Surprise

On our second meeting of the school year, we decided to combine the youth and adolescent groups which normally meet separately.  We did it to practice a choreography for Kiana’s 15^th, but also we wanted to celebrate a birthday.  Here’s the group before returning to their homes.  Our house is getting too small!

Looking ahead…

On Sunday, we had one of the men in our congregation stand up and deliver a message from the Bible.  Luis has been faithfully reaching out to friends to share about Jesus.  He isn’t shy about talking about Christ nor is he without words when referring to his past life which Jesus saved him from.  I am excited to see how God is creating a team to serve him in our community.

Just a second…

With the arrival of Tracey’s sister and her daughter, we decided to run down to a small town outside of Mexico City to give them and us a bit of rest from the summer’s activities.  The goal was to rest, swim, rest, swim… Well, you get the picture.  It was short.  We were only gone one night, but I think it helped to give us a breath of fresh air.

Looking back…

We’ll be celebrating Kiana’s 15^th come the end of the week, so I had to go through the old archives to see if I could find something cute to put up.  Well, we’ll see lots of her photos now and then, but this one in my mind is a keeper… “sisters.”

In the Park

In order to help the pastor of one of our sister churches, I was invited to speak in Tizayuca about 40 minutes from our house.  It was very encouraging to see the congregation and hear about how God has been providing for their needs and for their hopes.  We saw a new worship team practicing and lots of excitement.

New signs of life

School’s back in session.  For our new graduates from elementary to middle school, we put together a new group of younger “youth.”  On Saturday, we headed over to a local open air market and had them scavenge for school supplies.  They only had 12 minutes to find about 22 objects.  You should have seen them run!

While at Home

Our youth as an activity and a promo decided to put together a few videos of how to invite someone to come to church.  Granted these were done around our VBS time, they are still entertaining for those who have a fear of doing the wrong thing.

In Peru

As breathtaking as the photos that Kiana showed us were, she decided to put together a video for the church helping us to see how she was involved in evangelism, translation and reaching over 5000 people with the gospel (1200 praying for salvation.)  Wow, can’t even imagine how tiring that would be!

In Africa

I’m not sure if you got to see some of the photos that were taken of Keila in Africa.  Well, she managed to put together this video for the church to share her experiences with us.  Take a look!

Spanish NOT necessary…

Two of the teacher that came from Wisconsin to spend their summer serving in Mexico spoke little Spanish.  And yet they were able to communicate and enjoy interacting with our youth and those they met.  We’re thankful for their help, example and courage.  May God bless the remainder of your summer!

Big squeeze…

Not everything came hard at camp.  We were trucked around in the back of two twin cab pick-ups.  While you can’t do this in the big urban centers, in the “sticks” everyone travels like this.  We were also treated to some wonderful food on our last night in the area.  During the week, we were stuffed with great food prepared by Paty, our onsite volunteer chef.

One more time…

Our neighborhood outreach took the form of a 1-day VBS on the beach with kids trucked in from nearby communities.  They enjoyed our music, crafts, games and choreographies.  We were all warmed up after our 5-day VBS the week before in our community.

What a mix!

While our crew consisted of 10 youth, and 2 adult chaperones, we formed part of a bigger team made up of a girl from Costa Rica, a family and friends from an indigenous tribe in Mexico, and 3 young teachers from Wisconsin.  WE made an incredible team.  “All for one…”  and 1More4Christ…

Making it count!

While the beach was a stone’s throw from the camp, the youth spent time listening to Tracey and others share devotionals in the mornings and in the evenings about being “World Changers.”  Especially entertaining was an object lesson about losing one’s perspective in the midst of problems.  The youth enjoyed the challenge of figuring out this puzzle.

The NEXT Step

Just trying to catch up on all the news that we’d like to share, I’ll start with what’s most recent.  Last week we took a team of our youth to a Christian camp in Tuxpan, Veracruz (on the Gulf coast of Mexico.)  For most it was their first time away from home and at camp.  They spent their days in 114 degree temperatures (adjusted for humidity) painting new buildings.  From varnishing to oiling to “primering,” they worked hard.  But then again they also got to play hard.

Here’s a pic of the crew that oiled the dock.

Moving to the beat…

 The children enjoyed the moves created by the youth to the VBS songs.  It was fun to hear them scream, “Again!  Again!”  The congregation was upbeat and parents were excited about the activities provided for their kids.

Here's their sound...

Looking back at the week...

Well, I just got these posted.   

We’ve been busy with VBS (Vacation Bible School) this week and it’s been exciting.  The congregation's new teachers taught; the youth led the choreographies and music; and we our service crew was amazing (which includes snacks, setup and clean up).  God truly knows what he’s doing, when people are freed to do their best work!  I stand in awe of Him and his people!

Oops!

What can I say?   

I didn’t have time to post…