We are on our missions trip! It has already been about a week. We have visited two cities and are going to 2 more places.

In Quimichis we prayed with a lady named Gregoria. Her son Fernando has schizophrenia.  She was telling us how hard it is to pay for medication from month to month she said it was 3,000 pesos which is about $300 a month. I have bipolar disorder and was able to give her some hope that her son can have a normal life. After this interaction I knew that God had put me here on this trip for a reason. I feel that God told me during that time that I was going to start an organization to raise money first for Fernando's medicine and hopefully branch out and buy medications for people in other countries that have mental illnesses.  Please pray that I can accomplish this desire.

 

The guys decided to set up a volley ball court because the pastor's daughter in Quimichis loves volley ball. Volleyball at the Coult's house has been a great way to bring people to the house. We are hoping that the family will be able to use this to bless others and spread the gospel.

There was a community church service held in Quimichis two nights in a row. I played the drums with Sarah, Fabian, Rebecca,Keala and Doug.  The service went well and I believe that many people were impacted.

This is a picture in the city of Celaya. In Celaya we had a short youth conference and I was able to share my testimony. 

There was a huge catholic church there and it was very obvious how prevalent Catholicism is in Celaya.  This is the catholic church it was interesting to see and really beautiful.

 

I can't wait to see what else God has in store. Please pray for safe travels and us to be able to share the gospel with many people. Our group is hosting a few youth conferences, a class on Jonah and a parenting class, so also pray for those classes to go well.

 

Thank you for all the support!

Hailey Holden

Well I haven't uploaded any pictures of my adventures so I thought I could use this blog post to do that.

 

 

 

This is is Keala,Rebecca, Evie and I making tamales. I know some people at home that will want me to make tamales :)

Had a fun evening for the little girls. Made pizza, watched movies, did nails and got to spend the night.

A Slumber party we did for the girlies. (from left to right: Denise,Alondra, Madie,and Eymie)
They are showing off their manicures.


Some other things going on:
We have been preparing for the trip down south and plan on leaving on the 14th of January and getting back on the 2nd of February. While there we are going to have youth conferences.

Jessee,Fabian and Jeremias went to the mountains to pass out Bibles which is a pretty dangerous thing and they are coming back this coming week so I am excited to hear their stories.

Thank You for the Love and Support!
Hailey

Hello everyone!

Life here in Mexico is treating me well. The weather is finally cooling down and the mosquitos have become scarce! Around the house I have been cooking quite a bit. I think I'm going to be the best at making bread. I am also working on a computer bag. Its nice to have time to relax and read or sew :).

On Friday last week there was an annual celebration of the aniversary of a church. Lots of people showed up. There was music, testimonies, a message and our youth group performed a drama about choosing God over the devil. When the message was over the pastor invited people to accept Christ, a few teens in our youth group made that life changing choice! I also had the chance to talk to one of the girls in the group during the event and she wants to learn more about being a christian before she accepts the Lord. Her willingness and desire to learn about the word of God was encouraging. I am going to try and help her get into God's word and deside to make the committment to accept Jesus.

Last weekend we celebrated Thanksgiving at the deaf school in Los Mochis. It was awesome being able to fellowship with other American missionaries here. Not to mention the food was great! Keala, Jessee, Jerimias, Andrew, Evie and I stayed at the school Saturday night to Monday afternoon. On Sunday we went to the church and a market where people were selling handmade things. It was super fun! On Monday we helped around the school with odd jobs that needed to be done. The kids were sweet and I had fun at the school.

I asked you to pray that we would be able to have relationships with the young ladies here and as you can see a little from what I shared, God has helped that happen. There are a few girls that I have become close to and I really hope to be able to do that with many more! Hopefully we will get a girls group together and grow closer to eachother and most importantly God.

Please continue to pray for the young ladies here to know Christ. Also keep praying for our trip down south in January.

I hope you are enjoying my blogs and the aren't too terribly boring!

Dios le Bendiga (God bless you),

Hailey Holden

This past week or so I have experienced different cultural things.

Last Friday we went to a quince. We didn't go to the actual ceremony, but the after party. It was very extravagant. I was told that from the time that the girl turns ten they start planning and saving for the quince. During the party, we were served dinner, which was very good. We didn't stay long enough to have cake, but the cake they had was huge. The girl's dress was beautiful and I cant even imagine the cost. In this culture there are many traditions and it was interesting to see that even though a family might not have much money they still pay crazy amounts for the quince.

On Sunday, we got the sad news that a 16 year old boy named Fernando, from a neighboring town had passed away. He was dealing with cancer that was not cure able. He was part of the youth group here, but I was not able to meet him. Needless to say this past week has been sad. Here in Mexico the families have a 24 hour open casket where many people come to offer there condolences and support. We went to that, which was sad to know that a brother, son and friend had passed away. The next day was the funeral. There were many parts to the ceremony. First there was a catholic mass held for him, then he was taken to his school where there was another ceremony to remember his life. After that, we drove to the grave site. It was very hard to witness, knowing the hurt the friends and family felt. After he was buried there was a sermon and music. There are so many things people do here in Mexico to honor the deceased. This Saturday we are planning a pizza party because Fernando has a twin brother and we want to support him.

