahead.  Not only what lies ahead but enjoying the rest that comes with the now.  There is nothing to do in the winter in a garden but relax and enjoy the quietness of winter.  The humming peacefulness of snow.  For the spring always comes and with it a new season of growth.  A new season of pruning and of beauty.  For the good gardener is never lazy or allows anything to go to waste.

BRRRRRRRRRRR

Through the love and help of amazing friends and family,  when we arrived in Calgary after spending Christmas in Abbotsford, we already had a house to come back to.  Not only that but after living here for only a week and a half, our place is fully furnished and we have almost everything we need....still looking for something with four wheels....but God will provide that too!!   Our youngest girls are adjusting well to their new school as they have fit in right away and are excited to be there.  Isabella, our oldest, needed a little extra time to adjust and so she is homeschooling for this year.

We are in awe of how much time we have with our girls and have been able to just enjoy our family.  The girls continue to receive therapy (Isabella and Julia) and we are hopeful and believing for full healing.  We have been enjoying being with old friends and just being and receiving, it has already proven to be beautiful to our souls.  The only thing that we are not getting used to is the cold weather!  When we came home last night from visiting friends the temperature was -26 without the windchill.

We would appreciate your prayers for a few things....

1.  Nathan has already begun to connect and dialogue with some churches in our cluster.  Pray that these relationships would be strengthened and that Nathan could continue making the right connections.

2. Some important dates that are coming up for us
February 1-8 Nathan and Sandra will be going to Mexico city to close out our time there and say good bye to our dear friends at La Conexion.  Nathan's aunt will be staying with our girls!  Pray that the time in Mexico would be a good one and that we would really enjoy our week there.

3.  The week of March 7th we will be in Toronto for our re entry seminar and have some important meetings about our time in Mexico City.  Nathan's mom will be staying with our girls.

4.  For our relationship with our Landlord Brandon, a great hard working young guy.  Also for our Mexican renter in the basement.  Pray that we would love them and see ways to bless them.

5.  Please pray for our relationships with friends in Mexico.  Many of them still contact us and share their struggle of us not being there.  Please pray that as they walk through these times, they would be excited for where God is going to lead them individually and as a church.  Pray that they would find Jesus as their friend in loneliness and peace when they are struggling.

6.  Praise God for the new season of ministry in La Conexión.  They are beginning a season of discipleship, in the form of Life Groups.  Pray that it would be a season of deep growth and maturity in their walk with Jesus.

7.  Finally please pray for all the details in getting a vehicle would come together quickly.

Have a great weekend!

Nathan and Sandra