Katie Moore Your Ambassador to the Nahuatl People Merry Christmas from Las Moras!
Merry Christmas from Mexico! Our team is currently out in the city completing the paperwork necessary to stay and minister in this country. We are enjoying the hot showers, cold drinks, and internet that go along with civilization. Besides filling out forms, we will do some canning, buy supplies, and get ready for our return to tribe. There again, we will get back into language study and being part of the community. I’m sure we will find a few spare minutes to bake some cookies and eat them. How exciting to celebrate my first Christmas in Las Moras amongst the Nahuatl. As I think of God’s message to us, I long for the day when we can communicate the GOOD news of GREAT joy that is for ALL people.
My grandfather used to write Christmas poems about what was happening in our family. This year I tried my hand at it and came up with the following version of “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.” I hope you enjoy it and that it gives you a glimpse of life in our village.
Corncobs roasting on a an open fire
Ashes falling to the floor
Donkeys bray…to bring in a new day
And cows leave presents near your door
Everybody knows Modelo and a roasted goat
Help to make the season bright
Barking dogs and the roosters that crow
Will make it hard to sleep tonight
We heard the airplane’s on its way
It’s bringing mail and milk and chocolate and it may
Drop off some longed-for meat in a tin can
If so we’ll have the best darn meal in the land!
And so, we offer you this simple phrase
In words we’re learning how to use
From our tribe, from our team, from our hearts:
Diosmishtashta* to you.
- *Diosmishtashta means “thank you” in Nahuatl. Thank you for your part in bringing the gospel to those who have yet to hear.
Merry Christmas!
Tags: Christmas, silly stuff, song
November Update
Mucha Chamba…
Mucha chamba is a Spanish mountain phrase that means “lots of work” and is a great way of describing our team’s last month. We arrived in Las Moras in late October and jumped right into cleaning the house, moving adobe bricks, and getting ready for a work team. When they arrived, things really started moving. We raked and shoveled gravel, poured cement floors, framed walls, put up a fence, welded protection bars onto windows, and dug a hole for a septic system. We took a deep breath and then…built an outhouse, hauled water, tiled a shower, framed some doors, and moved cement. We are grateful for our co-workers’ willingness to sacrifice their time, energy, and muscles in order to help us. In a culture where families take care of their own needs, we pray that God is showing the Nahuatl a different kind of family—one that reaches out to meet other’s needs.
Fellow missionaries worked hard to give Hypkis a floor in their new house.
Liesl and I worked on our biceps with the new "fence pounding" workout.
Nineme Moneshtile…
Since the first paragraph has Spanish title, it seems right that the second one should be in Nahuatl. The phrase “niʔneme moneštile mehikán” means “teach me Nahuatl.” We are constantly trying to find opportunities to work on our language abilities. Even during a busy time, we can show the people we want to learn their language. We ask the lady who came to visit how to say, “Where are you from?” and then we ask her that in her own language. We ask the man working beside us with a shovel how to say, “You’re not working very hard” and then use it to tease each other. And when we’re done working, we file, review, and practice, practice, practice. Please pray that our minds would be sharp and that our will to study will be strong until we can clearly communicate the gospel in the heart language of the people.
Our team enjoyed pozole and tortillas at the village's November 20th party.
The school-age children did some dances which were very amusing to watch.
The One Who Orders the Rains…
Upon our return to the tribe, we were surprised to find a very dry village. Normally at this time of the year the creeks would be swollen with rains and the corn would be ready for harvest. Because of a very dry “wet” season, however, the peoples’ crops had not grown well and some water sources were already almost empty. Since we know that it normally won’t rain again until June, our team was concerned. A corn shortage will mean some families will be in need and the water situation will affect everyone. We were privy to several conversations about the “causes” of the lack of rain. Some villagers feel that it is because they have forsaken some of the old customs. Others feel that someone is being punished for some misdeed. We know, however, that God is in charge of all he has created. He has his purposes and his timing. Our team began to ask God to allow it to rain…not for our convenience (although it would be nice)…not for the people’s benefit (although it would be a blessing)…but for God’s own glory. We want the Nahuatl not just to have the rain they need, but to know, love, and serve The One who orders the rains. Please join with us in praying towards this end.
Tags: construction, language, prayer requests
October Update
Home Again…
In the first days of October our team was excited to reunite and return to Mexico. I spent a week helping our new teammates, the Hypkis, pack and clean their house for the move. Once settled in Durango, my other co-workers and I got busy unpacking, sorting, canning meat, buying supplies, and re-packing for our return to the tribe.