We are planning to have a Thanksgiving celebration with American missionaries that own a deaf school in Los Mochis. Then stay for a few days and help at the school. I am very excited to be able to help there.

Please pray and continue to pray for the following things:

For the family of Fernando. He has 4 brothers and I can't imagine the pain his family is feeling.

Our trip down south in January

We continue to grow closer to the girls here

For God to continue keeping us safe

I am doing well here and appreciate everyone who reads my blog and prays for me!

Hailey

Hola!
Everything is going well down here in Mexico. I have definitely seen God working. Last post I told you guys about the youth group that we were going to have on Saturday. Two girls came, which was definitely an answer to prayer. Then, last Friday at youth group, 5 different girls showed up. I am hoping and praying that these girls will continue to come to group and grow in Christ. I hope that I will be able to cultivate relationships and be a light to these girls.

Some of you may have heard that there was a hurricane headed twords where we were last week. It was predicted to weaken and definitely did. There was no rain, wind or anything. I think God was watching out for us. Other than that the weather is cooling down. It is really funny because all the people here think it is cold, and to me it is nothing.

In January we are planning on taking a trip further into Mexico and the Coults were praying for a way to raise funds to take the trip. God has answered that prayer too and there was a donation that will allow us to have the finances to go. During this trip we will see some of the people and ministries that the Coults have been supporting. I am excited for the adventure.

I would like to thank all the people who have supported me financially. It means so much to know that other people are willing to donate their hard earned money to allow me to take this trip. I also want to thank everyone who has encouraged me during this time :). Your prayers and love are much appreciated.

God Bless,

Hailey Holden

Hello everyone! Just a quick update on what I have been up to. Last Friday we went to a girls softball game and sold snow cones to raise money to go to a youth conference. After that we had youth group and looked at John 17 and talked about setting ourselves apart from the crowd. When youth group was over we practiced the dramas that we were going to perform at the youth conference.

On Saturday we went to a youth conference. There were about 60 people there. A few people including Sarah Coult gave a message. Hers was about following God’s call without questioning because if we question we might miss his call and not have a second chance. During the conference we performed our drama it went really well and everyone seemed to like it. This drama was about choosing Jesus and not listening to the lies of the Devil. At the end of the conference we were prayed over. I was so humbled because I just kept thinking that I was a sinner and God picks me up and loves me just the same.

On Sunday we went to a church in a small village. It was a lot more informal than any of the churches I have been to in the states. But the message was still given the same way. After that we went into Guasave, ate lunch and looked around at some of the shops.

Evie, Keala and I have decided to join the girls softball team to try and develop better relationships with the girls here. Most of the girls play or watch softball. Because practices and games are happening every weekday, we feel the only way to make these relationships is to become more involved. Please pray for the girls hearts to be opened and them to be willing to listen to what we are trying to share with them. Also pray that they will have the desire to go to youth group. We are thinking about changing youth group to Saturday hoping that more girls will come since there is no softball. I am excited to see God work during this new endeavor.

Thank you for everyone’s prayers!

Hailey

Since I have been here a little over a week I figured I would share what is going on down here. Every morning we have a Bible study I think it is a really good way to start my day. Each day someone else picks a part of the bible that has been on their heart and shares about it. Everyday we generally have some sort of outreach. During this past week I was able to meet new people from the neighboring villages. We had a bible study on Tuesday for the adults and kids and tought some kids about the tower of Babel. Wednesday Doug, Keala and I went to visit a few people. It was amazing to see how happy the people were even though they barely had anything. They even gave us shrimp and fish, which we used to make Ceviche. I love the food here! On Thursday we went into the town of Boca Del Rio, which is less than 5 minutes away, and had a women's bible study. The women just finished a book about being godly wives. Friday was youth group again and we were taught that we are called to follow God even if it isnt our will. On Saturday there was a wedding for two people that the Coult's know. It was very similar to an American wedding. Both the bride and groom were christians so it was very Christ centered and I thought that was very cool. I would say the thing that was the most different from American weddings was the fact that people didnt dance afterwards, even though there was music. On Sunday we went to church. Doug preached because the head pastor had gotten sick. The service was in a super small town and only 4 of the villagers came. There is always someone to help around here and always a guest or two here.

This week I think we will start trying to get girls motivated to become a part of a small group. I am excited to see what God has in store for me here. I think I fit in pretty well and can't wait for my spanish to get even better so I can grow closer to people.

Thank You for all your love and prayers,

Hailey Holden