The 2008 Mexico Mission Trip Blog

So yeah, we're back (Pictures and Video from Day 11)

2008-06-23T19:23:00.001-07:00

As you all know, we are home!
When we came out of the airport, a large crowd of family and friends engulfed us and welcomed us home, which is always nice. (If you were in that horde, thanks, by the way.)

The border crossings and flights went really well, as planned, and we were even early enough to wait in McAllen and Houston for several minutes! I guess that's just one more advantage to having such a small team...

There will probably be a couple more posts on the blog in the next week or so, I think Beth wanted to say something. Oh, and Becky has some videos I'll probably put up.

And without (much) further ado, the final pictures!

As always, but for the last time, there are more pictures, on the Photobucket.

Like I said before, there will probably be a couple more posts, so keep watching for a while.

Adios for now,
-Ian

Pictures from Day 10 (Saturday)

2008-06-23T19:07:00.000-07:00

2008-06-21T22:27:00.000-07:00

So I'm not sure how many people will remember from last year, but on Saturday of last year's trip, we were divided among families that go to Iglesia Bautista Gilgal de Monterrey to go to their house and eat dinner with them.

Well, we did it again this year, and it was really fun. I was with Becky, Steve, and Stephanie Uno (Bleikamp), and we went to Miros' sister's house. (Miros is Ramone's wife, in case you don't know.) Well, it turns out that it was someone's tenth birthday, and what we went to was kind of her party. A whole bunch of family was there, including the couple that I ate in the house of last year.

We ate tamales con carne o frijoles (beans or meat) and had some cheesecake. It was super fun to visit with almost an entire family (16 grandchildren of a grandpa there, if that gives you an idea) and practice my spanish. After it had been honed throughout the week with all the stumbling and hearing translations, I understood about 65% of what I heard, which I was extremely excited about. Especially when the lady from last year asked me "Tu fuistes a mi casa el ano pasado?" and I understood it completely without having to hear it twice!

Well, that's my small, incomplete overview of tonight. It's 12:36, and we need to leave at 7:30 tomorrow, so goodbye. There were three other houses, so ask the rest of the stories from the team when you see them.
We'll be at the airport at 5:30.

...If nothing really Mexican happens, anyway.

-Ian

Video and Pictures from Mountain Day (Day Nine)

2008-06-21T20:59:00.000-07:00

Tejacote

2008-06-21T12:14:00.000-07:00

Greetings, faithful readers of The Blog. This is Stephanie, or Stephanie Uno, as I'm called here. So yesterday we got up at 6:30 in order to eat and leave the church at 8:00. Nope, I don't think many of us were entirely awake. We hopped in the van and drove to Cercado, where we changed vehicles - most of us spent the next 2 hours standing in the back of pickup trucks. But don't feel sorry for us, because we enjoyed one of the most scenic drives I've ever seen. It was a bit bumpy, and we all have the bruises to prove it, but it was definitely worth it. There's no way the pictures can do it justice. When we got to Tejacote we climbed into another truck and drove around delivering bags of groceries to the locals and praying for them. Becky and I even got to ride a burro (donkey) at one of the houses. (I'm pretty sure Ian got a video of that.)

On a more serious note, some of the prayers requests we were given were very sobering. One lady said she was sick with tuberculosis; another lady had a mysterious pain in her knee, and no medicine for it. (We gave Pastor David some Advil for her.) We visited one family that had an infant with a cleft pallet. The mother told us he was only 50 days old - he was so tiny! His parents seemed very comforted by our prayer for them and Pat's story of a child she knew with the same condition. Please keep him in your prayers too; Pat, who is a nurse and knows these things, told us that he'll have to go through at least two surgeries in the next year or so.

We had a bit of a scary moment on the way back down the mountain... we met a huge bus while going around bend in the road. With much careful maneuvering, we made it safely past... but for a few minutes we were close enough for Al to shake a passenger's hand. He (Al) said that was the biggest vehicle he'd seen that far up the mountain. And Becky got a video of the whole thing.

Well, that's all for now! We're leaving in a few minutes to go to the outdoor market... so adios!

~Stephanie

Pictures from Day Eight

2008-06-21T06:34:00.000-07:00

This was the last day of work at the church (Thursday) so we were just finishing up a lot of the projects you've already seen. None of the other pictures are extremely exiting, don't worry. There are a few more on the Photobucket, should you still wish to see.

The next day, we went to the mountains, which was absolutely spectacular. I will try to post pictures as soon as I can. But I took 204 pictures, and I have no idea how many Becky and Steve took, so it will take a little while to sort through.

But I'm hurrying, never fear.

Today for breakfast, a few Mexican ladies are making us pancakes for breakfast, which should be awesome. Adios for now.

-Ian

Video and Pictures from Bosques (Day Seven)

2008-06-19T12:18:00.001-07:00

Again, there are more pictures on the Photobucket, if you would take a look.

