Adiós Ventura. Hola Mexico!
“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways"
Psalm 91:11
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Hola <<First Name>>!
We made it to Chihuahua...
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We pray this letter finds you filled with peace, joy and thankfulness. We are settled in our new home in Chihuahua.
We are so blessed and thankful for everyone who has been praying for us and supporting us as we traveled, searched for a house to rent, and are acclimating to everything down here.
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A Quick Summary
- We moved in and are settling into our new home
- We are getting to know the leadership team and potential church planting teammates
- We start language on August 10th and the kids start school on the 17th
- We had our first language evaluations
- We got a new puppy
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Our New House
PHOTO 1: This is our cute little house, just the right size for us. It's in a guarded and gated community, which helps us feel safer. The owners are believers and live in the same community. We are hoping to build a relationship with them while possibly learning some culture and Spanish along the way.
PHOTO 2: Signing the lease for our house on July 16th, 2020.
PHOTO 3: A local family found a super great deal on this cozy couch for us, It had a broken wooden frame, some messed up springs, and needed a serious cleaning, but Gamaiel was able to fix it up right, and with Ayin's help we now have a nice place to rest (comfortable couches are hard to come by here).
PHOTO 4: The same local family also found this old farmhouse table for us (but the chairs are from amazon.mx). We feel very loved and cared for.
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Our New Possible Teammates
We arrived on the field with 3 other families and a single, which is so encouraging. Pictured here are two of the families (who are potential church planting teammates) and Paty on the left, who is our language helper. She's helped 60 families learn Spanish and get to the field so far. Paty is a huge blessing to us and to so many.
Please pray for the families here in Chihuahua who are in the same stage as us, as we all begin to learn Spanish to high fluency. Pray for all of our kids, for our marriages to be rooted in the Lord, and for our hearts and minds to stay focused on the path that God has put before us.
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We Got a Puppy!
We adopted a super duper tiny and sweet little puppy, who we have named Chulita (meaning "cutie") Tiramisu (meaning "pick me up" or "cheer me up") Zavala.
We found her on a Facebook doggy adoption group. She was abandoned by her mama and found by a couple who couldn't keep her due to their other jealous dog. We asked the Lord to give her to us if we were the right family for her and she was the right puppy for us. An hour later the lady told me to come get Chulita since we lived closest (3 other people were interested before us). Yay!
She was only 6 weeks old when we got her. She was lethargic and dehydrated because she refused to drink water (she probably wanted her mama's milk). Isei had the good idea of mixing puppy food with water and she lapped it right up. She still has to learn how to drink pure water. She also had ticks, an eye infection, and a tummy infection...but she's all fixed up and healthy now. She seemed depressed for a week or so but now she's a happy playful puppy.
She's not a guard dog, but more of a snugly friend for the kids. We love our sweet little Chita, Lita, Chulita.
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Los Niños
Isei and Ayin are doing great and have really enjoyed getting to know the kids that live down here. We've had a few small complaints from them like "I don't want to go to school again" and "I wish I brought all of my Legos!". But that's normal right? Overall they're enjoying their new home and playing with their new friends.
School begins August 17th. They are going to the private school here on the Ethnos360 Chihuahua campus. It will be in English, but they will have a Spanish class. School starts at 7:45am, which is early for us. Pray for a good rhythm to set in quickly.
Ayin had a pretty good spill on her scooter when she and Isei zoomed down a winding path at a park last weekend. She didn't cry at all, but wants to keep her elbow wrapped up for comfort. We're thankful that she's a tough girl.
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We had our Language Evaluations
Yesterday we got our first language evaluations since leaving Tijuana over 2 years ago. We are very rusty, but still able to speak enough Spanish to be able to find a house, rent it, furnish it, and pay our bills. We are excited to know where we're at so we can plan our learning plan accordingly. We get our results at the end of the week and will hopefully get language helpers mid-September.
The photos above cracked us up because Gamaiel is much better at Spanish than I am, and the look on Paty's face in these photos definitely reflected that. Haha!
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New Contact Info
Our new mailing address is:
Gamaiel and Rebecca Zavala
10101 Dellwood Dr.
El Paso, TX 79924
We can get packages and letters here. Mail takes a while to get to us since there's an additional trip from El Paso to Chihuahua, which is dependent on whoever is passing through and able to take our mail down. It will take even longer once we're in the tribe.
Text us on WhatsApp anytime:
Gamaiel (805) 570-9728
Rebecca (805) 452-5449
Download WhatsApp: https://www.whatsapp.com/
Instagram:
Rebecca posts on Instagram frequently, so if you'd like more updates follow us there:
www.instagram.com/gamznbecz/
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PRAISES
- Our travel and border crossing was smooth
- We found a nice house that fits our family perfectly
- We found a puppy who is super sweet and exactly who we needed
- The Lord is so faithful to continually provide for us
PRAYER REQUESTS
- For our hearts and desires to be aligned with the Lord's will
- For our kids to be ready to begin school August 17th
- For Gamaiel and Rebecca to learn Spanish well and quickly
- For our promised and remaining support to come through
- For our future people group in Mexico - that God would begin working in their hearts now
DO YOU NEED PRAYER?
<<First Name>> - thank you so much for praying for us. We are so thankful for you. We would love to pray for you too. Please email us your prayer requests by replying to this email, or WhatsApp Rebecca at: (805) 452-5449
The LORD is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds. The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call out to Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them. - Psalm 145:17-19
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Would You Like to Join Us?
Do you want to be involved in God's mission but don't know how? Become part of our stateside team to help us reach the unreached of Mexico.
Would you prayerfully consider supporting us and our ministry?
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CONTACT:
Our shared email address: gamznbecz@gmail.com
You can view past newsletters and more on our website: gamznbecz.com
Text or WhatsApp us anytime at: 805-452-5449
Get frequent updates by following us on our new Instagram account @gamznbecz
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