Pictures are worth a lot more than a Thousand Words -

 

Thursday October 8th - Mexico Mission

After a short night of rest for  the weary our team went out the door EARLY (0615)  to help serve breakfast to school children before their day begins.   A small group of women at  Zavala Ministries had fried bologna sandwiches with jalapino peppers. This Ministry started with a dream of now deceased Pastor Zavala and is being continued by his Daughter and Son-in-Law.  -  The dream and concept was that a child could not suceed in school without a healthy breakfast.  This is the only decent meal many of these children receive on any given day.  -  These children, who have meager material possessions exhibited the same exemplery behavior and happiness as we have observed with the children of the families we have come into contact with.

We then proceeded to the work site of a different house that had been built four months ago.  Due to cancellations of teams the roof had not been poured.  -  This was an extremely arduous task and the the temperature hovered in the 90s, but the obvious appreciation of the recipient family knowing that the major task required to move into their new home is now accomplished made us realize why we are here doing GOD's work. However: the highlight of the day was the dedication of the home we came to Reynosa to build.  This was done in a worship service here at the Faith Ministry Compound.

 

Since this is our last night in Reynosa we had the Fiesta at the Faith Ministry Compound where we are staying.  -  This has been a tradition for Winter Park and other mission teams.  -  Approximately 60 people including 15 families attended.  -  After prayer the Mission Team prepared and served Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, chili, soda, chips, topped off with home cooked brownies.  -  This is a special occasion and the guest families and children dressed in their best attire.  The idea of loving your neighbor as stated in Luke 10: vs 25-28 was evident this evening and all week and we all hope to follow this example in our daily lives in Wilmington.

 

Thank you for your continued prayers- Dios te bendiga,

October mission team

Wednesday was a Great Day - October 7

We really did have a great day today with plenty of highs and a tough visit to the  trash dump area seeing the "poorest of the poor".

There was so much friendly interaction with our coworkers, our amigo workers and the neighbors' children. In the morning, we played soccer in the dirt road street, we stretched a 12 X 12 across several cinder blocks and lined up coloring books with crayons for the area children to color. There was a little bit of dancing (didn't know Lynnette had those moves!). Then in the afternoon, we held a tremendous bible school at the Naranjito church. Renee and Pastor Castillo led the story time and then those beautiful children(and a few adults too) made all kinds of neat little crafts to remind them of the love of Jesus. My stained glass cross will always have a special place in my heart as it was colored by a very special and close amigo friend from my first year here.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention - we built a house today too! Our family is so loving and again today Karina(the Mother) fed the entire construction team. The floor and the ring was poured. All that is left are the final two courses of block, that David, George and Jan say they will do if we keep them in sweet tea and Key Lime Pie. We will pour a roof on another house tomorrow am and hopefully(if the weather permits)- finish our house.

We ended up the beautiful day we had with a visit to one of the main trash dump areas. Families live there in just deplorable conditions. We handed out a "survival kit" of a 10 liter bottle of drinking water, bags of beans and rice, a Bible in Spanish and toothpaste and toothbrushes. The 70-75 families were so appreciative. I really felt like God's servant even though it seems like such a small contribution to their constant struggles and impoverished lifestyle.

Tonight  we held onto John 15:17 during our devotion time- God demands that we love each other. That really is pretty simple isn't it?  It seems these wonderful people of Reynosa do a much better job of it than most of us do every day.

Dios te bendiga,

Wesley(el Presidente)

 

Mexico Mission Trip Oct 3-10 209

Work is progressing well at the house.  -  We have gotten to know the recipients better.  -  The Mother (Karina) and her four children have come out to interact with the team.  -  Additionally Karina has prepared lunch for our team daily.  -  She prepared the meals over an open fire in her existing wooden shanty.  This cost her a day of her husband's wages, but she reflects joy in her giving.  -  During the daily Church service conducted by the founder of Faith Ministries (Deantine Guerrera) he announced that 35 teams which were expected during 2009 had cancelled.  -  This of course meant that 35 families did not get homes this year.  -  When Karina heard that she wept realizing it could have been her that would not have gotten a home.