Pictures from Day Seven

2008-06-18T15:48:00.000-07:00

And now a message from Pablo Martin

2008-06-18T14:46:00.000-07:00

Where can a guy get a cup of coffee around here? Fortunately there is a fine Starbucks right down the way!
Well, we've been here since Sunday after a very productive time at R.G.B.I. What a dear servant that Sharon is. Here in Monterrey our work days have been efficient in spite of the daily obstacles to overcome. The Lord continues to demonstrate His mastery of every circumstance. He is Good!
Today we assembled 6 podiums that we had previously cut up in the R.G.B.I. wood shop. (A very nice facility I might add...) Tonight it's on to Bosques were we will consider what it means to be "willing in the day of the Lord's power." Pray for us!
--Pablo

Yo - that means I in Spanish

2008-06-18T14:30:00.000-07:00

Que Pasa Callabosas.
First, everyone reading this blog, should experience Monterrey at some point in their life, not just the Monterrey life, but through the lens of Gilgal church. We have been at it since Sunday, and whether it is a fellowship after a service, working together, or the in between times, it truly is a joy to be here. This is the 6th version of this missions trip, and the best part is the each one has been uniquely different, let me fill you in...

1. RGBI - Sharon definitely had some work for us. Smaller and some bigger things, ranging from changing batteries in smoke alarms, to painting metal entry doors. We were also able to replace the front window of her home, and some other odds and ends. While their Paul Martin came up with a design for a pulpit to mass produce for the church in Mexico, and we manufactured them with the carpentry shop at RGBI (finished 11:30 p.m. the night before we were supposed to leave.

2. Matamoros - The first ever trip into Matamoros. Enrique and Letty Rodriguez are starting a bible study in a rented house, where there is no church, and lots of people, mostly ninos. We came to do a 2 day VBS, and offer some support to the Rodriguez family. The first day we had 35 children in a space 10x8, the kids loved the drama, and Rebecca did a fine job sharing the plan of salvation, some children prayed out loud with her. Pray for those kids as Enruque and Letty follow up with them. There is so many children in this barrio, pray for them.

3. Border - Crossing was fairly easy. The immigration lady stamped our visas wrongly and that mistake cost us 45 minuntos. But we beat the rush, there were 3 other groups crossing after us, some were very large (in numbers not stature). The drive through Mexico was uneventful, which is always good. This was the first year we went to the church without any assistance.

4. Gilgal - This is going to be too short for all that is going on here. More later, on this. We made it to the last 30 minutes of church on Sunday, and than there was a huge party for Fathers. Mexico celebrates dads in a big way. We were treated to our first Mexican meal, and it was good. The evening service was some sharing from the team, a group of girls (Becky, Step squared, and Beth) sang a few songs, and I was able to preach on The importance of fathers, Judges 2. The work being done at the church is a variety; painting, craft prep for VBS (they hope to have 2,000 kids this summer!), pulpit assembly, putting in a new floor, cleaning, electrical, and more painting. Each night, and several breakfasts we have been treated to a Mexican feast, as Miros (Pastor Ramons wife) and several ladies have cooked for us. The hospitality shown to us has been incredible.

5. Bosques - a 30 minute drive from Gilgal. This is a small house church of about 35 people, in a community where there is no church present. The church just starting making payments on this house (they had been renting for years). With the payments come improvements. On Monday the fellas (Steve, Pablo, Juan (Ian), and I) worked there preparing and then pouring concrete pad in front of the house, so that the church can use this space for meetings and VBS. Never fear we did have a trumpo (mixer), still was difficult but it least there was no volcano mixing. The pad was poured, and there was much rejoicing. Tuesday, Steve and I worked with our Mexican heffe (boss) Beto (Humberto) laying block in the front of the building. Funny story - we did not have materials that morning, though we had ordered them the day before. We went to the material yard, and they yard guy said they were closed because nobody had bothered showing up with the key. His boss rolled up 30 minutes later(we hung with the yard guy watching the day go bye). The boss got us into the officina, but did not have a key to the 3 inch chain wrapped around the door, at which the yard guy pulls out a hacksaw and proceeds to cut the chain, he cant do it, our man Beto finishes the job in no time. Now we are in the yard, but the door to get the truck to the street is locked. Beto informs them to cut the weld on door where the lock is. At which point Beto cuts the weld and we are in business laying block by 1:00 p.m. that day. Wednesday was the service at Bosques, Paul Martin preached, Pat and Kathy shared, and the ladies sang, the place (new concrete pad and walls was packed). This was a sweet time of fellowship.

Tis all for now, Friday is Montonya (Mountains day)...

El Pastor

Video and Pictures from Day Six

2008-06-18T06:05:00.000-07:00

As always, there are a more pictures on the Photobucket, so you should check them out.
Also, you can comment without an account now. But thank you to the people who made an account to comment, it's nice to hear from you guys. :)

Pictures from Day Five

2008-06-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

Some things I wanted to say...

2008-06-16T18:02:00.000-07:00

1. Hi, Jeffrey! And bye, I guess... Do good at the academy. I'm sure you will anyway, but I might as well wish you good things. Then I'm on the winning side, right? Also, thanks for the 200 pesos. I'll probably buy you something and hold it until thanksgiving, so be ready.

2. Hi, Allyson! I think you're awesome. I wanted you to know that, and tell you that the whole team is praying for you. We love you, and we'll all hang out when we get back or something, okay? Get well, keep up your strength, and we're all behind you.

