April 24, 2006

Dear Friends,

As March ended and April began in 2006, we had already received two mission groups. These groups were important to me, as they set the tone for our busy summer season. From March 18 to 24, we hosted a team of 17 from Buena Vista College in Stormlake, Iowa, led by the college chaplain and two group sponsors. I have always believed that the experience they get from being here in Juarez is always individual and always comes from God, not me or Pasos de Fe. I attempt as best I can to make sure that all the glory be given to God for what He has done. However, this group wasn’t going to leave from Juarez without letting me know how God used me. Much to my discomfort, on the morning they were to head to the airport, they sat me down in the middle of a circle, surrounded by all the members of the team. Each one of them took their turn letting me know how what I did during the week impacted their experience. This was very difficult for me, but at the same time was very fulfilling. I have never before received a blessing like this.

The day after this group left, another very special mission group came, the youth group from First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights. This is the church that I grew up in. I was an active member in this youth group back in the late 1980s. I went on my first Mexico mission trip with this church. When this group came, it was as if my life had come full circle. I didn’t know any of the youth or adults, and the youth pastor is new, but I felt as if I belonged in a special way to this group. Through the week, I was able to show this church about the ministry that Trish and I have been involved in, one in which this church has been supporting us. As with all the other mission trips we have led, God provided the words, activities, and experience that the mission team members would leave with. I know that the experience that the team members got individually, and as a group, were exactly what God intended them to be. I pray blessings on the work that was done, the relationships that were formed, and the bonding of a youth group.

It is now mid April, and we just returned from a short vacation trip to Fort Myers, Florida. We enjoyed a blessed week of visiting my grandma and relaxing at the pool and the beach. God used this week to refresh and reenergize us, and now we return with less than a month before our busiest mission-trip season. The mission teams start coming in the second week of May and don’t stop until the third week of August. We are grateful to God for giving us the opportunity to rest and relax in Florida, and now feel better about heading into the summer, ready to give God what he wants of us.

I’d like to inform all of you as well of some exciting news. For many years now, God has been discussing with me the idea of becoming a pastor of some sort, and although I am not sure about that yet, it has become clear to me recently that God would like for me to go to seminary. I will concede to his will once again and end our service here at the end of our current term, the end of this year. We will continue to keep you up-to-date about our work here on the border for the next year, and would love the opportunity to keep you involved as God continues to use us in service of him.

In Christ,

Todd, Tricia, and Katelyn Reinschmidt

The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 66