Mission to Mexico

A new start....

2011-03-26T16:08:00.003-06:00

I know we aren't in Mexico any more but I have been told by may people that we need to update this blog and let people know that we are still here and what we are doing! We here we go! We now have 2 boys. Benjamin and Joshua they are a gift from God and we are so thankful for them both! I (Julie) am back to work but I am currently off, but going back to work in 6 weeks! We are currently based in Cliftonpark Avenue Baptist.

Back to work!

2010-02-21T06:32:00.002-06:00

I have started back to work a month now! I have enjoyed it but I have also found it hard so many things have changed, but at the same time there are days where I feel that I haven't been away! Everyone has been lovely and helped me so much! My prayer is that I can use this time to serve God ! Please pray for the travelling and as we work out a few teething problems with child care etc! I feel blessed to have my job as things in every area of work at the minute are unsure!

Ballygomartin Baptist Church!!!!!!

2010-02-21T06:22:00.004-06:00

This is were we call home now! Since January, Jonny has been working away with the church, both on a Sunday preaching and also all other wee things he can do! He is loving it and so are we as a family! Ben is loving Sunday school and has now started to do the actions to 'He made the stars to shine!'. Everyone has welcomed us in with open arms and we are excited about our time here! Please check out there web site and if you are in the area call in! Please pray for us as a family but espically for Jonny as he works along side the leadership in the church for wisdom and leading for the work within the church and the surrounding area! I have included there website and from it you can also get podcasts of the servies!

http://www.ballygomartinbaptistchurch.com

Ben Walking

2010-02-21T06:04:00.005-06:00

On Christmas day Ben decided there was no way he could leave either of the two balloons down that he had on his hand for fear that might happen to them. So he had no hands left to be able walk round the furniture. The only left one thing to go for it! So he did, it has really been this last month that crawling is now gone and he wants to walk everywhere! We are so thankfully for his wee life! He is becoming a wee man and each day learning something new which keeps us all entertained! I have included a few photos of him over the last few months!

It's been 2 months!!!!!!!

2010-02-21T06:00:00.003-06:00

Its has been two months since I managed to update this blog! Nightmare!!!!!!!!

I really am sorry! Things have been made I will try and bring you up to date on what has been going on with the hope that I can get pictures to follow after!

Ben started to walk on Christmas day

Jonny started in his new job

Julie started back to work

Jacksons' birthday

OMS weekend

Of course there have been many other things in between but as I sit here, that is all the big things I can think of for the minute! I will try and fill you in the following posts and then hopefully I will get back into the swing of blogging again!

More Parties but not the birthday type!

2009-12-19T09:45:00.003-06:00

We have an Irons' party every year! At Christmas time, we all have a meal together followed by some games and then Santa comes! As you can see Ben isnt sure what to make of Santa, hopefully he will feel better about him next year?????

More Parties..

2009-12-19T09:39:00.003-06:00

Nannie had a birthday party for me with cousin Jackson, and Uncle Craig, and Aunty Christine. I also had a party with a pinata that aunty Laura and Uncle Ash made. Granny has those photos so they will follow some time soon! I also tried to add a few other Mexican traditions in! Not sure how they will take off!

Home....

2009-11-29T09:49:00.005-06:00

We arrived home on a very cold Saturday the 7th November! It has been all go ever since and we are thankful to Andy who came with is van to collect all 11 cases, 5 hand lugages, car seat, guitar and our pram! The pictures show Ben, that this flying is no problem to him! Since 4 months old he has been on 12 flights. It was lovely to see family at the airport and Ben was happy to be able to be able to walk around and he had lots of people willing to help him!

Packing up and saying goodbye!

2009-11-29T09:47:00.003-06:00

When Mum and Dad came over we got down to alot of work, and got the house all packed up! It was great to have them to help, and also to look after when when we had to say our goodbyes! Here we are with some of our friends!

Ben's Birthday....

2009-11-29T09:44:00.004-06:00

So before we left Mexico we had a little party for Ben for his first birthday, and a load of our families' Mexican friends came. Here a a few pictures from the day! We had great time with alot of food and fun!

Where has the time gone?????

2009-11-29T09:40:00.003-06:00

We have now been home 3 weeks yesterday, and when I looked on here I realised we hadn't updated the blog in a bit!!! We don't have the internet at the minute so I am currently at my parent's house writing this. I am going to do my best to fill you in on what has been happening!

Ben!

2009-10-26T20:34:00.004-06:00

Our wee Ben (not so wee anymore) will be one on Friday! We are having a wee party for him on Saturday. Tonight he stood for the first time on his own! We couldnt believe it! Not sure when it will happen again! Please pray for him as he goes through alot of changes in the next few weeks!

Rich and Anita...

2009-10-26T20:32:00.002-06:00

We are so happy to have them here with us in Mexico again! They were here when we came back to Mexico and now they are here when we leave! We are excited to reconnect with them and hear about what God is doing through ECC around the world!

