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Mexicali Cohort
“The spiritual life is
not an escape from reality, but an absolute commitment to it.”
Peter Scazzero, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality
On-Line Class Inspires
Students in Mexicali
We
have almost completed the third cohort with our on-line class in Spiritual
Formation. This group of 24 students is
from Northern Baja, and had their orientation at the end of January in
Mexicali, Mexico.
Here
is a poem by a young man named Carlos about his understanding of prayer after
he spent time in silence with God: “Prayer is more than asking, more than
giving thanks and saying words. To pray
is a waltz. It is a merging with the
Holy Spirit and God. To pray is intimacy, discovering joy step by step. To pray is to love and to feel loved, to
always be with Christ. This is prayer.”
Brazil
and Bolivia will be the locations for our next international cohorts as the
Masters of Theological Studies in Spanish enters its second year this fall.
Member Care at
International Ministries
In
February, we conducted a personnel satisfaction survey for domestic and global
workers at IM. The purpose of the survey
was to create a baseline to begin to evaluate how staff and missionaries
perceive member care at IM. What is the
organization doing well? What are the
growing edges? Are there areas where IM
needs vast improvement? We’re part of a
small team whose purpose is to help IM develop best practices and policies for
member care. Our goal is to develop a comprehensive
Member Care policy that provides holistic needs of all IM personnel. Our role specifically is to address the areas
of spiritual care & renewal.
Update on Joyce’s Health
Thank
you so much for all your prayers on Joyce’s behalf! It’s now been 2 ½ months since her surgery
and she feels great. Her energy is
returning, and she seems to have no dietary issues. She has decided to remain gluten free. The surgery did trigger some lower back
issues, so she is going to visit a physical therapist next week. And she sees her gastroenterologist the first
of April to determine when she needs a follow-up colonoscopy. We truly believe your prayers have assisted
in her rapid healing—not only physically, but also emotionally and
spiritually. Thank you for praying for a
miracle!
We’re Moving!
Due
to Joyce’s health challenges, we are going to remain in the United States for
now. However, since we’re Regional
Missionaries, this won’t greatly impact our work or slow us down at all! In the middle of May our plan is to move to the
Phoenix, AZ area. Not only will this bring
us closer to David’s family (his dad has been struggling with health issues),
but also allow us to spend less money on trips to Latin America. Flying in and out of Phoenix will be less
expensive than Philadelphia for our international travel. Initially we will be staying with family
while we look for a place to live.
Aaron
is also moving to AZ! He is going to
serve with the AZ Conservation Corp in Flagstaff, AZ from mid-April to
mid-September. It’s been his desire to
relocate to Flagstaff for some time, so he hopes to find another job in that
area when this one ends.
Ian
recently moved from El Segundo, CA to a new apartment in Santa Monica. It seems to be a theme in all our lives
lately! He is busy at SpaceX sending
rockets into infinity and beyond.
How to Pray for Us
--For
our Mexicali students as they wind up this class and prepare to write their
final papers.
--Scholarships
for all the students in the program. Palmer and IM are already underwriting
this program, but each student still needs to pay $150 per class. While that doesn’t seem like much to you or
me, to students in other countries it can be equal to their entire monthly
salary. If you would like to sponsor a
student, or provide funds for an entire cohort, please let us know.
--That
all the details of our move (including finances) would come together: packing,
U-haul rental, driving across the country, finding a place to live, etc.
--Joyce’s
body would continue to return to 100% health.
That whatever illness attacked her colon was totally taken care of by
the surgery, so that she can resume international travel with David.
The
season of Lent is an opportunity for each one of us to fall into the mystery of
what it means to journey towards Passion: the Passover Supper, the Garden of
Gethsemane, the Trial before Pilate, the Crucifixion, the Silence of Saturday,
and the Empty Tomb. May your heart be
renewed. May God’s grace sustain you.
In
Christ’s Love,
David
and Joyce