The Rev. Andrea and the Rev. Luke Roske-Metcalfe are ELCA missionaries in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Andrea is a regional coordinator for the Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program and Luke serves in parish ministry. To support Andrea and Luke, or another of the ELCA’s over 200 missionaries, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

The new Young Adults in Global Mission volunteers in Mexico are, top row, from left: Colleen, Alicia, Casey, Blake, Aaron, Catie, Andrea, Meghan, Kristen and Sarah.

Andrea, Olivia and I hope this finds you well as summer quickly draws to a close. The three of us have been busy.  We remember you often for the support that you and your communities of faith have given us. In very real ways – phone calls, conversations over coffee, emails, financial gifts and prayers, you help us do our work here in Mexico, and we thank you for all your support.

In early July, Olivia finished her first year of Montessori school, where she has picked up lots of Spanish and met lots of friends.  She enjoyed it so much that we only waited a few weeks before bumping her up from three days a week to five!  She finished the regular school year and returned a week later for a two-week summer program.

In mid-July, Andrea was busy with the closing retreat for the 2011-2012 Young Adults in Global Mission volunteers. After a wonderful year of learning and growing both as a group and as individuals, she and the seven volunteers spent five days together to reflect and to celebrate.

Having said our final goodbyes to this group of volunteers, Andrea and I now eagerly await a new group of nine volunteers who are expected to arrive in late August. Needless to say, Andrea has been busy preparing for their arrival. Over the past couple months, she has been identifying and confirming work site placement and host families for the volunteers. She’s also preparing an in-country orientation that will help prepare these new volunteers for their year in Mexico.

As many of you know from previous communications, Andrea and I have decided to return to the U.S. in July of 2013, at the end of our current contract, which means that we have just under a year left in Mexico. My congregation, Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd,  has decided to use this time to discern how God is calling them to live into the future. Without making any assumptions, the congregation bravely asked itself the question, “Are we sustainable?” This is clearly a challenging question, but thus far I’ve experienced Good Shepherd facing it head-on and seeking to answer it as honestly as possible.