(Note: Normally with these monthly newsletters, I leave part of it behind a paywall, because I feel weird putting information about the kids out there for everyone to see. But this one doesn’t go into a lot of specifics about them, so I feel comfortable making it completely free. Enjoy!)
"Heavens, sprinkle from above, and let the skies shower righteousness. Let the earth open up that salvation sprout and righteousness spring up with it. I, the Lord, have created it” (Isaiah 45:8).
Ignore my earlier false alarm. Rainy season is definitely here now. For the past two or three weeks it has rained almost every day, often for several hours at a time. And this is… so, so good. Our water supply has risen high, meaning I can take daily showers again, I don’t have to be so strict with the kids’ usage of water, and we don’t have to store the laundry room water in buckets. Also, it has been super hot, and the rain has cooled it down quite a bit. Some days I’m even wearing sweatshirts, for the first time in months. And the kids love the rain anyway!
Claudia Sheinbam Pardo
Some general news before I get into Camp Amos events: Mexico has elected a new president: Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, the first woman president of Mexico, and also the first Jewish president of all of North America. I don’t follow politics enough to know whether this is good or bad (as always, people I know do not agree with each other, and I haven’t done enough research to know who I agree with), but I find something in this very ironic. Mexico, with all its machismo culture, has elected a woman as president before the US does? Very interesting.
You can read my brief Election Day thoughts here, or you can get a better view of Claudia from Mike Leavy’s post here! Or if you don’t care for Mexican politics you can keep scrolling.
Cuatrimoto
Remember the old van we sold? The ministry we sold it to still hasn’t paid us in full… As an apology and down payment, they gave us a quad to use. The kids both love it, but more importantly, it’s making a huge difference in the school construction project. It’s much easier now to transport materials from one end of the property to the other. Pablito was scared to get on it at first, but once he got going, he didn’t want to get off! Javi also had a blast when Fere used it to pick him up from school.
School Roof Construction
We’re making good progress on the school’s roof! Jhonatan said that it will be done mid-July. But we still need more money! Please help us spread the word so we can finish the project on time for the school year to begin! It will be a massive blessing to the community around us… and will also provide Hannah and I a place to live together.
Here’s the link to the fundraiser, and if you want to help spread the word, this is a good post to share!
Personal Note
The whole “everybody is sick all the time” thing has ended, but I am still frequently getting sick, and it’s making it very difficult to stay productive. But it has forced me to spend some time in reflection, and I’ve realized there’s some key things I love about my first book that are missing from my second. I now have new direction on where to focus my edits. One thing I realized is that my first book felt deeply personal because I was telling the stories of real people. I was mainly telling my story, but also my sister’s, and that of a former partner. While my second book is a continuation of these stories, I haven’t done much to make it personal. Now that I know that, I can begin the process of rethinking how I want the book to go!
Upcoming
July 17th: Summer break begins for the kids!
End of July: Flight back to Bellingham
August 3rd: Wedding day!
Prayer Requests:
For Camp Amos: Continue to pray for the school fundraiser!
For the kids: Pray for their last couple weeks of the school year!
For me: Pray for my upcoming wedding in August!
Other blog posts from this month:
Observations of different cultural definitions of the terms “home” and “family”
A politically themed short story concurrent with my next book