HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Miriam took great delight in wearing Lloyd's cowboy hat.

Happy fortieth birthday, Miriam, July 17th! And may God give you many more years to serve Him.

Miriam is Pastor Gerardo’s wife at the church in Nuevo Progreso. Always happy and full of enthusiasm, she shares her faith in God with everyone she meets. Her testimony is a dramatic and powerful one: at four years old she wandered alone into a church near their home in Mexico. She had heard the music and was fascinated by the happy sounds. Since she was left at home alone many times, she returned to the church at the bottom of the hill often and it became a haven for her.

Miriam worked her way through school and then through college, mainly selling baked goods to neighbors, stores and people on the street. She learned to be independent and strong, always serving the Lord. She and Gerardo met at Bible College and July 13 was their wedding anniversary.

The picture was taken at the city wide Mothers’ Day celebration. Miriam took great delight in grabbing Lloyd’s hat and wearing it for a picture. We are proud to be Miriam’s adopted parents and are extremely proud of her.

I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalm 34:1



Miriam and Gerardo celebrated with a beautiful birthday cake.  Picture courtesy of DiAnna Olsen.



HANDCRAFTED GIFTS FROM MEXICO

Paper flowers, handmade and decorated with glitter and ribbons.  The flowers are on long, green wrapped stems.

Parting gifts, handmade and from the heart, given to us on our last visit of the season to the church in Nuevo Progreso. They are reminders of very precious times with fellow believers, brothers and sisters in Christ, until we meet again.

On our arrival for church that Sunday evening, we were handed bouquets of sparkling paper flowers, so skillfully made that they looked real. Large tin foil butterflies graced our places later at the dinner table.

Many of the women used their talents and gifts in the kitchen, serving us favorite Mexican dishes and their specialties. The tables were decorated with unusual placemats, also handmade. A lot of artistic talent went into this special event.

A hand painted clay tile is made to hang on the wall.  The wooden plaque has three dimensional flowers made from foil.

Another gift was made from a clay roof tile that had been embossed with the design of a basket of flowers. The jewel like colors on the tile were outstanding. Then we received a wooden plaque upon which a three dimensional flower had been fastened. The petals and leaves of the flower were separate and shellac covered the surface. This project had taken a lot of time.

These gifts had been made with items our friends could find around the house, bits of foil and paper and small pieces of wood. This made them even more special to us.

This handmade picture is skillfully made from foil.  It says in Spanish:  "El pan nuestro de cada dia, dánoslo hoy."  (Give us today our daily bread.)  Matthew 6:11

One of our friends handed us a glossy sign made to hang on the wall. Spanish words graced the sign, along with the symbolic silhouette of praying hands and a loaf of bread. The words were from Matthew 6:11 - "Give us today our daily bread."

Now, when we look at the items we received that night, we really believe there’s nothing more priceless than a gift that is given from the heart.

MIRIAM RESUMES DENTAL TRAINING

Miriam, Pastor Gerardo's wife, received her equipment to work as a dental apprentice in Nuevo Progreso.  Here she is with the dentist who volunteers one day a week at the free clinic.  The big green muppet is used in the public schools to demonstrate proper brushing of teeth.

"Learn a profession! Be able to make your own living!" This was the advice Miriam heard over and over from her mother years ago. So Miriam chose to become a dentist, working her way through many years of schooling by baking and selling fruit filled empanadas and other foods in her home state of Nayarit in Mexico. She completed all but a few months when she put the project on hold to become a wife and mother. But her dream of becoming a dentist was never forgotten. "Some day when our children are grown, I’ll finish my schooling," she said.

Now almost twenty years later, Miriam is working as an apprentice alongside a dentist at the free clinic in Nuevo Progreso. This makes it possible for her to earn the remaining credits toward her dental license while working with the people who come to the clinic for help. She will spend one day a week working alongside a dentist. Also, Miriam was asked to visit the schools periodically with a big fuzzy green muppet with a very large mouth and enormous teeth. Using an oversized toothbrush, Miriam demonstrates proper daily dental care to the children. Judging by the twinkle in her eyes when she said this, Miriam will use this opportunity to find a way to tell the children about Jesus and invite them to Sunday School!

When we asked Miriam why she had chosen dentistry as a profession, she said she loves to talk and she can tell her patients about the Lord and give them her personal testimony while they are in her chair. She always thought she could use dentistry as a way to minister to the people.

It’s amazing to think that the Lord has not forgotten Miriam’s commitment all those years ago to this profession. And against all odds, Miriam’s dream is now coming true!

"O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?" Psalm 89:8