Fresh Start

If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me.
Psalm 139:9-10

¿Qué onda <<First Name>>?
Hope all is well with you and yours.

A Quick Summary

We are back in Chihuahua, Mexico in the same house we had before...

Ministry Update: We are still seeking guidance for which people group to go to and for teammates.
In the Meantime: We have settled back into the Mexican life quite smoothly and have gotten into a rhythm with life, jumping into serve however and wherever we can.
New Truck Update: We got a new truck, we love it. Thank you to everyone who helped us!
New Visas: We finally got our temporary resident visas!
Building Relationships: We love our local friends and cherish the time we have with them.
Los Niños: We found a great rhythm in our homeschooling. Isei is in 10th grade and Ayin is in 4th.
Travel Plans: Gamz is leaving for Las Moras, Durango to the Nahuatl tribe Monday April 17th-25th.

Ministry Update: Where will we go?

We had kept our house here in Chihuahua, so settling back in has gone smoothly, thankfully.

We have been searching and seeking guidance from our field leadership, and from the Lord for where we should go and with who, and we still have no solid answer. So for now we are patiently waiting on the Lord.

We had felt led to the Purépecha people group in Michoacán, but our security team here in Mexico gave us a no; saying it's not safe, nor wise, now (or anytime soon) for us to even travel there, let alone live there for ministry. (Sigh.) We often pray for closed doors as well as open doors, so even disappointing news such as this is an answer to prayer.

In the meantime we continue to petition for guidance on location and teammates. We trust that when it's a "yes" it will all be right.

Local Church Outreach Crew...
In the Meantime...Serving Where We Can

After a few weeks of delay due to mechanical battles in order to get our new truck (!!) registered in Texas (emissions issues), and across the border into Mexico, we finally arrived home on February 2nd.

We have had plenty of opportunities to serve those around us while we wait on Him.

Earlier this month we were able to join our local church, Dios de Gracia, in serviving needy churches in the area with a hot meal, pantry items, clothes, medicine and encouragement in the Word (pictured above and below).

Gamaiel spent several weeks helping lay tile at the new home of our friends and co-laborers Caleb and Emily Arnold. They will be remaining here in the outskirts of Chihuahua as they work to reach the migrant Tepehuan population here in the city.

We were also able to serve (both figuratively and literally) at a Pastor's breakfast that Ethnos360 put on for all the local pastors and their wives. This was the first of it's kind. The purpose was to encourage the local pastors and provide opportunity for new connections. We were meseros (waiters), so we dressed appropriately.

New Truck Update: We got it!

We found our new truck for the tribe! It fits us all wonderfully, with lots of room for Isei to grow. She's going to be tough enough for the rocky, bumpy terrain of the mountains of Mexico, and has enough years and miles on her that she doesn't need to be babied. She's a beaut don't you agree?

Thank you so much for contributing to our fund! We thank Jesus for the generosity of His people who have provided us everything we needed to get this truck here into Mexico, imported, and soon to come new tires.

New Visas

While we were stuck in El Paso waiting for our truck paperwork we decided to apply for temporary resident visas. After a few trips on both sides of the border we finally got them!

Up until now we had to go back up to the border every 6 months to apply for new visas, but now we can stay in Mexico for a whole year. Next year we can apply for another 3 years, then after that we can get permanent residency. In a pre-pandemic world we would have started this process two years ago.

Building Relationships

We've had the opportunity to build friendships here with locals that we cherish. Since we hope to leave soon we have made a conscious effort to spend more time with them. We had a big crew over for Pozole and games a few weeks ago.

All of our language helpers, minus Paty are in this photo.

Los Niños

Since returning to Mexico we have gotten into a wonderful rhythm of homeschool. We are on track to finish in early June, then we will be embarking on more travel adventures.

The past few months have been full of fun social events. Ayin has been able to spend time with her close friends, and wherever Isei goes the little kids love to follow around. (He also spends plenty of time with friends his age.)

Isei only has two more years of high school left before he graduates. It makes us sad to even think about. Please pray for wisdom and timing for us as we keep him and his future needs in mind as we choose our next location.

Travel Plans: Visiting the Nahuatl

Gamz is leaving this Monday to go out to a tribal work among the Nahuatl in Durango, to help a missionary family clean out their house. It has been sitting alone for over a year since they had to leave the location due to medical reasons. It's a rough road into the location so please pray for safety during travel and that they can get it all done in the time they have.

There's a small church out there, so please pray for encouragement for those believers. Pray for steadfastness in the Lord and for continued progress in the current translation of the Bible in their language.

PRAISES

We got a truck that has plenty of room for us.
We made it back to Mexico to a problem free house.
We got our temporary resident visas.
We've had various opportunities to serve.
School is going well for the kids these past few weeks.

PRAYER REQUESTS

For guidance on teammates and location.
For patience, faithfulness, and trust as we continue to wait for clarity.
For encouragement and wisdom for our missionaries in Chihuahua.
For both the reached and unreached of 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 text Rebecca at: (805) 452-5449

Our Contact Info

Our mailing address is:
Gamaiel and Rebecca Zavala
10101 Dellwood Dr.
El Paso, TX 79924

Text us on WhatsApp, Signal, or normal text anytime:
Gamaiel (805) 570-9728
Rebecca (805) 452-5449

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