3. Hey, mom. I forgot my sleeping bag, and if you already found out, I'm sure you worried about it and dearly hoped that I had found something to sleep on. Well, I did, we bought stuff at Walmart. I wanted to let you know that (so you could stop worrying) and tell you and the rest of the family that I love you guys.

4. To America, I just wanted to let you know that I don't really miss you. Mexico is different, but not wrong. I'll be glad to get back when the time comes, but for now, I'm perfectly happy being where I am. Try not to miss me, okay?

And last, but not in any aspect whatsoever the least,

5. To God, thank you for this trip, and the Mexican people, and your goodness, and Spanish 2 Class, and confidence. At least the little I seem to be able to conjure up.

-Ian

(Also, Steph F. wants her dad to know that she didn't forget on Father's Day, but had no chance to call. And that she thinks she is turning into her mother because she drank coffee the other day and really liked it.)

(And everyone else loves their dads more than they can adequately communicate, too.)

Fotos de la cuarto dia (Pictures from Day Four)

2008-06-16T16:53:00.000-07:00

PENGUINO!!!!!!!

2008-06-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

First of all, I would like to dedicate this post to Allyson Hartman. This trip would be a whole lot better if she could've come and all of us are praying for her.

Hello all. If I am not sounding (sounding?) coherent in this post, blame it not on me but the heat, ants, and the time in which it is right now. Anyways, this is Stephanie posting; I'm not going to tell you which one (let's see if you can figure it out). All I can think to write at this time is that origami saved my life today. No, really! OK, maybe not literally, but it did make it easier for me to interact with the kids at the VBS in Matamoros.
In my opinion, today's VBS went significantly better than yesterday's did. We (the team if you want me to clarify) got across the border without any problems... (insert foreshadowing moment for the trip back, here) and arrived there on time. The whole group visited this time, and all of us pooled out of our conspicuous white van and waited for the kids to arrive. Many of the boys that came yesterday did not come today, which was disappointing, but a substantial group showed up so there's plenty of praise for that. Many (all) of the newly purchased bubbles were taken out of the box and used as well as the jump ropes and chalk and etc. The dilemma began when I wanted to try double dutch jump rope, which was taken up by Ian, Al, and a boy named Alexis along with a few others joined in. A large chunk (mischievous smile) of our group focused their attentions on the jump rope and I noticed that there were many VBS attenders that were just sitting there. Not knowing what to do, I calmly (hysterically and in a panicking way) looked around and tried to think of what I should do. That is when a girl walked up to me and tried to ask me something about the construction paper. Somehow this lead to me showing a group how to make an origami fish. They seemed to really enjoy it and I didn't have to be kicked in the buttocks the whole time we were there (will explain later).
Other than that, the drama and crafts went smoothly and very well and the team soon left (though an hour late). We had a little bit of complication getting back in the United States, which I and many others indirectly blame on Rebecca (don't worry, we love her anyway), then ate at Moonlight this is me murmuring the last part of the restaurant's name. One thing to note is how well the older siblings took care of their brothers and sisters at the VBS.

Well, I now have to pack and take a shower and wage war on over sized, evil, mutated, ants. They are tricky, fast little buggers. Signing out.

Stephanie

P.S. Do you know which Stephanie I am? You never know, you might get it wrong on your first guess.

Pictures and Video From Day 3

2008-06-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

Once again there are more pictures from today on the Photobucket.

Something old, something new

2008-06-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

I have been accompanying students on mission trips for more than 15 years, yet I am still surprised when God teaches me something new. Today I drove the gas golf cart for the first time. I was a little afraid until Al said "Punch it." Suddenly I was transported back to driving lessons with my father. My first car was a manual transmission Toyota Tercel, and my dad taught me to clutch like a pro. Since I still drive a 5-speed, I have to "punch it" every day at home. How hard could it be? Before I knew it I was flying through Rio Grande Bible Institute waving at staff members as they passed in the opposite direction.
In the afternoon we drove to meet our friend Enrique, and traveled to his home for VBS. There were approximately 30 children and they enjoyed making masks of some of the animals on Noah's Ark. Birds, sheep, and lions paraded through the front yard and into the surrounding neighborhood. Games of jump rope and soccer were scattered in the street and everyone watched for cars. Again I was transported back to a time when I played outside with my friends. Nancy, one of the VBS children, insisted I jump rope with her. I kept thinking I was too old to jump rope, but I have to admit it was fun. At least it wasn't double dutch. I haven't done that since 1991.
I am grateful once more for a God who cares to teach us new things, and remind us that we are never too old to have fun. Thank you all for praying for us.
---Kathy Rochester

Pictures from Day 2

2008-06-13T19:56:00.000-07:00

There are more pictures here, on the Mexico Photobucket.
UPDATE, as of 10:55 p.m.:
Some of Steve Fly's pictures are up in the bucket now, too.

Video and Pictures from Day 1

2008-06-13T07:14:00.000-07:00

2008-06-12T20:40:00.000-07:00

Hello all!!

