At Home In Guadalajara

Dear family & church family & friends.

A week has gone by and we certainly are owing you an update. We are settling here in Guadalajara and have lots to share! God has been good.

Going all the way back to last Friday, our departure date… We made our Toronto flight without incident on the morning of the first winter storm of the year (…and were welcomed in Guadalajara with 28C and sunshine!). We arrived in Houston after the departure time of our next flight, and so were sure we missed the flight. But thankfully our next flight was delayed too, and so we just made it. We got on the plane, and just two minutes later the doors were shut! This was after running through terminal A, catching the shuttle train to terminal B, and another run through that terminal. Although Matt was carrying 3 of our 4 (heavy!) carry-ons, I still lagged behind, discovering that for some reason I am less fit than say a year ago.  But we made it. Though needless to say that we were not surprised that our luggage didn’t arrive in Guadalajara with us. We were so thankful to have made the flight as we really did not know if there would be another flight that day. We were not surprised when our luggage did not show up in Guadalajara. But we were very happy to be able to pick them up the very next morning.

We received a very warm welcome at the airport. It was wonderful to see Richard & Angela and the girls (Jessica, Christianna, and Rebekah). They took great care of us those first days, feeding us, and showing us around our new place and the city. Lots of great talks too!

Matt turned 30 on Saturday! This is a birthday we will not forget too quickly – our first full day in Mexico! We were greeted with balloons and streamers in the morning, many thanks to Christianna and Jessica. And Angela had a birthday cake for Matt too! [Matt here: The best way to have a birthday is to have it right when you're about to leave the country. I had cake five days in a row in a different place almost every time! :-) ]

The Bouts took us back to Tepic Saturday afternoon and we were welcomed there by Rev. & Mrs. Bout and the boys. We had a wonderful Sunday. Pastor Richard had an excellent message (so Matt told me) and we really enjoyed a time of food & fellowship with the congregation afterwards. It was so nice to see many familiar faces, and also just as wonderful to see a lot of new ones too. [We were welcomed with open arms... such a blessing to see the church.]

We were generously lent a car from members of the church (Alfredo & Maria) for a few weeks while we look for one to buy. Such a blessing, as we have a 45 minute drive to the language school in the mornings (half an hour in the afternoon).

We have not been seriously lost yet! Which is actually quite something! I have never yet been so thankful for my husband’s good sense of direction. Getting around is a challenge. Just because google maps says you can go a certain way, that does not mean that there won’t be a big pile of rocks blocking the entire street. And street signs are often unclear (to us) or absent. “Turn by the green house…” or “Look for the building with the odd-shaped windows…” And all those deadly speedbumps! [Well.... we have taken a lot of wrong turns and so forth. I guess it all depends how you define lost.]

Language school started on Monday. We are impressed so far with the program and are getting into some routines with homework. Every other day we have to go out and interview a local with a prepared list of questions. Yesterday was our first time doing that. The guard at the front gate of our complex was happy to speak with Matt and I met a lady washing her car. So yes, in many ways, we are being pushed out of our comfort zone. As I headed out the door to go and find someone to talk to yesterday, I said to Matt with a smile, “This seems to be the theme of our new life – being out of our comfort zone.” Although, I’m confident that at least some of the newness will wear off sooner or later. 

Our first visitors came yesterday… Wilf & Sharon Bout & children. They were traveling through the city and stopped in for a visit before rounding off their trip in Tepic. (For those who don’t know, Wilf works with the migrant ministry in the Niagara area. In January, most of the workers are back home, so the Bouts spent a few weeks traveling around the country and visiting the families of those they minister to). It was great to see familiar faces and hear of their past few weeks first hand. A very blessed time!

We just returned from meeting some of our neighbours. Richard & Angela introduced us to a Christian lady named Flora last weekend, and we stopped in to say hello. She took us on a walk and introduced us to another Christian family and another Christian couple who will be married in August. We feel very encouraged to meet other believers here, even in our own little complex.

We are doing well. That is not to say that we haven’t been overwhelmed at times. It has been a challenge, with so many new things! And trying to balance language school and homework with unpacking suitcases, cleaning the house, grocery shopping, car shopping, finding a doctor, figuring out where to buy water and how to get more gas for the house and what kinds of food to cook, and many more things. Yet, God has been faithful and we continue to look to Him, our refuge and strength. And so, in all of this, we can learn more and more what it means to be still and know that He is God.

We are grateful for your love and support and prayers. [We will get around to answering all of your emails at some point, but it might be a bit, as we need to focus on making a home here first. Thank-you once again, however! And thank-you for the birthday wishes too.]

A few items for prayer…

• Please pray that we will find a vehicle to buy in the next week or so.
• Please pray that we can be a blessing here in our neighbourhood and that God will give us opportunities to develop relationships here.
• Please pray for physical strength and good sleeps at night!
• Please pray that God may keep before our eyes why we are here, so that we may also focus on this. It is so easy to get lost in the details and the logistics!

Some Pictures: Welcomed Warmly by Richard and Angela (and the girls, who were not in the picture).

Our new home.

Happy birthday in Tepic!

Welcome at Church in Tepic

Hosting our first guests - Wilf & Sharon Bout.