mexico

Our journey south was an adventure and challenge for us all... weaving our way through various methods of transportation, new social interactions, and several cities. And yet wherever we found ourselves... in minivans, trains, buses, shuttles, escalators, airplanes, and "big big gray vans", we felt God going before us and that was so very humbling. Thank you so much to any and all of you who were praying.

We found ourselves without a vehicle to take to Chicago on January 4 when our auto mechanic informed us that our van's tires were not fit to make the drive. We headed north nonetheless in a borrowed van, thanks to Jim & Marlene, placed it securely in O'Hare's Lot G, and flew to Atlanta that evening. It was a short night, and the kids shared a double bed which was an all-around new experience, and overall not a very peaceful night, but we sort of slept. The next morning we flew to Guadalajara and arrived in Ixtlan in time for church.

Once there, we found our way into an enjoyable schedule, reconnecting with friends, visiting people, playdates, lots of tacos, and about the same amount of coffee. The kids were unbelievably flexible, which made the trip so much more fun. We spent a day in Zamora visiting the market, fabric stores, and the hospital where Ivory was born. I realized once there that much of her curiosity surrounding "her hospital" was actually more related to the birthing process itself. Our visit to Clinica San Agustin was brief, but my deep gratefulness to God continues... I realized there, once again, how incredibly faithful He was during that time and still is to this day.

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By the time we made it back to GDL for our flight to Atlanta, we were ready to be heading home again. Our 20 hours in Atlanta were spent with Matt & Dana Knapp and family - a tremendous blessing, and we were so thankful for their hospitality. Our night there was much more peaceful than our previous night in Atlanta a week earlier.

We flew back to Chicago and then headed straight for St. Louis to spend the weekend helping Matt & Kim do some work on their new house before Grant started his new job. More details on those events in future blog posts.

Our trip was blessed and there was much, much grace available to us... God was so good. We experienced beautiful hospitality and fellowship on both sides of the border... a testimony to His work in the lives of His people.

I came home inspired... and so much more aware, as always of God's faithfulness.

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