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.

Answered Prayers

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for Darrell's wife, Maureen. Your prayers are working! Darrell tells us that about 75% of Maureen's pain has gone. After the doctor put 3 needles in her back, a large portion of the pain left. Praise God! We look forward to more updates on Maureen's health and will continue to pass on any news.

Tuesdays at 3:00?

As Claire, Lucy, and I walked in late to church this morning, there were no seats left except up in the first row next to the Pastor. So, we walked up front, and sat down. Even though we were 45 minutes late, this isn't a problem at our little church here in Mexico and they welcomed us with warm smiles.

As I sat down, the pastor leaned over to me and asked,"do you play instruments". I said, "yes." He then asked, "can you teach lessons?" I said with a shrug, "yes" the shrug meaning, "I guess so."

Five minutes later, during the announcements, the pastor let everyone know that I was going to be teaching music lessons to the church youth. He then looked at me and asked, "what day do you want to teach?" I said, "I don't know, Tuesday?"

"Morning or afternoon?" I asked. He is looking at me like, it's up to you. "Afternoon? 3:00?" I answered my own question.

So, there it is Tuesdays at 3:00, committed. It happened kind of fast, but truly this is an answer to prayer. Claire and I have been doing quite a bit of physical work on our home and around our mission building, but that has just secluded us from the community. It is easier, I don't have to try to communicate in Spanish, and the results are more obvious. But, we are ready to dive in and commit to working with people. To do things, like music lessons, to build relationships and to let Jesus' love live through us, encouraging others to follow him. But, it is scary for us to step into this realm of being "real missionaries." Although, we are excited and glad that God is placing these opportunities in front of us.

Please pray that we will be committed into more peoples' lives, and that Jesus' desire to know and save people is apparent in our lives.

Wrapping up Blaine Christian Fellowships Trip

Blaine Christian Fellowship left yesterday morning and we were sad to see them go. What a wonderful group! The mission feels so quiet and empty now that they have left. They were a very mature and helpful group of kids and they were led by a wonderful couple, Justin and Ann. They spent ten days, each of which was full of activity. The first weekend, they gave Danny and Angela a break, and had a lot of fun too, by taking the kids from the children's home to the beach. During the week they spent time in the mornings doing "grunt" work over on the hill by the children's home. After a long morning and lunch, their afternoons were full with practicing for Vacation Bible School and then bringing a group of about 20 kids from the community together to do the games, activities, songs, and crafts they had prepared. The kids looked forward to it everyday.

I know the students were very impacted by the people they met who live near and work in the fields here. They were able to interact a lot with Sara and the people who live near her for the season. (These people will return to their homes in Southern Mexico after the work slows down.) They spent time playing soccer with Sara's kids and meeting Jesus, as well as handing out groceries and toiletries to people in need. They met Sara and her family the first weekend and then picked the kids up to go to VBS all week. They also provided much-needed diapers for Jesus. We were blessed to share meals with Sara and some of her neighbors at the mission after VBS.

We had a great time of fellowship and fun with this group and hope to see this group again. If any of you are reading, PLEASE post some comments on how your trip affected your life! We would love to get feedback.

The following pictures are: kids at the beach gathering for watermelon; Sara's family with Michael Hernandez, who led the group; and the kids and group on the last night of their stay - we had a pinata, fire, and informal talent show

Blaine Christian Fellowship Arrives

Hola! A group from Blaine Christian Fellowship in Washington arrived this afternoon. Of the eight kids, the Youth Pastor Justin and his wife, Ann, only one has been to Mexico before. We are excited for them to experience Mexico for the first time. Michael Hernandez, who has been involved with the mission since the beginning and is now a member of our Board of Directors, as well as a good friend of ours, is leading the group. Please pray for their time here!

It is a welcome change from our daily life to have a group visit. Nic is back in the kitchen, providing three delicious meals a day. Lucy and I are supporting Nic in the kitchen duties (instead of me cooking all of our meals while Nic works on projects, so I'm happy for the break.) The mission is such a happy, warm place when it is filled with people and we really enjoy the fellowship of having short-term mission groups here.

No more classes, No more books...

The kids go to a local school here in town and they had their end-of-the-school-year ceremony yesterday! It was so much fun to see them dressed up. For Jazmin and Jose, as well as Sara's boy James, it was a very special day because they graduated from the Primaria (elementary school) and will go to the Segundaria (middle school) in August. Darrell is the Padrino (or godfather) of Jazmin, Jose, and James, so he walked them up to receive their certificate on this special day.

