We apologize for how long it's been since our last update. It's not because things haven't been happening! The Holy Spirit is working, and we know we are blessed by His call to us in El Callejon.
The month of March
was filled with wonderful teams from the U.S. who brought passion, enthusiasm
and love during their time with us. Each
team was different, each team was wonderful, and each week we sensed the Holy
Spirit at work. And… each team was far
too short at just one week!
We are so
thankful for those who can stay two weeks in the summer, but are equally
blessed by those who make a choice to spend a week of hard-earned vacation, or
a college spring break serving alongside us.
We pray many of them will find their way back to El Callejon one
day! In the meantime, we rejoiced and
were refreshed by their partnership with us!
April has been a month without teams, but not without plenty
to do. The Panaderia has been slowly
coming together, with a small group of women consistently working on honing
their skills. Although we would have
liked to have a bit more participation, we trust that the Spirit is guiding
this process, and it’s just the right size.
Luz, who we’ve written about several times, is proving to be
a good leader. And… when she offers you
some pan (bread) to buy, well, she doesn’t take ‘No’ for an answer! She could have had a great career in Sales
anywhere!
Our work with the Chiquitas (Little Girls) continues to
focus on a Children’s Bible. This week
we watched a DVD of Jesus’ miracles, which we’ve been reading for the past
several months. It was wonderful to hear
them recall many of the stories!
Our two Adolescent groups have been challenged to decide it
they truly desire to grow in Christ, or just want to come and hang out and do
crafts. We’ve still got work to do, of
course, but it has been wonderful to watch them settling down a bit.
Our theme verse for them is Psalm 119:9, which
says, “How can a young person stay on a path of purity? By living according to Your word.” That is our prayer for them, that they would
seek the truth of God’s word and in this way live a life of purity and peace.
The Pre-teens are growing up, and like that age group
everywhere, seem to have one foot in childhood, one foot in adolescence. It’s a joy to see them get excited about
learning, and hearing them recite their Memory Verses is a highlight. We pray these words of truth stay with them
as they continue to mature.
Our Young Women have been quite inconsistent, which saddens
us. We know they have many things
pulling on their time and attention, but as we continue to stress, if God is
not our top priority, nothing else can function well. We appreciate your prayers for these young
women, and for us as we seek ways to connect God’s truth to their lives.
The Adult Women are going strong. It remains our largest group, and it is a joy
to watch them come each week. We are
looking forward to a possible ‘paseo’ (field trip) with them soon. It’s fun for them to get to leave El Callejon
and visit another part of their country.
We have a pulga (yard sale) this week to raise funds for transportation. Please pray our day away will be a good, safe
time.
Our Exercise class has been meeting twice a week. We’re focused on our ‘core’ muscles, and also
some stretching and yoga. It’s a small
group, but the women are doing well. One
shared that her back doesn’t hurt as much anymore!
Please pray for us as we continue to work with each of these
groups. Please pray for us as we prepare
for summer teams, which begin May 20. We
have a full summer, but we know that God has hand-picked each student who will
come, for His perfect purpose and glory.
We also know He knows and love each person in El Callejon. Please join us in lifting up this community to our loving Father! Only in His Holy Spirit’s power can the people there (and everywhere!) meet our Savior, Jesus.
