Well as most of you know...we made it home. Our Mexico adventure is now over, but hopefully all that God instilled in our lives while we were there will stay with us. We have fresh revelation of what God is doing in the world and hopefully this is the beginning of using that to make a difference here at home.
I have the privilege of going to Mexico each year and each year I learn something new. Each year I am challenged in a fresh way to use all that God has given me to bless others. Long ago there was an organization of women called the "Cent Society" They were women who gave their cents to missions so that they could send other women overseas to take the gospel to those in need. The goal of this organization was to take the gospel to the lands of heathen darkness and to teach their children what to do when you had more than enough. Unfortunately those groups no longer exist, but I am challenged by their goals. We do need to be taking the gospel to those who have yet to hear, but equally important is the goal to teach those of us in nations of affluence what we should be doing when we have more than enough...and let's face it...we all have more than enough.
Today starts the season of Lent...I am challenging myself to come up with a plan to use this time to take my "more than enough" and bless someone in need. I challenge you to the same thing!
Showing posts with label Mexico 09. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mexico 09. Show all posts
2/25/09
Lost in Cyber Space
While we were traveling, Madeline sent me her write up for the Saturday blog...in fact she sent it twice...but somehow it got lost in the wild world of cyber space. Well I have finally located her writing and wanted to post it here for you to read.
So here is Madeline on Mexico...
Hi so this week we did alot with the kids and had alot of fun! I really liked being at the school with the kids and playing with them after the lesson. I think this trip was a really good exspirence for me seeing the way the people lived and how little they had it really made me feel like we had so much but we want so much more that we don't need.
It was amazing how clean the people were because it was so dirty there. They were so happy even though they had so little. When we went to the feeding on Wednesday I really felt that the children were very grateful for what we gave them but it was terrible when we handed out the hygene stuff because not all the kids could have them because we didn't have enough. They all were very excited when they saw that we were handing out free stuff. They all ran to come get some.
Today we went to the beach and that was pretty awesome besides the fact that I got sun burn. The waves were huge and parasailing was fun too!!
God taught me alot and I won't forget the children and their needs but this week was pretty amazeing and alot of fun!!
So here is Madeline on Mexico...
Hi so this week we did alot with the kids and had alot of fun! I really liked being at the school with the kids and playing with them after the lesson. I think this trip was a really good exspirence for me seeing the way the people lived and how little they had it really made me feel like we had so much but we want so much more that we don't need.
It was amazing how clean the people were because it was so dirty there. They were so happy even though they had so little. When we went to the feeding on Wednesday I really felt that the children were very grateful for what we gave them but it was terrible when we handed out the hygene stuff because not all the kids could have them because we didn't have enough. They all were very excited when they saw that we were handing out free stuff. They all ran to come get some.
Today we went to the beach and that was pretty awesome besides the fact that I got sun burn. The waves were huge and parasailing was fun too!!
God taught me alot and I won't forget the children and their needs but this week was pretty amazeing and alot of fun!!
2/21/09
A Note from Dan
Well my friends our trip is coming to an end but our memories we will have forever. This has been a great week filled with a lot of fun, laughter, tears, broken hearts for the kids and a new understanding of what is going on in the rest of the world. This is my 3rd year coming on this trip and each trip brings new things to think about. This year we spent more time than any other year working directly with people and what a blessing that was to watch as our team interacted with all the people down here.
Having come down here 3 years in a row it has been a real blessing to watch God work within the ministry that we are helping out, Perdon y Amistad. God has really been blessing this ministry as well as the kids down here. I think one of the best parts about bringing teams down here is to watch God work in the lives of the people that come. I don't think we as Americans or Canadians see how much we truly have. Each year we come the team always comes back saying there are so many things that we want but don't need yet we get so upset when we don't get what we want. Then you come down here and you see that the people down here have next to nothing yet they are so content. Our teams seem to always go back with a new understand of who God is and what He can do in our lives if we let Him.
