Final Stories From Mexico

Our trip is over and we made it home from Mexico safely, but I just wanted to add a couple more stories to try and give you a glimpse of the people we met and were working with.

As we were having our debriefing meeting on the last morning a Gentleman named Enrique from the church came in and wanted to speak with us briefly.  Greg translated for us and told us that he just wanted to come in to personally say 'goodbye' and to thank us all for coming down to help out in the way that we did. His sincerity was touching and was an example of so many of the people that we met while down there.  Even though we were all brutal at speaking Spanish no one looked down on us in the way that many Canadians do with foreigners in our land.

Enrique also brought his sons in to introduce us to them.  I don't remember their names but please pray for both of them.  His youngest is eleven and is a happy young man.  His oldest is 17 and has been diagnosed with Autism.  This diagnosis came far later than it would have in a place like Canada.  Some credit can be given to Greg and Shelly for helping to identify some of his symptoms and helping Enrique to find resources on the internet to investigate it further so that he could be properly diagnosed.  His son right now has been struggling with coming to church and needs prayer to help him with some of his Autism symptoms as well.  Enrique's wife left him years ago because of the difficulties with their oldest boy.  Enrique works hard and cares for his boys full time and could certainly use our prayers too.  He sent us off by saying something like, "I will pray for you all and may God be with you all!"

As we toured the Triki village, our tour guide for the day shared the story of one young girl who at the age of 13 was sold into marriage.  When she did not become pregnant right away she was given back to her family only to be sold for a pile of firewood to another man.  When she had a daughter of her own she gave her up in the hopes that she would not have to live the life that she had.  This young girl who was given to the Casa Hogar de Gracia (the children's home we worked at) is a beautiful 12 year old young lady now who continually smiles.  It was sweet to see her desire to sing for us, even though she was quite shy. She has a beautiful voice which she shared with us as she sang us a song in english that she had been learning.  As she sang 'Jesus Loves Me' to our group she reflected the hope that is being given to each of the children who live in this home.  Please pray for Griselda that she will continue to grow in her faith and love for Jesus!

One final young man that I wanted to tell you all about is Miguel.  Miguel has a long story and I could never relay all of it to you because I don't even know it all.  I apologize if I get some of the details wrong but the main point I think will come through.  He is presently living in Hermosillo with Greg and Shelly.  He has made a commitment to the Lord at some point since coming back to Mexico.  I believe he was born in Hermosillo and then moved away to the states with his family.  While in California he became involved in gangs and was living quite the 'gangster' life according to Greg and Shelly.  I don't know the details but his lifestyle caught up with him and two major things happened.  First he was arrested and spent years in jail in the States.  I'm not sure exactly how it happened but I believe he was deported back to Mexico with an agreement that he would not be allowed back into the States for ten years.  So now he is free in Mexico but because of his time in prison he has many tattoos, which mark him clearly as criminal to the people in his own land.  This has made it very difficult for him to get any jobs.  The second thing that has happened is that he has developed kidney failure and now has to go for renal dialysis three times a week to stay alive.  This is kinda like a jail sentence again!  Greg and Shelly say he has been close to death several times because of his condition.  They are hoping for a kidney transplant for him, but again the medical people of Mexico don't believe that he will change his ways because he is labelled as a criminal (tattoos) and this seems to be keeping him from having a chance at a transplant.  Miguel has been discouraged a lot recently and disheartened with his faith.  Greg had also mentioned how he fears for Miguel that if he gets a transplant that he may feel he has the freedom to go back to his previous lifestyle.  He is an amazingly friendly man and has such an opportunity to reach a different group of people in Mexico.  Pray that his heart will be softened to return to his relationship with the Lord.  Pray that he will be able to get a kidney transplant and that he will find what God has for him in terms of education or career.  Also pray for Greg and Shelly to know how to encourage him and continue to help him without enabling him.

I think that everyone on the team could go on and on with these kinds of stories.  There are so many people that have become special to us.  It makes it so much easier to pray for these people now that we have met them.  I hope that sharing some of these stories will at least encourage all of you to pray for them as well.  It isn't the same as meeting them but I hope it makes the stories of Mexico a little more personal to you all.

I would also like to thank all of the cooks that we had during our days in Mexico.  What amazing food they provided each day for us!  A huge thanks to Martina, Lettie, Anna Ruth, and Magdelina.  I'm sure I spelled some names wrong, so I apologize for that.  All these ladies helped out is some way in the kitchen and were a huge blessing to all of us.  It was fun to get to know them and enjoy their food and warm greetings as we learned just a little bit of Spanish that we could practice with them.

To close, I would say that this has been a trip like no other for me!  God has stretched me and challenged me.  I think that the positive effect of this trip in reality will be more for us on the team than for those who we served while we were there.  They will benefit some from the things we accomplished but we have learned so much and have been changed more by them in my opinion.  I challenge you all to ask some of the team members what they have learned and how they will be changed.

Dwight

Travelling Home To The Cold

As I write this I am very thankful for the opportunity that I have had to be a part of this team.  I'm also very thankful to be home with my family!  I can only imagine how Patrick feels after being away from all his family for this whole time.  Terrace and I arrived in Regina with Garry, Bev, Lydine and Rick from Minneapolis at about 3:30pm today.  Crystelle and Jaelyn arrived about an hour later from Denver.  Our family has already settled back into our home and the kids are in bed for school tomorrow!  Back to the routine!

As I was shovelling my driveway this evening it struck me how easy it seemed tonight to lift all the snow that accumulated while we were gone.  Then I realized that 'Mexico Shovel Camp' is still paying off here at home.  This snow is light compared to the piles of Mexican dirt we moved over the past two weeks.  While I was on the driveway shovelling I continued to pray for the rest of our team that is still on their way home.  Patrick, Dave and Barb are still making there way here and should arrive at 1130pm tonight.  Apparently their flight was delayed another hour.  Praying they will have energy for the tasks that will come their way tomorrow with work and family, despite getting in so late.

