Holy Mole! Let’s Taco ’Bout our Mission in Mexico!

  During our evening stroll, the quiet hum of twilight was suddenly broken by the screech of tires— a white van skidded to a halt right in front of us. It scared the heck out of me! Before we could react, neighbors emerged from their homes, smiling and lining up From the driver's seat stepped Luis, his voice booming through the dusky air: “¡El pan!” Like a pied piper of pastries, he flung open the back doors of his van to reveal containers of warm, freshly baked sweet breads glistening with sugar, begging to be devoured. The smell was irresistible! There was no way we were walking past without indulging in the sugary treasures. And honestly, why would we? It was the best 160 pesos we spent all day!

  As I sit at my desk this morning, my thoughts are disrupted by a self-appointed man on an empty street outside the window directing traffic. His shrill whistles cut through the air like a mad magpie fighting for a French fry. Life is so often filled with challenging moments, some happy, some sad, some clear, and some confusing. Each of us is moving through life, encountering moments that offer us space to embrace something new. "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?" Isaiah 43:19 Something new. Many of us resist beginning again, yet in so many ways, that’s exactly what we’re called to do. The beautiful part is that we’re given a clean slate every day. In fact, God is creating something new each day—both in the world around us and within us. Change can be difficult because it so often brings fear of the unknown or of what we may be called to do. And yet, something wonderful is happening… Kim and I once lived corporate lives—aware...

We were honored to be guests with my longtime friend, Crystal Caviness, host of "Get Your Spirit in Shape from UMC Communications.   Want to hear more about our call story?  Check it out here !

Here is a copy of the social post we shared in mid February 2025. YES, IT IS TRUE. . . WE ARE MOVING TO MEXICO! Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I will go, Lord, if You lead me. Starting in July, Pat and I we will be serving as co-directors of Arbol de Vida Training Center at Give Ye Them to Eat (GYTTE) in Puebla, Mexico. Founded as a social outreach project of the Methodist Church of Mexico to combat hunger and poverty in the rural sector, GYTTE uses people-centered approaches to increase the understanding of impoverished families in rural Mexico. While the administration part of our work will take place in Puebla, a lot of our time will be spent in about 2 ½ hours south in a town called Tlancualpican. The Training Center features an experiential teaching farm that is maintained for agricultural and livestock production to improve family nutrition and increase family income. Additionally, people are trained in environmentally-sound livestock management practices and by selling incom...