Have you ever read a story to a little child? If you have, then you know that “reading a story” usually means reading it 3 or 4 times in a row before the child gets tired of hearing it. And of course, inevitably, the child will be asking to hear it again in another few hours. As adults, it boggles our mind how children can listen to the same story over and over again with such enthusiasm—as if each time hearing it is the first time. We tend to like to keep our lives moving, and too much repetition can get boring.

Many of us have been raised in Christian homes. We’ve grown up hearing about the Bible, and going to church on Sunday is just something we get used to doing. We can recite the Lord’s Prayer or John 3:16Psalm 122:1, King David says “I rejoiced with those who said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord.” Do we always feel that joy about worshiping the Lord…or is God’s Word getting old and repetitious too? After all, God’s story hasn’t changed at all—it’s the same promise of love and forgiveness that we have always heard. Sometimes we might get tired of hearing the same story over again, and we might even start to take the wonderful blessings of faith and worshiping God for granted. To help renew our joy about worship, it is helpful to witness the excitement of newly baptized Christians. Sharing in their enthusiasm about their faith and their happiness about being a part of God’s family can encourage us and remind us that we too have a reason to worship and rejoice. without blinking an eye. In

For the past two years, I have been living in Taichung, Taiwan, working with the WELS mission team here by teaching adult English classes. Some of these adult students are already baptized members of our mission church, and some have never learned anything about the Bible. It has been a very humbling opportunity to share my faith with these wonderful people. Recently, two of our students were baptized—one on Christmas Day, and one shortly after New Year’s. It was a very exciting time for both of them, and they each have a special story that can encourage us as “old” Christians how much we can rejoice in being called a child of God.

The student who was baptized on Christmas Day, a young married woman, is our “oldest” English student; not in age, but in that she has been coming to English classes since the first year of the program 8 years ago. Her younger sister, also an English student, had already been baptized a few years ago. Finally, this past year, the student confessed her faith and expressed her wish to be baptized at the Christmas celebration. Since then, she has been faithfully attending worship services. The sisters are not afraid to admit that, years ago, they were not very close to each other, and they rarely—if ever—said “I love you.” Now, however, they are very close, and they don’t hesitate to give each other hugs and say “I love you.” Both of the sisters are very kind and thoughtful, and they are wonderful witnesses for their friends in English class who are not yet believers in Christ.

The other recently baptized student is a young man who just started attending English classes a couple years ago. Before the summer break last year, he suddenly seemed to be very interested in coming to more classes and learning more about Jesus. He began attending worship services faithfully throughout the summer and fall, and he was baptized this year in the first week of January. He can frequently be found at church helping to clean or set up for classes, and he is very excited to witness to the other students in his class. The Holy Spirit has used him to bring several new faces through the church doors.

Hearing the story of these new Christians can give us encouragement in our own walks of faith. It’s true that reading and rereading a story to a child can start to feel repetitive for us. We can’t let hearing God’s Word get old–our faith is too important to be taken for granted. And even though God’s story hasn’t changed, OUR story does. We constantly have new blessings in our lives to thank him for, and new troubles in our lives to seek his guidance for. What a comfort it is to know that in the midst of changes in our lives, we have a God who never changes, who promises that he will never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). What a tremendous honor that WE are children of God—what a reason to rejoice!

“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.” Psalm 143:8

The verse above was shared with me by my parents when I was going through some tough times. It is a constant reminder for me to remember who is always in control. However, this verse not only encourages me during times of strife, but also makes me think a lot about mission work.

If you were to ask a Christian who they would put their trust in hopefully the response would be God, along with probably family and friends. If you’d ask a non-Christian who they would trust they would probably say that they would trust a doctor for medical advice, and maybe family and friends for everyday advise. In mission work, as in everyday witnessing, it is important to build relationships with others, so they can trust you and then hopefully the message that you share. Although it is impossible for me to adopt every non-Christian Taiwanese person into my family, it is not impossible for me to be a friend to those I meet. I want people to be able to trust me. I want them to know that I care about them, but that there is someone who cares even more than I do.

In life we tend to get advice from those we trust and also usually those older than us. I come at a slight disadvantage being a mere 23 year old. However, the Lord has given me a number of doors and windows to jump through during my eight months here in Taiwan. He has used my age and my personality to form some very memorable connections.

