Staff Conference in Mexico- July 2009

It is always amazing to have all the staff together as we share what God has been doing throughout Mexico in the diverse ministries (family, campus, ethnic groups,professionals and athletes) We closed our four day conference with a special night honoring over 18 staff men and women who serve full-time in the ministry.

Diego and Rose who live in Merida just finished their first year staff training, pictured below are 4 of the 6 staff (with two of the directors) that just completed 5 years with Campus Crusade for Christ as full time missionaries.



We said goodbye to, Kathy Luch, a dear friend who has been serving in Mexico for 7 years in Mexico City and prayed for her next steps as she pursues a Masters Degree at a seminary in North Carolina.

Kelly Bedolla was given a plaque for her 10 years with CCC- two of which were in East Asia where she met her husband, David who is from Mexico. They serve full-time in Mexico with their two small boys- Davidcito and Daniel. They have become really special friends for us here in Mexico.

Gerardo, Cornelia, Rogelio and his wife Maricela received a gift from Mexico and a Plaque from the International Office of CCC for their 20 years of Service. Maricela was not able to be at the conference so we got creative on how to include her in this special moment. We called her via cell-phone and she was able to share a message with the rest of the staff and we were able to pray over all 4! Gerardo was my director when I arrived to Xalapa in 2001!! It is just so incredible to have a relationship with each of these staff members who have faithfully served Christ over the years!




We ended the night honoring two staff men that have been pillars in the Campus Crusade for Christ Mexico ministry- Agustin and Juan who have served 35 and 45 years!! They have been examples of humble servants and bold in Jesus Christ- persevering and being faithful to the call that God has given them. They and their families have been an encouragement to me personally (Kim) and one of the reasons I chose to be a part of the ministry in Mexico. It truly is a privilege to sit at the table with them and learn from their experiences!






What a blessing to be a part of Human Resources where I get to recognize and honor staff for their faithfulness to the Lord!!!

Staff Conference- July 2009

Diego and Rose who live in Merida just finished their first year staff training, pictured left are 4 of the 6 staff (with two of the directors) that just completed 5 years with Campus Crusade for Christ as full time missionaries!/>Pictured on left: Campus Staff from Puebla, Mexico City, and Queretaro.

We said goodbye to, Kathy Luch, a dear friend who has been serving in Mexico for 7 years in Mexico City and prayed for her next steps as she pursues a Masters Degree at a seminary in North Carolina.

Kelly Bedolla was given a plaque for her 10 years with CCC- two of which were in East Asia where she met her husband, David who is from Mexico. They serve full-time in Mexico with their two small boys- Davidcito and Daniel. They have become really special friends for us here in Mexico.

Gerardo, Cornelia, Rogelio and his wife Maricela received a gift from Mexico and a Plaque from the International Office of CCC for their 20 years of Service. Maricela was not able to be at the conference so we got creative on how to include her in this special moment. We called her via cell-phone and she was able to share a message with the rest of the staff and we were able to pray over all 4! Gerardo was my director when I arrived to Xalapa in 2001!! It is just so incredible to have a relationship with each of these staff members who have faithfully served Christ over the years!


We ended the night honoring two staff men that have been pillars in the Campus Crusade for Christ Mexico ministry- Agustin and Juan who have served 35 and 45 years!! They have been examples of humble servants and bold in Jesus Christ- persevering and being faithful to the call that God has given them. They and their families have been an encouragement to me personally (Kim) and one of the reasons I chose to be a part of the ministry in Mexico. It truly is a privilege to sit at the table with them and learn from their experiences!

What a blessing to be a part of Human Resources where I get to recognized and honor staff for their faithfulness to the Lord!!!

Teaser video for student conference

this was the promo video for our student conference. we had 250 students attend. I had the privilege to work with Carlos Miranda on this project. I pray that God will use video and creative means to share of his love and message with the world.

http://www.vimeo.com/5860956

here is the link to watch the video

Visiting Ohio and Colorado

We hope to see you while we are in Ohio and Colorado!!

