Friday, July 11, 2008
Drum roll please..........
The Book-Satterlees are heading back overseas! So, after a lot of prayer and thought, Kevin and I have decided that we are going to take the initial steps towards moving to Spain and beginning a Spearhead program there. For those of you who do not know what Spearhead is, it is the short-term mission program that Kevin and I have been participating in for the past year. It has a year component, and also a summer component. After thinking for quite some time where we could best use our desires and skills together, earlier this year Kevin and I concluded that a dream would be to have a study abroad program connected with students from Christian universities. Soon after that our boss approached us about starting a Spearhead program in another country. We were interested, but at the time felt that it would be something further off in the future. However, as we were weighing all of our options, we felt like this was the one in which we together had the most interest, and felt the most peace. So, we are going to begin to walk forward in this path and see if God continues to open doors for this path, and if so we will keep walking! :) Our plan is to head back to California in August. We will spend a little bit of time with our families up North, and then head back down to the Pasadena area. We plan to go on an exploratory trip to see if Spain is indeed the country for us, and begin the process of raising support and going through Latin America Mission's (LAM - the sending organization) long-term missionary process. We are excited and both very much at peace. Please be praying for us as we begin to walk forward in this new direction. If any of you know of extremely cheap housing in the Pasadena or Azusa area, please let us know, because this is going to be our next concern. Because raising support will be a full-time job, we are not sure exactly how we are going to manage the whole making money and having another job thing. :) Consequently, we are hoping to find somewhere where we can live very, very cheaply! So, for those of you who were waiting on pins and needles, this is the culmination of many months of soul searching and lots of prayer! We are excited to share this journey with you! :) Leah
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Calling and Character
In the Spearhead summer program every week has a theme. It just so happens that this week's theme is calling and character. Funny, huh? Needless to say, it has generated quite a bit of discussion about what it is to be called and to have character. :) There have been several statements made this week that have particularly hit me, some of which I want to share with you. But first I wanted to comment on my last women's group meeting.
About five or so months ago the women in our church started meeting on Wednesday mornings. It was originally Janette's idea, she is one of the missionaries at our church. It started off slowly, gained some steam, and then cooled down a little bit again. Janette started off teaching, but then after a month or so handed over the reigns to the group to decide what the would do and how they would do it. Now Janette and her husband Joel are on furlough for a year, and the two other missionary couples at our church have been out town for the last few weeks. Women's group has continued, and it is really growing. Today I was the only guerra (white girl) there, along with twelve other Mexican women. The woman who was originally going to teach did not show up, so another woman who is a strong leader in the church just went ahead and led a discussion from the book that they are reading.
I have learned so very much being a part of this group. First of all I have found it very different from any of the other experiences I have had in women's groups before. There are definitely some cultural differences, but I think the main one is economic. I think that people are people, and everyone has the same basic needs, but I am really finding that one's economic status really changes how one reads scripture, and lives out your Christian life.
For instance... The other day we were speaking about submission. Part of that talk included speaking about the man as a provider. One of the women stood up and shared one of her difficulties with the submission issue. She and her husband have two adorable little girls, but life is difficult because her husband does not always have work, and when he does the money does not always go straight to feeding and clothing their children. This woman earns a little money through cleaning houses etc., and with that money she basically provides for the needs of their children. In her life whether she has ten pesos (roughly a dollar) or not, makes a huge difference of whether her children will eat or not. What does it mean to submit to her husband who is not caring for the needs of the family in a very practical way? A second instance happened today. The lesson was speaking about how the mother is the heart of her family, and has a big influence on whether one's dwelling place is just a house, or if it is a home. The discussion went on to teaching one's children to little by little contribute to the running of one's home, but not to expect them to do everything. One woman shared in tears about her difficulties when her husband left her with nine young children to care for. He had claimed to be a Christian, but then ran off with another woman, leaving all of his children and his wife with nothing. This woman, now a grandma, shared about how she had to choose which of her children was the most responsible and mother-like, and then leave all of the mothering duties to that child while she went out and worked. Later on her children shared stories with her about those years when they often had nothing to eat, or were not cared for well so the neighbors would lend a helping hand. How, this woman asked, do you create a home-like environment for your children and your family when you have all of the responsibility on your shoulders alone? They were living in small huts, and the landlord came weekly to claim the rent. Now, this same woman is 64 and the company she worked for cleaning bathrooms basically made her quit by requiring her to travel further and further to the workplace. She tried to go and collect social security, but you have to be 70 to start receiving it. There are not a lot of jobs in the city, and most people are not keen on hiring someone who is older. As she sat there crying I marveled at the way in which the other women in the group rallied around her helping her to think of creative solutions in which she could generate money, all of them willing to help. I am amazed by the faith of these women, many of which are very new believers.
