roles

As I typed the title, I realized I should probably begin with a little anecdote that I hope makes sense to you even if you don't speak Spanish. We were talking about roles with Lalo & Silvia the other day in relation to a school program, and the word for that type of role is "papel", which is also the word for paper. So I was describing roles as "papeles", but I couldn't think of the adjective I wanted to put after that, so I said "papeles" over and over a few times. That's when Andres, who was sitting on the rug quietly building pens for plastic animals with Ivory's blocks, piped in and said "del baño?" (toilet paper?). It was nice of him to help me out, but that wasn't exactly what we were talking about. It was really funny at the time, but you kind of have to know Andres.

Anyway, I'm sort of feeling like if you're reading this blog you might be wondering at this point what we are doing here. Sometimes we ask ourselves that. Most of the time we're just living regular life, and occasionally inviting people over or going to visit people, going to Bible studies some evenings, and such like. We are much less busy than we were the first year we were here, and I'm not even sure that I could tell you what all has changed.

Life right now has Grant at the woodshop most days. The woodshop serves several purposes. First, it gives Grant a reason to get up in the morning, a project to work on, and an opportunity to get out of the house. Bible studies are in the evenings, so something to keep him occupied during the day is a must. It also allows him to be a part of the working community, which is really important for building respect and relationships. And maybe it will at some point be a profitable business that would allow him to hire someone, or just support our family. Our running joke these days is, "So, did you make money today?" We all know projects don't always go how we'd hoped or expected, and so some days the answer is "no". But other days are much better! And finally, the woodshop provides Grant with a platform to demonstrate Biblical business practice. Many people have told him that doing what he says he will do and using time and money wisely will set him apart from other businesses and earn him loyal customers.

Ivory and I are at home, and since most of you probably know stay-at-home moms, I don't need to say much else. I can fill an entire day feeding Ivory, running one load of laundry, making lunch, and maybe doing one other thing (although I usually try to do eighteen).

Our role in the ministry is not unlike that of a couple who moves to support a small church anywhere. When we first came, we were more of what I would have called "missionaries". Grant was doing a lot more Bible studies, and we were much more involved with the general operation of everything. Two major things have changed since then: us and the church. We are now a family of three, living in our own home (not in the Guest House), which makes us a little more independent. The church has also changed drastically in the past year, as any small church does when two complete families arrive on the scene. The presence of more men to help with Bible studies, driving, and upkeep and maintenance of the church property has reduced some of our responsibilities. And so there have been times when we've struggled - "Do we matter? Are we needed? What are we supposed to do?" while at the same time realizing that it is an answer to prayer because we were just way too busy last year.

The way we see it right now, our role in the church (if we had to label it) is to promote fellowship - something that the church is "growing into" you might say, and something that is really needed to build trust and understanding between members of the church. While the U.S. church is split by different viewpoints, the church here is split by families. Therefore, development of relationships is very important for church unity, and really church survival since there aren't very many members to begin with. Of course, we are all about fellowship! We've benefited from it greatly from the day we were born - it's definitely something we take for granted in the U.S. We have enjoyed the opportunities we've thus far had to show that same love to people here.

But really, when it comes down to it, our role is just like yours: to be an example. Someone told us once that the presence of Americans here helps the Ixtlan church feel more a part of a greater church body. And when you stop to think about it - that's really important. There is some sense of identity associated with being involved in something bigger than just ourselves, or our church. It becomes part of who we are.

So yes, we are here to teach, but also to learn. We are here to help fill the church, but also to encourage others to fill it. We are here to live for the Lord, to share our heritage of faith, and to work alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ enabling both of us to grow together.