Day I dont know anymore

This morning we got to sleep in for a bit. We all rejoiced. Well all the boys did apparently the girls stayed up even later than usual and didn’t get to sleep in but got less sleep than normal. Silly girls. After a quick breakfast we got right to work assembling our materials to fun our festival games for the children. They do not call them carnivals here because in Latin culture it represents Carnival (the big festival in Rio) also its because the word Carne is meat and so both of those carry a negative connotation. So it was a festival. We had some problems but overall it was a fun time. The cross bow we made for Blaine’s game broke but they found him some squirt guns that worked. Kendra was a trooper and took sponge after sponge in the face as all these children should apparently be on professional baseball teams. The last thing that was tough about the festival was that Lisa’s game kept blowing away on her. The wind would blow and grab her balloons from the piece of Styrofoam that they were attached to and blow all over the church property.

Over all it was a lot of fun even with the couple of games that needed tweaking and replacement parts. Lisa did a dart throw at balloons, Kendra hid behind plywood with her face sticking out for a sponge target, My game made them swing a tennis ball from their head to knock over cups, John had a putting game, Jacob had a ball balloon pop, Taya had a coloring station and every child basically gave her their picture when it was done. Shannon painted faces, Jocelyne had them bounce a ball into cups with points on them, Blaine aka Hulio had his cross bow and targets, Christine had a Frisbee golf station set up, Anneliese did ring toss and Alexis was a floater that helped in every station as we needed her. The children loved all the games and we had more the enough prizes for everyone which was awesome because I didn’t think we would. I ordered one hundred prizes for each station and we had over one hundred children every day at VBS. But somehow God provided and every child left happy with prizes.

After the festival we went inside and the children sang songs and recited memory verses to their parents. Then we signed shirts and had the children sign ours. It was a fun time and while we were glad that the children’s club was done because we needed some sleep and rest, we were still sad that all the children we had come to know and love even through a language barrier had to go and we wouldn't see them again. Those children definitely wormed their way into our hearts. Which is appropriate considering the theme of the club was Mucho de Bichos which means big bugs.

After cleaning up club we went to visit the Virgin of Guadalupe. There was steps up the side of the mountain. I was expecting to see a statue but it isn’t a statue at all it is a painting on the side of the mountain (large hill). There were little altars on the hill with a statuette of the Virgin inside. There were hollows carved into the hill where people had made shrines. People had left plaques all over thanking the Virgin for different things like healing a broken arm of a safe delivery for a baby. At the top in front of the painting there are kneeling benches for people to pray. It was interesting and eye opening. The reason we learned that they pray to the Virgin is because she is nice and caring as the mother of God but God himself is the big mean king and so they do not talk to him directly but ask the Virgin to intercede for them. We were respectful as we walked up took some pictures and walked down.

After the Virgin we got dropped off downtown and split into three groups for the great race. We had to get certain photos, find out certain things about the culture and city and buy certain items for the Children’s home that we visited earlier in the week.  Our Spanish speakers were only allowed to make sure we didn’t die. We had to find English speakers and locate the stores on our own. We got to take in quite a bit of the culture and enjoyed the market. Something funny that happened while we were in a store like pharmasave. My group consisting of Annelise, Jacob and Rene were asking a store employee to translate our page of photos for us. As we were waiting we looked around and saw other groups in the store as well. Then the employee’s walkie talkie went off and in Spanish it said. “We have a bunch of Canadians that don’t speak any Spanish in the store.” The little group of employees helping us all burst out laughing and once Rene translated for us, we also though it was pretty funny. We thanked him and then continued. After all our shopping we had to catch the Mexican bus system back to our rendezvous point for the church van to pick us up. It was a lot of fun. The Mexican driver had mad skill. He could fit his bus between something with an inch on each side of the bus.

