Video update for August

This is a video that contains a few recent and specific ways that you can be praying for me! Thank you so very much! You are a blessing!

Crystal

Bungalow's New Addition!

This week I splurged and bought two goldfish for the table in my living room area. I did have a plant there but it just wasn't getting enough light and was looking pretty sickly, so I returned it to the wife of the couple I am renting from in hopes that she can rescue it!
On Tuesday and Wednesday this week I am going to start helping to finish the organization of the Cross cultural training center library.
Thank you for your prayers--definitely wouldn't be here without them! Love you all!

Bungalow stories

As I look at my life there is one thing that I can continually say! I serve a God who has been nothing except faithful to me in my life! I am so thankful to Him that He is faithful when we are not and that He desires nothing but the best for us!
I wanted to take an opportunity to share a few little stories about the bungalow that I am renting because they point to God's faithfulness.
About 13 years ago when I was starting to be led to the mission field, the couple that I am renting this bungalow from began to construct it and prayed about who they would possibly rent it to. It is really amazing to me that God was already preparing a place for me when I had no clue where I was headed.
The picture that you see above is what I saw when I first saw this place for the first time. Please do note the colored glass windows which have a story that I must tell. When I was at candidate orientation to join long-term for missions, I went to church one Sunday with someone and saw a church with stained glass windows. I prayed briefly and said "Lord, someday I would like to live in a place that has windows like this or something similar." And after I prayed, I totally forgot about it.
Until the day I went and saw this place with two of my team mates to check it out to possibly rent it----and as I walked towards it seeing all of these beautiful flowers around me in the flower garden I was just in awe, and then I saw the colored glass windows and almost felt like I was going to cry because I remembered instantly what I had prayed, and all I could think was, "Wow Lord! You cared about that!!!!" Nothing escapes Him.
God cares about every detail and with His great love being shown to me each and every day calls me to trust Him more----He IS So faithful and I want to be much closer to Him.





I was heading to church the other day and as I walked up my walkway to the door I saw this---butterflies -----and delayed my leaving for about 20 minutes to run back get my camera and start taking pictures of the butterflies orange and perfectly matching the beautiful flowers they are sitting on!






When I was a kid butterflies and flowers were like my two favorite things in the world! I think they still are. So when I have a free moment I will probably be goofing off with the camera. It is a beautiful place to live!

Thank you Father for being so faithful, for making us new creations and for transforming our lives. Draw us ever closer to you and fulfill your purposes for us---that you may receive all the glory, honor, and praise!

Video of the place that I am renting!

Greetings to everyone!
Here is a quick video tour of the little place that I am renting. I thought you would enjoy it.
Please pray that the Lord would continue to show me my place on the team and that I would serve him faithfully as prayer coordinator. On Friday I am hoping to go out and evangelize with my church in the evening. Pray that the Lord would use all of us in some small way and that His truth would go forward to others that need to know of His love.
Please also pray that I will grow in my intimacy with the Lord and allow Him to carry out His perfect will in my life.
Blessings to you all and thank you so much for praying!

Crystal Vorgert

officially moved

I moved into my little bungalow on Wednesday. The first few days were really crazy having to run to the store for this, that, and the other because I am starting from scratch (in the kitchen at least.) But I am starting to feel much calmer--like it is home in a small sense (exceptfor the fact that all of you aren`t here). I am so thankful for the couple that I am rennting from. There are quite patient and have been so very good to let me barrow so many of their furnishings for the bedroom-living room- which is one room that I have attempted to divide into two. I do not have internet connection yet so I can`t get pictures put up, but I hope that will be soon.
Today my friend Saskia that helped at the casa hogar over these last few months left to go back to her country. What a blessing it was to have her here.
I might have some opportunities to do some discipleship with the church that I am attending here during the summer and over the next few months. Please pray that the Lord would guide me in all of that and that I wouild be growing in HIm more as well---so much growth I need from Him.
Blessings to you all and thanks sooo much for your continued prayers!

