Tico Tuesday, July 28th

To the moon and back

This is me on the moon, with the sun behind me. Ok, pyramids named after the sun and moon at Teotihuacán, Mexico. I joined the Avance crew for an excursion to the hot, sunny pyramids made by the Aztecs a long long time ago. The pyramids have received a lot of maintenance and concrete, so they aren't exactly as they once were, but this way, people can still climb up them for a great view. That was really nice, because I can never have any kind of view but buildings around me unless I happen to be in a vehicle on an elevated highway. Living in a big city impacts life in so many ways I had never even considered before!
Going to the pyramids was also nice because last week was a very full, intense week with multiple meetings and activities every day. Doing 7 spiritual mentoring sessions in 5 days as a beginner was intense--it was good, and full of both challenges and blessings. I'm grateful for them all, and excited to keep learning and growing as I accompany people on their walk with God.
Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and support. I can't tell you how much I need them! Please also be praying for the Avance participants and facilitators as they prepare for their re-entry to the States. Once they leave, I will continue monthly spiritual mentoring sessions with the 7 girls via Skype and start dedicating more of my attention to the Centro Latino de Movilización.
God's blessing and peace be with you,
Carrie

Tico Tuesday, July 21st

Happy Tuesday!

Yesterday I had the amazing experience of spending 8 hours at the airport helping welcome delegates who are coming from 159 countries to the World Assembly of the International Federation of Evangelical Students (IFES). This student movement is called Intervarsity in the USA and Canada, and the vast majority of my time and evergy in college that were not dedicated to my studies went to IV. So, IV/IFES has a special place in my heart. IFES only has a World Assembly every 4 years, so it is amazing that it is here in Mexico while I am here and that I was able to be involved somehow! (A fellow missionary who is a former IV staffworker and who's roommate works for the IFES movement here got me in the loop). I only wish I could go to the assembly and actually participate. That would be amazing! Yesterday I got to welcome people from every continent, practice my near-extinct French, be a model as a Hungarian practiced some photography, hear pesos be called peesos, spend time getting to know this fantastic girl (pictured) Isabel who is a facilitator for the Avance program and was on duty with me, and apologize to random people a hundred times for not knowing where things were in the airport (AirFrance, customs, migration, an elevator, buses to Puebla, etc.) It was an amazing experience! I only wish I had time to go back today or tomorrow, but this is a jam-packed week.
As always, I thank you for your prayers and ask you to continue to pray for me as I seek and serve the Lord. Please pray especially this week as I am starting spiritual mentoring with several girls in Avance.
Thank you!
Carrie

Tico Tuesday, July 14th

Happy Tuesday!

I wore some sweet Aladdinesque pants!

This weekend was Portal a las Naciones, a one (full) day missions conference with Mexican missionaries that serve in Asia, North Africa, Honduras, India, and Mexico (including a really cool outreach ministry to Jews). It was beautiful to see how missions really is becoming from everywhere to everywhere. Each country/people group had a room that was decorated with typical things, served typical food, and shared about the work God is doing where they serve. It was exciting to see so many people interested - the rooms weren't very large, but each one was full all 5 sessions! I helped with a lot of logistical details, but was still able to be present for a few sessions. I also participated with the rest of the Avance participants and facilitators in a singing a song in Swahili, Spanish, and English: we marched in wearing costumes from all over the world and doing motions to the song. It was really fun. Then we had people pray in different languages for the missionaries there. I always love that! I love seeing how God is at work in the church here. And I love the enthusiasm of the Avance crew. They know no shame and are always willing to help in any way they can. And they are hilarious--I get to laugh a lot with them around. Last night we had a girls night for all the Avance facilitators and staff and had an absolute blast. It was like a good ol slumber party, except that most everyone went home by 11 and got a relatively good night's sleep in our own beds. We definitely made some good memories. 
Thank you so much for continuing to pray for me. I'm still battling some cold/laryngitis stuff and am dealing with the overwhelming-ness of life here, as well as fulfilling several different ministerial responsibilities. And of course there's that ever present wondering regarding the future and what I will be doing and where I will be doing it. I'm trying to enjoy this time though and not stress through it.
May we each delight in the work God is doing around us and around the world and consider how we can best join him in it!
Carrie

Tico Tuesday, July 7th

Happy Tuesday, everybody!

In my new room!

Wow, I feel like I haven't written a traditional one of these in a while. For those of you who are wondering, YES, for now I will continue to call it Tico Tuesday until I have some greater clarity about where I will be in the future. I'm not sure when that clarity will come, but I'll be sure to let you know when it does!
Today I have a couple exciting things to share: first, I have moved into the place where I hope to stay until I leave the country in October! It is in a very central location (about a mile from 3 different metro lines and), in a safe neighborhood, close to a pretty park with a 2k loop running path, not far from the mobilization center, and down the street from a fellow missionary. A very kind woman I met at the church I went to a week ago Sunday has taken me in at a price that is cheaper than what I told I would be able to find in this neighborhood, so I am deeply grateful to God for answering our prayers!
Second: I went on a prayer retreat with the Avance ministry on Thursday and Friday. It was sooooo good! I hadn't been on a retreat like that in way, way, way too long. AND, a big reason I was there was to start bonding more with the female participants and facilitators and offer them spiritual mentoring as a followup to the retreat. Today we passed around the signup list at a meeting and 7 chicas are interested in receiving spiritual mentoring! WOW! Thanks be to God! I need to mentor 5-8 as part of the 2nd module of my training, so this is fantastic! Please pray for me (and these gals) as I start mentoring them. Walking with someone in this way is treading sacred ground, and I consider it a real privilege to serve this way.
Thank you so much for your continual prayers for me! May God continue to teach us to pray and draw us ever closer to himself!
Carrie