Thank you so much for your prayers and constant support.  I pray this new year finds you and your family looking for the will of God in your own lives.

Well, last time I wrote, I was in El Paso, TX in December, helping translate for Edwin & Anita.  Since then, Edwin had finished his 12 days of therapy with the chiropractor, and we went back to Chihuahua.   He had recovered quite well, but he wasn’t a 100% better.  After making it back to Chihuahua, he continued heading to physical therapy to continue to strengthen the back muscles.  But after Christmas, he sneezed, and he was back in bed with a ton of pain.  So after much prayer, he did decide to have a back surgery, which happened a few days after Christmas. Since then, he is still going to therapy every day plus water therapy.   

Please be praying for him.  This school year has been so rough, because as director, he was only able to teach about 6 weeks of classes, and the rest of the time he has been in bed.  He feels like he is useless during this time of healing.  Please be praying for his healing and for strength for his family.

It has been a very good test for us as a team.  We’ve all had to work hard and in different ways to help Edwin get to therapy.  I’ve helped drive him and Anita the 40 minutes to therapy numerous times, and other staff members too.  We’ve also had to team together to get the kids to and from school each day.  It’s been a very good test for us to work together as a team, and help each other out.

Plus I’ve also been helping out the Grangers, my other co-workers, since the middle of December.  In December, Mexico got a new presi.dent, and one of his first actions as presi.dent was to change the immigration and visa process.  The Grangers turned in their paperwork for their visas right after Thanksgiving and they have to wait two more weeks (almost 3 whole months) for the visas!  We used to be able to get the visas in about 3 weeks!  Because their car papers expired in December, since then they had to leave their two vehicles in El Paso until they could get their visas. Therefore I have been working with them in coordinating rides to the city and letting them borrow my car to take the kids to school and pick up them up each day, plus for meetings, church, ministry, etc.

Oh.  And the water pump plus a valve in the engine on my car went out on the Grangers as they drove it into town three weeks ago. :S  And I will start my visa process, and probably sell my car in the states in March.  Then try to figure out the options of buying a Mexican car down here, and the whole registration process, etc.

The good news is that the Grangers got their visas last week, and this wek they were able to bring in their van, so that will help a lot.  And my car has been fixed and now I’m free to travel back and forth to the city!

Some days it just seems to be one thing after another, right? And I know I’m not the only one.  Plus, then there are days when Satan is a punk.  And he knows how to discourage us almost constantly.  For example, since I came back from Christmas break, I honestly had not been 100% excited to be back.  I was in a hard core funk.  I just had no desire to do anything.  And I have no idea why.  It’s not that I wanted to leave Mexico, or that  I wanted to move back to the states.  But I was having serious doubts about almost everything.  All these new visa rules, issues that constantly come up with the students, not knowing what God has for my future (tribe or the Ranch), just a lot of things were stressing me out.  I just had like 5 weeks of constant discouragement.

Plus, before I even crossed back into Mexico in January, I got an email from a place where I used to work, asking me to come back and help them out.  It’s a really good job, and it has awesome benefits, and there would be a secure outcome.  It’s the kind of job that parents dream for their kids to have.  And I had to turn it down.

But it’s not what God has for me.   He has me serving here in Mexico, amidst the difficulties, and trials, and issues.  And I have been daily relying on Him, and His strength to keep me going. Things are going better now here for me.  I’m staying encouraged, and looking forward to what God has for me here in the Ranch, and the rest of the year.

Also, I’m working on planning for a 3-4 month furlough this summer (mid-June-mid-September)!  I’m excited to be able to head towards Oregon for a few months to visit my three supporting churches, lots of friends, and enjoying summer activities with my family!

Your missionary in Mexico,
Crystal