Chatham Loves Mexico - The Mexico Missions Blog

Day Eleven Pictures

2009-06-23T13:44:00.003-05:00

On Sunday, we woke up, ate breakfast, and hung around a little. Some of us went up on the roof. Then we came down and had a last meeting. Ramon talked to us, and we all said our goodbyes to him and his family, Miros, Ruhama, and Barnabe. We also prayed for his family, and took a few group pictures before piling in our vans and beginning a rather sad drive away. We saw a couple other members of the church driving toward Gilgal on our way out of Monterrey, and they honked at us to say hi. It was actually Sonya's sister in law and husband, our wonderful drivers/tour guides/new friends.
We drove for a couple hours to the border and crossed without any problems, getting to McAllen in good time. We flew to Dallas, and had a two-hour layover in the accursed place, which actually allowed us to have our last group devotion, so it all worked out.
Then we flew home, and you mobbed all of us, and it was great. And we love you all so, so, so much. Really.

God was so good to us on this trip, and I think it's weird to us that it's over. It felt somehow simultaneously really long and extremely short. The beginning, flying out of St. Louis, and spending forever in Dallas, and working at RGBI feels forever ago. But somehow, the trip also feels like it sped through, and the end caught us off guard.

It was wonderful. I love Mexico, and the Mexican people. We all do. I definately have seen people's hearts change this week, and some of us have learned so much.
Thank you so much for all of your prayer and support. It couldn't have happened the way it did without you.

I love you all. Thank you for reading.

Signing off for now,
-Ian

Day Ten Pictures

2009-06-23T13:35:00.002-05:00

We went to Revolucion to help Miros with her weekly children's program there. We sang a few songs, then played with them, then gave them lunch, then played some more until they left. After that, we went to eat lunch, then went to the market to buy souveniers for people(/ourselves).
Saturday night we split up into four or five groups, and we all went and ate in people's houses. It was really awesome, as always, to meet these people. The group I went with was me, Stephanie, William, Larry, and Lance. We went to a birthday party, then Fundidora, then that goat restaurant, and it was all so awesome. We got back to the church at about 12:15, though. :)

2009-06-21T08:35:00.002-05:00

Last night I met two of the coolest Mexican ladies ever. Me, Josh, and Duane (we got the translator! yay Duane!) went to Chela's house. It was kinda like a courtyard thing with a couple of buildings in it--one she used for the laundry-ish room and the other was her actual house. I knew I liked her immediately when I walked in the door and spotted two cats. My liking for her grew as I discovered she also had two dogs and another cat (and by the way, one one of her dogs was named "Doggie" and one of her cats was named "Kitty"). :)
There was another lady there named Elsi (sp?). She helps take care of Chela because Chela's a widow. At one point the ladies were asking us when we were leaving and we said "Tomorrow morning" and I was joking about how I have to because I already missed Father's Day last year and she said, "My children don't have a father." :( It was one of those moments where you feel really bad and don't know what to say, but she moved on and was asking us about St. Louis. Later we were sitting outside and I asked her how long she had been a Christian. She told us that when she was seven she wanted to be a Christian but her parents wouldn't let her and made her go to a Catholic church. I guess when her parents died, she was able to actually actively follow God. She spoke about how her husband is no longer alive and her childen have moved away, so she has been kind of lonely. But she pointed to the sky and said, "I know I am never alone, because He is with me. And she sent me a friend to help take care of me."
The friend she's talking about is Elsi. Elsi also told us her testimony. She became a Christian three years ago. She runs a shop and tells people about Jesus. Some people listen and tell her their problems, and some just get angry with her. But she knows she has to do it. She says that her sister runs the shop in the morning, and she runs the shop in the afternoon and can listen to the Christian radio station, so she has "half of a day to give to Jesus." I was thinking that most ofus have problems giving a few minutes to Jesus each day to pray. She said that her family doesn't want to listen to her about Jesus, but she's told them. She said that if it's God's will for them to not listen then there's nothing she can do about it. She's given it up to God.
So yeah, they're pretty awesome. they said they help out a lot at the church, and no kidding. They're here right now.
Please pray for Pastor Ramon today. He's leaving for Chiopas (the place where the pastor was killed) today. He'll be gone for maybe a week.
I've learned so much here in Mexico, most of which I have not been able to share on here because they're been no time! But you'll hear about it when I get back. :)
We've got a long day of travel ahead of us! yay...
See you guys tonight! (Hopefully...)
Love,
-Rebecca

Final thoughts (on dinner and languages)

2009-06-21T07:17:00.002-05:00

I think yesterday was my favorite day, but it's for a reason that most people probably wouldn't expect.

