Summer 2026
Summer is almost over.
I had a whirlwind of a summer, visiting 5 states and many, many friends.
As I begin my 11th year in Oaxaca (can you believe it?) I look back on the past decade of support and friendship that has helped me do what I do. The friends I visited this summer had my favorite foods stocked up, cleared their schedules to sit and chat with me, invited me into their homes, and made sure my tank was filled in order to return and keep working. I am beyond lucky to have such friendships; people who pray with and for me, people who reach out regularly to check on me, and people who have remained steadfast despite a decade of long-distance friendship. Just a short visit is refreshing and wonderful. Even the new friends I sat and drank coffee with this summer have been so encouraging and uplifting. Please know that I do not take it for granted, and that it’s a huge part of how I can come back and serve here.
So what’s new this year?
At school, we are so grateful to have found an interim principal! I am excited to hand over my admin duties. I will also hand over my math-teacher duties, as this year I will only be teaching AP Psychology, AP Language and Composition, and 9/10 grade English. We have a record-large group in the Jr/Sr class this year- possibly 16 students! We have to purchase a few more textbooks to accommodate the large class. It’s going to be nuts, but I’m excited. I will also be helping the Jr/Sr class with their fundraising and homeroom activities. I learned a lot at the AP Lang reading (torturous work, but amazing professional development) and am excited to implement a few projects. Youth group will start the year with some extra help as well- we have a few new youth leaders who will work with us this year! We already have the dates and plans for our YG launch retreat in September.
At Girasol we have a staff dinner coming up (our mid-year get-together). It’ll be so fun to catch up as a team. We also do a bit of celebrating since most of our team members have summer birthdays! We will make some plans for the fall and discuss any concerning cases we’ve come across (debrief from them, since we discuss plans for these cases as they come up).
The biggest changes are coming for Amanecer! We are hoping to grow as a ministry. Our goal is to rent a space that will be used to make jewelry (up to this point we’ve worked out of the Sunday school classrooms at my church), but also to sew, have bigger classes, and hire more women! We will start the work to open a cafe/store that sells our products, but also partners with other Oaxacan artisans. It’s a huge undertaking, and I promise to update more as we go, but this is the starting point for us.
-Please pray for next steps, helping hands, and peace as we take this leap of faith.
-Please also be praying for the women who have left a life of prostitution who are working so hard to change their lives. They’ve faced such hardship and so many obstacles, but have been diligent and determined. We are working on being a good support system to them and disciple them well.
-Please pray for the spots we’re still missing on our school staff team (elementary teachers, mainly!). Also pray for the chaos that always comes at the start of a school year.
I am excited to be home- I have finally worked on some projects around my house that were woefully neglected last year. I will also be welcoming my first guest from The Bridge Church in Wisconsin this week, which is so cool! I have 3 other people who are planning to visit throughout the year, and I can’t wait to show people what I do!
Thank you, again, for your prayers and support.
If this is your first time receiving my updates, welcome. On the blog site there are links to read older blogs, blogs written by Girasol staff on our Girasol website, information about Oaxaca, information on how to donate to me and to Girasol, as well as information on how to contact me further. Please reach out with any questions.
Gracias,
Ruth
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