3/23/07

End of our furlough

After six months away from Mexico, our furlough finally came to an end. Our travels took us as far as Prince Edward Island, where we visited dear believers at Charlottetown Bible Chapel. We continued South through New England, meeting old friends and believers along the way, learning about American history, and enjoying the beautiful outdoors. We were glad to be able to spend about a month in Virginia with Amy's mother and family, and then a few weeks over Christmas to encourage Joel's mother, still fighting cancer.

Good news from Guanajuato

In the past, when we've been away, the church overcame difficulties with an easy shortcut: the expectation of our return. "Let's leave this issue for Joel; when he returns he can decide." But this time our absence was long enough to force them to face hardships on their own. And they did quite well. From repairing the church station wagon when the motor seized, to plotting the teaching calendar; from how to stimulate each other in evangelism to rebuking those in sin, the church maneuvered quite well. It has grown both in maturity and number.

Changing field of ministry

Our return, however, brought joy mixed with sadness: on Sunday we announced our definite departure from the field. The reason? On January of this year Joel accepted an invitation from Emmaus Bible College to teach and head the missions department. The job starts on July 1.

This was not an easy decision. It cost us a good deal of consideration, and prayer, talking with our elders and our families, and others whose counsel we respect. In the end, we believe that this rather unexpected turn is in fact the Lord's will.

We regard our future ministry at Emmaus as an opportunity to challenge and influence generations of young people to heed our Lord's command to make disciples, be it on the missionary field, or at their own home assemblies.

Our prayer for the Guanajuato church, still without recognized elders, is that they may continue growing and abounding in the work of the Lord. We also pray that God would give us grace to face the myriad of choices and chores in the coming months as we prepare for this transition.

In Him,

Joel and Amy Hernandez
joelandamy@gmail.com