Yes, we went to Revolucion and played with the kids, and had a song battle. (We sang "alelu, alelu, alelu, aleluia," and they sang "gloria a Dios." We were both trying to br louder. They won.) We watched Miros give a lesson, and then we played games with them, giving them lunch afterward. It was really fun, and it was another place for my Spanish to be useful. But it wasn't the best part.

And yes, we went to the market, which everyone really loves to do. I got almost everything I wanted to get, and spent all but 7 pesos, which is the best I've done there so far. It was also fun to walk around the place with everyone, and to feel like I knew where things were after being there two other times. But it still wasn't my favorite.

Where I think one of the coolest things of the trip happened was at on of the church member's houses. We went to a birthday party that a family was having for a girl at Sonya's house. Sonya's sister in law drove us there and back, which was approximately 2 hours round trip. I was pretty grateful for her doing that. David and Aurelia's daughter, Rut, and her husband, Erik, were also there, along with a man who is on the praise team at Gilgal and his wife. Sonya's husband's parents were also there.

We ate dinner and just kind of enjoyed the night with them, and they were so nice and gracious and glad we were there. If my love for the Mexican people needed any more support, than this would definately be it. There were some really funny times when I would understand something in Spanish that they didn't expect me to. Once, Sonya was joking with someone that she needed money from us for the dinner, and then I laughed. She saw me, and said, "Ah! He understands me!" Then she said,"Okay, put your money here."

The specific thing that I liked so much was when we prayed for dinner. Sonya's mother and father in law are deaf. The father had been joking around with us all evening, miming things like drinking salsa, and how the Pepsi Light was skinny instead of fat. When we were going to pray for dinner, they asked Lance to pray, and said that our driver (Sonya's sister in law) would translate the prayer into "Lingua manual" (spanish sign language), and that her husband would translate it into Spanish.

It was unique for me, and I don't think it's very likely that I'll be able to see people praying in three languages all at once again. It strongly reinforced the idea that many people realize their first time in Mexico: that God speaks everything. He will understand, no matter what language you speak, even if you use your hands to speak it. It was really awesome to see.

After dinner, we gave Sonya and her husband the gifts we had brought for them, and they were pretty touched. We left, even though no one really wanted to, with Sonya's sister in law. We actually got an opportunity to go to Parque Fundidora, a place I have wanted to visit since first seeing it two years ago, and it was really cool. We also went to this restaurant that all the famous people apparently go to when they visit Monterrey, which was interesting.

We came back and went to sleep, and now it is the day we leave. I think all of us are sad to go. I know I am. Don't get me wrong, I love you guys. But I love Mexico too, and I definitely wouldn't say no to more time here.

We'll see you in the airport!
-Ian

Day Nine Pictures (a.k.a. Hooray for Mountains!)

2009-06-19T23:54:00.006-05:00

Going up to Tejacote was awesome, as usual. When we got there, we had a church service for the people from the area. People (like always) shared and sang. Something I thought was kind of funny and kind of cool was that we sang "Yo Tengo Gozo" (I've Got The Joy) in Spanish for them, and they really liked it, even though it was kind of a kids' song. At the end, we gave bags of staple-type foods that would be really helpful to a representative from each family. We brought 20, and as a whole bunch of people ran up to the front, we were getting a little worried. But it turned out there were exactly 20 ladies there. (There were a couple kids whose mom hadn't come that day that didn't get one, but we're going to send a few extra bags for that kind of thing up with David and Aurelia next Saturday.)
We came back to church (after Lance got lost/ditched by Al), ate, and then went to this awesome national park-style thing that William talked about. It was so amazing to see all the lights of Monterrey stretched out beneath us like that. After not enough time there, we came home and went to sleep.
It was a good day.

Guillermo Habla Dos.

2009-06-19T23:32:00.002-05:00

Hey,
This is William again. Things are going great still. Everyone is healthy and no one is hurt badly.

Today we went into the mountains to Tejocote. It was awesome to see the majesty of God in his beautiful creation. There were some very awesome mountain passes that we went through that were absolutely breathtaking.

The way we got up was so fun and unsafe. We rode in the back of pickups. We had to hang on for dear life, and we all got some nice windburn.

When we got there our truck went around inviting people to the service. The other truck went straight to the church there and waited for us.

At the service we sang lots of songs and a few members of our team shared testimonies. At the end we gave out food bags to the families there. We also passed out dulces (candy) to everyone who came.

When we got home, and after we ate, we went to an anthropological museum that was high on a hill with a good view of the city. Nearby was a huge Mexican flag. It was pretty awesome looking.