I really suggest to those of you out there who have not had the opportunity to go to another country to try and get on a team that does so. We have so much to be thankful for and I think sometimes it takes looking at other people who have less than us, material possesions wise, to be thankful for the tremendous amout that we do have.
Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us and we look forward to seeing you when we get home as well as talking to you about our trip.
Having come down here 3 years in a row it has been a real blessing to watch God work within the ministry that we are helping out, Perdon y Amistad. God has really been blessing this ministry as well as the kids down here. I think one of the best parts about bringing teams down here is to watch God work in the lives of the people that come. I don't think we as Americans or Canadians see how much we truly have. Each year we come the team always comes back saying there are so many things that we want but don't need yet we get so upset when we don't get what we want. Then you come down here and you see that the people down here have next to nothing yet they are so content. Our teams seem to always go back with a new understand of who God is and what He can do in our lives if we let Him.
I really suggest to those of you out there who have not had the opportunity to go to another country to try and get on a team that does so. We have so much to be thankful for and I think sometimes it takes looking at other people who have less than us, material possesions wise, to be thankful for the tremendous amout that we do have.
Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us and we look forward to seeing you when we get home as well as talking to you about our trip.
My Turn
Since everyone else has been writing these posts, I have not had a chance to offer any of my thoughts on this trip. I decided since it is the last day here I would take a moment and share with you a few highlights for me.
There is no doubt that for me the highlight of the trip was the opportunities I had to speak at the ladies bible study on Tuesday and Thursday. I had been asked to preach on Sunday morning at one of the satellite churches, but our schedule did not allow for me to do that. Hopefully next year that can be worked into the week as well. Back to the ladies bible studies...This is my second year to speak and the group is growing. They are almost out of room in the back yard that they hold the meetings in. The church is trying to find a building so that they can accomodate more ladies. Twice a week the ladies come to hear the word and to then receive food to help care for their families. Tuesday was a great day with the ladies, but Thursday was awesome. They start with a few songs and then I get to speak. On Thursday things just flowed really well and the ladies were connecting with the message. After my speaking, a number of them came up for prayer so I was able to pray over them for different things in their lives. It was a very cool time.
After the prayer time, I was asked to help pass out the food items that were available for the ladies to take home and I recruited Dan to help me. The problem was that there was not enough of each item for everyone and Dan and I were told to just give it to who we wanted. So we have one box of milk and three mom´s who don´t have milk yet and we are suppose to pick someone to receive it. Dan looks at me and says "I don´t want to do this. Why did you bring me over here? If I pick one mom then I don´t pick two other moms. This is horrible." And horrible it is...but also reality for those who work in this ministry. There are always more families that need food than there is food to go around and one person getting milk means others don´t. I am thankful that we don´t have to make those decisions on a regular basis, but it is a reality that those who work here face daily.
Well I could go on, but I will stop for now. In the coming days I will share other thoughts on this trip and also add some photos for some of the events that the team has described for you. Thanks so much for all of your prayers. Please continue to pray as we travel home tomorrow morning.
There is no doubt that for me the highlight of the trip was the opportunities I had to speak at the ladies bible study on Tuesday and Thursday. I had been asked to preach on Sunday morning at one of the satellite churches, but our schedule did not allow for me to do that. Hopefully next year that can be worked into the week as well. Back to the ladies bible studies...This is my second year to speak and the group is growing. They are almost out of room in the back yard that they hold the meetings in. The church is trying to find a building so that they can accomodate more ladies. Twice a week the ladies come to hear the word and to then receive food to help care for their families. Tuesday was a great day with the ladies, but Thursday was awesome. They start with a few songs and then I get to speak. On Thursday things just flowed really well and the ladies were connecting with the message. After my speaking, a number of them came up for prayer so I was able to pray over them for different things in their lives. It was a very cool time.
