End of the road...or a beginning?

The last day of VBS was shorter because we only had the kids half the day.  The other half of the day we worked on the musical for their parents.  It is amazing how the kids learned 5 songs in just 3 days.  We also had the opportunity to share the gospel with a Mexican boy who came to our VBS.  His family was staying at our hotel and decided to put their children in VBS.  Although he and his brother participated eagerly and practiced the bit of English they knew, he did not show much of an interest in spiritual matters until the last day.  On the day we talked about salvation, he said he had been baptized as a baby and was right with God.  We talked with him, but on Thurs. he asked many questions.  His first one was, "What is the difference between Catholics and Christians?"  For those of you reading this who are Americans, Catholics don't consider themselves Christians in Latin America.  I let the missionary kids answer him.  They do this all the time!  I was so proud of them as they shared the gospel with him and answered his questions with Scripture, knowledge, and genuine concern for him.  We gave him an English Bible so he could practice and a Spanish gospel of John.  His brother received a Spanish Bible.  His mother had the opportunity to meet many of the missionaries when she saw the final performance.  We pray that the seed planted will grow.
It was hard to say good-bye.  My 5th and 6th graders teared up as they each hugged Andrew and me.  The kids look forward to this annual event where they get attention and love from people besides their parents and get to see MKs just like them. 

Last night we stayed over in another hotel as we were bumped from ours.  The taxi rides there and back were a little cramped (see picture).  It was great though, and we enjoyed shopping and looking around Tequisquialpan, a small city a half hour away from here.

Day 4: Change of Plans

Today we learned another lesson in being flexible. Turns out the hotel overbooked for Thursday night, so guess who going to be moved to a new hotel. That's right. Us. Thursday night we're going to be heading over to a new hotel and saying goodbye to the missionaries a little bit earlier than we expected. Friday will be a shopping day, and Saturday is our trip back. I know that Mike, who is working with the youth, is already sad about having to say goodbye early. Frankly, we are too. But we don't have a choice in the matter, so we are going to put on a smile and finish out the course here.

Hannah and I were both feeling under the weather today. Maybe the busyness and hard work is catching up with us. Don't know. But she's toughed it out and gave a rocking awesome gospel presentation to the kids today, effectively summarizing the entire Bible in six blocks.

We also learned that a lot of the missionaries are facing stress and challenges with the many changes going on in the IMB. There's a renewed focus on reaching the under-evangelized, which means some people may have to leave areas and relationships they've worked in for years to go to a new place, perhaps even outside of Latin America. Please pray for the missionaries and consider giving more (or for the first time) to the IMB through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.

First VBS Day

Today was the first real day of VBS, which was both challenging and enjoyable at the same time. At 9:15, we started with a Bible story and small group time. Andrew helped me work with the six 5th and 6th grade children and we had the opportunity to get to know them on a one-on-one basis.

Although kids have certain characteristics and behaviors no matter what culture, it's interesting to see the differences between typical American children and these kids. Typically they are very involved with their parents' ministry. One 6th grader told me that he and his 9-year-old sister translate for American mission teams. Other children teach Sunday School classes all by themselves for younger kids. When children have all this responsibility, I believe it makes them more mature, more caring, and less self-conscious. It's also ironic to see blonde-haired, blue-eyed children who speak and act like Mexicans.

After Bible study, the kids had recreation and then they rotate to Missions (which Andrew teaches), Crafts, Snacks, and finally Music. We repeated VBS in the afternoon. In the evening we watch them again as they practice for their musical. I have been struggling with altitude sickness a lot here, and today I tried to take it easy but found it hard to do so with the VBS schedule. I did take a short nap in the afternoon, but later this evening I felt dizzy, exhausted, and had a harder time breathing. Coca-Cola does help. Please pray for me.

One of the best parts of this trip for Andrew and me has been getting to know the missionaries. We see them mainly at mealtimes, where we chat over too much yummy Mexican food. We get to hear about how they raise their children, what type of ministry they do, what their challenges are, what Mexican churche are like, how strong a hold Satan has on certain areas of the country, how they get housing and cars, and how they got started in missions. It is helpful for us to see how missions works on a practical basis and we love talking with the missionaries.

Day 2: Exhausting

Today was not as exhausting as you might think, but when you combine my lack of physical fitness and an altitude well over a mile above sea level, things can get a little hairy. Hannah even had to go back to the room for a while today. We think she's suffering from altitude sickness. Please keep praying for her.

Setting up the room for VBS with (LT to RT) B-----, R----- (sitting), S-----, and M-----

Our work commenced with gathering our supplies and then setting up the room we're using for the VBS. We worked hard, and I even put together the tent we brought. The MKs did a phenomenal job helping us, though some wanted piggy-back rides more than they wanted to help ;-). The work took a long time, and I decided to head out to the store when the opportunity arose. Hannah and I didn't pack much clothes for cold weather, and even though 59 degrees isn't that cold, shorts and a t-shirt doesn't always cut it. We picked her up a green and white zip-up hoodie (thin, not thick material) and she seemed to like it, especially since Mexico's colors are red, white, and green. Just one off!