Right now I am about to retire for the night, but before that I will tell of what is happening tomorrow. Tomorrow we actually get to have breakfast at 9:00 instead of 8:00. That is a happy thing (but still too early). After breakfast we will go to Revalucion to do a service for the kids there. Some of us will stay back at the church at that time to do some odd jobs.

After that we get to go to a mall/market sort of thing and then to some peoples houses for dinner. That is about it.

Signing Off
-William Keating

A note from Josh

2009-06-19T23:04:00.004-05:00

Today we went into the mountains and I was reminded of how BIG God really is. I was reminded that the God I serve created everything that exists including the mountains. Then I was reminded that the same God who is powerful enough to speak the universe into existence cares about me and lives in me.

He is big enough to change me into what He wants me to be and to get me through whatever circumstance I am going through. It is good to remember that we serve a BIG God.

-Josh Govier

Day Eight Pictures

2009-06-19T07:40:00.002-05:00

Rooftop thoughts.

2009-06-19T00:05:00.004-05:00

Last night we went up on the roof! As always, it was absolutely beautiful. We split up into four groups of five, and each went to one side of the roof. We prayed for the city in the direction of that side, and for the missions that were that way.

It was really cool.

I definitely felt like I was practically praying into people's lives by praying over the city like that. I felt somehow connected to those who fell in my line of sight, and my heart really went out to them, even though I'll probably never meet any of them. Praying for the missions as I looked out at the huge number of lights I saw also really gave me a picture of how much they have left to do.

I realized that the task, without God, is insurmountable. I also realized that without teams like ours coming down to help these faithful churches who continue to work for His glory in Monterrey and the surrounding area, their odds would be even worse.

And that, I believe, is the most important reason for us to go on these trips.
I will always say that the church and people here give way more to the team's lives than we do to theirs, but the small part we can play to help free them up for a greater work is absolutely worth all the money and struggles.

Monterrey needs your prayers. Tejacote needs your prayers. Chiapas needs your prayers. St. Louis needs your prayers.

Thank you for sending us, and setting aside your worry. It is worth it. God is moving.

We love you,
-Ian

Day Seven Pictures

2009-06-18T23:43:00.000-05:00

On day seven, a lot of things happened, for me at least. First off, me and Brent went with Ramon to this storage type house that I think the church is renting to pick up scaffolding for stuccoing at Revolucion. Then we went back to Revolucion and loaded all the bags of broken up cement that the guys bagged on Tuesday, and drove with Al and Chuy to a place near Chuy's house to dump it. After that, we drove all over the place looking for something to pack the sand/dirt (?) in the back of Revolucion, but we didn't find one. During all this driving around, there were some interesting encounters with the police. At one point, they pulled us over, and the officer said that he should really give us two tickets. One for having four people in the cab, and another for having Chuy ride in the back. He said he was just going to give us one to be nice to us, but then another officer came and told him to let us go. God is good, even in the small things. We went back to Gilgal for lunch, where they had been cutting out hundreds of feet to serve as nametags in the VBS this summer, and ate lunch. At Revolucion in the afternoon, we stuccoed while a lot of other guys moved sand to the back area to prepare it for bricks.
At night, we had the delicious yearly tamales, and then went to Bosques for the service. It was really cool, and I will be writing a post about it sometime later. Beth, Becky, Lance, and Duane shared, and Josh preached a sermon for the first time in his life. It was very good. Brent also sang his solo, and the team sang a few songs as well. I didn't really want to leave when it was over, but we were eventually ushered out the door by Ramon. Overall, it was a pretty fantastic day.

A note from Rebecca

2009-06-18T08:27:00.002-05:00

Hey everybody!
I would have written on here sooner except, as Marcy said, there are many eager people on our team. :)
Last night we went to Bosques for their evening church service. I was happy to see that there were more people there than last year. We came in as they were finishing up singing, and Pastor David gave us the floor. I was the first to go up. I had been kicking around the idea of sharing, but I knew if would be so hard for me to actually get up and do it. I'm so glad I did, though! I only shared a bit of my testimony (it wasn't long). But in the Mexican culture, when they meet other believers, it;s just something they do. They want to hear about how you became a child of God. They want to rejoice with you. There are no other motives. And they'll listen for as long as you want to talk. I love that the church always says "Amen" after someone speaks. It's encouraging to hear that.
I love Mexican culture so much! It seems like people rarely have culture shock when they come here (at least, I know I didn't) because this is the kind of culture that human nature falls into more easily. It's hardworking (it feels nice to be doing something!) yet relaxed at the same time. Everyone says what's on their mind, and what they say, they mean. America is so good at hiding this.
I have been learning quite a bit on his trip. I think that the biggest thing is that I've been listening for God. I have this peace that wasn't there before, but it's so nice to have.
There's so much more that I want to say, but I have to leave for Revolucion now! Ah! Hopefully I'l get the chance to blog later. But really, you never know how time's going to go in Mexico.
Love you all!
-Rebecca