We arrived in Texas just fine. The plane flight was great. I was the only one of the group who had never really flown before and it was very exciting to me. It's so weird to think that the little shadows the clouds make on the ground provide a massive amount of shade for the people below. Really, the clouds aren't that big. Thinking about how the trees look so much taller when you're standing next to them on the ground and then looking at them from the air and seeing how tiny they really are sure puts things into perspective. I mean, how big is God? He's bigger then all of this (and now it's hard to imagine anything bigger!) The people are really so small in their own little life bubble...yet God knows each one of us. Awesome.

Things went well today at RGBI. We sanded and painted and cleaned and just in general helped out (not to mention that we had a ton of fun driving around the golf carts--RGBI is BIG). We're tired and gross, and yes I ran into a screen door, but I really didn't know it was there...
No one's terribly sunburned yet, for all you mom persons. We're getting ready for he VBS tomorrow in Matamoros. We've practiced the melodrama for Noah and the ark a couple of times, but I think a lot of this is going to be winging it and counting on God. Only eight of us are going, so Al's warned us that we'll ALL have to do something...no sideliners allowed.

Yep, all is well so far, except for the fact that Stephanie Felts and I just found five giant red ants crawling on the floor and in our luggage in our room...we decided to hang out in the living room area of the guesthouse for a while...

Allyson, Dwain we miss you and wish you could be here!

Keep checking up on here, Ian says that he'll put up pictures and super awesome video tomorrow. And keep praying for us, please.

Love,
Rebecca Sohn

We leave tomorrow!

2008-06-11T08:14:00.000-07:00

We will be on our way to Texas in less than 24 hours! For most of us, today holds the promise of finishing our packing and other preparations.
Our flight leaves at 7:15, which means that we need to be at church at the wonderful hour of 5:00. If you would like to come and see us off, feel welcome, but if you value your sleep more than your children and friends, we won't be offended, I promise.
Thank you again for your support, we probably wouldn't be leaving without you. Keep watching the blog, and pray for us.

We'll see you at 5:30 p.m., June 22nd.

Four days away!

2008-06-08T13:11:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the blog hasn't been nearly as active during the pre-trip stage as last year, but as a peace offering, I bring you a video!

Yes, well, the trip is this Thursday! Time flies when you're having fun, as they always say.

There is some bad news, however. As far as the information I have goes, the team is down to 10. Allyson can't make the trip because of her medical situation, and Duane Kunkee can't make it either. If you're reading this, we love you guys. (You too, Ro.)

But God is in control! Everything seems a little crazy, and things aren't as organized as last year, but I'm fairly confident that we'll pull it all together in time. I guess when you have a third of the people, you don't need to manage things as much, which is something Al is quite happy about, I can assure you.

Please pray for us, as I'm sure you're already doing. This should be fun.

Adios for now!

-Ian

Thanks for the support!

2008-05-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

I know I'm very late in getting this out, but I wanted to thank everyone at Chatham for their support of the team.
At the dinner, with jobs, all of it. The way you guys stand behind us is awesome, and I want you to know that the whole team appreciates everything so much.
Okay, now that I've said that...
This year is going to be radically different. Mostly because the team is a third of the size of last year's. That's the big change, especially considering that half of us haven't been on a trip like this before.
It will be interesting, and quite honestly, that worried me at the beginning, but seeing how the team worked together at the dinner and how we interact at meetings, I realize that it's gonna be good.
And I think God will use us to do good.
Again, thanks for all your support. I'll be managing the blog for a second time this year, so expect to hear from me again.
-Ian

P.S. Please pray for Allyson Hartman. She's still in the hospital because she can't be off the IV, since the pain without it is too much. At this point Mexico is not certain for her, and she really wants to go.

P.P.S Below this post is the blog for 2007. I kept it for history's sake. It is not part of this trip, so please don't be confused.

A word from the Mom...

2007-06-24T19:36:00.000-07:00

Well here it is Sunday around 9:30 pm. We are supposed to be home and excited to jump into our OWN BEDS, but as you already know we missed our first flight out of Laredo by just minutes. Trying to estimate the time to get across the border is quite the trick. About half of our group is in a hotel for the night, the other half should be home by now. Of those that are staying here until tomorrow, our spirits are up and we are doing well.

Besides this little glitch - this has been an amazing trip! Seeing Sharon at RGBI was great; that lady is a ball of fire. She is going to finish this race well. What a role model! When we first arrived in Monterrey, I was a little freaked out about not being able to communicate and feeling out of place. That lasted about 15 minutes; I decided hand motions and smiles are universal and needless to say this morning leaving Mexico I was sad to say goodbye to so many wonderful new friends. These people are so loving and have such a heart for the Lord and the lost. The work they are doing here is huge! I am so glad I was able to participate and that Bill, Danny and Jay were here too. What an encouragement they have been to our team.

I have many stories to share, but the two coolest things for me were the VBS in Matamorose (sp?) and Saturday evening eating dinner in one of the Mexican families homes. Of course I was nervous about the dinner. What will we eat, which mexican family will we be with, who will I be with from the team, what if the mexican family doesn't know English (I know zero Spanish -Gracious doesn't count). Well, the dinner turned out to be sweet! The person I was with from the team was Bill and we went to Pastor Chewy's. His wife, Bertha, doesn't speak English, but Chewy and his son, Jesse are two of the best English speakers in this group. AWESOME!! The food was good and the visit was great. The two hours went by extremely fast. Their two grandsons were there also, Steven 6, and Eric 3. Cute Kids.

