Chris and Rachel Thomas Missionaries to Mexico The learning process continues still…
Learning the basics of a language is one thing, but learning a whole new language from top to bottom is quite a different task! Recently, Chris took his language learning sessions to a mechanic shop to learn more spanish nouns and verbs. It is very complex – learning a new language. For instance, knowing how to change a verb to different tenses and such english is hard enough to explain – but in a language unfamiliar it is even harder. We continue to advance in the language and stay pretty encouraged. Please continue to pray for us as we continue in culture and language study!
Chris takes his spanish learning to the mechanic shop!
Las Quintas Carolinas
A bit of Mexican History!
Las Quintas Carolinas were a very famous place in Chihuahua at one time. Well over a hundred years old, the structures now stand in ruins. On the site there stands a church, a large main building, and several other smaller buildings. Built by the family Terrazas, they only enjoyed the property ten years before it was confisgated by Francisco Villa during the revolution. It has since been donated to the government. They are in the process of remodeling the ruins to open a museum but it will take many more years to accomplish this task. The church has been remodeled on the inside and they do use it on occasion. They are currently working on remodeling the house. It was fun to see a part of the history of Chihuahua. We are so blessed with our language helpers who love to show us the city!!
Visitors from Home
Visitors from Home
We were so excited to be able to spend some time with the folks! We were able to show them the city – downtown, the lookout, the stores, the resturants! We almost needed more time in order to get it all done. We are so appreciative of the support and encouragement we get from our family and friends. We could not do what we are doing without you!
Rachel’s Surprise Party
Thanks to my wonderful husband…I received a wonderful surprise birthday party! Friends, both American and Mexican, joined in to give me one of the best parties ever! Chris and the guys even sang to me! It was lots of fun!
New Youth Group at the Brickyard
God has been so incredible allowing us to be a part of things that we absolutely love to do. This month we started a bi-monthly activity with the Tarahumara indian youth at the Brickyard. We had 16 youth attend the first meeting where we carved pumpkins. The lesson was about God getting the junk out of our life so our light can shine brighter. It went really well. Please pray for us as we continue to build relationships with the kids.
Los Globos
An annual event here in Chihuahua is the Festival of the Globos. They had 25 balloons in the sky over the city. There were also numerous food venders and a small carnival type set up. It was a great time to see some Mexican culture and eat some wonderfully traditional food!
Los Globos
A Little Mexcian Culture
Our neighbors gave us tickets to the theater to see Soledad Barrio & Noche Flamenca. In the month of September, Chihuahua celebrates its heritage by having different performers and events every night throughout the month in the city. We enjoyed going to the theater and seeing the show. There were two guys who played classic guitars while there were three guys who sang. The main attraction was the dancing that was done by Soledad – a type of spanish dance that is similar to tap. What a blessing it was to have the priviledge to go! 
Tropical Storm Brings Flood Waters
Tropical Storm Jimena Brings Flood Waters
Two missionary families were evacuated due to flood waters from Tropical Storm Jimena last week. The family spent a night on the roof under a camper shell to escape the harsh rains that were coming down as well as rapidly rising. The house of one family had 7 feet of flood water that left 8 inches of mud, while the other family house had only 4 feet of flood water that left 3 inches of mud.
The families are now regrouping in Chihuahua. The evacuated area is still without power and running water – and until they are restored the families will be unable to return. Please keep in your prayers these two familes, which include 6 little girls, as they have to start from scratch.
If you want to learn a little more about these families go to the following site:
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fntm.org%2Fnews%2F10052&h=0c388bb74fdb5cb7c66cd1034bb02d86
Flood Damages
Ministry at the Brickyard
Brickyard Ladies Go Bead Shopping
Rachel continues her ministry at the Brickyard teaching the Tarahumara Indian ladies how to make different types of more modern jewelry to sell. One day this summer, Rachel and a few other missionaries were able to take the ladies into town to shop for beading supplies. The money to purchase items for the ladies was provided by various churches and individuals. The donated money also purchases bead supplies and organizers for the ladies. The ladies were very gratiful for all they were given and are working hard to make more craft items to sell! 
Please pray for the ministies at the Brickyard. There is a weekly Bible club as well as literacy classes being held here. There is hope to start a youth group there as well! The missionaries who work at the Brickyard are constantly finding ways to improve the living conditions there; such as a water filter for clean water!
Celebrating Mexican Style
We were able to celebrate Chris’ birthday mexican style this year! Our wonderful neighbors contacted a local mariachi that came and entertained us for an hour. It was a great cultural experience! We invited a variety of our friends here to come share in the celebration. Our neighbor cooked a huge pot of one of Chris’ favorite Mexican dishes called pozole. It has pork and hominy in a chili colorado sauce. You eat it with bread or tostadas. 
For dessert we had Tre Leches cake. The tradition here is for the birthday person to take a “bite” of the cake. All is all, it was a birthday celebration that will not be forgotten!