A note from Lance

2009-06-18T07:37:00.003-05:00

Greetings to all from Lance (or Lanny as Barnabay calls me). We had a great time of worship last night at Bosquez. Many shared how God is having an impact on their lives. It is great to see all that God is accomplishing here in Monterrey.
I am one of the drivers and it has been interesting at times. Yesterday I drove the group to Revolution twice - and twice I made wrong turns! Once we ended up going the wrong way on a one way street. Jay's comment was it's ok were not from around here. Next we ended up on some road I don't know where it was (I don't think I could find it again if I tried) but it turned into a construction area with a detour. The detour took us in the wrong direction and when i turned on the first available street to turn around it was a dead end. I really don't know how we got the van turned around in that narrow street. We had to pull into an auto shop, back out and maneuver around numberous parked cars.
I have the route down now. I think I could drive it blind folded. Come to think of it many of the locals down here drive like they are blind folded!
That's it for now. I have many things to write but will share with all in person!
Joni I love you - give the boys a reverse tickle torture for me!
LANCE

Day Six Pictures

2009-06-17T22:54:00.002-05:00

On day six, the team was split up into three groups. One was at Bosques, stuccoing (or making several footprints in the concrete... *cough* Grace *cough*). Another was at Revolucion, breaking up concrete in a back area that had kind of become a hazard. We'll put in bricks Thursday. The third group stayed at Gilgal, doing more craft things for Miros.

Mi Familia (by Marcy)

2009-06-17T22:27:00.005-05:00

Hola everyone!
I've been wanting to share for SO long, but everyone on our team is just so eager to share and it's been difficult to find time to blog. I'll try not to be as long-winded in this blog as I usually am when I write. I've already earned the reputation of being the most journalistic person. (I was congratulated for stopping at 10 pages last night!)
So obviously there is a lot to share. I could tell you all about stucco and how painfully it is once it dries on your skin (and the fact that it turns your skin yellow if you're wearing sunscreen). I could tell you about how proud I am of the others on this wonderful team. All of their hard work. I'm going to have to bribe Ian to put up pictures of the murals we painted. I could tell you about how wonderful it's been to finally use my Spanish and not have everyone in the room tell me to stop.
But something just happened within the last two hours that blows all of that out of my mind. Therefore, I'm going to share that story with you now, and then ramble at all of you for hours when I get home. (I miss all of you, by the way)
I've been having a surprisingly easy time communicating. Of course, it's not like I'm having deep theological conversations, but I've been able to actually converse. It's been nice. Tonight, I actually found it really hard to communicate. For the oddest reason. We went to Bosques for a worship service and it seemed like no one knew a lick of English. Maybe a tiny bit, but I didn't hear anyone use it. Bosques has a really small (small) room that they use for their services. We were all squished in this room, and lucky me, I got a seat. Two beautiful mexican girls sat behind me, and within minutes of sitting down, I was startled to feel them start playing with my hair. I turned around on reflex, and then tried to communicate that it was "okay." Silly me, I tried to tell them in english. But they resummed their playing after a while. When I got up to go sing, they'd braided strands of my hair in random places, but they hadn't finished whatever they were trying to do. They laughed, probably because I looked silly. When I sat down again, they played with my hair for the rest of the service.
And it hit me. Earlier I'd been thinking about how God speaks spanish. Isn't that amazing?! But just in the past few hours it hit me that someday I'll understand these girls too. I realized while they brushed their fingers through my hair that these girls are my sisters. And someday I'll be able to speak plainly with them. For the first time tonight, I had enormous difficulty communicating, but I realized that it doesn't matter. A smile is universal, and the One we share in common is even more beautiful. Jesus Christ holds us together, and these girls are my sisters.
I did devotions yesterday and I'm learning so much about two of the verses.
1 Thessalonians 2:19-20
"For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy."
Yes, I could tell you about the things we are accomplishing here. I could tell you that the VBS in Matamoros was AMAZING and that I'm so proud of the group that stayed behind at Gilgal to cut out 600 foam feet (mindless work!). I could tell you these things, and I probably will ambush all of my loved ones with that information when I come home. But what really matters to me is the people that I'm creating relationships with down here. I've made so many friends. And I really do love them. They are my crown. They are my hope. They are my joy.
I love you guys, and I miss you. I'm not ready to come back just yet (good, since we still have until Sunday) but when I do, I'm definitely ready to tackle you all in breath-knocking-outing hugs. :D

Te Amo!
-Marcy

Q & A session!

2009-06-17T13:30:00.002-05:00

Part One

Part Two

My mom's questions (and their answers!)

