I guess, as an American white guy living in Tecate, Mexico, I fit some sort of profile of a "missionary". At least the gas station attendant who was pumping my gas assumed so. He asked me if I was a missionary. I said, "Yes". He then asked me if I spoke Spanish. I would hope so since he is speaking to me in Spanish in Mexico (but this is a border town, so there is no guarantee). He started off saying that he got saved in a US prison. He then said he was having problems with his marriage, and he is separated from his wife. What advice would you give? I asked him first if he was attending a church in Tecate. He said he was, so that is good. Faith comes from hearing, hearing the words of Jesus. Romans 10:17. Then I said, 'You need to take responsibility for your sin.' He said he is trying to do that. We continued to talk for a few minutes while five of my kids in the van with me, stopped talking amongst themselves and listened to our conversation. He asked me to please pray for him and his marriage. Jose Luis is his name. I asked him if I could pray right then, so he said yes. So I prayed for this fellow believer, who was asking God for help in restoring his marriage. What a privilege it is to help raise someone up in this moment and know that God is at work in the lives of those around us. May it be a challenge to be more sensitive to God using us where we are, even while filling up the tank at a gas station. 

We are getting ready for Kristy to move out when she gets married next month. They will be living in a studio apartment for a few months. Then, the plan is for them to move back to the Bible institute into an on-campus apartment. But in the meantime, the apartment they are moving into needs to be cleaned. The owners have used it for storage and have not cleaned it for some time. As the saying goes, many hands make light work, we brought the first load of things over with Kristy, Brenda, Kianna, Bryan, Levi, and me. We got it all cleaned out, swept, and mopped in less than two hours. It's incredible how much you can accomplish with so many people. We will have to do some more rearranging, as only one side of the apartment has power outlets. This is what you get in Mexico. It will be a lovely spot for George and Kristy. They will need some sort of air conditioner or swamp cooler for the days it gets hot. The highs lately have been in the mid-80s, which is bearable during the nighttime. We'll see how it goes when the temperatures get up into the 100s soon. 

It will be strange not to have Kristy living in our house. It has been over 6 years since she has lived with us. We are proud of the woman she has become. She is growing in her knowledge of who Jesus is and wants to live for him. She has even mentioned wanting to attend the bible school after she finishes her degree in linguistics. What will God do in this new couple? Please pray for our family as we continue to prepare for their wedding in July. 

So we have a praise report. When adopting kids within Mexico, there are various hoops you have to jump through. It is not one decree from a judge. We have found that every step is difficult. For example, we went to Ensenada to try to get Gee and Brenda's Mexican passports. They are required to obtain them to initiate any type of visa or citizenship application in the United States. So, when we arrived with all the necessary paperwork, they informed us that because Brenda's birth certificate does not have two last names on it, she cannot get a Mexican passport. In Mexico, you are required to have both your father's and your mother's last names. So Levi, who was born in Guadalajara, is named Levi Andrew Joseph Clark Clark. So what can we do? It was a judge who ordered Brenda to have a new birth certificate done. Do we go back to the original office that issued her birth certificate? The lady suggested we go to Mexicali because it is a different office. The one in Ensenada is only a branch of the one in Tijuana. Tijuana is a huge city, so the office there has a lot of people and longer wait times. 

So, we made our way to one of the two offices in Mexicali, a 2-hour drive east of us. We arrived at the office with all the paperwork necessary. We made a payment to the bank for a 6-year passport. The gentleman from the office said we needed to come back tomorrow. We felt good about it. They hadn't said no. The next day, there was no mention of Brenda only having one last name. Only they couldn't proceed because they needed a copy of the adoption decree that was less than 6 months old. The one we had was a little over two years old. So, we headed back home and waited for our lawyer to obtain a current copy of the adoption. So we went back to Mexicali to the main office. Brenda turned in the paperwork. We waited, but again they said we had to come back tomorrow. We aren't holding our breath, but we started making plans for what to do next if they do not give Brenda her passport. We were talking about heading back to Jalisco and trying to accomplish it there. However, that requires a plane trip and other expenses, which would be costly. We decided to jump over that bridge when we get there. So we asked Sam, our nephew, who is dating Brenda, if he would drive her the next day. Sit in the car for 4 hours with your girlfriend, why not? So with eager anticipation, we waited to see if they would issue her the passport. They issued her the passport!!! This means we can begin the process of obtaining a visa or citizenship for her in the US. It is just one step we need to accomplish so our whole family can travel within the US. 
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Now, if we can complete Erick and Bryan's adoptions, Lord willing, this will happen soon. 

I will try to update this more frequently. I think one difficulty is that I find life gets "normal" and kind of boring. Maybe it is just me, not sure what would be interesting about my life as a husband/dad/missionary/pastor? With this in mind, I will strive not to be long-winded, a tendency I often struggle with, especially when discussing spiritual matters. Preaching, for example, there is always more that can be said. The skill is knowing how to convey the point and explain it in various ways without being repetitive. 

One piece of news is that we have finally bought some chickens. We stopped having them when life was a bit crazy, having more kids in the home. We needed to have less to do when you are trying to raise 10 kids. After moving to Tecate almost two years ago, we decided to get some chickens after we were gifted a coop and hutch. There is a familiarity to it. We did not get a rooster this time around. We will be having visitors over the coming month, with Kristy and George's wedding in July. It is one less noise that could wake you up early. 

We have 16 hens. They are very social, so you can pick up any one of them. We are getting at least 10 eggs a day. This is enough for our family if we don't have eggs for breakfast every day. Gee and Erick have rubber shoe so they don't track chicken poop around the house. They really enjoy collecting the eggs for now. We shall see in a couple of months if they still like doing that. 