I teach a class once a week at a local community center. I have gotten very close with a number of individuals there. The Chinese culture is very giving. Often times I will get many things that I don’t ask for. If someone finds out I’m sick, I’ll get garlic and brown sugar to make a special drink. I believe that it is always important to graciously except things. I find that close relationships are built when people feel like you need them. If you are open with people and maybe share some small frustrations, I believe that this makes you a bit more personable. They know that things aren’t always easy for you, that you are human and need help too. At the beginning of my time here, I shared my difficulty in learning Chinese with one of my community center students. The following week she provided me with a book and tape that her son had used when he was younger. From then on, we have had a pretty close relationship, one that is becoming stronger and more trustworthy.

Another way of building connections that I have used is the tactic of humor to ease into a friendship. I can’t dance, but every weekday it is rumored that I can be seen flinging my arms in the air and spinning uncontrollably with a group of women at the community center. One of my students wanted to give a dancing class a shot, and my curiosity took the best of me. I joined the group with my student. Even though dancing would be on the list of “Things I do the worst” it has been a joyful experience. It not only has brought me close to the student I dance with but to the others in class.

I have begun to talk more openly with my new friends about my Savior and his love for us. I pray for my friends here because I know that it is not me that can work faith in their hearts but the Holy Spirit. I realize that when my time comes to leave I might not have seen these friends of mine become a Christian; however, I want to keep praying for them and sharing the love of Christ with them.

One of the things I greatly love about Psalm 143:8 is how the psalmist, David, writes “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love…” We trust God because of his love that he has bestowed on us each and everyday. He sent his one and only son to die for us and he asks us to love others as he has loved us. Everyday when we rise, his love is on us.

My fear is that one day the people that I have become close to will learn that like all people I can’t fully be trusted. However, my pray is that my new friends will take comfort in the one that will never let them down and will, like David, lift up their soul to Him.

We’ve lived in Mexico now for about eight years (technically, Mike’s been here 8 and I’ve been here 7 and 1/2, but that’s another story). We’ve spent our entire life as a married couple in Mexico. Now we’re raising a family here. Along the way, we’ve come to love many things about the life here. By far, our first love is the people.

But there are many other great things about Mexico. Among them is top-notch food. Here are a few of our favorites, in no particular order.

1. Salsa! The hotter, the better.

2. Rice and beans – this simple dish has become our family’s version of “mac and cheese.” Rice and beans are very inexpensive – one meal for us costs less than a dollar, and is oh-so-yummy!

3. Three-milk cake: this rich, moist dessert is a standard treat at most parties and celebrations.

4. Mexican hamburgers: these begin with a simple burger, and then add ham, cheese, avacado, lettuce, tomato, mustard, mayo, ketchup, bacon, and the topper – pineapple!

5. Tacos, of course! My favorite is a “gringa,” which often gets a laugh when I order it, because besides referring to a food, “gringa” also translates as “American girl” (which I am). A gringa is usually like a quesadilla with pork and cheese, although it varies throughout the country.

I could include quite a few more. As we continue to live here and try new things, we keep adding foods to our list. For a few of the exotic foods we’ve tried, see here.

And feel free to e-mail me your questions about Mexico at rachelmhartman@gmail.com

I’m still gathering questions, and will post them in the following weeks. So send away!

Before we said farewell and Godspeed to the young men and women of Project Timothy 2007, I asked them two questions:

“What was your biggest surprise about the Dominican Republic?”

• The garbage
• The living conditions weren’t as bad as I thought they were going to be
• How friendly everyone was
• How open / welcoming everyone was – even complete strangers

“What was your favorite part of the trip?”

• Teaching the Bible stories
• Teaching the children
• All of it

On an island where the great majority of visitors go straight from the airport to the endless number of all-inclusive beach front resorts to be pampered and served, how refreshing that these young Christians found their joy in serving others. Motivated by Christ’s love for them, their delight was to share the story of Jesus and his love with little children.

Join us in thanking God for their service!

Now as the missionaries and Dominican members’ work continues, pray for the Lord’s blessings as we try to follow-up on the contacts that were made so that we can *CONTINUE* to share the life-saving gospel with many more souls.

The Lord bless you with his Peace,
NW

The air is festive in Torreón. Streets are being revamped, special concerts have been held, displays are set up in parks – all to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Torreón.

The city began as a railroad stop in 1907. Today, Torreón is a thriving area with a strong economy. Yet it is built in a very dry, hot region. We recently surpassed 100F as a high for eight straight days. Laguneros (as people from around here are called) are proud of their city. They boast its reputation as “the city that conquered the desert.”

Even though it is celebrating 100 years, Torreón is a young city in Mexico. Many colonial towns have been around for 400-500 years. Add in the Aztec and Mayan societies, and you’ll find parts of Mexico that date much, much further back. The fact that a 100-year old city is considered “young” shows how extense Mexico’s history is.