Thanksgiving in Guasave

Hey loved ones!!

It feels like so much time has past since our last update, even though Ryan did send one out last month, but the email was empty and our subscription didn't allow for another resend. We were bummed and put the announcement on facebook but realize several of you didn't get it. Nonetheless, we want to share with you how God has brought us through these past several weeks, and all that we give thanks to God this Thanksgiving weekend!

The beginning of this month we were able to go to Merida, Yucatan where Ryan was able to teach at a discpleship conference at Calvary Merida Norte. I on the other hand was immensely blessed to attend and soak so much at a Calvary Chapel Pastor's Wives Conference in Cancun! It was so amazing to see so many lovely ladies from various countries in Latin America that were wives of Calvary Chapel pastors. Even though I hadn't met any before except for the friend that had invited me, it was super sweet to see their love for the Lord and their warmth towards everyone in the room. It was such a tender time to hear from the Lord, and to be reminded that the battle belongs to Him! It was so good to be able to share the trial that we were going through with Virtue, receive prayer and advice on how to move forward.

I want to share that God has been so faithful in this trial, it is amazing how He renews are strength. Our early mornings continue to be battlefield of the mind for Virtue. Anxiety continues to hit her hard when she wakes up and we have tried a variety of things, including singing to help her. Right now, I have been reading the bible out loud to her while she does breathing exercises and when she feels ready we move on to doing stretches. I must say it's been one of the harder trials in my life to see her suffer this way, but amazingly I also see the good that God is bringing out in her and all of us, as well. I want to say how grateful I am to all those who have prayed and for all those who God has laid on your heart to continue praying! I sometimes wish I had the time and energy to reach out, as my schedule has been filled up so much right now. But I know God will work out all the details in His time, even my ability to be more free and connect more with loved ones as before.

We have been blessed to see our church slowly but surely growing! We also just started renting the other part of the building to have more room for the children and be able to restart the cafe. We´ve had to take a break for the past couple months and are gearing up to actually open the cafe indoors. We surely appreciate your prayers for this venture in faith that will require some extra expenditure. We are hoping and believing that that cafe will quickly bring in the needed revenue so that it doesn´t continue to be a monthly added expense. We are praying for the Lord to guide us in every detail and to provide as He so faithfully has!

Our Friday night outreaches continue to be a blessing! It's amazing to see the change that God has brought in this children and youth! Remember the frustration we had with the kids coming and going and their divided attention during bible study? Well, we are so grateful to see how well they sit, listen, and answer questions during the study. It's also been very sweet to see our kids play with them and see them enjoy the dinner we bring them each weekend. What a privelege! How wonderful that we can see these children hearing and growing little by little in the knowledge and Word of God! May the Lord be glorified!

Last but not least, we decided to host Thanksgiving at church with our church family this Thursday. We knew are house wouldn't be quite large enough and so we cooked all day and had an evening feast! Oh, how good it was to eat all the traditional Thanksgiving dishes! Praise God Walmart had a fully cooked, smoked, frozen Turkey that only needed defrosting and heating! And it was good! We had to be creative with the cranberry, but with cranberry juice and non-flavored gelatin, Ryan managed to make cranberry jelly! And mini-cheesecakes, sweet potato pie (there was no pumpkin of any kind anywhere in town!), apple pie, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, and stuffing from scratch! It was delicious! But the fellowship was truly special. It seemed everyone shared a sacrifice of praise, as nearly everyone shared they had a difficult year but God's faithfulness to see them through, and their growth in the Word of God attending Calvary Guasave! It was so uplifting to hear each testimony! We came home that night so blessed to hear of the fruit from the work that we have been able to be part of. God is good!

Thank you friends and family for reading this! Thank you for your love and support! We are so grateful for how God has led us thus far. May His sweet grace continue to be poured out into your lives as you prepare for this Christmas season, and may He continue to guide and provide as you seek Him and His will!

Blessings and shalom!