The book that we are doing our study on is called (something like) A Woman After God's Heart. Almost every chapter we have read I have been aware of the vast financial difference between the woman who wrote this book and the women in our group who are reading it. Sometimes those differences come up in conversation one way or another. But the coolest thing has been watching the women share how God has touched their lives, and provided for them, how they are seeking each day to be a woman after God's heart, even with all of the challenges that confront them. I am so amazed what I have learned through the privilege of being part of this group, and find that as I read Scripture, I see it through a new light.
Because today was my last women's group meeting, I just wanted to share a little about that experience. But before I sign out I wanted to leave you with a few thoughts that have been shared with me this past week when discussing calling and character.
1. Your calling is your character: What is important to God is how you live your life, not necessarily all of the details of what you do.
2. As Christians, our primary calling is to Somone, God of course :), rather than something.
3. Our desires can be good indicators of the way in which God is calling us, but they are not the end-all indicator of what we should do.
4. When you are doing what God has for you you will have peace.
5. DO SOMETHING! Don't just sit around forever deciding what you are going to do, step out in faith and let God guide you from there.
So that is it for now, this is a pretty long entry, but I just wanted to share some of the stuff that has been going through my mind. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers! :) Leah
About five or so months ago the women in our church started meeting on Wednesday mornings. It was originally Janette's idea, she is one of the missionaries at our church. It started off slowly, gained some steam, and then cooled down a little bit again. Janette started off teaching, but then after a month or so handed over the reigns to the group to decide what the would do and how they would do it. Now Janette and her husband Joel are on furlough for a year, and the two other missionary couples at our church have been out town for the last few weeks. Women's group has continued, and it is really growing. Today I was the only guerra (white girl) there, along with twelve other Mexican women. The woman who was originally going to teach did not show up, so another woman who is a strong leader in the church just went ahead and led a discussion from the book that they are reading.
I have learned so very much being a part of this group. First of all I have found it very different from any of the other experiences I have had in women's groups before. There are definitely some cultural differences, but I think the main one is economic. I think that people are people, and everyone has the same basic needs, but I am really finding that one's economic status really changes how one reads scripture, and lives out your Christian life.
For instance... The other day we were speaking about submission. Part of that talk included speaking about the man as a provider. One of the women stood up and shared one of her difficulties with the submission issue. She and her husband have two adorable little girls, but life is difficult because her husband does not always have work, and when he does the money does not always go straight to feeding and clothing their children. This woman earns a little money through cleaning houses etc., and with that money she basically provides for the needs of their children. In her life whether she has ten pesos (roughly a dollar) or not, makes a huge difference of whether her children will eat or not. What does it mean to submit to her husband who is not caring for the needs of the family in a very practical way? A second instance happened today. The lesson was speaking about how the mother is the heart of her family, and has a big influence on whether one's dwelling place is just a house, or if it is a home. The discussion went on to teaching one's children to little by little contribute to the running of one's home, but not to expect them to do everything. One woman shared in tears about her difficulties when her husband left her with nine young children to care for. He had claimed to be a Christian, but then ran off with another woman, leaving all of his children and his wife with nothing. This woman, now a grandma, shared about how she had to choose which of her children was the most responsible and mother-like, and then leave all of the mothering duties to that child while she went out and worked. Later on her children shared stories with her about those years when they often had nothing to eat, or were not cared for well so the neighbors would lend a helping hand. How, this woman asked, do you create a home-like environment for your children and your family when you have all of the responsibility on your shoulders alone? They were living in small huts, and the landlord came weekly to claim the rent. Now, this same woman is 64 and the company she worked for cleaning bathrooms basically made her quit by requiring her to travel further and further to the workplace. She tried to go and collect social security, but you have to be 70 to start receiving it. There are not a lot of jobs in the city, and most people are not keen on hiring someone who is older. As she sat there crying I marveled at the way in which the other women in the group rallied around her helping her to think of creative solutions in which she could generate money, all of them willing to help. I am amazed by the faith of these women, many of which are very new believers.
