Guess Who Is Coming To Dinner?

It was a long day but great! Today our devotional was based on John 15:7 which says, 'If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you'.  It is a challenge for us all to be so close and in tune with God that what I ask for is completely in His will.  This can only happen when we are filled with the Holy Spirit and therefore guided by our heavenly Father to do and ask for what He wants. I become secondary and yet His will is what I will want!  It seems to apply well to what we are doing here!  Each day I don't really know what we are going to be doing, but I know I'm ready to do whatever He wants and that is all I'm wishing for each day.

Today the ladies finished preparing for the bazaar by sorting more clothing and preparing it in crates.  Everything is ready to go for the sale which will be tomorrow. If you read yesterday about the clothing you know that I said clothes that are stained or torn are thrown away. Today after the ladies took the bags of garbage out to the bin in the compound it could not have been half a hour until one little boy and two little girls showed up to pull bags of clothes from the bin. It was heartbreaking to watch and realize that these kids who were likely 7-10 years old spend the whole day and possibly night alone fending for themselves in this way. It was like they found a gold mine as they walked away loaded down with huge garbage bags of clothes. The youngest girl was determined to carry her  two bags on her own. She took quite the tumble down the entrance and over her bag of clothes and still got up with a giggle and continued to struggle with that bag. Greg tried to help her but it seemed as though she was fearful he may try to take the clothes away and struggled even more to speed up. As he helped her you could feel his frustration with the situation, and yet his wisdom to know how much to help out as she struggled along.  It is a delicate balance. We watched her disappear up a lane into the shanty town several minutes later by herself. It is so similar spiritually how many people refuse to pass their burdens over to God (both those who don't know Him as Saviour as well as those who do). We refuse the help that is freely offered to us and continue to struggle along making a mess of what we are trying to carry on our own.

The men today, with some help from Jaelyn, continued to work with the skilled Mexican laborers building a retaining wall in the compound. It was a different kind of day with some 'hurry up and wait' elements. We could only help so much but the steady progress resulted in the whole team seeing the wall come together nicely.  The skill of Francisco laying the blocks was amazing! We poured a concrete footing this morning and let it set over lunch and then assisted them in setting cindercrete blocks in place. Fransisco even let me put one in place with mortor while he ate a piece of Bev's birthday cake. I got the thumbs up, but I noticed they only let me do one!  It wasn't as intense work for the whole day so we could try to interact more with the Mexican people around us. It was also a blessing for some of our team members to be able to talk with Greg about different aspects of his job and affirm him in his role here!  It is awesome how conversations just start up and you can see his heart for the ministry here. It seems to be a constant search for ways to do more and yet just being faithful to serve all those who you come in contact with!

Later in the afternoon Cornelius and Mingeal (spelling??) took us to Centro Hermosillo. It is the market area and certainly is not for tourists. It truly is the market for 'their' people. Hermosillo is not known to be a tourist area and so it was an unique experience to see a Mexican market with endless shops. The people here are so friendly and quick to smile or pose for pictures!

Tonight, after being at Centro, we each were given the blessing to have a meal in the homes of different members of the church. We divided into three groups and had at least one of the missionaries come with us to help translate.  It was incredible how these people were so willing to open their homes to us and cook us an authentic Mexican meal. It seemed that everyone on our team came back on a high from the blessing we had just experienced!  My family was able to join Shelly to go to Ahnada's home. She is an extremely hard working lady whose love for the Lord is easy to see right from the moment she welcomed us into her home. It was special for our family hear her story and see her love for God.  It is eye opening to see where she lives and realize that she is considered lower middle class here. Her home was clean and very simple but certainly it would have been considered very poor by our standard in Canada. I had inquired if we could help with dishes, to which her reply was basically, 'no thank you because I have no sink in my kitchen and will have to clean these outside in back yard and if we went there the dogs would bite us'. She is so gracious to us and wanted to know about us and what she could pray for in our lives. What an experience to be able to participate in with your children!!  We will be praying for you Ahneda!

