Home at last

We all made it back to Spokane safely this evening. Thank you again for your prayers and support during this short-term mission trip. We'll keep you informed of our upcoming report of our trip to the congregation at Chattaroy Community Church. Adios.

We're leaving on a jet plane...

After a relaxing day of frantic souvenir shopping and rain in La Paz, we are almost ready to hit the road for Cabo and the airport. All four tires are still full of air and on the van, the air conditioning is working, and everyone still has their passports. And while we are all sitting down for breakfast, we will leave you with a lesson learned from each of us...

Jerred: You can't always rely on hand motions to get the point across the language barrier.

Tatiana: Even though you may have said only two words to someone, they already love you and it's so easy to love them back.

Katy: Always travel with your best friend. Your back will always be covered, but not necessarily with sunscreen.

Cady: Pee really does help jelly fish stings... 

Vickie: After working 11 days in the hot sun, it will rain on your one day off.

Jaime: You can go two weeks without knowing the date when you are on Mexico time.

Ashley: You can form friendships even though you don't speak the same language.

Doug: The bottom half of a water bottle is not as easily disposed of as the top, and it's much more easily discarded in disarray.

Russ: I never met one Mexican person that wasn't kind, helpful or courteous.

Denise: You canhave a honeymoon in Mexico with 11 other people, and they are gracious when you're always late.

Arlene: One of our team members is trying to learn Spanish. He has taught us what to call our pets in Spanish. El doggie-o and la cata. Don't bother to look for these in your Spanish-English dictionary.

Diana: You can teach the Mexicans funny American phrases like "wiggety-wack" and "see you later, alligator".

Roger: It's really fun to share my friends with my friends.

Please pray for safe travels for the11 of us headed home to Chattaroy and Roger and Diana headed home to Ciudad Constitucion.

See you soon, baboon!

Last Day in Ciudad Constitucion

We started off the morning with 8 team members working at church. We were staining, sanding, tiling, mounting cabinets, hanging doors, and cleaning up our mess all at the same time. It was a great work day at El Amor de Cristo church. The rooms that teams from CCC have been working on for the last 3 annual trips are really starting to take shape. 

We followed that up with a great team dinner cooked by our team chefs... Katy and my beautiful wife made some awesome spaghetti and they prepared everything for the men's dinner in the evening. 

Then we gathered for the men's meeting. We were a little late, but that's the way it works here. We wanted to treat the men to an good ol' American hamburger.. Which we did, BBQ'd right there on the sidewalk at the church. It was an awesome time of fellowship. Then all of the tables were put away, and we circled up the chairs for our evening discussion.

Last year, Doug and I shared our testimonies with the team, so this year we had Russ share his. We also exchanged prayer requests between the men. We are called to uphold our brothers in Christ, so we intend to hold them up in prayer in the areas that they requested.

As always, it was tough to say our good-byes again with the men we have been able to serve with over the past week and a half. We start our journey home tomorrow with a drive to La Paz in the morning. Please pray for our travels.

- Jerred

The roller coaster

Today was one of those days. It was like a roller coaster ride. The day started out going up, obviously. We put on our swimsuits and headed for the pool. We swam and ate with the people till around 4 pm. The team had gotten there at 1 pm. After that was the baptisms. Ashley and I were the only ones. Pastor Chava had us say our testimonies, asked us some questions and we hopped into the now strangely empty compared to 15 minutes before pool.

I never knew you had to plug your nose a special way when you're baptized. After this we swim some more. Next were the other testimonies. This time we talk about our time with the people. Then a video is shown with nature from our part of town.

Remember that roller coster? This is where we start going down, fast. And the sobfest commences. It's time to say goodbye to the people of the church. Everybody was crying. Some of the ladies I didn't even say more than "Hi" to hugged me tight. Plus all of my friends were bawling, well most of them were. It was sooo sad, for everybody. My heart will be ripped in two when we leave them for good. Now I'm tired, it's 11pm where we are, and I want to go to bed. So see you all in about a week. Bye and good night.

- Love, Cady

¡Viva la México!