When we arrived back at the church we had a Mexican fiesta night. We had flautas, and something that I forget the name of but was like a giant Mexican perogie. They were delicious we also had salsa verde, hot sauce, and a cactus salsa which was soooooo good. Then we shopped at a Mexican market they set up for us and lastly they sung worship songs in Spanish to us. They build in intensity and by the end we were all dancing. It was a huge party and so much fun. Then we went to sleep.

Good Night World.

Day Siette

Day Siette

The day dawned and like a pack of vampires being burned in the sun light every one complained about the time they had to get up, the halls sounded like the Zombie apocalypse with all the groaning and moaning on the way to the main hall for breakfast. Breakfast was simple eggs with ham. Each day we get quieter and quieter at breakfast as the tiredness has set in.

Jacob got a little dehydrated and stayed back but helped the Mexicans prep VBS with Christine and by lunch he was back to normal.  We then went to the shanty town in San Pedro and gathered all the children. We ran a couple soccer drills, then we shared the gospel, had Blaine, Shannon and Jocelyne share what God had done in their lives. then we closed with a game of soccer... sorry fotbul with Mexicans against Canadians in the 40 degree heat. We had them on the ropes until Jocelyne got in the way of a shot Alexis was about to save and we watched our victory roll away in slow motion in to the net.... and we lost against the children. but it was a lot of fun.

We had salad for lunch, with meat and Salsa Verde we loved it. Martina the cook also made a delicious broccoli and garlic soup that we all loved except Jocelyne she wanted mushrooms in it. Too picky j/k we have all tried food that we were not sure we have liked and been glad we did. We will be sad to leave the food behind. More than once it has been suggested we take Martina with us once we return. But her family will be sad and the border guards would be unhappy so I guess we will leave. The cake is a lie (comment if you understand)

VBS was a bunch of fun we are don’t the main part and tomorrow is the festival. We are both sad and rejoicing about that fact. We loved the children and enjoyed giving them hugs and playing with them but our bodies though sustained by the holy spirit are tired and crying out for a break in the action to rest and recuperate.

Jacob helped teach the evangelism classes in the butterfly room with Jacob. Jacob was in charge of the science experiments. All throughout VBS Jacob has been the science man with an object lesson to explain the gospel. You sucked an egg yolk into a bottle, used dye, oil, Alka-Seltzer and water to show   that Jesus blood changed us and the Alka-Seltzer sent the water up to the top part of the bottle that represented God showing that Jesus blood brings us closer to God in relationship. It was awesome seeing Jacob help in the evangelism room with victor. Jocelyne and Taya taught rhyming games in the snack room, all the kids enjoyed their silly camp songs and games. They had a bunch of fun and the kids enjoyed the English songs. The rest of us continued to help in our groups loving the kids and keeping them in line as well so they would be able to participate in that stations activities.

Lastly today we went out for Dogos (Mexican Hot Dogs.) The gentleman who served us was a Dogo ninja. He literally served 15 of us a hotdog, french-fries and a drink in under 15 minutes. His hands where a blur and the food was delicious. They wrap their hotdogs in bacon and then you add cheese, onions, chorizo sausage and basically anything else you want. They are very good. The buns are a little sweet and compliment the Dogos perfectly. The Mexicans also came and joined us but the best part of the evening for me was just a great talk with one of our youth as everyone hung out and enjoyed the night.  

Day Seis

Day Seis

Another morning passed with us out in San Pedro. We took thirty minute shifts on the roof and finished off the most important parts. We could not finish the whole thing, but there is only a small part left for Pedro to finish as the weather permits. We did however get all the problem areas completely sealed from the rain for them. They should have no more rain in the house anymore. It was 43 degrees today as we worked on the roof and at the end of the day we were spent. We would stand in front of their giant fan and let the children sit with us as we cooled down. At other times between roof shifts we would play games in the living room with the children and some Mexican ladies from a children health organization that brought some crafts and games today. It was a very cool partnership and we enjoyed helping each other and working together to bless the children.

