Bus, One More Time

I spoke with Maria late this evening. The bus has now been moved to the Falcon Heights motel waiting on the paperwork to come through. The church at Falcon Heights is about to have Bible School and folks need to access the parking lot. Hopefully there will be word about the bus crossing soon!

Gabby's House

It's been brought to my attention that I have not given an update on our construction project!

Several weeks ago we sent the money for Gabby's father to begin work on the house. He knows how to lay block and for this area, cinder block is the best kind of material to use. So, the frame of the house had been completed upon our arrival.

As you know, rain slowed down our progress at the first of the week. The streets are not paved in this neighborhood and the rain made the roads impossible for driving. The men worked on Monday installing a water filtration system for the church which was much appreciated! On Tuesday they assembled the trusses in halves at the church. The ground was dry enough on Wed. for them to take the assembled pieces to the house and begin work. Rain late that afternoon brought them in early though.

We left the house in the dry and talked with our friends from FBC, Humble, Texas who followed us this week in Guerrero. Hopefully their construction team will be able to put some finishing touches on this project.

Gabby, her husband, and son, were thrilled with their new house. Gabby, amid tears of joy, expressed her thankfulness to us for this gift of love.

Another word on the bus

Our Thursday night plans changed again on the bus. The mayor was not able to make it to Thursday night's service. As well, Mark was not able to get a picture done. So, the bus was left basically as "unfinished business". I have not heard from Pedro and Maria yet if the paperwork has been finalized. I will update as soon as I know details.

Back in Texas

Yesterday we left around 9:00 and went to Gabby's house, the woman for whom we were building the house. We gathered around in a circle and prayed for Gabby and her family. Please pray for this family as her husband and father are not believers.

After that we headed for the border where we had to turn in our permits. Lunch was in Laredo and a shopping stop in Laredo for pottery. San Antonio was our supper spot and we did not roll into the hotel in Round Rock until after 10:30 last night. This was one tired group.

This morning we will gather at 7:45 for mail call and get on the vans by 8:00. At least that's the plan. My best estimate of when we may roll into Sheridan is somewhere between 5:00 and 5:30 this evening.

We look forward to seeing all of you in church in the morning! Continue to pray for the work that God is doing all along the Mexico border.

Thursday Night

The evening ended as differently as the week began. I don't recall an evening service ever quite being like last night's. Not many people showed up at the theater last night. Pedro invited two young men to lead in songs/worship last night. It was a praise and worship service familiar to us although it was in Spanish. The service began at 8:00 p.m. At 10:00 Pedro finally got the stage to preach. Pedro delivered a strong sermon geared toward youth. At the conclusion of the service he asked all youth to come to the front of the stage. Then he asked the Christians to form a circle around them, hold hands, and pray for them. He asked another local pastor, Mark, and then Ken to voice prayers. It was quite an emotional time. Thursday night is always a bitter sweet time for us as we once again say goodbye to our dear friends.

Pictures

Bus Again

Here's the latest news on the bus. Ximena called me yesterday after lunch and said, "Sister, the mayor wants you to come to city hall and bring the paperwork for the bus." So, Ken, Mark, and I left for city hall in the pouring down rain. We were escorted up to an office on the second floor. Two men came out to meet us. They said that they need to send the paperwork to Mexico City to gain an official registration. We were told that this will be best for the people because then the bus would be free to travel throughout Mexico without a permit. It will take anywhere from 2 days to a week to have the paperwork completed.

So, this is our plan for this evening's activity. Mark is going to take one of our pictures of the bus and take it to Walmart this afternoon. He'll blow it up to an 8x10 and buy a cheap frame. Tonight we will present them with the picture and the keys to the bus. When the paperwork is complete the mayor will send someone in his office to get the bus across.

Unless God changes the plan today, this is what we're aiming for. Please continue to pray for our time tonight that God's spirit will be present at our time of worship and many people will come to know Him.

Men's Fish Fry

Yesterday afternoon another huge thunderstorm rolled through. We thought for just a moment that the ground would dry out some, but we thought wrong. We knew that this would hamper the men's ability to get to the lake for the tournament.

Last year we had about 20 men attend the fish fry (including our men). Last night 47 men attended the event. Our men think that about 5 men raised their hand to receive Christ as their Savior.

Perhaps today we will hear from Pedro his view of how last night's event went. We trust that God used last night's event to further his kingdom.

God Overwhelmed Us!

Children's Festival: Words cannot be found to describe what we experienced last night at the amphitheater! This blog is not long enough to explain how we've seen God work before, during, and after this event. Every year that we've been here we've had events in the plaza. The most people we've seen come to an event is about 200.

Pedro invited a drama team from a church in Miguel Alemon to come and present a drama for this event. They gave a two hour presentation. The first hour consisted of music, clowns, and games. The second hour was a re-creation of a famous Mexican children's program with a Christian twist. The people in Guerrero evidently thought that the characters from the real program were coming to do a program because when we arrived last night there were ...........

800-1000 people there!

When the group finished Pedro got up and offered an invitation. Many people left while Pedro was talking. Some people made decisions for Christ, but I do not know how many at this point. Even though many left, we know that seeds were planted in the hearts of the people.

At the conclusion of the event, many wonderful things happened. The mayor was present along with a state representative. Mark and some of our men met them. Mark led the small group in a prayer for the mayor and the city of Guerrero. The mayor was genuinely nice and repeatedly expressed her appreciation for our group and the ways we have helped the city over the last 6 years.

At the same time this was happening a young man approached Beverly and Sherry with an amazing and powerful testimony of God's saving him. He spoke perfect English and his story began with, "I lived in Iowa for many years and was born again in Forrest City, Arkansas!" This story is too long and too powerful to share here!