 

After work this afternoon we visited the Faith Ministry Health Clinic.  -  The Clinic is staffed by one Doctor and one Nurse.  -  The clinic operates five days a week and is only able to accept the first 35 walk-in patients (and we literally mean "walk-in") as many of the patients get up in the middle of the night to walk miles on long dusty roads in hopes of being one of the 35 who will be seen.  -  This is essentially a free clinic as most of the patients can not afford to pay,  but NO ONE is turned away. - During the tour the Nurse advised that due to lack of funds to purchase common medicines (aspirin, etc.,) most of the patients who come in tomorrow will not be dispensed any medication for their ailments. -  A visit to the on-site Pharmacy confirmed that fact. There was no doubt that GOD had placed this need in our laps.  -  Nurse Betty's eyes filled with tears when the team decided to contribute $200 to cover medication for the rest of this week. We were able to do this thanks to the donations of many Winter Park individuals and classes. -  The Team feels that GOD has laid this portion of the ministry on their hearts to be an on-going project.

 

David Rodriguez (Director of Faith Ministries) stated in a sermon Monday "Take care of the possible and GOD will take care of the impossible".  We are placing our desire to continue this project in GOD's hands and trusting HIM to lead us to do what seems impossible, but we know that "ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH CHRIST..."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oct Mission Team alive and well

We finally got an Internet connection here in Reynosa.  -   The Saturday early morning flight out of Wilmington to McAllen, TX via Atlanta, GA and Memphis, Tenn went smoothly.   We attended Calvary Baptist Church in McAllen and were reenforced by the message that we are doing the Lord's work. -  After taking care of all the Logistics (Food shopping, etc.,.) in McAllen we arrived in Reynosa Sunday afternoon.  -  We were immediately greeted by the children and they came rushing into the court yard when the gate was opened.  -  It was obvious that a connection had been well established in earlier trips by WPBC.  -  The ride into Reynosa opened everyone's eyes as we observed the poverty and minimal living conditions of the structures the Reynosa residents live in. -  One of the first time team members was so shocked by the abject poverty that (he/she) was speechless.

 

After our prayer time we discussed what it means to the recipient of this home we are building.  -  It was noted that although Katrina victims lost almost everything prior the rebuilding effort that Reynosa residents literally had and have NOTHING so the home will be even more meaningful. - The first day of work went very well and we met the recipient of the home.  -  The home is being built for a family (Father, Mother and four children).  -  They had been told for many, many months that the Lord will provide them a home.  -  They were told two days before we arrived that the Lord had provided and their home would be built this week.  -  Psalm 37, vs 7 applies.  "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him".  The family knows that the Lord has provided them this home.

 

Reynosa,Mexico Mission Team 

Reynosa August 2009 (Final)

Dear Friends

We are at the airport in McAllen Texas after a wonderful week and emotional
goodbye. On Thursday we completed the concrete ring and had the dedication
for the house. Nora and all three of her children were there along with her
mother and stepfather Fernando. Fernando has a quiet but wonderful spirit.
He was on the jobsite every day allowing us to work, but stepping in to
correct our blocks as needed, but he always did so in a very unassuming
manner. The dedication involved a ceremony with the family receiving the
home and all of the workers (volunteers and those working for faith
ministry) who were involved in the construction of the home. We prayed for
the family and their safety in their new home.

That afternoon we did our second trip to the landfill. This area is where
the least of the least have squatted and set up home. Due to the generous
support of many friends and family we were able to drop off a total of 117
2.5 gallon bottles of purified water. We also had 100 dresses for the girls
and toys for the boys. We also finished handing out the rest of the
toothbrushes ­ though the children definitely preferred the candy.

