Since joining the Spanish congregation last September we have had one goal in mind: learning enough Spanish to return to D.R. and assist there in the preaching work. To that end we have worked hard at our language skills. We have all had parts on the Theocratic School, comment regularly, and are able to have (brief) conversations. We had set a goal to return to D.R. at the end of Danielle's school year in May. So, with all of our work in mind and the school year ending in a few weeks we're on our way back to the Dominican Republic; right?
Well...not exactly. You might say we are: Done with the Dominican; Quitting on Quisqueya; not Headed for Hispaniola! Why you ask? Because we are Moving to Mexico! So why the change and how did this all come about?
From time to time I will do a Google search to look for blogs from friends who are serving where the need is great. I have found them to be a great source of encouragement while we are working our way to be able to serve ourselves. About three months ago I came across a very interesting report written by a sister who spent time serving in the English field in Mexico. When I first read it I had no intention of going anywhere but to D.R. However I found that the more I thought about what she wrote in reference to the work in Mexico, the more intrigued I became. We contacted the sister and heard her expressions first hand and were drawn to Mexico. After prayerful consideration and discussing matters as a family we decided to focus our attention on going to Mexico.
So that was the how, now as for the why(?) Although we are seeing progress in our use of Spanish we are by no means fluent. We can make presentations in the ministry but we feel very limited in terms of making return visits or conducting a Bible Study. We sincerely desire is to help others learn The Truth and to assist in a congregation where there is a need. We think it would be difficult to do these things if we are struggling with the language.When we read about there being congregations made up entirely of language learners and a need for native English speakers it just seemed like a natural fit for us. Mexico will offer us an opportunity to serve where the need is great, support a group in need of English speakers and help where a great harvest is taking place. Additionally as Mexico is a Spanish speaking country we can continue to work on our Spanish when we go to the store, on the bus, talk to the brothers in the congregation, etc..
We will be going to the city of Guasave which is located in the state of Sinaloa on Mexico's Pacific coast. If you view a map of Mexico it's located between Culiacan and Ciudad Obregon. Guasave has a small English congregation, 19 publishers, and we are looking forward to meeting and working with them in the ministry.
As of now our plans are to leave from Florida the last week of June and to drive to Guasave. This will be an adventure for all of us as we have never been out west before. So we'll get a chance to see Texas, and maybe even go to the Grand Canyon while we are on our way. 2600 miles one way and just the three of us in the car...oh the joys we will see! Hopefully it will be a safe and uneventful trip for us!
So for now we are in the process of de-cluttering...again. This time it's for real though. We are dumping, donating and selling what we can. The house will be listed by month's end. Every thing must go!!! I feel like a used car salesman right now, but it's all for a good cause. The funds we raise will keep us from having to come back to work so soon.
Well, that's the latest with us. We hope in a short while to have exciting experiences, pictures of exotic locales and a report of good things from Guasave, Mexico.