Setting up bungalow and moving in Wednesday or thursday

Hi Everyone,
I am just a little exhausted from spending the day running myself around to about six different furniture stores examining and searching for the necessary refrigerator, stove, and kitchen table. I still haven't made any decisions. Please pray that things run smoothly next week with all of this and that I would make all these decisions and all.
Please also pray for an unspoken request that is really on my heart. Thanks. Love you all!

P.S. As soon as I have internet, I will get some pictures up.....maybe even a video tour if you don't mind things looking kind of empty at first

Arrived back in Mexico

Hi Everyone!
Just wanted to let you know that after 13 wonderful days with friends and family I arrived in Mexico last night.
PRAISE tHE LORD that ....
1) On the flight to Dallas a friend of mine that I had wanted to talk to and at least call but had not had a chance to do so, was on the SAME flight. We didn[t sit together but ate at a restaurant in Dallas for lunch.
2) Praise the Lord that everything cleared customs...I brought a few yummy packaged things to eat that I can't find here to enjoy.
3) Praise the Lord that I received another 180 day tourist visa!!!!!

Thank you for praying! Please pray that I adjust back to life here quickly and that things would go smoothly for setting up the litle bungalow today. I hope to go by there today and also go to the casa hogar but maybe a little bit later than normal. Love you all!

flying home tomorrow

About 25 hours from now my feet will be touching the rich Iowa soil and I can hardly wait to see my parents and my friends that I love, and miss.
Thank you for all of your prayers and encouragement over this past year. Looking forward to seeing you all during the next two weeks before I come back to set up home in Mexico.

Crystal

Prayer Day went awesome.....Praise God!

Hey everyone,
Thanks for praying for the prayer day that I led today for my team. I think it went pretty well--was really relying on the Lord and it is so awesome to see how He comes through!
Blessings to you and see several of you next week!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

--Crystal

A Day in the Park

Today Saskia and I went to the park with four of the ladies from the casa hogar. We woke up this morning thinking that maybe we weren´t going to be able to go because it was almost drizzling and cold to be at the park for a few hours, but we both kept praying that God would keep the rain away and that it would clear up. In the middle of making alternate plans on the way, things cleared up! Praise the Lord!



I think the ladies enjoyed the outing at the park--certainly something different than their normal routine! I am so glad Saskia was with me so we could do something like this for them together!

Also here are some beautiful flowers and this tree with big bunches of yellow flowers hanging down for you to enjoy! (I don´t think I have ever seen anything quite like it before!)




Thank you for praying for me and being behind me! you are a blessing!

Things are really turning GREEN
Here is a picture of the fields that I took on my way to El Monte yesterday morning.

Today I made it official and decided to rent the little bungalow that I told you about.
I won´t be moving until about July 1st.
Please pray that as I begin to literally make my home in Mexico, this country would become
even more of a place of home to me.

This photo doesn´t look like much, but I will have better ones later..and a few stories too.
But right now I have no choice but to get back to work for some preparations
for tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you soon....and thanks for praying!

Here are some pictures that Saskia, one of our current short-term workers took with me at the casa hogar this past Thursday with some of the women. Saskia is such a blessing! I am going to miss her a lot when she goes back to her home country in July. Ministry just works better when we work together.
Things are going pretty well. I have a really busy week ahead. Thank you for your continued prayers! Looking forward to seeing you soon! Blessings to you all!

May Video

Greetings to everyone!
Included in this video are some details about my excitement to soon see some of you for two weeks (Surprise!!), an update on the Lord providing a place to live, update on the casa hogar and the new church I am attending!
Blessings and thank you so much for your much continued and appreciated prayers! Love you and will see some of you soon!

Crystal

Praising God in Mexico

Hi everyone!
God is so very good and I am praising Him for his faithfulness.. Please pray that there would be even more opportunities to share the gospel with people. As a result of this whole swine flu thing that you are probably hearing about, there is a lot of fear in people, but the good thing is that people might actually be more open to listen. Pray that all of us who know Christ here as our Savior would be making the most of every opportunity! How wonderful it is that we have a sovereign God that we can trust in regardless of the circumstances around us! I was so clearly reminded of Psalm 46 this morning. I wanted to put the whole thing here, but decided to put verses 10 and 11. Be sure to check out the rest if you don´t know it already!!!!!

