Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Progress...

Well....

Things are moving forward in a mighty way. I thought I would write a post about the cool things God has been doing in my preparation for Mexico, as well as some information about what I will be doing there!

First, God hooked me up with FREE Spanish lessons! My friend AJ studied Spanish for eight years and lived in Spain. Needless to say, he is very fluent. He offered to tutor me two hours a week for free! This is such a blessing! Also, I have realized that I have more friends who are studying Spanish than I thought. It has been fun to be able to communicate with them a little bit and be able to practice! 

A couple weeks ago I filled out an application for missions funding at my church. I had no idea what to expect but it turned out that the missions council had a meeting the SAME DAY that I turned in my application. That evening I found out that the church graciously decided to donate $2,500 towards my trip!!! That is nearly half of the total cost!!! Can you believe that?? God is so good! 

Something that made me laugh... my mom has already started planning my going away/fundraising party... she's cool like that. Always planning ahead. She has the venue booked, cooks scheduled, details thought through. Thank God for moms, right?

Today I found out that I will for sure be flying to Tucson on July 29th. I am buying my plane ticket TOMORROW!! My host family, Heidi and Conrad, will pick me up there and we will make the long drive to Huachinera. Right when I arrive they will be hosting a group of missionaries from Mexico and America, so I will get to help prepare meals for them and make them feel at home, while also adjusting to my new home! Heidi messaged me today and told me that they have some ideas of what I will be doing long term while I am there. One of them is for me to teach English to the children! This makes me so excited!!!! Another idea is for me to co-lead a women's Christian book club! Hearing the ideas that Heidi has makes me so anxious to be there! 

Also, today I received a text from a family that became very near and dear to my heart while I was there...

This is Carlos, Yaneli and Carlitos. Yaneli nearly died when giving birth to their son, and through that experience her eyes were opened up to the life that Jesus has for her. They have been attending Heidi and Conrad's church for quite a while now. It is so encouraging for me to receive messages that express how much they miss me and how excited they are for my return. I cannot wait to see them again. 

While I'm at it, I should probably introduce you to Conrad and Heidi as well!

I took this photo the day before our team came home from Mexico. This is them with their children, Max and Emma! I asked Heidi to send me a little something that explains what her and Conrad do in Huachinera. This is what she said, "Conrad and I received the calling to become full time missionaries (in Huachinera) 5 years ago while attending Penasco Christian Fellowship. The vision is to establish a church in each of the towns here in this region." 

That is what I get to be a part of!! I am so incredibly honored that God has called me to do this in the next season of my life! It is all beyond my wildest dreams...

If you are reading this, and you are a praying person, I have a few requests...
One, I am sending out support letters soon, so prayer for funding would be awesome!
Two, that God would prepare my heart during the next two months for everything that I am going to experience while I am there.
And three, that I will be able to take in all of the Spanish that I am learning! Haha!

Thanks for taking the time to read and be interested in what I am doing with my life! You are so awesome!

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Well, here we go...

Hello friends!!!

If you are reading this, you probably know that I am soon moving to Huachinera, Mexico for six months! Crazy, right?? I can't believe it! This first post is just to let you in on how I got to this place...

I was recently on a missions trip as a part of my internship at Life Center Church. We spent eight wonderful days in Huatchinera. It was the most amazing time. We stayed with a married missionary couple named Conrad and Heidi Quiros. They are from Mexico but have dual-citizenship in the US. Conrad and Heidi live on a small farm where they grow chiltepines, grapes, and pecan trees. Numerous men from the town of Huachinera are employed by Conrad and work on his farm. While we were in Mexico we worked in these fields alongside the Mexican people. We also served with them at their church. The church that Conrad and Heidi lead meets on Sunday mornings in Huachinera. However, it also meets throughout the week in surrounding cities. We met so many amazing people and the experiences were unforgettable. It was the most life changing week of my life, but I never thought it would lead me to where I am now.

During my last few days in Huachinera I began to think about what it would be like to return for a month or so. I thought one month was long enough to decide if I would want to be there long term. When I approached the international missions director from my church about my idea she suggested that I consider going longer, possibly six months. At first I was baffled. She went on to explain that six months is long enough to be completely immersed in the culture and learn what it looks like to do in-depth ministry in another country. Her and I had this discussion just before we got on our plane to return to Spokane.

As I was sitting there waiting for the plane to take off I thought, "Ok, God. I will give you a month. If you really want me to do this, let me know within the next month. A month is enough time for you to answer me." Quickly after that I realized that a month is kind of a long time... so my next thought was "Alright, Jesus, a month is a long time... so how about a week? Let me know in the next week, and if you say yes, I will go. No questions asked." That was that. My mind was made up.

The plane started heading down the runway so I took my iPod out to turn my music on. The first song that came on was called 'Oceans' by Hillsong United. The bridge of the song says, "Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders, let me walk upon the waters, where ever you would call me. Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander, and my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my Savior."

In that moment, God answered my prayers. I knew that He was calling me to a place where my trust is without borders. A place that is deeper than my feet could ever wander. That place is Huachinera, Mexico. I decided in my heart right then that I would pursue this dream.

In the last week I have seen God overcome countless obstacles that could potentially prevent me from going. Every day He has confirmed more and more that this is really what I am supposed to be doing. I am so thrilled! Never in a million years did I think that God would bring me to this place. There are many more small details that I could share with you about how God has confirmed in my life that this is His will, but I will save you the time.

Sooooo... I will be leaving for Mexico sometime towards the middle of August! I will be sending out support letters shortly. If you would like one you can email me your address at shelbgeorge@gmail.com. In the next few weeks I will post a blog sharing more about the city of Huachinera and about the Quiros family.