Friday we did our second roof and this was the home of Francisco. He is 17
years of age and is an extremely hard worker. His home backs on to another
area landfill and the steep slop up to the home presented a challenge. We
created a bucket line straight from where the concrete was being mixed so we
needed a lot more cooperation to get this done in a timely manner.

Friday ended with two fiestas. At lunch we helped celebrate Dentine
Geurerro¹s 70th birthday. Food was donated by the local community and there
was music and delicious grilled cactus to complement the chicken. It was
great to watch how our Mexican amigos plan a fiesta! In the evening we had
the American fiesta to thank all of the Amigos for their help. Everyone was
in attendance, including Juaqima and the entire family for whom we built a
home last year. The night ended with a piñata and all the ninos had a blast
with this. It really was a perfect way to end the night. The goodbyes were
tearful. We made many close connections and saying goodbye was very tough,
but tempered by the knowledge that we would see them again soon.

We would like to end our blog with a request. We met a family, Maria and her
two beautiful and sweet daughters Ana Alejandra who is 11 and 7 year old
Angela Sofia (see blog picture log). Maria has been volunteering for seven
years but her family has yet to receive a home because they have been unable
to obtain land. Angela Sofia has a degenerative condition that is resulting
in the loss of sight in her right eye. Her mother is deaf and also has
additional health problems. Maria works to keep her girls in school and this
has made it difficult for her to also raise enough funds for the land. We
are undertaking a drive to raise the money to do so and we would like your
help. If you are reading this and feel moved to help, please consider a
donation to Faith Ministry. Any amount will make a difference in this cause.
Please give your checks to any of the seven team members (Julian, Donna,
Johnnie, Don, Woody, Kelly or Len), and we will send all of the funds
together to be directed to this worthy cause.

If you have followed this blog, please let this be the beginning of the
journey rather than the end. With enough support this can be the start of a
new life for this family as well.

We look forward to seeing our friends and family, but our hearts will also
be with our amigos in Mexico.

Dios te bendiga! (God bless you!)

Reynosa August 2009

Hola from Mexico. The travel to Mexico went well and without incident. We
had a peaceful night at Melody Lane that prepared us well for the start of
the journey. We have spent the first two days focusing on kindness, love for
our Mexican neighbors, and how to best bring this spirit back home. (It
always seems harder to do that.)
Today (Monday) we built the four walls and they seemed mostly straight :).
We would like to thank Steve for his parking lot demonstration of brick
laying before we left.
Today we also met the family for whom we are building the house. Nora, the
mother and head of the household is very sweet and an excellent cook, as she
treated us to lunch. She has three daughters and the youngest child is a
cute little boy. They were at the job site all day helping despite the heat.
We look forward to spending more time with them this week. We also enjoyed
seeing many familiar faces from last year, especially the children who enter
the church facility where we are staying at night. Tonight they started
playing basketball, but the real interest picked up when a big soccer game
broke out. The younger ones were painting ceramic figures with us, and the
most special painters were two little girls (Alicia and Leslie) who used
Woody (Jonathan Woods) as their canvas. (A picture of which should be on the
blog.)
Thank you for making us feel loved and supported from your emails. We are
looking forward to the opportunities to connect with our Amigos in love and
kindness tomorrow!

Dear Friends
The connections have been difficult so our blog is a bit behind.
We will update our last two days. Tuesday we completed the floor on our
house and we had the opportunity to tour the neighborhood. The children were
our guides and everyone was extremely welcoming. They did however, point out
that Mexico beat USA in soccer (plenty of viva Mexico! Chants).
Wednesday was a busy day as we did a roof and it was the hottest day (over
110). As the day wore on, the breaks got longer and everyone moved slower.
However, this did give us more time to speak to our Amigos on the job site.
After lunch we had vacation bible school with approximately 30 children in
the church. The pastor read Noah's ark to the children and we did arts and
crafts. All of the children appeared to very much enjoy the activities and
the attention.
The most moving part of the day was a visit to a nearby landfill where
many families have squatted. We handed out 50 2.5 gallon bottles of water,
toothbrushes and toothpaste donated by Jewell and Jewell dentists, and many
of the beautiful dresses made by the women of the church. Many of the little
girls who received the dresses ran off only to return seconds later sporting
those dresses. Of course we took several pictures of those little beauties
and they are posted on the web.
The day ended with a rousing game of basketball with the neighborhood
children in the compound and a walk around the neighborhood where Johnnie
held up the American end in a street soccer game (more chants of viva
Mexico!)
We are very much enjoying our time here, but we do miss our friends,
family, and home.

