a journey to the well

This weekend marked a HUGE first for the ministry of El Pozo. Our friend Elsa got baptized on Saturday, becoming the first student in the ministry to get baptized. Elsa was raised Catholic but, like many Mexicans, it didn't mean a lot to her. She got involved with the ministry a year ago, and slowly overcame her dislike of gringos. (She's from Cancun - her only impression until a year ago was that gringos were drunk, rude, and always in a "vacation" mindset.) She accepted Christ two weeks ago, and spent the time since telling her parents, best friend, and others important to her about her decision to be baptized. Her passion was amazing, and her best friend (a strict Catholic) was persuaded to come in from Mexico City (about two hours away) for the event.

She was baptized along with 23 others at "Aguas de la Vida" ("Waters of Life"), a retreat center outside of Puebla. The other 23 are all active members of Torre Fuerte ("Strong Tower"), which is the church we all attend. The senior pastor allowed Nathan, the head of the staff at El Pozo, to baptize Elsa even though it was a Torre Fuerte ceremony. So, we got there at 10, found out the event would be about two hours later than we were told, and spent the morning talking and playing games. Finally, we all gathered around the swimming pool and heard the brief testimonies of the 24 people to be baptized. Elsa was toward the end of the line, but our excitement didn't fade - after Nathan baptized her, she was met with the claps, cheers, and hugs of all of us. Afterwards, we had a huge "birthday party" for Elsa at the house, including a birthday cake and a huge pinata.

Life here has, otherwise, been fairly uneventful. School is a challenge, but I feel like I'm actually at least able to convey some of my ideas and my sense of humor in Spanish. It's very frustrating to make a joke and see it fall flat because I don't said something wrong; laughter when I try to be funny is such great encouragement to keep trying to talk in Spanish. The people here are so patient, and our friends will even offer advice and suggestions at the end of meeting together, telling us ways that we can improve. Very cool.

Some big prayer requests right now are:
- Elsa's mom accepting her decision to be baptized... at the moment they aren't talking, but Elsa is confident her mom will let it go in a few days or weeks.
- Language partners... I went to an English class and found 16 Mexicans interested in practicing English and helping us with Spanish. Pray that they are willing to meet with us and get to know us
- Student leaders at El Pozo... Elsa's baptism has "started a fire" among the leaders. A couple are considering baptism, and four are considering a summer mission trip to Africa.
- Missing family and friends... all 10 of us are starting to miss home some. Pray that we could keep our heads and hearts here, seeking to love on the Mexicans we meet.

Here are some pictures from yesterday's festivities:

This is me with two of my friends, Jackie and Ivette, waiting for Elsa's baptism. Jackie is from the States, but studying at UDLA for a year. She has quickly become a friend and active part of El Pozo. Ivette is a student leader at El Pozo and Elsa'a roommate.


This is Nate and Elsa during the baptism. Nate's a pretty mellow guy, but he was smiling most of the day yesterday.


This is a group of staff and student leaders from El Pozo after the baptism. From left to right: Sarah (staff), Ivette, David, Elsa, Alex, and Nate

posted by Audrey @ 7:07 PM