Questions from Tracy

Tracy asked:
1. How did you get into missionary work in Mexico?
2. How long have you been doing missionary work?
3. How do your children adjust to the obvious economic differences between Mexico and the U.S.?
4. As fair and blond as your children are, they must stand out in Mexico. Is that a difficult adjustment for you and/or them?
5. Have other of your children been born in Mexico, or just sweet Elisio?


Answers:

1. My husband and I both have always had a desire to serve the Lord on the mission field from a very young age. My husband grew up dreaming of being flown into the deep dark jungles of South America to share the gospel with the natives while I dreamed of either marrying a missionary or serving the Lord in an orphanage or as a teacher somewhere in Africa.
I'm very glad that the Lord fulfilled my first dream of marrying a very handsome young missionary man and that I am able to be his wife and mommy to our 11 little missionaries in training :) The Lord had a lot of work to do in our hearts and lives those first years we were married and I'm so thankful for His mercy and grace toward us.
Daniel had worked with a missionary and studied at a Bible institute for two years in Mexico when he was 18 and 19 years old. He lived and worked with the people and learned Spanish. There, the Lord gave him not only an increased burden for missions, but a specific burden and love for the people in Mexico.
We rejoiced when the Lord clearly led us to serve Him here and are humbled that He chooses to use us to share His message of salvation with the Mexican people.

2. We moved to Mexico in March of 2004; we spent the first year working with a Mexican pastor near the US/Mexico border and then in February of 2005, we moved 800 miles south of the border to the area in which we are now working.

3. Most of our children only know Mexico as their home. When we moved here in 2004, Timothy (our oldest) was only 7. Only Elijah, Rebekah, and he have any real memories of living in the USA. Things that even seemed so different to Daniel and I now seem quite normal. Our children know that Americans have more money and more things than the Mexicans, but they also know that joy does not come from things but from relationships with others (first and foremost the Lord Jesus Christ!). They also know (because we have taught them) that while many Americans have big nice houses, cars, toys ect... many of them also have a lot of debt. The Mexicans may have a small house, but they own it. Needs are just that...food and clothing...they have no worries about paying debts owed.
When we visit the states, the children have made comments about things being big...buildings, light poles, roads ect... They have also mentioned how much they like carpet because it is so much softer than cement or tile. :)

4.Yes, our children do stand out...especially in the town where we are as there are no other white Americans living here and since we are one of the few towns on the penisula that is not a tourist town, Americans do not even stop here.

Our children are very used to all the attention they draw and don't really even think about it. When we go anywhere as a family, we literally stop traffic, have tons of people wanting to take our picture, the children have their blond heads rubbed constantly, the little ones have their cheeks kissed, the blue eyed ones are asked if they will give away their eyes ect... :)

If I don't take any of the children grocery shopping with me, I can get done in half the time...not because the they cause any trouble, but because when they are with me, everyone wants to stop to talk to us.

We are thankful for the warm reception we have here. It has given us many, many opportunities to share the gospel. Everyone in town either knows us or has seen us and we are able to talk easily to anybody.

The people who do know us well now just treat the children like one of theirs...with an occasional head rub :)

5. Of our 11 children, the first 7 were born in Redding, CA USA...and the last 4 born in Mexico...Noah was born in Rosarito, BC Mexico, and Susannah, Nehemiah, and Eliseo were born in Cd. Constitucion, BCS Mexico :)