Thanks for your partnership!

This will be my final blog on our recent Mexico Work & Witness trip. Just wanted to let everyone know the team is back safe and sound and that we truly felt your prayers and partnership throughout our brief journey. God did some amazing things; lives were impacted and both physical and spiritual muscles were stretched.

The team spent our final evening in the town of Puerto Penasco where we had a clear view of the sunset over the Sea of Cortez. One of our devotionals while on the field dealt with the rhythms of life that God has created for us and how thankful we are for such things that ground, renew and comfort us.

There is a real peace that comes from watching the sun set, thanking God for another day of worshiping and serving Him, and looking forward to the joyful privilege of doing it all over again tomorrow, God willing. I pray you are right where He wants you to be, serving His Kingdom-sized purpose for your life, and thanking Him for the privilege of being a part of it all!

Mission Accomplished!

What a wonderful way to start the day . . . and end the weekend. We had a Spirit-filled worship this morning. There's nothing like praising the Lord in another country with brothers and sisters from a variety of denominational and ethnic backgrounds. It's Rev 7:9 at it's finest and it's what makes our Heavenly Father smile.

The team member who led this morning's devotional spoke about us coming to minster to others and actually being the ones ministered to. How very true! We were all blessed by this experience and our time together and God's presence among us was powerfully clear.

When Trinidad opened the door to her new home and found a brand new bed waiting for her the gratitude oozed out of every part of her being. She could not stop expressing how grateful she was and telling us how she wants a picture of the team to hang on her new walls. She told us she wants to show her church family and that all of them would be praying for us - always. We are invited to come by and see her any time we're in town. Care to join us on the next trip to Puerto to bless a family . . . or should I say be blessed?

Fish Tacos & Testimonies

What an awesome day! We learned a lot more about Trinidad and her family and have met many of them. Trinidad has eleven children. Two of her daughters and a daughter-in-law insisted on making us fish tacos for lunch today. As we worked, they prepared the meal on a table and open fire right there on the work site. It was educational to see the process they go through to make such a meal and we were blessed to have the added time to fellowship with them and their children. They are a very gracious and grateful family . . . and the fish tacos were among the very best.

The team has done an exceptional job with the house building project. The construction is high quality and we finished the longest of the three days well before most teams generally do. It is so rewarding, after Day Two, to actually see what looks like a house where only a foundation stood 24 hours earlier.

Tonight was Family Fiesta Night, which is when the family comes to 1Mission's base camp to share dinner and fellowship with the team doing the build. We heard a couple of wonderful testimonies tonight - one from a 1Mission house recipient and another from one of our own team members. God is on the move and He's not finished with us yet!

Esperanza Para Los Ninos

The title of this blog is the name of the Childrens Home where we spent our first free evening. In English it means "Hope for the Children" and what an appropriate name it is. The 36 children, ranging in age from about 4 to 19, were clearly happy and full of hope, despite the fact that their biological parents are unable or unwilling to care for them, which is how they find themselves at the home. Their new "parents," Guillermo & Mara, do it all for the love of Jesus. They are truly an inspiration as to what it means to live for the Lord. They do much with very little.

The drive to the home was in itself an adventure; a slow drive down a sandy dirt road with piles of rocks alternately on either side of the two lane road. While we never saw another vehicle, we did find out that these rock piles are strategically placed by the government to deter small planes from landing on the long, straight, narrow, dark and isolated road. You can guess the cargo.

Due to the geneority of our team members we were able to bless the children with basic food supplies, as well as the special treat of banana splits. A picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll end here!

Meet our family

We were happy to meet our assigned family this morning -Trinidad and her grand daughter, Jade (pronounced Hahday in Spanish). Trinidad's property happens to be located in the city of Puerto Penasco, which is very unique since 1Mission generally works in Nuevo Penasco, also known as the barrio. Trinidad actually has a "house" already, though it has no door or windows. The real treat for us was that there are two mesquite trees on the property and with temperatures currently at 91 degrees (at 4:30 in the afternoon) I can assure you we appreciated those trees!

After finishing pouring the concrete slab and building the frames for the walls and roof, several of us hit the local Supermeracdo (supermarket) to shop for basic food supplies for the Children's Home where we will be visiting this evening. Don't tell anyone, but we had enough left to buy two huge tubs of ice cream and enough bananas to also treat them to banana splits tonight! So much for all those calories we burnt off today :-)

In/Out Teamwork!

The team has arrived safely in Puerto Penasco. As a shout out to Pastor Brian and his enthusiasm about the team work and joy of In/Out Burger employees, the team had our picture taken at our Phoenix lunch stop before heading down to Mexico. (sorry if you missed this sermon - it was a good one!) It's been a real joy to watch the team members get to know one another and form friendships that I know will last a lifetime. That is, afterall, what happens on these Work & Witness trips. You can not help but be building friendships while building houses and, ultimately, building the Kingdom of God.

We've already seen answered prayer, including all team members arriving safely despite coming from different places. One team member who was flying standby ended up being the only standby passenger who made the flight from Houston to Phoenix. If he had missed that connection, the entire team would have been held up four hours!

Thanks for your prayers and keep up the good work!

Father (Son & Holy Spirit) Knows Best!

We have been preparing our hearts and minds for this Work & Witness trip to Puerto Penasco, Mexico since we first gathered as a team in August. I have been sensing that God wants to do something significant through this body of believers since He first formed the group. We were excited about our family assignment and had begun praying for them since we received their bio from 1Mission almost three weeks ago. Our desire to bring them needed gifts was strong, but something was blocking the flow of needed information from the field. Missions is always about flexibility and patience, so we waited. Just yesterday we found out that our previously assigned family decided to apply for government-funded housing, making them ineligible for a 1Mission house. We have been reassigned a 66 year old grandmother whose 6 year old grand daughter lives with her part of the week. Her name is Trinidad, which in English means Trinity! How cool is that? Please lift up Trinidad, her grand daughter, Jade, and the entire team as we head across the border tomorrow afternoon. As always, your prayers are truly the wind beneath our wings.