It is interesting for me how quickly I can start to forget about everything that I've seen and done in Mexico.  As soon as you get back to the States and now Canada it seems that the temptation is to just move on.  I think everyone on the team will have to make hard decisions about if they will let that happen or not.  Will I let this experience change me or leave me the same?  I'm sure a bit of both will happen.  I hope to use this as somewhat of a fresh start with those who I have not been much of an example to in the past.  Sometimes it is hard to change to who God wants us to be when we are around all the time.  We are 'chicken'! It was easier to be set apart in Mexico because that is what I signed up to do!

Greg had challenged us to really think through how we will respond to people when they ask us about our trip.  We need to have the kind of response that will have an impact.  I'm still working on that!  But I think that one of the most impactful things that I saw while in Mexico was 'the Joy of the Lord' in the people that I met!  This includes the missionaries who are serving there all the way to the kids at the children's home.

There are many times in my life that I have a lot of fun and am happy, but I would say I have still lacked 'the Joy of the Lord'.  What I have learned is that when I am in God's will or when I see others who are in His will, that this joy should be obvious.  I felt this while I was in Mexico because I knew it was where God wanted me to be at that point.  I saw it in the missionaries there as they served too!  I believe I even saw it in the kids at the home as they seem to have a contentment despite their circumstances from which they came.  I believe it is God's will that each of them are there and spending time with Pedro and Zoila who model this contentment and joy, despite all they have given up for these kids!

While in Mexico I learned that this joy doesn't come from our possessions or what we do for ourselves, but rather I see it as going hand in hand with being in God's will.  Here in Canada I spend so much time seeking after what I want and what I can accomplish on my own and therefore likely spend a lot of time outside of God's will because of it.  God has proven to me on this trip that I can be content while in His will no matter what I'm doing, it is just a question of if I can continue to apply this while at home.  I pray that my heart will not grow cold (like this land we have returned to) over time!

There are still a few more stories about the people that I will share on the blog.  I plan to add those tomorrow but for now it is time to get some rest!  While writing this entry I got word that the rest of the team arrived home safely.  Thank you Lord for safety while travelling and teaching us patience!

Back to my regular name,

Dwight

Back To Winter

Well Terrace and I made it to Minneapolis with no further issues. What a shock to the system to deal with winter and snow and no winter coats with us!!  It has snowed quite a bit here and was still snowing when we arrived. Bev and Garry were supposed to be in Salt Lake City for tonight but they got on a standby flight to Minneapolis before us. Oddly Terrace's bag was on their flight and they recognized it and had it for us. More oddly their luggage was not on their flight or ours. Mine came with our flight, so we have all our stuff. Bev and Garry ended up spending the afternoon in the airport waiting for luggage but it didn't show, but they have enough in their carry-ons to get by!  Possibly it will just be sent on to Regina. We are hoping!  We left on our shuttle to hotel before they did and are across the street from Mall of America so Terrace is thrilled!  We are having a blast and plan to swim in the pool and go to the mall tomorrow before our flight. Might as well make the best of it! Hope everyone else's trips are going as planned. I have not heard anything further so expecting everyone to be home at different times on Monday.

Dwight

Going Places

The adventure continues!  Since our flight was cancelled we had one of the United Airline workers feverishly scrambling to get our group home any way possible. It took him three hours to sort things out. We had given him a short list of those to try and get on flights first because of work or other commitments. Somewhere along the way that list went out the window! It's hard to explain how confusing it has been to keep straight where everyone is going. We are going to have our own mini version of The Amazing Race to see who gets home first.

 Several of the team had to remain in Tucson today to get flights to various locations tomorrow. The rest of us have already begun to get flights around the States!  It certainly isn't the way we planned to end our trip, but we are thankful that everyone should be able to make it home by tomorrow night. We know after all we have seen first hand in Mexico that our situation is really minor compared to other places and situations we could be stuck in!  We thank God for all He has blessed us with.

It is amazing all the cities that our team will go through to get home to Regina. Starting in Tucson and then including Phoenix, Denver, Salt Lake City, Atlanta, and Minneapolis. I think that is all but I could have missed somewhere.

I couldn't get this sent before Terrace and I had to leave for Salt Lake City. We have arrived in Utah now. Bev and Garry came this far with us but they will have to stay here for night and we will go on to Minneapolis at 5:15pm.  Crystelle and Jaelyn stayed in Tucson today and will try to leave again tomorrow via Denver. Praying that works better tomorrow than it did today. They are likely enjoying some time at the mall today.

Keep praying for safety and no further delays for everyone on their way back.

God bless,

Dwight

Delays Coming Home

After a pretty good nights sleep we all arrived at the airport this am to the news that our flight has been cancelled. At this point we have no idea what the plan will be. It seems that the weather is the reason as it is snowing in Denver and cold poor weather through alot of the States. We will try to keep you posted.

Dwight

Farewell Mexico

I have to say that today I am very tired after our full day of travel. I think I'm more tired today than I was after our heaviest day of labor. There is something about driving that can be exhausting, but I'm thankful to the Lord for giving us a safe trip and no issues while crossing the border. My Mexico driving experience was fun but today was a long day of driving. It was nice to see the landscape of Mexico as we drove back to Tucson today. Because of our shuttle breakdown on the way down we were not able to see how beautiful the desert landscape can be!

Let me back up a bit to the beginning of the day. Today we started our day with a 'debriefing meeting'.  This was an awesome time to offer our thanks to Greg and Shelly for the way in which we were treated by them and their team of Ed and Terry, Jack and Lucy, and Cornelius and Yolanda!  They were such a blessing to us all!  We really cannot say enough about the fullness of the experience they brought to our trip.  The number one thing that I would say about them all is that their love of The Lord shines through in the way they love the people of Mexico and even loving an unknown missions team from Saskatchewan. 

During our debriefing Greg also offered a lot of valuable thoughts on how to walk through these next days, now that the trip will be over. He has such wisdom to offer and challenged us to be thoughtful in our approach to sharing about our trip. We don't want everyone we talk to thinking that all our trip was about was some building projects and spending time with orphans. We need to be ready to share how God has changed us through our experiences and observations while there. I think we all have so much to process right now!  It has been a very full experience!  

After our meeting we waited for the church van to return with a new tire so we could be safer for our trip. A big bulge in the tire was discover the day before when it went in for some brake work. Thank you Lord for looking out for us!  Once the van arrived we said our good-byes to everyone at the church except Shelly and a missionary friend who were coming with us to Tucson. This way we could use the church van and would not need the shuttle. Plus Shelly could come and get some shopping for Christmas done!  It worked out well to have them along for their border crossing experience, although that just complicated things having people from various places in the van. 

