The Joy of Life:)

Ok once again we are needing to apoliges for not keeping up on our writing. I (Amanda) have been feeling better and we have been busy trying to catch up. We have had friends over more and we have went on a couple trips. Here in Mexico the kids get two weeks off from school for Holy week and their spring break. We did a lot of running around town, bought a vehicle, been helping out other friends and we took five young adults camping over the Easter weekend. Also Alyssa and I caught a good bug over this vacation. We are all doing better now though. Need less to say our the girls time off from school went very fast. O ya we celebrate Easter during that time also :)

The girls started school again today. They were very excited to see their friends again. We are also able to celebrate our friends birthday today. We are going to go eat with the and then having them over for cake and ice cream at our home. What a great way to start our week off. We are starting to prepare our presentations and slideshows for our time home on furlough. We are having to start a little earlier than we thought because on the 3rd of May I am going into the hospital to have a historectomy. The doctors figures it was for the best to take it now because of all the problems I have been dealing with. This is a six week healing process for me. Our mothers are coming the end of the month to help us out while I am in the hospital. Need less to say we are very busy now trying to prepare for furlough and surgery.

Within these next two weeks we have two trips planned. Next Friday and Saturday we are going up to a mountain village to take up food and clothing. We are very excited about this trip. Please be in prayer for us that we could build strong relatonship with the people and the church there. Also our mothers are coming down and we are going to celebrate Zoe's birthday while they are here. In two weeks we are going with a family to a town called Cornavaca for the day. Hope to also show our mothers some of our everyday places we go and some fun areas of the city we have found since the last time they where here. We now have a vehicle so this makes it a lot easier to go and do things. Also to see so crazy new parts of town.

We are excited to go to Williston and see family and friends during our time of fundraising. Every weekend we have a meeting planned. We are trying to keep our fundraising and teaching to two or three days a week when we are home. This way we can see our families and friends, but if you would like a meeting with us send us a email and we would love to come and visit.

When we return to Mexico we have many things that we are planning on doing. My oldest niece will return with us for about a month to help us. We already have three villages we plan on going to visit while she is here. Ross will also be starting to teach english in a school here. He is able to do a 30minute Bible study before class everyday. Him and his students are excited for school to start. We are going to still be helping in the social help area with our good friend and his wife. We will be going to CIFAM houses and little villages every other weeked. Also we made some connections with an orphange that is wanting someone to come in and teach Bible studies. This is something we are in prayer about now. Please also pray for us so we could see God's next steps clearly when we return. As you can see we will be very excited to return to our home and work. Thank God for time away though. He knows everything that we need, even before we ask of it.
Blessings in His name! Amanda