Olivia Grace González

I would like to introduce you all to the newest Gonzo!! Olivia Grace was born this morning, April 26th, at 6:50 a.m. She weighed in at 6 lbs 14 oz. Both mom and baby are doing great and Victoria and Sofía are ecstatic about their new little sister. Enjoy the pics!!

Olivia Grace González

The Gonzo family

Big sisters oohing and aahing over Olivia

Sofía (aka 'The Big Sister') and Olivia

Victoria (aka 'The Biggest Sister') and Olivia

I also wanted to include a quick prayer request. Some friends of our, Jake and Mandy, just had a baby girl last week after a couple of years of trying to get pregnant. They took her home and she got sick shortly there after and is in ICU at the same hospital where Sam and Ann and Olivia are. Please pray for Alexia, Mandy and Jake!! Specifically pray for healing. Thanks!
Sara

General Update

Hey all! I wanted to update you on a few of the many activities that have gone on around here lately. It has definitely been a busy, although incredibly blessed, weekend.

Music Seminar
Around the end of 2004, some of the missionaries in Mexico City asked us to go there and teach them some of the songs that we know. Because Summer and Sam are always listening to new praise CDs and looking for new songs and because some of our church members come from other churches where they've also learned songs, we've ended up with a lot of praise songs that most of the churches of Christ in Mexico don't know. We finally were able to arrange the trip in January of last year and had a great time teaching them. Because of the success last time, we asked them if they wanted us to come back again this year, to which they said 'Yes!' This time around, we included some sessions for a couple of the other works in Mexico, instead of just us. That way we were all able to walk away with new songs!
Once again, it all went really well. We took some of the people from our church to sing with us this year (last year, it was just us missionaries) and they really seemed to have a good time getting to know people from all over Mexico. Here's a picture of one of the 'praise teams'. From L to R, it's Sandy and Aldo, Adriana, Sam, Summer, and Larisita. Yes, I sang as well, but it's hard to take a picture of yourself singing, just so you know. :) Billy and Belinda Moore hosted the seminar in their house, also known as the Pink House, and did a magnificent job, just as they always do. We had a total of five sessions over two days, three of which those of us from Morelia planned and then one planned by the Benito Juarez church and one planned by the church in Tlalpan, in the southern part of Mexico City. Friday night the official count was 89!!! What you can't see in this picture on the left is that there were probably 20 more chairs around the corner in the dining room. People were sitting on the stairs and just about anywhere they could find a spot. On Saturday, there were probably around 60-70 people there, including missionaries from four different works in Mexico. This is definitely something that people want more of and we're already thinking about what improvements we can make for next year.

New Cell Group
The first meeting of our newest cell group was Sunday night and we had a great time! There were nine people there, including Summer and I. Everyone was really excited and engaged in what we were doing and talking about. Jennifer, a cousin of Adriana, showed up. We hadn't seen her in months, so it was really neat to reconnect. Deysy was also there, who is a very good friend of Summer and mine. She used to come to cell group probably over a year ago, but hasn't been able to come lately because of work. Thankfully, she has a new job that keeps her here in Morelia more than before and she seemed really excited about getting plugged in again. The other people there were Amy, Norberto, brothers Leo and Diego, and Heriberto (a friend of Amy's from school). We played a couple of games, sang some songs, talked about the prologue of John, and then sat around and chatted for about half an hour afterwards. Summer and I left feeling very encouraged and blessed by what the Lord has in store of this group of young people. We can't wait to see what He'll do!
Please keep praying for this new cell group, as well as the other three groups that meet throughout the week. They all seem to be growing and doing well right now, which is a major blessing!

Newest Addition to the Family
We are all anxiously waiting for the arrival of the newest Gonzo. Ann is doing well, although I think she's ready to meet the little one face to face. Her official due date is May 2nd. They have a doctor's appointment today to see if this baby is as ready to meet us as we are to meet him/her. Please be in prayer for the entire Gonzalez family with all the changes that a new baby will bring.