I realize I had mentioned I would add a few more stories about the kids and people we have met. I had hoped to do that today but we got in a little later because of having to wait about two hours in line ups at the border.  I will try to do that in the next day or two.  

We want to thank you all so much for your prayers and suppprt that made this trip possible. It was a huge team effort including many people at home. Please pray for our team as we travel the rest of the way home tomorrow.  If all goes well we should be arriving in Regina at 3:45 pm. Also, please pray that as we adjust to life at home that Satan would not have any power to discourage us. I believe he would love nothing more than to throw some conflicts our way to attempt to discourage us and keep us from being changed by this trip. One last request is to continue to pray for Emily Rohde who just had her neck surgery!  Harry and Donelda stayed behind to be with her during this time. We are thankful for the successful surgery and that it took place on the scheduled date. Now we want to keep praying that God would encourage her and help her to heal quickly. 

God bless,

Dwight/Pedro 

The Last Day (Terrace's Post #2)

Hey it's Terrace again!

       Yesterday was our last work day! This trip has been an amazing and life changing experience! I think for me especially the last day was the hardest! I found it very difficult to have fun and play with the kids when I knew that I would have to say goodbye at the end of the day. I will admit that after we left the orphanage I cried. I really fell in love with the kids. Also knowing how long the process of coming to Mexico takes, the kids at the orphanage will change and may not remember us. Even if they were stuck in our heads since the last time we saw them, they have many teams going through their house every year. 

      Anyways, the last night was very fun! We had a campfire and took turns singing songs in our separate languages, at the orphanage. Then we had pizza and pop, and to celebrate Garry's birthday we had cake! The kids at the orphanage put on a show to thank us! They were very fun to listen to and spend the evening with! After they sang, Barb wanted to show the kids her magic tricks! It was amazing the look on their faces when they saw the magic! Zoila wanted to play a game as well, so we had a little competion going. We threw tennis balls across the table into a bucket. All in all the evening was great and I will truly miss Pedro, Zoila  and their kids. 

   Coming home is bitter sweet. I am ready to sleep in my own bed. I am ready to see my friends and family. But I am not ready to say good bye to the kids or say goodbye to the people and leave the missionaries. And I am definetly NOT ready to come to the cold!!!

    Thanks for reading, 

           Terrace. 

Campfire Christmas Carols

Today was our last full day in Mexico. We had a slightly slower start but then it turned out to be quite a long day!  Our devotional today consisted of reading Psalm 34 three times as a group and then breaking off to discuss it in small groups. What stood out to me was verse 6 which says, 'This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles'.  I cannot help but think about the poverty I've seen here and how God can save everyone from their troubles. But does this just mean the people I see around me in poverty?  I don't think so!  I think that I need to see that I am the poor man that He has saved from trouble. Does this mean I won't have any problems or does it mean my view of troubles is far different than Gods?  Seeing the Christians I have met here in Mexico I would have to conclude that likely I may be poorer than them, spiritually. These Christians who still live in poverty compared to us obviously don't consider the poverty to be the trouble as I see the joy and 'richness' of their spiritual lives!

Today the ladies started their day by heading out shopping with Shelly to buy gift hampers for the children's

home. I know that Shelly had a list for everyone to find of things that they could use. I don't really know what was on that list but it was nice to know that we had an expert to help create that list for them.

The men's day started with a drive with Greg around the 'shanty town' area right next to the church. There is certainly a theme on this trip of seeing extreme poverty. The homes build with tar paper and leftover scraps are unfathomable. There are endless stories of 'invasions' of land space by people in so many parts of Hermosillo. What an opportunity it is for Arbol de Vida to be the hands and feet of Christ in caring for these people's physical needs. It was wonderful to see how Greg has build relationships in his neighborhood, as it took no time for him to stop and talk with a gentleman and his daughter that the church has cared for by providing medicine for his wife.

After our drive we loaded into his truck along with Jaelyn and Terrace to head to the children's home.  We did this trip Mexican style with five of us riding in the back of the truck on the way over. My girls loved 'living on the edge' in a way that we would have done in Canada back in the 80's!!  Once at the home the girls quickly connected with the kids again to spend time with them.  Our big project for the day was to pound, pry, and chisel out an old concrete floor in the 'baby room'. It had an old floor in that area that looked like it was from a previous home, but we are unsure about that. Regardless it was too high and needed to be removed. This felt like a hopeless job at times while pounding with no progress. But after breaking a sledge hammer for the second time and finding some additional tools we started to make good progress as a team. It was hard work, and our aches and pains made it feel even more difficult. For me it was a great feeling to get that job completely done as it was really a bonus job that we were working on. I know as a group we felt good knowing that we had done more than they had expected. Hopefully they will be able to have their room for the babies ready sooner than expected!

Part way through our day the wives also arrived with the gift hampers and continued on with their painting. They were able to complete the bedroom and hallway with two coats of paint and we all worked together with the available brushes to finish off the door frames too. It was nice to complete that task as it gives them another room that can be filled with beds for the kids.

It is hard to believe that our work here is done! We now hung around and relaxed until the younger kids got home from school. They attend school from 1 pm to 7pm each week day. The older kids go to class in the mornings. It was quite an experience for me to ride with Pedro to the school to pick up the 12 or so kids. I cannot believe how relaxed he is with this task, and how well all the kids behave as they load into the van on their own after being cooped up in school for the afternoon. I have no idea how he knew if everyone was there or not. These kids are so loving as they all said 'hi' to me as the stranger in the van and several shared their after school snack with each other and me. We also sang several Christmas songs on the way home. They love to hear me sing solos of the English version of what they were singing. What a joy they are to be around.

Once back at the home we all spent some time around the campfire (it got pretty cold tonight as the sun went down) singing Christmas Carols and other praise songs. What an unique experience to have a campfire in December and sing Christmas songs. Something none of us from Saskachewan have ever done before.

Tonight was an evening that we planned to spend with Pedro and Zoila, and all the kids. We waited for pizza to arrive and then had a pizza party where we all sat with different kids. It was a great time to celebrate with them. We all had so much fun!

