Choose Life

Love the Lord your God... for He is your life.

Deuteronomy 30:20

What a month.  I was so blessed to be able to visit lovely Ohio fall!  Thank you, God. It was a much needed time with family, friends, mentors, & prayer warriors.   A special shout out to Mom & Dad - thank you for making this trip possible!!

While I was away, Xaume kept busy as always :)  He taught a two-week class on missions and did a children's leader training with the church here below.  

Here we did a second and third training this month once I was back.  

But that's not all, he also got ready for our outreaches at the end of the month and worked on moving us over to this apartment next door! We've been praying for a bit more space, and here we have it (from 45 m2 to 65 m2).   

Of course, we've been settling in still and are finalizing some upkeep on our old apartment so we can rent it out.  Please keep this process in prayer :)  

Then, we had several trainings with youth and volunteers from the churches we've been working with for the Day of the Dead outreaches.  Instead of emphasizing death, we focus on life.   The lesson we've written is called "Choose Life."

Rehearsing skits, coordinating costumes and printing t-shirts and publicity kept us moving.   The lesson focuses on choice - every day we're faced with decisions between life and death.  ONE of those decisions includes what we eat.  

That's why we made (and had a friend help make) these silly costumes.  Xaume is sporting the "chocorrol" -  a hostess type chocolate snack, and I'm testing the carrot wear.   (Farther down you'll find our partners- coca cola and milk).  

We had the opportunity to work with a church called Word of Faith for our first "Choose Life" outreaches of the year. 

We were excited (and tuckered out) after three services on Sunday.  But praise God - both young and old were touched and challenged by the simple truth of the lesson.  God has set before us life and death, blessing and curse.  May we indeed choose life so that we and our families will live! (Deuteronomy 30:19)

We were invited to do a "Choose Life" outreach in a town near Pachuca, Hidalgo (about three hours away).   Small town, hungry kids showed.  Pray for these young ones and the church in town to take up a regular dynamic kids' ministry.   

For the last day of the month, we were able to work with a church in the State of Mexico.  They have a great team of young people and children's workers, so it was exciting to funnel their energy into an event focused on outreach.  

As we went out to the community to invite kids and parents, we took these two photos below in the market.  They are typical offerings to the dead that we find all over this time of year.   

Thankfully, the majority of the kids that came were new! They not only went away with a bag of goodies, but they heard the message about choosing life, and ultimately, life in Christ Jesus.  

Please continue to pray for these families and those we'll be ministering to today and tomorrow.  We want Jesus' Name to be made famous!! Even though there is an enemy who wants his fame, we know the One who is victorious over death!!