Wherever You Go
Have not I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9
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¡Hola <<First Name>>!
We hope you've had a wonderful Summer so far.
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A Quick Summary
We are currently in our 22nd month of language and culture studies.
- News: Our plans have changed in the last few months
- Team Update: Who will be our teammates?
- Fun Times: We had our first visitors, the Kappens, in early June
- Language: We will have our 5th language evaluation at the end of August
- Niños: Homeschool starts up in about a month
- Travel Plans: We will be in California on our first Home Assignment October-December 2022
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News: Our Plans Have Changed
Last time we gave you the wonderful news that we were going to Baborigame (BG) with the hopes of living among the Tepehuan, learning their language and discipling the church there. We were very excited and praising the Lord for His direction.
However, plans have changed.
Our teammates, the Arnolds, did not have peace about moving to BG and raising their children there so they decided against it.
Although it is possible for us to go alone, we would be much better off with teammates to do language study and ministry alongside us.
So we are not going to BG. At least for now. We could still go in the future but we're basically back to square one and asking the Lord for leading.
Please pray with us for His leading in our ministry.
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Team Update: Who will be our teammates?
We love what would have been BG team, and we would have been happy to team up with Matt and Starr Arnold, Rachel and Chris Thomas, and Emily and Caleb Arnold. But we trust the Lord and His timing.
All the people in the photo above are our current teammates. They are either our leaders or are learning Spanish with us. We praise the Lord for them.
Who will be our future teammates? It could be one of these families or it could be someone else who we don't even know yet.
Please pray with us for the Lord to make our new teammates known to us.
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Fun Times: We had our first visitors!
We had the privilege of having a family from our home church in Ventura come visit us in June.
The Kappens came just a few days after we got the news that our BG plans weren't going to work out after all, so the timing of their visit was perfect.
We had time to talk and pray together. We felt refreshed and reconnected with our home in California, and filled with hope for the future. We are so thankful that they came down to visit us.
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Language Evaluations Coming Soon
In a month we have our next language evaluations. We each have one more level to go, so we are very hopefully that we will graduate out of Spanish this time around.
Our goals are: Gamaiel at Capable Mid (level 8/10), and Rebecca at Capable Low (level 7/10).
The main reason we are in Chihuahua right now is to learn Spanish, which we hope to use in the next context to learn an indigenous language. It's really important that we speak Spanish well. We have been studying for 22 months. Whew! We are a bit exhausted and feeling ready to be finished.
Please pray with us that we graduate out of the program, and that we would feel encouraged no matter what the results are.
*The beautiful lady in yellow is Paty, our faithful Spanish teacher. She invests so much in us, and roots for us. She's such a gift.
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Los Niños
The kids have had a wonderful summer so far. Isei has recently picked up skateboarding and Ayin has enjoyed a few gymnastics classes. We've had lots of sleepovers, sunset walks, and adventures.
We start homeschool again as soon as we finish our language evaluations. Please pray for us as we jump back into homeschool, after a 2 year break.
Isei is shown above his little buddy Liam. We love his family very much. They are currently living and working among the Tzeltal Tribe in Chiapas.
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Mexican Friends
These ladies are Rebecca's friends and sister's in Christ, Carina, Myzuky (one of Rebecca's language helpers), Ana (our neighbor and friend), and Eunice.
Rebecca gets invited to outings with them and enjoys trying to keep up with their quick conversation and jokes in Spanish. They speak so fast and keep the dialog lively, so it's a great challenge.
Gamaiel with his language helper Felipe. It has been a huge blessing to have someone he can learn so much from.
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Plans: Our Timeline for the Next Season of Life
We hold all of this loosely, knowing that our plans are not necessarily His plans.
- September 2022 - Our last Spanish evaluations?! Please pray with us that we can finish by then.
- October-December 2022 - Spend time in the states visiting supporters, family and friends. We want to see you!
- January 2023 - Return to Chihuahua and continue to seek the Lord for guidance into the next season of life.
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PRAISES
- We are coming nearer to the end of our Spanish studies.
- Our friends, the Kappens came to visit.
- We continue to grow deeper relationships with locals.
- We found a place to stay while we are in California.
PRAYER REQUESTS
- For the ability to finish Spanish on our coming evaluations.
- For guidance on teammates and next steps.
- For encouragement as we jump into homeschool again after 2 years.
- For our Home Assignment to be a time of clarity and reconnection with loved ones.
- For encouragement and wisdom for the other missionaries here in Chihuahua.
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
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Our Contact Info
Our mailing address is:
Gamaiel and Rebecca Zavala
10101 Dellwood Dr.
El Paso, TX 79924
We get packages and letters here!
Mail takes a while to get to us since there's an additional trip from El Paso to Chihuahua, but we get what you send. Thank you!
Text us on WhatsApp anytime:
Gamaiel (805) 570-9728
Rebecca (805) 452-5449
Instagram:
Rebecca posts on Instagram frequently, for more updates follow us there:
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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.
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