Happy New Year! Our Christmas decorations are now packed away, and home school resumed today. We had a couple weeks off school for Christmas and for my sister's week-long visit, but vacation is over.
On Jan. 6, Abraham and I visited our neighbors with Christmas and Three Kings gifts. To prepare, we drew up a simple design of a Christmas tree as a cross. While in Puebla, we had the design printed as window stickers. We bought pamphlets called Chicks with a message of God's salvation. On Jan. 5, Abraham and my mother-in-law Six visited the kids in Huejotzingo from the Sunday afternoon kids' club, Huellas de Cristo (footprints of Christ) to deliver candy bags, stickers, and Chicks, while I baked a double batch of cookies and bagged them.
In the morning of Jan. 6, Abraham and I made a short video about the magi and their purpose in traveling to visit Jesus. As always, we improvised to make the scenery and costume for our magi video, using hair clips, bathrobe, painted Burger King crown, a wig, and other unrelated materials. Once the video was ready on whatsapp, we gathered cookies, stickers, and Chicks and began knocking on neighbors' doors. At some homes, we had longer conversations, while other visits were very brief. Several neighbors agreed to receive the whatsapp video.
Last week Abraham and I went with the contractor of the new Teach Us to Pray building in Huejotzingo to see the final results. Before we can begin activities, the building still needs electricity, plumbing, windows, and security bars installed, but hopefully everything will be completed by the end of January or beginning of February. People have been particularly asking about English classes. We also have a friend with a library ministry who has offered to donate books and shelves for Huejotzingo.
Please pray with us that this new year will be a blessing. Pray that the church at our home will attract the people who need to hear of God's love for them and that the building in Huejotzingo could soon be ready for classes, the library, and Bible studies. We need a family living in the upper story of the building for security, as thievery is unfortunately common in the area.
Please pray also that we can have good relationships with our neighbors and for friendships for all of us, since this is an isolated place. Thank you for your support!
