Spring Break, a Busy Time!

Sending a quick update to ask for special prayer this week as we are hosting nearly 90 people at Bethesda Mission and Mount of Olives Children's Village. Please pray for all of the staff to serve the groups well and for the safety of the short-term missionaries as they do construction projects and as they travel on the roads. Pray too that they will be able to reach people with the message of Christ and show His love through them.

We are excited to have three groups here: our first arrived Tuesday and comes from Oregon (some medical professionals, construction experts, and high school students from Mid Columbia); our second group has been with us since Thursday and is made up of students and staff from Walla Walla University; and our third group arrived last night and includes students from Western Washington University, Whatcom Community College, and Skagit Valley College who are all brought together under a ministry called Campus Christian Fellowship. Many hands make light work!

New Photos Up

I posted a few new photos from February on our photoblog. Here is the link: http://www.photoblog.com/nicandclaire

Back in Mexico, Full Speed Ahead

Well, I don't mean to have such long lapses between posts. Maybe that can be a New Year's Resolution, to post more often. We love doing our part in God's work here and want to keep our supporters and interested parties updated. If you read this, feel free to comment. It will help to encourage me as it is hard to know who is out there, reading our blog.

We arrived back in our sleepy little rural town in Mexico just days before Christmas. We took those first days as true holidays, spending time with friends and eating well. Soon after, we got back to work and it has been a joy to be back!

Local Ministries and Local Churches Coming Together!
Today, Lucy and I just got back from visiting Nic down at a worksite in our town. We heard that some Americans (they were actually mostly Canadian, but anyone with light skin is usually labeled an American) would be a building a house in town for a lady at our church. Nic was enthusiastic about helping out - good time to speak English with someone other than me or Lucy and fun to see the house go up. The whole project is completed in under a week, as much of the parts are pre-cut and ready to assemble and it is quite impressive. This building project was run by Yugo Ministries, another missions organization located here on the Baja. They run the Ensenada Outreach Center (E.O.C.) in nearby Ensenada which provides many services to the neighboring communities.

I learned a bit more about Yugo Ministries from their website. Their main objective is to "bring God's love to this broken world around us." They are key in connecting needy people here in Mexico with the resources needed to improve their living conditions. Their work includes "building homes, running feeding programs & clothing distribution, providing emergency/crisis aid, and organizing children's programs and sport camps." The worksite was a mix of Canadians, speaking English with a slightly different accent than what we are used to and working hard to protect their comparatively light skin from the hot sun, and local Mexicans, lending a hand and working to communicate (Yugo Ministries does have full-time staff that are at the worksite who are bilingual). It was neat to see them all working side-by-side and the woman from our church was smiling from ear-to-ear to see her new house being built.

Nic and I are always encouraged when we come in contact with others who are doing similar work in our area. It really feels like such a privilege sometimes to be called to live and work in a place that we love and in the type of work that we enjoy.

Thanks for reading, hope to have some pictures up soon of the most recent group visits and recent pictures of the kids! It feels like summer is approaching now. It has been hot for the last two days, enough that I am actually looking for shade, yet only a week ago we were basking in the sun to get warm.

The Bryces are up north...

For the last month our family has been on the road sharing good times with nephews and nieces, family and friends. Now, we are in Lynden, Washington, home to Nic's parents and our church, Victory Christian Fellowship. We have been so blessed by the food prepared for us and the good conversation shared. What magnificent cooks we have for friends! Tonight we leave for Everett before heading over Snoqualmie Pass on Monday morning. We pray for good weather and safe travel as we are on our way to see yet more nieces and nephews, family and friends in Montana. It has been a year since we traveled to Montana and we cannot wait to see the beautiful blue sky, the sun shining on the snow-capped Bridger mountain range, and feel that fresh winter air. Also, we are excited to see how a year has changed the little ones in our family, as we have seen how fast Lucy changes. She is walking confidently now and has thoroughly enjoyed our tour of the homes of the Northwest (and all of the toyboxes!) Many with small ones have opened their homes to playdates for Lucy and their kids. We are trying to teach that ever-important word: SHARE. We are sad to leave behind our ever-supportive church body here in Lynden, but so excited to see more old friends in Bozeman and Helena.

From the reports that we have, all is well down south in Mexico. None of the kids are sick (amazing!) and the weather has been fairly pleasant. That is the latest news from Mexico, please keep all of the kids and the house parents in your prayers and in your hearts as they are in ours. We look forward to spending our first Christmas in Mexico.


Happy Holidays to all!

This is our second bloom on the bird of paradise plant that we have nurtured for so long. And it bloomed right after we left Mexico!


See our photoblogs for updated pictures...coming soon...

Enjoying God's Creations

Here is a view from our back patio of the many people it takes to harvest the tiny chile peppers (chile gueros) grown around here. Crop after crop, people work in the fields year-round. This summer the heat has been so intense, and it is hard to imagine how they can work all day under such a hot sun! Little rain and the heat have resulted in some local fires, as well, but I think they have them under control.

As fall approaches, it has been really beautiful here and we are feeling more at home in this little town. We have shared more time with friends and been invited to some fiestas. (If you are ever invited to a Mexican party, don't hesitate, but go with an empty stomach because there will be much food!)

One of the things we do down here is care for the lodge that we rent out to groups, which we call the "Mission." Lately I have been working with the plants a lot and have found much joy is watching them grow. How miraculous the earth is! Hopefully soon I will share some photos of our roses, bougainvilleas, and birds of paradise. I get excited over the smallest little flower.

If you are interested, recent photos can be seen on our Photo Blog at www.photoblog.com/nicandclaire. I have posted quite a few new pictures of the kids and our life in Mexico. We are having a blast using our skills and hobbies as relationships grow down here. Nic is busy with his favorite things: making music, making good food, and fixing bikes. I have felt blessed to pick up some of my old hobbies too: sewing, some jewelry-making, gardening, and I've enjoyed working with the kids on homework, especially homework on the computer as they are just starting to explore the internet.

Saying Goodbye

We haven't written in a while partly because we were on vacation with my family and partly because we have sad news to share. The life of a missionary is as heartbreaking as it is inspiring, uplifting, and exciting. It is easy to romanticize this life: moving to a foreign land, following God's call, making new friends and seeing people come to know God. This life is all of that but it also brings challenges and difficulties. It also brings goodbyes.

As an orphanage in Mexico, we know that there is always a chance that the at-risk kids in our home (those who do have at least one parent but come from an at-risk situation) could be taken out at any time. In August, we had to say goodbye to Jose, Blanca, and Enrique, three siblings whose mother chose to put them into different situations. Blanca is with an aunt, Enrique is back with his mother, and Jose is with his two older brothers in a Christian home dedicated to the discipleship of young men.

The door is always open for these kids to return. We pray for them and will do what we can to stay in contact and support them in any way. I know there is still much prayer needed for the house parents as they have said goodbye to three children that were as close to them as their own. There is an emptiness in the house felt by all the children, the parents, and us. Please pray for Jose, Blanca, and Enrique in their new homes. God is good and we can trust His plan for all of our lives!

Back to School

I believe the kids are back to school in Uruapan this Monday! We appreciate your prayers as they enter into a new class with new teachers. They had a fun summer filled with watermelon, swimming, and fun with Marci (the short-term missionary who lived in the house with them.) Thanks Marci for giving two months to spend time with these children! These "aunties" are a huge blessing to the house parents, the kids, and to our family.