The Experience

I have really enjoyed my time here in Huatabampo, you can really see the hand of God in this ministry. It is such an amazing feeling to know that I am really doing something.

Existing in a new culture is a really different experience for me. The language barrier is one thing, but there is a completely different style of life down here. Last Saturday Dwight and I went to Navajoa to look for a part for the washing machine. There are no yellow pages down here, so even starting was interesting. We found one store pretty quickly but they did not have what we needed, so we asked where we should go next. In the Mexican culture it is considered extremely rude to not help someone when they ask, however it is seen as 'not helping' if you don't know how to help. This leads to people giving directions when they actually have no idea. Dwight and I got a great view of a portion of Navajoa as we followed directions. :-) I have also ran into many people believing I am much much younger than I am. I have this problem a little bit at home, but most people here say they think I am about 13, one lady said she would believe 15 if she stretched. It is a little funny to try and convince people that I really am almost 20.

Learning a new culture (and language!) is challenging, but I would not trade one minute of it. Today I was able to attend a Sunday School class at a local church. The kids were really sweet, and a couple came up to talk to me. They found my accent and my choppy Spanish funny and they were interested in who I was, and more importantly, why I couldn't talk. Even though I only said a handful of phrases, I really had fun just being around the kids and their teachers. It was a really good feeling. I get to work with this same church next week during their Escuela Biblica de Verano (VBS). I am going to put on a puppet show and be an assistant. I am also going to begin teaching a class on Tuesday nights. I'm really nervous for both because of my lack of confidence in my Spanish, but I'm really excited as well.

This week should be fun, and it looks like it might be my last week of 'normalcy' before I launch into the world of VBS and teaching. This summer is bringing more than I ever imagined!!!

God is so good!

The First Week

Hey guys!
Provision Ministries is a ministry that provides curriculum and materials for the local churches, and the specialize in childrens ministry. My first 'job' here at Provision is to create one of the childrens books for the book of Luke. The main job is to copy/paste the Spanish version from the internet onto a word document and divide it into the specified sections. The kids will read one section a day during the week and a lesson on sunday.
The next step is the clip art. As you can see by the book on my lap, I have a few to choose from. It's fun, but can be a little aggravating at times. I'm enjoying it though. After I finish this I get to move on to making puppets and games! It'll be fun.
I'm really excited to work with the children in the camp and during VBS. It should be TONS of fun.
I hope this explains a little bit of what I am doing down here at the moment.
God Bless
Tani

Isn't God Good?

My first few days in Mexico have been amazing! It has been great to see, and even be a part of, the wonderful things God is doing down here!
My trip went really well, better than I ever could have imagined. It was the grace of God for sure. The lady next to me on the airplane was a huge blessing! I was frightened and anxious about my trip, but when I spoke with her she encouraged me and prayed for me right there on the plane and she even gave me an offering! It was such a great feeling to see a perfect stranger care so much.
After I arrived in Phoenix I hopped on a bus and rode twelve hours down to Navajoa. Almost as soon as I got off the bus we had to pack up and leave for Culican for a 'congreso' where Kristi spoke. I had a blast. The congreso was centered on teacher training for Sunday school teachers. It was really neat to see so many people get excited about teaching the children! What better way to serve the Kingdom than to help raise up a generation for Christ?? The children who will have these men and women as teachers are really blessed.
I was able to connect with a few people, despite the language barrier. My four years of high school Spanish and one semester of college Spanish are certainly not enough. It has been frustrating at times, but people are really patient with me. One part of the congreso was practicing telling Bible stories with visual aids (much like the felt boards we're all used to). Because of numbers, I was paired with a gentleman who spoke English a little better than I spoke Spanish. It was really fun, he told the story in English and I told the story in Spanish. I have a feeling many of my words were pronounced and conjugated wrong, but it was still exciting. It is really interesting to watch people speak to me when they know I do not understand. I was attempting to talk to two girls about my own age, but when they would see I could not understand they simply spoke louder. It was funny, it doesn't matter how well I hear if I don't know the word. It is a steep learning curve down here for sure, and I am hoping that my confidence in speaking grows more than anything.
I start my first full day today, and I am excited. I really want to be able to work and be a blessing to this ministry. I'm praying that I can be, regardless of the language barrier.
Thank you all for your prayers and support and prayers...and prayers. I am incredibly blessed and I know I would not be here without you.
God Bless