Remember those long days of summer when your days were so full you literally crashed at the dinner table and then had to be put to bed?  Well, that was my finalé yesterday and I suspect it wasn't just me.  There are only so many days of heat and wee sleeping hours that one body can take.  So here I sit, pad in hand, eight hours late, finishing my blog.

So much has happened since the ba-boom!!!!! Lol

Saturday, Mexico won its first Olympic Gold in fútbol!!!!!  There was so much celebration here!!!  It was very exciting!!  The celebrations and gloating went on thru the night I imagine. We were very happy for them.
The evening ended on a high note as we practiced our songs for worship team the next morning with our Mexican family.  It was a completely enriching experience right down to our souls.
Son-day arose with the promise of yet another "warm" one (104 degrees).  Off we went to church where we worshiped with praisesong and Doug, Jerred and Russ presented the message of church unity. A powerful topic for all church bodies where the evil one seeks to invade and divide.  A worthy thought to ponder.
We were then treated to lunch at our dear friend Martina's house. The boys couldn't get enough of meatloaf and mashed potatoes etc etc.  What a wonderful sister in Christ she is.  She is one, of a very few Mexican friends, we are able to keep in touch with on Facebook.  Invaluable for our sister churches.

Then it was off to the brothel.............. Bahahahaha............but of course.  A very vacant property the church would like to purchase.  Except for the vagrant Jaime and i  have endearingly named "Juando" and the deceased watch dog, the property is FULL of possibilities for those who can visualize Pastor Chava's dream.  The property has 57 rooms (brothel Duh!) where the church would love to care for orphans, homeless teens and their own of course.  It has a large indoor room which would be an awesome sanctuary.  Several aqueducts, out buildings and a field big enough for fútbol, finish this compound out. More thoughts to ponder.

My night finished out with a leisurely stroll thru a local graveyard.  Diana, Jaime and I are happy to report there were no restless souls lurking about.  Just a few families tending to the ornate decor of loved ones lost.  The mariachi music blaring from a truck nearby, set the scene for a very pleasant evening indeed.

- Katy

And boom goes the dynamite...

Note to self... Do NOT, under any circumstance, attempt to ignite a gas oven when it has been on for about 15 minutes...

Because what happens to follow this seemingly innocent act is a fireball the likes of which I have never seen in the kitchen, and hope to never see again. But all is well. Hearts are beating at a normal pace again, the fittings have been replaced, the stove was pushed back to its original location, and all legs present were checked for singed hair. There was none.

Lesson learned.

Breakfast arrived in true Mexican fashion...late, but delicious, and not at all burned.
Our retreat was wonderful. The Chinese food was great. And when you can't communicate with one another, reciting colors is a good fill in.

- Jaime 

What we do...

The internet is slowing down and, quite frankly, so are we...

Buenos noches!

Escuela de Mexico

This is what I am learning in Mexico:

A stop sign is merely a suggestion.
A blizzard can occur with sand instead of snow.
Grit from a sand storm feels strange in your mouth, nose and eyes.
The people at this church feel like family and we cannot even speak their language.
When trying to speak their language be careful you don't say something you shouldn't.
Traffic is like bumper cars because you are trying not to get hit!
The young women on our team make great ambassadors.
Don't back into a cactus.
You can feel God's pleasure in small things.
A smile is the same in any language.
Prickly pears are prickly and also edible without the prickles.
We can survive on much less sleep than we need and still do our work well.
God is in control regardless of where we are...if we let him.
Home is where the heart is and right now it is in Ciudad Constitucion.

- Victoria

Just another polvoriento day in Mexico... or is it?

When the face is pale, lift the tail.
When the face is red, lift the red.
When the face is blue, air is due.
When the face is green, leave the scene.
Vickie shared this today, but we'll talk about it later.

Today was an eventful day, very fun but stressful. Our morning started out with a dead van battery. Then we jump started the van and went to our last VBS in Chato. The kids loved the games and crafts. This boy, Fernando made Tatiana and I play fútbol (soccer). It was fun, but we weren't very good. Tatiana blocked a couple goals though.

The day wore on and we went to a fish fry hosted by Luna, which everyone loved. Then came a dust storm. Dust was everywhere, including our teeth, lips, hair and skin. Next we had our very last VBS at the church which also meant our last drama. The one day we didn't practice our dramas, and lets just say that we should have... Once again the games and crafts were a hit. After VBS we had nachos and handed out school supplies to the children. They loved them.