We canned 25 lbs of meat
The Building Goes On…
One of our main jobs when we return to the tribe this week will be the construction of Hypki’s home. It already has outside walls and a roof, but is lacking stairs, a floor, plumbing, and framed walls inside. We also have been using the “shell” of the house for storage. This means we will have to move the 1500 adobe bricks we put inside in May back outside again… Fortunately for us, we have a great team of workers coming from another part of Mexico to help us with all this work. We will host six fellow-missionaries for almost two weeks and hope to get a great deal accomplished. The Hypki’s house still needs inside walls, plumbing, and a floor.
The Hypki's house still needs inside walls, plumbing, and a floor.
Reconnecting with the Nahuatl
Although there are many things that will require our attention when we return to the tribe, we will focus primarily on reconnecting with the people. We have been gone during the rainy season and want to spend time visiting all our friends and neighbors. We will also dive right into language learning and review. “Ni ki to kwal?” “Did I say it right?” Time to brush the dust off our phrases and get back to work!
12 quarts of granola should feed us for a while
Across the Miles
During the next few months, our co-workers the Alkires will be in the U.S. seeking medical help for Dan’s back. Please pray for their family and that God would powerfully heal Dan. Please pray for Sarah as she homeschools their son, Josiah. Please pray for the Alkire’s finances as they cover expensive doctor’s bills. And please pray for our team as we continue to strive for unity across the miles. It is not easy to be apart, and we look forward to the day when our group can be complete and together.
Josiah is getting to play soccer during their time in the U.S.
We prepared and froze food ahead of timePlease pray for the Nahuatl
Please pray for the Nahuatl
Tags: construction, Dan's back, travels
September Update
Catching Up…
One of the highlights of my time in the U.S. was getting to see so many great people. I updated my three churches in Michigan, got to hang out with my family, and saw friends from college. I even got to catch up with my old roommate, who works as a missionary in the Middle East. Needless to say, we don’t run in to each other too often! I also had the chance to hang out a little with my coworkers, Dan and Sarah Alkire, who will be staying in the U.S. while Dan’s back heals. Please continue to pray for their family and that they would be able to rejoin our team in Las Moras quickly. We will miss them!
With my college friend who now works as a missionary in the Middle East
Making Tracks
Near the end of September it was time to pack my bags and hit the road again. After a drive to Chicago, a night in St. Louis, four days in Missouri, a side trip to Tulsa, and a day in Oklahoma City, I started losing track of where I was. Before the first of October, however, my coworkers Pete and Liesl and I were safely back in Mexico. Thank you for your prayers for our team as we traveled.
Our family got to spend some time together
Looking Ahead
Our team is currently preparing to return to the tribe. I am helping Pete and Liesl clean and pack their house in Chihuahua so that they can move. Our team also has yet to plan a work trip, buy supplies, and can meat before heading to Las Moras. We are looking forward to being back with the Nahuatl people after several months’ separation and renewing our efforts at language learning and becoming part of the community.
We can't wait to get back to language learning in the village!
The Fellowship of Believers
At the end of July I had the privilege of attending Mexico’s field conference. This was my first chance to meet some of my fellow missionaries and hear reports on the various tribal and support works throughout the country. It was encouraging (and challenging) to think that some of the works amongst tribes in Mexico have been going on since before I was born! Pray that our team will keep our focus on finishing the task, no matter how long it takes.
I got to work at a French fry stand in Canada!
It's tough work, but I did get a free burger for dinner!
Travel Time
Once conference was over, I joined my coworkers Pete and Liesl on a road trip. After making stops in Texas and Oklahoma, we arrived at the New Tribes training center in Missouri. I stayed with friends there for about a week before traveling to Kansas and then flying to New York. Got all that? I was a bit confused myself…do you ever wake up and wonder which state you’re in?
Teaching the "young'uns" to make homemade eggrolls
Family and Friends
The bulk of my time in the U.S. will be spent in Michigan, where I will be visiting my family and friends. Right now I am staying at my sister’s house, where my whole family was able to be together. My brother flew in from Massachusetts and my parents drove from New York. Besides time spent playing Rook and hitting garage sales (two key family traditions) I was able to help my sister get her classroom ready for the beginning of the school year. I also have been taking advantage of this time in the States to update my churches and support teams about my ministry to the Nahuatl.
