¡Hola desde Mexico!
Many have been awaiting an “update letter,” so here is just the beginning of what I’m calling “God’s Adventure for the Life of Katie.” This adventure begins up in the cold north, Canada! (Some would say that where we were living, Kelowna, isn’t cold, but I beg to differ! The coldest winter they’ve had in years just “happened” to be the winter Hannah and I were living there!) Yes, not a good time I say! I think that growing up in the tropics really hinders one’s tolerance for the cold of Canada, this is what I think. Anyways, that is beside the point. Hannah and I were living up in Kelowna, working and paying off school loans until one visit home to Mexico brought a BOY into Hannah’s life! Yes, Kyler Van Kirk made an impression on Hannah and though she was still living in Kelowna her heart was in Mexico......so when the idea of moving south to warmer weather and to live near a certain boy, it was a given to leave Canada and head for the desert!
Our plan was to visit some of our family on our way down to Mexico, travel to Costa Rica with KYLER and Ryan, then finally move to Tucson, Arizona. I would continue to work and save money, but at the I time be WAY closer to my family than I was in Canada. And here we see where my plan wasn’t what GOD had planned, wow is HIS plan better! The drive through the States was long, but it was good to spend some time with family......and then there’s the part where Kyler came to Tennessee and proposed to my lovely sister! Yes, EXCITING times they were! So then the planning began....i’m sure you’re thinking just wedding planning, but there was MUCH more planning then that going on! We were planning a wedding, the opening of a Mexican Bible school, AND a month trip traveling through Costa Rica, Panama, and Venezuela!
Within two weeks trip and wedding were somewhat planned and we were OFF to our traveling adventures! Landing in San Jose brought with it all of us, but not the majority of our suitcases......which always makes things a little more interesting, that’s for sure! Thankfully Ryan flew separately and he did get his luggage.....thanks Ryan for the use of your clothes! :) Three days later we all had our bags, and Ryan had only dirty clothes, but we made it through and learned how little you can actually survive on. Our travels took us many places and we encountered adventures such as kayaking through crocodile infested waters (and did I mention falling in? Yes, that did happen), finding ourselves on random little islands, driving through crazy cities such as Panama city, zip-lining through the forest, and finally eating LOTS AND LOTS of rice and beans! WARNING: Women it is best if you limit the men on your trip to less beans......we all know the reasons behind this warning. Then three of us, Hannah, Kyler, and myself headed to Venezuela where we met our Uncle Merrill, Aunt Teresa, and cousin Jodi, while Ryan continued back to Canada to spend Christmas with his family. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Venezuela, but were saddened to see the country has gone “downhill” since we last visited three years ago. We soon realized while we were there that it isn’t as safe as it used to be and the people are quite desperate. So we visited old friends and went to see our former dwellings and of course, ate as much Venezuelan food as we could manage in our time there! (NOT GOOD!) Luckily we came out of there still wearing our same clothing, so that was good......it still fit! Getting out of the country was a bit of a problem, we were detained for three days because we didn’t have our yellow fever paperwork, but eventually we did left our home country behind and flew on our way back to Mexico!
Wow, I shouldn’t wait so long next time to tell of my adventures.....this is taking quite a bit of writing. Please feel free to take a short intermission at this time, maybe get a coffee and come back for part two!
Upon our arrival in Mexico it was soon apparent that i could be used in not only helping Hannah plan her wedding, but that i was needed in helping get the Mexican Bible school started. My parents had asked me to think about staying in Mexico and helping with the school before we headed out on our trip, and along the way I felt a real peace on doing just that. So I jumped in with both feet and it has been craziness every since! I have taken on a few different roles with the school, the first being a cook. Mum and I do all the cooking for the students, which isn’t too much, but still three meals a day. And then secondly I am doing secretarial things for the school. I have done many different things which vary from designing brochures to checking/making documents that go out from the school to different pastors we’re working alongside and so on. I head up the work detail area with the students which includes not only organizing work detail schedules and teams, but also trying to teach the value of “servant leadership” and what it looks like to work as a team. The students have learned a great many things and I must admit that their cleaning skills have improved GREATLY since they began. And lastly I have done a woman’s session where we separate the men and women. I taught a session on etiquette, hostessing, and the gracefulness of a woman of God. We looked into the book of Esther, folded napkins, and then went over proper table etiquette before finishing with a meal we served for supper. You may be asking yourself what kind of school we have here, and that is a valid question! We are equipping men and woman who have already been involved in ministry to return to where they were and know how to teach, how to start a church, how to lead. We not only teach them their Biblical foundations and more, but we also teach them practical things such as the etiquette class I just explained. Our students have been learning so much and are so appreciative of their education it has been a blessing to be a part of this new work here in Mexico.
There have been many trials along the way, and I'll be honest, it has been BUSY over here, but so worth it! God is doing an awesome work here in San Carlos and I can’t wait to see what He has in store in the coming years for this school!
On that note, could you pray for our school, and for the work going on down here in Mexico? Please pray that God will lead and guide this school where He wants it to go, and that He will bring the right students for the next year and the years to come! As administrative staff we’re praying for wisdom as we set standards and work through the different issues we’ve run into and will continue to face along the way.
Commitment.......a hard word to deal with at times, but something God calls us to in different ways. God has called me to Mexico here and I have committed to staying here and continuing with the ministry here for two years. Some may think that isn’t long, but if you’re young and haven’t stayed anywhere longer than a year in the past eight years, this is a big deal! :) You may be asking yourself what this has to do with my update, but i would like to encourage you to pray about committing to the work here in Mexico alongside me. I need prayer warriors to pray for me because we are in a spiritual battle down here and I am feeling that more than ever right now! God has been doing as awesome work in the lives of HIS people here and we are under attack! I need you to stand beside me in prayer. If God is calling you to stand beside me in prayer, i would ask that you commit with me for two years. Where we go from here i do not know, but this is just what God has pressed upon my heart. As well as prayer I am raising funds to be able to live down here and serve full time in ministry. I need your help in order to be able to be here......if God is putting it on your heart to help financially, please pray about it and if possible, commit to it for the two years i’ve committed. I know this isn’t always possible, and I had no idea when i started this letter that i would even say this, but God has just placed it on my heart that it is SO important to have a team committed right alongside me for HIS ministry. God chooses different people for different roles in all aspects of ministry whether it’s living and working in Canada or cooking for ministry students in Mexico!
So here it ends.....one minute I'm living and working in Kelowna, the next I'm called as a missionary to San Carlos, Mexico! God sure has a way of working things out in our lives and it’s so awesome to see how He orchestrates everything! I can’t wait to see what He has in store for me tomorrow! So until next time....
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