June 24

June 24, 2012

Today we went to church with our hosts.  The church was held in a building downtown that was large enough for 500 people and they do 4 or 5 services on Sunday.  The worship was very contemporary.  The sermon and all else was in Spanish, obviously, so understanding was a bit difficult but it was an eye opener for our team to worship with Christians from a completely different background.  Afterward we went home and changed into casual clothes and headed off for Trigo y Miel to do some video and (really this time) final good byes with Pastor Victor and Lety and then we headed off to lunch.  The restaurant was an open air buffet of probably over one hundred different Mexican dishes.

Most of our team experienced upset stomachs from the different foods and drinks we had while we’ve been here.  Nothing that couldn’t be endured, and certainly not enough to keep us from enjoying most everything there was to try.  After lunch we headed downtown for some final shopping.  The downtown indoor market was very crowded, smelly and a bit overwhelming (fried crickets, anyone?).  This adventure was cut short however because as we exited the market a thunderstorm began to crash and w all got soaked- so back to the base for the evening. 

Once we changed and got dry we spent a good evening of worship and talking about missions work and our return home.  We were asked some really insightful questions and we thought hard about our time here and what it will mean when we return to our “normal” lives.

Off to bed and and up at 4:00am.  We will see you all in Portland this evening.

June 23

June 23, 2012

Today is our last ministry day with Pastor Victor, his wife Leti, their volunteers, and all of the children at Trigo y Miel. All of our team had the opportunity to share their testimonies this week and today was no exception.  We shared tears of joy and laughter in fellowship today and if we do not see these folks again we will surely see them in heaven.

* Pastor Victor and Leti will be in Portland in November at a forward Edge banquet and we are trying to get them to our church on Sunday!

 It was a fun Saturday party day with lots of good food, crafts for the kids, games and did I mention good food.  It was also the day when Pastor Ben had the privilege to share the Gospel with all the little children while Pastor Thom was able to speak to the older boys.  Because of the thunderstorms we have been experiencing each day, a bridge in the area was in peril of washing out.  This meant that the day would have to be rearranged so that we could get in the Gospel and the party early before the worst hit us (all of these children walk and they travel up to two miles to get to the center).  Afterward we had just enough time for pictures, exchanging gifts with our hosts, hugs and prayers before the storm came

However, this conveniently allowed for an early day which was needed for some to pack, get ready for church tomorrow, and rest for our return home.  We have really missed our churches and families and are praying for the services at Barton Community Baptist Church and at Estacada Assembly of God.  Have a blessed Sunday morning and remember us in your prayers as well.

June 22

June 22

Today was our exploration day.   It seems that every missions experience we have there is a day to explore the culture of the area and to pick up some odds and ends for those at home.  That was the type of day we had today.  We went to downtown Oaxaca to exchange dollars for pesos and have a mid morning coffee treat and walked the zocalo again.  Some of us found ourselves in the middle of a parade with brass band and all.  Then we loaded up and headed up to the ruins at Monte Alban.  This is the ruins of the early Zapotec civilization. If you have a moment find it on the web and read all about it, it was a very hot day but the ruins were intriguing. With all of the science and nature that was so present it reminds me that man has searched for answers to life’s deepest questions forever.  This was followed by another bit of shopping and some ice cream.  The highlight (actually a low light) was the public restroom that cost each of us 2 pesos.  Lets just say we are all thankful for the bathrooms in our homes and will be very good about keeping them clean when we get back.

The downside of an exploration day is that it reminds us that there is an outside world that, at least while we are on mission, we can forget about.  We begin to realize our time here is short and the work with all the children and the ministry of Trigo y Miel will be in our rear view mirrors in a few days.  This can also lead to some introspection and thoughts about our friends, church and ministry back home.  Each of us has a renewed sense of God’s calling in our lives and how we will live that out when we are aloud to return.

June 21

 June 21

Today we made our way to Trigo y Miel once more to dig and to work with the children who would be returning today.  First though, was a stop at a local WalMart, which looked familiar to us despite the Spanish language signs.  There was not many shoppers as the prices and products are out of the reach of many people in this area, but they must make enough to stay open.  Next it we were off to Trigo y Miel.  The traffic is crazy here but our host Tom seems Ok with it and navigates us safely every time.  Although I wouldn’t know to much about that because I have found a spot in the way back of the van where I curl up around the tools and get an extra few winks in the morning.

Today we installed two swing sets for the “playground”, which is really just a level spot of dirt that the local kids get to play on.  Our team of mostly girls dug the holes, mixed the concrete and set everything in place.  Pastor Victor and our host Tom helped a bit with instruction but I was proud of our ladies doing a great job.

We also got to about 90% of the foundation for the bakery dug out during the first half of the day.  Aster consulting with the contractor new plans were made and we adjusted our digging- “flexibility” is a must in Mexico and when on mission---it probably should be at home as well when we think about ministry.

At about 1pm the children arrived and it was game time part two.  The girls busted out the finger nail polish and seemed to have an endless line who wanted their nails done…and some who wanted to do our girls nails as well.  Mean time bracelet making was once again under way.  The littler children played with the balls purchased at WalMart that morning and the older kids had a jump rope competition.