The girls also taught the Mexicans a hand clapping rhyming game: stella stella olga. They really enjoyed playing that together. They also taught patty cake to the children. They loved these simple games and the girls were great at teaching them and getting everyone involved. In return the girls were taught a foot game. In this game they counted their age and if it landed on their foot then they had to take their foot out and you tried to be the last person with a foot in the game. Over all it was a great day at the Casa and we were sad to leave. We will get to see the children for just a minute or two tomorrow as we meet there before we head out to soccer ministry. We have been blessed and humbled by the children of the Casa de Hogar

Then we came back to the church and had a SIESTA!!!!!!!!! Well we had lunch first with some sangria’s. don’t worry they are just pop here. Then we had naps and were rejuvenated for VBS

These days up on the Casa de Hogar roof have really taken a toll on us. Some of the leaders were falling asleep during the songs at VBS time. We lost Alexis one time in the snack room as she passed out while her group was eating. We are getting tired. Please pray that the Lord would sustain us. It seems like every leaders favorite room is the Mariposa room (butterfly room) because its cool, dark and Victor is presenting the gospel so we just have to make sure our kids listen and sit back and relax. I think it is the most looked forward to room of the rotation.

We are really starting to build some cool relationships with the children who come. Although I think everyday I feel more and more like a toddler. These children rattle off Spanish at me and wait for me to understand or respond and I look at them like a frozen robot who needs a reboot. Some leaders just talk back in English, Jocelyne speaks French to them and they understand more of that then they do English. There are more root words that are the same. It is always amazing watching the Children dance and sing praises to Jesus and when they all bow their heads and pray at the end of the lesson in the Mariposa room. The only problem with getting your groove on when your singing is that I could feel the rivers of sweat running down my back and chest. As I talked with everyone after VBS I was far from the only one experiencing the rivers of the deep bursting forth through my skin into this world.

Lastly we went and had dinner with the families. It was a great experience and everyone felt blessed. However Taya and Kendra had the truest authentic taste of Mexican Culture. They went to a church member’s house named Tabere he is a Vet. He received the girls and asked them if they like Chinese food because it seems like all Canadians like Chinese food. Taya and Kendra said yes and Tabere walks into his kitchen and brings in the classic Chinese take-out boxes. They enjoyed their meal and then were offered ice cream. Of course they said yes because you do not say no to ice cream in Mexico even if you hate the flavour because its cold and nothing else in Sonora is. Tabare say s ok lets get dairy queen. So Taya and Kendra had a great Mexican experience eating Chinese food and having take out from Dairy Queen. 

Day 5

Again this is a short blog post and they will probably remain this way. Today we again went to the Casa De Hogar. We arrived and it was raining. The youth were pretty bummed because that meant we would not be able to bless them with a water proof house. We had heard from Pedro the day before though how there was a time they had no food, toilet paper and were missing other basic household items. Pedro’s wife Soyla asked him what are we going to do. Pedro responded pray we don’t have any money anyway. So they prayed when they said amen and lifted their heads a car pulled in with everything they needed and gave it to Pedro and Soyla. Before the trip we also read about George Muller. He accounted many of the same things as Pedro that God provides when we ask. I felt the Holy Spirit saying I am read to show you myself gather the youth in the living room and pray. So that’s what we did. We made sure the whole team was there with a couple of the little children dotted throughout our circle and we prayed. Every one of us prayed for the lord to stop the rain so that we would be able to bless Pedro and his family. We said amen having no idea if it was still raining or not or if it was going to stop. I walked straight outside with anticipation, to see what the Holy Spirit had done after we obeyed and asked him to step in. The rain had stopped. It was cloudy still and cool… for Hermosillo that is. We were able to get the whole dormitory part of the house done today and we are going back tomorrow to finish the job. I just think it is amazing what God can and will do for the love of his children.

We also had a lot of fun playing with the children. Fernando and I played on the swings. He would yell rapido and I would push him so high I almost lost him from the swing more than once but he loved it and I was always ready to catch him. Kendra was lead around by Miguel again while holding Barbara. Mario, Enrique and some of the other boys whose names I do not know where up on the roof working alongside us to make sure that in the rain the water doesn’t get in where the concrete slabs of the roof meet. Everyone took a shift on the rood if my memory serves and it was a lot of fun to paint the roof blue. I know Jacob liked it. He said it would be a fun job to paint roofs blue.