1. Q:With all the airline delays, changes, failed flights - did your luggage stay with you?
A: Well, we didn't go pick it up and take it to the hotel, if that's what you're asking. We just used what we had in our carry-ons and went to Walmart. It was all there in McAllen waiting for us when we got there, though.

2. Q:Also, still curious, did the airlines pay for the hotel?
A: Nope! We had to pay. I guess they expected us to just camp out in the airport... Luckily, we had some money for unexpected expenses that I'm pretty sure covered it.

Transcript of Aundria's many questions
(In case you can't keep up with me saying them because I know I talk fast. Thank you for sending them, by the way.)

1- Are there as many dogs on Chatham Mexico trips as the one you had for school?

2- I would actually be interested about hearing about the food you guys eat.

3- Do you guys like the RGBI in Texas portion better or not-as-better than the Mexico portion?

4- Is there a time difference?

5- What food do you miss most from America?

6- Is anyone jet-lagged?

7- Is anyone getting a tan?

8- (For the end of the trip.) What do you think was the hardest to leave behind?

9- Isn't it super awesome that we can communicate over the computer like this? (Not really a question.)

10- What next-to-come are you most frightened about?

11- What worship song do you guys like to play the most together?

12- Are you really that tapped out of things to type?

13- I love you guys a TON!

14- (For the experienced Mexico, almost Mexican, missionaries.) How does this experience over time? Does it get harder? easier? or just the same? And how does that challenge you?

15- What are you doing tomorrow?

16- Is sleeping in Mexico different than America? How so?

17- Did anyone forget anything?

18- Is this random enough?

19- Are you guys having a great time in general?

20- How are you experiencing God more?

-Ian

A note from Brent

2009-06-17T08:31:00.003-05:00

Brent here. Decided to share some thoughts with you. I spent last evening only speaking in Spanish. It was hard, but I lasted about three hours and then forgot. I'm getting tired of sleeping on these air mattresses, but its better than the cement floor. No a/c, but we do have sweat and fans to make you feel cooler. I miss my cold dark basement that was so easy to sleep in. I really like the atmosphere of people down here, and using my Spanish...but I don't think I could stay here for a long time. The food has been AMAZING. I pretty much eat more than anyone else. Ramon's wife has been making us food ALL the time, and there is always so much of it. I'm coming back ten lbs. heavier. And also I'm coming back darker. The first few days I got a little darker, but after lifting that cement all day in the sun, I got burnt so bad that I'm darker than some of the people from here.
I have no idea what we are going to do today. I never really know what I'm doing...except that I do what Al tells me to do. This back-breaking work has not killed me yet... but I'm feeling muscles in my back that I never knew were there. Cement is not your friend sometimes. I like it when I walk on it...
Tonight, I think im singing this song I know in Spanish called... A Dios Le Pido by Juanes. You can see it on youtube if you want. The first night here Emily and I sang You Raise Me Up and they really liked it... So here's hoping they like this song too. I'll see everyone when I get back.

-Brent Nanney

Hi Mom, I'm Blogging.

2009-06-17T08:06:00.002-05:00

I'm TIRED.

So this is my fifth year down here, but this year feels so different. Helen and I are staying with a host family this week...it's a little uncomfortable sleeping in someone's house when you can't even thank them in Spanish properly. We're in the 13-year-old boy's room and he's obsessed with wrestling paraphernalia...enough said. Every night Helen and I have been conversing more and more with the family and less and less with each other (due to increasing fatigue...it's not like we're getting sick of each other). I've been realizing that if I want to communicate with them, I have to accept that I will most definitely feel awkward and make a fool of myself...but it's totally worth it.

Yesterday I painted murals on huge slabs of cardboard for pretty much 8 hours straight. Honestly I would've rather been slinging globs of stucco on a wall, but here I do what I'm told and Al takes advantage of that while he can. Today I think he's going to make me oversee a mural crew at Revoluccion...yay. I love how I always end up doing the two things I dislike the most: leading and team playing.

Tonight: Tamales at Bosques!!

This entry would be so much better if Helen and Brent weren't hovering over my shoulder... I love you guys.

Much love and sweat,
Jannah

Day Five Pictures

2009-06-17T07:03:00.003-05:00

On day five, the guys went to Bosques and poured a cement roof. The girls stayed at Gilgal and did lots of stuff for Miros, including sorting clothes for the Chiapas trip and painting murals.

Hello from Jay

2009-06-16T21:59:00.004-05:00

Hello everyone!

