left to right: Joel, JD, Chasah, Daniel, Dassi, me, Becca, Aubrey, Brendan, Esther, and Noah

This is a picture we got on January 31st, it was the last day of our ice storm. By the end of the day pretty much all the ice had melted. It was really pretty. And it was fun just walking around pulling icicles off of trees and eating them :-)

Some more Adventure of my life

So.... I have gone to Mexico and I haven't really published any posts since. So at this point in time my adventures consist of: finishing school, working, going to loads of practices and meetings, and hanging out with friends. I still haven't started my midwifery course because I have to wait to graduate...... which is taking a long time. Being busy I guess is what I am good at. Because somehow every day passes quickly and when on Monday I am asked what I did on the weekend, I can't remember. Right now I am on my lunch break and David Dickerson-who works in the cubicle connected to mine- saw that I was beginning to publish a post here and mentioned I am one of the vast majority of people who only blog when there is something extravagant to write about. Which is entirely true.... about me that is.

But I have done something that was very adventurous recently, It was when I got to help delivery Ashley and Ray's second baby, Ahava Ivy, on Sunday, January 24th. It was my first birth in which I was an officially acting assistant. It was amazing! And each birth that I get to go to will be life changing-ly amazing, because witnessing a child being born will never get old. But from the moment I got called at 2pm-2am my adrenal glands supplied me with enough energy and awareness to keep me awake way beyond natural sleeping patterns and made me a zombie for work the next day. If I were only allowed to pick one superpower I think I would enjoy being invincible, but how can you only pick one superpower? But since I was so pumped for the birth that whenever someone tried to talk to me or ask me a question I got really snappy. I couldn't slow down and for some reason everyone was moving really slow and talking even slower :-)

But Ashley was amazing and not very long at all after Ahava was born she was cracking jokes and looking radiant.

Being a midwife is something I really want to do, and since I have made the decision to pursue that knowledge God has made so many things fall into place. I live in a village that has 3 -legally 2- already certified midwives, and opportunities to help deliver babies pretty much every month. It is amazing just how everything has fallen into place. Aubrey and I get to work and learn together, and each of our weaknesses and strengths work off of each other. Aubrey wants to become a midwives assistant, and she is at the moment working on a doula course. We are the next generation midwifery team.

I don't know how anyone can say life is boring because there are so many opportunities to make yourself busy with. But I must admit being busy can be a little boring :-), at least the kind I am right now. But there are always the times that are way to much fun, like hanging out with friends.

Friends make life so much better! I love laughing, and just being myself with my girl friends. For a while it felt like I didn't have a social life at all, but by just making the time to hang out with my friends has made life more fun. Anyway...... here is my post for this day February 2nd. Happy living :-)

Home!!!!

Well we are home now. We got home at 10:38pm Saturday January 2, 2010. It was a nice drive home.....well it was long. We left the ranch at 7:36am Friday January 1,2010. Crossing the border wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. We waited in a line of cars on the bridge to the other side of the border for over an hour. We imagined the very worse to happen like they would take everything out of our van and do all kinds of things. But really all the official did was asked for all of our passports and through the windows matched the people up with the photos, asked us if we had alcohol in the van, and then waved us through. We all were given a small plant while we were in Mexico so we made a big deal about hiding the plants in a pot that we put under another pot, and for the 2 taller ones in a pair of rubber boots. It was refreshing just how easy it was. The Mexico blog that Dassi has faithfully been keeping up to date, has all the trip details and such. I can't even start to tell about the trip. It was a life changing experience, and I can't wait till I get to go back. Hopefully by the time I go down there I will have learned Spanish. I am going to start sort of saving for my next trip. But my next real adventure I am going to start working toward is graduating from high school in May, and starting my midwifery course in June. I am about to go on call for the births in the Village and a few outside births. Nicole said that I should get my certification as a midwife and move out there, because I would definitely be able to help down there. At this moment I am sure if I am called to live there permanently, and seeing that I have still have to graduate from high school I have plenty of time to find out what God has for me to do. I am hoping Mexico is just the first international trip for me. But I have really had it on my heart to be a gatehouse somewhere, so maybe that is what I am suppose to do with a trip to Mexico annually or something. But I have plenty of things I can fill my plate with until that time :-). God bless you.

In Mexico

Hi, I am in Mexico! Sorry I have not posted blogs more but I am not able to get on often and for very long and Dassi is keeping track of everything on her laptop and on the Mexico blog. It has been an amazing experience here in Mexico and I AM going to come back here again. Nicole said she could really use my education in midwifery when I get it and that I can come live here with her. But it will take me 4 years to get my certification so I guess just some short trip back and forth till then. It has been really awesome hearing all the stories of all the people in the church, we are so lucky to have both of our parents and to live in such an invironment as the village. Even though at the village it feels like we are becoming dead. Something Dassi and I have sworn we are going to change that no matter what it takes. We have realized at the village we need to be getting ready to spread the message not wait around for the opportunity comes to tell someone about it. I have never evangalized before and I do not know how but I am going to learn how and I am going to do it even if it is only in Selmer. I feel like I need to do something to further Gods kingdom and i don´t feel like I am doing a very good job while just sitting on a couch in the village and just hanging out trying to figure out a way to entertain myself, or just talking about the latest movies I or other people have watched. Coming to Mexico is an amazing opportunity that I have gotten to I guess open my eyes. So now I am going to do something. See everyone when I get home on Sunday.... if all goes as planned.