Our Plans so far...
Ohio April 10- 28

• April 10th Kim and Corrin arrive to Ohio
  
• April 12th Champion Presbytarian Church (morning service)
• April 16th Robin arrives in Ohio
  
• April 19th Bristolville Church of the Brethren (morning service)
  
• April 19th Southing Christian Church (6pm)
• April 20th plans already made
• April 21st Mexico Building Trip Reunion at Tana Michaels house (7pm)
• April 26th Mecca Community Church (morning service)

Colorado April 28- end of May

• April 28th Robin, Kim and Corrin arrive to Denver, CO
  

Ohio Building Trip- Cerro Gordo

TEAM MEXICO 2009
Charles and Jackie, Janet Banner, Bryan Ayers, Leah Dickson, Gary Wildman, George and Nancy Bradley, Ed Shafer and Tana Michaels

Hearts ready to serve and to receive as the third Ohio Building group arrived in Puebla, Mexico. The team, full of faith and expectancy, came to finish the project that was initiated the year before- a functioning kitchen and bathroom for Tina, a 50+ year old widow from Cerro Gordo, Mexico.

Tina has 7 children and has lived in a two room house which used to be a grain shed. Several years ago her husband was part owner of a restaurant and his partner took him for everything he had leaving them without work or a home. Since then, Tina and her family have made home in the two room buildin. A while back, Robin and I visited one weekend and the family gave us the one "bedroom" where she and her son and his family all slept. Their hospitality was humbling to say the least! I was impacted as she heated up water for us the next day to take our bucket shower! That day she shared with us how much she would like to have running water for a bathroom!

I was so thrilled when Pastor Charles Kindle agreed to come to Mexico to help build an addition onto her home for a kitchen and bathroom. Last year the building team got all of the walls up and in the transcourse of the year the family was able to put down the cement floor in the kitchen, put up a laminated roof and some cement counters.

This year the team came to help finish the bathroom! Tina and her whole family expressed how grateful they are! Thank you so much for your prayers and support of this team coming!

This year we were able to reach out to the community more as we stepped off of the bus and walked the length of the community each day. It was more than obvious the 12 "gringos" were in town- they were curious to know why and we were able to let them know that it was because we have the love of Christ in our hearts and we want to share that with others. Over 50 received Christ over the 9 days!

Learning the trade...

Don't think that Corrin only slept on the trip. Oh no! He was learning the tricks of the trade along with everyone else.

Here he is helping to make tortillas with Nancy and Mayte! Can you see the tortilla dough in his little hand?? He needed a little assistance from Nancy and it turned out to be a "mini" tortilla. Yummy.

Dad also got his son in on the work. Here he is with the spatula ready to spread some cement on the walls.

Everyone appreciated his help!! Corrin was named the "youngest" man to have participated in one of the 44 building trips of Charles Kindle!

Corrin's new friends!

Corrin sure did not mind being in the arms of Janet and "Uncle" Ed. Janet held Corrin and put him to sleep more than once during the building trip! He was so content!

Corrin wore his first ever "Harley Davidson" shirt that Ed and Sue Shafer bought him! The shirt says, "Me Want Harley Davidson"- too cute!

Translating and Plastering

The difference from last year to this year was remarkable as Robin's Spanish had improved enough that he was able to help communicate between the sons of Tina (Chavo and Ariel) as they worked on site.

Here is Robin and Gary plastering what will be the shower for Tina and her family. Tina has a 50 gallon barrel full of water in her current bathroom that she uses to flush the toilet with and shower. We are so blessed to be able to build her a bathroom with running water and a hot water heater! She is so thankful!!

Outreach in the community...

Saturday night we invited the whole town to come watch the newly released movie, "Magdalena". Several children and adults watched the movie that was projected onto a sheet hung on the side of and unfinished house. That night 6 people prayed to receive Christ in their heart!

The children gathered around us all week!! Pictured: Leah, Janet and George sharing Christ's love with them!

Playing hard after working hard....

We not only worked hard but we also got to play hard. Here we are with Ed, "Magic" from Xalapa, and Leah playing the train game. Ed is the master player and the challenge each night was to try to beat Ed. Robin was able to win 4 of the 20 games that they played! It was so fun hanging out in Xalapa where Kim lived for 4 years!