Sara's story

This is Sara and her boy Angel. You will hear ongoing updates about her because Darrell and Maureen are pretty involved in her life and we are building a friendship with her as well. She feels as close to them as a daughter to her father and mother. Many of you may have already heard Sara's story. As we get to know her, we hear more details but I will try to sum it up. Right now she is a single mom with three boys. Her middle boy, Jesus, is catatonic and has epilectic fits. It is quite difficult for her to make ends meet and many times she doesn't know where her next meal will come from because it is costly to try to get diapers and medical assistance for Jesus. Her home is very neat and organized, but is substandard according to our expectations of a home. They live in an old bus, converted to a bedroom/living space, and she now has a dirt-floor kitchen which was built by a group that visited us this spring (instead of cooking outside in the sun and wind.) She is thankful for everything she has, and now she is very positive about life, but in the past she has been in desperation, not feeling that she could continue forward. She is from Oaxaca (southern Mexico) and moved up here to the Baja with her husband and sons. Her husband left her after the problems started with their middle son, because he didn't like how much money it was costing to take care of him. We don't know too much about her situation with her husband but he is not in the picture anymore.

She is doing quite well, and like I said, thankful for everything that she has or that is given to her. One of the main things Missions Network International is doing for her is helping her to keep her son in school. The uniforms, books, and supplies cost a lot, but we believe strongly that it is important for James, her son, to continue into Secondary school (middle school) instead of quitting in order to work in the fields. We also help with supplies for Jesus.

Nic and I had the opportunity, to spend quite a bit of time with her and her boy, Angel, 2 Sundays ago. It was a great day! We drove down the road about 45 minutes to a clinic so that we could get some medical attention for Angel's eye, which he hurt while playing. We visited them again on Friday afternoon and had a wonderful time. She lights up when she sees you and is so enthusiastic! Even after a few shorts visits, we feel like we are becoming friends.

Mount of Olives Kids

We just had a nice morning at the Casa Hogar. Darrell and Maureen were in town yesterday and today to bring down a young girl that will be helping out in the house. It is exciting to welcome another auntie, or misionera. Her name is Marci and she is a student at Western Washington University in Bellingham. Imagine: yesterday she probably woke up at home just like every other day and today she woke up to 15 kids, a whole other language and culture. It is wonderful that people are willing to spend their summer this way!


Here is a family picture from this morning. Angela and Danny are the house parents.

Back row: Angela, Jazmin, Crisanto, Jose, Danny
Middle row: Santa (Vicki), Maria, Gino, Blanca, Enrique, Alejandro, Javier
Front row: Juan, Selene, Ines, Martin, Augustine

This Little House: Part One

What a project! We are fixing up this house. After 4 months, we still have not unpacked our boxes except a few to find necessary items. We have figured out, though, that we only NEED about 10% of the stuff we have. Most of our things have been in storage for months, and we have all but forgotten what is in those boxes. We will soon find out. Nic is putting on the finishing touches and we are just days away from unpacking everything to settle in for good.

I must add that we have been blessed by many willing to lend a hand. Drywall, tile, painting, electrical, a patio - we were even donated, by a church who came on a short-term mission trip, a new washing machine. At times it has been a headache, but we are very grateful to have a place to live! For more pictures, go to www.photoblog.com/nicandclaire

Welcome to our Blog!

This blog is where we will be sharing stories along our adventure as missionaries. We also hope that it is informative about what God is doing here on the Baja. Let me start with where we are located. We live in a small town called Ejido Uruapan off of Highway 1, the main road that runs north to south on the Baja. We are half an hour south of Ensenada, two and a half hours from the border and about four hours from Los Angeles.

The air is clear in this small rural town surrounded by beautiful hills. Driving through our town, first you will notice the bumpy roads and lots of dust, big boulders scattered on the hills and the workers in the fields tending to the various crops. Roses, grapevines, squash, cabbage, beans, goats, chickens, pigs, horses, dust, dust, and more dust...

Why are we here? Nic and I, trusting that God was leading us to Mexico, made the move in February of this year. We are primarily here to help host groups who come to Bethesda Mission. We also help with the Mount of Olives Children's Village, a place for children who are orphaned or in need of a loving, safe home. We see God at work here and are excited to be a part of it. If you are interested, you can read more about how Missions Network International got its start with these two ministries at www.missions-network.org.

And we hope that you will come visit, and see it for yourself.