Hard Labor, Bev's Birthday, and Hot Dogs

Well today started with our team eating breakfast and having a group devotional time.  Our focus in our singing was to be made a servant and to have the Holy Spirit work in our lives to melt me, mold me, fill me, use me!  Dave led us in a short devotional on Colossians 3:12-17. It speaks of clothing ourselves with basically the fruits of the spirit. Bind them together with the garment of love which brings perfect unity. We pray for unity not only on our team but also the unity we can feel with the missionaries here and our Mexican brothers and sisters in Christ. We may not be able to speak with them all very well but surely there is a sense of unity!  Our closing verse says, 'And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him'.

As far as tasks for the day the ladies worked hard under the direction of Shelly to sort through endless items of clothing that the church will be having a 'bazaar' to sell to nearby needy people. You may ask why would they sell and not give? Well as these people are already the rejected and looked down upon people, Arbol de Vida wants to send a message that they are valued and loved.  The church doesn't want to send a message of pity to them and that they need handouts but rather provide for them with clothing for mere pasos and cultivate their own sense of worth in their ability to purchase quality items for their families and themselves. Interestingly only the untorn and unstained items are put up for sale. Money from this sale in the past has helped Arbol de Vida send out its own teams to places like Haiti for missions. What a sweet way to have their own community assist in a mission to more needy people. In all this sorting our ladies were able to work side by side with some of the Mexican ladies who put in even longer hours helping with the sorting. 

The men were outside again working hard to finish up a couple projects and continue to prep a trench that was dug where a footing of concrete will be poured for a retaining wall. We too were able to work side by side with some of the local Mexican people. What a challenge to try and communicate. It is amazing what you can say with your face and hands!!  I think in general we all felt some more of the pain of not knowing the language to go along with the pain in our backs, muscles, hands (blisters), elbows, and necks from two days of hard labor!  Today was a much hotter day as well. I'm guessing but would figure it must have been close to 30 C. We sure felt the heat while drilling holes into the side of the building, that the sun was beating down on, for rebar to support the concrete walkway we will pour possibly tomorrow. 

After an incredible lunch of chicken noodle soup to go along with flat style hard shell tacos with chicken that I cannot remember the real name for, we did some cleaning up and then headed out with new friends Cornielius and Yolanda to go to the local zoo. It was a good chance to see the city as well as a bunch of cool animals. On the return trip Cornielius and Yolanda introduced us to Horchata, a great Mexican drink made from fresh coconuts. It was amazingly refreshing and my best description would be it is like a thin sweet eggnog with a coconut flavour. When we arrived back at the church it was time for us to go for supper with the Hildebrand's (Ed and Terry). They are retired teachers who are presently missionaries here as well. It was fun to have them take us for incredible hot dogs from a street vendor and then for a delicious desert of Churro which is like a sugary deep fried crispy donut like treat. I also have to say that these hot dog were like nothing you have ever seen. Wrapped in bacon and with about a dozen different topping to put on them. Beans, more bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, ground up sausage, onions, cheese, salsas, etc, etc!  

Walking around with our desert we visited a local cemetery. It was interesting to see how vastly different they look and the obvious influence of the Catholic faith here. While there Shelly told us of the huge tragedy from four years ago of a daycare/preschool that had 49 children die when it caught on fire. It is Mexico's greatest accident!  She spoke of the special building being built in one of the cemeteries for these children to remember them. It is also amazing to see the opportunities that she has had to minister to these families who have lost or who have severely disabled kids due to the fire. They have run a couple of 'Burn Camps' for these kids and some families have come to Christ through this tragedy.  God has put her in the right place and with the right skills to help heal these people's  deep wounds while pointing them to Christ. 

Perhaps we didn't get a lot of projects completed this afternoon, but all I can say is a big 'thank you' to these missionaries for spending time with us today. Their love for their city just spills out all over you like my hot dog did tonight!  To hear their stories of the relationships they have built and to feel their hospitality first hand is incredible. I can only hope that us being here is some source of encouragement to them. Thank you Greg and Shelly, Cornielius and Yolanda, Ed and Terry for including us in your day!