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress

Thank you for your love and prayers!

.

busy busy

Hi Everyone!
Thank you so much for praying for me! I haven´t posted for awhile so i thought I would just write a quick note for now and try to get something a little more substantial up in a few days.
I am continuing to do well...it is getting hot here roughly 95 degrees each day, but it is starting to cool off more at night and soon the rainy season will start.
I am continuing to work with the women at the casa hogar. A few of them are trying to complete their studies so I find myself occasionally tutoring and trying to teach math to one ( a challenge at times----discovering that I am having to learn some of those concepts that I didn´t quite understand the first time), and helping another with reading/literature. Ana is still working on learning to read----I can see little by little that she is progressing which is encouraging.
As I plan devotionals for the women, I find that the Lord uses them greatly in my life to convict and challenge me, but am not sure how much the women are grasping. Pray that the Lord would continue to draw each one of them closer to Him, and that they would understand how deeply precious and loved they are by Him.
As prayer secretary, I am planninng a half day of prayer for our team in June for our team after my border trip. Pray that the Lord would give me wisdom as I plan a schedule for the day. There is so much to be praying for!
Stay strong in the Lord and keep being faithful. Blessings and love to you all!

Crystal

Another Video

Warm Spring greetings to all!

I am going to attempt to post a small video clip each month, as I have time, so that you are able to enjoy it. Here is my second video--I used the word "blessing" three times in 20 seconds--it was all impromptu-- but it must have been because it is an honor to be serving the Lord and to have all of you behind me in prayer. Thank you!

Keep serving Jesus and loving Him. May we all be found faithful and grow closer to Him in the days ahead.

Crystal :)

Women at the casa hogar

Here is a photo of the women at the casa hogar that I work with! I now have a short-term girl that is going to be helping as she can over the next two and a half months so I am excited about that! Blessings to you all! Thank you for your continiued prayers!

Because of Jesus,
Crystal

Hi Everyone!
I just wanted to thank you for your prayers for our conference. It went really well.
I am looking forward to getting back to working at the casa hogar with the women tomorrow. It will be so good to see them. Please pray that the Lord would use me to show His love to them.
I am also prayer secretary for our team and and am enjoying it so far, although I haven´t done much with it yet.
I have also been asked to work as a part of the the conference committee for next year, which will be good for helping me with the goal of learning more about how our team works.
Blessings to you all and thank you so much for your prayers. The Lord is faithful!

video from aguascalientes

Hi everyone! I just discovered last night that this computer that the Lord provided for me can handle putting video clips on my blog! This will be a fun way to communicate with you all,from time to time, so here is my first attempt at a video clip. Blessings to you all!

Aguascalientes

Greetings to everyone!

Right now I am in in aguascalientes helping out some fellow team members in their ministry. It has been such a blessing to be helping them. I´ve had lots of opportunities to share my testimony with lots of people here about how the Lord led me step by step to Mexico. This is the beautiful sunset that the Lord painted for us on the the night that we arrived last week!




During our travels on the way to aguascalientes, we passed through Queretaro. One thing that I have found extremely fascinating since my short term missions trip to Spain back in the summer of 2002 is the aqueducts. It turns out that they had one in Queretaro, which I believe still functions. Pretty cool, huh!







Today I had the incredible privilege of hanging out with Jatniel, a woman that attended one of the missions meetings that I was at!
I had shared briefly how God had led me to missions and she said that our stories were similar in many points, and she asked if we could get together and talk some more.

So this evening we went out for a mango smoothie and talked. We found out we have many things in common--sounds like she would be such a wonderful friend for me! It is too bad that she is eight hours away from where I am in Cuernavaca. But I ask for prayers for her because she wants to serve the Lord with her life in cross cultural ministry but needs the Lord´s timing and direction. I am looking forward to building more of a friendship with her.

