July 2004 Highlights <= click here to take a look at our cut-to-the-chase update about what we've been doing workwise in July. Since we already have to turn these highlights in to our bosses each month, we figured we'd upload it for our friends and family in order to convince you that we aren't just hanging out on the beach in Mexico drinking margaritas :-)

(click on the photo to see the bigger version)
We arrived home Monday from our time in Peru. The Ra�ces conference went smoothly and successfully. The 220 youth leaders who participated seemed to drink in the principles that we were teaching. Nearly all of them are currently in responsable for at least one group of teens or young adults in their church or town.

This year the conference was sponsored by Compassion International -- they wanted to make sure that when the kids who are sponsored thru their program "graduate" at age 18, that the churches are able to give them significant follow-up. All Compassion Int'l programs are now run thru local churches. This new partnership between Ra�ces and Compassion Int'l is such a God thing. They have even hired a person full-time to make sure that the leaders who attended the conference, get help and follow-up as they strive to put into practice the principles they learned.

Annette with some of the Peruvian youth leaders who came up to talk with her after our presentation. If you'd like to see more fun photos from the conference -- with music, captions and all -- click here.

The youth leaders' training conference which we just got back from was in Peru... guess what else is in Peru?... Machu Pichu! As part of our meetings down there, they organized a trip to town of Cuzco and from there to the famous archeological site. We'd seen so many photos and TV special on Machu Pichu, that we really didn't have high expectations BUT it was soooo much more amazing than we ever imagined. Impressive forest covered mountains on the right. Treeless snow-covered peaks on the left, and the ruins are huge, covering the entire top of a column-like mountian which drops off 3000 feet on nearly all sides to a winding river below (want more? click on the Machu Pichu links for photos, music with commentary from our trip)

We've never been to Peru before, but Annette's great uncle crossed the Andes on foot while being pursued for days by a machete-wielding man who wanted to kill him. Apparently the machete was an effective motivator and her uncle made it alive and - most likely - with a healthier set of lungs and legs to show for it. [click bold text for more info]

In Peru we'll be participating in a Ra�ces youth workers training conference being sponsored by Compassion International. We are also meeting with colleagues to discuss the future of the online courses we've been developing over the last 1� years (click here for an example in english) We won't be back until the end of July, so if we don't answer your emails it's because we're at a camp outside of Lima.

Just had to drop you a note to thank you for your prayers for the Parents Workshops we've been giving for the past 6 weeks.

Sunday night we had the last one and God gave us a glimpse into some good things he has done through it.

One lady said that the communication and relationship with her two teenage daughters has improved markedly. (Because they are girls who have never been involved in the youth group and rarely come to church, it is especially nice for us to know that we've been able to have a positive impact on their lives.)

Several people explained how their homework assignments led to positive conversations with their kids and others told of specific ways their parenting had been affected. For example, a mother who attends a very conservative Pentecostal church said that she realized that it was more important that her daughters have a relationship with Christ than if they wear pants, cut their hair and have earrings.

And the group showed lots of appreciation for us, which is always nice but I wanted to say, "Uh, thanks but we know preparing a study is a snap compared to raising a child day in and day out."

But the thing that meant the most to me was a lady who came up to me afterwards and asked if there were plans for any follow-up activities because she was concerned about two very difficult situations in particular. When I told her that there weren't, she suggested that we create a roster of names and contact information so we could get in touch with people and that the group members could form a sort of support group for each other. I told her that was an answer to prayer because we know that we (Tim and I) don't have all the answers, but God's plan is for His people to support each other in community, so we were trying to create an environment in which that community could form.

And an unexpected plus is that we now have enough new materials for the web site that we can start a whole new section "Resources for Parents", not to mention that fact that we are now thoroughly sensitized to the gaping hole in resources and support for parents.

So again, thank you for supporting us - and through us being a support to families here in Toluca. In heaven we'll introduce you to them :-)

Over the 4th of July weekend two wonderful friends came to visit us. Scott & Minnemie Murphy are an fun, deep, and very unlikely couple... but their relationship is fun to be around... it really works!

Scott is a Carolina boy who, when we met him 12 years ago, said he was content to spend the rest of his life enjoying South Carolina's lowcountry. He is co-owner of Naturally Outdoors and adventure & gear center, and was always proudly pointing out the natural beauty and marvels of his corner of the world.

Minnemie is a dyed-in-the-wool Afrikaner who loves South Africa with equal ferver and pride. Her great-grandfather was the one of the main people who struggled to get Afrikans accepted as a true language and not just a dialect of dutch.

They met... sparks flew... emotions churned, warmed and burned bright... they fell in and out and back in love... got married and are living happily ever after in their own unique South African/South Carolinian way.

There visit was a breathe of fresh air for Annette and me - literally! since they got us our from behind our computers and into neat little places like the stunning valley and archealogical site of Malinalco and hour or so from our house (the above photo was taken from the top of the ruins - Minnemie isn't really fat, she's 6 months pregnant with child #2)  

Our Summer Reading Recommendations
I just published our July newsletter. Just click the link above for the full-color-animated-title-multi-linking update... now with those kinds of run-on superlatives don't you just want to jump on over there and read it!

apparently Annette has a drinking problem... maybe not the traditional drinking problem... but as you can see in this photo (click for larger version) she can't seem to get the liquid into her mouth :-)