The youth have really been bonding with the children that come to VBS. Today when the children where let into Arbol De Vida some ran right towards our youth for hugs and of course our youth obliged. We sang and danced to worship music. We worked on our memory verse. Victor (the Mexican youth pastor) taught about Christs blood and his sacrifice. Jacob helped him with his science experiment that explained the lesson. Unfortunately they decided that it would be best to get rid of it. Blaine has really connected with one youth named Gabriel and they taught each other wrestling moves moving from one station to the next. Our youth are amazing. Be proud of them for how hard they work, how they do not exclude anyone and make it easy for them to fit in.

We then went out for El tortas. The best way to describe them without experiencing it is like a Panini but only with Mexican stuff on taquitos. We had fun hanging out with the Mexican that took us. It was just a blast of a night. We returned had a couple people pray and went to bed.

The True Treasure & First Day of Club

Today was a full day. We were up and eating breakfast by 7am. We had pancakes, papaya and cantaloupe. I have come to love the subtle taste of papaya in the morning for breakfast, yummy! After breakfast we talked about being “sent” and what does that mean. How does the one who sent us affect how we live out the mission of being sent? If God has sent us out then we have his authority behind us as we go to obey him. That should make us bold in our mission, it should remind us of why we strive to serve him and remind us also of what our goal is to accomplish. If we remember we are sent as missionaries to our world then   we stay focused on kingdom mission of disciple making weather we are delivering pizzas or preaching the gospel on a street corner. Then it was English church and we talked about how God is our king and he is our sovereign. We obey him trusting that while we do not understand his plan we know that he has asked us to accomplish a task based on his perfect love and perfect knowledge to bring about his kingdom for our benefit and his glory. We obey because we trust the goodness of our king and that is enough. It really challenges the team as to why we are here and what exactly has God asked us to accomplish.

Worshiping in English Church

After the English service in the morning (worship and devo’s with Greg and Shelli.) We all hoped into the van for a tour of the Shanty Town. The silver lining to staring poverty in the face is now I can say I drove in Mexico. Although as soon as my but hit the seat Christine laid hands on me and prayed for safety for the van even though we were driving where there were no other cars and doing 20km. ahh I love the smell of trust in the morning. Just kidding I appreciated the prayer and it spoke to Christine’s commitment to details, planning and safety all of which are huge assets on this trip. We drove quite slowly through the shanty town. We saw some children walking in bare feet when there was glass and garbage everywhere. They lived in cardboard and tarp shacks. The upgraded ones where made of pallets and lastly they would build a wall at a time out of cinder block. Most of their houses are the size of a shed. Shelli told us that many of the homes do not have fathers living there and there is abuse of substance and of the children. The governor out in a park in the Shanty town. It is tires, one slide that looks more like a death trap. They also had a swing set with no swings. It was hard to see but would take us till later in the evening to process. It felt surreal almost like the side of the van window was a TV separating us from the miles, the smells, and the reality of it.

Shanty Houses

We then came back to the church and assisted the Mexican youth in the setup of VBS. We decorated, we fixed banner (they lend out all their VBS supplies to churches who can’t afford it so more people are reached by the gospel but they do not always return in the best shape) We hot glued, drew and set up each of the rooms that would be used. Jacob was used for his extreme height to decorate the ceiling. The language barrier wasn’t as much of a problem as we worked together as I figured it would be. Miming, grunting and using Alexis and Rene got our point across and the crafts and decorations came together beautifully and quickly which let us have a little bit for free time.