Mum and Dad!!!!!

2009-10-26T20:31:00.003-06:00

Are here! It is so great to have them here! It will be a great help as we get packed up and ready to go home! Please pray for us over these next weeks days as we pack and say our goodbyes!

Birthday time!

2009-10-16T09:52:00.003-05:00

Ben will be 1!! In 2 weeks, it is hard to believe, this year has passed so quickly. He has already started to get presents! The first to arrive was from the MacKinnons! He loved his wee book and the pig to go along with it! The lovely coat and hat modeled below and a few other things! A big thank you goes out from Ben! Ben has opened alot of doors for us here and we praise God for this little gift in our lives!

Conference night...

2009-10-16T09:29:00.005-05:00

On Tuesday Robin Mackinnon arrived! It has been great to have her here. Robin and her family are very special to our family, so it is great to have her here again! She has been very busy and so on Wednesday morning we had the Pastors' wives breakfast. Robin spoke to us on the working out in our lives what is really important, and how in 10 years what do we want our lives to look like, and how we get to there!

Then on Wednesday night the church held a mini conference for women who were unable to attend the retreat this weekend! Mexico is suffering alot due to the problems in the economy at the minute. We had printed out 40 of all of the pages prior to them coming. However praise God we had to get an extra 40 photocopied! Praise God for all the women who came! The theme is that of Forgiveness.

Today we leave for the weekend! It is very exciting to see how God is at work! We Pray that this time will be one of blessing to all!

Pray for Robin and Shirley as they teach and work with the ladies! Pray for health and strength as there is alot of sickness around at this time!

Retreat...

2009-10-09T09:53:00.002-05:00

When we were here the last time there was a womens retreat with our church. We didn't go to it at that time as I was also on bed rest! Well it is happening again this year and Robin MacKinnon and Shirley Carlson are flying in for it! I would just ask for you prayers at this time as they prepare for it. Also for the ladies that are going, that God will already be preparing their hearts for what they are going to hear. Robin has invited our Spanish teacher, Tania, who is not a Christian! The lady Guadalupe who helps us in the house is also coming with me! We pray that this will be a special time for all!

MOPS....

2009-10-09T09:49:00.004-05:00

On Tuesday Carol (one of the other missionaries) was speaking at MOPS. At the planning meeting they had said for me to do the introduction, but they always joke like that with me as they know I don't like to be up front speaking in spanish. But this time they were serious! Well I gave it a go, and it went ok! Please pray for the leadership team of MOPS, they are a great group of women and we are starting a book together about being a mother after God's own heart! We will discuss the first two chapters on Tuesday. Pray for me as I work through this with them!

Packing...

2009-10-09T09:47:00.002-05:00

We would ask for your prayers at this time as we pack up and get ready to leave. To know what to pack and when, and also for it not to weigh anything! It is an exciting time in which we can see God at work but also a hard time as we say goodbye!

Our wee family!

2009-09-29T10:41:00.008-05:00

Not sure where even to start this post! As everyone knows who follows this blog, Jonny and I went on a team in April 2006 to Mexico we were just 6 months married. It was on this team when we felt the call of God on our hearts to come back to Mexico. We did that in August 20o7 for a year and then came home for my sisters wedding, followed by the birth of Ben! We then returned to Mexico at the start of April 20o9 and we are still here. However we feel God closing this chapter of our lives and beginning a new chapter at home.

We have been studying, fasting and praying a lot about what we should do, as I (Julie) would lose my registration as a nurse in March if I did not complete quite a lot of hours. Jonny feels led to be part of a ministry in N. Ireland that God hasn't revealed to us yet, but I feel that God wants to use the gifts that He has given me in nursing.

We have loved our time in Mexico we have learned and grown so much. We are staying on with OMS and will help in different areas. God willing I will go back to work in December. We will continue to pray about what God would have us to do. We are sad to be leaving as we have made alot of good friends here, and this is were we have been most of our married life and really it is the only home Ben has known! However as we step out in faith we have already seen God in a real way providing for us in ways we won't have even though of!

We would also like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone for everything, words will never be enough to thank you all for your support and kindness and enouragement! We look forward to seeing you all when we get home and we will be available for meetings from the 14th of November!

Our church..

2009-09-16T11:05:00.004-05:00

Here are a few photos of our church Jonny took a few weeks back! We have always felt so welcome here! We have three services every weeks and have house churches also attached to the church. Please pray for this church as it grows!

Independence Day!

2009-09-16T10:50:00.006-05:00

This is a very special day in the history of Mexico, their Independence Day! There are many parties and fireworks and things to buy! When we were here the first time, all the churches came together and had a party. This year it was decided that each church would have there own! We had a great night! There was food, games and good friends! And Ben melted hearts all around as he was dressed as a little Mexican!

