We were up this morning by 4:30am and out the door of Brighido's house by 4:55. Airport by 5:20; we were first in line. The Aeromar gate person arrived at about 5:45, we checked in, went through security and the plane took off by 7am-ish. Arrived around 8:15 in Monterrey, went through the connecting process, blah, blah, blah.
Arrived in Chicago, and made it to the hotel by 3. Did some swimming, out to eat, and then evening debrief time.
We are planning on leaving Chicago by 8am tomorrow morning, and hope to be in Cedar Rapids by 1pm.
See you all then!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Saturday #2 in SLP
Well, it's been a great day. The Markle group left this morning about 4:15, and I got to lay down on a bed and sleep for a few hours. We were up at 8:30, and had French Toast shortly after. Had some group debrief time and then helped clean the house. Swept, mopped, stacked blankets and pillows, re-arranged furniture; even though VBS is over, the group worked hard. Some of the group went to the grocery store with Brigido to pick up our lunch: fried chicken. I went out on a run, and the rest just chilled in the home. We had lunch at about 130, and then watched TV and hung out as a group. Around 4 we went to the church to clean the second floor and then went downtown to do some final shopping and chill in the market. Some more hang time in the home, then dinner, and more hang time. Each of us came up with the movies in our personal Top 10 lists, which soon extended to Top 20 and beyond.
It was pretty much a trip highlight at this point. Evening devotion time is now, with the group working on some debrief stuff.
It is both a little weird and great to have run of the house. Our group is bonding well with one another and with Brigido and his family. It truly is a great way to finish this trip out. We'll have three church services tomorrow...Pavon Church, La Mision and Gorgorron. We're letting the group get some hang time tonight.
We are proud of the group and the work God has done through them!
It was pretty much a trip highlight at this point. Evening devotion time is now, with the group working on some debrief stuff.
It is both a little weird and great to have run of the house. Our group is bonding well with one another and with Brigido and his family. It truly is a great way to finish this trip out. We'll have three church services tomorrow...Pavon Church, La Mision and Gorgorron. We're letting the group get some hang time tonight.
We are proud of the group and the work God has done through them!
Friday, July 16, 2010
9 days, 19 VBS sessions
We made it. Last Thursday, we arrived in San Luis Potosi Mexico around 2:30 in the afternoon. Our group hopped into a van and drove to Brigido's house; within a space of about 10 minutes, we unloaded our bags, were handed food wrapped in tin foil, and were on the bus to Gorgorron. An hour later, we arrived at a place none of us had been, to help with a VBS, to hang out with kids and adults who spoke a different language and were on a totally different plane than us from a socio-economic standpoint. Our group looked dazed and confused. They were in a severe case of culture shock.
Fast forward 9 days. We did 4 VBS sessions at Gorgorron, and 5 each at Pavon Church, La Mision and Rancho Nuevo. The group is in the flow. We know when (and when not!!) to get on the bus. Crafts, snacks, recreation, the classes, we've got it all down. Everyone is speaking Spanish as they can, and we just laugh off the cultural differences that left us in shock on the bus to Gorgorron last week. We've done 19 VBS sessions and are tired. All of the adults are up by 7:30 each morning and up until 11pm each night. The kids are up later on both counts, but not by much. We love the food, and drink a ton of Mexican Coke at each meal. We've been to the market a few times, and are in love with SLP. Brigido and Amy and the families have inspired us to serve God. God has shown up a number of times and revealed Himself continuously faithful.
The Markle group leaves tomorrow morning at 4AM, leaving us here for a few days of debrief and relative quiet. We've got a church to clean and a few more items to purchase in the market. I'll be preaching 3 times on Sunday, one sermon at Pavon in the morning, and then a different one at La Mision and Gorgorron. Then, we've got the 3:30AM wake-up on Monday for the 6:30AM flight out. We'll be in Chicago mid-day on Monday, and we'll be chilling out for the evening there. There will be at least one more video uploaded (working on one now) to the Facebook page.
This has been a great trip, we've all gotten along well, and the kids and adults have worked hard. I'm anxious to debrief over the next few days. A recap service is being planned at Eastview, we'll get out details soon. In the meantime, please continue to pray for us!