Love the team

Test

Test email posting

Mike Womble
(sent from a mobile device)

 

 

 Hola from Mexico!!!

Apologies for not having blogged since Monday, we were locked out of the office here at the compound and therefore without a computer. This week has been extremely productive and a blessing to us all. The people we have met/reunited with have been absolutely wonderful. Our long-term volunteers were great translators until their departure to Reynosa on Wednesday.

As of today we have essentially built three houses. Monday we laid the ten courses of block on Lorenas house and have since poured the columns and ring and laid the final two courses of block on top of the ring. Lorena has two sons and a daughter. At the house of Nicholas, ten courses have also been laid and columns and ring have been poured. This house was a bit of a challenge due to its size and structure...there was an inner wall separating main living space from a baño - a bathroom. Still we had a great time working with our Mexican amigos and providing for a wonderful family. Nicholas has a wife named Romelia and a 3 year old son named Jesus. Today we laid the ten courses on Carmens house. Carmen has three sons.

Our devotions this week have been centered around materialism and the wealth of the United States compared with that of the rest of the world. We have discussed each others guilt at the way we live and the things we do, whether or not our spending habits are acceptable in the eyes of God. The excerpts from books and scripture we have read has helped us to better understand these issues.

For me, Mexico is a home away from home. It has truly been a blessing to be here with members of Winter Park who have become somewhat like my family. This group especially, because of size, has bonded. I have been able to get to know the personalities of each person here and to grow closer with them through our work and through the presence of God here. Sometimes when Im home, going to school or working, I get caught up in life - in the petty differences between others, in the insignificant little things that consume my existence. Here we are just people, with the bare necessities and the love of God to keep us going. And for all I can see, it is enough.

Thank you for those who came across our first blog or who were involved with the Mexico mission prior to our coming and who supported us through thoughts and prayer. The power of your faith is never to be underestimated and surely carried us through this week of high temperature and strenuous labor. God bless you all; see you soon!!!

Greetings from Miguel Aleman!!!

We are having a fantastic week so far.

Today (Monday) we laid the 10 courses of block on our first house. The heat was pretty intense...at about 5 P.M. it was still about 102 degrees in the rooms here at the compound. Our group of 6 people worked extremely well with the volunteers and with Mexican helpers to finish our task.

We are sharing the compound with another group from Northern VA. With them are a husband and wife, dentist and assistant. They are running a dental clinic throughout this entire week. There is a Christian organization in the states that provides machinery for such efforts. They see around 15 patients per day. This will be very important to the people in the area as they otherwise would not have dental care.

Because of the speculated violence, the swine flu scare in the media, and possibly because of the current economic crisis in the United States, there have been only four teams this entire summer season in Miguel Aleman. These four teams, however, have been able to complete 14 houses, but there were many who were not able to receive their houses because of the 20+ cancellations this year. The atmosphere is unchanged...still the jolly mexicans, the long term volunteers. There arent many people around the compound because of the few teams that have been here this summer, but in the streets as we drive from jobsite to jobsite and to and from the compound, there is no difference in security or in social atmosphere. It is such a disappointment that so many teams have cancelled in the Mexicans time of need.

