Let me start by saying that when I made the whirlwind decision to leave Mexico in March of 2020 to spend the first part of the pandemic in Pittsburgh with my family, I fully intended that I would be returning to Mexico to live and work still for an indefinite period of time. Throughout the summer and fall, that remained my plan.
However, starting around January, I began to reflect on how much I loved being in Pittsburgh with family and in a community that I deeply loved, as well. I found that being out of Mexico didn't mean that I had lost opportunities for ministry (in fact, in many ways, my options seemed to have multiplied!) I was blessed to be able to be in a family context and had the privilege of helping to care for family on both extremes of the age range -- my one-year-old (now two-year-old) nephew, and my 96-year-old (soon to be 97-year-old!) grandmother!
I also was able to maintain my involvement with Avance because everything was online. It required some definite adaptation, but it was amazing how we were able to keep traction with our interns when we had to overhaul the program from one day to the next. I was also able to begin volunteering with a pregnancy resource center (Women's Choice Network) one day a week, and I really enjoyed my involvement in that. Finally, as much as I missed being with my church family in Mexico, it was also a delight to be with my church family in Pittsburgh. It was such a joy to be a part of the worship ministry, the young adults ministry, and to dream about greater involvement in the women's ministry in the fall!
In January, I began to consider leaving Mexico and the possibility of staying in Pittsburgh for the next season of my life. I wrestled so deeply with that decision and spent a lot of time in prayer and seeking counsel. I didn't want to make a choice that would be disobedient to the Lord, if he had, indeed, called me to do missions work in Mexico City for the rest of my days. Through prayer and counsel, however, I began to sense that my time in Mexico with Avance was drawing to a close. I was grateful to realize that I would be able to continue with the work of discipleship from Pittsburgh, even though Mexico and the ministry of Avance would remain near and dear to my heart.
Thankfully, I will also be able to continue my involvement part-time with Avance in the area of member care. I will be communicating with the women on the team through regular calls, as well as planning visits back to Mexico a few times a year, Lord willing.