Renee and Clarissa putting together crafts

The most stressful part of my day was trying to post the blog. Are you ready for a story. Snuggle in grab some coca and get ready to experience the thrill of posting a blog. I had stayed up late to write the blog in a word document so that I would just be able to copy and paste, insert a couple photos and publish online. Lane took me to the mission apartment so that I could use the wifi (wee-fee if you say it like the Mexicans.) I forgot that since I am using Lisa’s computer I wouldn’t be able to automatically sign into blogger to copy and paste. I tried to get in but forgot my password…. Of course. Finally with texting Canadian tech support (Kelsey) I was able to get in and started the process. Then after I inserted all the photos except one I hit a button that whipped the entire blog. Well no big deal right copy and paste again and it will be all good. BOOM RAIN STORM HITS LIKE NEVER BEFORE and power goes out….. My head reals…. What does this mean?.... NO WIFI DUN DUN DUN! I lowered my head to the table and prayed. The wifi turned back on and I posted that blog like a mad man and the edited it and added the extra photos once it was up at least in skeletal form. Who knew posting a blog would be such an adventure in Mexico but it all turned out in the end and the extra time it took me let lane finish the tasks he needed to do.

The youth where still at the church while I was out posting the blog with lane. During that rain storm the hopped in the big van with Shelli and drove through the shanty town again. It is amazing that the desert doesn’t absorb the water you think it would but it cascades and makes rivers out of road ways. The flash flood that hit those shanties and the rest of the city made our last Sundre flood look like a small rain. They were amazed but then realized how it could wash away those little shanties.

We went for a quick dinner of tacos. Unfortunately there was a miscommunication and we went to the wrong one first and sat down were just about to bite into the bread bowl and Victor says WAIT! We then awkwardly found out the truth and had to pack up and head to the right taco stand. As Canadians the sorrys where flying to the owner and some of our team left him a tip for the trouble of seating us getting a bread bowl and having a huge group up and walk out. We then had an amazing time as a group just hanging out and enjoying the tacos. They bring you the tortilla and the meat and let you go to a buffet of salsas and veggies to dress it yourself. We had fun and was just a good time as a group.

Back at the church a Mexican youth who speaks better English than I lead us in worship. His name is Abram. He is very talented on the guitar and we enjoyed ending the day in worship to the lord. Then we had a debrief time where we talked about the day and all that we saw. This is where the emotions that were suppressed during our tour of the shanty town erupted. In a beautiful act of honesty and community the group shared that they were angry, feeling guilty and really struggling with the fact that we have so much and we let the business of our life take from us the knowledge of how blessed we are and that out of that blessing we should be generous. We felt after discussion and thanks to Abram’s sharing as well that the answer was not in our guilt and it was not in our material possession for we cannot provide Jeans, food and shelter for every person in the shanty town but we can give them the greatest treasure. We can tell the about Jesus. If we truly believe that God is King and that he is God who is loving and will provide and take care of his people for their greatest interest and his greatest glory than we can have faith that if we tell them about Jesus and obey the Holy Spirit as he calls us then he will take care of them. From time to time he will call us to be involved in his work but as long as we are faithful in showing them the greatest treasure. The treasure that is worth giving up everything else even our very life to find then we do not have to feel guilty we rest in the knowledge that we were never called to do it all. We were called to be faithful and point to the greatest treasure in the universe. Jesus Christ, Saviour, Brother and our King.

Day four

We went to the Casa Hogar. We cleaned the roof and prepped it for a sealant today. Water runs down the cracks and in the ceiling of their family room it pours like there is not even a roof above their heads. The sealant we will apply tomorrow will keep out all the rains. What is amazing it their entire building has been built within a year and the only thing missing is the girls dorm.

Sweeping the roof for sealant

Moving rocks across the yard to use in building later

Kendra at work

This little boy is Miguel. He has been at the house a week but has all his brother and sisters there. He loved julio’s hat a.k.a. Blaine and hung out with us all day although he was mostly attached to Kendra’s finger and dragging her around the yard. It was a balloon duck he played with. We all played Quack with him. He would quack in a pattern and we would respond back. It was fun.

A giant ant appeared out of no where. We havent found Jacob since!