Our house has a small room below one of the bedrooms. It was originally a big water tank below the generator house before there was electricity at the bible institute. The room had been used for a division of Child Evangelism Fellowship. However, since the ministry has chosen new leadership who live in Tijuana, they have only needed to get into the room a little over the past year. Once or twice. It was full of materials for CEV, some dating as far back as 2010. So, with the help of our boys, we relocated the materials to a new location that was used for storage. Over the weekend, I redesigned a massive shelf built over 15 years ago. It was therapeutic to have a project that would be the new home of my tools. It is a small room with no windows but more than enough space to spread out from my current space. I made a shelf about four feet by six feet in our schoolroom office. My wife observed that this space was not adequate for all the tools I had been collecting. Ron has handed me a table saw and chop saw for free! 

So, as I was working last night on finishing up the shelf, a song came up on my Spotify that brought back a rush of memories.  You may remember Integrities worship tapes that came out in the early 90's called Hosanna Music. This one was called the Lord Reigns. What came to my mind were the days when my dad, Jay Clark, was a part of the worship team at church. My dad was a quiet man, but he enjoyed singing with the worship team. The worship team was involved in singing on one of those Hosanna tapes. I was pretty young at the time, maybe 13 or 14. I remember seeing my dad on stage doing something for the Lord like that. It made me proud to be his son, and I want to be like him. I had forgotten all about this until that song came on. All of a sudden, it was like I was right back there as a kid, thinking how cool it was that my dad was going to record singing worship music. I wonder what my dad would think about this now. I wonder if he felt he was blessing the Lord with his singing and being an example to his children to use the gifts and talents He has given each of us. The scripture that comes to mind is that Paul writes, 1 Corinthians 10:31: "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 

​What am I doing to glorify God in my life? Do my kids see an example of someone who is willing to serve the Lord? Lord, give me the eyes to see how I can be a godly example to my kids and those around me.

When you live somewhere for a number of years, you get familiar and comfortable. When you move someplace else, you have to start over. Where do I go if I need something fixed? Where do I go to buy something specific, like an AC evaporator? Is there a mechanic that I can trust? How do I know if they’re giving me a good price? These are all questions that you have to face when you move somewhere new. You don’t know who’s reliable. For example, we had trouble with our Nissan versa Transmission in March. I found a transmission place. I thought it would be a good experience.  A job that would’ve taken only a week or two at most turned into 2 1/2 months, and I had to raise my voice and get upset. Ten weeks is a long time. I am still learning. The same car has a ac/heater switch that is broken. Where do I go to get this fixed? On Saturday, I drove to Tijuana to have them confirm what the problem is and not fix it. They could fix it but at what price? Do they think I am a gringo coming from San Diego to get my car worked on? 
These are normal struggles one faces in a new environment. It is moments like this. I miss the people I knew in Autlan who would lead me in the right direction if they couldn’t fix the problem. In 15 years, I may look back at this moment and say I’m glad I’m not there again. I am so happy I know people now. We need help. We need people to help lead us in the right direction. We need to ask those who we trust around us to give us insight. 

Isn’t this the way God works? He allows us to go through times of frustration and then we will appreciate having those people come alongside us helping us, guiding us, and giving us what we need. I reminded that this is a good place to be in, to remember this feeling and know what it feels like to have someone’s help. I need to be willing to help when I can. Another thought is, do I swallow my pride and ask for help? Do I just think I can figure this out on my own? How many struggles have I faced because I wasn't willing to ask for help?  Lord, help me lose my pride and ask for your help. 

I went to the grocery store yesterday to pick up a few things. When you have a large family like ours, this happens pretty often. I decided to take Gee and Erick with me. They love opening the car windows when we drive. Since the temperature is now between the 70-and 80's, I have been letting them. When it is 100 degrees is quite different. So, I made the rule that they can only roll their window down if they have their seat belt on first. Rolling down the window is the first thing they want to do when they get in the car. Now, to give you some context, when you drive a 15-passenger Ford Van, windows don't roll down. For two little boys to roll down their windows is very exciting. 

We went into the grocery store. Could you picture this in your mind? A 6-foot gringo (average-looking American), a 9-year-old who only speaks Spanish, and a soon to be 6 year old (in two weeks) who speaks English perfectly for a 6-year-old. So if you are someone who is shopping in the store, what do you think of this combination? Two little boys talking back and forth to each other, obviously brothers, but they don't look alike, let alone the one they call Dad. In moments like this, I cherish what God has blessed me with. I have the great privilege of raising these boys so they grow up knowing who Jesus is and how much he cares for each one of us. I am blessed. 

The men of the men's group decided to walk together in a suburb of Tecate. It is a newly developed area with more expensive houses. The roads are well maintained, so it was a good place to walk together. We walked for almost two and a half miles in an hour. Pretty slow but it gave us a chance to talk amongst each other. What do men talk about? Cars and houses. Carlos and I were out of our element when it came to these conversations. I have never bought a home or bought a new car. But this is the formation of friendship with men. You start with what you know. You begin with everyday conversations; as that builds, we can share more meaningful discussions. Over burritos, we all agreed to have at least a Psalm ready to share with the intent to memorize it. What a blessing to hear different Psalms and why they chose it. We are all at various places in our faith, yet we all need the encouragement of scripture to continue to walk out our faith. I believe this is the foundation for this local congregation to grow into a strong body of believers. The Lord is growing his body.