News Letter in ASL

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Despierta Mujer!

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From May 28-June 1, I (Spring) went with a team to  Monte María.  

I went with my mentor Shirley Hackman and her husband Joel.  

 We were able to spend some time with some awesome women from the church.  We met in the airport.  I was very nervous! I hadn't spoken spanish in a long time and I know my grammar isn't what it should be.  In the airport, Shirley helped dissipate the nervousness by admitting what we all felt.. we are worried about how we sound. As we all tried to communicate (some people accomplishing more than others) it formed a bond of commonness. (Joel btw does speak excellent Spanish, I am referring to the rest of the women in the group :) )

  We respectively tried out our Spanish or English.  We smiled, nodded and waited. We formed bonds of mutual trust and excitement.

Friday night we got together to "teach" the Mexican women to make pies.  The funniest thing to me is it was my first time as well.  Beth and Rhoda from Perkiomenville Mennonite did an excellent job of directing and helping.  I mostly read the back of the pumpkin pie can!  The pies tasted well and fun was had all around! 

We spend the next two days at a women's meeting.  If you want to see more (and better pictures than I took) look here: http://www.montemaria.mx/eventos.php?e=congreso-de-mujeres-31-05-2015.  I have to admit this was the first time ever I've felt like royalty!  These women did such a good job serving and helping.  It is awesome to see someone function in their calling. Beyond that it is great to come along and encourage them.  What you have is valuable, what God has called you to is important, you have something to offer!  I am not in this position often and it was humbling.  

The theme of the retreat was surrounded around Deborah and her calling to wake up!  What a call it is on each and every person's life.  I saw the pastors and really every woman serving the congresso call these women to a place of realizing their own value.  

One last side note, I stayed in the church guest house.  I was able to meet and stay with one of the speakers.  She brought her intercessor who is also an excellent cook!   Fatima would not even let me wash the dishes after breakfast :)  What a huge blessing.  

A life of service

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While dropping off a meal for a friend, her son was insistent on giving me 50 cents towards us going to Belize.  I was blown away.  Here is a child who has a mother struggling with cancer and he wanted to bless us!  What a call to service that was.  For me it was a reminder that all I have is "good enough" to bless someone else. 

It was also a reminder to give even when it "hurts" or when I am hurting.  Being a blessing to others is a lifetime calling.  I hope I am able to serve in the way this woman's son did.  May it deepen the call in our own lives.

Last week we finished school.  The children (and I) are delighted!  :)  Now on to packing, organizing and repairing! 

Spring

We're Leaving on a Jet Plane!

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AN UPDATE FROM 

The Davis Family
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Thank you for your continued prayers and support over the past 2 years. We have officially been given the “Go ahead” by EMM, Hopewell and the community in Belize to serve for a one-year term in Orange Walk Town City, starting in August 2015. Yes, that is only 2 months away!


We Praise God for his timing and work! We are glad to have spent this extra time in preparation for what lies ahead. It is difficult to briefly describe the growth and development our family experienced over the last 9 months.


Some things that happened in our family: 
• Abigail and Selah were baptized at Hopewell in February.
• Abigail, Selah, Zion and Zephaniah have enjoyed deepening relationships in choir and viola.
• Nathanael was able to work toward his BA in Interpreting.
• Spring has started parenting classes and is working on family relations.
• We have been blessed staying with Spring's parents.
• Hopewell Christian Fellowship, our home church, has taken a more active roll in the mission.


Thank You
for being our community, as we go, we ask for you to connect with us through our blog, Facebook, Instagram, phone calls and video chats (Skype, Google Hangouts, or Glide). Feel free to ask us more intimate questions about our transition; we love sharing the story of how God is moving in and through our lives.


Please Pray For Us
As we prepare to transition as a family to Belize. For those supporting us, thank you, your sustaining gifts are allowing us to walk out God’s calling in our lives to touch a community in desperate need of hope. If you’re not currently a monthly supporter, would you consider a new commitment of supporting us monthly, to bring our finances to 100% and help us prepare for our next commitment? If you would like more information about financial support:


How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” – Romans 10:14-15

Not just skin deep

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One of our children recently said something that horrified me to the core.  As we walked past an African American Muslim family, it was belted out "I don't like black people" 

I was in utter shock. 

This child lives with my brother, has friends in choir of different races; and had a nanny from Guiana. 

This extremely embarrassing moment has lead me to explore.  What makes us afraid?  What makes me think I don't like someone?  How can I help my children be aware of their own biases.

In a country and world where you can still get killed for the color of your skin, I feel it is necessary to work toward a different understanding for all of my children.

I am not sure that I've fully convinced this child that their "convictions" are wrong.  I hope the process of learning and growing develops something new in them. I want to continue to allow them to see people that are different from them.  I want them to taste different foods, to sit at other's tables. It is my prayer that fear and dislike would turn into a curiosity, and desire to learn. 

Although I still wish this didn't happen, I have am thankful that we are able to learn, expose our children to differences, and in the process change opinions. 

We should not fear our biases, but recognize when they are there and work toward loving the way Christ loved us.

fully mama and fully human,
Spring

Culture Shock?

Nathanael and the children were able to visit the International Spring Festival at North Penn High School.

 

This is a far cry from how they will experience culture when we go to Belize.  That being said, we feel it's very important to expose them to different people and ways of thinking.  We have not yet gotten them past saying "yuck" to a dinner they are not fond of. 

 

They still will experience culture shock, but hopefully we've done some things to prep them beforehand.

 

 

This weekend I had an extraordinary time at MidAtlantic Deaf Men's Retreat (MADMR) at camp Hebron near Harrisburg PA. This is the second year I have attended. I had a great time fellowshiping with over 90 men, most of whom where Deaf. Noah Bucholz the guest speaker for the weekend presented on apologetics. I learned so much about Deaf ministry from these anointed and adept Godly men.

Some of the men I met last year. Others I knew from Philly Deaf Church in South Philadelphia, Connecting Deaf Fellowship located outside of Norriston and First Deaf Mennonite in Lancaster County. There was many new faces and it was great to meet most of them. I felt very welcomed as we chatted well into the night about language, ministry, being men and life in general. I am blessed to have met so many great Deaf ministry roll models and glean from their vast wisdom.

Noah Bucholz got his undergraduate degree from Wheaton College and his Masters of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. Noah is one of the most dynamic Christian Deaf speakers I have ever seen. He presented on apologetics that the Deaf men may be faced with. Some of these where evidence of Young Earth Creationism, the validity of the gospels and proof that Jesus is God. It was amazing.

“Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant(Exodus 4:10).” The most valuable thing I learned this weekend was how to do Deaf ministry. Often I understand how Moses felt when he asked I AM to send someone else who had better speech. Here I am trying to be a missionary to Deaf in a foreign land and sometimes I can't even understand the Deaf around me let alone trying to minister to them. It was wonderful to see how Deaf do Deaf ministry. I learned so much about Deaf Worship, Deaf preaching and Deaf mobilization.

I can not fully express the richness I gained this weekend. I was thankful, honored and blessed to be part of something so actuated by God. I have grown and gained so much knowledge from this experience.