We will lay block for another house this week and will hopefully get the chance to pour two roofs. Please pray that the we have good health, cooler weather and a continued breeze as our jobsite is in direct sunlight.  We are thankful that we are here and that God is using our hands and feet, our minds and bodies to minister to these people.

More Bancroft House Pictures 1-24-09

Bancroft House Workday 1-24-09

These are pictures from the workday at the Bancroft House on Saturday Jan. 24. Our community and college ministry moved into the house early in January after several months of renovations on the inside. We were able to make good progress on the most pressing outside needs on this day with the help of a seasoned and enthusiastic crew of volunteers. It drizzled off and on but we hardly noticed as we warmed to our task. The end result was a newly-framed roof for the front porch which will last many years, putting an end to the leaks that had damaged the interior of the house and the porch ceiling. Thanks to everyone who participated!

 

Steve

oct 9 2008

The sun sets in Mexico and I write from the porch on the second floor of our compound here in Reynosa. A boy sits on the roof adjacent to the building I'm in and he writes something as well. Today was a very busy day, and though I can't record everything, I'll try to convey most of it as best I can.

This morning we left the compound at 6:30 to go to a ministry in Reynosa called Cavala. Each morning a group of women arrive between 4 and 4:30 in order to prepare breakfast for 60 children before they go to school. This morning before dawn we arrived outside the church compound, piled out of the van, and meandered toward the building among the groggy-eyed, quiet children. We had a short devotional with a reading and a song, then went into the "mess hall" where the meal was served. This morning the breakfast was spaghetti with meat sauce, served with jalapeno peppers and a choice of juice. Some of us poured, some of us scooped noodles, and others interacted with children, but all of us were met with smiling faces and "thank you's" all around. Light filled the room as the sun rose, and the noise level went up with it - the children had full bellies and were anxious to be off to school. Seeing a ministry participate in something as basic as providing breakfast for hungry children was truly wonderful, especially seeing the respect from the children to the women cooks and leaders.

Our work today was to complete the 2 rows of block on top of the ring, and to put a plaque on the wall with all our names for the recipient of the house, Betty. Each day at lunch time this week, Betty has brought some sort of food for us. Most of the time the Americans travel back to the compound to eat sandwiches and chips, and the Mexicans eat some of their own food as well as some of ours. This week, eating on the jobsite, sitting on cinderblocks or piles of boards beside our amigos was really important in the building of relationships between American and Mexican workers. After lunch, we came back to the compound for the church service held for the dedication of the house.

After lunch our group traveled back to the Cevala ministry to help with some jobs that needed to be done there. The men built tables while the women primed the stucco walls of four classrooms that were recently built on the roof of the compound's main building. There were a few children assisting us in our efforts to prime the walls. I venture to guess that the 2 boys were 7 and 10 and the girl was 7, as well. They were relatively quiet, but very lively in their paint-rolling - they plopped the sponges down in the deep ends of plastic paint trays, obviously so excited to paint that they bypassed rolling off some excess paint. The result - I've got primer in my hair, I've got primer enough to share, I've got primer here and there, I've got primer EVERYWHERE. I can't say that I didn't enjoy the experience - the children are more hard working and happy than any I've encountered. Upon finishing, 2 rooms had been primed from floor to ceiling.

After leaving Cevala, we went to the dump in Reynosa nearest our compound. The evening before, in preparation for our early morning, Donna and I made and bagged sandwiches for the 11 of us from the US, 20 worker amigos, and 25+ amigos from the dump. As we labeled the bags as such, the question arose of what to write on the bags with sandwiches designated for the people living at the dump. Donna suggested "Lake" instead of "Dump". My immediate thoughts surrounding "Lake" were these - green grass and people who were merely "less fortunate" than me. We could take them food, maybe share a few sandwiches on a red plaid blanket, laugh over Mexican soda and chips, and bade them farewell with blessings and wishes of good health. When I arrived at the dump this afternoon, all images of any normalcy vanished. My image of the meaning of "society" is now in shambles. Don't get me wrong - the cats and dogs still fought, the men played soccer, the donkeys brayed while towing a load, the women cackled, babies cried, and birds chirped, but all else was chaos.