Things are going very well here in sunny Monterrey. We've finished our second long (and exhausting) day of work. The work is taking place at three main locations -- here at the Gilgal church at the small daughter church in the Bosques neighborhood, or at the Revolucion Victoria soup kitchen in the Revolucion neighborhood. On Friday, we also plan to travel up into the mountains to the small daughter church at Tejocote.

On Monday, all the girls spent their time here at the Gilgal church helping Miros prepare for the multiple upcoming VBS weeks. The guys travelled to Bosques for the day to help lay a new concrete roof. It was hot and exhausting, but we all survived and the roof was completed, a terrific accomplishment. We'll be standing under that new roof at a church service on Wednesday night. Among other things, Josh Govier will be preaching his first ever sermon.

On Tuesday (today), we split into three teams -- one team here at Gilgal again (doing unbelievable work on some huge story/verse murals); a second team traveled to Bosques to help stucco the outer walls of the church; and a third team at the Revolucion soup kitchen to break up a large (20x12) concrete patio to prep it for paving stones. We hope to get that done tomorrow or Thursday. Another huge day for all three teams.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) most of the team will be at Revolucion for stucco work and the patio work. We could use your prayers to get these things DONE.

OK, a few personal notes. Jannah and Helen are staying at the home of a church family while the other 9 girls are squeezed into the upstairs bedroom at Ramon and Miros' house. The guys are all in the basement of the church with a droning roar of fans all around us to keep the air moving. It's not bad actually. The showers are chilly which actually feels very good after a long hot day. We gather each morning for breakfast and a meeting with each person sharing a devotion in turn. We close with some 2x2 prayer time before heading to the job sites. We eat a wonderful lunch at the church or at the job site (prepared lovingly by Miros). Dinner is at the church again prepared by a few ladies of the church (different each night so far). Terrific humble ladies are taking care of us.

Signing off with love to everyone (especially my family!)
Jay

Day Four Pictures

2009-06-16T09:44:00.002-05:00

Day four was our travel day. We drove from RGBI to Monterrey, crossing the border and getting our visas in the process. We went to the end of the church service, then ate lunch at El Pollo Loco. That night, there was another service that some members of the team took part in, and then Al preached. After that, there was another meal.

The first real day of work.

2009-06-15T22:42:00.003-05:00

Today was our first day of work here in Monterrey. It was pretty exhausting.

The boys went to Bosques to pour a cement roof. It was a pretty new experience for most of us, and was very tiring.
The girls stayed at the church and helped Ramon's wife, Miros, with various things that she needs to be accomplished for an upcoming trip to Chiapas and the VBS they have planned for later this summer.

I would write more, but it's getting a little late, and my brain is almost as fried as the back of my neck. (I'm actually not that burnt. You should see Brent.)

Pictures tomorrow,
-Ian

Day Three Pictures

2009-06-15T07:47:00.003-05:00

Now, I know this is wildly out of chronological order with everyone's posts, but later is better than never, right? Here's day three's photos.

We had the second day of VBS in the morning this day, and that group got back to RGBI around 3:30. The other group had been working there all day long, and we joined them to finish out the last few jobs Sharon had for us before dinner.

Guillermo Habla. (William speaks.)

2009-06-14T22:17:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone reading this,

The first day at RGBI, I was in the group going to VBS. I think that has already been described, but I will say that it was a blast. During the lesson I taught the Bible verse. While we were playing with the kids I made a friend named Jorge.

The second day at RGBI, I stayed back at the campus to help clean up some of the dorms so the rooms are ready for the students. It was actually quite fun (especially driving the golf carts to get places). By the end I knew my way around the campus pretty well. We did all sorts of jobs like taking apart a bunkbeds for storage, putting weather sealer in the doors, moving a refridgerator, sorting various things, tearing up floors, nailing up trim-stripping, and washing Sharon's car.

It was so fun working with Sharon Opperman. She is such a funny, energetic, and a very lovable person. She spreads around so much joy.

On Sunday (today), we got up early to eat with Sharon at a restaurant for breakfast and then leave to try and make it to the service in Monterrey at Gilgal at 10:30. No way. The border was a pretty long stop (although not too bad compared to some stories). We arrived in the last ten minutes of the service.

After the service we had some time for a siesta before the evening service. People started showing up about two hours earlier so we interacted with some of the kids. We did origami mostly. I made two hawks for some boys who were thrilled. I never knew that would come in handy to be able to fold a little piece of paper.

The evening service was quite interesting. All of the kids had been learning English songs for three months to sing to us. It was really cool. After this our group went up and sang to songs. Later in the service, some of our group gave testimonies or sang. It was really neat.

After the service we had a delicious meal. After stuffing ourselves we sat down and had a group meeting discussing some of the things we planned to do and just recapping the day.

Now us guys are at the church getting ready to hit the hay. I guess that is all. I had better get some sleep for the work-filled day tomorrow.