After the prayer time, I was asked to help pass out the food items that were available for the ladies to take home and I recruited Dan to help me. The problem was that there was not enough of each item for everyone and Dan and I were told to just give it to who we wanted. So we have one box of milk and three mom´s who don´t have milk yet and we are suppose to pick someone to receive it. Dan looks at me and says "I don´t want to do this. Why did you bring me over here? If I pick one mom then I don´t pick two other moms. This is horrible." And horrible it is...but also reality for those who work in this ministry. There are always more families that need food than there is food to go around and one person getting milk means others don´t. I am thankful that we don´t have to make those decisions on a regular basis, but it is a reality that those who work here face daily.
Well I could go on, but I will stop for now. In the coming days I will share other thoughts on this trip and also add some photos for some of the events that the team has described for you. Thanks so much for all of your prayers. Please continue to pray as we travel home tomorrow morning.
Friday
Today we hear from Sherman...
This was the final day of a very successful trip ministering to the children of the dump and School of Champions. Today we were asked to provide games for the children one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon. That request actually means a full day leaving by bus at 9:00 and finally returning around 7:00. There is much waiting at the church for available drivers, but we used that time to prepare 140 sandwiches and also participate in a team meeting. We have enjoyed great commradery and each day there is a time when we express what we appreciate about one person on the team. I think that meant a lot to everyone. It did to me.
Our chair soccer game time was so exciting and Dan was a great team leader. The kids loved his antics. The kids were very intense and really enjoyed the game. We also passed out crayons and colored pencils for prizes.
Tonight we ate at a place on the beach called Los Burros. Tony, Danielle, Phyllis Jean, Carolyn and Claudette got more than just their feet wet walking into some waves. Our meal was great.
We have met so many devoted people. Peter and Celina work hard in this ministry and are always willing whenever they are asked. Their hospitality and helpfulness is a great asset to our team. Dan and Ann are two very capable leaders. I would encourage anyone to come and expereince the work being done here.
This was the final day of a very successful trip ministering to the children of the dump and School of Champions. Today we were asked to provide games for the children one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon. That request actually means a full day leaving by bus at 9:00 and finally returning around 7:00. There is much waiting at the church for available drivers, but we used that time to prepare 140 sandwiches and also participate in a team meeting. We have enjoyed great commradery and each day there is a time when we express what we appreciate about one person on the team. I think that meant a lot to everyone. It did to me.
Our chair soccer game time was so exciting and Dan was a great team leader. The kids loved his antics. The kids were very intense and really enjoyed the game. We also passed out crayons and colored pencils for prizes.
Tonight we ate at a place on the beach called Los Burros. Tony, Danielle, Phyllis Jean, Carolyn and Claudette got more than just their feet wet walking into some waves. Our meal was great.
We have met so many devoted people. Peter and Celina work hard in this ministry and are always willing whenever they are asked. Their hospitality and helpfulness is a great asset to our team. Dan and Ann are two very capable leaders. I would encourage anyone to come and expereince the work being done here.
2/19/09
Thursday
Today was a work day. We returned to the preschool to finish what was started on Tuesday. I had the privilege of painting the outside iron rod that covered the window. I also painted over the graffiti that was on the wall. As a team, we all worked together to get the job done. It is true what they say ¨ Many hands make light work¨ We had some downtime in the afternoon and we used this time to eat lunch, finish our daily devotions and held our team meeting. I used this time to stop and reflect on the day. I am amazed by all the children who who came up to you with the biggest smiles I have ever seen and are so thankful for the piece of bread and juice that they get to eat.
For the afternoon session, Carolyn Parr and Heidi Richards were the team in charge and their story was Noah and the Ark. What a great group of kids that were there. In all, about 55 children heard the wonderful story. It was interactive in a way that the kids were given an animal to place on the ark. One by one they came and velcroed there animal in place. When the story got to the place where the boat was swaying back and forth, Dan had a squirt bottle and gave a light misting over the kids. The kids chuckled when they realize what was happening.
On the way back to the church tonight, we had about 10 people in the back of the pickup truck. It was an ok ride until we stopped and picked up 30 five gallon water bottles. Talk about a tight squeeze after that. Ann, Dan, Madeline and myself had to stand at the front of the truck hanging on so we could all get back to the church.
