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.