Porque Dios es Amor!
Fast forward 9 days. We did 4 VBS sessions at Gorgorron, and 5 each at Pavon Church, La Mision and Rancho Nuevo. The group is in the flow. We know when (and when not!!) to get on the bus. Crafts, snacks, recreation, the classes, we've got it all down. Everyone is speaking Spanish as they can, and we just laugh off the cultural differences that left us in shock on the bus to Gorgorron last week. We've done 19 VBS sessions and are tired. All of the adults are up by 7:30 each morning and up until 11pm each night. The kids are up later on both counts, but not by much. We love the food, and drink a ton of Mexican Coke at each meal. We've been to the market a few times, and are in love with SLP. Brigido and Amy and the families have inspired us to serve God. God has shown up a number of times and revealed Himself continuously faithful.
The Markle group leaves tomorrow morning at 4AM, leaving us here for a few days of debrief and relative quiet. We've got a church to clean and a few more items to purchase in the market. I'll be preaching 3 times on Sunday, one sermon at Pavon in the morning, and then a different one at La Mision and Gorgorron. Then, we've got the 3:30AM wake-up on Monday for the 6:30AM flight out. We'll be in Chicago mid-day on Monday, and we'll be chilling out for the evening there. There will be at least one more video uploaded (working on one now) to the Facebook page.
This has been a great trip, we've all gotten along well, and the kids and adults have worked hard. I'm anxious to debrief over the next few days. A recap service is being planned at Eastview, we'll get out details soon. In the meantime, please continue to pray for us!
Porque Dios es Amor!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
A Few Words From Beth
Today we got the chance to go climb the mountain in SLP. Climbing up on a slick surface, loose rocks, and almost no light makes it very difficult. Almost everyone made it up the mountain okay, but my dad and Monna didn't go up all the way. (Steve says that Simon's Lego Man made it up the mountain too!) The sunrise on SLP is amazing, because when you get to see it come up as you are walking up if your really slow. We only got individual pictures because the entire group didn't come up to the cross. The way down was very different, not just because it was lighter than the way up. You will probably actually fall down easier because it's down, not up. We only had one major injury, but no bones were broken!
VBS today at Pavon with my group of 10 year old girls was hectic! When it came to snack time after recreation I tried to tell the girls to line up, but that ended up in most of the girls clinging to my arms and shirt. I loved like their childlike faith and excitement to go to their next class, after craft is Bible Stories and the rooms are right next to each other. The poor nine year old boys were trampled! At our last class they pretty much sprinted to the next class, and they had to line up in front of the room for a better and nicer entry.
After a lunch of steak and potatoes our group went to Rancho Nuevo and The Mission. Nate made up a new game of tying a tire to a rope and throwing it down a cliff, then pulling it back up. I'm pretty sure we distracted the adult class with the tire... At The Mission there is a boy named Jermey who calls Nate and almost everyone an "amiga" or "amigo" lives there. (He also goes to Pavon) I help Nikki and Brianna lead the singing, and trying to make the kids sing as loud as they can during a song. I am...I don't know how I feel it's a mix of emotions, about how they can be so happy without much. Us raised in America are taught by culture that bigger is better...and it makes us think that we need the newest stuff or have to be like someone better than us....
A little side story from last night...
Last night Nate had been sleepwalking (or something like that) and grabs my dad's leg. Dad screams and wakes Nate up and he screams. According to Omar he heard them mumbling "Sorry" and "It's fine"
Talk to you guys later! Devo time!
-Beth
VBS today at Pavon with my group of 10 year old girls was hectic! When it came to snack time after recreation I tried to tell the girls to line up, but that ended up in most of the girls clinging to my arms and shirt. I loved like their childlike faith and excitement to go to their next class, after craft is Bible Stories and the rooms are right next to each other. The poor nine year old boys were trampled! At our last class they pretty much sprinted to the next class, and they had to line up in front of the room for a better and nicer entry.