Working with my sister to get her classroom ready
Credit Where Credit Is Due…
This summer has been a great opportunity to see many of you face-to-face for the first time since I headed to Mexico over two years ago. As I do, I am reminded of what a great support team I have. You guys ask for the true story, not just a polite missionary message. You remember details from my updates, an amazing feat in this age of over-information and too-many emails. You ask questions about how you can help and be involved. You pray for the Nahuatl and share my love for that people. I am so grateful for a team like you and consider it a privilege to be sent by you to reach the world for Christ. Thank you!
One of my sister's beautiful sunflowers
Tags: conference, Family, friends, thanks, travel
June Update
Pete & Liesl are a great addition to the team
Changes of Plans
In April our team left the tribe when our co-worker Dan suffered from anaphylactic shock after a penicillin shot. For several weeks we stayed in town while he recovered from a variety of illnesses as well as edema around his heart and arrhythmia. When it became evident that Dan was still too weak to return, our team planned our next trip without the Alkire family, leaving them in town to recoup. In need of some hard workers to replace Dan, Sarah, and Josiah, we invited Pete and Liesl Hypki to join us. They proved to be such a valuable asset, that we thought we should have them around permanently! We are happy to announce that the Hypkis are joining the Las Moras team to reach the Nahuatl.
One of the reasons our team was in a hurry to return to the tribe was a dental clinic we had scheduled during May. Two dentists traveled from the U.S. and generously volunteered their time in our village. During a few short days they did over 400 procedures, including countless fillings, root canals, and even some surgery! We pray that the Nahuatl sense our desire to meet some of their physical needs while we learn what we need to in order to meet their spiritual needs.
Like a Ton of Bricks
Another major work project that faced us during our return trip to the village was moving about 1,500 adobe bricks under shelter in preparation for the coming rainy season. These bricks are about 18 inches long and weigh nearly 30 lbs each, so you can imagine how much we looked forward to this job! We also spent our days visiting our neighbors, cleaning, trying to set up a satellite system, cooking, digging ditches, and getting the house ready to be closed up. During one hike to a nearby village, we met a young man who had injured his toe with a machete. The cut was dirty and infected and since the doctors weren’t in town, we even preformed some impromptu medical work.
Our dentists worked tirelessly
Cooking for our hungry clinic workers
Doing impromptu medical work
Off We Go…
During the summer months, our team will be all over the place. Alkires have returned to the U.S. to seek medical help for Dan’s back. Please pray that he will receive good news and good help. Because Rachel and I cannot stay in the tribe by ourselves, we will also be out for the entire rainy season. Rachel will visit family in the U.S. and Canada, and I will head to Michigan to see my family and supporters. The Elkins and Hypkis will also be traveling to see family and friends. Our scattered group will reunite in October and, as soon as the roads are dry, will move back into the tribe and begin work there again. We’ve talked as a team about the confusing timing of our situation; we desperately want to be with Nahuatl, learning the language and preparing to share the gospel. We know that God knows this and loves the Nahuatl and wants to draw him to himself. And so, while we don’t understand the delays before us, we trust that his heart is good, his hand is mighty, and his timing is perfect.
Tags: dental clinic, medical, prayer requests, team changes
Medical Prayer Request
Dan and his son Josiah building relationships with the tribal men
For the last few weeks our team has been out of the tribe, getting medical help for Dan. He had several nasty viruses, almost died because of an allergic reaction to penicillin, and now is having chest pains. A trip to the doctor yesterday confirmed that he has pericarditis, or inflamation of the outer part of the heart. He is going for more tests today; in the meantime, neither he nor his wife are sleeping well and Dan is suffering from pain and shortness of breath. Please pray for the Alkires. Ask God for Dan’s recovery and for our quick return to our ministry in the mountains.
Tags: medical, Prayer Request, team members
April Update
Dan being airlifted from the tribe
Where He Leads Us, We Will Follow
In late March our team awoke to what should have been a normal day. Dan had come down with a nasty bug, but we women had a good deal on our agendas: language learning, homeschooling Josiah, visiting with the neighbors, and maybe working in the garden for a bit. We were shocked when Dan began to have an allergic reaction to an injection of penicillin he had gotten earlier. We rushed for the
Mexican doctor who helped Dan
Mexican doctors, who were visiting our little village at the time. They were able to give Dan a shot which helped him breathe, speak, and move normally again. However, because he was still not recovering from his illness, they advised us to airlift Dan to the city. We praise the Lord for his care and for saving Dan. During the next few days, as he began to recover wholly, our team continued to give thanks. Scary things may happen, but we are not afraid. We know in whose hands we rest and we know that he led us here. And if we follow where he leads us, the path cannot be wrong.