When we got back, Mitch, one of the teenagers on our team, helped me put together my missions room. It was a lot of moving tables and taping together posters to block out the windows (the missions rotation is supposed to be a cave), and we couldn't finish before lunch, so we had to come back again to put on some finishing touches before the room was used as a testing area for missionaries. They have to keep up on their Spanish skills, so it's nice to know that they monitor that.

Mitch slide tackling D-----, an IMB missionary

With nothing to do for a few hours, we got together and played good old, American football with the MKs and some missionaries. After a couple turnovers and two touchdowns, we decided to end the game with a tie (you can do that in Mexico) and play soccer. That was exhausting for me (Andrew). Hannah was in the room during this time trying to get over altitude sickness. I was trying to defy it. By the end of the game I was not feeling too well, in part because I took a powerful kick right to the groin. We ended up losing 3 or 4 to 1, but I did get to score that one goal. All in all, we probably played for about three hours.

In the evening after supper the missionaries officially began the retreat part of the week (prior to that it had all been business). We took the kids (K through 6th) to sing some VBS songs and Kristin (another team member) assigned the older kids roles in a play. After the fun was over, we tried to play capture the flag with the youth, but we had to call it due to lightning. But I'm bushed. Technically it is now day 3, so I had better get to bed. Be sure to check out all our photos from today here.

Day 1: Arrival!!!

UPDATE: Today's photos are all available online here.

We've made it. Hannah and I could hardly sleep last night, so after only two hours of sleep and a long day of travel, we've made it to Querétaro. Mexico City is a massive tangle of urbanization, and it took us quite a long time to navigate through customs, but Hannah and I made it with our baggage intact (with the exception of a broken wheel on one of our bags). Some others in our group lost some of the things they were bringing like a special mp3 player with sermons from the Spanish version of Charles Stanley. I hope the customs officials needed them.

The missionaries in Mexico hooked us up with some drivers, so I got to enjoy chatting with Miguel the whole way to Querétaro, with the exception of a short power nap. When we got to the hotel, we discovered that it is more like a grand complex spanning a lot of area. There is a restaurant, pool, tennis courts, patios, greenery... ah, it is perfect for a retreat. We met some of the missionaries, and Hannah and I look forward to learning more about their ministries and maybe find out a little more about what to expect as we get closer to the dream we believe God has laid on our hearts, full time service overseas.

MKs left to right: R----- and sisters R-----, S-----, & L-----

Supper was great, and though I'm tempted to say the best part was the tres leches cake, I have to say we very much enjoyed chatting with some MKs (missionary kids). We spent most of the time talking with R-----, S-----, L-----, and M-----. Learning about missions from the perspective of people who've grown up and are growing up in that environment has been phenomenal, and we feel like we've made some friends too. They're not that much younger than us.

Thank you all for praying for us, for safety, patience, and love. I think a few of us got on each others' nerves once or twice, but everyone has been patient and gracious. May God be praised. Tomorrow more of the missionaries will be arriving, so pray for their safety in travel and pray for the people they left behind who still have a mission to carry out without their American counterparts. We also want to see God glorified in our attitudes and kindness. And catching up on some missed sleep isn't too bad, either.

Meet DeAnna

Tonight we had our whole team get together for some last-minute preparations, steak dinner, and prayer. This marks the first time we've all gotten together as a complete team.

Hannah and I had a chance to talk a little more with team members we don't know as well, and DeAnna, sitting behind the couch, shared some with us about her life.

She is one of the few people on our team who actually speaks Spanish. For her it started out teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) classes to Hispanics. She realized it was important for her to learn some of the lingo, and she began receiving language training from her students as well. She also knows some sign language as well. DeAnna will be teaching 3rd & 4th graders during the VBS this year.


**For those of you who don't know, Hannah was feeling ill the other day (a cold, we think), but she is feeling better now. I just hope the traveling tomorrow doesn't knock her out.**

Meet Charles and Cathy

Maybe you received our prayer card and saw the names 'Charles and Cathy Gwaltney.' The people at our church know them and we wanted to include them.

Charles and Cathy asked us many months ago if Hannah and I would be willing to consider going on a short term mission trip. Prior to this trip, Charles helped us file our taxes correctly. Though he's retired, he works on people's taxes partially to be able to go on short-term mission trips. They are gracious people and God knows that we wouldn't be going on this trip if God hadn't brought them into our lives.

With less than a week left, Hannah and I are very excited to think about what we will do and where we will stay. God has blessed us richly. We are so thankful to the people who supported us financially and in prayer on this trip, you know who you are. Many of you received the prayer cards in the mail so that you would know that you are not forgotten. We also handed them out at our church. If you did not receive one, you can download it from this site and print it to put up in your Bible, office, bathroom mirror, or wherever.