One part of the celebration was surprising  Garry with a birthday cake. What is it with our two replacements having Birthdays on this trip?  That was a blast to have so many kids gathering around Garry for pictures and then to hand out cake. I think he said it was the most people he has ever had at a birthday party!  He was certainly the most popular 58 year old there with the kids!  Hope you had a great day Garry!!  Glad you were with us!

After our birthday cake the kids sang for us several Christmas songs they have been working on. Then Barb did a few tricks for the kids, that always amaze them.  Finally we stayed to play a game with the kids. Everyone cheered each other on as we attempted to bounce tennis balls into a pail at the other end of their long table. Whoever got the most in one minute won. I think we had a tie between Lydine and Zoila. A perfect ending to our evening.

It was an evening of thanks, bonding, hugs, pictures, and good byes!  It was hard to know that we were saying goodbye for who knows how long!  These kids have really touched our lives.  Sure some of us may return but I certainly pray that they will all come to a saving faith in Christ so that if I don't get back to Mexico I will see them all in heaven. I have no idea how many have accepted Christ but it sure seems to me that Pedro and Zoila are providing a home where the kids will know the salvation plan and are seeing Christ's love lived out everyday.  What an emotional evening as we said our goodbyes.

Tomorrow we will leave Mexico, but I will never forget what we have experienced here. God is at work!  Tomorrow I will try to share some more stories of the kids we met and the people around them.

Pray for a safe trip back to Tucson tomorrow. Well actually it is today as it is getting pretty late!

Good night!

Pedro

Christmas Tea and Baseball

The second Thursday already!!  It is really hard to believe how the time has passed so quickly, and then again it seems like we have been here for quite awhile and done so much!  Funny how time always seems to work that way.

During devotions today we read from Ephesians 4:1-3. It speaks of  keeping the bond of peace by exercising humility, gentleness, patience, and love while we walk in what we are called by God to do. As Dave said, this is a very timely lesson when you have just spent so much time together as a team. I really am amazed at the unity on this team but I will say that I think we are all starting to know each other well enough that we know how to get under one anothers skin. Despite being in the same small group for years (except our replacements Bev and Garry) it is without a doubt that we still all know a lot more about one another now than we did when we left on this trip!  That is a great thing but the devil would love to use that for his purposes.  We need to work at not letting that happen and let our love for one another help us to not use our closeness against one another. I know I need to commit myself over the next three days to exercising humility, gentleness, patience, and love to my team members. 

Today was an unique day for the ladies. They played a huge role in preparing for a ladies Christmas Tea that they all participated in tonight at the church. It likely wasn't what they all may have pictured as ministry here in Hermosillo, but I think they played a huge role in partnering with Shelly and being a source of encouragement to her as they baked goodies and decorated the church for this event. I'm sure they were also wishing they could get the painting finished at the kids home as that would give a good sense of accomplishment. Hopefully that will happen tomorrow for them. But today was about a Christmas Tea and who knows how God may use that to reach out to some of the guests that attended. It sounds as though about 25 ladies attended tonight. 


The men's day was another one of heavy labor at the kids home. Today we poured a concrete floor in the living room area with Francisco and his team of Mexican workers. It was sweet to see that floor done as it provides them with a home where they no longer need to walk through a dirt living room to move between the kitchen and the bedrooms. Hopefully it will help decrease the amount of sweeping that needs to be done. 


We also back filled dirt around two sides of the home to give it a neater appearance and help slope the ground away from the house. The shovels and wheelbarrows got a good work out today. 'Shovel Camp', as we have learned to call this trip, lives on!!  You will have to ask any of the team the funny story about how we settled on that title for it. We still have some work to do to complete breaking up some concrete floor. That task didn't get completed due to a broken sledge hammer, but we hope to do more on that tomorrow.  

A couple neat things about today where meeting two other families from Phoenix that drove down to come celebrate and bring all kinds of gifts for the kids. It is good to meet Christian friends who have a heart for the same ministry. They are such a blessing to Pedro and Zoila. They have known them since they were orphans in a different home, and then reunited with them years later after Pedro and Zoila where working at this orphanage. Hard to believe that wasn't a 'God thing'. 




The second neat thing was to have our pictures taken with the construction team. We have worked several days with these guys and Greg doesn't believe they are Christians. It was cool to see how we grew closer together in these few days and we pray that we have been some kind of light that would lead them to Christ, even though we could not speak enough Spanish with them to share Christ with words!






A few interesting points to add from the day:

-watching the real Pedro smile while he watched a couple of his kids playing in the yard. He was amused by how well his one boy was 'playing dead' while the girls were trying to wake him up. 
-having Barbara, who peed on Terrace a couple days ago, give me some of the greatest hugs I've ever had, other than from Crystelle and the girls. Then having her later in day, when she had peed herself again, climb onto my back for a piggy back ride when I didn't expect it!  That was not what I was squatting down for. 
-having this unique construction zone that has no barriers to keep kids out. Your constantly steering your wheelbarrow around small children and right thought their home. The kids seem completely used to this. Not even one kid stepped on the wet concrete!
-how quiet these kids seem to be. Usually 5 Canadian kids in a room equals huge noise. They have up to twenty here and the kids are all busy doing things, but there doesn't seem to be an appropriate amount of noise for that many. It seems very stress free!


So because of the Christmas Tea for the ladies us men had to head out for supper and stay away for awhile. Greg along with Ed and Jack invited us to have supper and then go to the professional baseball game. Our choice for supper was to go for the hot dogs again. Seems to fit well with baseball too. So we spent the evening at their beautiful stadium for the Hermosillo Nananjeros (literally Orange pickers).  They won 5-4 in a come from behind victory. It was quite an experience watching the fans and their different style of passion, as well as just enjoying hanging out as guys and only needing to pay 75 pasos ($7) for the ticket. Possibly the best part of the evening is having Greg drive us to and from the game while his Mexican friend gave direction on how to get there fastest. Traffic was brutal and after experiencing this 'sport' of Mexican driving I know I have a long way to go to become a Mexican driver!!