The book that we are doing our study on is called (something like) A Woman After God's Heart. Almost every chapter we have read I have been aware of the vast financial difference between the woman who wrote this book and the women in our group who are reading it. Sometimes those differences come up in conversation one way or another. But the coolest thing has been watching the women share how God has touched their lives, and provided for them, how they are seeking each day to be a woman after God's heart, even with all of the challenges that confront them. I am so amazed what I have learned through the privilege of being part of this group, and find that as I read Scripture, I see it through a new light.
Because today was my last women's group meeting, I just wanted to share a little about that experience. But before I sign out I wanted to leave you with a few thoughts that have been shared with me this past week when discussing calling and character.
1. Your calling is your character: What is important to God is how you live your life, not necessarily all of the details of what you do.
2. As Christians, our primary calling is to Somone, God of course :), rather than something.
3. Our desires can be good indicators of the way in which God is calling us, but they are not the end-all indicator of what we should do.
4. When you are doing what God has for you you will have peace.
5. DO SOMETHING! Don't just sit around forever deciding what you are going to do, step out in faith and let God guide you from there.
So that is it for now, this is a pretty long entry, but I just wanted to share some of the stuff that has been going through my mind. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers! :) Leah
Monday, July 7, 2008
Turning Point
Now that we are officially into July the summer is at a turning point. The first half of this summer was really dominated by organizing Spanish classes, group meetings, and individual coaching sessions. On Thursday all of the Spearheaders graduated from their Spanish classes and are moving into a time of full-time ministry for the rest of the summer. The graduation ceremony was really neat, every class presented a skit or a project and it was really cool to see how everyone had grown, especially those in the Basic class that came with practically no Spanish.
With Spanish classes behind us, Kevin and I will have a week to get a lot of little details done. We are working on how we want to say good-bye to people. That may sound strange, but it is really important to us for a couple of reasons. First, here in Mexico both greeting people and saying good-bye is extremely important, no matter where you are (church, visiting a friend, a party etc.). If you do not greet or say good-bye to pretty much every person, it is almost like a personal insult. Second, everyone here is really precious to us and we are going to miss them all a LOT! I have definitely gone through different stages of homesickness in this past year, but for the past few months I have been incredibly content to just be here. I love Mexico City and I love the people here. It will be a big adjustment to move to whichever place is next for us.
On the "what's next agenda" please be praying for us this week, because we have made a commitment that we are going to make some narrowing down decisions by Friday, and are also hoping to buy our plane ticket for wherever that might be. We really covet your prayers in this process. It has been long and arduous at times, trying to figure out what is next. I have definitely had a couple of break down moments, but overall I thank God and give him praise, because mostly it has been marked by a sense of real peace in both of us. I have definitely been learning so much about being patient, about hope, about prayer, and about praise. God is so faithful.
With Spanish classes behind us, Kevin and I will have a week to get a lot of little details done. We are working on how we want to say good-bye to people. That may sound strange, but it is really important to us for a couple of reasons. First, here in Mexico both greeting people and saying good-bye is extremely important, no matter where you are (church, visiting a friend, a party etc.). If you do not greet or say good-bye to pretty much every person, it is almost like a personal insult. Second, everyone here is really precious to us and we are going to miss them all a LOT! I have definitely gone through different stages of homesickness in this past year, but for the past few months I have been incredibly content to just be here. I love Mexico City and I love the people here. It will be a big adjustment to move to whichever place is next for us.
On the "what's next agenda" please be praying for us this week, because we have made a commitment that we are going to make some narrowing down decisions by Friday, and are also hoping to buy our plane ticket for wherever that might be. We really covet your prayers in this process. It has been long and arduous at times, trying to figure out what is next. I have definitely had a couple of break down moments, but overall I thank God and give him praise, because mostly it has been marked by a sense of real peace in both of us. I have definitely been learning so much about being patient, about hope, about prayer, and about praise. God is so faithful.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Isaiah 58
Our Spearhead theme this summer is Restore based on Isaiah 58, specifically verse 12. In our leadership meetings we have been meditating and reflecting on the entire chapter. It is a powerful chapter and has some very instructive points for discipleship. I (Kevin) have some poems of mine that were either inspired by this chapter or fits with the theme.
Dumpster Diving
Forage through all that people discard
Pull out rancid and good fruits;
Separate them.
One in the compost heap to be redeemed
The other consume as a treasure for strength.
