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

I will always remember Alicia's smile.

Final words

Hello from Wilmington,

It's Tuesday night and I just put my two year old down for the
evening. We have been back in town for three days and I still can't
get over the poverty that I saw last week. The olympics are on and
Michael Phelps won his eighth gold metal the other night but I could
careless. I keep thinking of Alicia and her smile. I think of the kids
in the dump site. I think of the picture of Jesus on the school bus,
the trash truck and inside the tin shack I visited. For the past two
days friends and family have asked me about my trip but all I can say
is it's a very sad place with a lot of unfinished business. It's hard
to talk about Mexico when we all fade back into our middle class
lifestyle. I started my grill tonight and placed a big steak on it. I
got into my shower and turned the water to hot. The trashman picked up
my trash on Monday. The park was mowed by city employees while I was
gone. The list goes on and on for things I and my brothers and sisters
take for granted. I do feel like a different man. The tourch has been
passed to me and all the others before me. Winter Park Baptist is
making a difference in fighting poverty and I'm glad to be a part of
it. It is important that we continue to send our people out into the
world. Yes we could easily donate money to build houses but our people
must see first hand the poverty and also the faith. These people have
nothing but they manage to have a picture of Jesus. Through my eyes,
my pictures and this blog I hope that I have inspired someone to pick
up the tourch and run with it. We need to continue our efforts here
and in the world. Thank you Winter Park Baptist and The Acts class for
giving me a chance to serve. If anyone would like any info or pictures
about Mexico or Faith Ministry, please email me at jasontatum@mac.com
Thank you for reading my blog and God bless you all.

Sincerely,
J. Tatum

Sent from my iPhone

It talks about building roads. What roads? I haven't seen any of them!

A street light post

Roman and his daughter

Johnny having fun

Stuart takes our family home

Our family says goodbye

Sign my hat please

The kids sign my hat

Kelly says her goodbye

The children line up to eat with us