Dwight

Rain In Hermosillo

Well, as I sit here to write another entry to the blog a couple things strike me as amazing!  First, it is hard to believe we only have three days left to serve here. Secondly, that it is only supposed to rain on about five days a year here ( we have been told), and it is presently raining quite steady and hard. I'm thanking The Lord it was not like this during our pizza supper about four hours ago!  It will be interesting to see how much of the dust it helps to settle over the city. Usually we can see a brownish fog over the city in the distance. So many dirt roads within the city and the dry environment cause this.

Today's team devotional was on submitting ourselves to God so that He is able to use us in His plan. We read a couple of passages, but Romans 12:1,2 was the one that stood out the most to me. Many of us know this scripture well but we don't do well applying it at home. Sure it may be easy to give my body as a living sacrifice here in Mexico, but what about at home?  One of the points of our devotional was that God cannot use me and carry out His will in my life if I don't allow Him to do it. I need to completely surrender to His will in all areas of my life if I want Him to complete His work using me. To not completely surrender doesn't mean God cannot carry out His plan (think of Esther). But it does mean I will miss out on the blessing He has for me when I let Him use me as He sees fit, rather than how I see fit!

Today at the 'home' we arrived to some excited kids!  It really struck me today how much joy is in this place. While waiting to get started working Jaelyn, Patrick, and I started up a game of soccer with the kids. It seems so easy with the kids to bridge the language barrier. We had a blast with them and they love to see us acting like kids. Several times during my day I would take a couple minutes out to go and skip rope with the kids. The amazement in their eyes as you do something unexpected with them is so worthwhile. Sure, we could come in there and build a roof over their heads and walk away feeling good about what was done and they would be thankful too!  But it seems so much more important to me to build those relationships as small as they may be. At several points during the day you could look around and see so much going on, but it pleases me to say that I could see all the team members going beyond the jobs we were there to do. Today, I saw Terrace playing with kids in the yard and bonding more with Barbara. I saw Jaelyn dishing out hugs and making kids laugh with fun rhymes and clapping hands. Dave having arm wrestling contests with boys. 'Patrick Star' having thumb fights with boys. Several ladies helping out in the kitchen. All of us encouraging Griselda to sing 'Jesus loves me' to us at lunch in English and singing along with her the first time. She is a sweet 13 year old girl with the biggest smile you have ever seen!

Probably the highlight of my day was after I was skipping rope with some girls and boys to have them point out Garry as the next skipping candidate. Without hesitation at all, Garry came over and gave it his best attempt in big work boats, to the amazement and laughs of the kids!  I'm pleased to say this white man can jump, and we have the picture to prove it!

As you may have noticed I have not even mentioned our work for the day yet. Well don't worry we did get a bunch accomplished between all this playing!  The ladies and girls did alot of painting and ran out of paint again today. Hopefully the paint will be there tomorrow for them to finish off the second coat in the dorm room as well as the hallway. It looks great!  The men mixed and hauled a lot of concrete, that was handed up to the Mexican team of construction workers to pour on the roof that we prepped yesterday. The 'baby room' now has a roof over it!  We have been having a good time with the crew

joking over our language barrier and making lots of hand gestures to communicate with our ten word vocabulary!  They seem to be enjoying us being around.  I'm sure we are the source of many jokes for them.  Tomorrow we are excited to be pouring a concrete floor in the living room.   The ladies will stay behind at the church I think and do some decorating for a tea tomorrow night.

After our work today we drove to downtown Hermosillo (Centro) for some market shopping and then the best pizza you have ever bought at a car wash for supper!  Ask us about that one!

Please continue to pray for unity amongst our group. It has been great so far!  If we seek to keep God's plan first it will stay strong. It was good to hear from Garry that Greg had mentioned to him while driving today that he is impressed with how great our team gets along!  We are not looking for man's praise but when hearing a comment like that we want to give the glory to God!  Thank you Lord for working amongst us here and uniting us to do Your will. Help us to finish strong and go home 'changed'!

Dwight

They Let Me Drive In Mexico!!

So as our habit has been, today started with team devotions. Today Bev shared her testimony. A couple themes from her story would be 'my grace is sufficient for you' and 'whether you know it or not, or whether you feel it or not, God is in control'.  Often life brings us both good and bad times and in all of those situations it can be hard to see what God is thinking (especally the bad times). While Bev was sharing her testimony I could not help but think of this verse. 'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts'.  Isaiah 55:8,9.  You can imagine how in the last week we have asked God why He would allow people in this part of the world to live in the conditions they are in.  In all of life's struggles whether Bev's, or anyone on our team, or the people of Hermosillo, we may need to conclude with these verses from Isaiah.

Today was a big day for me!  Driving in Mexico with a 15 passenger van that is in moderately good working order, especially compared to some of the vehicle we have seen driving almost sideways down the streets. We didn't know wheel alignments could be that far off!  Anyways, we have travelled quite a bit around the city, but this week the mission needs us to be able to get around a bit on our own, so I have been preparing for this moment. I love that pedestrians DON'T have the right of way. We need to make some changes in Canada!  I don't want everyone to think driving is crazy down here but it is different. Many things seems optional, or at least have different meaning, like stops signs, lanes, signaling, and speed limits. The goal seems to be get there safe, don't get in anyone's way, and don't make anyone hit their head on the ceiling from all the speed bumps!  Two out of three is not bad I guess. Speed bumps truly do work great here for controlling people's speed without police around. Putting over fifty of them in a half a kilometre stretch will do that!  So it looks like the team will have to put up with my driving for the rest of the week, so praying for safety would be much appreciated!

After our drive we finally got to see the orphanage. I had a preview the other day but for the rest of the team they finally were here!  In comparison to a lot of homes we have seen it looks pretty good.  It is still hard to describe how dry and barren the ground is even in their yard, but despite that, this is an oasis for these kids.  Some of the teams most striking memories of today were as follows. Getting instant hugs from Rueben (age 8), given to multiple team members!  The joy of playing with the kids with baseballs and wagons, while waiting to get started working!  Terrace becoming attached to Barbara (age 2 or 3). Dangerous working environment lifting approximately 400-500 lb concrete beams up to the roof to prepare to pour a concrete roof tomorrow. Having a little 8-10 year old boy join in to help us carry a few of these heavy beams, with a smile on his face!  The beauty and joy on the faces on all of these kids despite their situation.  Obviously many of them must know how blessed they are and what they have been saved from. The love shown by Pedro and Zoila to all of these kids (20 I believe, of which 3 are their biological children).  Our surprise at the huge modern country  kitchen inside this plain looking concrete structure they call their home. I'm sure I have missed many of the teams thoughts but I hope you are getting an idea of what this place is like.

