Juquila: Week 1

As of today, I have been in Juquila, Mexico for over a week! Overall, I am so thankful that God has brought me here and surrounded me with such amazing people! Before I came, I was worried about being alone since I'm in an apartment by myself, but since being here, I have been eating "comida" (big meal around 4pm) with a family here and hanging out with them as well as the family that lives in the apartment below mine. I've gotten to play fútbol, volleyball, basketball and rummikub, go shopping in the local "tiendas" for cookware, plates, food, and various things, go to a local church, and visit the homes of local families, all while speaking Spanish. I've gotten to eat Mexican food-- including a cactus and a salsa made with ants and try some Peruvian food as well!

Thank you everyone for your support of this ministry. It's been amazing to witness how God is using the teachers here to reach the local community. They are sharing the Gospel with their neighbors and relying on God for everything. In the midst of poverty and idolatry, the light of Christ is shining and people are coming to know Jesus! School starts on Wednesday, and students come to class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for half of the days.

Please pray:

-that God would anoint us for this ministry and the Holy Spirit would speak and love through us

-that God would speak to our students and that they would respond to His call

-that God would provide for the needs of our school, our families, and our community, especially for the families who are struggling financially

-for a couple people to experience a breakthrough of light, hope, and peace and to find solid friends who can encourage them in the Lord

-for the families that have decided to study the Bible with the staff but have not yet accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior

-for the 5 kids that will be living with the family downstairs during the week to attend our school and for God's guidance as to how I can best serve them 

-for my physical and mental health as I navigate my new life here

A Mototaxi

My Bedroom

Welcome to my Classroom!

My first church service in Juquila!

My first "elote" (street corn) with Sam and Tito

Me and my neighbor, Fé 

The beautiful view

May you experience the peace and presence of Jesus this week!

-Heather

Espere por favor

Recently, my mom and I were checking out at Publix, and I changed the card reader into Spanish. When she inserted the card, the screen said, “Espere por favor”, which means, “Please wait.” Being the teacher that I am, I tried to teach the word to my mom and explained that esperar has two meanings in Spanish -- to wait and to hope. I find it interesting that Isaiah 40:31 can be translated either as “those who wait” or “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.” The Hebrew word qavah is used figuratively here, meaning “to wait, or to look for with eager expectation.” Waiting here holds a positive view of the future with a hope that is secure. Waiting on the Lord is an act of faith-- trusting that God will do what He has promised even when you cannot see it.

Unfortunately, waiting does not generally appeal to us in our instant society. We try to avoid waiting at all costs. Microwave meals, flash passes, and instant entertainment at our fingertips keep us from the sensation of waiting. Until we don’t have a choice. That was me. I’ve had a dream of being a missionary and teaching in a small school since I was in middle school, if not before. In a sense, I’ve been waiting for years and years and years for this opportunity to teach in Mexico and share the Gospel. Since I went to Costa Rica in 2015, I’ve been waiting to go back to Latin America for a longer period of time as a missionary. When I wasn’t able to travel to Colombia in college or study abroad in Costa Rica or do an international internship, there was more waiting.

Eventually, I accepted that God could call me to missions in the United States. There are many immigrants who live here and I looked into a program where I would get a master’s degree and teach in the inner city. I made it all the way to selection weekend and then, I was denied. At that point, I hadn’t even heard of Global Education Ministries. But soon enough, the door opened right up-- all that I had waited and hoped for all these years. God knew all along where I needed to go. He was preparing my heart, my body, and my mind for this task. The call was a call to esperar and hold onto esperanza (hope) in Christ. I have to esperar in the little things, like a cancelled flight, and in the big things, like the brokenness of my mind and body and those of so many others. I must continue to wait and hope for God’s complete restoration of all things. My charge to us today is this: “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). Espere por favor.

 

source: Facebook.com

Taylor County Campmeeting

Today, I am driving to Taylor County Camp Meeting, where I will be sharing about the mission with the youth tomorrow. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to speak through me and the others at the camp.

When I worked this camp 2 years ago, I experienced the powerful work of the Holy Spirit who was speaking and drawing us to Jesus. Specifically, the Holy Spirit spoke to one of the girls there and told her to come to me for prayer, and I was able to pray with sincerity and understanding because I had prayed similar prayers for someone in my life. It was a beautiful reminder to me that God had me there for a reason and that He heard our prayers and cared enough to supernaturally bring us together through a shared burden for someone we loved.

There was also a time where I felt moved by the Spirit to speak a message to the group at the end of a service. I share these stories as an encouragement in the faith as you pray-- for this camp, for those you love, for awakening in the church and the world, and for anything else that may seem impossible. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 19:26: "“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”"

Let's not give up in prayer, even when the situation seems impossible. I still have not seen the fruit of the prayers for that person in my life, even though God has given me assurance that He has heard them and has given me glimpses of hope. Keep pressing into God with your whole heart and allow His love to fuel your prayers. He hears us when we cry out to Him, and He "acts on behalf of those who wait for Him" (Psalm 55:17; Isaiah 64:4)!

La Luz Ministry Update!

Here is an update from Casey Herring, one of the GEM founders!

"I met with Tito and Betty and started our meeting by saying how hard this year was and how it was probably the worst we’ll ever have because of the pandemic. I tried to be encouraging… and then I let them talk. I wasn’t prepared for what happened next. I thought we were going to work through program problems, staff problems, money problems, etc. Instead, they just shared about how this was actually the best ministry year we’ve ever had in Juquila. They shared that the pandemic created the perfect opportunity in Juquila for our La Luz team to go and be with our school families in their homes (virtual schooling wasn’t possible).

Tito and Betty said that over the course of this school year, because students couldn’t come to classes, they were in different homes every day and 4 school parents came to faith and made decisions to follow Jesus! They are currently meeting with each family in their home once a week studying the bible and discipling them! In addition to that, there are 10 more families (non-Christians) that they have started to study the bible with on a weekly basis. They said it started by just dropping off homework each week, then it turned into real conversations about hardship and life, and then finally over time Tito and Betty and their teachers were given permission to open the bible and share from God’s word. It’s been an amazing work over the course of the whole school year! I am confident there will be more salvation and rejoicing in Heaven!"

Thank you for your support!!!

 

Fundraising Update!!

Guess what?? Thanks to your generosity and faithful obedience, I have officially reached my fundraising goal of $14,400 for this year!!! Back in March, I didn't think it was possible to reach this goal by May 19th (when training starts), but all things are possible when God is at work!! Even so, I am continuing to seek out monthly partners as I have around 60% of the monthly funding I need to continue ministering in the coming years. Please continue praying that God will keep bringing the right people into my path as I fundraise to support our mission to share the Gospel through quality education that is affordable and accessible to the local community. Thank you for all of your support

Fundraising Update #2

 

I have now raised over 60% of the funds I need for this year! Thank you to everyone who has supported me through prayer as well as monthly and special financial gifts! You are enabling our ministry to continue sharing the Gospel through quality education that is affordable for local families. I will be sharing with a Sunday School class at Due West United Methodist Church this Sunday (4/11) and with Sanctuary Church the following Sunday (4/18). Please pray for the Holy Spirit's leading as I prepare to speak and that God would speak His Word through me. Also, please pray that God would call the right people to join me as prayer and financial ministry partners in these coming weeks!!

You can contribute financially here: https://www.globaleducationministries.org/give (just put my name - Heather Hall[1033] - in the referred to GEM section). Thanks again for your support and generosity!