.moments of grace.

       It all began with that email confirming the need for me to move way down South.
I prayed. I responded. I began dreaming. How faithful is this God of mine Who daily leads me into all truth, and equips me with more grace than I could ever ask for!
So, I arrived in Mexico a month and a half ago, ready to start the journey of studying language and culture, and of creating a new life thousands of miles from home as I knew it.

This journey has been an intriguing one so far: a wild conglomeration of joys, mistakes, growing pains, and unplanned blessings.

I love Mexico. Not a day goes by that I don't step back and marvel at the beauty of my life: a rich, captivating collage of blessings. I love being here. The colours. The smells. The sights. The sounds. The hearts. I am surrounded by beating hearts, and I love it. There are moments when I literally stop, stare at my surroundings, and break out in the biggest smile possible, because of the wonder of it all.

It's crazy, really. Why me, why here, why now? What do I have to offer the people of Choix, when I am such a work in progress myself? Nothing. I have nothing. I have no capacity to learn a new language, to minister to those around me, to cry with hurting hearts, or even to breathe. I am nothing. But God. He is the air I breathe, the lyrics I raise in praise, the joy I experience daily, the hand I hold out to the world around me. Whether in Mexico, Canada, or the ends of the earth, He is the Great I AM. That really is the summary of my existence. As I continue to learn Spanish, and continue to settle into my new roles here, I invite you to celebrate Him with me. Celebrate Him for the way He guided me through those crucial first few weeks of bonding with my host culture. Those weeks jam packed with language mistakes, new relationships, unfamiliar customs. I am thankful that those weeks are behind me, but they were good. I learned so much, and was stretched in ways I would not have imagined. I moved into the town of Choix (which will be my home for the next two years minimum, Lord willing) last week.

As I continue to settle in and discover what life will be like for me here, pray for His grace to flow out of my life every day. My weeks consist of a myriad of activities including ministering in surrounding villages, cooking, handing out many cups of water in a day (our "window ministry" :), helping out with Bible studies, etc. I am also loving getting to know the kids at the Casa Hogar (the Orphanage), and it blesses my soul to interact with them through talking, playing Soccer, etc.

An added bonus of it all is that I am blessed with an amazing team of warriors to fight this battle with.

The team: Casa Hogar caregivers, Church Planting Team, & School Teachers

(Suzanne and I. We are on the church-planting team together, focusing on ministry in the villages, as well as domestics and ministry at the team base here. This girl is pretty amazing, and she definitely makes my life richer!)

(Gen and I. She is the cook at at the Casa Hogar, and an incredible soul sister).

And now, for your enjoyment: photos of life as I now know it:

There is no way to express my gratitude for all the prayers you send up to the Father on my behalf! I know without a shadow of a doubt that they are carrying me through every day. Thank you for blessing my life so richly!

I invite you to magnify Him with me:

"Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples." Ps. 96:3