Today's work consisted of the men helping the construction crew getting ready to pour the concrete roof over the 'baby room'. This entailed lifting the previously mentioned beams up onto the roof. It took four of us to carry these beams and help from three more to get them onto the roof. I also have to give Lydine some credit for helping out and making a significant difference in the load!  Once on the roof these beams were laid across that room and special styrofoam pieces are fitted and secured inbetween the beams. We will pour concrete on top of the styrofoam tomorrow to compete a solid roof over this part of their home.

We also did a lot of shovelling and moving sand to the side of the home to cover pipes and build up around the outside of two sides of the home. We would have done more on that but ran out of sand for that purpose.  Hopefully we will get more so we can compete that project in some of our down time. 

The ladies for the most part took care of sealing and painting the walls in a hallway and bedroom of the orphanage. I think they like to call it a home, so I will try to refer to it that way as well. The ladies still have quite a bit of painting to do as these concrete walls seem to soak up the paint. Some good progress was made despite they ran out of paint.

Both Jaelyn and Terrace were able to help with painting, but were mostly thrilled to meet the children and be able to spend time with them. Jaelyn also helped with hauling sand along the side of the home with the men and racked alot of sand to level a floor in the open living room. Terrace received more hugs today from Barbara than she could count and was able to read to her and play with toys with her. Jaelyn, you think would of been dead tired after pushing kids around endlessly in a big toy car, but she still found a lot of time to help out with the projects. I cannot describe the feeling in my heart to see my kids serving so selflessly with this family, a skill they learned from their mother for sure!

Mid afternoon we headed back to the church where the ladies were treated to a lesson in tortilla making with Annarita. Some of the men helped out as well with preparing them to be fried. We all helped out with eating a bunch. So much so that many of the ladies didn't really eat supper when we went out for Burros which are basically big burritos.  Another great meal hosted again by missionaries/tour guides Yolanda and Cornelius. 

I am looking forward to spending more time at the home tomorrow and getting to know Pedro, my brother with the same name, what a coincidence!  I also look forward to spending more time with the kids. 

As we talked as men tonight before bed, we discussed how this trip may change our lives once we are home.  We were not totally sure how this might look but were convinced that we need to ask God how He wants us to be changed.  We also felt that although we came here to serve others, we are beginning to realize that this trip may have a bigger impact on our lives than anyone we have come to serve.

Pedro

Terrace's Post

 Hey, it is Terrace posting!

There was a request that I post on the blog. So I am going to attempt at posting. 

   This trip has been an amazing experience. It has been a very eye opening trip. On one of the first days while we were sorting clothes ,for the big sale, we weren't sure what to keep or toss. So Shelly decided to drive us through the area were the clothes were going to.I had seen pictures and been told what to expect but no one can describe how these people live. I was shocked to see tin roofs and walls of tarps. Yet the kids were still smiling and playing like we would've at the age of 4. When we got back and started sorting again it was really hard. You didn't want to put in clothes with stains or holes and say "this is good enough for you!" but also you felt bad when you put clothes in the garbage pile that they would still buy. Anyway, the sale was a blast! I made some great buddies,helping them try on shoes and rummage through shirts.

 Another experience was the food. If you know me you would  know I am a picky eater! The food hasn't all been my favorite, but I have learnt the art of a "no thank you portion" the food is a very big part of Mexicans culture so you must try everything. One of the  nights we all divided into groups and ate at houses of people from  the church. My group got the best meal! (or at least I like to think)  we had perogies with meat inside,  instead of potatoes. Then they  were deep fried until perfectly crunchy and topped with lettuce and  tomatoe! I think I have a new favorite food!   

  And just yesterday we went to the beach! Although I have a fear of the ocean I did manage to go up to mid thigh! I enjoyed the huts they had set up! I also made the mistake of going for a walk and taking of my shoes while drawing in the sand. Come the end of the day we had the whole team searching for these purple flip flops. Finally, mom to the rescue,  found them 300 yards from the main  area. 

 And finally, today at the child home. Man was it a great day!!! I instantly fell in love with a 2-3 year old girl named Barbara. All day she was coming for hugs  and wanted me to hold her. (or  anyone to hold her)  I felt a little less excited when near the end of the day we were reading a story and she peed all the way down my leg!  I can't wait til tomorrow when I get to play with the kids and continue to paint walls again! 

 I hope to continue posting while we are away. Pray that these last couple days will be great and that we will continue to have energy. And also for health. 

 Thanks for reading, 

  Terrace/ Terisa 

( my Mexican name is Terisa by the way)

Beach Day

Today was set aside as a 'touristy beach' day. Our hosts for the trip today were Ed and Cornielius.  We headed west to the Pacific to the town of Kino. It is on the Gulf of California. On the way there several thing happened. First after getting outside of the city we decide to have our team devotions while driving. Today this included singing a couple praise songs and then Garry sharing his testimony with the group. For me, a key element to Garry's testimony was about the call of God on our lives. For each of us it can manifest itself very differently!  But when we are seeking His will it  will be revealed to YOU, and before acting should likely be clear to you!  It was refreshing to see how this has played out in his life at different times and his obedience and attention to this call. We are all called to something, and for Garry his example of someone called to be a theologically educated layperson is very refreshing!  In our church I know I see how Garry has blessed others with his ability to teach, as just one example!

Another highlight that happened on our trip to the beach was making a few quick stops along the hi-way to look at orchards, vineyards, and melon fields. At one stop where workers were very close to the hi-way they instantly were waving Ed over to give him four fresh water melons straight from the field. These people are so happy and seem full of pride for what they do, even if it is just picking watermelons!  They smiled and waved as Ed walked back to the van with his arms full. When was the last time you reached out to someone who passed by you while you were working to share in a similar way!  Give it a try...you will be blessed for being a blessing! Perhaps it was just their way of celebrating the Rider Nation victory and providing the Saskatchewanites with hats on their way to the beach!

