¡Perdónenme tanto!

My, my, my. Yet again, I have waited far too long to update, and I apologize. So much has happened since my last post. First, several Christ-centered movements have been started at new universities here in the city. Praise God for that. He continues to confound and exceed our expectations! Second, my team has left Mexico City two times, once to go to Acapulco for our mid-year conference in early November and once to go to Toluca to follow up with contacts that Campus Crusade summer projects had met with this past June and July. Third, we have a new president and he is the first african-american ever to hold the office! Regardless of what our political convictions may be, I doubt Martin Luther King and others in the civil-rights movement ever imagined anything like this happening as soon as it did. And as far as how I think Obama will do as president, I fear I am pathetically uninformed politically. I don't say this in false modesty or even to fish for compliments. Pathetic accurately describes the amount that I know about politics and I'm aware that that needs to change for me to be a responsible American citizen. That said, I am aware that our country is in a mess and I wouldn't wish the clean-up efforts onto the shoulders of any man, republican or democrat. May God truly bless America. He knows how badly we need it.

Anyway.... I'd love to let you all know how things have been going, as well as how the Acapulco and Toluca trips went. Basically, with each week here, we (or at least I :)) feel like things are getting better and better, slowly but surely. First of all, our language improvement goes through cycles, but, all in all, it continues to improve. At this point, I'm able to understand a minimum of 75-80% of what's said in any given conversation. If only I could say 75-80% of what I wanted to...oh well, with time. Secondly, our knowledge and familiarity of transportation logistics here have been steadily improving as well. Already, as we use it so regularly, our knowledge of the metro system is better even than some mexicans here. Third and most importantly, our job of going to college campuses, talking with and sharing the Gospel with non-Christians we meet and helping Christian student leaders we meet to start Bible studies, continues to get easier, too. Slowly. But, God's grace is indeed a soft place to land.

Also, in the first week of November, our team went to Acapulco for several days with three rough goals in mind: to rest, to assess what we've been doing well (and not so well) thus far and get to know one another a little better. All in all, it was a great time and I think that all three goals were well-met. I was especially encouraged by how well the third goal turned out, as each member of our team took the meyers-briggs and then we discussed the results afterwards in the context of how we can love and serve one another more like Christ now, knowing what we know about one another. I really enjoyed getting to know the team as well as myself a little better and I think God was glorified in the process. Oh, and if you're curious, I'm an INFP.

Then, after returning from Acapulco, we only had about two weeks before leaving again for Toluca. As I said before, the purpose of this trip was to re-connect with interested students there who had met americans during a Crusade summer project this past June and July. And to share the Gospel with as many students as possible. :) Going into it, I wasn't sure what to expect. Honestly, I didn't really like the idea of getting even more time taken out of our ministry here in the city before xmas, but as it turns out, I'm so grateful that we went. Words fail as I try to express the joy we felt in sharing Jesus with students! Some were just curious, others were hostile, but still others listened eagerly as we explained in broken Spanish how each of us is more sinful than we could ever dare to imagine, but in Christ alone, more forgiven than we'd ever dare to hope! I especially enjoyed some of my conversations with Catholics. Being able to tell them that they need no saints or even Mary as an intermediary between them and God, that because of what Christ accomplished once and for all on the cross, we are instead called to approach the throne of grace with confidence, planted seeds of doubt in the humanistic tradition that they've grown up in. Some were offended, but some wanted to know more. Praise God. I mean, what other religion can even come close to the radically offensive claim that our righteousness is not our own and must accepted freely as a gift? Oh, the glorious freedom we have in Christ to let go of ourselves! Praise Him.

Lastly, each of us on our team has picked one day every week to serve the city in some way. As a result, I've been spending my saturdays at Casa San Francisco, a home for abused and abandoned boys. My purpose has been to be a consistent older male presence there as well as to document their lives visually in hopes that more awareness about each of their situations might be raised. There are twelve of them in all, ranging in age from 9 to 16. I haven't gotten to spend as much time with them as I would have liked lately, but I've still been able to get to know a few of them pretty well and take some pictures too. Attached are several. More to come soon. God's peace and joy to you all.