Dear Friends,

My family had a little poem they would recite when the tulips and daffodils began to bloom:

Spring is sprung, the grass is riz,

I wonder where the flowers is.

The boid (bird) is on the wing,

Now ain´t that absoid.   I thought the wing was on the boid!

Thank you for praying for us.   We continue to be amazed at God´s faithfulness.

First,  a quick update on things we asked you to pray about previously:

• Lynn was able to obtain the material necessary to begin the course he is offering.  The orientation meeting was held on February 14th and the first class was held on March 14th.  Fifteen enthusiastic students signed up.
• A resolution was reached and the church La Gracia de Dios will now be able to use the building we were hoping to use for more frequent meetings.  We are encouraged that two young couples  are participating more and more in the leadership of the church.
• The breakfast for the Pastor´s wives was a success. (see photo).  We continue to connect with more women and anticipate seeing the ministry expand.

More recent events:

In February we took advantage of the dry, warm weather to have the house painted and a roof built over a section of the back patio.

The house was “abuzz” with activity as Juan and Juan Pablo worked long days, sometimes joining us for meals.

This small area will give us more storage space…necessary because the house doesn´t  have an attic, a basement or a garage!

Lynn and I attended a workshop in San Antonio, Texas, in March in order to become certified trainers in “Couple Communication”.  We hit a glitch, however.  Our new Mexican visa status means that according to the customs agents we are considered Mexican citizens, which we are not.  Being considered Mexican citizens means that we cannot import a U.S. car into Mexico.  So we found ourselves in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, with a car and a load of boxes.  I flew to Guadalajara and Lynn drove the VW Jetta to Iowa where our son Dan will sell it for us.

Anyone need a car?

On March 10th my (Barb´s) father passed away.  Because of Alzheimer´s Disease, we had been saying goodbye to him for a long time.  The funeral was held in Clinton, Iowa, on March 30th.  Part of honoring my father was celebrating family.  We were able to spend a day with our children and their children… and some of that time was in the pool.  Here is Grandpa with 3 of the 6 grandchildren.

Current concerns:

• Tonight Lynn is presenting a conference on Conflict Resolution as part of an outreach ministry for the new church plant of the Converge Worldwide missionaries, Dan and MeLinda Nelson.
• Lynn continues in the process of obtaining an operating license from the city for the Marriage and Family Training Center.  Please pray for open doors.
• April 11th will be the second class meeting for the course Lynn is offering.
• On April 25th we will be hosting another breakfast for Pastor´s Wives.  Barb is currently working on a newsletter.
• Please pray for the sale of the mission vehicle (VW Jetta) so that we can purchase a Mexican vehicle for use in the ministry here.  This is a big, elephant-sized request!

We appreciate your continued concern for the ministry God has given us.  Your participation in prayer is an important, very important part of the mix.  Thank you.