First day of VBS was great. Shelli said we bonded well and integrated will with both the Mexican volunteers and the children. Sorry this blog is just pictures didn’t have any time to write creatively today. We are just realizing now having boy and girls nights with Greg and Shelli. We grabbed some kreeze it’s like a frappicuino and went to sit at Greg’s house for a chat. So I need to sign off so I can participate in the conversation.

 

Singing at VBS

Day one and two

So it’s the end of day dous! The team is tired and when straight to showers and bed. I am alone in the sanctuary as I write this. I will give you a quick break down of both days and some thought from the team members about each day.

The first thing I want to mention is that our God is incredibly creative. Traveling from Calgary to Pheonix and then on to Hermosillo truly shows you a diverse landscape and a beauty in both the refined and the rugged. We have seen sights that cause us to be envious of the culture and other sights that stretch out limits to comprehend how a life can be lived in such a state and we are only two days in.

In air towards Phoenix

Day 1: We met at the church at 6:30 am and gathered everything together. We prayed with the parents and departed. Everything went incredibly smooth and we arrived at Calgary with more than enough time. We went through customs which was a first for me as I have not traveled outside of Canada aside from the odd trip to Seattle. However I feel that doesn’t count as it’s basically identical to the Greater Vancouver Area. Kendra Alm was grilled but the rest of us where threw in minutes and God gave her the answers to get threw unscathed but a little rattled.

Waiting at the Airport

The plane ride was just fine we got a little bored near the end and Annelise, Taya and myself did a little ploga = plane yoga in the isles. It was a bunch of fun and the stewardesses did not mind. Although after a bit the seat belt sign came on but we will just chalk that down to coincidence and decent procedures. Another great thing about our landing is that Christine screamed every time the plane hit turbulence and dropped causing our stomachs to jump into our throats but if you ask Jacob and Blaine that was the best part of the plane ride. Once on the ground the whole group enjoyed walking really fast on the motorized sidewalks in the airport. God was with us from the beginning of this trip. Apparently lane did not feel it was important to communicate with Greg and Shelli the airline or flight number of our plane. Of course it would help if I had told himJ. It was a case of miscommunication but Shelli and Greg were waiting there for us at the right terminal and so it started that God showed his presence with us while traveling into Mexico.

We had our first truly American experience eating In and Out burger. There was a cool secret we found out. They have a scripture verse on their cup, burger wrapper and fry wrapper. It was very cool. So with bellies full we got to the border crossing. They have a random automated light. Red you are pulled over and checked green you go through. We prayed as the van for green and the Lord provided. There was a second check stop when we had to buy our visitor’s visa. At the visitor visa stop we all had to go get our passport stamped and then I had to go pay for our visas. Greg walked me up to the counter where I paid and then he stepped away and went to talk to our group to see if they wanted to wait in the van. I do not think I have switched from being ok to praying my face off so fast. I had to immediately depend on the spirit because by myself I can communicate a little less than a toddler here in Mexico. Luckily Greg came back before I had to speak but it was a very humbling experience. We hoped back in the van and went had to cross another random check stop. This time we got a red light and they could have asked to see our luggage or taken us all out of the vehicle. Instead they talked to Greg opened the trunk for a quick look and let us go. Again praise be to God for an easy check stop and that Greg and Shelli where there to pick us up and walk us through. They are amazing.

The rest of our travel to Hermosillo was uneventful. We saw shanties, we saw mansions, and we saw military with machine guns it was stretching and each student had different thoughts. We were sardines in a van that blew hot air instead of A/C at us every time Greg accelerated but the youth were in great sprits and the traveling was fun. We had a diner of ham and cheese sandwiches upon our arrival which were the best I have ever had and then we unpacked. Shared our thoughts, showered and went to bed.

Now I will share with you some thoughts from the students.

Spanish sign with Nogales in the background

Shanty house but not the worst we have seen

Blaine: its hot! But not as hot as it could be. Some Spanish came back from my last visit but not much.

