This last month we had some special visitors. Grammy and Auntie Mandi (Matt's mom and sister) came to visit us. We had not seen Mandi for about 2 years and Grammy for a little more than a year. We were glad to see them and get to catch up on a lot of things with them. But of course we did not just talk while they were here we went all over the place and enjoyed the countryside of Mexico with them. There are several entries of our time with them below followed by several other entries sorry there are so many entries but it has been a busy month and a half.

While they where here all the girls had a couple of tea parties and of course they went to get their nails done and played  beauty shop a lot.

We also took them to Los Cantaros to help with the ministry 3 different times and of course we went to eat tacos and several other things at some of our local street vendors.

While Grammy and Auntie Mandi where here we also took a small vacation and went to the beach for 3 days. Were we ever ready for that. We all loved the beach and the ocean but I think it was a toss up for the girls which was better the beach or the pool with slides. No matter what we had a lot of fun and were glad to be able to go and enjoy our time away.

We also went downtown to shop for a while and see the Cathedral. I can't think of one reason why we needed to shop. However I can think of 5 reasons (5 ladies). For lunch we grabbed some chips and hotdogs from the convient store and sat down by the road to eat (what a picnic) Also while we were there we took a bus tour of part of the city. We rode on top of the bus on the second story. It was a lot of fun but evidently Mckenzie found the history lesson a little boring because she took a nap as the man talked.

  

For fathers day we went to a near by lake called "Lake Chapala". There is a nice little town by this lake that we like to go to once in a while. It has several nice parks to play in by the lake and you can also take boat rides. The boat takes you to an old island that is pretty run down but there are some pretty flowers on it and a lot of fresh water sea shells (which Kaitlyn loves). The other thing this town is known for is there minnows. No you don't buy them to fish with you buy them to eat. They are left whole then breaded and fried. Then severed with lime, salt and a smoky chili sauce. Yes Matt has tried them and likes them on occasion. Yum, Yum!!!

                          
This is a common view as you drive through the countryside. The farm that you see in this picture is a tequila field. These cactuses will grow about 5 years until they are ready for harvest. When it is time to harvest the farmer will dig up the roots and sell them. The roots are then pressed and the juice that they yield will be used to make tequila. The state of Jalisco where Guadalajara is at is the home of tequila and the locals say in order if it to be real tequila it has to come from Jalisco and it will not have a worm in it. I thought this was interesting.  

This is a picture of Kaitlyn riding her bike without training wheels and a picture of Matt as he was teaching her. Wow she was proud and now she rides everywhere, she doesn't even slow down for the speed bumps. (Okay maybe she learned that from her daddy's driving). Anyway she is a great bike rider and is getting better every day. This has actually been an answer to pray because she is meeting more kids now, which means we are making more Mexican family friends as a family. God is good, all the time God is good!

One day while Grammy and Auntie Mandi where here we went to the Zoo. It was a great trip and we got to see a lot of animals. A first for all of us was seeing a hippo actually move and eat (normally they are just sleeping away the day). We had a great time.

After a few hours of hanging out with the animals I think they began to think we were one of them. At least they acted like it. Wow, I sure am glad we all came out of there with all 20 of our fingers and toes, at least I think we did.

Hey no monkeying around lets get going!

As Grammy and Auntie Mandi had to pack up to go home they found three stow-aways. We hated to see them go but we had to keep the stow-aways here with us. 

With one quick trip to the Cathedral, Basilica, or even a drive around town and you will see very quickly why God has placed our family here among a group of people claiming to be Christians. The first photo is a picture of the Virgin Guadalupe. This is a common sight in the town whether she is painted on the side of a building or as a statue in a car or a house she is everywhere. Most nationals belief that this is the image of Mary the mother of Christ as she appeared in Mexico City many years ago. Because of this she finds a high place of worship in this culture. Speaking of Mary finding a high place of worship the second picture is of a statue in the front of the Cathedral. You can see the image of God the Father (holding the earth), God the Son (holding the cross), God the Spirit (as a dove) and Mary in the center wearing a crown with the rays coming from her. This is the result of tradition, slowly over time the tradition has changed and modified leaving a very different religion. God the 3 head is still apart of the common belief but Mary is very much in front and center. Please be praying for the people of Guadalajara and all Latin America as this is one of the common problems through out Latin America. Also pray for us and the other missionaries here as we try to teach the truth to the people.

In the middle of May some of our brothers and sisters from FBC Cassville (our home church) came to work with us. The team was a huge blessing and helped us in many ways. They were able to bring so many messages of hope and love to us that we have been longing for. It is always great to be reminded that you all are there and that you guys love us and remember us. It was great to see some faces from the past again and we look forward to going back home soon to see you all again. For now we are glad that we can visit by mail, email and phone. We love and miss you all.

A big part of what the team did was door to door evangelism. We went from door to door and gave each family a copy of the Gospel of John. We then visited with them about the Bible and the importance of reading it. We invited them to a Bible Study so they could better understand the Bible and know what it says. One of the common problems here is the lack of understanding what the Bible says. The majority of people are trusting in tradition both from the church and their families but not in Jesus and the word of God. We try to make them understand the importance of Gods word and that tradition will not save us. In Acts 4:19 Peter and John tell us that we should obey God not man. And this is one of the messages that we are trying to help people understand here.

The team also helped with kids clubs and events for families as we gathered people together to start home bible studies. We all had a great time and as you can see we had several kids and families attend each event. The equipment that you see us using was provided mainly by money people have donated to the ministry.

  

If you would like to help go to www.imb.org for more information or email us ostertags@pobox.com. Thank you every one that helps financially and especially everyone that prays.

One evening when we were eating supper on the street a rainstorm blew in unexpectedly and we all got soaked. Daniel and his wife (they own the street restaurant) were very nice and allowed us to come into their home area to eat our meal and get dry and warm around the grill. Daniel and his wife are not believers but we are build a relationship with them and are slowly witnessing to them. Please join us in praying for them and their salvation.