Beyond the building and VBS there are a few other great ministry opportunities that we have had as a team this past week and weekend that I have not mentioned. One of them being another ladies afternoon of devotions, crafts, and cookies & coffee, this time with the ladies in Fatima. They ladies had a wonderful time fellowshipping together. Through the ladies time together one could really see how Marisela, pastor Rafael's wife, has been a huge influence and has build great relationships with the ladies of the community, wether young or old. It was easy to see how she poured her time and energy in ministering to and loving the ladies of the community. Also in Fatima, we have had the opportunity to do a clothing distribution, along with hand out close to 60 food hampers, which are two practical ways to just touch on and meet the needs of the community.

Below is a short testimony from Ainsley, and just a bit of a reflection on her experience:

I was a bit nervous coming in to the team because I was worried I would not be accepted. The team made me feel very comfortable. I have had a lot of fun this trip as well as I have been stretched and have learned a lot. i have had many different experiences and tried different things. My favorite part has been VBS. The kids are so much fun and it was cool how we could connect with them, even though we didn't speak the same language. I also had the opportunity to go to the downtown train station, where they had a church service and fed people living on the street. A number of people accepted Jesus as their saviour, which was cool to see. This has been an amazing opportunity and I have been growing in my faith. 

This week we have had the opportunity to run  VBS in a smaller community, San Jose, as well as continue the building project on the church. Both of which have been so rewarding. Right from day one the number of kids that we had come out to sing, play games, hear a Bible story, as well as do some arts & crafts was up to approximately 75. There we saw a hunger and an eagerness within the kids to learn and to just receive love.
As well the building project of the church kept up at a steady pace upward. It has been a lot of hard and strenuous work, but together, and by the strength of God we have seen amazing progress. Below are a few words of reflection from Connie Spenst, followed by some pictures of the project.


The temperature reached well into the 20's today, and the work with concrete was hard as pails were lifted to the ninth and tenth rows of bricks reaching between eight and nine feet high. The structure began t look like a church as the window openings were put in. I looked through the arched windows while standing inside the church and at first I was in awe of the beauty and majesty of the mountains that are on two sides of the church. My attention was then turned downward as movement a few feet in front of me caught my eye. What appeared to be a young couple were making their way through one of the fenced in shanties and through the debris and bushes into another yard. The man was carry some bags and the woman was carrying a baby and a toddler followed behind. I wondered which was shanty that they called home, and what would their supper be. Then I looked at the church we were building and pastor Raphael's home and I realized we were building a physical oasis for the people in the Fatima community. A place where they would look out of a window and see the majesty of God in the mountains and feel God's love through a couple who live among them. A couple whose doors are always open. A coule whose arms and hearts are as open as the door. 

The New Year's weekend was a great break from the routine of the previous three days of VBS, and church building. We all had the opportunity to be apart of different ministries that happen on a regular basis in the area. One of them being a children's program run by Pastor Rafael's wife, Marisela, with the children in Fatima. This is a program that runs twice a week and is a time where the children have the opportunity to be fed both spiritually and physically. Part of our team had the chance to join them this past Saturday, which gave them more of an opportunity to connect with kids from the area.

The other half of the team had the opportunity to join along the train station ministry, which happens in the city of Guaymas. This ministry runs once a week, and is a place for people to come and fellowship. It's an opportunity for the people on Saturday mornings to come together and enjoy a time of singing, hearing God's word, along with opportunity for them to have haircuts, as well as enjoy a meal together. For us it was another opportunity to connect and share with the Mexican people.

The rest of that morning and afternoon we got to spend time at the local markets in Guaymas, as well as got to take on some of the local youth in a game of soccer.
The day and year ended with a wonderful time as a team just reflecting on our time here so far, as well as  reflecting on the past year and sharing the many blessings that we have experienced in our own lives.

When you only have a short ten days to spend down here in San Carlos, MX, one has so many experiences and it leaves me in a place struggling with exactly what to write about. So to start are a few words from Jessica Falk from her experiences so far: 

What an awesome first few days! Our eyes have been opened yet again to what lies beyond our own homes. We realize how blessed we are to have necessities such as toilet paper and houses larger than garden sheds. Yet these kids have one up on us: They have joy and laughter with having almost nothing! They show us love without feeling sorry for themselves. The simplicity of it all is remarkable. God calls each on of us to live a life for him and not to live for this world. If we really live for him, we can also find the joy in God and not in our possessions.