This experience has been very overwhelming to me. By nature i am a very emotional person, and almost every night when i have time to sit and reflect on the day, I become teary eyed. I can´t believe that children have to stand in line to get bread and juice and be grateful for it.
What I have learned is that I have to be content with what I have and not to complain about anything. I have to take my eyes off my self and help others who need it.
¨If life hands you a lemon, make lemonade and give it to someone who is thirsty.¨
In his service,
Claudette
For the afternoon session, Carolyn Parr and Heidi Richards were the team in charge and their story was Noah and the Ark. What a great group of kids that were there. In all, about 55 children heard the wonderful story. It was interactive in a way that the kids were given an animal to place on the ark. One by one they came and velcroed there animal in place. When the story got to the place where the boat was swaying back and forth, Dan had a squirt bottle and gave a light misting over the kids. The kids chuckled when they realize what was happening.
On the way back to the church tonight, we had about 10 people in the back of the pickup truck. It was an ok ride until we stopped and picked up 30 five gallon water bottles. Talk about a tight squeeze after that. Ann, Dan, Madeline and myself had to stand at the front of the truck hanging on so we could all get back to the church.
This experience has been very overwhelming to me. By nature i am a very emotional person, and almost every night when i have time to sit and reflect on the day, I become teary eyed. I can´t believe that children have to stand in line to get bread and juice and be grateful for it.
What I have learned is that I have to be content with what I have and not to complain about anything. I have to take my eyes off my self and help others who need it.
¨If life hands you a lemon, make lemonade and give it to someone who is thirsty.¨
In his service,
Claudette
2/18/09
Wednesday
Today is Heidi´s turn to report on the day´s events.
Today we went to the School of Champions and taught the story of David and Goliath. Phyllis Jean did a great job as narrator. Sherman was the giant and Madeline was David. The kids love it and enjoyed the story. We then went to eat and then had a bit of free time to spend all of our pesos.
Later we went to the church and bagged beans, bread and loaded the van with other food. We went to Vallarta Adventures and they gave us more food to give out tonight. We then went to feed the children in a very poor area. I had a bag of apples that the children surrounded me for with all of their little hands reaching for an apple-basically begging me for food. I understand why Pete and Celina do this, because even though we fed many, we still felt there was much more left undone-more to feed.
We also gave out a small bag of hygeine items and the children swarmed us for these small items. We only had 60 bags to give and many more children than that.
The cool part down here is that God uses all kinds of people-both saved and not to help the children. Teachers that come down for long periods to teach English, restaurant owners that donate food and tourist who donate money-many who are clearly not followers of Jesus.
I love watching Tony and Madeline as they serve and as the play games (basketball and soccer) and talk and interact with the kids. We are having a great time.
Today we went to the School of Champions and taught the story of David and Goliath. Phyllis Jean did a great job as narrator. Sherman was the giant and Madeline was David. The kids love it and enjoyed the story. We then went to eat and then had a bit of free time to spend all of our pesos.
Later we went to the church and bagged beans, bread and loaded the van with other food. We went to Vallarta Adventures and they gave us more food to give out tonight. We then went to feed the children in a very poor area. I had a bag of apples that the children surrounded me for with all of their little hands reaching for an apple-basically begging me for food. I understand why Pete and Celina do this, because even though we fed many, we still felt there was much more left undone-more to feed.
We also gave out a small bag of hygeine items and the children swarmed us for these small items. We only had 60 bags to give and many more children than that.
The cool part down here is that God uses all kinds of people-both saved and not to help the children. Teachers that come down for long periods to teach English, restaurant owners that donate food and tourist who donate money-many who are clearly not followers of Jesus.
I love watching Tony and Madeline as they serve and as the play games (basketball and soccer) and talk and interact with the kids. We are having a great time.
