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.