New things happening in TJ...

So that you don't think that my blog has just turned into a photo album for my niece (although really, who WOULDN'T want to look at that all day? :) ) I decided to do an update about my life here in Tijuana. The base is going through lots of changes and lots of new things have come my way.

New Plans

It’s official! As of September 22, I have become a full-time missionary with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) San Diego/Baja. I have signed a 2 year contract with this base and look forward to the exciting adventures I will have as a missionary in Mexico in the upcoming years.

When I arrived at the YWAM Tijuana base in June, I was anxiously preparing to staff the Discipleship Training School (DTS), scheduled to start in September. Then just a few days the students arrival date, the school was cancelled and our students were transferred to our sister base in Ensenada, Mexico. I was left disappointed, but also wondering what God had in mind for me and for our base for the next couple of months.

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21

New Schools

With the Fall DTS cancelled, I was given the option to take one of YWAM’s secondary schools. This month, we have launched the School of Ministry Development (SOMD) at our base in Tijuana, the first time this course has been taught outside of the U.S. The SOMD is an accredited course through YWAM’s University of Nations and focuses on developing effective ministry leaders led by God who can bring transformation in different spheres of society. I will be a student of the School of Ministry Development for the next 3 months, and am excited to develop my strengths and gifts as a leader and being challenged to “dream big” and trust God for direction in my ministry.

Along with being an SOMD student, another “hat” I will be wearing for the next 3 months is working as the Administrative Assistant for the upcoming January Discipleship Training School. This will be the first Winter DTS held at our base in Tijuana and I am working closely with the school director to plan this 5-month school.

New Opportunities

Searching for a chance to get out of the office and classroom and get into the community, I started volunteering with Círculo Andante, or the Walking Circle. This new ministry at YWAM Tijuana began in May in in a nearby colonia (neighborhood) as a way to follow up with families that had received a house from our Homes of Hope program. Since then, it has grown to include over 30 children in the colonia, learning math and reading twice a week. ! teach the 3rd and 4th graders, but have fallen in love with all of the children in the colonia, and pray that God will continue to use me to impact this community for His glory.