Jacob: the car ride was too long and my legs are too long and it’s hot…. But it fun

Taya: it was a long day of travel. TONS of fun. Good unity as a group and I just wanted to praise God for all the miracles he worked today I was extremely nervous for crossing the border.

Shannon: I thought today went smoothly, more smoothly then I thought. I expected it to be really stressful but God was with us and made it run smoothly and just flow.

Day :2 We woke up between 7 and 8am and breakfast was served at 8. It was AWESOME. The huevos chorizo (eggs with chorizo sausage), cantaloupe and papaya was sooooo good, although some of our youth found it a tad too spicy. We were able to enjoy fresh homemade tortillas and refried beans to smush onto our tortillas.

The Breakfast Club

Then it was English church. We met in their youth room and Shelli challenged us with a message. It was about walking in the light of the cross. If we are walking in the light of the cross people will be able to see the shadow of the cross behind us. But if we have idols infront of the cross in our life people will see a morphed shadow from our lives and be confused since we claim to be Christians when it is convenient but our shadow does not show the cross. Judas’s idol was money, Pilates was popularity, Peter was passionate but distracted and didn’t want to be ridiculed alongside Christ, Mary Magdalene was so consumed by Christ and her love for him that she went into a place she wasn’t supposed to be to worship Jesus and to give him the glory and honor he was due because she loved him. Her shadow was a cross. It was a good challenge and some of our youth said that God spoke directly to them through the message as Shelli looked directly at them and then continued on with the message. The Holy Spirit was present today.

We then enjoyed Mexican church where we were all introduced and then sang both in English and Spanish. It was fun to clap and sway back and forth. It was also fun to try and sing along with the Spanish words when they would switch back and forth. Church went from 11 until about 1:30 and then we visited with the church people who were especially friendly and welcoming. One little Nina named Sarah reminded me of Jacob. She was 2 and would run up and play the drums and sing into the micro phones. She made faces at me and we played peekaboo. It is great to engage toddlers because they communicate at the same level as I do in Mexico jajaja (their version of lol).

After we ate a quick lunch and had a siesta time. We took time to journal and have devos. I know I grabbed a quick 20 minute nap which was amazing. Our rooms are like little pieces of Canada since we walk in and go ahhhh! It’s a freezing 20 degrees in our room with the A/C cranked and a cool 43 degrees outside today. We went up onto the mountain top that gives you almost a 360 view of Hermosillo and the Mexican youth came up and joined us. We had fun and tried a pineapple concoction of pineapple, Japanese peanuts, tamarind and Motts Clamato. I loved it and so did Jacob Barton he scarfed the rest of mine down.

The tastiest pineapple snack you will ever have.

I wanted to cry a little. But I didn’t…… maybe just one but it was wind up there and it made my eyes water I swear. We joined with the Mexican youth and prayed over Hermosillo that God would just bring his kingdom to the city and that the gates of hell could not stand against the combined might of Christ’s bride the church.

We then went down to the plaza and ate tostitos in a bag with pulled beef, tomato, cabbage and nacho cheese all in the bag. It was pretty much the tastiest thing in the world, you can ask all the team. You may say dear team how were the tostitos and they will indeed inform you that they were they tastiest in the world. The food was great, we enjoyed buying things from the vendors for family, friends and ourselves. Although we were all too afraid to barter. Shame on us. The night life was amazing and the culture of the city was contagious it got inside of you and you just wanted to be around the plaza at night for the whole evening.

Tostitoes with nacho cheese, tomatoes, pulled beef, lettuce and a beautiful cathedral in the background

Eventually we thought it would be good to go back to the church to get some rest before our big day of prepping everything for vbs. So we drove back, had a quick prayer time and let everyone go to bed. Everyone but this poor martyr who stayed up typing away until his fingers bled so you may know what has gone on so far. Just kidding it was fun to write this blog update although it was indeed long. I will also close this section of the blog with some of the youth’s thoughts.