Pull out old, stained and dirty clothes
De-thread them if need be to make something
New; cut them as wash rags or patches for
Torn clothing; redeem your own wardrobe.
Assist the cowarding homeless woman,
Abused, stained and discarded by abusive men.
Help her to her feet. Separate the sins from the sinner
And love. Let Christ come to redeem her.
Feast and dine with the whore, bearing the redeemed
Fruits. Clothe her with the fine thread reused.
Reclaimed. Let God’s treasures mimic your own
And pull them from the refuse for redemption;
For life anew.
Kin
Do not hide from your own kin
Your own flesh and blood
Breathed into by the very Lord
That rose elephants form the dust
Planned the mechanics of the moon and sea
The creator of the waves
And beating hearts
Do not hide from your own kin
Sabbath
To be tender in rest
Is to be holy on the Lord’s day
Sabbath is not to not work
But to forget about your worries
Religious laws become the stumbling path
For those that count their Sabbath steps
Be devoid of selfish interest on this day
And be in tune with the father
The sun-down fast in not piety
But preparation for the Word of the Lord
Keep Holy the Sabbath by forgoing yourself
And see to it the Lord’s day is for
Righteousness
Friday, June 27, 2008
June
Well, the last month or so has been pretty much a whirlwind. June 4th the summer students arrived, and we spent three intensive days orienting them to the city and then sent them off to live with their Mexican families. Now that the summer students are here our roles have morphed a little. Monday through Thursday they have Spanish classes. As the Spanish assistant I help Nydia, my boss, organize everything with the teachers, tutor when necessary, and also help in the training of teachers for next summer. Once a week we have large group meetings, and each of us meets weekly with a smaller group of students as well. Kevin is working on a recruiting strategy for the Spearhead Summer program. Part of my role is also meeting with a small group of girls one-on-one, which is something that I have really enjoyed. Of the summer students almost all are girls, there is only one guy! Yesterday after Spanish classes we took everyone to the Basilica of Guadalupe. The goal was to engage in silent evangelism, (basically prayer), and learn a little more of the cultural make-up. It was a really good experience. You can be praying because now that everyone has been here for almost a month, some are definitely experiencing some culture shock, or culture crashes (as they would say in Spanish)! Pray that students would be able to see their purpose here this summer, even as they are struggling with the language and cultural changes. Please also be praying for us as we are deciding what comes next. At this point we are planning on leaving in August, but it is still a possibility that we would return to Mexico or another Latin American country as long-term missionaries. Right now we feel like there are several doors, but we are still considering which is the door God wants us to walk through. Please pray that we will feel guidance from him and a peace. On a positive note it is hard to for us to believe that we only have a little over a month left here in Mexico. We have enjoyed our year here so much, and it has been a really refining experience for us both personally and as a couple. We really love it here. One other piece of exciting news, well especially for us, is that we have internet in our house! Yippeee! :) It is a really nice blessing. Hopefully one result of this blessing will be more frequent blog posts, even though there is only a month left! Thanks so much for your thoughts prayers.
:) Leah
:) Leah
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Summer
It is a bright, beautiful Saturday morning, and Kevin and I are in the LAM office getting some work, and some long-needed catch up done! Mexico City has really been quite beautiful the past couple of weeks, the smog has been at a minimum and the weather has been beautiful. J We are in the process of changing gears. Mid-May we had our final homework club session and said good-bye to our World Vision group, because for the summer we will be part of a team that facilitates 14 young people who are coming to the city on a short-term mission trip. These fourteen students, mostly college age and a little older, will be here for two months, and will be experiencing a condensed version of what we have been doing this past year. In pairs the students will be living with Mexican families, taking Spanish lessons, and working with local churches and other outreaches, such as World Vision, and a home for street boys. We are excited for everyone to come, they arrive on Wednesday! Kevin and I are still involved in our church, and I will be trying to keep up with my women’s group. Some of the things we will be doing this summer will be acting as a mentor for the summer students, helping with Spanish classes, in the office and acting as resources for the students in their ministries. The students will be here until August first. At this point Kevin and I are planning to return to the States mid-August so that Kevin can finish his Masters degree. Please be praying for us as we prepare for this summer and for all the transitions an decisions we are making.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Breathing...What's that like?
Has it really almost been a month!?! Yes, since we have last written a bunch has happened, and we have barely had time to catch our breath, even though some of it we were on vacation.