I can’t say enough about the outreach of pastor Victor and his wife Leti at the Trigo y Miel site.  They have the attention of their community and they are displaying the love of God through the many programs they run there for families and children.  Education, sanitation, family life, and job training all take place in this little spot in the middle of nowhere, but because of their efforts it’s a big somewhere to God.

Then back to my crawl space in the van for an hour ride back to our base.  Its hot, we’re sweaty, its bumpy, and God is at work.  Pray for this weekend to be a wonderful time of sharing Jesus with the children at Trigo y Miel.

June 20

 June 20

Today started with a bit of a change in plans.  The foundation we had been working on was re -measured and we found that the engineer and the contractor needed to be consulted.  This meant no digging while we waited to get the go ahead.  We will continue tomorrow.

While we waited…

Pastor Ben tackled the job of changing the brakes on the van used by the national pastor Victor.  They went back and forth to the auto parts store but finally with about 8 hours put in, a lot of grease, a good sunburn the van was rolling and stopping just as it should.

Mid morning we saw the arrival of two new swing sets that we get to set in concrete tomorrow  this will be a welcome addition to a grown over play area the will eventually be a bright spot in the ministry.

While the strong among us were lifting the swing sets and setting them so their paint could dry, others were mowing (continuing the mowing), which consists of using pruning shears and bending over to cut while others rake around you.  This provides laughter among our team as we usually find some big bugs that tend to cause great fear among the girls.

At about 1:00pm the children begin to arrive and we started getting ready for lunch.  Today it was tortillas sprinkled with cheese, and with some shredded chicken on top, covered in molee sauce and a side of rice.  The molee sauce  was about a 50/50 hit with the team.  Quickly after eating we set up for games and crafts.  Today we got out the sidewalk chalk and all the colored string to make bracelets.  It is amazing to see how such low tech entertainment works, but these kids have no internet, or TV to occupy their time so these hands on games and crafts are a real treat for them.  Girls and boys alike dove into the bracelets making process and had a real fun time.  This was followed by an hour or two of soccer with the big kids.  I was promptly removed from the game (by an 8 year old) when they discovered I wasn’t as good as them- they take their soccer very seriously, even when its just for fun.  Oh well.

On the way home we stopped for some freshly made ice cream- well deserved after a long hot day- and then to a shop that specialized in the shiny black pottery of this region.  The pottery is beautiful and we all enjoyed the diversion before heading home and having dinner together USA style- hamburgers!

One of the most rewarding times of our day is the evening.  We gather to share our highs and lows from the day, pray for our team and the ministry, work through our devotional books together and generally pour out our hearts to each other.  In addition encouraging letters written by some of our supporters back home are distributed and read (and re-read) before heading off to bed.

June 19

June 19

Today we:

painted, mowed grass with hedge shears, dug trenches, worked on van brakes, went over our crafts and games for tomorrow, harvested chicken eggs and enjoyed the company of Victor and Leti who live at and run the facility (Trigo-y- Miel, “wheat and honey”) at which we are working.  They treated us to a wonderful lunch of rice, meat and potato stew, quesadillas with jalepeno peppers and fruit tea.   We got to hear the testimonies of Ben E., Shellie S. (a team member from the AoG church in Estacada) and Emma T. shared their testimonies.  There were tears of fellowship as each one described how they came to Christ and what this trip meant to them. Then back to work.  Later this afternoon we just beat a heavy thunderstorm as we climbed into the van to head back to our base.  As we are all cleaned up, we are headed out to dinner on the town.  Yum!

Downtown Oaxaca is like any other modern city, a bit European and very active around dinner time.  We gathered at El Meson for dinner after a short walk around the “zocalo” or town square.  In the zocalo was live music, stands to buy trinkets and many people gathered to just people watch. 

Pictures are hard to load…I will get them as I can. Stay tuned.

June 18

 June 18

Today we spent time talking about cultural do’s and don’ts before heading to our assignment working on a facility in a very poor part of town.  It was a 45 minute drive, not because it was far but because the road in is so very bad.  We met with a pastor and his wife who are called to work with the children of this impoverished area.  The children do not have many modern conveniences and the drop out rate in school is high.  Most don’t get past 3^rd or 4^th grade and end up working to support their family as early as 10 years old.  Their ministry is a 4 day a week lunch program, a homework club, parenting classes and English lessons.

The pastor and his wife gave up a ministry in the church they were in and in two years have gone from bare land to a a community center and an auxiliary kitchen attached to their house. 

Our assignment today was to dig ditches for the footings of a building.  I was using a pick axe and cleanly cut an unseen water pipe with one stroke.  Sort of like Moses striking the rock- water shot everywhere.  However, I was not afforded the same awe as Moses, they just told me to move aside.  I will hopefully still see the promised land.

After a temporary fix was attached to the pipe and we took a lunch break we carried on with digging the two 20’ by 2’ deep trenches by pick and shovel.

Lunch consisted of a light broth with pasta followed by a thicker meat and vegi soup and of course tortillas on the side.  We drank hibiscus leaf tea that tastes like Kool Aid or juice.  A big thunder storm hit just as we finished for the day and we said goodbye to the children and the pastor and his wife and began the drive home.  Everyone being exhausted meant there was little conversation and a lot of sleeping in the van.  More later.