Robin took the team to the nearby waterfalls to cool off after a week of hard word in really hot weather! He and Edgar made the jump together!

Friends and Soccer

Over the last year I have been able to participate in a soccer league. It has been a joy to meet new people, build relationships, and burn some energy at the same time. Last year in December our team played for the championship and we won 6-2. I scored 2 goals for our team!!
But the most exciting part has been the friends I have made: brothers, Omar and Jorge are two of those people. Omar is a senior in high school and has an amazing heart to love God. They both expressed a desire to grow in their relationship with HIM. Pray that God will give me opportunities to love them more. Also, pray for their family as they tragically lost their younger sister,shot and killed by a jealous “friend” a few months ago.

Sharing Christ on Campus

It has been a blessing to take part in what God is doing on campus here in Puebla. This year I, Robin, have been a part of seeing 7 people come to know Christ in a more personal way.

I have been reminded this year of how powerful God is, how effective his Word is and how “in need” we are of his love. Before going on campus, we start by praying and I find myself asking God to amaze us with his great power. I am seeing that much of ministry is just being willing to show up and take small steps of faith and allow God to do his mighty work.
One day on campus we were talking with Marco and Jaime. We shared with them how to have a personal relationship with God; one that is not based on works or a religion but a true relationship. We asked them if they had any question or comments, and Marco replied, “It makes me want to cry, it is amazing.”.


We had 5 of the 7 guys join us for a more in depth bible study the following week. Please continue to pray that God will change their lives dramatically and that they would not be like the seeds that fall on hard ground or in briar bushes that die off; but, on fertile ground where they grow and remain faithful.

Grandma Laura's visit

We were so blessed to have Robin's mom come to visit us after Corrin was born. They bonded immediately and enjoyed the week together January 10th-18th. Corrin loved falling asleep in her arms!

Happy Valentine's Day

We hope you had a great Valentine's Day!!!

Having fun with dad!!!

Corrin and dad have fun hanging out!
Dad is showing Corrin the ropes of how to be "cool". He sure got mom's attention!
Dad has also had a ton of fun doing art with his son. Robin's latest project is a three piece white chalk on black paper art piece for our dining room where Robin and I are looking down with amazement at Corrin!

Kim's mom visiting Corrin

We are so thankful to have had family come visit. It was such an amazing blessing to us and a huge help as Kim was recovering from her C-section and as we were adjusting to being parents!

We celebrated the new year's with Kim's mom who came for 10 days to visit. Corrin had a great time with her and appreciated the pijamas and outfits that she made by hand to keep him warm!

We had a lot of fun just staying at home and connecting but also found time to do a little bit of site seeing close to home! We went to a few market places, the pyramid and the world's smallest volcano! We even made perrogies as we traditionally do for New Year's and Peperoni bread! YUM. We miss you mom! Thanks for coming!

Corrin's Pediatrition and Nurses

We are so thankful for the great care of the Pediatrition and Nurses while Corrin was in intermediary care for three days! He was the only child there and received a lot of love and attention from them!

Christmas with Corrin

Robin made Corrin his first blocks with his initials on it for Christmas! Not only was this our first Christmas in Mexico, it was our first as a family! Robin's brother Jesse came for three weeks and celebrated it with us!


































Corrin liked snuggling up with the little bear that my uncle Jim and aunt Karen bought for him!

Corrin- 5 days old

At 5 days old, we got out the camera and did a little photo shoot of Corrin.

Many people here in Mexico call Corrin "Robincito", little Robin. We think he has features from both of us. I think his hands and feet are like Robin's. Just a smaller version! Before we know it he will be growing up and his feet will be the size of his daddy's feet. Hard to imagine right now!! It will be good to have this picture to look back on and remember how small he once was.

Getting ready to take Corrin home

On the third day after Corrin was born, we were able to take him home. This was only the second time that we got to hold him! How precious how little boy is!

December 9th, 2009- Corrin Ethan Cranson

Corrin was born at "La Paz" (Peace) Hospital in Puebla, Mexico at 9:25 pm on December 9th. (the same day as Kim's mom's birthday).