MOPS

2009-09-16T10:41:00.003-05:00

We started!!!!! It was a great morning! We were few in number at the start due to the rain and the fact that kids were off school. However as the time went on we had more and more! Here are a few photos! We had a talk about Beauty and what is real beauty and how we as Mums and wives need to be beautiful from the inside out!

Rain and floods..

2009-09-16T10:38:00.004-05:00

There was very little about it on the news at home, but not far from where we live there were floods in which hundreds lost there homes and 2 people died! Please pray for these people at this time, alot of the water was sewage water and so free tetanus injections were given out. This was a picture we took 2 days after and as you can see the drains were still finding it hard to cope with the water! Some of the under ground stations were closed as they were flooded, and so were the schools!

Margaret and Joe...

2009-09-16T10:35:00.004-05:00

We had or field council last week and it was a busy time! Margaret was given an award for being with OMS for 25 years! She started the month after I was born! It was also Joe's birthday and so we had a wee cake for him as well!

Woman's Breakfast

2009-09-02T14:51:00.006-05:00

On Saturday morning, the two woman's groups within the church got together in order to have a special breakfast! It was a great morning with singing and speaking and alot of work was put into the planning ect. Here are some of the photos from that morning!

Our speaker for the morning! Cheli works with Jonny in Church Planting.

All the women, there were 68 women the last I heard!

The welcoming team

Getting set up..

Baptism...

2009-09-02T14:47:00.002-05:00

On Sunday our church had a Baptism service in which one of our friends were baptized. I had felt the urge to speak to this girl in church several times but hadn't been able to. However when I did I found out that she was from Russia but had lived in America since she was 5. Her husband is Mexican and he was down here doing some work! They have a wee boy who was born the 4th October (Ben is the 30th). So I invited her to MOPS and the rest is history. She was one of around 15 who were baptised including some from one of our house churches!

Assembly

2009-09-02T14:46:00.002-05:00

Praise God for the Assembly going so well and the new committees being voted in! Pray that God will guide these men and women of God. It was in our old church so it was a great time to visit with old friends!

Gary and Rhonda..

2009-09-02T14:41:00.005-05:00

...are here!!!!!!! It is great to have them with us over these few weeks! There are alot of things planned. They have already had the chance to visit the street kid work in which Gary was a part of when he was here. They are also planning to visit some church planting work, MOPS, the Seminary and of course they have already been to church with us! We even had a BBQ on Saturday for them so that Gary could see everyone and Rhonda could meet everyone! There are also a few people who have wanted to meet with them and catch up! So they are keeping busy! However the first few days they were here it seemed they had brought the rain with them from Northern Ireland!

Here they are with the Church planting team in our church! Below is how they put them to work!

Here are a family Gary was very close to when he was here for the year. They all came round for dinner! We had a great night!

Assembly...

2009-08-26T10:41:00.003-05:00

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are meeting for the missionaries, Pastors and the church planters. This is for all of UNIFAM. Please pray that this will be a fruitful time for all and that it will be a time of much blessing!

Dan birthday Party..

2009-08-26T10:34:00.005-05:00

Our Pastor Alexis' youngest son Dan was 4 on Saturday, and so we went to the party. Here are a few photos of the night. Dan with his cake, and Ben in awe as the pinata is way bigger than him! Also a picture of Yadria and Ben waiting on sweets....

A birthday week!!!!

2009-08-26T09:49:00.004-05:00

Well a day really! It was Jonny's birthday last thursday, here are my two men when we went out for dinner!

crawling take 2!

2009-08-15T11:53:00.003-05:00

I have been asked many times this week if I would put a longer video of Ben crawling on, and so here we go. We took it last week but the internet has been playing up so we haven't got it on until now! Enjoy!

A new church..

2009-08-15T11:49:00.003-05:00

However not one we would like to see happening! The other week we were driving down past an area we used to pass each morning on the way to school but with our new house we don't pass it as often! It is now a church with maybe 200 people each Sunday standing on the street but it is a church to the saint of death. This is something that is really taking a hold here in Mexico and we would ask for your prayers for everyone who works here within the churches as satan is real, and is tightening his grip here in Mexico! Before we left this church did not exsit and now has many followers! We were only away for 8 months! How quickly things can change!!!!

Gary and Rhonda..

2009-08-15T11:47:00.003-05:00

As most of you know Gary was here at the same time as us! He now is married and him and his lovely wife are coming to visit at the end of the month! We are so excited about seeing them! Please pray that this time will be special for them both.

Joe..

2009-08-15T11:37:00.003-05:00

During cross training we met Joe, we already knew of him as Jonny had been emailing him for some months now about coming to Mexico for an Extreme Walk programme. He has now been in Mexico for 3 weeks. He is staying with us this weekend which is good to catch up again! Jonny went with Andrew and Carol a few weeks ago to met the family he would be staying with for the next wee while! They were very welcoming and had put in real effort to making Joe feel welcome! (thank you andrew and carol for the photo! )

Lenny...

