Mexico

Tomorrow will mark two weeks since the Mexico trip. It seems like it was forever ago...or it never happened...but it was just yesterday. :-) Tonight, the mission team had dinner together to celebrate and reconnect after our time together in Tepecoa, Iguala, and wherever our treking took us in those five days. I've tried talking about the experience but it all seems so vague in comparison to being there. I've posted pictures, brought back memories and memoribilia...but it's not the same as being there, talking to the people, being hugged by family you never knew you had--and no one gets as excited about the "LaLa" song unless they got to sing it with/hear it from Isidro. :-)

On Thursday, we arrived in Mexico City and had about a 3-4 hour drive directly to a church service where Tim, Grace and I sang for the first time. The church in Tepecoa, the home church of the missionary family we stayed with (the Stilwells), was full of treasures of people. The kind of kindred people that make such an impression on your heart that you think of them as dear family, and feel like you're home when you're with them (even if they don't even speak your language, or you speak theirs). And it was such a refreshing experience to worship God--beyond cultural differences, our same God--along with them. If you saw the pictures I posted, Jojalie (sp?) is the little doll we're holding in most of the pictures, and the one scampering around the church services there.

Friday morning we spent preparing for the boarding schools we were delivering the mattresses to that afternoon. I was so blessed to work alongside Tim and Grace with the music, and learned so much from being in Tim's company--it makes me miss being there, since there was such ongoing, rich fellowship. The day at the boarding school probably was the biggest highlight of the whole time there. I could try my hardest to put into words their conditions, their faces, their gestures, their conversations--all the things about them that would just capture and overtake your heart. Jason, the team photographer (and another adopted Dad :-)), told us to take the kids' pictures and show them, because they would go crazy. So we did, and it was the most fun! When they would smile for the picture and you showed it to them on the back of the camera, they would burst into intoxicating laughter and you'd just want to scoop them all into your arms laughing with them! We blew them bubbles, and the light in their eyes when you'd let them blow was priceless. Trying to talk to them so so much fun, because the simplest questions would bring shy smiles, laughter and even hugs sometimes. Tim and I sang "Cristo Te Ama" (Jesus Loves Me) and Jesus Loves the Little Children--one of the girls, Daisi (sp?), loved Christo Te Ama. Amazingly, we had an extra copy and left it for her, and she promised to practice! :) My guitar permanently has "Sonrie, Christo Te Amo" stickers from some of the little ones who thought it needed them.
While we played with the kids, and the Demis (as clowns!) made animal balloons, the rest of the team and some church members brought out all the old and deteriorating mattresses, to make way for the brand new ones. The older boys (and even a couple willing, little guys) would line up and march like ants carrying the new mattresses to the waiting beds. It was so amazing to see! They loaded some of the old mattresses in a truck that was bound for the next boarding school; though it was heartbreaking that they could use what was left, it's conditions were worse than the first.
We ate lunch with the kids at the first school--which was an amazing meal! From what we saw, the kids eat very well, and it was adorable to watch the really little ones (as little as 4 & 5) systematically take their tins, silverware and cups to their respectives places when they were all finished. We gave each child a Testament Bible, a coloring book, and a couple soccer balls. With their teacher, they thanked us with an adorably "practiced" thank you cheer, we said goodbyes, and headed to the next school.
Once there (but on limited time), we unloaded what new mattresses we had left, the old mattresses from the previous school, coloring books, Bibles and the soccer ball from SWAT. It broke our hearts a second time to see their conditions--where they sleep, their bathrooms, their school rooms. When we saw what they had, we realized why the old mattresses we would have otherwise thrown away, were desperately needed here. Yet all the thankfulness and love just poured from them; just their hugs, smiles and thank you's permiated with so much more love than my soccer ball or coloring book did. :) I'm humbled and thankful for a peak of Abba's love this way, because it was overwhelming in a REAL sense...real, fearless, no-strings, sincere love.

Again, that was the biggest highlight, though it's so difficult to wrap all those five days up. We got a chance to help Paul and Teresa minister at a church by giving and fitting eyeglasses to whomever came that needed them. It was a blessing to be with the Stilwells and observe their amazing ministry. To hang out with their four gorgeous and hilarious daughters, and amazing son, Pablito--who definitely was the life of the party. :) We attended a youth service that Saturday at "Keyros"; the worship, the message, the altar worship, and the fellowship afterwords couldn't be put into words. When they worshipped, they seemed to truly worship Dios with abandon, with all their heart.
We toured the market, Taxco (an amazing little Italy!!), Iguala--just some amazingly beautiful and unique places!

It was precious to hang out with the Demis, twin sisters who always have something profound to say (and something to make me cough about...but I'm okay). Also with Jason, and his two daughters Mal and Gracie--whom I've adopted as dad and sisters and hey, it works that they share my last name! I grew so much and was edifiied to get to have long into-the-night talks with my "uncle" Kurt, Tim and Pat in the little kitchen for the teams. To be with Pastor Steve and his son Alex, whose encouragement and senses of humor was definitely the peanut butter on the oreo. :)
The cold showers, the blackflies, five-scorpions-in-one-night, the car rides, the water caution...even the very worst of things we came up against never was a bother, especially if they were to imply that it was a mistake to be there. I've definitely been given more than I gave, and will be looking back to that little time in the future when spiritual conditions call for it. :) I'm counting down the days until I'm on my way back...Lord willing. :)

I know I'm leaving people out, skipping important times, and forgetting details! It kills me to stop here, because I could keep going and going and going. But I pray that every part of what the Lord God has blessed me with, I've brought back to manifest in my life in whatever ways He gets the most glory. That I can give from what I've been given, and "live up to what [I] have already attained".

Already, the possibility of opportunities overseas (that would be an answer to prayer for me!) have come up, and again, I've been asked to wait and pray. Wait and pray. :)
To be continued....:)