Updates

Okay so I still don't have any pictures but here is another update...

-Elias and I are starting English classes next week April 9th. They will be Wednesday and Fridays children from 3-5pm and adults from 5-7pm and 2 hours of tutoring sessions on Saturday mornings. We passed out flyers and are starting to take sign-ups. Saturday will be our biggest sign-up day so we'll see how it goes. We would like to use it as an outreach to the community. This way we can meet new people and share the gospel with them. You can be praying for us that God would be leading us in the direction He wants us to go.

-I am flying in to Boise late Friday night on May 2nd and will be there until Friday morning May 9th. Hopefully I'll get to see many of you at church and/or for lunch!

-I FINALLY received my FM3 from the Mexican government (my permission to stay here as Elias' wife) just to find out that I now have to get permission to leave the country...so we're going to try to get that worked out ASAP since I already have my plane ticket! Please pray that this part will go smoothly. I'm pretty discouraged about it. Nothing is easy here.

-Toby is doing well and growing yet again! He sleeps all day and eats a ton!

-Elias is doing well. Working hard and helping me with starting the English classes. He is preaching again at church this evening. (The church meets every Thursday for a midweek Biblestudy and Elias has been preaching most Thursdays lately.)

-Saturday we are presenting a mini-drama at a rural church with the youth from churches in our area. Please pray for us and for those who will watch the drama. It will be an outreach event.

-Our church is in the process of buying the property that we now rent. The owners are working out a price so please be praying for this process and the resources to purchase the property. It is a large piece of property smack in the middle of downtown can't get any more central. The owners are NOT Christians but by the work of God they have decided that although the property is not for sale AND the government has already offered them a good sum of money for it they ONLY want to sell it to US! There are also plans to build a children's home on the property if the church is able to purchase it. We would appreciate your prayers for all of this.

-One more prayer request...there is a town near the trout farm "Plan Grande" (Big Plan) that has recently been totally evacuated from their homes. (The government is worried about the possibility of a landslide in the area due to a new road that was being constructed without first testing the area and the hillside) They are living in some large warehouses in Agua Blanca. Men, Women, Children, Elderly. They are getting some government assistance and the local churches are gathering food to donate for them. Elias and I visited today to see what other possibility of help we might be able to provide. The place is pretty dry and hot and not much for the kids to do. One elderly lady was telling us she was so tired of the kids playing soccer inside the building because she couldn't get any rest. I really feel for all of them. We're thinking of showing the movie "Facing the Giants" in Spanish one evening and playing basketball with the kids. Please keep them in your prayers and pray for us to be a light to them in their difficult situation. Most of them had their whole livelyhood in their animals and property.

Can't wait to see all of you soon!!!

Katie and Elias...and Toby too!