 Jocelyne: Ahhh there is a bug

Jacob: Hey there is a lizard lets catch it. (So we tried but it was fast and sneaky like a ninja)

Annelise: My highlight of the day was praying on the mountain. It was a time to reflect on Gods beauty

Jocelyne: The language barrier stood out today both at church and buying goods at the Plaza

 Well…. I will Sign off. Its 11:59pm here on July the 6^th and I stink. Im gonna go shower and hit the hay and ill post again tomorrow night from a free wifi spot in town or hopefully the church wifi will be back up and running. Blessings to you all back home. Continue to pray for us as we serve and pray that the children we serve would come to an intimate relationship with Christ.

Getting Caught Up: Training

hola ¿cómo estás todo? Hemos estado entrenando ocupado y se prepara para ir a México. yay!

Hello all. How are you? We have been busy training and getting ready to go to Mexico. Yay!

On Sundays from 2-4 we meet every other week. We have been meeting for training since February. Many things have happened at training and we wont go into depth but just want to give you a run down of what a basic training day looks like.

We are memorizing a section of the Bible. John 15 These are the verses where Jesus talks about him being the vine and how his father is the gardener. His father cuts off every branch that does not bear fruit while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. It goes on to say that like any branch we cannot bear fruit unless we are attached to the tree trunk for nutrients. Jesus is our tree trunk and we wanted the youth to memorize these verses to remember where our strength comes from. That we cant do it on our own we need his help. We are excited to see what he will do through us as we faithfully obey and go to Mexico to minister his love and salvation to the children of Mexico.

The next thing we do is talk about the book we are reading. We share anything that sticks out to us about Gods character, this mans faith or anything at all. we have had deep and profound insights about trusting God from this missionary who started an orphanage with no money, to laughing at some of the  "silly" old names contained within. I highly recommend this read to anyone. It is a great read and inspiring to see that people do live with radical faith in the Lord and witness his miracles because of it. This book has challenged, convicted and grown all of us as we read and share from it.

After discussing our book we move into trust and team building exercises. The one pictured below is an obstacle course that we had to navigate blinded. Lane (The missionary who is helping us train to go) had one of the team try to walk through it blindfolded with no instructions. Didn't go so well. The second time he had a team member line up, put on a blindfold and then he gave them all the instructions at once to get through the maze. Little better but didn't go so well. Lastly he put a hand on their shoulder and gave instructions as he walked beside the team member, pausing in silence and waiting at random times before resuming his instructions and bringing the team member safely through the maze. This was to show us how God directs us. He moves us like the third example guiding us actively, not silent, not spewing out information and hoping we get it right. Instead he lovingly leads us but when we don't pay attention or when we move with out his instruction just like in this exercise we crash into something in life we didn't see coming. 

Also we have lifted each other a couple feet in the air and passed people through rope holes, We have lead each other blindfolded and we have raced with each leg of the racing having to be done different ex. (hop on one leg, crawl, army crawl, log roll) until the race was complete. These have been fun and challenging exercises that help us  see our strengths and weaknesses as a group. It sure has been fun but we still have a bit more to go.

 





We also usually do a little bit of Spanish. The hope here is not for fluency but to communicate that it is hot, or if we want to play with a child, or if we would like water to drink. el gato es roho will not help us...translation (the cat is red) but knowing how to tell them we like the food or that it is too spicy will help us get to know the people and help them get to know and enjoy us as a team.

It has been great fun preparing with this team of 12 people. We are excited to see what God will continue to grow in us through training and what he will accomplish through us as we go and minister. Please pray for us as a team that we would grow closer to the image of christ through both the training and serving. If you would like to partner with us you can in one of two ways

Every student needs to have 5 people as part of their prayer team for when we are down in mexico. that is 5 different people committed to pray for them every day of the trip. The second way is of course funds. You can drop them in the offering on Sunday and mark it Mexico missions trip. Please do not direct your regular giving toward us, only what God directs you to over and above your usual giving.

Stay tuned I will have an update next week about training on Sunday as well as an interview with one of the students.