Mexico!

My friend Luis

Hi, it´s me again. Yep, who else? This week has been absolutely amazing. Once again, God knows what He´s doing, surprise of surprises. I haven´t been in Mexico City. The day of departure got closer and closer and I was feeling really reluctant and dreading the trip. I think partly because I would have enough money, but just barely...and I would rather stay around here and be able to see a movie or pay for dinner without worrying than barely having enough. Maybe this is a faith issue. Don´t know. But anyway, I´ve passed a beautiful, hot week here in Culiacan. The family I´m staying with is absolutely wonderful. I´ve spent lots of time talking with the mom about my future. Seriously, in my real mom´s absence, God provided me one just like her. But she doesn´t know how to make chocolate chip cookies. Anyway.

We had another cool monsoon rainstorm, and Paulina (a daughter) and I trekked down the street in flipflops with the neighbor boy to go see the rivers forming at intersections. A stray dog wandered our way and I felt kind of bad for it being out in the rain, but I was given firm instructions by Paulina not to go near it. Maybe next time.

Also, joined an aerobics class with Paulina´s mom for three days last week. I still hurt so, so bad, but I´m definitely inspired to search for one when I come home. It was really fun, especially when they started counting in English to make me feel more comfortable =)

Have only had a few run-ins with Mexicans who for some reason can´t immediately tell than I´m not one of them, and start talking 147 words per second. Usually, I just smile and nod, make appropriate noises to signal agreement or shared sentiments until Paulina´s mom rescues me and explains that I can´t understand what they´re saying. Then, in an attempt to lessen their embarrasment, and mine, I assure them in broken Spanish that I can understand some things.

Coming home on Friday, and I´m really, really excited! But also, wondering if I´ll ever get a chance to see these people again. I´ve made some good friends here, ones I hope to keep in touch with after I leave...but missing my friends at home a ton, too. Love you all.

Yay! Today is the graduation for Brisa´s DTS, and then we´re off to Mexico City! I´m really, really, really excited. I´ll be safe, I promise. And I´m in the hands of a mighty God. ´Who by worrying can add a single hour to his life?´ Seems like sound advice to me. Anyway, God bless you all. I don´t know what kind of access I´ll have for the internet, but I´m counting down the days until I come home!!!!!! HUGS, Lacey

...but God hasn´t yet answered my prayer about becoming a Mexican. I´ve been trying, but it´s really, really hard! Mexican females are accessory MASTERS. Matching belts, purses, shoes, hair done up with a color-coordinated flower ponytail holder or something equally as cute, earrings, rings, bracelets and necklaces ALWAYS, toenails painted without chips (Brisa kindly informed me that chipped toenail polish is very gringo)... It´s a good thing jewelry´s so cheap here, or I´d definitely have a plausible theory about the cause of Mexican poverty. Sheesh. Plus, I´m having a hard time overcoming the whole brown eyes, black hair thing in my pursuit to become a Mexican. All things are possible with God, yes, but this one might take a lot of work.

Yes, folks, the world is bigger (or smaller?) than we had expected! Today two groups of people arrived back here in Culiacan. One, a group of four 20-something girls from a month in Thailand, sharing the gospel and ministering to the people there. Another, the other half of Brisa´s Discipleship Training School from a month in Cuba. Both had amazing stories to tell. The best part about tonight was talking with two of the DTS girls, one from Norway and one from Switzerland.  

These girls are amazing. The one from Switzerland knows at least six languages. I lost count. And I feel like I´ve known the girl from Norway for my whole life. I think we could be good friends, maybe...Hearing about their language proficiency and about the places they have traveled made me SO excited and I hope I can spend a lot of time in other places learning languages. I´m sure God hasn´t called me to be a full-time missionary, but I´m definitely stoked to do short-term missions trips. Or maybe more trips like this one, staying in one place for a few months or something. What an awesome, diverse world God has created. And so many opportunities to help people and travel at the same time. I´m grateful tonight for encouragement and excitement.

Okay, so what about you? Do you want to go somewhere? Will you take me?? =)

It´s been quite awhile since I wrote! I tried to access this page at an internet cafe, but for some reason it wouldn´t load. These last few weeks at the base have been extremely busy and (almost) always fun. Northlake´s team left this afternoon and I´m sad to see them go. It was good to speak English for awhile, but now it´s back to Spanish and I have three weeks to become fluent!