The VBS really touched me because the area we were in was so poor. I have never seen anything like this!!! The kids were so receptive to anything you had to offer even if it was only a hug. Wow - it really touched my heart. I wanted to bring all those little munchkins home with us especially the little boys that played soccer. I was trying to figure out a way to get them home - my suitcase is pretty big, so I stuffed and stuffed and stuffed some more.... now you all know why we didn't get across the border.... I was trying to smuggle some little mexican boys. Hey - Danny's room is going to be empty in a few weeks when he goes away to Kirksville. You can't blame me for trying!

See you all soon. Hugs
-Donna

So things happen...

2007-06-24T16:11:00.000-07:00

Half of us are home, and half of us aren't. So things happen.
What are you gonna do? We left the church at 7:30 this morning, and apparently it wasn't early enough. We missed our flight by about ten minutes. About half of the team got put on later flights, but the rest of us are staying in a hotel in Loredo, Texas for the night. We'll be back around 12:00 tomorrow, so it's not a really big deal (moms) and most of the people still here are kind of excited to be staying in a hotel for a night.
We love you all very much, and we'll see you soon.

-Ian

Update

2007-06-23T22:11:00.001-07:00

Al is still not dead.

A word from Andrew

2007-06-23T22:08:00.000-07:00

I’m up late, I had too much soda to drink and I don’t think I’m going to be sleeping for another hour or so.

Our last day in Mexico has come to a close, and I know it’s only been ten days, but it feels like a month. A month of hard work, and for me, constantly running around, being driven from place to place taking pictures and video. These ten days have been my vacation from summer vacation; a break in my three month rest from school to be productive again.

Today, we attended the kids program at the mission in Revoluccion and as always, it was a joy to see these great kids. The area they live in is run by gangs and drug dealing is common. Sewage runs through the streets and graffiti covers the walls. Despite all this, the kids are full of smiles and laughter, eager to play, eat a small meal—sandwich and cookies—and it’s so easy to sit down—Hola!—and smile—Como esta?

I see there’s no blog for yesterday, so a quick explanation. We spent the day in Tecajote—a small community in the mountains—more specifically, we went to the mission there and served food to the locals and enjoyed some fellowship. As you can see, Brandon had some fun wrestling David (Dah-VEED, gotta pronounce it right), the team moved some cement, Ben was feeling cute, and we had tons of fun singing random songs at the tops of our lungs on the ride up and back down.

Well, not as much fun as we did this past evening. The mission team was split up into groups and had dinner at different church members’ houses. Possibly the most fun I’ve had the whole trip, but I’m sure you’ll hear plenty about that later.

Time to work on some photos. G’night. And…BURBUJAS! -Andrew

Pictures from Saturday, Day 10

2007-06-23T22:01:00.000-07:00

Pics from Friday, Day 9

2007-06-22T21:22:00.000-07:00

A word from Al

2007-06-21T21:21:00.000-07:00

Before the internet rumors run rampant. Al is not dead, nor in comma somewhere in Mexico. Stay tuned for details. I hope that you have enjoyed reading the blogs, I know that the few that I have had time to read were really good, and some of the pictures help paint a picture of the trip. Thank you for your support and your prayers! The experience down here in Mexico is both a blessing and a challenge. Blessing because you see what Gods people are doing, often by faith that God will meet their needs. Blessing because the people of Mexico are very friendly and are warm and inviting. Challenge because of the ministry that this church is doing with fewer people and fewer pesos (dollars), we are called to reach people with the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ, everywhere! (Stepping down from the pulpit) Ok so here is some info to clear up for all the concerned mothers out there.
Al's Accidente - Last Saturday, as we were finishing up at the VBS in Santa Adiliada I was talking to Luis Enrique Rodriguez at the corner store (picture a very rural community - with dirt roads). As I giving some CD's that I had brought for him, I was clipped by a car that had drove up to the side of the road by the store. I am very thankful that the car was not going very fast and that it only clipped me, I spun around and I got some bruises from it. I had on a bracelet and the clip dug into my wrist and needed a band aid. Other than that it sure has become a great starter for conversations (my wife does not think so).
Lizzies Story - The mayor of the city of Monterrey was coming through that area of town, so Police were blocking off traffic, and helicopters were circling, it was chaotic for a time, welcome to Mexico. A few people got out of the vans and stayed at the mission with one of the local pastors (who speaks good english)
PRAY FOR FRIDAY - We are scheduled to go into the mountains for 1 day, but this whole week it has rained and rained, so it is up in the air whether we go or not. I will write more but tonight it is late. Adios Amigos!

Pics from Thursday, Day 8

2007-06-21T21:07:00.002-07:00

Pics from Wednesday, Day 7

2007-06-20T20:23:00.001-07:00

A word from Lizzy...