2009-08-08T09:14:00.003-05:00

Lenny came here to Mexico in February and worked with OMS in church planting, English classes and anything else she was asked to do! She is heading home today, and we would ask you to pray for a safe journey as she heads home and also as she starts university!

Rain...

2009-08-08T09:11:00.004-05:00

I always thought the rain in Northern Ireland was bad until I came to Mexico, and then it took on a whole new meaning! I know from the photo you can't really see but we are now in rainy season this means that most evening it will rain. On this day our upstairs became flooded! Good thing here is it is usually still warm when it rains here!

Church..

2009-08-08T09:08:00.003-05:00

Here is a picture of my two favorite boys waiting for church to start! Ben seems a little bit serious, I think that is because this time is usually sleep time!

Women...

2009-08-08T09:02:00.006-05:00

Last Friday night I had the chance to go to a night organised by the women in the church. There are two main groups, the MOPS girls, and the Mujeres en Crecimiento (women growing in Christ). It was a great night there were games food and also time spent talking about Gods word!

A great night was had by all, they had put so much work in and by the end of the night there were maybe 40 plus women there!

Ben...

2009-08-01T11:43:00.006-05:00

We went to the doctors the other day with Ben. He changed Ben's milk and give him some medicine. He said that the infection had cleared up but that his ear drums were inflamed. He also gave him his last injection for a while. Praise God he is in alot better form and once again sleeping through the night! Thank you for your prayers.

Mentors...

2009-07-28T16:40:00.005-05:00

These are were are mentors, Rich & Anita Yoder. They looked after us while we were in cross training. Please pray for them as they continue to work within ECC.

Some pictures..

2009-07-28T16:37:00.008-05:00

This is just a few pictures from our time training in the states!

thank you...

2009-07-28T16:37:00.007-05:00

Thank you so much for your prayers over this last month, as we have been in the states we ask that you continue to pray for us as we settle back into Mexico! Ben has not been well from a double ear infection since a few days before we left. Due to some confusion we did not see the doctor today, but are going tomorrow. Please pray that we will get it sorted easily and Ben will be feeling better soon!

Speaking at OMS

2009-07-28T16:15:00.007-05:00

Each person was asked to speak about themselves at cross training, and explain to the group who they were, and a little about what we are going to do on our fields. We spoke on the last day. I have included photos of us speaking and of the whole group, including those who had the job of teaching us!

Ben...

2009-07-28T16:04:00.003-05:00

I have included this video of Ben crawling. He took off while we were in cross training! Nothing is safe now and in Mexico, where it is all tiles, I have a feeling that there are going to be a few bumps and bruises along the way!

We are back!

2009-07-27T15:49:00.002-05:00

We arrived back to our house last night around 1am! Today has been unpacking and sorting things out. When I get a chance later I will update the blog with our last few days in the USA and settling in back in Mexico.

Double ear infection..

2009-07-18T20:10:00.003-05:00

Our first week here was hard as Ben started to get up during the night and wasn't taking his naps we weren't sure what was wrong so we took him to the doctors. A double ear infection, he is now much better and is back to sleeping all night! Please pray for all the kids here over this next week for there health.

I've had enough...

2009-07-18T20:07:00.002-05:00

Well that isn't the whole truth, this is a picture of Melvin (Kelly) He is one of the people doing cross training we have know his wife sharon for a long time. He had a sore back so as a result was more comfortable on the floor but on it looks like he is on strike from the class! Please pray for his back and indeed the health of everyone taking part!

Cross training....

2009-07-18T20:01:00.002-05:00

These three weeks are all about learning! We have been here two weeks now and we have been in class from 8am to 5 pm most days. Ben is being looked after each day and is enjoying his time with the other kids. There are 18 of us in total, and 9 of whom are going to Mexico! We have been doing everything from team building exercises to sharing times. So far so good here are a few pictures we have taken along the way...

Behind with posts!

2009-07-13T20:54:00.002-05:00

Between conference and cross training we had a week so in that week we tried to get alot done! We visited lots of new places and Ben had his first 4th July! Here are a few pictures to round up that week...

This week......

2009-07-04T15:16:00.005-05:00

So this week has been filled with lots of fun things to do, so here is a round up of the week. We went to the zoo, and also a folk museum, not including meeting and seeing alot of new people.

Conference!

2009-06-26T21:11:00.005-05:00

While here in the States we had the great opportunity to be at the OMS 'Missions in the Midwest' Conference. This is a great honour for us! Jonny went on Friday night, and the rest of us on Saturday & Sunday! Here are some pictures of the kids singing while we were there. We got to meet tons of amazing people and also some folk who we haven't seen in a while. There was also a strong Norn Iron contingent!!

MOPS

2009-06-24T15:46:00.005-05:00

Due to the fact we head away in the morning we are going to miss the closing of MOPS. Please pray for this ministry! It is a great work and the girls work really hard every week to making it special.