The square mile or so that I envision to be the area that we refer to as the "dump" was a mess of roads, treacherously muddy under standing water from our mid-week rain, and a winding system of small ponds and "islands" - islands of flat muck where birds bearing the resemblance of herons were perched, even islands of land jutting out of the water like molded pieces of clay, suporting what appeared to be dwellings for humans. We drove down the aforementioned roads and handed out toys, cosmetics, toilitries, and large jugs of water. Almost immediately after we handed the first child a toy, we were surrounded - by friends of the first child, by friends of the friends, family of friends of friends, moms and grandmothers bartering with us, almost pleading in hopes of getting one more item for them or their children. It soon appeared that our plentiful supplies had dwindled to almost nothing. We barely had time to tell the people that the gifts were from God before they would reach to us and our bags for more. The street quickly became mobbed. The desperation, the tremendous need became apparent in these first few moments and encounters. What was most upsetting to me was the overwhelming feeling of helplessness. Yes, we came to a place that could very appropriately be called the armpit of the world, with gifts and supplies that will, for the short term, mean a lot to the children and people. For some who we touched, that meaning will be much more than the longevity of a toy or supply of water. Still, I couldn't seem to suppress the overwhelming sentiment that I was in a hell of sorts. Still, the children smiled and the thanks were plentiful. "Let go and let God"

Tomorow is our last day of work, and we are to pour a roof. It's the toughest job by far but involves a large bit of teamwork which always proves to be really great for any group. Thank you all for your prayers and support, from Lynchburg to Wilminton.

I end with an indirect quote from J. Tatom that I heard earlier this week and that came to me as I watched the children running up and down the streets in the dump - that is, to remember that the moon that you all see tonight is the same one that those children gaze at. We all live under the same sky, the same sun, the same moon, the same God.

Hola

Hola from Mexico,

First of all, we are praising God for giving us a cooler day today! We started the day with a little mud slinging, four-wheeling action. Rain late yesterday made for a muddy mess. We were told that today we would pour the concrete ring for the border of the house. The Mexican workers and a few of our team members helped construct the forms for the ring. Since we were not needed for this task, several of the women team members ventured out into the neighborhood, which was a hard thing to do while high steppin in the MUD!! We met several children in the streets and handed out candy and toys. The smiles on the faces of the children are worth the whole trip! It is amazing how such a small token can bring such a big smile. We also handed out cosmetic bags filled with toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, soap, nail polish and lipstick to women that were outside in their yards. They were very excited to see all the goodies inside. The Mexican people are so appreciative of everything that is given to them. During our walk, we found the house that was built by the team who came in October of last year. The family was happy to see us and asked about the other team members that were not able to come this year. We invited the family to the fiesta on Friday night and headed back to the job site.

The work on the ring was completed with concrete being mixed and buckets being passed (and a few flying through the air). We all worked together as a team and finished in time for lunch that was prepared by Betty (the lady for whom we are building the house). Lunch was homemade chicken soup and HOT sauce. Betty is such a sweet young lady with a beautiful little girl named Angie. Angie is quite shy and has not let us love on her too much. (We will continue to try until we leave.) After lunch, we headed back to the church to get ready for the shopping trip to Progresso. Most of the team traveled there to shop for souvenirs and gifts. Upon the return from Progresso, dinner was prepared by Petra our Mexican amiga who is a wonderful cook. We finished the evening with a devotion about Labor and talked about Matthew 9:37-38. We pray that God will help us to be mindful of opportunities to share his love as we continue our work here for him. We pray for his guidance and provision as we offer ourselves as his servants.
In His Love, Kelly & Sharon

