thoughts, nothing more nothing less

nothing a whole lot going on down here. we got back from Saltillo and the youth reunion there and it was awesome, we ran into some different views on scripture and worship, but it was an eye opening experience nonetheless and just to be able to accept others as our brothers in Christ is a big step and I hope to encourage others to do the same. we may not worship in the same form, preach in the same tone, or dress the same way, but we are all loved by the SAME GOD! i am leaving Mexico in almost exactly a month. i dont know how i feel about it, i know i will be coming back because my girlfriend and future wife is here right now, but who knows where God is going to take us. help start a new church plant here in Leon? work with my congregation in Alaska? start a Spanish congregation in Alaska? i love life, the freedoms we have and just the ability to not worry about money, time, or anything other than following God and making sure we are doing His will in our lives. i guess thats one of the many reasons i love my girlfriend, she shares that view. i guess the point of this post is simply this: please pray for me, and i will pray for you.

Tianguis

Yesterday was really awesome. At 7:20 a.m, I met with my teammate Megan and one of our friends Jazmin to get ready to sell some used clothes at a nearby "tianguis" market. This coming week, 22 of us from the church here, 18 youths and 4 adults, will be heading to Saltillo, Mexico to attend a nation wide youth reunion. We are all excited to go and see what God will do, but the funds so far have been lacking so we have been fundraising the past week. We got to the market and had to wait until 8:30 to see how many of the regular vendors would show up, and then try and find a spot to set up in between their booths and stands. We set up and had 8 bags of clothes to set out, and as soon as we opened the bags and started to tell how much we were selling it all for, people began to take interest in what we had. During the 4 hours in which we worked, we saw all type of people, selling all types of things, and i even payed 3 pesos to use the bathroom in a bucket in the backroom of an unlit house. It was probably one of my favorite Mexican experiences, selling used clothes at the tianguis, because it was something totally new to me. So by 1:30 we had sold half of the clothes we had brought, and made $800 pesos (which is roughly $80 American dollars). We had really not expected to sell that much, but God provided, like always. I guess my point is, remember who you are working for, whether you are selling used clothes at an outdoor market or working at the boss at a white-collar business, remember who we are working for! If we remember this, HE will provide us with what we need.

Time

Well I went home for a week and it was awesome to be able to see everyone there, see how everyone has grown in their walk with God, and to be able to get a little peak of what my future holds. I got to see my new baby cousin, Marie who is very beautiful, not only did I see her but they EVEN let me hold her! I got to see my best friend Jake Collins get married to Kristina Pruitt and it was a beautiful thing to be able to see. I love weddings and just how biblical that concept really is. I got back to Leon and the first thing I got to see was a brother and his 2 sisters get baptized! Another beautiful thing to be able to see. I have been really blessed lately. We went to the waterpark Splash yesterday to celebrate the fourth of July. Im not sure if our country was even talked about much but it sure was fun grilling out steaks and going down all the slides at the pool. I like to look at it as more of a celebration of family and good friends. Because thats what we are here in Leon. My uncle is the evangelist at my church in Alaska and he preached on the last Sunday in June, and the homework he gave was to read the book of James once a day for the whole week. Well i forgot to yesterday but other than that, I have been reading it every day and its amazing how much you get from a book after rereading it over and over. New things stick out and definitions are cleared up and defined. This post is just to let everyone know I am alive, in my next one I want to show some of what I learned from James. God bless!