Greetings!

Good Afternoon!  First of all I would like to say a big thank-you to everyone for your prayers over the summer as we travelled through the states.  We drove almost 8,000 miles and were able to visit numerous churches throughout the Midwest.  Some of the churches we visited already support the ministry but the Lord also allowed us to visit with some new churches to share our work.  The trip was a wonderful chance to present the ministry, update our supporters and prayer partners as well as spend time with the boys that we often don’t get.  Thanks to each of you that had a part in helping the trip to be such a success!

The new suburban was a huge blessing as we traveled as well!  Other than a new serpentine belt we had no vehicle troubles at all. We were able to accomplish many things that needed to be done while we were in the states although some of them delayed our plans a little!  We were able to have new brakes and rotors put on which was great because they have been bad since we got the suburban and with the mountains we drive around in down here the last thing you want to worry about is your brakes failing!  Also we were able to get a passport for Sam which we had to have now that he is two.

Of course we are very excited to be back in Mexico!  While we were gone the Children’s Home received three new kids, Maria, Jose, and Hernando, and it has been fun getting to know them and spending time with all the other kids we have missed so much!  We took back over at the home the day we got back to give Mary’s folks a badly needed break and we are having a blast with the kids.  I’m not sure if they missed us or just Mary’s cooking!  They couldn’t wait to have Stromboli, cinnamon rolls, etc.  I was also excited for the opportunity to preach in Mexico again last Sunday.

We do have a few items this month we would ask you to pray about.  First, please pray for us as we begin to work on transitioning to Oaxaca.  Please pray that the Lord opens doors and allows us to find a place to rent and for the move to go smoothly in His timing.  I plan on taking a trip down there shortly to try and locate a house to rent which might be problematic since we are moving to such a small city.  While you are praying, running water and electricity would be nice!  Once we have a house rented we will begin the process of moving our things down and transitioning our ministry over the course of the rest of the year. 

Second, please pray for our visa situation!  Currently we are here under a tourist visa which means we have to leave the country along with our vehicle every 6 months, even if only for 5 minutes which gets to be very expensive and problematic.  Since Jack is a dual citizen in Mexico and the United States we are allowed to get an FM2 visa which will allow us to remain in the country for up to five years after which we can become “naturalized” which would mean that we would never have to worry about visas again!  We thought this process would take some time and we would have to be in Oaxaca on tourist visas for a while but now it looks like we might have them in the next few months if the Lord allows!  If we could get our FM2s before being in Oaxaca it would be a huge blessing and save us a lot of money and potential problems. 

Finally, please be in prayer for the ministries here including the Children’s Home as we begin to transition away.  There is a huge need for permanent help! 

Thanks again for your continued prayers and support!  We very thankful for each and every one of you!

In Christ,

Nathan, Mary, Sam, & Jack