Spent today in Mazatlan, and it was beautiful as always. Didn´t get my hair braided and didn´t get a tattoo. But I did buy a mug! Yeah, not as exciting, I know.

How about some stories for you? Last night a huge thunderstorm raged outside and the power went off for a minute. I was sitting at a table in the kitchen and got kind of freaked out. In completely darkness, I stood up and pictured the kitchen in my mind. Nope, I thought, no obstacles between me and the bedroom door. So I started walking (I could have sworn I wasn´t running) and ran STRAIGHT into a large wooden post. I smacked my face so hard Brisa heard it in the bedroom and when she came out I was holding my nose, which by that time was turning purple. An ice pack helped the swelling go down, but it still hurt everytime I thought about what just happened and laughed. Today, only a small lump remains on the right side of my nose as a battle scar, and a minor case of whiplash, I think. Prayed all day that no one would ask me what happened.

Earlier this week I spent time with the team in a small village outside of Culiacan. I was standing with the audience as the team performed skits and dramas and made friends with some girls my age. I was so sad to go, knowing I would probably never meet them again or learn anything else about them! I keep with me a picture and prayers. The town is predominantly Catholic, but not anything like US Catholicism. They worship the Virgin Mary, and have an alter to her up on a hill where they take offerings of food or flowers if someone´s sick or they want to ask for something. I pray that they come to know that Jesus is the way to God and that he doesn´t ask for sacrifices and offerings, only for their hearts! This way is much easier and much harder at the same time.

To end, I have a set of amazing stories about healing. Two weeks ago in church, I prayed that God would use me to bless people and I felt like he told me he would use me to heal people. To hear this, I was very excited and a little nervous. I pictured myself in a small village laying my hands on a poor old lady and speaking in tongues and watching her walk away when all she could do before was....limp, or something. I don´t know. Anyway, as time went on I started to get frustrated because this scenario didn´t play out and I questioned if I heard God right. I spent this last week in the base. I didn´t even get to go out to the small villages! (except for the one mentioned above, and there wasn´t any miraculous healing passing through my hands there as far as I could tell.) No, instead of sharing my gift with the world, I stayed at the base all day and all night, cleaning and cooking and taking care of 12-year-old Katherine, who was sick for two days because she didn´t drink enough water. As I sat on the edge of her bed and fed her one more browning apple slice, I questioned my purpose in being in Mexico. By the end of the day I was getting tired of hearing how her stomache hurt and got the idea that I should fast until she recovered. This turned out to be a God-sent idea because it made me much more invested in getting her better and far more eager to pray, because I got really, really hungry. Well, she did get better the next day (before breakfast, thank goodness!) and went with the team. Sammi Moran, however, stayed home very sick and I got to sit with her and rub her back until I thought my arm would fall off. While I was sitting there, I asked God if I should fast again, and he said no, but pray. So I prayed. And spent the day by her bed and at the hospital with her holding her hand and encouraging her.

So if you´ve got any bit of sense in you, which I didn´t, I´m sure you can see where these stories lead. Which I didn´t. God did use me to heal! But definitely, definitely not in the way I thought He would. In His wisdom, he knew that performing a direct, miraculous healing through me would cause my head to swell up so big I´d never come back down to earth again. But he used me behind the scenes, in an ordinary way, and did extraordinary things in my heart. Moral of this story? God is still smarter than me and answers to prayer can be surprising. So be on the lookout.

That´s all for today. Please pray for decisions about my future. Love you all!

 

Hi there!
 
Since the team got here last Friday I haven´t been able to check my email. Today, though, I´m back at Brisa´s for the afternoon. Pretty slow day, and to be completely honest I don´t know what to do with myself!

In the events department, there´s not much to report. Been working around the house with chores and cooking mostly. Last night I got to speak for a few minutes to the team that´s here about why I came and what God´s teaching me and stuff. I was nervous, but I really enjoyed it. You know me, always need to be at the center of attention =)

Which brings me to my current state. Things have been difficult lately because God´s been doing some serious breaking down of walls and sin built up in my heart. I think he´s using this time and place do do the deep cleaning because I don´t have friends to run to and things to distract me. I´m glad for what he´s been showing me, but it´s very difficult emotionally and I´d really appreciate your prayers!

Can´t stay too much longer because I want to go chat with Brisa´s mom. But I´m thinking about you guys. Adios!