June 30, 2008 - week 1

Hola familia y amigos! This is my first update from the beautiful city of Jerez, Zacatecas! I arrived on late Wednesday night and it has been going by so fast already! Thursday was my first day here and I got to check out the village I am staying in a little bit. It is called Palmas Altas. You can see the Sierra de los Cardos mountains all around and it is beautiful! I am staying with another missionary family, The Elliots, at a host home in Palmas Altas. The host family is very humble and gracious. The father, Angel, works in an orchard near the village (the call the villages rachos). The mother Angelina, is a great cook and is very, very nice. She is always trying to make sure I am comfortable. They have two kids, Rocio and Jose Angel. They are both very shy, but always have a smile on their faces! The Elliots have also been very welcoming! Ben and Diana have two children, Nehemiah and Shalom. There are a lot of people staying in the house, so there is usually no time to be bored! When I arrived, there was also another missionary group down here. Kyle and Josh are from Wildcard Ministries and attend Okaloma State University. They came with a friend from Acuña (a city on the border) named Karla. They were so much fun while they were here! They left today, but they made the transition for me much easier. Karla and I had a lot of fun working on our second languages; she is an English teacher in Acuña. Although we only spent 4 and a half days together, I feel like I know her much better than that and I think that we will be friends long after the trip.

Okay, so what have I been up to the past 5 days? Thursday we went to a village called Guadalupe Victoria. It is gorgeous! It is at a higher elevation than Palmas Altas, so the mountains look even more gorgeous than before! We played volleyball with some of the children the village and then sang some songs together, did a drama, and listened to Diana tell the kids a Bible story. Later on, we went to a man's house, named Marcos, and talked and sang with him. Ben shared the Gospel with him and his daughter and they seemed real receptive. They asked us to come back this week again. The people here are so friendly and so receptive to us. It is nice to be in a place like that.

Friday we went to the city of Jerez to look around. Ben needed some guitar string, and while we were looking for a music store, we got to look around the city a little. The markets that have the fresh fruit and vegetables out smell delicious, except when they are right by a meat stand! Ha! The rest of the day, we just hung out and I prepared what I was going to talk about that night. We played volleyball in Palmas Altas with some of the youth (the game got pretty intense near the end!), and Kyle and Josh and Karla played some songs while the men played a few games. Afterwards, I talked to some of the people who stayed to listen. I shared with them some of the things God has done in my life. Although I hate public speaking, I know that these people are really interested in the things we have to share with them.

On Saturday, I climed a mountain!! Part of our group went hiking in the mountains. It was amazing! I can't wait to post pictures when I get back! The view was amazing!

Sunday, we had two church services, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Josh taught at the first one and Kyle at the second. Both of their messages were really inspirational to me. Just to see the passion they have for the Lord is encouraging! Ben and Karla took turns with the music, and that even touched me! It was a great day!

Sunday was a great day, but I was dreading today. Kyle, Josh, and Karla left today. It is sad for me because I have gotten so close to them, but today hasn't been as bad as I thought it would. We got to spend the morning in Zacatecas. We did some shopping and ate there too. The architecture in the city is amazing! After we took them to the bus station, Ben, Diana, the kids, and I had some errands to run in Jerez. We got some things for Nemi's 1st birthday on Wednesday and had dinner at a pizzeria! It was really good!

God is doing some great things here in Zacatecas and the surrounding areas. This is going to be a pretty full week, but I should be able to update again on Saturday! Here are a few prayer requests:

-RAIN!! The orchards really need rain right now. They will not have a successful crop if it stays as dry as it is.
-Safety as we travel each day
-That I would continue to improve my Spanish so that I can use it for the glory of God!

I love you all and miss you very much! Thank you so much for your support! I could not do this without you!

Dios te bendiga,
(God bless)

Katalina

Leaving on a jet plane . . .

Hello friends! Tomorrow, bright and early, I will be headed to Mexico! I am exicted, but those nerves are starting to creep up on me again. I think it is mostly because I have no idea what to expect . . . I know the basics, but I cannot seem to get a clear picture in my mind of what the village will look like. For those of you who don't know, I will be in the village of Palmas Altas, near the city of Jerez. Here is a link that will show you where Jerez is located - Palmas Altas was too small to be on the map. :) http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

I think I have pretty much everything packed - I even managed to fit it all in one suitcase, and for those of you who know how I usually pack, this is the first miracle I have witnessed in relation to my trip! :) I'm sure there will be many more to come! I have been working on making lesson for the baseball camp I am in charge of, so if you have any ideas, please let me know! I have't played in forever, but I am really excited to teach these kids what I learned for ten years straight! I am also in charge of activities with the youth on Friday nights, so suggestions for that would be appreciated as well! I think for the first Friday, I am going to share a little about my life and how different it was before I came to know the Lord. Please be praying that they will be receptive to what I have to say and that they will begin to open up as well.

I will arrive in Zacatecas around 9:00 pm tomorrow, so please also be praying for safe travel. I think we will be going to Jerez on Saturday, so hopefully I will get the chance to update you all on what is going on!

Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers! I look forward to seeing some comments next time I am on. ;) Love you all!!

Introduction to my blog and prayer requests :)

Hola familia y amigos! I am getting ready to start my Mexican adventure! I leave for Zacatecas Wednesday June 25, 2008. AlthoughI am really excited that I get to spend my summer serving the Lord and the community of Zacatecas, I am also a little nervous. Please be praying that God continues to remind me that "he does not call the equipped, but equips the called". I know in my heart and soul that there is no place else I should be this summer than Zacatecas, so please pray that God will use me in ways I never thought possible and that he would give me the courage to continually step out of my comfort zone in order to accomplish His will. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers!

In Him,

Kathleen