mexxico pics

Hola to my friends in Lynchburg, VA and to my wonderful members of WPBC,

Two days of work are over and I can still hardly believe that I'm in Mexico. While my classmates in Lynchburg, VA have been attending school, I've been blessed to be able to be on the other side of the country in a nook of the world called Reynosa, Mexico. This is my third mission to Mexico, but my first to Reynosa. The differences in the cities are definately notable, but the people are the same - full of compassion and tolerance for us foreigners, and willing to work with incredible diligence. Our two days of traveling, Saturday and Sunday, went along seamlessly. I got to know the group of new people from WPBC fairly well and enjoyed every bit of their company. Upon arrival at the compound in the late afternoon on Sunday, we were greeted by adorable Mexican children who were ecstatic to see some of the Reynosa regulars. We unpacked our groceries and settled in, choosing rooms and inflating air mattresses, plugging up fans and cranking them up to highest speed. Even in October, the temperature here surpasses that of some of the hottest days at home. Having been thoroughly exhausted from the two days' travel, everyone retired for the evening.

The house that we are building has 2 rooms and a few doors and windows, just like any other. By some standards here and judging by my own observations, it's actually a pretty nice place. It's made of porous cinderblock and cement mixed by hand on the ground outside the house. After today, it has four walls, a floor and columns supporting the 10 rows of block that compose the walls. The birds serenade us as we work, the women laugh and jest, the wind blows the smell of outhouses our way, and we whistle while we work. Despite the heat and grit, we enjoy ourselves immensely.

On the first day of work, I met a girl 13 year old girl named Melody Ana. She is the daughter of one of the women who works with us, a sister to 4 brothers, and a self-taught speaker of English. She attended school from grades K-6, stopping only because there wasn't money to continue. She taught herself to speak only slightly broken English, knows mannerisms and ettiquite, and smiles politely and excuses herself when she can't understand. As many times as I've laid in the bed in the morning 30 minutes before I'm supposed to be seated in class, thinking of how much I DON'T want to go, contemplating staying at home, she should and will stand as an example to me of the importance of education. I spoke with one of the other workers who has sons ages 7, 9, 11, and 13 about the rules surrounding the education system in Mexico. I tried to explain in what little Spanish I know that education was free, that it was a law in the United States to send your children to school K-12, telling her that "the police would go to your house and talk to your parents" if you didn't go. She shook her head and explained that children had to pay for uniforms and books in order to go to school from K-3rd grades, the only grades "required" by the Mexican government. Melody is truly an amazing child.

Today we poured columns and a floor before 1 PM, jobs that usually take 2 days to finish. In the afternoon we held a bible school in another Faith Ministries church in Naranjito, a neighboring town. Pastor Alfredo was apparently asked to invite 30 children to the event. While discussing after the children had left, we concluded that around 75 had come and participated in the songs, crafts and games that were held. "Chaos" is an appropriate word, I think, to describe the situation in the small fellowship hall of the church. 75 children, most of whom knew no English, and around 12 adults who spoke no Spanish marched in a circle while singing and moving noise-makers to the beat of "Este es el Dia" - "This is the Day".  We then proceeded onto arts and crafts, followed by a rowdy game of baseball/kickball. The event was an overall success.

A group of us left the church in Naranjito and drove down the street to the house of Cecelia, a girl who had worked alongside WPBC church members on another Faith Ministries house when she was only 16. She will be 20 soon, and is now the mother of a 5 year old girl with neurological issues, Kristal, and a younger daughter, America. She is married to Luiz, who is about a year older than her. They live in a small, 2 room house. One room is a kitchen/dining room and the second is a living room/closet/bedroom for four. As we sat in the room on the tattered couch, ripped with time and wear, facing Cecelia perched on the corner of her bed, I tried to absorb the reality of the life of the girl who is so close to my age and size. Never in my life could I imagine living as such, which is exactly why I'm here. The lifestyle that I lead allows for me to provide myself with the means to be comfortable at all times. But there we sat attempting to decipher the words of this young girl, who had pain and anxiety playing across her face. Between Renee and I, we allowed that Cecelia was out of money to send a lunch to school with her daughter, Kristal. After some talk on our part, Renee exited the small house and returned with a fold of green in her hand, presses it to Cecelia's hand and says to her "This is from God." The emotions swept over me as I once again thought of myself in her shoes. She was truly thankful for the sum of money that had just been given to her, which was made apparent after she presented a letter that she had written in Spanish to Renee and Sharon. She apologized for the grammatical mistakes - such humility and maturity, but such raw emotions from a girl torn by the inability to feed her child.