The most stunning stop of our trip to the beach was in the town of Miguel Aleman where a portion of the Trique tribe live (possibly spelt Triki, it's a little 'tricky' to spell). They are a very short in stature people group who are the lowest of the low. Some of the poorest people of Mexico would discriminate and treat them poorly by cheating them out of wages, stealing the little they have, and shunning them publicly. Driving through their village brings another whole meaning to the word needy or poor! I would guess that you keep your shovels and garden tools in a better place than they live. It was even difficult to take pictures from the van because of how bad the roads were (yes, worse than Regina roads).  We have no clue how blessed we are!  Count your blessing about where you were born and what God provides for you!  It was nothing you did to deserve it!!  So much of the world has so little, but it is even harder to believe it can be this way in a place so close to a big city, within a hour drive of a WalMart. I think that shows just how rejected these people are. It was an eye opening experience to see and hear of their battles to stay on the land where they are squating. To hear that they are paid the equivilant of $5-10 US funds per day for their hard labor is baffling. They are known for working in the fields and orchards long days.  We will try to attach some pictures of their homes and their elaborate power system but it may be a day or two as I didn't have any on my phone to send. 

Before heading out for a lunch of sea food we stopped at a museum to learn about the Seri people who are an indigenous people to the coast and Isla de Tiberon. Our lunch was a beautiful chance to enjoy some sea food and the spectacular view of the Gulf with huge mountainous islands in front of us. We then enjoyed a relaxing afternoon on the beach with some wading and swimming. It was a good unwinding time with lots of joking and fun!  It was also a cool opportunity for a few of the team to do some bartering with the locals who came around with authentic Mexican Hammocks to sell. Needless to say some naps were taken in hammocks in the cabanas on the beach. 

On our drive home we drove to Old Kino to see some of the shell fish trapping, fishing and shrimping   work that takes place there. It would be interesting to have someone explain that industry further as it was difficult to figure out everything that was going on there.  Seems like quite a labor intensive process. Again, the Shanty towns stand out in my mind as these people live with so little. 

Once we arrived back at the church Jack and Lucy Hildebrand took us for supper for stuffed potatoes. Stuffed is a good word to describe how I felt after our meal. We have been spoiled with local knowledge on where to eat and what to order. Good thing we are getting back to work tomorrow to work this all off!

As a team we are excited about our opportunity to help out the orphanage. We have been thrilled to accomplish what we have here at the church so far but it has been hard being here for so many days without being at the orphanage, at least for our family!  Please pray we will be a blessing to them as a team. Pray that the kids will accept us and be excited we are there. Pray for safety travelling on the roads back and forth each day. Pray especially for Greg and Shelly as they lead the ministry here. Pray that God would encourage them and strengthen them and give them wisdom to know how to best spent their time ministering to the endless needs around them!

God bless,

Dwight 

The Lord's Day

The Lord's Day is a day of rest and celebration. In Mexico for us today that was a welcome day!  I'm sure we all would have energy enough to continue working through today if we needed to but it was a welcome break. Certainly there was lots of little areas to serve and help with today but it was most exciting to worship with the Arbol de Vida congregation.

Our day started with a little bit of a sleep in and then helping to set up for the morning worship service. Chairs were set up in the main room where we have been eating our meals (their church is laid out a little different than ours). There was also a part of our team that helped out with setting up  for the children's church.

Then at about 11 am their worship service begins. It is quite unique in the fact that it starts off with about 30 people in attendance. Then over the next half an hour suddenly the church is full. Mexico time is certainly more relaxed than Canadian time!  By about half way through the worship/singing time the church was full and over flowing with about 150 people. It is a slightly more laid back service but certainly had all the same elements common on our Sunday mornings. Greg had warned us that the service is longer and will go to about 1 pm. Today it went to 1:20 pm but honestly did not feel long in any way. With lunch commonly being around 2pm or later most of you can relax and stop worrying about your roast beef, it won't be burnt!  They just operate under a different schedule than we are used to but I can say it wouldn't take me long to get used to a Sunday schedule like this.

As far as interesting elements that I noted during the service here are a few thoughts from my perspective. Other team members may have viewed it differently. First and most obviously it was in Spanish. I noticed a lot of their worship songs were different than ours, but as Crystelle made note of, what a blessing and unique opportunity to sing along in English during 'Blessed be the name of the Lord' as they sang in Spanish. Just think about how big our God is as He hears the praise from hundreds of countries around the world at the same time, all in their native tongues. It is so beautiful to know that we are praising the same God, and He hears us all individually!  It was also awesome to see a girl, about Terrace's age, praising God with the upbeat worship and smiling over at Terrace across the aisle. Even though we cannot communicate well with them in 'word' it is beautiful to see how we all can communicate in 'deeds' both with smiles or even building a wall or selling clothes. What a feeling of unity within the service.  We were also blessed to be able to participate in communion as well as celebrating all the birthdays of the last month with a song.  Finally we were honored to have Jack Vogt speak on Exodus and the Passover and communion. This portion of the service was preached in English by him for our benefit and interpreted, line for line, into Spanish for the rest of the congregation. Normally this would just be in Spanish as Jack speaks it fluently. So we feel honored for the efforts they made on our behalf to include us.

As a team we provided the special music by singing 'Once Again' in English for them!  It was sweet to be able to look at all their faces while we sang and see all the warm smiles. What an amazing God we serve!

After the service we helped pack up some chairs and tables and headed out to the 'camp' for a church BBQ. Here it was called 'Carne Asada' which I believe means BBQ meat!  What could be better than that?  Well, I guess BBQ beef all chopped up and then served on flour or corn tortias (I think) with guacamole, lettuce, hot salsa (picante!!), plus more fresh fixings!  Wow, what a spread of food!  It was a wonderful time to sit and relax and interact with everyone. Many just visited and ate food but there was also opportunity to play basketball and soccer. It was great to interact with the kids all the way to the more elderly. I even had a chance to try and talk a bit with a man who joined us for the day. It was only his third time at the church and he lives very close by in the shanty town and is often seen walking by the church in a stupor from sniffing solvents. God is touching so many people here through the ministry of Arbol de Vida!