2/17/09
Tuesday
Hola, from Mexico. Today started off pretty typical with us catching breakfast in the morning and then a bus to the church. From there, we headed out to a daycare center near the School of Champions to do some work. We were asked to sand, clean and paint there. It was a good work day and we all worked hard and enjoyed doing it, even though we were covered in dirt and paint by the time we were done. Amazingly, no one complained...imagine that! We went back to the church for lunch and enjoyed some sandwiches that Carolyn and Sherman lovingly prepared for us. Ok, I´m pretty sure Sherman probably didn´t make them, but I thought it would be nice to give him some credit anyway. We had time to sit and work on our devotionals and even ended up doing our team meeting there between our work project and our VBS that we were teaching. Once Heidi and Claudette got back from the feeding they went to do, we headed back out to the School of Champions to do a VBS for the kids whose mothers were at the Bible study that Ann was teaching. We had so much fun doing a skit of David and Goliath for them and then we helped them do a project where they colored pictures and got to glue jewels and other objects onto the paper. They all seemed to really enjoy it and liked that they were able to keep their boxes of crayons. There were so many sweet little kids and their smiling faces couldn´t help but capture your heart. The women from the Bible study all really seemed to enjoy having had Ann there speaking and kept stopping and talking to her and telling her thank you. It was really nice to see everyone we worked with enjoying their experiences. We headed back home from there, where we continued the lovely game of slug bug that Ann so nicely suggested this morning. There are tons of those darn cars around here, so it makes for a seriously action packed game. Seems I am the favorite target and Madeline got me so good with a slap bug instead of a slug bug on the back of the neck that my neck was red for a good half an hour or so. It´s a brutal game, yet strangely amusing to us all. When we got back from the dump, we went back to our hotel and showered and got ready for dinner. We went to Bubba Gump´s for dinner tonight and had a really good time. There was a clown there who made balloon hats for all of us. It was pretty funny to see everyone like that, especially Sherman. The funniest thing though, was that Heidi, Madeline and Tony told the waiter that it was Dan´s birthday, so they came over singing and clapping with dessert and smeared it all over his face. We were all cracking up. It´s been a long but rewarding day and I think our whole team would agree that the time we´ve spent here so far is life changing and we´re all looking forward to the time we have left here and the lives we´ll be able to touch. God is so good!
Danielle
Danielle
2/16/09
Monday
Well Carolyn is giving us the update for today. Here is what she had to say...
Our day started with a good breakfast at 8am then off with our peanut butter and jam sandwiches for our lunch later. We arrived at church then made our way by van and truck to the School of Champions about 5 miles away riding over rough terrain having to slow down at times to 5mph. Ann and Dan rode standing up in teh back of the truck and described their vehicle having a near miss with a firetruck and city bus. It was a close one on both sides of the truck.
The surroundings are horrendously dusty and dry. Danielle, Tony and Claudette taught the bible lesson on creation today. They spoke with calrity and had great response from the children when asked questions. The children are very polite and attentive. There was no indication of being bored. Our team sang¨"I´ve got the joy joy joy...in English and in Spanish. Let´s put it this way...we wouldn´t get many pesos if we were busking on the streets, but we made a joyful noise.
Another activity included bagging rolls, bread and sweet buns. Madeline and Danielle went with Pete and Celina on the feeding program today.
We are always amazed at the cleanliness of the children with their white socks and bright uniforms. God has richly blessed our day. We send our love to our families at home.
Well that was Monday...check back tomorrow and hear what Danielle has to say about the adventure called Tuesday.
Our day started with a good breakfast at 8am then off with our peanut butter and jam sandwiches for our lunch later. We arrived at church then made our way by van and truck to the School of Champions about 5 miles away riding over rough terrain having to slow down at times to 5mph. Ann and Dan rode standing up in teh back of the truck and described their vehicle having a near miss with a firetruck and city bus. It was a close one on both sides of the truck.
The surroundings are horrendously dusty and dry. Danielle, Tony and Claudette taught the bible lesson on creation today. They spoke with calrity and had great response from the children when asked questions. The children are very polite and attentive. There was no indication of being bored. Our team sang¨"I´ve got the joy joy joy...in English and in Spanish. Let´s put it this way...we wouldn´t get many pesos if we were busking on the streets, but we made a joyful noise.
