Reality: I'm a Missionary Living in Mexico

Hello everyone!  Thank you for barring with me to get this first blog post straight from Mexico out to all of you waiting. It has been quite a whirlwind experience adjusting to the culture here and it also has been hard to find a moment that has allowed both free time and internet to get this post published!  And now, FINALLY, I can sit to collect my thoughts from the past week and a half and try to find a way to make it all fit in this blog post.

el 28 de septiembre {September 28^th}

It has been roughly 11 days to the hour since I have landed in this sea of 22 MILLION people.   Distrito Federal has had more than a handful of overwhelming moments {joyful, terrifying, simply overwhelming, exciting, & cultural} that have made me question what God has gotten me into.  Although these may feel like overwhelming experiences for me at times, I find comfort in knowing that this is where He needs me to be {despite the many other daily comforts that I am now starting to miss}.

There is so much to write about that I am going to highlight the, well, highlights so far while in la Ciudad de México:

Mi equipo {My Team}

Our Avance team is stacked this year aside from the fact that there are only four of us.  So as many of you guys know, I am the only hombre {guy} on the team along with three outgoing and God fearing hermanas de Cristo {sisters of Christ}!   We all have received our placements of ministry for the Fall and to say the least, we are ecstatic about these placements.

Amanda & Robin {from Virgina & Georgia}  will be working together this semester and are also roommates as well!  These girls on my team will be working with a ministry that serves the children at risk here in the city.  It is almost like a half-way house for kids that come to the ministry {mostly after school I believe} and help feed these kids, clothe them, and teach them both biblically and academically.  The Lord has lined this up well as both of these woman have huge hearts for kids and it seems to be a good fit.

Elizabeth {from Georgia as well} will be working for a ministry that assists people out of human trafficking.  She has been prepared well for this ministry placement as she has just graduated with a Bachelor’s in International Relations.  Lizzie will be working alongside with the Mexican lawyers at this ministry to help these victims of human trafficking to start their new lives.

For myself, I will be starting in my ministry placement next week hopefully.  I have my very first meeting with MILAMEX on Monday to check out the office there and see how I can start getting involved ASAP.  Otherwise, the placement with InterVarsity is yet to get on it’s way because my director is working out the detials with the Director of IV at la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México {UNAM}.

Our directors of our team are two couples that have been living here in the city as missionaries for many years.  Paul & Nydia and Kevin & Leah do a great job leading and serving us as a team. –Sometimes I don’t know how they do it because life here has been so crazy over the past couple weeks.  They have been heading Avance together for the past two years and I feel that promising things are to come this year while learning from these wise and impressive couples.

Mi familia {My Family}

As part of the Avance experience, we each are placed in Mexican homes with real life Mexican families.  This aspect of the year-our is a fruitful experience as we are constantly being exposed to the culture and the language which makes for a perfect immersion experience!!

Mi “abuelita” {little grandma, ha… who is just a few years younger than my real life father} is one heck of a firecracker.  I know that we shouldn’t have favorites in the family but I am going to come right out with it –she is definitely my favorite haha.  We have cooked enchiladas {no translation haha}, gone down to el centro {downtown} and just this morning, went for an amazing walk through this city’s most beautiful park/forest/pyramid called El cerro de las estrellas  {The Hill of the Stars}, which was an incredible sight to see.

Mi abuelo {my grandpa} is very devoted to God and his testimony is very powerful.  He is a very sympathetic man who has a huge influence over this family.  I don’t get to see him much because he is off driving busses here in the city every other day.

Mis padres {my parents} are fun loving and love Christ very much {part time clowns for a ministry for kids on some weekends}!  They are very much part of the working class of Mexico and I admire how much the trust in the Lord to get by each day.

Mis hermanos {my siblings} here are a bit younger than I but that’s ok because they are teenagers who are able to fill me in on some of the lingo that I wouldn’t have been able to pick up on at the church or with my ministry haha.  Mimi is 15 and Josue Daniel is 18.

Otros ministerios en esta ciudad {Other Ministries in this City}

The Lord has been breaking my heart and showing me how ministry can be so very specific to our callings.  In this city I have seen and heard of so many cool opportunities that God is building in this City:

There is Jesuit outreach with a hostel {probably THE COOLEST hostel I’ve ever experienced} in the nicer part of the city.  This community has a very personal and intentional way of living!!

Other missionaries from Latin America Mission {LAM} are here building up Mexican missionaries that are being trained and sent out into Syria as we speak –eh, well as I type. haha

Many Christian churches are being planted throughout the downtown of the city and the way they are sustained is by a side businesses operated by church members and pastors.  This kind of business ranges from operating bus lines to opening up coffee shops in the city.  The urban outreach has been a very cool wave that has been going through this city as of late.

And now… All of the In-between

Personally, I feel very exhausted.  This could be due to the crazy change in altitude or maybe the constant thinking, speaking, and processing in Spanish almost all of the time.  –Please be praying because at times I feel like I could take a siesta for many, many, many hours. haha

I’ve started my Master’s Program with William Carey International University and this too has been one of those “overwhelming” experiences more or less.  I am only enrolled in 10 credits this trimester so it should be fairly manageable with all of the ministry work going on.  I am excited to learn about the Bible and the way of missions at an academic level.  –Please pray that I can set aside solid parts of my time to pursue this with all I’ve got!

Ohhhh español {Spanish}, this has always been a love/hate relationship and still is today.  I have my good and bad days.  My Spanish teacher Joshua is great and he is impressed with my Spanish skill and is very encouragiing.  However my abuelita {my unofficial Spanish teacher} thinks otherwise. haha  -Please be praying that my brain can skip past those lazy days and I can give it my all each day.

1,300 words later, my brain is about to fry out.  Please pray that I can find opportunities to keep my ministry updated as to how God is forming this experience so each time I sit down to write this out, it doesn’t take an hour and a half.

Dar Gracías {Giving Thanks}

As I am learning and practicing to orar {pray} in Spanish, I have been praying for this ministry that God has built.  Once again, to all the ministry partners, friends, and family: thank you.

Thank you for your prayers, financial support, and everything else in-between.   All of these resources that you are sending my way continually renews my passion and heart to serve the Lord at this capacity day by day.  I am also thankful that the Lord has led you to partner with me and witness how He is using this ministry to reach the hearts of the broken in the incredible city. 

2 Corinthians 4:15-16

All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.  Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

If you are not yet part of this ministry and would like to give financially to help support me, please inquire by emailing me at:
erikhamiltoncole@gmail.com

Otherwise, to support directly online, please visit:
http://www.lam.org/missionaries/erik-cole