To end our day we have to wish Bev a Happy Birthday!  We bought her a cake but we couldn't even eat it after all the food we had tonight. Something to look forward to at lunch tomorrow I guess!  Happy 29th Birthday again Bev!!

Dwight

First full day in Mexico

Well once again the majority of the team has gone to bed.  We had a full first day and have a sense of accomplishment for all that got done today around the church. The churches name is Arbol de Vida, which means "Tree of Life" literally. Interesting enough about the only sign of life in the compound beside the church is a beautiful large green tree. Kinda like how Arbol de Vida has been in this community as we have heard how barren and empty it has been around them for years, with just a big garbage pile across the road from them. But now their whole area is being developed and new 'condos' are being built where the garbage used to be.  Anyways just thought that was an interesting parallel to the work they are doing here. 

Back to our day!  It started with our team eating breakfast together and being ready for orientation. One of the first parts of orientation that was a surprise to all of us was Shelly (Corina) renaming us with Mexican names that the locals will be able to comprehend better. So some names worked like 'Garry' as long as it is said with different emphasis. But then some of our names are similar or completely different. Rick is Ricardo of course. Bev is Beverly. Terrace is Fa (short version of her middle name Faith). Of course neither of my names worked so logically Dwight becomes Pedro!!  I didn't include everyone but it gives you and idea of the fun we are having.  

The rest of orientation consisted of Greg and Shelly sharing about who they are and their ministry here in Mexico over the past 13 years. We also covered all kinds of information that will help us to know more about the culture and how to interact. Again we all feel so incompetent with our Spanish and are trying to learn some real basics!  Orientation ended with going over our schedule for the next week and a half. The Neufeld's  have done so much work in preparing our schedule to try and make our time here productive both with work projects and cultural experiences. It appears we will have a lot of fun adventures over the next days!  I promise you will hear about some of them as they happen!

So finally we headed out to start some hands on work. It entailed our whole team working to shovel out some areas at the main gate and an old retaining wall. We also knocked down a portion of a wall that will someday be an archway to a new sanctuary. We also got to see how the Mexican construction workforce operates. Greg managed to talk to a man working on a backhoe nearby in the neighborhood and convinced him to come help us move some dirt near the gate. The work he did in half an hour likely saved us the rest of the day shoveling.  What a blessing and a deal for 500 pesos' ($42).  We also assisted two Mexican men to change the height of the gate to better match the street level now that they have a paved road outside the church.  That was a job that entailed some heavy lifting by Canadians and skilled welding by the Mexicans. 

So with a lunch break in the middle that was a long day of manual labor until supper. After supper Greg led their usual Spanish Prayer Meeting. Several of our team attended this as well. Even though most of it we could not understand it was wonderful to see the love for our Heavenly Father and the passion and participation both in songs and prayer for one another. We had a wonderful English speaking young man who quietly interpreted a good portion of the prayer time for us. In general, the theme was that we have no reason to fear man or what he can do to us but to rather fear God because He is in control of all our circumstances and is worthy of our fear!  Psalm56. I was so amazed at how well they participated in the study by including scriptural references related to the topic when making their own comments. We all should learn to know our Bibles in that way. What a difference our prayer meeting would make as more of us learned to encourage and pray for one another using specific scriptures!  

Just a couple other highlights would be watching my girls work hard to be involved with a lot of difficult shoveling and other tasks. Good job Jaelyn and Terrace! Spending the day in plus 25ish weather. Jaelyn getting to join Annelise (Greg's daughter) to watch her play in a school basketball game. The ladies going grocery shopping. Trying to use some of our Spanish greetings with the people at the Prayer Meeting.  Good food and a hot shower!

So that is plenty long enough and it is time to get some sleep!  God bless you all! 

Dwight or Pedro

So the adventure continues tomorrow, but I am happy to say that we made it safely!  That is the short version of the story.  Here is the long! It took us until 1130ish local time to arrive in Hermosillo. Our adventure included a phone call to Mario for the shuttle. It took his driver, Arturo, about an hour and a half to find us in the Tucson airport parking lot. So don't worry Harry, it all worked out!  There was a moment where Garry and I felt like we were in the Amazing Race running around trying to find him but with no better teams to follow!

