Q&A

I've been in Mexico for about a month and a half! The D.F. has really become like a home to me! I've had ups, downs, and lots of in betweens, but I truly feel like I'm growing in so many different ways. Migraines and a cold have been a struggle, but my body is finally adjusting to the altitude and climate. Thank you for your prayers in regards to my health! 

My team and leaders are incredible. They've been there for everything, and I am gracious for their love, hugs, and prayers through this time. My roommate, Robin, and my host family have been incredible with supporting me through my times of sickness and grumpiness. My team and Mexican friends and family are just incredible, so don't worry about me, Mom and Dad!

I haven't really had a chance to write much recently, so I thought that I would write a Q&A blog post answering each and every question. This post might be a tad long, but I hope that it helps explain everything related to Mexico and missions!

1. What is your daily schedule?
Sundays are full of church, ministries, and outreach. Mondays are our Sabbath with a bible study at night. Every Tuesday the group has a debrief meeting and talk referring to culture, history, and missions from one of our leaders or a Mexican leader in the community. Wednesdays are Spanish classes and work days. Team bible study and worship are on Thursdays, with Mana afterwards. (Mana is the after school program.) Fridays are Spanish classes and then Recobro. (Recobro is the safe home for women and children with mental disabilities.) Saturdays are full of family time, small groups, and then preparing for church!

2. What is something that you have had to learn to love about Mexico?
Great question! Going through culture shock surfaced a lot of things I have had to learn to love! Some of those include the metro, spontaneity, always being around people, and speaking Spanish. I've come to find out that I absolutely crave riding the metro-even during sweaty rush hour. Spontaneity and I have a love/hate relationship, but I'm okay with that! I'm still getting in the groove of finding alone time, but living on a roof with the ability to watch the sunrise and sunset is quite an encouragement! And there are definitely days I wish I was fluent in Spanish, but learning is a process.

3.What inspired you to be a missionary? How long ago did you know that it was what you were supposed to do?
I've always loved doing short term mission trips (especially international), so being a recent graduate seemed like the perfect opportunity to go abroad, be stretched, and just love on people for a while. I never really had one day where the heavens opened and God told me to go to Mexico, but lots of little things just added up. I started college wanting to be an elementary school teacher, but realized that was not what I was supposed to do right now! So, I picked up an international studies minor and later a Spanish minor with a general Liberal Studies degree. What was my plan with this degree? No idea. I just trusted in the Lord that He would give me guidance. In December, I went to a missions conference called Urbana in St. Louis. It was an incredible week of worship and talks that led me to Latin America Mission. Through learning about their programs, the YearOut fit best, so I prayed and the Lord provided! I'm not so sure that God has called me to be a full time missionary, but what I love about the YearOut Avance Program is that it is just a taste of missionary life. It's like an internship with Jesus! International discipleship is priceless, so I'm here as a learner to grow, serve, and show the love of Christ.   

4. What do I miss most about the States?
Family, friends, carpet, and mac and cheese. Hands down.

5. What has been your biggest challenge?
Migraines and Spanish!

6. Does your work in Mexico look like the work you did in Uganda?
No. While I value my experiences in Uganda so much, I am learning completely new things in Mexico City. In Uganda, I worked more with younger street children and in a boys home. Here in the D.F., I work alongside adolescents, live with a host family, am more independent, and work with women! It's definitely different, but I love the opportunities that the Lord has provided for my growth in Him.

7. What has God taught you recently?
He has taught me to be in complete thanksgiving all the time-even through trials. One of my favorite things about Spanish is that it is so easy to say thank you...after all it's "gracias!" What an easy one! When praying all you say is "Dios, gracias por..." (God, thank you for...) That's usually how every prayer starts. It has really shaped my prayer life and the way that I live in general. Finding how to constantly give thanks to the Lord has been such a growing experience for me.

8. What is your church like?
My host dad is the pastor of a smaller Baptist church in the northern part of the city. He is extremely committed to the church, which is very refreshing to see. It definitely keeps Robin and I occupied! Every Sunday morning before the service, a few members of the church and I do a "metro outreach program." You might be thinking that we are crazy, but people here definitely express themselves by selling things, singing, performing skits, and asking for money on the metro, so why not talk about Jesus? My dad does less than a two minute sermon and then we hand out pamphlets to people who are interested in hearing more. We do this from one metro stop to the next for almost an hour! Many, many people in Mexico have never heard of Jesus' love and grace before, so it is beautiful to reach out to people and give them a taste of Christianity. Each pamphlet has information on how to get plugged into a church, how to pray, and the basics about being a Christian. After the metro outreach, we head back to the church, have a bible study, and then worship and a sermon. At times I help with Sunday School, but I really enjoy hospitality and helping with the service, as well! We sing everything from hymns to Hillsong, and the church is just a beautiful family that truly reflects the Lord's love. 

9. What is one thing that you'd bring home from Mexico?
The obvious answer is my host families (from this summer and this fall). My second thing would be a Taco El Pastor oven thingy.. I don't know how to describe it. Look it up! Haha! It's the best type of taco meat around!

10. What have you learned about your own spirituality that you were unaware of before Mexico?  
I never realized how much I always demanded from God. I wanted this and that and never ceased asking the Lord to provide for me. Being forced to pray in Spanish has turned my prayers into constant thanksgiving. It has definitely carried over into my English prayers and perspective about how great our God truly is!

*I feel as though ten questions is enough for now! If you have more questions, feel free to leave a comment! I will be sure to answer it. :)

*If you have not already, please join my email list. I send at least one email a month to my friends, family, and supporters. If you'd like to join, email me at amanda.krzywicki@live.longwood.edu. I also have a prayer team that I send more frequent emails to regarding more specific prayer requests. If you would like to join this team, email me! I would love to add you to one or both.

*Please continue to be in prayer for my host families, my team and our leaders, my health, fundraising, relationships, and for my church.

Have a blessed rest of your week! Thanks for reading :)