This week It has been very cool just running into random people I know. I love that about this country or at least where we are at because it has such a community feel to it. Its so neat to see some of the same people everyday and becoming a fixture in their lives. I have never had this type of community living before at home and am really loving it here. Doing our structured ministry everyday is great and a blessing but the greatest ministry to me so far has just been playing soccer with the kids that hang out on our porch everyday waiting for all the gringos to come out so they wont be bored any more and sitting on my neighbors porch getting to know about her life. I am really excited about tomorrow afternoon because I am getting my first real Spanish lesson by this sweet little kid named Jeebron who also wants to learn English. Those things don't feel like ministry sometimes but they really are in their own way.

We have been doing this really cool study on the book of Esther in our girls Bible study and I've realized that its really good to dissect scripture sometimes. Many times I just read a huge passage and get a basic idea of what's going on but really taking it verse by verse is opening up things I never realized before. One parallel with Esther that I noticed this morning was how she was living with many other women in the palace all there for the same reason. One of them was going to be crowned queen and the rest would become King Xerxes concubines. Obviously that's not exactly the same situation but in a way its similar because as a team we are living together and working in a new territory where we have never been before for one reason and that is to serve God so I thought that was pretty neat. Esther was taken out of her familiar place and had to face many challenges that I'm sure she didn't know she was capable of.

The verse we used was Jer. 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you". "declares the Lord." "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you and to give you a hope and a future." It was interesting because that verse was actually written for the captives that were taken out of Babylon and God was promising them a prosperous future as his people. Esther (being a Jew) probably knew this and was expecting good things for her life until it got turned upside down when she was taken to the palace. Even through all of that she was able to rise above her situation and even stood out to the Kings eunuchs she was under and was noticed by the king which led to her saving her people. I can see this type of thing to in the story of Josheph after his brothers sold him into slavery.

I just think its interesting how God can take impossible circumstances and bring beautiful things from it. Please keep praying for the other people on our team because several people are getting pretty homesick and some are still raising support.

Hope everyone has had a great weekJ

Love,

me and Jeebron