2007-06-20T20:17:00.000-07:00

Many things have happened so far on this trip that we weren’t expecting, from duffels breaking to fuel leaks on airplanes. (The pilots returned us to the terminal to get checked out before we took off though) We had showers bursting, Pastor Al getting hit by a car, punctured mattresses, and were kicked out of our vans and left in a bad neighborhood surrounded by cops and helicopters (We later found out the mayor was visiting through those exact streets within a couple of hours). One of the biggest surprises for me was last Saturday. After returning from dinner and the VBS in Matamoras, MX, I walked into our trailer at RGBI to find millions of ants everywhere. There was an infestation of these small biting black ants.
They were in our clothes, in our beds, in our carpet, and in the bathtub. Kelli got hit the most by far, but Diane, Lydia, and I also had to completely empty our bags and wash/drown these detestable creatures God made (I don’t know why). It was like a scene from a horror movie. I’m not going to say there wasn’t a bit of freaking out by us at first, but we soon had everything under control. All of us moved to the other girls’ trailer and tried to get set up. One couldn’t see much ground within the other trailer. There was either a body lying down or a gigantic bag or a pile of clothes. Thankfully this was the night we were going to do laundry (The team was going to leave for Monterrey, MX after church the next day.). A few of us were up pretty late finishing the move and waiting for the extra clothes to be washed. Needless to say we slept very well that night, only to be awoken way too early. Yay for three hour van rides into Mexico. I think Kelli and I have a new frustration with ants. Seeing some yesterday we “accidentally” walked on them and crushed them and drowned some with paint. The lot of them has been staying clear from us ever since.

-Liz Pulley

A word from Brandon...

2007-06-19T20:05:00.001-07:00

This trip has been a pretty cool time for me. Just stopping and realizing to think I’m actually in another country doing work is pretty cool. Things have been so kinda laid back as we get back from working. The work is fun. I worked with Bill, Danny and Jay H. Today we made steps and started putting the cross beams up for the roof. I like the fact that I learn on these jobs and this is stuff that I know I’ll use later in life. Stepping back to RGBI, in Texas I was on the wall crew. We got up at six A.M. and laid cinder blocks ALL day …Hah. Yeah, hot, long and never ending is a way to describe that job. On to something else, how about the FOOD. I’m glad I brought my own food. We get good food but I’m not the average eater so I brought backup. Me and Jay ran down to the famicia and bought groceries and stashed em away. We have our own pantry! It’s so cool! Well, I’m missing out on star war fights with Jay and Dan Fly so I got to go... God is proving to me that I can work on anything no matter what and never give up.

-Brandon Pyles

Pics from Tuesday, Day 6

2007-06-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

A word from Megan...

2007-06-19T20:00:00.000-07:00

Today started out really great! I was working with a team at Roberto’s church painting. We were trying to finish up what we started yesterday and I had a great time working with Anna. After we got our lunch break Anna and I only worked about another hour and we were done. We waited for something to do and Chewy (an awesome Mexican man) came and took half our team to the mission called Revoluccion. Once we were there we once again had nothing to do. We just sat around which isn’t unusual for our trip. I started to doze in my chair on the back patio, and I knew in the front room there were benches that I could lay down on. I then decided to go into the other room. As I got up and went inside I forgot there was a step down to get into the church. Needless to say I fell on my ankle. They think I probably sprained it, so you can all be praying for me! It was definitely an exciting day for me. I’m really thankful for everyone who helped me through the rest of the evening. I was especially thankful for Tyler who carried me up to the roof and Ben who bought me down. The surrounding mountains of the city are absolutely gorgeous, and one of my favorite things on the trip. We brought a guitar up there and a few of us just sang some songs. It was so awesome! I guess that’s it from me. See you when I get home!

-Megan Sivcovich

A word from Ian...

2007-06-19T19:59:00.000-07:00

I just came back from something pretty amazing. The team had just finished eating, and a whole lot of us went up onto the roof to watch the sunset. Danny, being his normal musical self, brought up Jack’s guitar. The girls took it to practice something that they’re going to perform tomorrow, but gave it back pretty soon. Danny burst into song, and started playing a whole bunch of things. He and Megan sang “All I Need” by Shawn McDonald and pretty much everyone who knew the song gathered around them and sang with them. After that, Danny played a few more hymns. My favorite was “These Thousand Hills.” It was so cool to be standing on the roof, watching a storm advance over the mountains, singing to God with a group of friends.

-Ian Reed

Pics from Monday, Day 5

2007-06-18T21:15:00.000-07:00

Pics from Sunday, Day 4

2007-06-18T21:03:00.001-07:00

From the teddy bear...

2007-06-18T20:45:00.001-07:00

In the first part of the trip, I spent time in Texas with Sharon who gave me this nickname. I spent the first day in Mexico working with Dan Fly and Jay Lewis on a truck. It was a learning experience for all of us. Things go much slower here than I'm used to in St. Louis. Those who know me know I like to go fast. All in all, things are great. The team is really coming together. My Spanish is improving, and I'm dredging through. Even though I'm in over my head, I'm trying to speak with everyone. I really missed my family yesterday on Father's Day. The team pulled me through. Continue prayer for us and my self and my family.

-Ben Allen

P.S. We're playing four-square every night. It's been great, and our skills are really improving.

A word from Danny L...

