Clausons in Monterrey

Feliz Navidad 2008

Here in Mexico, a posada is a Christmas party that almost any group or community celebrates. At the Family Foundation, we’ve had a posada for Project Down, one for the families from the Dos Cerros community ministry, and the youth from this same community came to our house for their posada. On the last day before Christmas vacation, Matías will have his classroom posada.  There will be a posada for the church we attend as well as for our small group Bible study.

There are certain things you are almost always find at a posada: lots of tamales and hot chocolate, a piñata filled with candy for the kids, loud Christmas music, presents and often even a Santa Claus. (Nils was asked to be Santa at the Project Down posada and did such a good job – tricking even his own kids – that we asked him to be Santa for the Dos Cerros posada!) 

However, beyond all the activity, the tradition of la posada, (which means inn, as in “there is no room at the inn”) is rich in significance.  Everything from swinging blindfolded at the piñata (battling against temptation in faith) to the traditional songs which recount Mary and Joseph looking for a place to stay in Bethlehem, celebrate how Christ came, humble and homeless, to be Emmanuel, God with us.

May God truly be with us all this Christmas season.  And with His help, may the diverse and rich traditions of our cultural celebrations bring us closer to Him.

The first of January, we will celebrate 5 years of living in Mexico! A lot has changed for us since we first drove from Chicago to Mexicali as we now live in a new city and our family has doubled in size.

We thank God for the privilege of being able to serve in this exciting setting.  It is a blessing  to raise our kids to be bilingual, bicultural and loved by so many adopted family: friends, neighbors, fellow missionaries, and teachers.

Matías is 3 1/2 and loves going to his school and especially enjoys his English class, music class and playing on the playground. We’ve had fun this Christmas making paper snowflakes together!

Lucas just turned 2 and is growing so fast! He almost weighs as much as his brother. He loves cars, dancing and wrestling.

As we reflect on these five years, we thank God for your faithfulness to love and care for our family, and to advancing God’s kingdom of love, peace and justice through our partnership together.  May God continue to bless you as you serve Him at home and around the world.

Ever since God put on our hearts to expand the youth club from just English to include sessions in Spanish that would allow them to connect more deeply to each other and develop their values, God has truly amazed us! A handful of the group of 15 adolescents (ages 12-15) were a part of the very first English classes that we started over two years ago. In the last update we sent out, Erika shared a story highlighting how God is at work in their lives. She shared that, “once a totally disconnected, uncommitted group of adolescents with a low self esteem, has become a group that cares for each other, is learning how to express themselves and is open to new ways of thinking and dreaming.”  (To read the whole story, go to our website and click on past updates.)

Here are some of the activities that have helped bring out these positive changes (even though we know it is the Holy Spirit who is ultimately responsible):

      Sessions on developing a positive self esteem and several on a healthy perspective and attitude about sex.

      A car wash that the kids organized together and raised funds for the club.

      A Ropes Course outing to help them face their fears and build trust in each other and God.

A Christmas posada with a white elephant exchange, pizza and a Bible reflection that ended with a chance for them to write a letter to Jesus expressing both their faith in him and their questions or doubts.

Please PRAY for God’s love to continue to transform this unconventional youth group and that they would ultimately come to know Him as their Lord and Savior.

They say Christmas keeps coming earlier each year, and this year it has certainly felt like it in the Foundation. 

For several months the women from the Dos Cerros project have filled the building with holiday spirit as they worked on creating unique and creative Christmas crafts.  The last few weeks, they have focused their energies on selling the items through a Christmas bazaar out in front of the Foundation building.  In this process they learned not only how to make the crafts, but also the valuable skills of how to plan a sale, set prices and market the items. 

PRAY with us that these new set of skills would play a part in transforming their families and communities.  We praise God that almost all the women are now also coming to a Bible study at the Foundation!  .

We have also seen God’s grace at work in the lives of the 10 women who participated in a parenting adolescents 8 week course. Making change in the way we educate, discipline and ultimately raise our kids is difficult, so we would ask you to PRAY for them as they take what they have learned and apply it in their homes.

Project Down, the Family Foundation’s  community for families with children with Down Syndrome, continues to grow, providing a much needed place of comfort and support for many.

Even as this group experiences some growing pains, it is exiting to see how it is evolving to better and better meet the needs of their own community.  The past few months have been full of activity, keeping the volunteer planning committee quite busy with events such as:

Participating in Congreso Down, a 3-day international conference for parents and special needs educators.

Having a stand at Expo-Ayuda, an expo of social service agencies.

Hosting a thyroid testing event which allowed for 94 of the children to have this important test done at a very low cost.

And, of course, a very special Christmas Posada!