Sharing the Gospel and Our Lives: July 2022
El Cacalote, MexicoHola Famigos!
We are growing into our new lives for the next five months here in Cacalote. With school from Monday - Friday and the slow pace of life in a rural Mexican town, our days have settled into a balanced routine.
Daily worship time in Spanish with songs and student-led devotions before class starts.
6:00 am - Calisthenic exercise video followed by a cold shower 7:00 am - Time in the Word with a cup of coffee 7:40 am - Walk to Roca Blanca Spanish School (RBSS) 8:00 am - Worship and student-led devotions (in Spanish!) 8:30-10:10 am Spanish classes (either Phonetics, Grammar, Translation, Patterns, Drills, Verbs, or Conversational Practice) 10:10 am Almuerzo at the comedor for $20 pesos each (or about $1 US dollar) 11:10 am-1:00 pm Spanish classes (see above) 1:00 pm Walk home from school 1:30-5:00 pm "Free time" which usually includes about 2 hours of homework along with other chores like walking to drop off our laundry at the lavanderia, grocery shopping at the various small abarrotes, cleaning our house, or preparing dinner 5:00-7:00 pm Evening activities including a weekly women's prayer group, leading the "adolecentes" group, monthly couple's Bible study, sewing classes, pilates group, etc. 7:00 pm Dinner at home reheating food on the gas stove 8:30 pm Bed time!
Taylor in class with our "maestra" (teacher), Irma. The small class sizes are a perfect learning environment.One of our many meals at the "comedor" (cafeteria). Most of our meals include beans and corn tortillas.Lessons from COVID
We contracted COVID earlier this month for the first time. Unfortunately, it took us out of class for a few days. While we certainly would have preferred not to have contracted it, God works all things together for the good of those who are called according to His purpose. We were still able to study and keep up with our classmates, thanks to some study tools created by previous students.
We also had the blessing of some extra time to study some non-spanish Christian theology. The first was Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. We learned about how the Lord's design for global, cross-cultural missions is highlighted in the His covenenant with Abraham, by promising that Abraham's seed would go on to bless all of the families of the earth. It is an incredible joy for us to be finally fullfilling not only a personal dream of ours, but also to be able to partake directly in carrying out a small portion of God's covenant.
Reflection Question: How have you seen God use challenges like illness to create space to grow in your relationship with Him?
The second was a sermon series on spiritual warfare from a missions conference. It was an excellent reminder to be watchful for our adversary who prowls like a roaring lion, seeking for those he can devour. Fortunately, Jehovah Sabaoth, or the Lord of Angel Armies, is on our side, and He delights to bend His ear low to hear the prayers of His people. Despite having COVID, Fahren has been able to join in weekly prayer meetings (even from a distance) with the women from the community. It was been a pleasure for her to share her very life.
We want to thank you for praying for us and lifting us up to the throne of grace.
Fahren has been joining the women of the local church as "intercesoras" for the community.Prayer Needs:
1. Discernment in how we prioritize our time here with school, relationships in the community, various church activities to attend, and several opportunities to serve.
2. Continued healing of our bodies from COVID (fatigue, brain fog, and cough) and healing of our hearts from homesickness
3. Sensitivity to the Spirit's leading in what to teach the "adolecentes" from the Word and that it would be done in His power alone, overcoming any language barrier
Prayer Updates:
1. June 2022: That the Lord would keep our eyes focused on what is not seen and prioritizing Him even above "good things" like school and cultural experiences. COVID provided a unique and special opportunity to spend more time with the Lord. Thank You, Jesus!
2. June 2022: That the Great Physician would heal the pain caused by our separation from family and friends, both in our hearts and theirs. This has continued to be a struggle, but we have had multiple opportunities to video chat and send messages on WhatsApp. Please continue to pray for this.
Sharing the Gospel and our lives,
Entregándoles no solo el evangelio de Dios sino también nuestra propia vida
Taylor and Fahren Sterrett
i6eight is a gospel proclaiming, disciple making, compassion ministry that lives for the glory of God and the good of others. We exist to invest in the physical, relational, and spiritual lives of the people we serve. Our programs cover a wide range of needs, including education, housing, clothing, health care, nutrition, and community. We accomplish this by training, serving, and discipling together. The ultimate goal of each program is to see the people we serve fall in love with and worship Jesus Christ.
Pan de Vida is one such program which strives to satisfy spiritual needs as well as physical hunger for the glory of Jesus. Taylor and Fahren will join Pan de Vida in the hopes of seeing God transform hearts through Biblical training and life-on-life discipleship.
Our mailing address is:
10645 N. Tatum Blvd. #200-138
Phoenix, AZ 85028
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