On Friday March 6th I head back to Cuernavaca to begin our anual field conference. Thank you so much for your prayers! I have included a prayer request section on the right hand side of my blog which I intend to update as I am able so that you can pray for me more specifically.
Blessings to you all!

Amigos Sin Frontera update!!!!!

Greetings to everyone!!!!!!

I wanted to update you all about the Amigos Sin Frontera trip that I took to Jalacingo, Veracruz on February 4th thru the 8th. I went with a group of Medical doctors, dentists, and evangelists. My job and privilege as you can probably tell from this picture was to work a a part of the children´s ministry team. (the five of us that worked together over the five days were a part of the team) There are several children in front of us!

We did several activities with the kids. Here I am with my favorite puppet that we used in several Bible stories. W>e also sang songs and played games. Wednesday night when we arrived in Jalacingo was an intense time of training for me---learning all of the songs in Spanish with all of the hand motions that we would be teaching the kids over the next four days! The Lord was good--I was able to remember everything!!!

But my favorite part most of all of our children´s program was the opportunities that I had to share the gospel with all of the kids using a big version of the wordless book. While I don´t know how many children truly made decisions for Christ, one thing that I am certain of is that a lot of seeds were planted in hearts and lives!

Something really precious that I noticed was that I wasn´t scared at all to stand in front of a large group and share the gospel! The Lo9rd truly gave me a boldness! I used to get scared to death to talk in front of anyone about anything! At one point I was sharing with over 70 people!

I also had lots of opportunities to share the gospel one on one or in small groups as I am doing in the picture here with the wordless book bracelets to these girls! Lots of times a child wasn´t ready to make a decision so I would pray for them individually asking the Lord to bring them to that point later on in their lives where they recognize that they are sinners, that their sin separates them from God and that Jesus Christ offers the only way that they can receive forgiveness and eternal life.

This precious girl hung out with me the whole time I was in Jalacingo!!!! She would come by every day to talk and say hi to me after attending the children´s club the first day.

We all worked hard the four days we were there, and it was such a blessing! Pray that I would have more opportunities to attend trips with Amigos Sin Frontera in the future as the Lord wills!

I also wanted to tell you all that 800 people accepted Christ as they talked with others that shared the gospel with them! (This is apart from the children´s ministry that I was involved in.) Please pray for the believing church that is doing follow-up and discipleship of the new believers and pray that the Lord would continue to do a great work there in Jalacingo!!! Thank you so very much for your prayers and for your investment in my life and ministry! I am so thankful that you all have had a vital part in sending me to serve the Lord here in Mexico!!!

On a side note a different topic from the Amigos Sin Frontera trip, I would just like to thank the Lord for the new but slightly used and yet very modern computer that He has so graciously provided for my use!!!! My old one´s hard drive was failing! It will be a very useful tool for some occasional fun and more importantly for ministry here!

february news

Greetings to everyone! Thank you so very much for praying for me! It is hard to belioeve that the first month of this year is behind us! May the Lord truly give us wisdom to number our days as Psalm 90:12 says...because life goes so fast. Here is an update of what my life tentatively holds over the next weeks....

Our enacting field leaders recomended that we all individually take a day of spiritual retreat before our field conference in March and I am planning to do this on sunday afternoon thru Monday february 2nd. I have been craving some extended time in the Word and in prayer lately...so please pray that the Lord would speak to me and refresh my heart thru this time, and that I would learn more about Him!

Twice a week, I am now working at a casa hogar where women live and stay that have mental challenges. This is something totally new for me that I have never done before so I am learning as I go. My job is to plan activities for them, build relationships, and hopefuly share Jesus´ love. There are twenty of them. Please pray that the Lord would give me wisdom as to how to work with the needs of each one as they are all at diferent levels and capacities to learn.

I think I might have already said this but I am leaving February 4th thru the 8th to Veracruz with Amigos Son Frontera. I am not sure what my actual job is going to be--in the past I have sterilized the medical and dental instruments, but I am open to doing something new. I talked with one of the leaders about eventually wantng to be a part of the group that shares the gospel with people once my Spanish improves a little bit more. I also think it would be neat to learn how to assist in the pharmacy although it would be challenging.