Tonight we held a very meaningful devotion. Jan made a point that made quite an impression on me. He pointed out the everyday worries of his - the maintenance of a car and of household appliances, the little things that prove to be so inconsequential when you're in an environment like this Mexico border town. He made the statement that the people here are closer to God because all that they have between them and Him are the shirts on their backs, in comparison to our lives in such a secular world. Being here is truly being closer to God. Welsey said that being here helps him to have more of a servant's heart, an assertion that I think all of us can agree with. Renee concluded the devotion with the idea that not Mexico's location or geography, but proximity to God, allows Him, if we let Him, to put forth his word without the interruptions of the outside world.

"How many times have I missed the presence of God because of distractions from the outside world?"

Please keep us in your prayers for the rest of this week as we continue to do God's work.

Blessings and Love,

Susanna, Sharon, and Kelly

Hola from Mexico #2

Hola from Mexico,

This week our group is focusing on the six L's which are Listen, Love, Labor, Learn, Laugh, and Live. Yesterday, our theme for the day was Listen because we had been practicing the ability to listen for God's direction. We arrived in Mexico Sunday with no problems. We crossed the border loaded down with food, gifts and most of all LOVE. As soon as we entered the church parking lot, we were greeted by sweet, little Mexican children, many of whom we had met before. After MUCH unpacking and a sandwich for dinner, we all crashed early. Today, we began the day with prayer and anticipation of meeting the family for whom we are building the house and focused on the theme of Love. Our family is Justo, the husband, Beatrice (Betty) the wife, and Angie, the adorable 16 month old little girl. We spent the day, mixing mortar, laying blocks, and of course trying to win little Angie's heart! We all had no problem showing love to this beautiful child. Then the labor began! The walls were finished and the floor was leveled at the end of the day. After lunch, we were able to worship with the Mexican people. If you have ever had the opportunity to do this, you know what an amazing experience this is to see how people who live so differently can worship the same God with the same love. Our prayer for tomorrow is that God will use the team to share His love with each person we meet and especially with the family God has placed in our paths.

More Habitat Pictures

Habitat workday pics

Hey Everyone,

 

Here are some pictures from the Winter Park workday at the Habitat for Humanity Ecumenical house on September 20. The weather was perfect for this kind of work and with the help of a few regular Habitat volunteers, we had completed our assigned task by noon. We enjoyed good fellowship and many laughs with each other and the other volunteers and the recipients of this and future houses. There was meaningful work for everyone involved and by all accounts, the low pitch of the roof was friendly to even the most anxious of our team. The smiles in these pictures are all the evidence needed!

 

I would encourage anyone who has the least inclination to be a part of mission work to keep an eye on the opportunities that will be announced in the coming months. There will be opportunities in our city, our state and internationally to extend a helping hand to those who are less fortunate, and to reveal God's love through our generosity, compassion and witness. There are always plenty of experienced hands on our teams to mentor and teach the new participants. Thanks to everyone who gave generously to support the Ecumenical Build and the Mexico Missions and I encourage anyone who is able and willing, to join us "in the field" in the coming year!

 

Blessings to all, Steve  

blog check

Hola Friends,
This is a trial run. I hope you all are doing well. We really enjoyed tapping into the service today with you guys. When I closed my eyes, I felt like we were right there with you.
Kel