Robin's Ramblings

Visit to Mexico

2009-06-10T12:14:00.005-04:00

As the end of May approached, I anxiously awaited a trip to Mexico. I was not afraid of the H1N1 virus for I was going home. Our trip was for 10 days only. The first thing on the agenda was the wedding of Aileen Ortiz, the daughter of our oldest and dearest friend in Mexico.While there, we were also able to attend the graduation ceremonies for Mexico City Christian Academy. There were two graduates this year, each of whom spent many years at MCCA. God Bless them both as they continue on their journey with Him as their guide!

Spring is Here

2009-06-10T12:08:00.003-04:00

Living in Mexico is wonderful but I miss the changing of the leaves in the Fall and the variety of flowers that burst forth in the Spring. Here are a few from NY: In May, we had many gorgeously warm, sun-filled days. This helped the flowers to bloom. It amazes me how year after year they continue to bloom. There is a lesson in those flowers. God has us in a place for a reason and we are not to complain but to "bloom" for Him.

Easter

2009-04-22T12:56:00.009-04:00

Easter day began with an early sunrise service. As we neared the time in the message about Jesus' resurrection, the sun peaked over the treetops. What a glorious reminder that our Savior lives!! At the 11am service, we celebrated with the baptisms of two young men, ages 11 & 12, who rejoice in the Lord as their Savior and are not afraid to share with others.

After church service and a quick nap, we, my mom, Margaret and I, drove to my brother's house. Here we enjoyed a lovely family meal and afternoon together.
There were many rounds of Chutes & Ladders, Uno, Go Fish and Hand & Foot. Not sure who had more fun - the nieces or the aunts and grandma.

Mission Work

2009-04-21T23:44:00.008-04:00

You may be wondering where I have been since leaving Mexico in March. Margaret and I first flew to Oklahoma to share about God's work in Mexico. We stayed with some dear friends of ours. While we were there we had the opportunity to do a bit of sight seeing and they put us to work. Here are a few pics:

We had the opportunity to visit the Oklahoma City bombing memorial. It was quite a sight. This statue is across the street from where the bombing took place
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Then we were put to work :) But I had never done a faux finish on a wall before so I had to be given a demonstration. So, Mark, you use a plastic bag????

Then it was time to put this new technique to work. But I have one question: Why did they put the one who is afraid of heights (me) up on the scaffolding????? Answer: I was the tallest one there. Everyone else was too short.
The Lord truly blessed our time in Oklahoma. We spent wonderful time with some very dear friends and had the opportunity to see how God is working through the church there. We shared about Mexico on three occasions and now both of our accounts are out of the red!!!! Praise God!!

Rebeca & Alan's Wedding

2009-03-19T14:28:00.008-04:00

Just before leaving Mexico, Margaret and I attended our youngest sister, Rebeca's, wedding.
First, they have to be married civilly by a judge.

Then the church wedding. In Mexico, the bride and groom sit during the message and special readings & music.
One last prayer and "the deed is done". On to the reception!

Picture time! Here is our entire Mexican family (except for 2 year old Ian, who didn't want his picture taken).

Congratulations, Rebeca & Alan!

Seminary vision

2009-03-19T14:11:00.003-04:00

While I was in Mexico, I was able to participate in a focus group for SEMBIMEX, the Biblical Seminary of Mexico. Our focus is to get SEMBIMEX and the national church working together in the training of Mexicans for the purpose of growing the church. Today we looked into the future "Where do we see SEMBIMEX in 2018?" Please pray with us as we work to better train up future pastors and lay leaders.If you are wondering why we are wearing jackets inside, there is no central heat in buildings in Mexico and the high temp this day was about 60F.

Trip to Mexico

2009-03-19T13:59:00.004-04:00

I was blessed with a trip to Mexico. I was greeted by many friends and family. The most for exciting me was to meet my niece, Joanna, who was born on my birthday.

Ain't I cute!!!

Happy Birthday!

2009-02-06T17:26:00.006-05:00

It seems hard to believe that my nephew, Will, is now 14 and, Sarah, my niece has turned 9. Since their birthdays are only 2 days apart, we had a joint celebration.

It took a bit of doing to get this picture as they were both rather eager to eat the cake rather than just look at it.
Sarah received an art set and books. She spends many an hour reading and drawing.