2007-06-18T20:31:00.000-07:00

Hey Danny here,
Yesterday after a worship service at Gilgal we ate dinner that the Mexicans prepared for us. I just happened to sit next to the bass player and drummer from the praise band. We talked and, through broken and even broken-er Spanish, the converastion turned toward music as it generally does with me and other musicians. Long story short, they invited me to play with them today at band practice in the church. So today I was able to jam with some local musicians and guess what, the language barrier was no problem. It didn't matter that I looked different or that I didn't understand what they were singing, we were all praising the lord together.

So far on this trip I was able to play the guitar for our team worship time, play the trumpet with and without others and I have played piano and guitar in free times of fellowship with other team members. I have been on this trip three times before and never before has the trip been covered in music such as this trip is so far. I am truly thankful that God allows us to praise him with music and that he has given me the ability to play these instruments because without him I truly am nothing.

-Danny Lewis

Pics from Saturday, Day 3

2007-06-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

Words from Erin and Anna...

2007-06-16T19:42:00.000-07:00

Hola, mi amigo. That’s ‘hello my friend’ in Spanish, and is pretty much the only Spanish I know. Riding down to Matamoros, Mexico to participate in the VBS we were holding, I was trying to remember the other two phrases I knew. I was so nervous about the VBS. I went last year and remembered liking it a lot, so why was I so scared? While we were driving, Daniel S. suggested that we pray for the kids and parents who will be attending the VBS, we also prayed for those of us who would be working there. After those few minutes of prayer, my mind had changed completely. I was so excited!
When we arrived, Megan quickly found Leslie, the girl she raised money for a few years ago. It was so encouraging to see the connection between the two. Soon after that, I saw the girl I met last year, Perla. Even though I can’t say more that five words to her, and the only communication we ever did was laugh, but somehow she still likes me. She gave me pink charm bracelet that day that I promise I will never take off.
The only responsibility I had in the VBS was saying one line in the skit and after that, I was free to play chalk, jump rope and blow bubbles. I was so glad to have a change of mind, and right now, writing this, I am so excited to go to VBS tomorrow.

-Erin Hotchkiss

(the next day)

Today has had one of the biggest impacts on me that I have ever experienced. It was a big difference from yesterday which seemed pretty boring and uneventful. Yesterday I spent most of the day sorting sheets and towels and organizing what was basically a house where everyone dropped their unwanted household junk. What confused me was they gave the place some fancy Spanish name “Bodega”. Anyway, today I felt a little more productive because I did some real manual labor. I got to move old furniture that was being discarded into a huge dumpster: old mattresses, chairs, couches, dressers and the like. After lunch I was a part of the group that went to the VBS. At first it seemed a little awkward because of the language barrier, and I was a little nervous to go up to any of the kids and try to interact with them. So I just kinda stood off to one side and watched them play with chalk and jump ropes. Then I started talking to this little girl, Karina. I helped her with her little craft after the skit. We made mariposas (butterflies). She colored a picture after she made her mariposa and then began writing something on the back of it. She handed it to me and the writing said, “De: Karina Para: Anna”, which means From: Karina For: Anna. Wow… I was completely shocked and happy at the same time. I didn’t know what to do, but then I remembered the bracelets on my arm… So I gave on to her. We became so close in only a few short hours. We taught each other words in each others languages which was pretty cool. We went to a general store down the street and got “soda in a bag”. You aren’t allowed to keep the glass soda bottle, so they pour the soda into a plastic bag and give you a straw to drink it. Unlike a soda can if you drop it you are bound lose all of your soda. It was hard to say goodbye to Karina, so I really want to come back to that VBS next year.

-Anna Nobbs

Pictures from Friday, Day 2

2007-06-15T20:49:00.000-07:00

A word from Tyler...

2007-06-15T19:51:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back, me and my friends decided to chase the sunrise. I see the sun setting everyday, and it’s not as spectacular as it once was. However, a sunrise is a whole different story. As an 18 year old hooligan, 6 AM is one of those few hours I claim doesn’t exist. So, me and my friends went to see the sunrise. It was pretty cool, and I had a blast. It was an adventure getting up before the crack of dawn and having a breakfast picnic. It could hardly compare to the feeling I had this morning when I saw the sunrise. There is a completely different set of emotions that washes over me when I see the sunrise as I’m scrambling for shovels and trowels to build a concrete wall. Well, that’s the rush I had as I was still in the “I’m nearing consciousness after sleeping like a rock” stage. It was pretty radical, and a nice way to start the day. (Even if I did have to wake up an hour and a half before breakfast even started).

I’m always baffled by those who find calculus difficult. I’m a major math geek and appreciate all the intricacies of derivatives and differential equations. Today only helped to strengthen my belief. And I think I finally found a way to convince everyone that math is easy…have them lay brick. Laying brick is a ridiculously hard. Its more than just the manual movement of the heavy bricks and mortar, it’s the fact that no matter how much you tap, measure, and twink the blocks will NEVER be in a straight line. It’s just a fact of bricklaying. Not to mention the fact that I’m getting tan lines! After spending hours in the sun every day at the pool as a life guard, I get tan lines after half a day in the morning sun. I guess this is God’s way of saying, “Welcome to sunny Texas, now its time to get over yourself.” So its time to look on the bright side and realize that at least my time in the sun prevented burns, unlike the other members of my elite teams who did not escape the rays of the sun.