From Tribe to Civilization and Back
As we wait for Dan to recuperate, our team is enjoying some time at our coworker’s house in town. We are back in civilization for a bit, enjoying internet, hot showers, and cold Cokes. During this time Josiah and I have been attempting to finish up the school year early. With just the two of us, we can work at a faster pace and will hopefully wrap things up at the end of April. This will allow me to work on language learning when we head back in to the tribe. Once we get back to Las Moras, our team will host another dental clinic and close things up for the rainy season. We are not certain of our exact plans, but we know we will be out of the tribe so that Dan can continue to seek medical help in the U.S. for his back.
The Nahuatl Team 2011
Team Changes
Our team dynamic has recently changed, as the Davis family has begun a new phase of ministry in the city of Chihuahua. We are happy for the needs they are meeting in their new home, but will greatly miss them. The field leadership has asked that we be open to considering new partners, so we ask prayer for wisdom and guidance in that process. Change is never easy, but we rest in a God who never varies in this otherwise changeable world.
March Update
Dentist Duty
The day after I returned to the tribe, our team hosted a dental clinic for the villagers of Las Moras. In seven days we helped 140 people from our village and surrounding areas. While we left the extractions, bridges, and root canals to the professionals, our team helped out with teaching oral hygiene, sterilizing equipment, and relating to and comforting those who were frightened or in pain. We praise God for another opportunity to meet the people’s physical needs as we build relationships.
Canadian Work Force
As the dentist was dropped off at the airport in a nearby city, we picked up a team of workers who had volunteered their services to our team. They added privacy walls to our house, finished our septic system, and worked on a variety of other much needed projects. Our house is now ready to weather another rainy season and the work on Alkire’s bricks continues. Please pray that we will be able to finish their walls and add a roof before the rains begin in June.
Missionary dentist who came to help
A Dry and Weary Land
As we look around us in the village, we see brown, brittle grass, fallen leaves, and a creek that is barely flowing. Although a few tough plants and flowers are still surviving, the ground is in dire need of water. There is something about a solid field of browns and tans that makes the soul long for rain. I can’t help but thinking of Psalm where David thirsts after God like a person who is living in a parched land. We know those around us are thirsty and long for the day when they can drink deeply from water that meets those needs. Please pray with us towards that end.
Tags: dental clinic, work teams
February Update
Knee News
As you remember since my last update, I had to postpone my return to Mexico because of problems with my knee. Unfortunately, the MRI did not find the problem that my X-Ray seemed to suggest, but it did reveal some arthritis. The doctor gave me a Cortisone shot, which has helped with some of the pain I was having. It seems that my joint “mouse” has gone into hiding for the time being. Right now it feels pretty good and I am ready to get back to work. Please pray that this will be the last of this problem.
Unexpected Trip
Just as I was getting ready to return to Mexico after my doctor’s visits, we got news from New York that my grandmother had had a stroke and had bleeding on the brain. Things looked very bad, and I joined my mom and dad in an unexpected trip to see her. Praise the Lord she has recovered for the most part and is now doing physical therapy in the hopes of returning home soon. Please pray for her health and recovery as well.
Back to Work
It’s hard to believe that my Christmas break turned into such a long time in the U.S., but I am grateful for the extra days with my parents. Nevertheless, I am ready to return to my team and ministry. I fly back to Mexico on the 16th of this month, just in time for a dental clinic in the tribe. I also have grand plans to torture my student Josiah in order to make up for some of the time we’ve missed. 
Our team has work groups coming to the tribe during the month of February to help with the construction on the Alkires’ house. There is also language to be learned, relationships to continue building, and team meetings to attend.
With Gratitude
I want to take this chance to thank you for your continued prayers and support for our team. We have a long road ahead of us (often literally as well as figuratively) and know that we need to rely on HIM if we hope to have success of any kind. It is easy to be distracted by our own perceived strengths and weaknesses, but we need to be reminded that HE supplies the energy and HE alone is able. Thank you for your part in reaching the Nahuatl.
Tags: medical, prayer requests, thank you