Leaving on a jet plane...

2009-06-24T15:42:00.004-05:00

Well tomorrow morning we leave at 3am for the States! We will be there for a month, and we are going to OMS conference first! We are excited to be there, as we only have been to the OMS conference in Northern Ireland and now this is the international one. We are excited to meet alot of people who we have been emailing and been in contact but have not yet met! Then we start cross training! We are really excited to meet everyone, and there are a few families who will be there who will also be coming out to Mexico soon! Im sure we have a lot of photos over the next few weeks!

Fathers Day...

2009-06-24T15:39:00.005-05:00

On Sunday it was also Fathers Day here in Mexico! Ben was up early and made Daddy breakfast in bed (and even did the dishes!) Then off to church for this special occasion, one of the groups who meet at the church, "Ladies Growing in Christ" had tacos after church and the fathers got to eat for free! The photo is of Jonny receiving his tokens for his free food!

Exercise...

2009-06-24T15:38:00.003-05:00

Ben has a new toy, he loves being in it and playing! Here he is having some fun!

The rest of the week...

2009-06-14T21:28:00.004-05:00

It goes something like this...

Spanish, meetings, friends and trying to catch a lizard that had got into the house with a lunch box due to the fact that Jonny was out at the time! I got a picture of him, and although he doesn't look big he was very fast. With help of a friend, the little lizard was set free once more! (this time not in the house). Everyday is different here!

Internet...

2009-06-14T21:26:00.004-05:00

The internet here can be a wee bit dodgy at times, and this is one of those nights! I had a lot of posts done and lost them so bear with me as I go again. I think I will sum up the rest of the week!

Spanish...

2009-06-14T21:13:00.002-05:00

Thursday...

Is a big Spanish day for us both, and we also spent some time getting sorted for our trip to the States for cross training! We will be leaving on the 25th of June for a month. We are excited and nervous all at the same time. We are looking forward to this training to meting new people and seeing old friends! Please pray we settle in quickly when we arrive and this time we can use to really learn from OMS and their experience.

Church planting...

2009-06-14T21:11:00.003-05:00

Wednesday...

Jonny had the privilege of preaching at one of the house churches on Wednesday! We praise God that he was able to do this, and that it may speak to someone in a real and personal way!

MOPS

2009-06-14T21:06:00.003-05:00

Tuesday...

In the morning I (Julie) had my first official meeting at MOPS! Jonny and I, when we were here before, took a session on first aid! This time I was able to sit and enjoy! This week was all about hair and there were different stations set up, one for Mums for put ups, one for cutting hair and the other for learning how to make make gorgeous hair bows and clips! Fun was had by all!

This Week...

2009-06-14T21:04:00.003-05:00

Monday... we went to a gorgeous park not that far from our house. It had beautifully kept gardens and the kids all had fun. Ben nearly fell asleep in a relaxing swing! Although we left early I hear some of the big kids had fun too!

Ben is 7 months old...

2009-06-01T10:35:00.003-05:00

I really don't know where the time has gone, but Ben is now 7 months old. He is sitting up by himself and rolling around the floor (nothing is safe any more). No teeth yet, but maybe soon. He is so much fun now and throughout all the changes he has went through over the last few months, he just goes with the flow. We would just like to take the time to say a big thank you to everyone who is praying for us and also all the e-mails we recieve. We love hearing from everyone and it is a real encouragement to us.

Danielle..

2009-06-01T10:31:00.004-05:00

Danielle arrived in Mexico along with my Mum and Dad, and she will be here until the 30th June. Please pray or her as she works alongside the Mexicans here. She will be visiting all aspects of the work here and also getting more invloved in other areas, for example, English classes and church planting. She has had the opportunity already to invite many of those attending her classes to church. Please pray that God will use her to reach others for Him and that He will use this time to mould her too.

Day of the Child..

2009-06-01T10:28:00.003-05:00

The original day for this had to be cancelled due to the influenza, however on Saturday past we had a great day at the church celebrating the day of the child "Take 2." There was a young group from Mexico came and did a drama and the kids loved it, (so did the adults). There were many people at the church for the first time. Please pray that something that was said will speak to their hearts at this time.

Busy..

2009-06-01T10:22:00.003-05:00

We have really enjoyed settling back in and getting back to work! Everthing is now back to normal within the churches and so we have been busy getting back to meetings and Spanish, and also my (Julie) parents have been here. It has been great to have them here to help us settle in and also look after Ben so we can have some time to focus and prepare for our time here.

Please pray for the churches here due to the infulence many doors have opened especially to those working within the house churches. Alot of people are seeking answers, the group from our church, in which Jonny will be a part of, have seen 7 more house churches started since the start of the influenza. Please pray for this work, as they have a heavy workload and that God will give them wisdom and guidance in the coming weeks.

The work like us, is still a work in progress!

Visitors....