Cady and I were playing fútbol (soccer) again when it happened. An ambulance showed up. Rosalia, a lady from the church, fainted and had to go to the hospital. That of course ended our party and we all went home to pray. When we got back to the hotel our team gathered and prayed for her then we sang until we had to go to our rooms.

Although this day may have been stressful and crazy, we all had fun. In the end everything turned out okay. Which goes to show you all things great can happen through God.

- Ashley

de Roos...

Today is Wednesday, day three of our 4-day VBS. The ladies kept busy the first half of the day at the VBS in Chato. Us guys went back to work on the church. Doug and Jerred focused their energy on putting in the kitchen sink and plumbing for it. They also worked on the cupboards. I worked on my español with Louis Manuel while cleaning and painting in the three bathrooms and he finished texturing the walls with stucco. Katy and Jaime made lasagna for the team dinner. We had brownies and ice cream to celebrate Denises's birthday. This evening we had VBS at the church following the usual routine of music and singing, then the drama of Queen Esther, followed by crafts, games, and snacks. We have had a great turn out of children, 90 to 100, and we ran out of frozen fruit pops tonight. The church made a 1000 frozen fruit pops that didn't even last 3 days. This was a good problem. Today I took video of the kids at the evening VBS.

- Bueno noches, Russ

Just another Martes in Paraiso

Tuesday was a good day, however we may have lost a couple of our girls...................Ha.....made you look.   Such a blessing it was to help our people with 2 VBS's today, it was uttered that "I had so much fun today, I am definitely staying here".  Now we all know that it would be very tough thing indeed to pull off, and we would probably have some angry parents.  However, it is a testament to the quality of our team and the love that is being shared.  

From the "work" side of things, we are progressing on some of the projects we started last year and were not finished.  Jerred, Russ (pronounced Roos for all you northerners), and I have been tiling, painting, and doing some electrical in the 3 new water closets at the church (iglesia).  Working around other projects going on has been challenge, but a blessing to be able to start, and strengthen relationships with our hermanos here in the Baja Sur.  We will have them completed for tomorrow evenings festivities to be sure.

As it was at or near 100 degrees today and hotter weather expected tomorrow, it should be said that other than minor bumps and bruises all health is well and hydration is a priority.   The blowing sand is covering all surfaces and the sweat is running freely.  We have a couple of more double days for VBS and much more work to be completed.  It is hard to think that it is only Tuesday, as we have packed so much love and sharing into the beginning of the week.  The people are tremendous and so welcoming of us, with several meal invitations already on the books and in our tummy's.

I want to thank you all for your prayers as we continue to bake in the desert, but are so rewarded to be a part of a great, diverse team.

- Hermano Dooglas

Music, Tacos and Michael Phelps

In our Team Mexico training sessions we talk a lot about being prepared for cross cultural experiences. Since arriving south of the border we've already had many. I'd like to share a couple of them with you.

After a long, hot car trip from Los Cabos, our port of entry, we were more than ready for some tasty Mexican food. Seated around a long table in a quaint Mexican restaurant, we watched as waiters brought steaming hot platters of braised beef, melted cheese, onions, peppers and flour tortillas. Tacos, here we come! As we began to chow down, suddenly we heard our national anthem being played. The restaurant's flat screen TV was showing MIchael Phelps' metal ceremony after winning yet another gold. One of our team members captured the moment by saying, "It just doesn't get any better than this!"

This morning we participated in an outdoor vacation Bible school where over 60 children enjoyed games, songs, puppets, a Bible story from the book of Esther, a craft time, and then snacks, of course. These activities were repeated at another location in the evening with almost 100 excited kids. At the end of the evening, after most of the children had gone home, our team and some of the Mexican adult workers sat together and sang in English and Spanish--a beautiful blend of not only music, but also worship, culture, and friendship. it was the perfect ending to a long, hot, busy, and rewarding day.

- Arlene

Authentic Mexican Parade

Walking into the service at El Amor de Cristo church, there were a million thoughts running through my mind. From things like "Will they remember me?" to the handshake technique. Was it kiss-shake hands or shake hands-kiss-shake hands or ...?