Signing off,
-William Keating

Day Two Pictures

2009-06-14T22:02:00.003-05:00

Day two consisted of flying into McAllen, driving to RGBI, and then eating lunch before splitting into two groups. One (the one I was in) went to do the first day of VBS and the other stayed at RGBI and helped Sharon out with some stuff. VBS (as you have probably read by now in my earlier post on the subject) was awesome.

A short note from Olivia

2009-06-14T17:13:00.006-05:00

Hello people!

Today something very interesting happened to me that I have never experienced before.

We had just gotten to the church in Monterrey, and we were trying to sing Spanish songs and it really just like hit me that even though I can't understand Spanish, God understands it, and he knows that they are worshiping him.
I could see that they were really worshiping God, and it was just really amazing.

-Olivia Hoskins

We're here.

2009-06-14T17:13:00.002-05:00

We arrived safely in Monterrey today!
We were delayed again, though. Getting our visas took longer than it should have (I am still not clear on the reason), and then after that, we were stopped at a checkpoint where they asked to see our visas AND the receipts for them. That has never happened on one of Chatham's trips to Mexico, and it was kind of annoying.

The important thing was that we got here safely. We even made it in time to catch the end of the service and sing a few songs before going to el Pollo Loco for lunch, which was cool.

Tonight we are attending another service, and then there is a dinner afterward with the congregation of the church. I'm kind of excited for it, because I want to use more Spanish, as well as seeing if anyone here remembers me from the last two years.

Love you guys! (And please send in your questions! It can be as random as you want. chathammissions@gmail.com)
-Ian

(More pictures to come soon.)

Day One Pictures

2009-06-14T16:37:00.007-05:00

Day one consisted of travel, and failed travel. We few to Dallas, then got stuck there, waiting for about 7 hours. We eventually left for a hotel for the night. We would fly to McAllen the next morning.

Vacation Bible School!

2009-06-13T18:51:00.006-05:00

The VBS we had yesterday was pretty cool. We started off as we always do, by playing games with the kids, blowing bubbles, drawing with chalk, and trying our best to understand what they are asking us.

(A typical conversation with a child is as follows:
Kid: *speaks unintelligible garble of words, one or two of which we might catch, but not in context or with enough clues to tell us what they actually want from us*
Us: Uh... Que?
Kid: *repeats everything at the exact same speed*
Us: ... Otra vez?
Kid: *repeats it one more time*
Us: *stares blankly back*
Kid: *runs off to find a native Spanish-speaker*)

We then did a skit about the good shepherd, with Josh as the shepherd, William as a thief, and Stephanie, Emily, and Grace as sheep. Also, Al was a wolf. The kids seemed to find this pretty funny. We taught them a verse, and then had someone wrap up the lesson section of VBS before moving on to a craft.

We left feeling slightly dehydrated and tired, already missing the kids, to come back to Rio Grande Bible Institute.

Today worked pretty much the same way, and was also a great day. The kids were very comfortable around us the second day, and I made some friends with the kids, especially one little boy named Arturo. He is apparently always at the house church we did the VBS at, even when something like a women's bible study is happening.

This time the skit was based on the parable of the different types of soil in Matthew 13. Brent was a farmer, Jannah and Olivia were seeds, Marcy and Helen were birds, Mercy and Larry were thorns, and Beth was the sun. Kathy and Al were rocks.

Leaving was kind of a drawn-out affair. The kids didn't really want to see us go, and we would have been perfectly fine with staying longer. I was also pretty interested in talking to Enrique and Letty, and their kids. Enrique and Letty are the ones who went in and started this house church, and they're pretty cool. Their son is also into graphic design, which I would have loved to talk to him about. Hopefully the power of Facebook can connect us all in time.

After the VBS was over, we came back to RGBI and worked for the rest of the afternoon, doing things like cleaning out storage sheds, folding sheets, and washing Sharon's car.

Please pray for us tomorrow as we cross the border and get our visas for the week. We're trying to get to Monterrey in time for the Sunday morning service, which will mean we have to get up kind of early. Pray that the crossing would go smoothly, and that we would have no more delays.
You can also pray for those who are worried about the food, and for all of us that we won't accidentally drink the water or get sick or anything.

Pictures are still to come. (I'm still using Sharon's laptop, and I don't want to fill it up with an editing program, and pictures, etc... I will post some tomorrow.)

Dios les bendiga,
-Ian

P.S. If you have a question or if there is something you'd really like to know more about, please send an email to chathammissions@gmail.com. I will do my best to answer them all. :)

We're alive, I promise!