We were induced two weeks early due to my Preeclempsia (toxemia) and labored for about 48 hours. When my water broke there was meconium which was a sign of fetal distress and the doctor decided to perform an emergency c-section.

Due to my preeclampsia he was underweight when he was born, he only weighed 4 1/2 pounds.

We learned later that Corrin's umbilical chord was wrapped around his neck twice and once around his arm which made it impossible for him to drop into the birth canal causing fetal distress during labor. The doctors said if we would have waited even one more hour we probably would have lost him. His stomach was full of meconium and had to be pumped. He also was having difficulty breathing so the Pediatrition decided to place him in intermediary care until he was able to breath better on his own.

Here he is pictured in intermediary care with oxygen, the ultraviolet light underneath of him for his jaundice and the feeding tube in his mouth.

We were able to visit with him about 3 times a day for an hour at a time. He improved so quickly that by the third day they took him fully off of the oxygen and let us take him home!

collage of pregnancy pictures!

Here is a fun collage of some of the pregnancy pictures that our sister-in-law took for us. What a gift she gave to us!!!

Thanksgiving in Puebla!

We celebrated Thanksgiving with about 35 others here in Puebla! Robin and I made the mashed potatoes. It was a feast to say the least with all the "fixins".. turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, black olives and cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and apple cider! What a celebration.

We are thankful to be surrounded by so many dear friends here in Mexico and to be able to share in special celebrations like Thanksgiving. These are always the hardest times to be away from "home", away from family so it is nice to be surrounded by people we love and who love us.

This is one of the pictures that our sister-in-law took.. "our little turkey".. we are excited to meet him/her and are welcoming him/her to the family already!!

Family coming to visit us!

We have been so thankful for family coming to visit. The end of October, Orion and his girlfriend, Jessica, came to visit for a few days! We had a great time hanging out and seeing a little bit of Puebla!

After that, Robin's brother's wife came to visit us right before Thanksgiving. She blessed us with a photo shoot of my pregnacy!

Connecting with Women

I had the opportunity to connect with Heather (who lives in Queretaro), Colleen (who lives here in Puebla) and Emily (who lives in Mexico City) in October as we travelled to Taxco, Mexcio, the silver mining city of Mexico where I did a study abroad in 1997.

Heather, Colleen and I were at the cross-cultural training this summer and in a small group together.

We had a great time connecting and processing life and ministry together!

Student fall retreat! Oct 17th-19th

Robin and I participated in this year's student fall retreat- Where we were challenged to "Follow God no matter what the cost"!

I especially enjoyed the women's time! and being able to encourage the student leaders in Xalapa where I served for 4 years!

Robin and I are in the very back at the top of the group picture.. can you find us??

Our baby shower in Mexico Nov 9

Our dear friends here in Mexico had a baby shower for us on November 9th! It was a mixed shower with tons of laughter as we played games and hung out! There were about 35 of us as some people traveled from Xalapa, Cordoba, Mexico City and of course all our friends from Puebla!

Angie and Emily are convinced that we are having a little girl and bought "her" this "cutie" outfit.. so fun!

We had a blast!

Praying for the arrival of Baby Cranson!!

Please be praying with us for the arrival of our first little one. We are so excited and can't wait to meet him/her!

I am due on Dec 20th and over the past few weeks I have elevated blood pressure and swelling which are signs of preeclampsia. The Dr's have been monitoring me closely to make sure that the baby and I are doing ok.

Our Dr. has us scheduled for a C-section for around the 8th unless my blood pressure levels out and even lowers a little. We are very hopeful to be able to still have a natural birth and would like to ask you to pray for that.

We were planning on having a water birth at home but at this point even if we have a natural birth it will be at the hospital in case of any emergency situation arises with my blood pressure.

Ultimately we desire what is best for both the baby and for me. We truly feel so blessed that God has entrusted us with this baby who HE is knitting in my womb and who HE knew before even I was born would be! So exciting to know that God is in control and that HE is our comfort and Peace.

thanks for praying!

Kim (and Robin)