2009-05-13T16:43:00.003-05:00

A bit later than planned but Danielle is coming out on Saturday to work with us until the end of June! We are excited to have her, the trip was delayed by a few weeks due to the flu outbreak. Please pray for her as she settles in here and that she will gain alot from this trip.

My Mum and Dad (Julie's) are also coming!!!!! We are so excited to see them but to be honest I think they are more excited to see Ben. Please pray for all three of them as they travel, and their flights have been changed due to less people flying etc with long lay overs. Pray for their luggage and health that they will all arrive safe!

More injections!

2009-05-13T16:41:00.002-05:00

Ben has to go tonight for more injections! Due to us leaving etc we need to go back and see the doctor tonight and get back on schedule with Ben's jabs. Please pray for Ben, over these last 6 weeks there has been alot of change for him, he has adpated to everything really well and is always smiling. Please pray for these injections and that as we settle back into Mexico that God will keep His hand over him to protect him.

OMS Headquaters...

2009-05-13T16:39:00.004-05:00

We had to go to head office in order to pick up a few things, and it was really interesting to see how things are at HQ. We will be back in July for Cross Training, to learn about the mission and the different cultures etc. We are looking forward to this as there are alot of other missionaries going to this with the added bonus of a few families who will also been coming to Mexico!

In the states...

2009-05-13T16:26:00.003-05:00

Although it was all a bit rushed, and Jonny didn't meet us until four days later, it was a privelge for us to be able to go to the States for 10 days. We felt that having to travel the whole way back to Northern Ireand after having only just left, (less than 3 weeks) was very upsetting for both us and for our families. We feel refreshed from our time away and are ready to get to work now!

It was great to have been able to say goodbye to the MacKinnons. It was of course sad, they have been in Mexico for 4 years serving with their 4 children. Christian has been our field director over the past year, and we have learned alot from them.

When we arrived in Mexico with the team, which was 3 years ago, we met them briefly but it wasn't until we came back in August o7 that we really got to know them! They have been of great encouragement to us and we have learned alot from them. We will never be able to thank them for everything they have done for us!!!! They have helped us learn the ropes in Mexico and have helped us so much! We praise God for them and are excited to what God has in store for them next!

Please pray for them as they settle back into the States, Mexico is all that the kids have know most of their lives and things you and I take for granted are all new to them. It has been great to see these things through their eyes!

We are back.....

2009-05-13T16:22:00.003-05:00

We arrived back to Mexico on Monday night. Thank you for all your prayers and emails during this time it has been great to know that there have been people praying for us and thinking about us during this time. We are excited about settling into our new home and getting back to 'normal'. This week saw the schools back and also meetings within the church with all services back to normal by this sunday coming. God is really at work at this time in Mexico as many people are seeking answers. We pray that God will open many doors to us and tht we will be able to share with our neighbours and friends about Jesus!

Flu Update

2009-05-01T14:39:00.002-05:00

Here everything is still the same. The Mexican government has said that there are more deaths and more people have contracted the virus.

With Julie in the States, I am moving things little by little into our new house and catching up on some notes. Our meetings have stopped and we are more or less based at home. OMS have advised that we should plan on leaving the country for a short while due to the level of illness here and I am going to travel with Christian MacKinnon on Monday morning to go to Indiana.

It will be a good opportunity to remain for a few days and spend some time with the national church leaders. We feel it is an amazing opportunity to be here in this outbreak alongside them, serving the Saviour. Our relationship has deepened due to this and we are thankful to God for it, although they know that Julie & Ben are in the States and want us to be together as a family.

God is still moving in this situation and we praise Him that we are safe and without any illness or problems.

Thank you again for your prayers,

Your family in Christ,

Jonny, Julie & Ben!

Flu Update 3

2009-04-30T09:01:00.002-05:00

Things here remain the same in terms of the influenza situation with more cases arising and a few more deaths. However God is still working in mighty ways and we remain faithful that He is in control!

Since the WHO Alert level was raised to Level 5, we have decided that Julie & Ben will travel to Indiana, USA for a couple of weeks on the invitation of the MacKinnon family. Julie travelled up this morning with Robin and their four kids, and Christian & I will stay on the field.

Although this is a stressful time, we are still in good spirits and will keep everyone informed of our situation, and prayer points as things develop!

We really appreciate your prayers as we continue to stand beside our brothers and sisters in the national church.

Flu Update 2

2009-04-29T11:18:00.002-05:00

Just to keep everyone updated in terms of the flu outbreak in Mexico.

1. Pray for us as we continue to be in good health and spirits. God is faithful and we have been staying with the MacKinnon family and it has been a blessing to spend time with the kids and rest.

2. We are still following the government, WHO, CDC and our embassy's recommendations for prevention of Influenza.

3. Continue to pray for Ben. It has been a real answer to prayer that he is no sleeping through the night again, and is in amazing good form! He's loving all the attention!!