Tonight we had a relaxing evening as a team on our own here at the church.   If only you could of heard the noise from the 'Uno' table with new rules making it a much wilder game than I've ever seen before. It is the times like these where I see how God is bringing our team even closer together with a unique bond! I feel blessed to have our kids here with us to experience this together as a family. Watching them participate in games and work with our team and the local team shows me how special they are.  I think the best is yet to come for them as we begin to work at the orphange on Tuesday. Tonight it was good that everyone was able to relax a little in their own way because tomorrow we have a big day!  We are going to the Beach!  Greg and Shelly consider Monday their family day so it works out to be a good day for the team to be guided by the Hildebrand's to the Beach. We will get the work boots and gloves back on for Tuesday as we have a lot more work to get done this week!

Pedro!!

A Run Around Saturday!

Today was a day with many things going on at once!  Divide and conquer could have been the theme!    We started with our devotional by reading Psalm 34:1-10. The first verse really stood out to me. "I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth."  Just imagine if we all lived this way!  How could I possibly say something bad about my neighbor, or tell a lie, or draw attention to how great I am! ...Hmmm.  It could change the world if we constantly praised Him!  Such a hard thing to do by our own power!  Obviously this is why we need to abide in Him!  This was illustrated nicely in the rest of our devotional time as Patrick shared his testimony with the team. In summing his testimony up it was clear that relying on God to guide us and asking for His Holy Spirit to empower us makes all the difference in life's circumstances. It doesn't mean everything will go our way, but it does mean He will give us the grace to move through whatever comes our way, good or bad!


For activities today we had the opportunity to set up as a whole group for the bazaar. Then the ladies took over with Shelly and worked selling clothes to anyone who came by. Apparently it was quite busy in the morning but slowed in the afternoon. It was quite amazing to see how many bins of clothes had disappeared. It is also nice to know that all of the remaining clothes are organized for the future. I am sure that is a huge blessing to Shelly to be able to put that all away in an organized fashion. I know everyone would have loved to sell more clothes to those who came, but who knows whose lives were touched today by this ministry?  God does!

While the bazaar was going on the majority of the men worked to finish the sidewalk ramp along the side of

the church. Again, this entailed a lot of mixing concrete and pouring it while Fransico and his men worked their magic to create a beautifully smooth surface. Barb was able to use some of her creativity to lay various leaves into the surface leaving their imprint on the 'Tree of Life' church sidewalk. An unique connection I think!

While all of this was going on Greg and his team of Jack, Ed, Ulysses (spelling?), and myself drove to their 'camp' to do some repairs and clean up for a church BBQ tomorrow. It is about half an hour from the church and has such potential to be used for ministry in the future. There was a lot of yard clean up to be done that Ed, Jack, and I worked on. Greg and Ulysses took care of welding a door in place in one of the buildings and repairing a basketball hoop. Ulysses is such a man of God and has such a servant heart. In the days we have been here he has dedicated so many hours to the church volunteering his time and welding talents. He has also been at every possible event that has been on for the local church this week. Bible study, prayer meeting, hosting part of our team for supper, repairing the churches front gate and door at camp. For all this he takes time from his own work as I understand it. He is just one of many here who serve using their physical and spiritual gifts in such humble ways.

So after all the men's work was done and the team, including the local missionaries had helped to pack up from the bazaar we all cleaned up and prepared for taking in more of the sites of Hermosillo. Again we were toured to various locations throughout the city by Shelly, Nolanda and Cornelius, Ed and Terry, and Jack and Lucy. I have to say thanks to all of them for the time they have spent with us. It has been a blessing to talk and joke with all of them. We are starting to get to know them well enough to have some great laughs. Just ask Ed and Terry about trying to take group photos of the team with cameras taking pictures of their noses instead. I'm sure many of the Mexican people on top of the mountain lookout wished the 'gringos' would stop laughing so loud.

Today our tour included a stop at the site of the daycare where the 49 children died in the fire 4 years ago.

Shelly spoke with us there about the impact on so many lives and the five families of victims that she is still presently ministering too!










Next we visited the 'Virgin of Guadeloupe' shrine.  It is a picture of a virgin (many would say Mary) who the

Catholic Mexicans pray to for their requests to be answered. Many pray for healing of some sort. I will not go into huge detail about how it came into being but the fact is it is a huge part of Catholicism here in Mexico. Shrines are build on the mountains in several places in Mexico and thousands of Mexicans come to these locations to seek the favor of God to answer their prayers by praying to this virgin. You see her image all over the city and people often leave plaques with their prayers and thanks for answered prayers on the mountain by the shrine. Thousands of candles are burned and coming up in about two weeks will be the huge yearly celebration to her, where even more people will climb the mountain to seek her favor.  It was an eye opening experience to one of the hugest roadblocks to ministry here in Mexico. We spent some time praying to the one true God, our Saviour and Heavenly Father, from this spot (individually at the top and as a group in the parking lot). Praying in particular to thank Him for the free access He has provided to Him in the sacrifice of His son, Jesus Christ. We also prayed for those who have been deceived into thinking they cannot have direct access to pray to God knowing that He cares and hears our petitions directly.

Then before our supper in a downtown restaurant we stopped to see the view from a mountain in the middle of the city. It was beautiful to watch the sun go down and the lights of the city come on.  From here we walked through some markets on our way to the restaurant.

Reflecting now on the past few days I see just how enormous the need for Christ in this city is and it leaves me in awe thinking about just how much bigger our world is than Hermosillo. I'm also seeing how a love for these people is growing in our team. They overall are such a loving people and willing to smile and try to communicate with us. I also am amazed by the simple joys so many seem to have, like walking through a park or just sitting down with family to enjoy a snack. On the other side you cannot help but notice the extreme poverty and living conditions unlike anything I've ever seen in my EMS career in Regina. The final thing that continues to impress me is how Greg and Shelly in particular, but the rest of their team as well, never stop serving and ministering to those around them. It is not unusual to find Greg having a one on one conversation with someone with his Bible in hand or on his phone sharing, what he has been learning or listening to others concerns. Shelly, as well, can be found talking to kids or needy people at every opportunity. She is such an encourager of the Christians around her and brings smiles to many people's faces in a day. They exemplify Psalm35:1 as God's praise is continually in their mouths!

Dwight

PS: if the dates seem one day off it is just because of posting the entry after midnight. Hope that helps