After a lunch of steak and potatoes our group went to Rancho Nuevo and The Mission. Nate made up a new game of tying a tire to a rope and throwing it down a cliff, then pulling it back up. I'm pretty sure we distracted the adult class with the tire... At The Mission there is a boy named Jermey who calls Nate and almost everyone an "amiga" or "amigo" lives there. (He also goes to Pavon) I help Nikki and Brianna lead the singing, and trying to make the kids sing as loud as they can during a song. I am...I don't know how I feel it's a mix of emotions, about how they can be so happy without much. Us raised in America are taught by culture that bigger is better...and it makes us think that we need the newest stuff or have to be like someone better than us....
A little side story from last night...
Last night Nate had been sleepwalking (or something like that) and grabs my dad's leg. Dad screams and wakes Nate up and he screams. According to Omar he heard them mumbling "Sorry" and "It's fine"
Talk to you guys later! Devo time!
-Beth
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
SLP-Wednesday
Not a big update today, Pavon VBS went well, and our group went to the market tonight. Going to be early, we have a 5 am wake-up tomorrow for the mountain climb, and I'm working on a special video along the lines of "A Day in the Life of..." kind of thing.
See you tomorrow!
See you tomorrow!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Stevepac's words from the ghetto
Wow..already Tuesday evening. Another great day in the books...and I will make it a point to mention that 13 quesadillas and 3 donuts, (that was just my dinner) ended a wonderful day. Today started like most days with a early wake up for me. What that means is some quiet time to just digest some things that I have seen from previous days, bible study, and get dibs on a chess board. *side note..I can't believe how much fun a game of chess is when there are so few distractions around.
After some fellowship, it was off to the Pavon church for the mega VBS. I get the pleasure of the 13+ age kids. Yesterday we had 17 kids in that group. I was pretty amazed by that. Then today, we had 28...yes 28..just in that one group. That is what was astonishing, especially after what happened yesterday.
Rewind to Monday morning. When I was informed of my group, I was excited. I work with the middle school kids on Wed nights already, so aside from the language barrier, it should be cool. I was also told that there would be gang members in the group. When I heard that, I wasn't sure what to think..was that comment serious, was John giving me a hard time like he usually does? Well, it was true. It was interesting to see them interact with each other. They are their own family. The incident I was referring to was when one kid went to the bathroom, then another, and another, and so on. Something was up. It turns out that they were each taking turns smoking a cigarette. We handled it the best we could, and them in the next class, Brigido was none too happy. He lectured then about it and then to my surprise, they responded by paying attention and being serious. On top of that, they all came back today..and then some. So even though they are a "gang", they still respect him, us, and want to learn about God. I think that is amazing!!
This afternoon, we had the chance to experience 2 more VBS that the other group went to yesterday. Unbelievable is the best word to describe it. The first was in Rancho Nuevo. The first thing was when we pulled up, Amy told us, "to the left is the city dump." 10 seconds later we were pulling in to the out first VBS. So if I wasn't clear, this one was right next to the city dump...not sure if you can actually imagine what that is like, but I was shocked. After everything we have seen already, I didn't think that was possible. But when all these kids ran up so greet us, and then hurried to the worship time, and then to their classes, you could see what the most important thing for them is, and that is learning about Jesus. These families may be poor, but they seem to be closer than a lot of families I know in the US. I have seen so many kids caring for their younger siblings that has made my heart melt. One kid actually gave up playing soccer..I mean futbol, because he was responsible to his brother. One word comes to mind...sacrifice. What do we really sacrifice in our lives? I know personally what I thought as sacrifice has a whole new meaning. Flies, trash, dirty water, family, sacrifice, humility, serving, love, and God is how I would describe my visit to Rancho Nuevo.
Up next was the Mission. We visited this areas last week as we handed out fliers. I thought this was the poorest of the areas we would be in. Obviously after being at Rancho, this is the upper eastside. Once again, I was just amazed and impressed with how the kids responded to us, and the people leading them. What I didn't mention in the part about Rancho, I was equally impressed with our group of students and adults. Yes we were all way out of our element, but we showed each kid the love that I feel Jesus would showed them. That is exactly why we are here, and why I am glad I came.