Reflecting all the way back to Friday, and the experiences that we have had as a group, it was an amazing day at the worksite of the church building. After many of the guys from the group had laid the foundation of the church the first day, and then the second day had spent the day laying the first layer of blocks, by the third day they were ready for all hands to be on the task, which is exactly what happened. Everybody was able to fit into the picture in one way or another, wether it was the puzzling, and laying of blocks, mixing of cement, carrying of cement, or any of the many other ways we were able through the help of everybody to build the next three layers of the the church. It was a lot of work, but big accomplishment. Praise God!

After the work on the church that afternoon we got to tie up the three day VBS with the kids in Empalme. By the end of the three days we had close to 75 kids there, and were able at the end of our time with them to send each of them home with a pillow with John 8:4 printed onto it. It was amazing to see the joy that was brought to the kids faces through this simple act of love. Below are just a few pictures of Garry & Connie Spenst presenting the pillows to the children.

Building begins & Ministry continues...

Some important details I was told that I missed on my previous blog entry is the beautiful sunshine that we are experiencing down here in Mexico, as well as next the fact that next year’s Christmas dinner will no longer be the traditional turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc, but rather a traditional and delicious rice and beans. It is very true that on top of all the work that we are doing, and the fun that we having playing with the children, we are incredibly blessed by the weather that we’re experiencing and the amazing food that Brenda and her team cooks up for us every day. All the above being great reasons to already put your name on the list for the next missions trip down here!

You will see in the pictures below that the building of the church progressed to the first layer of the walls being put up, which will continue to grow rapidly today, as the whole team heads out there. 

On top of ministering to the children through our daily VBS, we also had an amazing opportunity yesterday to minister to the ladies of Empalme through a wonderful fellowship time of devotions, crafts, and sharing of coffee & biscuits.  

Below are just a few words from Rebecca Wall in regards to her experience so far.

So far during the missions trip, the highlight has been helping with VBS. It is so amazing to see how we can communicate with the kids even with the language barrier. All the kids want is love. It has been a real eye opener to see how happy the kids are, and yet they have almost nothing. I’m looking forward to going back to VBS again and our other ministries. 

First day encounters...

As I briefly expressed in the previous post it's a blessing to be able to apart of God's work and what He is doing down here in Mexico. By simply spending one day here one can easily be overwhelmed by the needs that one is faced with and that one encounters here in Mexico, but at the same time to be able to witness the joy and contentment in those who may have little in the eyes of the world, but are so rich in Christ is amazing and refreshing. Something that was impressed on many of the teams members yesterday, especially those working with the children through the VBS, was the universal language of love. Though we are a group from Canada, and have entered the Latino culture of Mexico, where there are barriers such as the language, we have something greater, and something that goes beyond these physical boundaries which is the love of God. God's love is something that can be communicated in a variety of ways, which can be something as simple as a smile, a touch, sharing of songs, or just simply taking the time to sit down with someone despite the ability to clearly communicate. Yesterday we had the opportunity to express God's love through the hard working of hands by beginning and completing the laying of the foundation of the church building, packing candy bags to be distributed to kids within a nearby community, as well as food hampers which we will have the opportunity to distribute later this week, through playing games, making crafts, and telling stories to the children. Each one of these just as important as the next. Below are just a few pictures to capture some of the moments and experiences of yesterday.

Helping to prepare candy bags.                             

                                                

VBS preparations

The hard job of picking fresh oranges, lemons, and grapefruit.

Pouring the foundation of the church building.

Enjoying some delicious Mexican food.

VBS with the children in Empalme.

Arts & Crafts

Story-time

Games time

Exploring the land of the cacti.

A safe arrival...

Twenty-four plus hours later of travel by van and plane we arrived safely down in San Carlos, MX late last night, experiencing God's blessing and mercies the entire way. After the long day of travel we all enjoyed a  good nights rest, and were ready for the work that was set out for us. In so many more ways than one can describe we saw and experienced the hand of God. It is a blessing to be apart of what God is doing here in Mexico. Tomorrow morning I will give some updates and reflections on some of our experiences so far.