Once we departed from Tucson, Arturo informed us that he thought the alternator on the van was not working. We learned twenty minutes later on the side of the freeway that he was right. He arranged for a battery to be brought to us as a tempory fix. So for a hour an a half more the men explored the vast wilderness/desert about ten yards across the ditch to the first barb wire fence. While the ladies stayed warm inside the van while reading and playing games on phones and iPads. It got amazingly cool as the sun went down behind the distant mountains!

Once our battery arrived we were quickly on the road again. We arrived at the border well after dark and Patrick had the opportunity to play the 'push the customs button to see if we are going to check you out' game. The light was green and that was it, no delay at the border it seemed!!  We stopped for fuel and then Arturo said we would have one more spot to stop at customs because of how some of the hwys entered Mexico from different angles. So why not let Patrick play the game again?!?  Well this time we lost and we had to bring all our bags out for them to check. In reality it did not take long and no one had to even produce a passport or ID to enter the country. We forgive you Patrick!!

Our next stop was to switch to a new shuttle, because of the alternator issues, and a new driver who would take us the rest of the way. Running behind schedule we were all hungry so Arturo recommended a taco place to eat on the hwy. We had our first authentic Mexican tacos!!  What a treat with hilarious service and cheap prices. Ask Bev about our waiter!  Here is where we first experienced the language barrier.

The rest of our trip was uneventful and we arrived to meet Greg Neufeld in a parking lot and be led to the church where we will be staying. Besides Greg we met Jack and Lucy Vogt who had a wonderful spread of food waiting for us. What a treat to be welcomed and what a relief for the missionaries here to know we made it okay. They had been a little stressed wondering if we were stranded at night on the side of a Mexican Hwy.  So thank you to everyone who prayed for travelling mercies. Your prayers were answered on our behalf. We are all pretty tired and everyone has headed to bed looking forward to what God will bring our way tomorrow!  Orientation around 8 or 9 AM Mexican time!

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not faint.

Teach us Lord to wait!

Dwight

Well our team is through security and we anticipate our flight leaving from Regina to Denver on time. So far the only delays have been checking in as a large group and our teams token redneck (Rick) being checked for gun powder residue. Of course the camo sweat shirt and beard made him a logical choice to check. I'm happy to report he is all clear....must of washed his hands this morning.

Dwight

Update

Hi everyone,

Because of a current  family situation Harry and Donalda are not able to go. Garry and Bev Tollefson will be taking their place and are excited to join the team.

Please pray for them and the team as they prepare all the last minute details.  Tomorrow night the team will meet to pray and plan for their departure next Tuesday.  

We have been blessed with the opportunity to travel with a team from Faith Baptist Church to Hermosillo, Mexico, from November 26 - December 8.  Our team of eleven people will be assisting with the construction of a retreat centre and orphanage just outside the city.

We will be working with missionaries, Lane and Sherri Elliott, from the Evangelical Free Church of Canada Mission (EFCCM).  Lane and Sheri began serving in EFCCM ministries in January 2009 – reaching out to the poor of the city so as to display Christ’s love. They continue to encourage the church in this ministry and involve short-term teams in reaching out to the economically poor communities of Hermosillo under the ministry name Urban Hope – Esperanza Urbana. Currently they are helping run a soup kitchen, in partnership with another local church, focusing on feeding children physically and spiritually.  They give leadership to the youth of the church and began a youth-drop-in-center that reaches out to teens in a nearby shanty town. Lane also leads a ministry to Migrant Workers who come to their area to work in the grape harvest. Some of these Migrant Workers come from the unreached tribal areas of Southern Mexico.

As we prepare to leave and during our time in Mexico, we would appreciate your prayers in the following areas:

·         Final details for our mission's trip will be worked out

·         The Holy Spirit will continue to teach us and make us effective witnesses

·         Protection, health and safety of the entire team

·         That we will honour God in all we do

·         That our team would be unified in all that we undertake

·         That we would have an impact on everyone we interact with in Hermosillo.

Thank you for your prayer support.