Happy Easter!
In our December newsletter, we let you know that we were not sure if we would continue ministry in Guadalupe; we coveted prayers for God’s will and our discernment.
God has provided us with a new person of peace so that we may minister to the little and the young ones in Guadalupe. This person is Anita Soto. She is a resident of Guadalupe, a member of the Guadalupe Town Council, and a Christian who is a lifelong resident and who has an obvious passion and gift from the Lord to reach and teach children. She has been offering tutoring on Monday and Wednesday afternoons to 30-40 children between the ages of 3-14 and has dreamed of offering a weekly Bible lesson.
As we talked with her in late 2023, we agreed to have a weekly gathering on Tuesdays after school for Bible lessons. She gathers the children and arranges for snacks while we jointly provide the craft and exercise activities. We began with telling parables, Montessori style, as they are fun and engaging for children. Each week, Anita starts the time with snacks and songs of faith. Jeff presents the Bible Story, and Anita does a wonderful job connecting the scripture to the Yaqui Culture and reminds the children how special being Pascua-Yaqui is because they are a tribe that believes in Jesus!
When the season of Lent began the week of February 14, we changed our lessons to focus on Lenten traditions of the universal church and of the tribe. In Guadalupe, the season is known as “Cuaresma”. Jeff told stories about the life of Jesus: his birth and growth, how he was lost and found (in his father’s house), Jesus' baptism, his time in the desert, how Jesus healed people, and, of course, he told parables (and the children knew what these were now). Anita connects each lesson to the Pasqua-Yaqui tradition being re-enacted that week. The week before Holy Week (in which we did not meet), Anita and Jeff did a Montessori-style Station of the Cross with the children. The mothers were extremely thankful for the baptism lesson as they did not have a way to adequately explain it to their children. We learned the children walk the stations of the cross as part of Cuaresma, but they walk them without words or understanding. The adults and children alike were thankful for the new understanding.
Through it all the children have been well engaged and as attentive as any child can be for what is sometimes a long lesson. Tuesday, April 2, we return to share the story of the Resurrection! On April 9th, we will move to a study of the Lord’s prayer using material from God’s Big Story and some homilies written by Benjamin Bisgrove and his seminary colleague, Eric Henningfeld (written this last summer). Pray with us, that the children may learn how Jesus taught us to pray and then practice prayer.
Thank you for your prayerful and financial support over the years and in this season. We are excited to see new growth in the Kingdom of God in Guadalupe.
