Cross Culture Christmas

My Christmas this year looked very different than years past.  Not only was I in Mexico, I was separated from my family for the second Christmas.  I had many mixed emotions these past few days.
Excitement
Uncertainty
Joy
Anxiety
Happiness
Longing
Comfort
Loneliness
Laughter
Separation
Many things helped and didn't help.  Having my friends and family snapchat or message me all of the traditions and happenings back home made it harder to be here.  (Erik, why would you snapchat me the Lindstedt dinner table in Barron.  That's cruel.)  Having friends here to celebrate Christmas by having dinner, exchanging gifts, and watching Christmas movies definitely made the time easier.  I spent Christmas Eve with some Mexicans and random people that were still here on base.  It was very different than my traditional Wisconsin Christmas. I enjoyed the new food and traditions, hitting a piñata, singing Happy Birthday to Jesus, and more!  And while I am immensely grateful for my friends here and everything that I have done with them this past week I realized something.  Something that I still struggle to realize and grasp at 26 years old.  After almost 5 years of being a missionary and traveling the world.  I sometimes forget, being so separated, that I love my family.
I love them.

I wasn't there, but I still made the picture!

Rita and Randy
Ryan and Kelly; Axel and Arlo
Jordan and Kristen; Judah and Joy
James and Katie; Evelyn and Emma
All the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. (And those relatives who I don't know how we are related!)
Plus all the animals.
I love all of them so very much. either on the opposite side of the world, in a different country, or even when I'm with them.  I sometimes forget, being how just very, very blessed I am to have this family.  After talking with people about their families and traditions it stirs something in me.  I don't appreciate them enough or tell them how much I love them enough.  I love and respect them more than any of us realize.
Randy -  I love how much you inspire me to constantly work.  Through the projects on the house/cabin you are always working on or "work" work, you show me that hard work pays off and to always strive to be better and make improvements
Rita - I love how much you show me God's hospitality and comfort.  Making sure things are cleaner and better than "my standards"
Ryan - You know too much. Just striving to be more knowledgeable and learning more about the world, God, and everything around me.
Kelly - I love how great of a friend/sister you are.  From our long talks in Colorado or on your back porch, to just becoming family over time.  You listen and care about me!
Jordan - You showed me how to follow God's plan in life before I even knew it.  Traveling to Las Vegas and coming back.  You listen to God and obey Him, even when the stakes are high.
Kristen - You are so strong.  After spending time with you and the kids I see how much strength God has given you and I truly admire how much you lean on Him and yearn for more of Him.
James - I love how you disciple others.  Whether through work as a youth pastor, helping punks like me do lighting, or being a father.  You want the best out of people and see it in them.
Katie - You hear God.  I know it, you know it.  You hear him and you listen to Him.  I love how encouraging you are and how every time I talk with you I feel better and more filled than before.

This is my family.  I could write for hours and hours about how great they are and how much I love them.  I just wanted to say publicly that I love them, and for people to know that out of my whole family, I am the lesser.  Not in a bad low self esteem sort of way.  But I respect and admire them all so much that I want people to know them almost more than they know me.

The last few months here in Ensenada have been interesting.  I apologize for taking so long to update, but adjusted to a new everything is time consuming and tiring!  So know for a brief update.

Mexican breakfast with my friends

As many of you know, I recently moved to Ensenada, Mexico to be with Youth with a Mission.  I will be here for a couple of years before I decide my next step.  These past few months I have gotten used to being in Mexico and YWAM again, and settled into my life here.  I worked in the kitchen mostly, which was refreshing.  I am staffing the January DTS and our training starts in a couple days!  And then sometime in the spring I will be co-leading an outreach to a location to be determined!  I am very excited because I have missed staffing DTS and being in YWAM oh so much.
As things begin to unfold with the DTS I will update more information, and as always feel free to ask questions.

I have also realized how much I missed the community here and worship and lifestyle of following Jesus.  Everyone around me and the majority of people I interact are head over heels for Jesus and push me towards Him more as well, and I need that in my life.  I have made many new friendships here, and some of my friendships haven deepened more than I expected!  I can't wait to see what the next two years of my life involve.

If you want to pray for me, please pray for increased strength and energy during the DTS, discernment for handling staffing, and discipline to do the things I should be doing.  And if you want to partner with me through prayer or finances, either email me, message me, or check my link on the side!  God bless, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year.