EARTHQUAKE!!!!!

Last Thursday at about 8:15 AM, with a thunderous rumble, the house began to shake. For about 30 seconds the doors, windows and just about everything else rattled and shook. It was only a 6.5 centered in Veracruz hundreds of miles away, nothing compared to Japan and some other recent quakes. However, it was quite unsettling to realize that your whole world is shaking and there is nothing you can do about it.

The Bible tells us that someday everything that can be shaken will be shaken and there will be nowhere to hide. What a day that will be as God does His best to wake the world from sleep to turn to Him  Thankfully, God promises that the righteous will never be shaken. (Proverbs 10:30)  I thank Him that I am among the righteous because of His free gift through His payment for my unrighteousness on the cross.

We are continuing to meet new people and to grow relationships. We had our first English class in the home of Nedero the fisherman with his wife Dominga and son Nelson. We also  tutored Diego (16) and Beatie (17) in their home above the copy shop their mother runs.

Last Friday night we were on our usual street-side bench in the zocolo. We were feeling a bit low over what were were feeling is slow progress. We prayed and God answered us by sending past people we have connected to.  For a while we felt like celebrities as they honked and/or waved as they recognized us. We had to repent as we recounted the number of people we have come to know and love in six short weeks.

The majority of "gringos" have gone or will be leaving shortly to go home for the summer.  We had to adjust our strategy accordingly. We are seeing God's wisdom in this as we will be able to cultivate and solidify relationships with the locals as well as to get really familiar with the area and entrenched in the fabric. We are also getting to know more and more of the local pastors. Last Monday we attended the local pastors' accociation meeting.  We'll be spending a lot of time in church this summer. Pray for our language learning.