Dear Family, Friends, and Partners in Ministry,
Wow! God is good…and life moves along here on the “Edge.” We
hope that 2014 has been a good year for you and that 2015 will be even better! We
can't believe another year has passed so quickly...and what a year of
change! It’s time for us to catch up
with you on life, so let’s do it!
Many
of you may recall that Jon returned to pastoral ministry (part-time) in January
of this year, basically filling the pulpit for the First UMC of Rio Grande
City. In June of this year, Jon resigned
from his full-time position at South Texas College in order receive a full-time
appointment as pastor at the FUMC
of Rio Grande City!! He is SO happy
to be back in ministry, but it was a bit of a struggle to get back into
it. It had been NINE YEARS since we left
Coosa UMC in the North Georgia Mountains to go serve God in missions, first in
Venezuela and then in Mexico. Now, Jon is loving parish ministry once again...and
that's where we plan to stay!
Rio Grande City is about 50 miles from our home in McAllen.
The church has two Sunday services—one in Spanish (9am) and one in English (11am)—and
enjoys a community-wide Bible-study time on Wednesday evenings (beginning in
January 2015). Please pray that God will continue to strengthen the
congregation and guide us as we serve here.
In addition, Jon has begun serving in campus ministry at the
small, South Texas College campus here in Rio Grande City. He is available for counseling two days a
week, and he will be presenting seminars for students and staff twice a month
beginning in February. The seminars will address practical, spiritual,
relational issues that will give the students tools and skills for dealing with
the difficulties of border life.
Jeanne
continues to teach ESL for South
Texas College where she is able to help immigrants and visitors learn
English. She has had students from
Mexico, Cuba, Japan and Korea in the last few months…so she is touching FOUR
countries without even leaving ours!
Besides teaching the ESL courses, she has started a book club with seven
of the women, and she is enjoying reading with them and strengthening their
cultural understanding through discussions.
The J.A.M (Jesse,
Andrew and Megan)!
They tied the knot! They jumped the broom! They're
MARRIED! On Friday, December 19th at 4:30
pm at the Union Church in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, Jesse and Edgar were
married!! We are so happy for them. It has been a long journey, but they do seem
made for each other...and they have the world before them. Megan was one of
Jesse's bridesmaids, and Andrew served as one of Edgar's groomsmen. Jeanne and I...well, we decided just to be
'parents of the bride!'
Jesse is a 7th Grade teacher of language arts, social students
and United Nations at the Colegio Ingles
in San Pedro (part of the Monterrey metro area) and Edgar is a high school art
and home-economics teacher at the Colegio
San Patricio in San Pedro. They both work together in their church with the
children's program. We rejoice in their union...and look forward to the
unfolding of their lives together. Pray for them as they embark on this journey
together.
And,
Megan GRADUATED!!! She is now a 'graduate nurse' and has
accepted a position in the Emergency Department at the Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, one of the
leading healthcare providers in South Texas.
She begins her new job on January 15th.
We are SOOO happy for her--for her completion of the program and for her
going after and landing the job of her dreams.
Pray that she will be able to bring healing of body and soul to those
she serves.
Finally, Andrew is doing
very well in school. He is the final semester of the International
Baccalaureate (IB) program at his
school. He remains active in the
National Honor Society chapter and other organizations at BETA High School. He has begun the process of
applying to universities, and has already been accepted in four and has been
offered significant merit scholarships by two of his top choices. He will
graduate in June of this coming year...and he will take off to find his way in
this world. Pray for him that he makes a good choice in the college selection
process, and pray that he finds good people to be with at the college of his
choice.
…And that’s all the news from the Herrins!
If you would like, you can continue to support our ministry
through The Mission Society. Your gifts will allow us to purchase Bibles and
provide resources for the STC Campus Ministry and for community ministries.
Follow us on Facebook…Twitter…our Blogs. And, do drop us a note—mail or e-mail! We always enjoy hearing from you…and we’ll
always respond to your notes.
We hope you all enjoyed a Merry Christmas and that 2015 will
be a Happy New Year! We thank you for
your prayers, encouragement and your friendship through the years.
With great thanksgiving….
Jesse, Megan and Andrew (The J.A.M.!)
