Jays Goal

Jays Goal
Originally uploaded by frijoleros

On Sunday we played our 6th game against Venado. Just before the game I realized that we only had 11 players which meant that I would have to play the whole 70 minute game. Since it was pretty hot out, and I am still carrying some extra pounds I was not sure I would have the endurance. Within the last 10 minutes of the game we scored 2 goals, mine being the last. Our record now is 4 wins, 1 tie, 1 loss.

Cora, Cora, Cora

Well, we are finally getting down to studying the Cora language again. This week we have spent 3 afternoons with our friend Leocadio up in Mojocuautla. Leocadio is one of the primary school teachers in Mojocuautla and is uniquely qualified for this job. Besides having taught the Cora language in the school he has made a lot of contributions to the development of scholastic materials in Cora.



We are implimenting the tools we learned at the Missions Training International school in Colorado, and so far it has been great. The first day we began with a few simple elements; 4 places, 4 pronouns, and 4 modes of transportation. First we learned the names of the places; store, bank, church, and post office. The words at first were a struggle but after some time we were able to identify them and even reproduce them. Next we added the pronouns, as in "I went to the store". It was at that point that I began to despair. Leocadio spoke out a long incomprehensible string of syllables that left us in awe. However, after three days of studying we have found we can get it. We just keep trying, knowing that as soon as we get this phrase down the next one will be even tougher!
Thank you so much for your prayers. We really need God's grace wih this language.

Kai Interview

Kai Interview
Originally uploaded by frijoleros

Kai wanted to spend some time talking about world events and how they are effecting the geo-political stage, plus I think he wanted to show off his new underwear.

Baptism and Growth

It is always exciting to see how God moves in different people's lives. Here in Cofradia one of the big milestones in a persons faith is the step of getting baptized. On September 13th Pastor Gollo and Luis baptized 5 people in the sistern across the street from the church. Each of these 5 people have had to overcome significant obstacles and criticism to reach this point. Jasmin, for example, has been waiting for more than a year for her parents permission to get baptized, Beto left behind an alternative lifestyle and is feeling the rejection of his friends, and Isaac is a brand new believer who recieved Jesus at a recent youth camp.

The Sunday after the baptism we had communion at church. Before serving communion Gollo invited anyone who had not asked Jesus to be their Savior to pray and recieve Him. Three people; two ladies from Arrayanes and one from Santa Fe made the decision and became part of God's family!

It is awesome seeing God work and transform lives. Please be praying for these 8 people, for their encouragement and continued growth.

My Dad is famous.

OK, ok, ok. Yes, my dadshot himself in the leg. And yes, he was trying to kill an opossum that was trying to get his chickens. The funniest thing about this is that it made it across the whole country as a news article. After shooting his leg Dad walked down to the house and mom took him to the hospital. There they determined that it was in deep enough that it was best to leave the bullet. So, at this point he is fine, though a little sore.

Here is the article by Accociated Press
CHICKEN OWNER SHOOTS SELF WHILE STALKING OPOSSUM
When Larry Tenbrink heard his chickens "carrying on" late at night, he figured the problem was the opossum that had already snatched more than a dozen of them over the past few months. With a .22 caliber pistol in hand, the Mount Vernon man says he spotted an opossum the size of a large cat wandering his property Sunday night -- but he accidentally pulled the trigger too early, sending a bullet through his lower right thigh. The 61-year-old handyman told the Skagit Valley Herald on Monday that he's back home after a trip to the hospital. The opossum is free for now, but Tenbrink says he'll be hunting it again. Next time, he says he'll use a trap.

Welcome to the new blog!

We have finally set up our new blog since the discontinuation of the Vineage service. I am excted about gettting this blog started and sharing as much information about the ministry and our work among the Cora. Since our return to Cofradia we have been busy working with short term teams, reconnecting with our friends in Cofradia, Arrayanes, and Mojocuautla, and getting a lot of work done on our house.

Mojocuautla
About a month ago we learned that a good friend, Berna, in Mojocuautla had passed away. Berna was a regular attendee of the Bible studies and was the father Irma, the main christian in Mojocuautla. We were very sad because even though Berna attended many of the studies he never showed much interest in giving his life to Jesus.

Last week I went to visit Celestino. Celestino has been in a wheel chair for many year now, unable to walk. Last year we were able to pour a concrete floor in his house complete with a ramp for easy access. Kai and I took him some special vitamins to help his body remove toxins and rebuild his strength. We are praying that God would restore him in a way that will give the glory to Jesus and Him alone.

House
With the rainy season we realized that we could not put off fixing our roof any longer. It has leaked ever since we bought the house and was only getting worse. So we decided to add another layer of Jal (a light calcium mineral mixed with sand and lime), a new layer of petatillo (small clay tiles, and a cement slurry to seal it all. This has been a big job, taking a lot of labor and LOTS of money. But now we have a roof that does not leak.

Home at last!

Home sweet home! After 8 days of travelling we are glad to be out of the truck and back to the sweltering heat. My goodness it is hot here. Our trip was pretty smooth with only two break downs. Once in Oregon to change the U joints and once in the desert between Palm Springs and Phoenix when a spark plug came out and shattered the coil. In both cases the right parts were easy to find and the we were not delayed for long. We were able to visit some of my family in Modesto California, Faith’s grandfather in Palm Springs, and Eric Ford in Phoenix. By the time we crossed the border we had out truck and trailer loaded down. Even so we made it through the border without any troubles. From there is was a breezy 16+ hour drive home. It is very exciting to be back. Now we just need to get our house and our lives in order so we can dive into the ministry.

Thank you all for your prayers during our trip, we could see God with us every step of the way.

Welcome

Welcome to our brand new blog! This blog will chronicle our journey back to Mexico. We hope you will join us as we begin to dig in to the Cora language and culture, looking forward to being able to communicate the Gospel in a way that they can really understand it. In this blog we will share the ups and downs of the learning process as well as new insights to the Cora people and thier culture.
Time to get to work!