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.