But as I walked in, all of my worries were gone. Once again, the people of El Amor de Cristo greeted me like family. It warmed my heart to know I was remembered and loved. And what a blessing it was to attend the service and participate in communion with them.

Later in the day we went back to the church to meet with some families of the congregation to pass out invitations for VBS... which starts tomorrow! Woo-hoo!!

Last year, we met at the church and dispersed to either Chato or the neighborhood around the church on foot and information packets in hand. We walked around casually handing them to people passing by.

Now with that in mind, imagine pulling up to a circus. Oh yes, a circus. Three trucks and two cars decorated with colorful ballons and people dressed as clowns walking about.

With a police escort to complete our train of cars - it was official. We were a parade.

Dressed up as Biblical characters for the dramas at VBS, most of our team piled into a truck. Along with the other vehicles we set off down the street... Honking, shouting, and singing as we went.

It wasn't long before we had a chant going:
"Qiuen vive?!" -- "Cristo!"
"A su nombre!" -- "Gloria!"
"A su pueblo!" -- "La victoria!"

Which translates to:
"Who lives?!" -- "Christ!"
"To Your name!" -- "Glory!"
"To Your people!" -- "Victory!"

So there I was... Dressed as Queen Esther, in a parade. Singing and chanting in the streets.

I can not explain how cool it felt to be a part of something so amazing and unique. All of those believers, gathered together to share God's love with others... Yes, dressed as clowns.

What an amazing day! I look forward to what God has in store for us in these next days.

Thanks for praying for our team. God Bless.

 - Tatiana

Destino Ciudad Constitucion

Stayed in La Paz last night in what seemed like a compound but it was a hidden B&B all gated in.

We were happy to finally get some much needed rest, I think we all got to bed about midnight.

More traveling issues so we split the team and the guys and Vickie sacrificed to ride the bus to our destino while the rest of us went in the van. We had to stop at Walmart for more supplies and made the 2 and 1/2 hour drive to Roger & Diana's house, thinking the guys & Vickie are on a bus & having a hot & miserable trip riding on the top of the bus with chickens on their laps. The rest of us were packed in the van with 9 people driving through the desert with air that didn't reach the back of the van & plus we were hauling a trailer w/all our luggage & food. When we arrived they also had arrived so Roger dropped us off & went & picked them up at the bus station.  Come to find out when they got to the house they were trying to figure out how to tell us they had a great air conditioned ride with a movie & a bano (bathhroom) & even had time to study.  

We had finally arrived to our destino. We all went to the church El Amor de Cristo Iglesia (The Love of Christ Church) & they were waiting to serve us lunch and were able to meet the church family. They were so gracious & happy to serve us.

We got to our hotel and will be here for 2 weeks, so we are all getting settled in.  It's good to be here and tomorrow is Worship at 10. 

- Denise

The Art of Flexibilidad

Over the past few weeks of training sessions we have been given schedules, tasks, and instruction with one resounding disclaimer... flexibility.

When you want Root Beer on the plane, but all they have is Mr. Pibb... flexibility.
When you're taking pictures on the tarmac and find a finger wagging at you... flexibility.
When it's 100+ degrees outside and the A/C doesn't work... flexibility.
When your ride from the airport breaks down before they get there and plan B is a smaller van and car (which also breaks down) and plan C has his own plans and plan D takes too long... flexibility.

We are safe in La Paz. We have food in our tummys and a lot more in the car, thanks to Costco. We are well. We are smiling. We will make it to Ciudad Constitucion...

And we're off...

We're sitting at the airport ready to head off to the nice "cool" weather in Mexico. Please pray for our safe travels.

Cady

Nickname: Cadita (little Cady)

Favorite childhood toy: Pede
How many teeth have you lost this summer: 6
Pet peeve: Incorrect grammar
Why do you want to go to Mexico: I want to see a different culture.

Ashley

Nickname: Little Miss Sunshine

Favorite subject in school: English
Favorite flavor of ice cream: Vanilla
Do you own any pets: A Dog, a Cat, and a Cow.
Whats the first thing that comes to mind when you think about this trip? Excited!