Well, I think that brings you up to date! Once again, thank you so much for the prayers and thoughts. You, as our prayer warriors, are the true sustaining force of the work here in Morelia. You are doing battle when you are on your knees! May the Lord shower his blessings on you because you are showering them on us.

Cell group

I wanted to thank you all for your prayers for Summer and I as we've been trying to figure out what do about our cell group. As you may or may not know, our cell group basically closed down about a month ago because Blanca was no longer able to open her apartment on a weekly basis. Since then, we've been in prayer about what to do next. Well, we feel the Lord has answered that prayer in an exciting way! Starting April 23rd, Summer and I will be leading a new cell group specifically for high school and college students, as well as young professionals. We already have two young people in our church, Leo and Amy, who have agreed to help us with this new cell as apprentices, with the vision of them having their own cell in the future. Amy has also offered to open her home to the cell group on Sunday nights! The four of us are really excited about the possibilities for this new cell and envision it needing to multiply soon because we have so many people we want to invite. Please join us in prayer as the 23rd approaches! Here are some specific prayer requests:

• Pray for the people we will be inviting to come that first week. Pray that the Lord will arrange their schedule in such a way that they won't want or need to be anywhere else.
  
• Pray that the Lord will fill these kids (and Summer and I!) with a passion for him and for the lost in Morelia.
• Pray that this will be the beginning of a radical transformation in the lives of thousands of young people in this city and that they will proclaim the kingdom of God in a mighty, powerful way not only in Morelia, but also throughout Mexico and the world!
  

Querétaro

We are back in Morelia safe and sound after three incredible days in Querétaro, a city about 2 and a half hours northeast of here. The hotel we stayed at was the perfect get away, with a wonderful pool that the girls thoroughly enjoyed and beautiful grounds. It was formally a hacienda, complete with a cock fighting arena! The pictures are of the gazebo area and the chapel, which was probably build sometime in the 1700 or 1800s.
Of course, the biggest blessing of all was getting to spend three days with Bill and Barbara New. The Lord used them in a mighty way to touch our hearts as a team and also individually. The things God had put on their hearts to talk to us about were exactly what we needed to hear. We were all refreshed and renewed and received more than we could have asked or imagined. The Lord is so good! Thank you, Bill and Barbara, for taking the time out of your busy lives and ministry to come and spend a few days with us. You are a blessing to us and to so many thoroughout the entire world!
Another neat thing for us was getting to explore downtown Querétaro. Phyllis Needham was the only one of us who had ever been there. We were all very impressed with the city, which has a population between 1.5 and 2 million people. I'll include some pictures at the end of this beautiful city. We also celebrated Summer's birthday on Wednesday by eating a Chili's before heading out of town. That's right, a real, actual Chili's, just like in the States!! It was very exciting. : ) We've heard rumors that we'll be getting one here in Morelia this year, but we've decided that we've believe it when we see it. Until then, we'll keep enjoying the opportunities that we have to eat there when we visit other places.
Here are some pictures from the past few days. Enjoy!

The most recent team picture available!

One of the buildings in downtown Querétaro

Bill and Barbara New with Phyllis Needham (L), our amazing baby sitter, guide, friend and confidante. She is such an amazing woman and a huge blessing to us!!

One of the many plazas in downtown Querétaro

A cool statue of an indian, with one of the Catholic church buildings in the background

Team Renewal

I just wanted to ask for prayers for us over the next few days. We've been blessed with the opportunity to have a team retreat with Bill and Barbara New starting tomorrow morning. We are excited about the time we get to spend with them and just for a few relaxation days outside of Morelia. We would definitely appreciate your prayers for our time together! Pray that the Lord speaks to each of us in a new and personal way and that we will have the ears to listen to what he is telling us. Also pray that we will be able to rest in the Lord's presence and return to Morelia refreshed and renewed for the work ahead of us. We leave tomorrow (Monday, April 10th) around 9 CST and will get back into town on Wednesday. Thanks for the prayers!
Also, just so everyone knows, Wednesday, the 12th, is Summer's birthday! Feel free to leave birthday greetings for her in the comments.
Sara