Bill taught us how to lay bricks. Bill is a “retired” missionary who spent over 20 years in Brazil. He ministered with the Nichols while down there. Bill was full of stories and he loved to tell them. You could see the twinkle in his eye when he was remembering something from his past. Bill and his wife live in an old renovated school bus turned into a mobile home. It has over 400,000 miles on it, its engine was last rebuilt in 1980 and the rig gets 800 miles to the tank (its got a hundred gallon tank…do the math). When his wife’s hip went out, he designed and built an elevator lift in his bus. Back in the day he was a diesel engineer for the navy after hardly graduating high school. You can learn a lot just by working next to a man with such experience and a great personality. God can have such an impact on a man’s life. Bill was born in a Christian home and accepted Christ at the age of 7. He didn’t walk with the Lord throughout the entirety of his years though. He went the way of the world for a while, he was a motorcycle rebel. Yep, that’s right, God can even use motorcycle rebels to have a profound impact on the establishment of his kingdom. How encouraging is that.

Well, that was my morning, I’d write more but everyone is trying to get on here to type, so ask me about the rest of my day later. God bless.

-Tyler

A word from Nikki... and some photos.

2007-06-14T20:45:00.001-07:00

Thursday, June 14th, 2007
- Flight from Dallas to Laredo
It is a very beautiful thing to fly through the clouds. There are so many shapes, sizes, and forms. All they do is sit in the sky, yet they display God’s eloquence and beauty so obviously. My two favorite cloud formations were: 1) When the clouds looked like a snow blanket underneath us, and 2) When the clouds ended like the edge of a cliff, as if the earth below was the bottom. It’s so addicting to look out of the window and see God’s beauty.

Our traveling was wearisome today, mostly because of an hour delay while sitting in a smaller than normal airplane in Dallas waiting to travel to Laredo. The wait was due to a maintenance problem, which ended up having to do with the fuel pump. It took a lot of patience to wait it out, but we were very thankful that the pilot considered our safety first instead of getting there on time. We finally arrived at RGBI tonight, ate some Little Caesar’s pizza, and had a short meeting. Work starts early tomorrow morning! Thank you for your prayers.
-Nikki Sneed

2007-06-14T20:45:00.000-07:00

We are officially leaving in 4 hours and 50 minutes!

2007-06-14T03:40:00.000-07:00

Our plane takes off at 9:50, and then everything will be underway. Please pray for us!

We leave in 6 days!

2007-06-08T16:47:00.000-07:00

Wow, how time flies! It seems like just a few minutes ago that I was sitting in the first team meeting worrying about how on earth I was going to get five hundred and seventy-five dollars to go on the trip... Now, May is over and June is flying by, too.
Well, in case you'd forgotten, the team leaves in six days. We have to be up at the church on June 14th at the wonderful time of 6:00 in the morning. Then we have to go to the airport and make our way through customs in our 36 red mexico mission shirts, and we'll be on our way. Anyone who was at the TexMex dinner might remember me saying that I wasn't apprehensive... yet. Well, it's starting to build. This last week I acquired several essenntial things for the trip, and that preparation finally brought home how close the trip really is.
We have less than a week, people.
One of the biggest things that the team can ask of you is prayer. There are so many things that can go wrong, and while pessimism is definitely somewhere we do NOT want our heads to go to, we need to be realistic. There are lots of opportunities for the devil to do something, and prayer is essential. Also, please keep checking back here so that you'll keep us in mind and know what to pray for better.
The team also thanks you so much for the financial support that you've already given. The church is an essential part of this trip, and it's hard to thank you enough.
Six days to go!
Ian Reed

Just a reminder...

2007-05-29T15:18:00.000-07:00

Hey, everyone. I'm just posting a reminder about the new CDs that Brent Johnson produced and mixed and that several other people from Chatham contributed to. If you have not bought one yet, please do. They are very good, and they also go to support the Mexico Mission team. I think that you will really enjoy the music and scripture on the CDs.

Mexico Retreat

2007-05-15T14:40:00.000-07:00

Every year, the Mexico Team makes the short trip to the Lewis' farm to go over information and to help out around the farm. The retreat was last weekend on the 12th and 13th, and luckily, our resident photographer Andrew Maxwell was there to capture a portion of the weekend for those who weren't. Here are some of the pictures from retreat.

And a joke shot to finish it off...

Thanks for looking at everything. There are 55 total so far, and they're all uploaded here.

Mexico Dinner

2007-05-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's taken so long to get pictures up. Here's one from the Mexico Dinner. Some from the Mexico Retreat should be up soon.

The Blog Is Online!

2007-05-07T18:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the 2007 version of the Mexico Mission Blog, co-operated by Ian Reed, Jannah Hotchkiss, and Mark Maxwell. There will probably be a couple of updates relatively soon, so stay posted.
The trip is happening in a month and a week! It is getting extremely close and the team really appreciates your prayers and support. Thank you so much for taking an interest in the team and in missions in general. Also, thank you so much for your support at the Mexico dinner last night. The church gave slightly over $6300 for the team costs! We praise God and thank you so much.

Updates soon!
Ian