September Snapshots: Evangelism and Intercession

Feel free to queue up Coldplay's "Adventure of a Lifetime" as you read this update! Between recreation and ministry, September was non-stop!

Last September, I was finishing up language school. The Lord has been incredibly kind in answering your many prayers for language acquisition ... so much so that I've been able to serve as a translator several times in the last few months!

San Luis Potosí Evangelism

Our first short-term team in September was a One Mission Society (OMS) Men for Missions (MFM) evangelism team that served with four churches/worshiping groups around the capital city of San Luis Potosí (SLP), a state in the Circle of Silence I'd never visited. One of our current Embarkers, Steven, joined this team.

Because I wanted to have time to practice with the team member I'd translate for, I served as Steven's translator. Fellow Mexico OMSer and friend Margaret was gracious enough to practice with us before we left for SLP, which benefitted both me and Steven.

Through our team's four days of evangelism, 251 people accepted God's gift of salvation! This number pleasantly surprised me and our Mexico field director Troy, as we've seen the challenges of sharing the Gospel throughout the Circle of Silence. We absolutely felt and saw the spiritual darkness throughout our days in SLP but certainly watched the Lord's light overcome, as well.

Steven and I had the joy of serving alongside an amazing young woman for the first and last day. She's only 13, but once she understood how our evangelism trio worked, she literally chased people down so we could share God's truth with them! What a gift to see the Lord working in her life.

One of our team members was a pastor from El Salvador. He created this video of our time in SLP. It's seven minutes long and captures the week well!

If you'd like a refresh on MFM's evangelism team method, I describe the process toward the end of this post about teams we hosted in March.

Side Quests

Troy, Steven, and I made the most of our return road trip from SLP to Mexico City by stopping at two places: Dolores de Hidalgo and San Miguel de Allende. Dolores, specifically the cathedral we visited, holds major historical significance in Mexico's battle for independence from Spain, and San Miguel de Allende remains well-known as one of the top cities in the world.

I enjoy (i.e., have become a bit of a nerd about) learning Mexico's history and more, so to walk through it was incredibly fun!

Super Memorable Mexican Independence Day

Our second Embarker for this fall, Isaiah, arrived in time to celebrate Mexican Independence Day with us! Troy, Steven, Isaiah, and I went downtown to celebrate the President's traditional reenactment of the Grito de Dolores that marked the beginning of Mexico's battle for independence from Spain.

We had a great time celebrating in Mexico City's zócalo (with at least 200,000 other people). I was thrilled by the fireworks and am grateful for this Mexico experience! See pictures below.

Special Prayer Team

A week after we returned from SLP, we received a prayer team (in Mexico City) from OMS' World Intercessors ministry. This team was different than expected but exactly what the Lord knew it needed to be.

One of my best friends, Sarah, led this team. She is an OMS missionary and member of World Intercessors. The other team member, Susan, has served with OMS and World Intercessors for several years and was part of my first evangelism team to Mexico in September 2023. What a joy to spend time with them and minister together through prayer!

Sarah, Susan, and I got to pray with each of our team members (OMS USA missionaries and national workers from Mexico), and many of them welcomed us into their homes for the prayer times. This was so meaningful, especially for me since these moments helped me deepen relationships with my co-workers! Troy and Margaret helped drive and translate for the first two prayer days and then it was up to me (and Susan, who also speaks Spanish ... thank the Lord for this provision!).

I drove in parts of Mexico City I'd never been to before, with the help of Google Maps and my fearless co-pilot Sarah. I am grateful for God’s direction in addition to technology and for his help growing my confidence. In January I was excited I could drive just down the hill to Burger King!

Stopping to Reflect ... and Reset

After "swimming in the deep end," especially in relation to translating and driving, I needed time for my "muscles" to recover. Post-prayer team I had the gift of two solid days away from the office to catch up on rest/cleaning/laundry/shopping/introvert time. I'm grateful for how the Lord restores me and shows me the best ways to recharge after each short-term team so I can step back into ministry with renewed energy and joy.

Special Dynamic Women in Missions Training

In early October, Troy, Hilda (national director of OMS' Dymamic Women in Missions México), and I traveled to Morelia, Michoacán, where a team from the USA held a new training event for the Mexican women who serve with Dynamic Women in Missions México. Stay tuned for stories from that team and more! Spoiler alert: I got to reunite with two of my translator friends who helped in SLP but live in Morelia ...