So it was successful day of ministry. I would like to end this post on the light side. I know you are still impressed with my incredible eating domination down here, but what I saw tonight was pretty cool too. Brigido decided to dump a bunch of flour on the table as some of us were playing dominos. then he added eggs, vanilla, and a bunch of other ingredients. Right before our eyes, he made doughnuts. I will have pictures at some point, but it was cool. And this coming from a man who opened up his home to 40 people, who preaches 3 times a week at 3 different places, # different VBS in the same week, and is also a professor, and he takes time out of this week to make doughnuts from scratch! Wow! I just found out tonight that he gave up being a heart surgeon to do ministry....that is an outstanding example of what God wants us to be.
P.S. Corie, Simon, Zachary, and even Lucy...I love and miss you guys and will see ya in a week. Have fun on Saturday!!
Here is video from Monday's PAvon VBS, market trip and Tuesday's Rancho Nuevo and La Mision VBS.
After some fellowship, it was off to the Pavon church for the mega VBS. I get the pleasure of the 13+ age kids. Yesterday we had 17 kids in that group. I was pretty amazed by that. Then today, we had 28...yes 28..just in that one group. That is what was astonishing, especially after what happened yesterday.
Rewind to Monday morning. When I was informed of my group, I was excited. I work with the middle school kids on Wed nights already, so aside from the language barrier, it should be cool. I was also told that there would be gang members in the group. When I heard that, I wasn't sure what to think..was that comment serious, was John giving me a hard time like he usually does? Well, it was true. It was interesting to see them interact with each other. They are their own family. The incident I was referring to was when one kid went to the bathroom, then another, and another, and so on. Something was up. It turns out that they were each taking turns smoking a cigarette. We handled it the best we could, and them in the next class, Brigido was none too happy. He lectured then about it and then to my surprise, they responded by paying attention and being serious. On top of that, they all came back today..and then some. So even though they are a "gang", they still respect him, us, and want to learn about God. I think that is amazing!!
This afternoon, we had the chance to experience 2 more VBS that the other group went to yesterday. Unbelievable is the best word to describe it. The first was in Rancho Nuevo. The first thing was when we pulled up, Amy told us, "to the left is the city dump." 10 seconds later we were pulling in to the out first VBS. So if I wasn't clear, this one was right next to the city dump...not sure if you can actually imagine what that is like, but I was shocked. After everything we have seen already, I didn't think that was possible. But when all these kids ran up so greet us, and then hurried to the worship time, and then to their classes, you could see what the most important thing for them is, and that is learning about Jesus. These families may be poor, but they seem to be closer than a lot of families I know in the US. I have seen so many kids caring for their younger siblings that has made my heart melt. One kid actually gave up playing soccer..I mean futbol, because he was responsible to his brother. One word comes to mind...sacrifice. What do we really sacrifice in our lives? I know personally what I thought as sacrifice has a whole new meaning. Flies, trash, dirty water, family, sacrifice, humility, serving, love, and God is how I would describe my visit to Rancho Nuevo.
Up next was the Mission. We visited this areas last week as we handed out fliers. I thought this was the poorest of the areas we would be in. Obviously after being at Rancho, this is the upper eastside. Once again, I was just amazed and impressed with how the kids responded to us, and the people leading them. What I didn't mention in the part about Rancho, I was equally impressed with our group of students and adults. Yes we were all way out of our element, but we showed each kid the love that I feel Jesus would showed them. That is exactly why we are here, and why I am glad I came.
So it was successful day of ministry. I would like to end this post on the light side. I know you are still impressed with my incredible eating domination down here, but what I saw tonight was pretty cool too. Brigido decided to dump a bunch of flour on the table as some of us were playing dominos. then he added eggs, vanilla, and a bunch of other ingredients. Right before our eyes, he made doughnuts. I will have pictures at some point, but it was cool. And this coming from a man who opened up his home to 40 people, who preaches 3 times a week at 3 different places, # different VBS in the same week, and is also a professor, and he takes time out of this week to make doughnuts from scratch! Wow! I just found out tonight that he gave up being a heart surgeon to do ministry....that is an outstanding example of what God wants us to be.
P.S. Corie, Simon, Zachary, and even Lucy...I love and miss you guys and will see ya in a week. Have fun on Saturday!!
Here is video from Monday's PAvon VBS, market trip and Tuesday's Rancho Nuevo and La Mision VBS.
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