4. Pray for the leadership of OMS both here in Mexico, and in USHQ as they make decisions regarding protocols for the outbreak. We trust them impeccably and they have been amazing in keeping us updated.

Thank you again for your prayers, we feel so blessed and encouraged to know that we are being covered in your prayers before the Lord!

Lots of Love,

Jonny, Julie & Ben!!

Swine Flu Update

2009-04-27T10:45:00.002-05:00

We just wanted to let everyone know that we are all fine and well and are taking the advised precautions. We understand that this affects more than just us, and we appreciate your thoughts and prayers at this time.

We continue to have faith that God is in control and He is using this situation for His glory. We talked to a pastor yesterday and they had a meeting were 35 people came to the Lord. Many people are afraid and are turning to Christians for advice. We had a neighbour arrive yesterday asking for a Bible to read. We praise God that "He never leaves us nor forsakes us."

Please continue to pray for missionaries, for health and for wisdom. We'll keep you updated.

Jonny, Julie & Ben

Starting Again...

2009-04-21T09:10:00.003-05:00

As we are readjusting to everything here in Mexico we would ask for your prayers...

1. We have started back to Spanish this week. Pray that we get back into the swing of things!
2. Ben has met the doctor and has to go back to get a few more injections and to get checked out. 3. We are moving into our new house in the next few weeks.
4. The altitude and the heat are all very different for us.

Please pray for our health and that we will settle quickly and make new friends at our church and that our Spanish will continue to improve! We really appreciate your prayers and God continues to answer them! We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts!! May God bless you as you serve Him!

Birthday party!!!!

2009-04-21T09:03:00.006-05:00

Esteban & Joshie in centre, the Birthday Boys!

It was Joshua's birthday this week, and we all got together on Sunday after church for the party! He had his birthday party along with Esteban (the son of our pastor and his wife). They were both 6. It was great fun and I think there was over a 100 people there. This was Ben's first Mexican party, and so he was introduced to a pinata! Just as the party was finishing it started to rain and then there was a hail storm! We couldn't believe it as it has been so warm since we arrived. It didnt stop everyone from having a great day!

Away to retreat....

2009-04-17T16:32:00.001-05:00

We had a great opportunity this week to go away on the national church retreat and relax alongside the pastors and church planters who serve God here in Mexico. We had a great time in sessions as well with David Harriman an evangelist for the Francis Asbury Society. He also stayed with us and it was great to get to know him.

There was plenty of opportunuty to refresh our language, our love of the Mexican food, and to get to meet the people who really shaped us the last time we were here! Ben had a great time sleeping by the pool!

Sunday!

2009-04-17T16:25:00.002-05:00

We were at church in the morning, followed by a lovely lunch (thank you Jonny) it was great to met some new friends and also some old friends! This is our new Pastor, Alexis, and his wife Alicia, and also their three amazing kids, Esteban, Dan, and Andrea. Please keep them in your prayer as we serve the Lord together in Mexico.

Baptism....

2009-04-17T15:57:00.002-05:00

On Saturday, we went to a water park with our local house churches for a Baptism! It was a great day and there were 12 people baptised. It was a great day of fun and fellowship, and it was a good way for us to get our Spanish dusted off! Praise God for the work He is doing in these house churches, and the growth that is taking place!

Easter Party

2009-04-17T15:55:00.004-05:00

On Thursday we had the opporunity to catch up with all our fellow missionaries and of course all the kids! We had an Easter party, with the famous bunny cake! It was great for everyone to be able to met Ben and he loved all the attention!

We Arrived....

2009-04-17T15:49:00.004-05:00

5 cases, 3 hand lugages and a pram! When we arrived in Belfast airport we met up with our family and we decided to check in (a big thank you to Andy for taking all our luggage to the airport in his van!) The airline management were not happy with us not having return tickets and therefore we had to buy them there and then to return home! We can get them changed at a later date at a cost but it did delay things a bit. We finally got onto the plane after some tearful goodbyes but we were delayed for an hour due to some problems on the plane!

We got to New York and were at the far end of the airport, and we were in a hurry due to the wait in customs and also our delay! However when we arrived our next plane was then delayed by an hour! We couldn't get in touch with our friends in Mexico to let them know!

Thankfully we arrived around 11pm, which is 5am in the morning Ballymena time! The MacKinnons came to collect us, and it was great to have some friendly faces to pick us up!

Were did the time go!

2009-04-17T15:47:00.003-05:00

We have been in Mexico a week now! It is hard for us to believe, so much has happened in that time. We are sorry it has taken us so long to up date but we have not had a minute. We will attempt to update you on what has been happening!

Short Termer...Danielle

2009-04-05T16:57:00.003-05:00

This is Danielle Bickerstaff and she will be coming to the field to live with us from the end of April for a couple of months. We are really excited for Danielle as she comes out and serves on the Mexico field. Please pray for her travel, language learning, and that she will hit the ground running as she serves God in Mexico.