WOW

we are in mexico, we are unable to get on the internet very often so i can not post something every day. we got here yesterday at 10am. we were planning on getting the phone plan ect at the stay at the hotel but we ended up driving all the way through. i was literally in the car for 2 whole days! i do not know what we would do without Jason though. Driving through Mexico itself is life changing. Jason has amazing passing skills, I have never seen anyone drive like he does before. If you want more details about our adventures check out our blog that Dassi set up http://rcvmexicotrip.blogspot.com/. I am keeping notes for the next group of people who want to come down here. But i am telling you that who ever wants to come to Mexico can not be afraid of mud or not having a mirror. And be able to live very primitively. Out houses, showers and laundry rooms combined outside, and cold water. I recommend learning some spanish before coming because it would make your life a whole lot easier. keep praying for us as we are finding our way and do not be afraid to email us, though i do warn you not to expect an answer very fast. from only being here 1 day we already have stories. we will try to write them down that way we do not forget. love you guys

More Mexico Information

Here are a few more facts about the Mexico trip that is really neat. While we are there as you know we are painting a school house. The school house we are painting is a 5 room public school for all grades. By painting this school we are opening an opportunity to minister. Because in Mexico you don't do those kinds of things without getting paid etc. So we will get a really good experience in just doing that. Another thing we are doing down there is on December 31- January 1 there is a convention where people from all around will gather there and there will be evangelizing and cooking for 300-400 people! Jason asked my dad and Asher to have things to preach and share. I am sure we will each get our chance. That is still a weird thought to me, evangelizing and leading people to repent and come to Jesus isn't something I was taught to do. I was more taught to let my life minister to people and my belief show people who and what I believe in. So making a conscience decision to tell people about Jesus who haven't ever even heard of Him and telling them what He has done for them is different for all of us girls. But we are ready to learn and do new things. We are leaving in 2 days!!!!! We are definitely busy. Today I am doing all my laundry and attempting to make my room cleaner than it is at this moment, it's a working progress. Mrs. Gannah is getting the oil changed in her van. Since I work tomorrow I need to be ahead of myself with preparing for this trip. That is all for the moment. Thank you to everyone that has donated school supplies, money or time thinking about us and this trip. Thank you for all your prayers, we feel entirely supported already and we haven't even left yet. Thanks to all the ladies that have given us their wisdom and blessings at the ladies meeting. Thanks for all the prayers prayed by all the children in school. And thank you Mrs. Hashachar for doing everything you have done. Thank you.

Mexico Trip update

Exactly a week today!!!! It looks like December 18th is going to be SO packed we (Gannah, Elena, and Dassi) have to buy the car insurance online, get a special plan on our cell phones for while we are in Mexico, we have to pack our stuff then pack the van, shop for food, and then go to the Christmas Program. And right after the last performance we're off.
This morning Nicole Fitzpatrick called me to ask if we might have room for Jason when we come down since he is coming to the states to sell a van and visit his mother, who would drive him here and then we would all drive to Mexico. Then we wouldn't have the problem of getting lost in Mexico. I'm telling you the driving directions just to get through Mexico were very confusing!
Here is an update for the Village in Mexico that Jason and Nicole just sent out yesterday:

December 10, 2009
Hello again, from Huixtla, Puebla; Mexico! It is hard to believe that another year is coming to a close. This has been a very busy and changing year for us as a family. Sed is 14 years old now, Jasmine is 8. It is a joy (and a lot of prayers and training!) to watch them grow and become the children they are. Nicole and I are honored to work together in this and many other areas. God is so faithful!
We are in our third month of living full time here on The Village. It has been a lot of hard work, but it is coming together! Right now there is a large pavilion where we hold services, prayer gatherings, campaigns, weddings....and so forth. There are 8 dorm rooms.... all occupied, a large kitchen (almost done!), 5 bathrooms, and 1 shower... with many more in the making. We have planted beans, sweet potatoes, chili peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, and sugar cane, We also have a few chickens, 2 ducks, and of course a cat to keep the mice away and a dog to keep us alert! I was just given a young horse from Freedom Ministries ranch in Veracruz that is in the process of being broken. I hope to use him to go to services in order to free up the truck so we can send out more teams and cover more ground for Jesus at no extra cost. There are still so many unreached villages around us.
We feed 20-40 extra people most days. A number of the young boys that are with us daily do not have a father. Once of the fathers is serving a prison sentence, another was murdered. Nicole recently began having childrens church here every Saturday morning. The first week there were 8 children, and the following week there were 25! We hope for even more this week. She is having a blast teaching them the Bible and God's love. The kids love it! She also does art projects with them and makes homemade cookies and punch or hot chocolate. Many of the children coming have never heard on e verse from the Bible, and come from very chaotic and desperate home environments. Also, she began having a Bible study/prayer meeting for the women every Friday evening and that is going great, too. Thanks so much for keeping these in your prayers!
A few weeks ago one of our brother's here, Rene, learned that his 80 year old grandmother was extremely ill, suffering asthma and bronchitis, in her home village about 20 minutes away. We went to get her and Rene took her to the hospital. The doctor said that many years of cooking over an open fire in a small hut had taken a hard toll on her lungs. She was sent home because the hospital was over flowing. A doctor friend near us helped tend to her medical needs here. Every morning she would ask Marta (Rene's wife) to have us pray for her again. We continued to do so daily. She asked Jesus into her life and to forgive her of her sins. Three weeks later, she went to be with Him. We felt like a long battle had been won!
Thank you so much for helping us help these people. You have a huge part in what we are doing. We appreciate you so much!! Thank you for praying for the churches here in the mountains of Mexico!
In Mexico for Jesus,
Jason and Nicole Fitzpatrick
http://www.thevillageglobal.org/village.php