Will's favorite baseball team is the New York Yankees. One of his gifts was a book of Yankee Stadium memoirs.

And of course, birthday spankings were in order. Only this ended in an all out wrestling match. What fun I have with my "kids"!

Standing Firm

2009-01-14T23:05:00.004-05:00

This past Monday started early with a trip to the vet with one of my mom's cats for routine blood work. On the way home, I decided to stop and put gas in the car, as the weather prediction was for frigid temperatures.

Once I was done, I delivered Mom and cat to the house and went to the post office to buy stamps. Within 15 minutes, I was home, finishing a project I had begun a few days before. About 10 minutes later, I received a phone call from the post office. The postmistress said that a gentleman had entered and handed her my bank card, which he had found in the snow. She was going to put it in a special postal envelope and send it to the house with our mail delivery. I thanked her over and over again and hung up the phone.

It is rare for me not to put my card away after use but with the cat in the car (who hates to ride and lets his displeasure be known), I was in a hurry and had stuck it in the pocket of my jacket. How thankful I was to this gentleman for his honesty in returning the card! I began praying that God would give him an extra blessing as I had been blessed.

With the struggles in the economy, this man could have easily justified keeping the card and using it to help out his economic situation. But he chose to be honest and a "true gentleman". During difficult times in our lives, let us not allow our character, morals or beliefs to be swayed. Let us stand firm on The Rock, Jesus Christ.

Wednesday Morning Breakfast

2009-01-01T15:32:00.002-05:00

Each Wednesday morning, there is a group of women, all in ministry, who gather together for breakfast. This is a time of prayer, support and fellowship. Over the past few years, I have enjoyed getting to know these ladies on a personal level as we share our needs and praises with each other. They have been a wonderful source of support for me.

I would ask you to be in prayer for two of my friends:

The first one is Mary Jane. She and her husband are both pastors and are currently moving from western NY to Ohio to begin ministering at a new church. Pray for them as they move their belongings during the next 10 days. Praise God for provision of a house for them to stay in until they find a house of their own.
Secondly, please pray for Marsha. As we were at breakfast yesterday morning, Marsha was on her way into the restaurant when she fell. She dislocated and broke her left elbow and was facing possible surgery to put everything in it's place. Marsha has hip problems and uses a cane in her left hand to walk. This will be difficult with her current situation. Pray for God's peace and comfort for Marsha and her family.

Thank you for standing in the gap with me.

Christmas in NY

2008-12-29T23:39:00.003-05:00

Christmas has always been a time for family. My mom and I traveled to my brother's house about an hour away. What excitement there was to be together once again, celebrating Christ's birth and the love that we have for one another. I love being with family, sharing fun and laughter together, making memories to last a lifetime. I pray that your Christmas, too, was filled with joy and love.

Snow!

2008-12-25T00:31:00.007-05:00

Then there is the weather - mainly SNOW!!! I love snow and find it to be rather beautiful, but this year there has been quite a bit of it flying around. One morning I arose early and was greeted with this sight as I opened the door. I believe there is a car under there somewhere!?!?
This storm caused many schools to be cancelled. On another day, after a similar storm, I was stuck at my brother's house. So what do you do on a snow day??? Why bake cookies of course!!!

After the baking was completed, I took on the task of frosting those cookies, with a bit of help of course. My question is this: Which will have more frosting in the end: the cookie, the table or the girl?Have a Very Merry Christmas!

December Activities

2008-12-25T00:03:00.005-05:00

December is almost over and as I look back I wonder "Where has all the time gone?". Let me see . . .

First there was my niece's, Sarah, "Page Turners" competition. Page Turners is a program in which students read books from a book list and each semester there is a head-to-head competition between schools to see which school can recall the most information from the books.
Here Sarah is competing with her team. She is on the back side of the group.

Then there was Emma's Kindergarten Christmas concert. I was too far away to get a good picture of her performance. Afterwards, we went to her classroom for refreshments. She then wanted to read a book to her mom.
And we can't forget Will - he plays trombone and sings in the chorus. I had the opportunity to attend his Christmas concerts. He is third from the left in the back row.

