May Newsletter

We have now been in Oaxaca City for 1 month. We are working at improving our Spanish so we are better able to communicate with people here. We have also been enjoying learning more about the culture. On April 30, Mexicans celebrate Día del Niño (Day of the Child.) It is a big holiday here with most neighborhoods having a fiesta for the children. The fiesta we attended in our neighborhood included 3 piñatas, soccer games, food and gifts! They served all the children an open-faced torta (sandwich) with beans and cheese, jello, and cake. All children also received a toy.



Día del Niño Celebration "Enjoying lunch!!!"




An interesting cultural fact: Cinco de Mayo is not a big holiday here in Mexico. It is a holiday to commemorate a battle victory over the French in 1862 in the state of Puebla. It is celebrated mainly in Puebla and in the United States as a heritage celebration.


God opened doors for us to begin a Kid's Club Bible Study here in our neighborhood. A local pastor and his wife opened their home to us to have a bible study for children. We have invited many children from the neighborhood and have had 17-18 children attend each week (including our 4!) Children here are used to very strict, traditional teaching, so it is taking time for them to open up and join in our hands-on activities! They have been memorizing bible verses and learning bible stories from the book of Genesis. A puppet named Timí introduces the lesson each week.

Lacy with "Timí" and Lisa teaching at Kid's Club.

Lisa's friend, Alma, is introducing her to the art of Mexican cooking! She also gave us a Mexican cookbook. We are enoying going to the local mercados (markets) to buy our cheese and fruits and vegetables and the tortilleria to buy our tortillas! So far, entomatadas (tortillas in a tomato and chile sauce, topped with onion, Oaxacan cheese, and parsley) have been a favorite!



A day at the zoo with the Haynes Family.

While we are house-sitting in Oaxaca City we have access to internet-based phone line with a US phone number. We would love to hear from you. (The number is an Arkansas phone number- so long distance charges to Arkansas will apply.) The phone number is 1-479-439-1018.

Also, a church in Florida has made quilts to donate to us to distribute here in Oaxaca. We are trying to find an affordable way of getting them mailed to us. If anyone knows the best way to do this - please let us know. Thanks!

For His Glory,

The Norton Family

March Madness in Tlaxiaco!!!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; lean not on your own understanding. In all ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths."

Proverbs 3:5-6

March has been quite a crazy month for us here in Tlaxiaco. Global Frontier Missions hosted 2 short-term mission teams during the month. We had a great time, with all the people who came down, teaching English and running a community health camp out at the airstrip. Others helped to dig wells, sell food and clothes, and put on a medical clinic with a Dr. from the US. The short-term teams left excited to take the excitement of their trips back to their communities in the States.

Health fair at Campo de Aviacion (the airstrip.)

God also blessed us this month with a place to live. We will be leaving Tlaxiaco on Friday, April 4 and returning to Oaxaca City to continue our ministry. Another missionary couple in Oaxaca is leaving for their furlough and needed someone to house sit for them. So we will be blessed to be able to live in their house April - August while praying about where in Oaxaca God wants us to do ministry.

And lastly, March ended with Lisa being in the hospital in Oaxaca City to have her appendix removed! Here is her testimony on her experience:

On Wednesday, March 26 I woke up with a stomach ache. I went for my normal walk in the morning and then ate breakfast. We were having a worship service at 9am that morning. I remember thinking, I need to go to worship because I know it will make me feel better. So I went to worship - still not feeling well. Molly was having an off morning and was very fussy during worship so I ended up leaving and coming back to the apartment. I had Lacy and Alia babysit as I went in crawled in bed (where I stayed for the next 24 hours.) As the day wore on my stomach ache increased. I tried taking different medications but nothing touched the pain. I prayed, I cried, I read the bible, I tried to sleep. The base-nurse came over and prayed over me and offered me what little medication she had. By the middle of the night I was in tremendous pain. Carl continued to pray over me and insisted that I quote scripture out loud. As long as we were quoting the word of God and praying the pain lessened. At times, I told Carl I couldn't pray or talk because I hurt so bad, but he continued to insist that I quote scripture. Finally, with him still praying over me, I fell back to sleep. When I woke up in the morning the pain was a little better but I still felt something wasn't right. The base nurse checked on me and seeing I was still in pain she went and got a doctor who was visiting from the states for one of the short-term mission trips. He felt my abdomen and asked me some questions and then said he thought I should get an ultrasound to check for appendicitis. Then both he, the nurse, and Carl laid hands on me and prayed. I got up and we went to get the ultrasound done and lab work. When we got both reports we took the results back to the doctor. He immediately said that I needed to go to Oaxaca to have my appendix removed. My first thought was - I've never had surgery before, and fear began to set in. As soon as people began praying over me and reminding me to trust in the God I knew, the fear went away! I knew without a doubt that God was going to take care of me! Before leaving for the 2.5 hour trip to Oaxaca, I asked about pain medication. I was told to take Ibuprofen. The day before it had not touched the pain at all. But soon after I took it, all my pain went away. I believe God had kept it from working the day before as a sign to me that something was really wrong. As we entered the hospital and prepared for surgery I had no fear and no pain! Praise be to God! I was taken into surgery about 8:30pm and remember waking up and looking at the clock in the operating room to see if they had done the surgery yet. The clock said 10pm. Yep, surgery was over and God had taken care of me every minute! Only God can give this type of peace. Living in Jesus means living in freedom - not always freedom from physical pain but freedom from fear, freedom from worry.

Waiting for surgery!

"Enjoying" a liquid diet the morning after surgery!!


The Dr. said the recovery should be about 3 weeks! The total cost of this was $3500 (US). Anyone who would care to help us with this unexpected expense can send a check with our name on a separate sheet of paper to :

Commission to Every Nation

PO Box 291307

Kerrville, TX 78029-1307

Thank you once again for all your prayers and support! We are thankful to God for the peace He brings to us even during trying times!!

For His Glory,

Carl, Lisa, Lacy, Alia, Noah, and Molly

More Fun Pictures!!

Carl, as Bob Barker, doing a skit for the short-term mission team.

Noah at his Spiderman Birthday Party!

Coloring Easter eggs in Mexico! Molly is walking now!!