In the Mountains...
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14
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¡Hola <<First Name>>!
We are so encouraged by you, by your continued love, prayers, support and interest in the work we are doing here in Mexico.
We pray your hearts are also encouraged and His word fills you with His strength.
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A Quick Summary
We are currently in our 26th week of Spanish language and Mexican culture studies.
- Gamaiel was able to take a 10 day trip out to a Nahuatl village
- We just returned from an adventure to the Sierras
- We have started attending a small local church
- We had our second language evaluation on February 5th
- Culture File: As we dive deeper into culture we want to share a bit of what we are learning in every newsletter. This month in our Culture File: Roadside shrines
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A Trip to Nahuatl Land
Part 1: Gamaiel and three other of the men had the opportunity to travel to Durango to help work on the house of a family who's church planting among the Nahuatl (the descendants of the Aztecs).
By helping to finish the house it enables the family to focus on learning the Nahuatl language.
The drive took two days and the dirt roads on the second day were pretty rough. They were out there for a week during which Gamaiel got a pretty violent stomach flu for two of the days. Thankfully they were able to get everything done, and then some.
Part 2: On their way home the truck started puttering to a snail's pace about 45 minutes away from the nearest town. After traveling for several miles at about 15 mph they were able to get a tow back to town. AutoZone was open this late Sunday afternoon and they had one fuel pump kit left in stock.
The fuel tank was full and very heavy but they had a random 2x4 that they were asked to deliver back to Chihuahua, which they were able to use as leverage to lower the gas tank down and get it back up. They were able to fix the failed fuel pump before sunset and headed out first thing the next morning, arriving home one day later than planned.
The Lord provided for them in their need and brought them home safely. How good He is.
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An Adventure in the Sierras
During the kid's spring break we had an adventure in the Sierras. We enjoyed the beautiful (and unique) natural landscape of southern Chihuahua state. We stayed in the city of Creel which serves as a hub to the many surrounding destinations. Next time we may opt to travel on El Chepe, a passenger train that travels from Chihuahua to the Pacific.
It was a wonderful time of exploring the places and cultures in the Sierra Madre mountains of Mexico. The kids both told us that they hope we get to live in a place like that. It comforts our hearts to know that they could do well in, and even enjoy, our next destination.
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Our New Church
A big answer to prayer: we found a small local church. The journey started in our WhatsApp neighborhood chat...
A woman named Ana (standing between the orange shirt and red shirt above) was selling apple empanadas in the WhatsApp group. We ordered a few and upon delivery she asked if we were missionaries from New Tribes (the previous name of Ethnos360). It turns out that she remembered our Ethnos360 mentors from her childhood church here in Chihuahua. Small world!
She invited us to her house several times and eventually the pastor extended an invitation to their small church. The small size has been a blessing since we're able to interact more. It's not the file in, file out, two meters apart routine of larger churches here. They have a heart for missions and have been eager to include us in their festivities. It has been very encouraging.
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Our Second Language Evaluation
We had our second language evaluation on February 5th, here at our house. We will continue to have evaluations every 6 months or so until we have reached the required levels in Spanish. After that we'll be able to move on to tribal work.
Gamaiel was able to move up to level 6 and was close to level 7. Although much improved, Rebecca has remained at level 4. (Gamaiel needs to reach level 8, and Rebecca needs to reach level 7.)
Every week Gamaiel has to complete 40 hours of language study, while Rebecca has to complete 24 hours. We both have more hard work to do in order to reach the required levels. We will later use Spanish to learn a tribal language.
Since we haven't progressed in Spanish as much as we had hoped, we will be here in Chihuahua longer than expected. All is in God's hands.
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Los Niños
Isei and Ayin have been enjoying living here in Mexico. They are able to have class in person again and are in Spanish class two days a week. We are hopeful that they will learn Spanish fluently, even though we aren't sure how, but the Lord knows and we trust Him.
Isei's favorite subjects in school are Science and Bible. The school is putting on the play Fiddler on the Roof, and Isei gets to do the art for the billboard.
Ayin's favorite subjects are Math and English. She also loves recess where she learns from her best friend Sarai how to do gymnastics on the bars.
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Culture File: Roadside Shrines
We see these little shrines on the side of the road all over Mexico, at almost every bend in the road and every bus stop. They range in size from birdhouse to full walk-in.
We're still not exactly sure what they're used for but we're thinking maybe to insure safe travel through prayer, veneration, and offering. When we look inside they have candles surrounding images of the Virgin of Guadalupe, or Saint Judas (not Iscariot), or another saint.
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PRAISES
- We're continuing to build local friendships
- We are attending a (small) local church
- We had a good trip while the kids were on break from school
- Covid restrictions are loosening in Chihuahua
PRAYER REQUESTS
- For continued friendships and deeper relationships (for the kids too!)
- For our kids to be encouraged as they continue school
- For continued progress and encouragement in Spanish study
- For our future people group and teammates in Mexico
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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Our Contact Info
Our 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, but it arrives eventually.
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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