In mid-March, Lawrence, Leah's cousin came to join us for a week in Mexico City. It was great to be able to show family our life here and we really were excited that he was so excited about things. We did everything you could possibly do in a week, which means he missed a ton, but then we've been here nine months and have missed a ton. Some of the highlights were taking him to the community center at a trash-dump community for a medical brigade that we help translate for. Lawrence is quite a good on-the-fly optrician. We hit the pyramids and the center of town and a new attraction for us, was that we went to Tula, an ancient ruins about 2 hours from our house. It was quite fun.
The day Lawrence left, we too left on a plane bound for California. My (Kevin's) 180 days was almost up and I needed to leave the country to enter again with 180 days. We had planned on taking the time to do some fundraising, but with all that has come in and the way we've been able to cut our budget for the year, we did not need to do any of that. It was great to see family and friends, though the time with each of you was waaaaaay too short. Our little trip home was quite the adventure, because a nearly midnight we found out that we booked the wrong date without knowing and missed our flight! Oops...but we worked it out with not a little trouble and are here jumping in the swing of things.
Upon returning, we'd been off of our duties for homework club for two weeks, so we were excited to return to our kids. That also meant last minute planning.
On top of that I (Kevin) was scheduled to preach at church, in Spanish, the Sunday after we got back.
About that...I DID IT...well to be honest I read the sermon I prepared rather than preached it, because though I'm picking up the language fairly well, it is still difficult to flow in my thought process, especially for 30 minutes in front of a crowd. The experience was difficult, and I learned a lot about my language and cultural limitations, but it only makes me want to do it again and better. Everybody has been generous and said I did a good job, so that was nice.
We have now generally settled into our routine again here and after about three weeks of craziness, it is a nice break.
Hopefully we will be better at our time here on the blogosphere.
Congrats friends about to get married, and ones who are about to have children! We look forward to sharing that with ya'll when we come back!
PS - another aspect of the title of this blog comes in the fact that we have hit the smoggiest time of the year...hot and no breeze. Plech. A beautiful city hidden. It only means that it is time for the rainy season to come shortly - my (Kevin) favorite type of weather! Woo hoo (although it makes line-drying clothes a bit difficult.)
In mid-March, Lawrence, Leah's cousin came to join us for a week in Mexico City. It was great to be able to show family our life here and we really were excited that he was so excited about things. We did everything you could possibly do in a week, which means he missed a ton, but then we've been here nine months and have missed a ton. Some of the highlights were taking him to the community center at a trash-dump community for a medical brigade that we help translate for. Lawrence is quite a good on-the-fly optrician. We hit the pyramids and the center of town and a new attraction for us, was that we went to Tula, an ancient ruins about 2 hours from our house. It was quite fun.
The day Lawrence left, we too left on a plane bound for California. My (Kevin's) 180 days was almost up and I needed to leave the country to enter again with 180 days. We had planned on taking the time to do some fundraising, but with all that has come in and the way we've been able to cut our budget for the year, we did not need to do any of that. It was great to see family and friends, though the time with each of you was waaaaaay too short. Our little trip home was quite the adventure, because a nearly midnight we found out that we booked the wrong date without knowing and missed our flight! Oops...but we worked it out with not a little trouble and are here jumping in the swing of things.
Upon returning, we'd been off of our duties for homework club for two weeks, so we were excited to return to our kids. That also meant last minute planning.
On top of that I (Kevin) was scheduled to preach at church, in Spanish, the Sunday after we got back.
About that...I DID IT...well to be honest I read the sermon I prepared rather than preached it, because though I'm picking up the language fairly well, it is still difficult to flow in my thought process, especially for 30 minutes in front of a crowd. The experience was difficult, and I learned a lot about my language and cultural limitations, but it only makes me want to do it again and better. Everybody has been generous and said I did a good job, so that was nice.
We have now generally settled into our routine again here and after about three weeks of craziness, it is a nice break.
Hopefully we will be better at our time here on the blogosphere.
Congrats friends about to get married, and ones who are about to have children! We look forward to sharing that with ya'll when we come back!
PS - another aspect of the title of this blog comes in the fact that we have hit the smoggiest time of the year...hot and no breeze. Plech. A beautiful city hidden. It only means that it is time for the rainy season to come shortly - my (Kevin) favorite type of weather! Woo hoo (although it makes line-drying clothes a bit difficult.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)