Missions
after “la bufadora” we hit up some lunch then head to the worksite. i was greeted by the black widow above:) but it was a special day because it was just our team on the site. i can’t even begin to tell you how proud i am of our team. these guys and girls worked their tails off. no lie, from 1pm when we got there till 5pm they worked non-stop. from roofing, sheet rocking, electrical wiring, and spackeling to sawing, hammering, drilling, and general cleanup…they didn’t stop but once.
the one time we stopped was a very special time. the father of the family we are building the house for came a bit with two bottles of soda. that may seem like so little, but the so huge on so many levels. if he’s luckly, really lucky, he’s got a job that he makes $100 a week. now he’s giving up $7 of his week for us…and giving up the rest of his afternoon to be there with us.
i watched on from inside the house as kelly and mama dew were sawing. he looked humbled, but wanted to help. the girls saw the same thing i did and immediately jumped into community with him, helping him cut the wood for the siding of his house. the three worked together the rest of the afternoon. it was so beautiful… they went from corner to corner of the house putting up the siding. just awesome…awesome…awesome…
i’m continually blessed by watching our students and leaders…thanks for your prayers~
this is a pic of the dad, he’s on the left;) and that’s our “foreman” todd on the right~
Posted by jimmyd in Mexico, Missions on 09 Jul 2009 at 1:53 pm | No Comments »
whoa baby…yesterday was crazy good day!
we started out our morning again with prayer…can’t think of a better way to start:) after a sweet breakfast we went out to the “la bufadora” to go to the market. it was an experience to say the least~
as soon as we got out of our van, it began; the ever increasing push to get all the white folks money! no joke, within 30 seconds of our feet hitting the ground we were berated with propositions to buy anything and everything… from highly illegal fireworks like the M-1000 and all sorts of weapons to the beautifully made dresses and clothes. it was like chinatown on steroids! there was no way of making it down to “la bufadora” with out being asked to come into shops, try these foods and desserts, or buy these “discounted pharmaceuticals” for family and friends. it was a TON of fun. any price they gave you was the high…and you got to haggle the low…that’s my kind of game. some of our kids and leaders did well, others not so much. (love you mama dew;))
when we got down to the la bufadora it was awesome and beautiful. the view was amazing and the shear power of the waves was just fun to watch. we got a couple group shots and just sat there for a good 15-20 minutes…no one wanted to leave knowing we were about to get berated on the way back to the van by all the shops. but alas, we had to hit the gauntlet…
the best part of it all was seeing the unique ideas that the mexicans came up with to get our money. when we got back to our van we were greeted by a ZEBRA!! the guy was charging $1 for pictures next to it…i thought “great photo opp!” until i got closer and realized it was a white donkey painted to look like a zebra! anything to make a buck i guess…
Posted by jimmyd in Mexico, Missions on 09 Jul 2009 at 10:50 am | No Comments »
i hope you got the chance to read victoria’s post, it’s always cool to hear what others on the team are thinking:)
last night we finished up dishes and had the chance to meet together as a team. 1st time for just us…just LHCyouth. there are 2 other groups here (one from NJ and one from SC – both lots of fun:)). we relaxed together, laughed together, and tried to process what’s been going on a little. as we circled around our red and white checked table cloth i heard a lot of things…some excited me…some concerned me.
out team is GREAT and God is at work…that’s always going to be messy. i feel like there are some students/leaders who really hearing what God is doing, and others who are running…the only problem for the 2nd crew is God still lives and moves in MX and you can’t get away from him here:) i love seeing his hand at work in peoples lives when they don’t realize it. i love knowing that God is in the process of shaping me in way i don’t even know or think about! he is an amazing, loving, and stretching God. i’ll be interested in seeing how he continues to move in and through us ~
pray for a discerning spirit for the leaders and for the students. i feel like God is going to be calling out truth and freedom…but 1st he’s stripping away comfort, or at least the idea of it…
we’re off to the market after bfast…i’ll def get some pics and post them tonight~
Posted by jimmyd in Mexico, Missions on 08 Jul 2009 at 11:08 am | No Comments »
Greetings in the name of Jesus…i’d love to write to you and tell about today, but instead Victoria is gonna write and i’ll update tomorrow at some point~
Hoy es martes! (Today is Tuesday!) The days here are sometimes very crazy; praying. building. eating. visiting the bano. praying. VBS. food. bed. some crazy roosters. amazing cooking. and laughing in between. But amongst all of the craziness, many us have been able to discover more of God’s amazing plan for us, if we listen. please pray for us as a group – pray that we would earnestly seek and desire to seek what God has for us. I (Victoria) don’t know how you could be here and not see God or not feel him move. Some of us started the day with a blessed 7am prayer time, then we had a sweet breakfast with the amazing combo of fresh mango and cocoa puffs.
Then most of the LHCyouth team went to the worksite to continue working on our casa.
Brooke and I were able to go with one of the interns to pray with a local family. It was beyond wonderful. We were graciously welcomed into the home of a local family. Amongst coffee and donuts we had introductions, a reading from psalms, a sharing of testimonies and a beautiful baby was passed around. I was able to share my testimony in spanish!! We prayed for each other in different languages while serving the same God.
After the prayer time, we traveled back to the worksite and ate lunch (empanadas, tuna fish, jelly, or cheese and ham- not recommended.. and of course, oreos). The house is coming along well. We have all four walls and the roof boards up, some electric run, and some solid sheet rock as well.
When we left the site this afternoon the father of the family we are building for was standing inside the house as we drove away. When you saw his eyes you could see his hope. He saw the future for his family. A future of safety and health. It’s amazing to be able to give that to someone. We finished off today strong, once again blessed by Tomasa’s cooking (a wife of a local pastor). We ate flautas (fried tortillas, chicken, potato, and vegetables). Life is good. God is good. Mexico is good…….stay classy new jersey:)
Posted by jimmyd in Mexico, Missions on 08 Jul 2009 at 1:05 am | No Comments »
finally settled a bit to write this…just finished dinner and the rest of the team is off either showering or running to the local snack joint. we just had some GREAT empanadas…and the seans went over to the hot dog guy and got loaded hot dogs as dessert. not gonna lie, kinda wanted to throw up…
our day started off with 7am prayer. what a solid way to start our day; together, in community with other believers, and praising our Lord and Savior in English and Spanish. at 8am sharp, it was time for bfast:) fresh waffles and TONS of fruit… that’s the way to get physically prepared for a looong day of work.
9am, left for out construction site. this is our view:
no lie, you can see the ocean in the background with the waves crashing on the shore. just gorgeous:) we arrived to a freshly laid slab of cement and a pile of lumber. we started by gathering the family we were building the house for and prayed for both them and the team. at amen, we broke and started to work like mules! we split into two teams; painting and building. but the time we had our first wall framed, all the panels for the the house were freshly painted in a sweet forest green. when lunchtime hit, we chilled, ate some sandwiches, then split into three groups again. One went to help out at VBS, one went to pray, and one stayed at the site to build.
great reports from all groups. solid times of prayer, lots little nino’s to tell about Jesus, and we got all four walls up for the house. i don’t have a pic of the other teams, but i do have one of ours:) plus one of our new friends…the local pastor for the village we are in~
now we’re sitting in our debriefing time. processing our experiences is a good thing. i wish i got the change to do this with everyday of my life. ok, time to pay attention:)
see you tomorrow…
Posted by jimmyd in Mexico, Missions on 06 Jul 2009 at 11:23 pm | No Comments »