February 20th thru about March 5th I will be going to Aguas Calientes to help and observe a couple from my team that has a ministry there. This will be the first time that I have gone there as well.

The following week in March we have our anual team field conference. Please pray that it would be a good time of fellowship, decision making, and that the Lord would show me what my place is eventually in these next months regarding my ministry on the team--I still don´t have a clue how the Lord is leading in that way.

PRAISE REPORTS

Even though I have already thanked the Lord privately today for this, I just wanted to thank him publically and share with all of you that the Lord protected me from a near accident in a viechle this morning. I was in the car with one of the members of Amigos sn frontera this morning, her and I were on the way to a meeting together, and a car came speeding by us, close enough to almost entirely rip off the rear view mirror on the passangers side of the car where I was sitting, but no other damage occurred.

Another praise report is that I got to have more of a gospel coversation with that guy that paints plates in the center last saturday. Please pray that the Holy spirit would convict him and bring hm and many others to the place where they repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation....not traditions or anything else---JUST JESUS----He is the ONLY way.

PRAYER REQUESTS

Please pray that the Lord would give ne more opportunities to build relationships here...and for at least one solid Mexican friendship with a believer. I have a lot of aquaintences but not much beyond that at this point. Pray that I would keep looking to the Lord for strength and a deeper relationship with him in the moments when I feel lonely or miss my beloved friends back ¨home.¨

There is so much more I could write but this is getting long. Thank you for reading it and praying. Blessings to you all!

little update!

Hi everyone! I thought you might appreciate a little update. The photo at the left is a picture of Fernando and Flor, the generous and precious Mexican couple that I have ben living with these last six months! They have been so very good to me and I am so thakful to the Lord for them!

A small update about the possibility of working with the women in the casa hogar ministry. The Lord seems to be arranging the details so that I can go out and have a visit to see what the place is like and met the Pastor and his wife that run the place. PLEASE do kep praying that the Lord would continue to direct and confirm step by step if this is indeed a place that he would have me work and serve Him.

Another thing that I wanted to share is that when I was a short-term worker here in august 2005-February 2006, there were several people that I had opportunities to share the gospel with becuase I would often go to the cathedrals and pray for and talk to people. Well there was a man that often painted plates and things as souveniers in the center of Cuernavaca. Often I would talk to him and tried to share the gospel with him at times. Since being back here now as a long-term worker, there are a few times wjere I had been in that area of Cuernavaca and had pased by the spot where he and I had talked as he worked. I thought of him and wondered where he was now. Well, the other day I went to the center of Cuernavaca, walked passed that spot, and saw a man painting some plates. As I walked by, I realized it was him and he also reogized me. ¨I remember you, * he said *you were here two years ago or so.* So we talked for a little bit. The really bad thing is that his name has escaped me! But I thought it was neat that the Lord had brought him accross my path again.

Please pray that in all that I do, I would have opportunities to share Christ´s love with others!

And just a little side-note! Thank you so much to all of those that have sent notes and Christmas cards! How special it was this morning to go check my postal box and receive special letters and updates from so many of you! Saying thank you doesn´t quite fully express my gratitude for all of you and for your prayers, encouragement, and part in my life and ministry. You are all precious to me! I appreciate you all!!

Happy New Year!!!

Greetings to everyone!
Happy new year! I know it is a little late to say that, but it's ok. Thank you once again for all of your prayers and for your involvement in my life and ministry! I really appreciate you!
Things are going pretty well here in Mexico! I just got back from a border trip in the states where I was blessed to spend Christmas with my friend Heather and her family. It was so good to be together!
A praise report is that I received another 180 day visa for being here in Mexico. The Lord is so good!
A prayer request is that my team leaders are looking into a women's ministry that I could possibly get involved in called Casa Hogar. Please pray that the Lord would continue to open doors if this is a place where He wants me to be used as His hands and feet to demonstrate His love!
Another praise is that my English class with Lucia went well yesterday! It was fun to be together and to get caught up.
Kep serving Jesus and loving Him!!!!!!