Another activity included bagging rolls, bread and sweet buns. Madeline and Danielle went with Pete and Celina on the feeding program today.
We are always amazed at the cleanliness of the children with their white socks and bright uniforms. God has richly blessed our day. We send our love to our families at home.
Well that was Monday...check back tomorrow and hear what Danielle has to say about the adventure called Tuesday.
2/15/09
Sunday
Hi everybody. Today is Sunday. We started out the day with a large orange juice and banana pancakes. We went to church at Friendship and Forgiveness church(Perdon y Amistad). The music was very good, even though we couldn´t understand the words. We knew the people were praising the Lord. We listened to the sermon with headphones and a translator. It was kind of difficult to catch everything that was said. After church we stopped at a little Mexican place and had lunch. (Brandon, it was the same place we ate last year with the table facing the wall.)
After lunch we had devotions and worked on our bible school stuff. We have gone from 30 kids to 230 kids so we had to change things a bit. In the evening we attended a cultural festival with music from a mariachi band and dancing. The costumes were beautiful. We then had a late supper at a taco stand on the side of the road.
It is interesting to see the people and make a bond with those who love the Lord. There was an older gentleman in church this morning who danced and raised his hands during all of the music. My heart was blessed as I watched him praise his maker.
For the team...Phyllis Jean
After lunch we had devotions and worked on our bible school stuff. We have gone from 30 kids to 230 kids so we had to change things a bit. In the evening we attended a cultural festival with music from a mariachi band and dancing. The costumes were beautiful. We then had a late supper at a taco stand on the side of the road.
It is interesting to see the people and make a bond with those who love the Lord. There was an older gentleman in church this morning who danced and raised his hands during all of the music. My heart was blessed as I watched him praise his maker.
For the team...Phyllis Jean
2/14/09
Saturday
Today in mexico, we went on a tour to the dump. We got to see the schools we will be working with and how the people live. The people in the dump are very poor and have to dig through the trash to find popcans or bottles for the little money they might get for them. Their homes are very small and the biggest homes that the people had were still smaller than what we would consider as a small house. To give you and idea of how small the houses were and how many people lived in them, Pete told us how they brought 14 food packages for a strip that had 14 houses on it and they also brought toothbrushes for them. When they asked how many people they needed to provide toothbrushes for there ended up being 90 people. So 90 people living in 14 very small houses.
So all in all our day today was interesting because we saw lots of new things and we really almost go to experience what goes on in the poor countries of the world.
--Tony
So all in all our day today was interesting because we saw lots of new things and we really almost go to experience what goes on in the poor countries of the world.
--Tony
We have arrived!
Well we arrived at our hotel around 10pm last night. We have all settled in, had a good nights sleep and have had breakfast. Dan and the team are on their way to the bank to exchange money and then we are off to the church to get a tour of the dump area and the school of the champions. Tony Guizar is the man of the day...this means he gets to pray for all of the meals, help lead the devotional time during our team meeting and report to you all on the blog tonight. Stop back later to hear what adventure we had today. Thanks for your prayers.
2/5/09
Heading Back to Mexico!
It's the most wonderful time of the year...no it's not Christmas....it's time for me to take another mission team to Mexico. I know, I know....someone has to do it. I am really going to miss the snow shoveling.
So we are heading out Feb. 13th to go work with the Children of the Dump in Puerto Vallarta. We are a team of 10 and we are going to be running a few kids clubs, doing some service work projects and taking part in feeding a ton of kids. Each day of the trip we will write a report of how our day went and what we did. You will get a chance to hear from each of our team members during the week and it will be almost like you are there with us...of course when you look out your window, you'll know that you're not because you'll see snow and we will be in shorts and t-shirts, but other than that....it will be just like you are there.
These wonderful reports on not just to keep you up to date on our activities, but also to tell you how to pray for us while we are away. The greatest thing you can do for us is pray that God uses us in the best ways possible to make a difference in the lives of the people we come in contact with. Thanks ahead of time for remembering us in prayer while we are away.
So remember to check back daily starting next Friday...
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