2009-06-12T22:47:00.003-05:00

Okay. First of all, I'd like to apologize for not posting at all the past two days. But it WASN'T MY FAULT.

The whole airport scenario was kind of a fiasco. We got to Dallas Fort Worth airport at about 8:30 on Thursday, and then sat there for approximately 7 hours, not kidding. As you can imagine, we played numerous card games, even inventing our own, talked to many people, rode the terminal-connecting train (SkyLink) all the way around the track both ways, learned everything there is to know about Rosetta stone (getting free demo CDs in the process), and sang, both accompanied by a guitar before our first cancelled flight and then acapella (with harmony) to strangers before our third.

Needless to say, it was eventful.

We stayed the night in a hotel directly adjacent to a chinese restaurant and a Walmart (both of which we took full advantage of), and finally flew out of Dallas at 9:00 this morning. I would have used one of the free internet stations in the airport this morning, but there were none to be found by our fourth "departing" gate (the only one we actually left from).

Today, we got settled in at Rio Grande Bible Institute and ate lunch before separating the team to go to VBS and paint here. More details about VBS (from another perspective) and pictures of both days are still to come. (We don't have a card reader yet, and I wouldn't want to fill up Sharon's computer with our pictures, anyway.)

Once again, forgive us for worrying you. I thought about your likely worry and posted this as soon as I could. And to make up for being late, there will be lots and lots of posts later on. :)

Thank you for all of your prayers. It was a little frustrating to be delayed so long, but God definately had a purpose. We were wearing shirts with this blog address on them in pretty large font, so it's always possible that they'll find this. We bumped into a lot of people, and we all think that God could definately use something we said or did to reach into someone's life.

Please pray for the second day of VBS tomorrow. The kids seemed to be pretty receptive to what we were saying, so pray that that will continue. Also pray for the reaction the kids will have after we're gone, and that the indigenous church would follow up and have the perfect response for them. Pray also that the rest of our travel would go well, but ultimately that God would be in control, and that we'd be open to His leading in our lives.

We love you.
-Ian (and everyone else who you already miss, especially Emily, who witnessed the typing of this)

Prayer requests for the team!

2009-06-01T20:16:00.002-05:00

Al gave me this prayer sheet, and it seems like a good idea to have as many people as possible reading it. So here you go.

Please pray that:

We would be filled with the Holy Spirit and that He will keep control of our lives. (Ephesians 5:17-20)
The Lord will give us wisdom and reveal himself to us so that we can know Him better and communicate His love to others. (Ephesians 1:15-19)
Whenever we open our mouths, God will give us our words so that we can communicate the gospel well. (Ephesians 6:19-20)
We will have victory over Satan and that he wouldn't be able to hinder us. (Exodus 14:14, Romans 16:20)
Our service will be acceptable and helpful to the believers in Texas and Mexico. (I Thessalonians 1:2-10)
The news of Jesus Christ would bring hope into the lives of the people we go to, (especially the leaders of homes and communities) and that they would come to know Him. (Romans 15:20-21)
We will use our time wisely, making the most of every opportunity to serve. (Ephesians 5:15-16)
We will be kept safe in our travel. (Psalm 121)
There would be unity amoung the team itelf, and between the team and the Mexican people. (Ephesians 4:1-6)

Thank you for all of your prayer so far and to come. :)
(The trip is in 10 days!)

-Ian

Thank you very much!

2009-05-04T22:01:00.000-05:00

Praise God, we made $5000!

Thank you so much to everyone who gave, and also to everyone who was there and is going to pray for us! Money is needed and very much appreciated, but prayer is probably the best and most powerful thing you can do for us.

Here are a couple pictures of the Mexico dinner.

Swine Flu News

2009-05-03T16:01:00.000-05:00

The Mexican government has declared that the swine flu is "past its peak" and is declining. Of course, the situation still merits the attention of the team, and of Chatham, but it appears to be calming down a little bit.

There are also "encouraging signs" that the flu isn't any more severe than a normal seasonal flu.

Pray:

for all the people who have gotten the flu, and for the cities where there have been outbreaks. Pray that there would be health all around.
for the trip, that the flu epidemic would calm down before we leave.
for the team, that we would remain healthy in preparations, and on the trip.

-Ian

Welcome to the 2009 Mexico Mission Blog!

2009-05-02T10:43:00.000-05:00

Hello, and thank you for visiting!

You have now found the best place to check for updates, prayer requests, pictures, videos, and more, from the preparations for the trip until the very end. If last year is any indication, you will be hearing from and seeing us a lot, so stay tuned. :)

Also, if you are reading this, you should come to the Mexico Dinner!

It is this Sunday night at Chatham Bible Church at 6:00!
Come out and eat some delicious Mexican food and support the Mexico team!