Hello friends! We survived the heat of our first summer in Mazatlán.

After months of missions teams, construction projects, medical clinics, children’s camps, translators, schedules, vans, and fiendish logistics, we finally reached the point where our calendar contained some empty space. And it has been great!

The last few months have found us getting more involved in our own community, spending time with family and friends back in the States, and settling into a new spice of ministry life here in Mazatlán.

Getting Involved in Our Community

After our final summer missions team left in July, we had about a month before heading back to the States, and we were excited to get more involved in everyday life here.

One highlight for the kids was participating in a bilingual surf school for an entire week. The three oldest were eager and thrilled to spend their mornings learning to surf, and now our family is hunting around for a surfboard. Mom, Dad, and Summer still haven’t taken the plunge, but Dad is pumped to try.

Our whole family helped for two straight weeks with Vacation Bible School in the evenings through our church Sión. The first week was held at our own church building, and the second was at a misión in another part of the city that our church helps support. It was a fun way for all of us to serve together and get to know other people in our church, and our kids enjoyed being involved as well!

Bryan kept busy with a list of maintenance items around the Shoulder to Shoulder base and pastoral center, along with managing several contractors on larger projects at the pastoral center. He and two others from the ministry team visited a half dozen churches during that time in order to prepare well for the teams that will come next year. We continued getting together with local pastors, other missionaries, and expats who are gradually becoming friends.

And somewhere in the middle of all that, we managed to celebrate our anniversary with something we haven't done since moving to Mexico: Our first night away from the kids! We found a place nearby and escaped for one blissful night, finding that marriage is easier to enjoy and talk about when not answering questions about snacks and finding water bottles.

*An anniversary getaway, including pickleball!*

Four Weeks in the US

Then we were off to the US, no travel problems to be had. We packed an unreasonable amount into those four weeks, visiting maybe 20 families from Parkside (and other friends) whilst in Ohio. And Ezra got baptized one of our Sundays back! He really wanted to do it in Ohio, with his church family and friends that have known him for years, so we waited until we returned to Parkside in August.

*Starting a 2-night hike through the Allegheny National Forest*

Bryan also took the older three kids backpacking for the first time with some good family friends. Shaking off the Mazatlán city dust, they absolutely thrived in the wilderness, and we’re looking forward to doing it again. After Ohio we had a full week visiting Bryan's family near Pittsburgh and Erin's family in central Pennsylvania, with some time in New York visiting close friends as well. It was a whirlwind of precious moments and glimpses of fall weather, a personalized gift from God.

We appreciated simply being with people who have known us for years—it was refreshing to sit around tables with old friends and family and pick up conversations that sometimes felt like we had only paused yesterday. So thankful for the respite.

Maz Again

Of course, one of the best parts of going away is realizing how good it feels to come home. When we returned to Mazatlán, we were ready and excited to see our friends and coworkers again and host them in our apartment. After only a few months here, we missed and were missed by many.

Homeschool has started back up for the kids, and we’re trying to give them chances to shine in the community. Summer and Ezra are now training 3 days a week at local Taekwondo to be super kickers, Sophia is returning to violin lessons, and all the kids (slash whole family) are taking Spanish tutoring once a week for a few hours. They are thrilled to be busy!

With no missions teams coming until January, we're entering another slower season and rhythm for STS, one of relationship-building. One practical goal we've set is to invite a different pastoral or church leadership family into our home each week. Maybe teach them a thing or two about how to make American tacos and eat at 6pm. But more importantly, it's a chance to sit around a table, hear people's stories, understand their churches' vision, ask questions, and learn how we can better serve them. One of the most important parts of our ministry here isn't what happens during a busy missions week—it's what happens in the quieter weeks before and after it—when relationships have time to grow.

*Hosting a Mexican birthday party for a friend!*

Thoughts from Erin— on “Ministry in the Margins”
As I slowly but surely figure out what it means to be a full-time mom, homeschool teacher of 4 (it’s a regular one-room schoolhouse around here) PLUS missionary, I have often found myself wishing for more: more time, more capacity, more patience, more energy. But the Lord graciously placed a new goal on my heart this summer, and that is to look for opportunities to do “ministry in the margins.” There are parts of my life that I can’t reduce or trim away. Kids need taught, discipled, and fed. Laundry needs to be done and errands need to be run. But there are sweet ministry moments that can happen when I slow down and pray for opportunities.
We’ve had a few of those pop up over the last few months, largely because I was present and, surprisingly, just because I’m white. Several unbelieving expat families have reached out wanting to get to know us. These are families who don’t speak Spanish and are very lonely here in the city. One mom met us on the beach, another in a shop downtown. A fellow missionary and I even ran into a guy while shopping who is a brand new believer and had so many questions about faith and church— he was a deported Mexican who had to come back to Mexico after living his whole life in the States. What joy he had encountering other Christians who spoke his heart language English in a Spanish-speaking city.
When I consider each of these people, I am humbled to realize that I would have never spoken to them if we had been in the US. My Christian bubble was thick, my schedule was full, and there wouldn’t have been the desperation to connect with other English speakers. One of the ladies, “D,” told me after a dinner at our house, “Erin, I know what you believe and why you believe it, and you don’t shove it down my throat, so I guess we can be friends!”
I’m so thankful for the chance to share the gospel. I thought I would be doing more of it in Spanish, and Lord willing, I will someday. But in the meantime, while my language is weak and my days are busy, I will look for who God has for me in the margins, trusting that not a single encounter is by chance, and being thankful for the opportunity to be part of his large plan of redemption. He is glorified in our obedience in the big and the small things.

Praise God for these friendships and for the reminder that ministry doesn't always look like a scheduled event. Often it’s sitting around a table, sharing food, listening to someone's story, and waiting for the right opportunity to talk about Jesus.

Looking Toward the Fall

Shoulder to Shoulder has several trainings and opportunities coming up that we're praying will help strengthen and encourage local churches; that pastors and church leaders won't simply attend trainings and go home, but that God would use what they hear to genuinely shape the way they lead and shepherd their churches. We're also praying for more church leaders to take interest in the upcoming kickoff to our Langham Partnership Bible study coordinator program, which will help equip local believers to study and teach God's Word faithfully.

What we want more of this season:

Coffee with a pastor.
A Sunday morning in a church we've never visited.
A family around our dinner table.
A conversation with a new friend.
A training that changes the way someone opens their Bible.

Would you pray with us?

Answers to Prayer

Thank God for a smooth, people-filled, awe-inspiring visit back to US friends/family.
Thank God for a smooth re-entry to Maz, picking back up with friends (and Spanish!).
Thank God for our church and co-missionaries here.

Prayer Requests

For safety and peace in Mazatlán. Wisdom while driving and working around town.
For relational intentionality in this season of ministry. Including our family and marriage.
For our kids. Please pray that they would continue forming good friendships, growing in Spanish, and feel plugged in.
For the pastors and church leaders, and the trainings they’ll attend.
For participation in the Langham Bible study coordinator program

Thank you again for continuing to pray for us, encourage us, and financially support our family. Ministry here is not something we're doing alone. Each step forward is possible because people like you are praying and giving and sending us encouragement from afar. We thank God for you daily!

Grace and peace,

The Josephs

Building Friendships