Noah's Ark...

2009-03-26T14:49:00.002-06:00

Ben and I went to the Mothers and Toddlers for the first time today! we had good fun and met lots of few people. We also got the chance to say goodbye to alot of people! We will miss them but have told everyone there is always room for them to come and visit in Mexico!

1,2,3,4 kids!!!!!

2009-03-26T14:47:00.002-06:00

On Tuesday I (Julie) said goodbye to some of the girls from work. Between us we had 4 children so we decided it would be great to try and get a photos of us all to have and then in the future we can all laugh about it and see how everyone has grown! As you can see it was hard to get evryone looking at the camera at the same time!

sorry a bit mixed up with my dates....

2009-03-26T14:44:00.002-06:00

We spent a lovely Saturday with Craig, Christine & Jackson. Ben was with his Granny Pollock for some visiting. That night we had dinner together and thought it would be fun to get some photos of the cousins together before we left! Some of the photos were comical!!

Meetings...

2009-03-26T14:42:00.002-06:00

Monday night ended our meetings in Northern Ireland, I (Julie) had the chance to speak at a womens meeting, where Soild ground were singing. It was great to share with them about Mexico and also to ask for their prayers at this time as we pack up to leave!

2 shut and 2 more to go....

2009-03-26T14:38:00.003-06:00

Cases!!!!!

Rachel who we have talked about on many a post is the best case packer ever! Im not sure how she gets it all in and it is perfect on weight, but she does, and thanks you her we have two cases sorted and shut! Please pray for us as we collect our things together and we will have the wisdom to know what to bring and what not. As we transfer in Newark our luggage will have to change carsoles, so please pray we wil be able to get this all sorted with Ben and all of our other luggage and that it all arrives safely!

Mothers Day.....

2009-03-26T14:36:00.001-06:00

On Sunday it was Julies' first Mothers Day. Breakfast in bed was the first of many little treats of the day. Ben pulled out all the stops for the big day!! It all got a bit much though and all his hard work ended in a well earned lie down!

Busy times.....

2009-03-26T14:35:00.002-06:00

We are going to try and attempt to put into words what has been going on over these last few days/week so bear with us!

Baby Massage...

2009-03-11T11:05:00.002-06:00

Last week Julie and Ben started Baby Massage classes. His first class had to be cut short as Ben had to get his last injections before going to Mexico, but as you can see from the picture it is a very relaxing time!!

Leaving on a jet plane...

2009-03-11T10:56:00.002-06:00

Today we booked our tickets to return to Mexico. We still have a bit of funding to come through (around 20%) but God has been so continually good to us, we are walking by faith in Him. Since January we have been able to clearly see God's hand in this, even in the midst of financial crisis in N. Ireland, He has provided for us in everyway. So on the 8th April 2009 we are heading back to Mexico, to rejoin God's work there and we seek to glorify Him in all we do.

Please pray for the following:

1. That we would be continually holy unto the Lord in our walk with Him.

2. Safe travelling and that we would adapt quickly to life in Mexico, especially with Ben.

3. For the difficult goodbyes that are ahead of us.

4. For the last remaining part of our funding to come in before we go, so we can focus solely on God.

Wirsdom Teeth...

2009-03-11T10:50:00.002-06:00

This week Julie had a wisdom tooth removed. It was very sore, but recovery was fine and means that Julie can't talk or eat too much! (Julie - "not always a bad thing!")

Ballee Baptist Missionary Conference...

2009-03-02T10:10:00.002-06:00

As we have said we had two missionary conferences this weekend, and we divided our time between OMS and our home church's conferences. It was amazing to chat to so many brothers & sisters in Christ in our church. We were so very encouraged by everyone who has given time, money, and more importantly prayers to support us in our service for God in Mexico.

OMS Conference...

2009-03-02T10:05:00.002-06:00

Last weekend was the OMS annual conference in Newcastle. We had a chance to listen to some amazing reports from God's work all throughout the world and meet people who we had been praying for and had been praying for us! We always get really excited at these weekends, although we could only be there for part of it, due to being at our own church's missionary conference.

Home from Home...

2009-03-02T09:55:00.002-06:00

This week we went away with Mark & Rachel to a little cottage in Omagh for Julie's birthday. It was an amazing time and Ben really loved having two extra people to play with! Mark & Rachel have been so amazing to us as friends and we praise God for bringing them into our lives!

Pancakes anyone...?

2009-03-02T09:49:00.003-06:00

Last Tuesday we were invited to a coffee morning to raise awareness and support for God's work in Mexico. It was an amazing time and as it fell on Shrove Tuesday we had lovely pancakes made to order!

Julie's Birthday...

2009-03-02T09:45:00.002-06:00

Last week we celebrated Julie's birthday, and her first as a Mummy! It was an excellent time and we had a family party on Sunday night after church, and then on her birthday we had a pamper day in Belfast!