A Walk Through History

2008-11-25T22:44:00.008-05:00

At the beginning of November, I had the chance to spend time with a dear friend, Cindy. A few weeks before her arrival, she asked me what there was to see and do in the area. Albion, New York is a far cry from New York City and is a good distance from even Rochester and Buffalo. But we do have the Erie Canal, a man made waterway connecting Buffalo with the Hudson River which leads to New York City. One of the special parts of the Erie Canal is about 20 minutes away. There is one part where the Erie Canal goes over the road.

Cindy and I take a walk through the tunnel. Notice the puddles of water. The water constantly drips into the tunnel.

A view from the top!

We have even made it into Ripley's Believe it or Not. Such fame for a small, farming community.

Confused Weather?!

2008-10-29T14:48:00.002-04:00

I woke up this morning to find a dusting of snow on the ground and my car. This is all fine and dandy except for the fact that I don't yet have an ice scraper nor a snow brush for my car - Wal-Mart here I come!

But my confusion comes when I think about what season it is. As you can see from this picture, there are still very definitely fall leaves on the trees and now snow on the ground. And then, it is supposed to be back up to 50 degrees this weekend. Welcome to fall in Western NY!!

New Vision Week

2008-10-27T10:37:00.008-04:00

This week, I had the privilege of representing OMS International at my alma mater, Houghton College. Here I hope to challenge students to consider overseas missions. One evening, I was invited to share at a Bible study in one of the ladies' dorms. These young ladies are so on fire for missions and how to be involved that we chatted until 10:30pm. Praise God!

There were 15 different mission organizations in attendance, offering a plethora of opportunities. Some of these are teaching at an international school, church planting, summer short term trips, and working with a translation team. Please pray for the students as they discern God's calling on their lives.

Family Time

2008-10-17T22:58:00.004-04:00

While I am raising funds, I have the wonderful privilege of spending time with family. In the Fall, this means the "Fall Classic" party at my cousin Tim & Jodi's house. Family and friends gather together to share food and fun. There were 130 people total this year and what fun we had. At one point in time, all of the children were given glow necklaces and bracelets. Not only do the kids love them but it helps the adults to keep an eye on them too. My niece, Emma, was having a great time until Aunt Robin struck. She had been waving her necklace around in my face and so I grabbed it and ran. Soon Esther, Emma's good friend, joined in. After about 4 trips around the house, I finally had to concede defeat as I was just too tired to go on. But before we disbanded, this picture was taken of the three of us. I'm not sure if Esther was conducting an orchestra or just enjoying having her picture taken. Emma was just acting normally. She does have some great facial expressions.

This weekend I will be speaking during a morning service at 10am and then chatting with the youth group from my home church, about life for a typical Mexican teen. Pray that God will use this time to speak to these young people about the plans he has for their lives.

Fall is Here!

2008-10-06T22:39:00.005-04:00

While we were in Massachusetts, my mom had the opportunity to attend her high school reunion. She enjoyed seeing many friends and even one of her high school teachers was there this year.

We also enjoyed the leaves which were beginning to change colors. God certainly does paint a beautiful landscape. The only down part of this is that the changing of the leaves means that colder weather is on its way. Brrrrrrrr!

Weekend Happenings

2008-10-06T22:21:00.004-04:00

I have begun traveling to churches, sharing about ministry in Mexico. This past weekend I was in Montgomery, Massachusetts, nestled in the Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts. This church sits atop a mountain, surrounded by forest. How did I ever find such a remote place, you ask? My mom grew up in Huntington, MA, the little town down the mountain from Montgomery. And you know what? My mom got us lost driving to the church on Sunday morning!
It was time well spent, investing in the lives of the people in the congregation and getting them involved in changing Mexico for Christ.

Welcome

2008-09-07T22:32:00.000-04:00

My name is Robin Efing. I am a missionary with OMS International in Mexico City, Mexico. For the past 13 years, I have been ministering to other missionary families through teaching their children at Mexico City Christian Academy. I have watched many missionary children aclimate to the Mexican culture and become a part of their parents ministries due to Mexico City Christian Academy.

Now the next chapter of my adventures with God is beginning. I am currently on HMA, Homeland Ministry Assignment. This finds me in the northeast United States, sharing my ministry with others and how God is working in Mexico. When I return to Mexico, God is leading me in a slightly different direction. He has asked me to share what I have learned about teaching and share that with other teachers so they can lovingly mold the future generations and share the love of God as well.

Please join me on my journey and see where God leads.