Praise God for His many blessings and for the way He is moving this year and the many wonderful lessons He continues to teach us. Please continue to pray that God will move in our hearts and in the hearts of people here.

As I write this Mark has left for the border to get paperwork in order for the crossing of the bus today. We desperately need your prayers about this today. As well, the men's fish fry is tonight. We have $60. budgeted for food for this event. Last night Pedro invited all the men who were present to this event and told them of the prize money! We need a "Two Fish and Five Loaves" experience tonight! Also pray for Kevin Welch as he will be sharing his testimony with these men tonight.

There is much to say, but no time. Please pray for us today!

Where in the World is Ken?

Since Ken had exposure to Daycare on Monday, we decided to let him experience working at the evangelism table yesterday. Morgan put a piece of paper in front of Ken and said, "Read this." He had a few minutes to process the information before the first lady was sat in front of him. After sharing with her the plan of salvation, she prayed to receive Christ. As well, a man visited with accepted Christ. Kristen also worked at the evangelism table. Dr. Reyna's two boys were their interpreters.

We're thinking that today we'll put Ken in the medical clinic! That's really scary!

Day Two

VBS: Yesterday's VBS was good once again. One child did not come back, but they had a new child come. The weather was once again WONDERFUL!

Medical Clinic: Dr. Reyna and his two sons worked with us yesterday. They were wonderful and such a blessing. We believe that the clinic saw about 10-11 patients yesterday. Dr. Reyna has chosen to see patients in a room of this house that is packed with junk. The pharmacy has more medicine this year than we've taken any other year. Pray that God will send people in need of medical care!

Women's Ministry: We had about the same number of women yesterday as we did on Monday. One woman had Cristina, Maria's niece, approach me to ask if we were coming back next year. I referred the question to Maria.

BUS

If you haven't been praying about the bus lately, let me give you an opportunity! Mark and Ken left earlier this afternoon for Falcon Heights with a letter in hand stating that our church is donating the bus to Guerrero. This letter was not for the Mexican side, but for US Customs.

As Ken and Mark put it, "We have good news and we have bad news." The good news is that the bus can cross, but it can't cross until the earliest Friday afternoon. That's only a problem because (1) we're leaving Friday morning; and (2) we're presenting the bus to the city leaders Thursday night. We believe that the bus can still cross at Miguel Alemon, but that will involve more communication and paperwork with Guerrero's mayor.

We covet your prayers for this problem (or may I say OPPORTUNITY)! It is vital for us to be able to present this bus Thursday night as it is what our Thursday night event is based upon. It is the tool we have to be able to present the gospel to city leaders and teachers in the community. Pray that the mayor will be able to help us get the necessary paperwork together to facilitate the crossing of the bus at Miguel Alemon.

Nayeli

Nayeli spent the night with us Sunday night with permission of her parents; however, her step-dad would not allow her to stay with us any longer this week. He didn't mind her going to Paras with us, but not stay with us. We are unable to get her to take with us daily because of the time factor and the mud. We do not know if we'll get to see Nayeli again this week or not.

Please continue to pray for Nayeli.

Did I say, RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY?

Once again it has poured down all night long! This morning we thought we'd get a break because we saw a clearing in the sky. But, we were wrong. Once again the drenching rains have come along with strong winds.

The picture to the left is what we thought was our "break!"

Please pray that this will not hamper our work!

Ladies Supper

Last night we enjoyed a dinner with the ladies from the Guerrero church. The night began with a short Bible Study led by Maria's sister, Cristina and her daughter, Beatrice. Beverly Bragg cooked a great meal of Mexican Chicken, salad, rolls, and brownies. Paige provided several crafts for the ladies to do after supper. The night ended with the ladies getting to select door prizes.

Weather

Thank you for praying that the rain would subside. This afternoon the rain has stopped for awhile. The temperature is a cool 72! We've been here in the winter months and it's never been this cold!

As I type many of us are sitting in a circle on the portico facing the lake. Peggy King, Rhoda Green, Marilyn Sites, Missy Overton, Carley Morrison and Kim Lindsey are wrapped tightly in blankets. I KNOW! IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE! Rhoda even asked for earmuffs!

I'm sitting amongst this group with the computer on my lap, writing this post with our wireless internet! GOD IS GOOD!

Daycare

Due to a mistake that Mark made on paperwork to get van permits for Paras (and an explanation that is way too long for this post), Ken Bragg was moved from the construction team to the Daycare team! God does have a sense of humor!

The daycare ministry started slowly with only one child, Juan. It took a combination of 6 youth and adults to get Juan to stop crying. After many attempts, Ken suggested they find a ball. Missy frantically began blowing up a beach ball and suddenly Juan came to life! The rest of the morning Ken, Missy, Kimberly, Carley, Rhoda, and Romancita entertained Juan and his friend, David who came later.

Pray that God will mulitply the amount of children tomorrow so Ken can truly experience the blessings of ministry in Daycare!

A Review of the Morning

This morning we loaded up in the rain and headed for Paras. The rain definitely hampered the crowd. Vacation Bible School only had about 16 or 17 kids. They met under a huge and wonderful pavilion. Several people from Pedro and Maria's church worked in all ministries. The women's ministry had 8-9 come.

We need prayer for our doctor. He never showed up. That made the medical clinic ministry a bit of a challenge. We had 6 patients sign in. All we were able to do was to check their vitals and let them visit Kristen and Morgan at the evangelism table. One man accepted Christ this morning at the evangelism table. The doctor did call Pedro and Maria last night and said that he was heading this way. We think the rain may have caused him problems. Please pray that he will arrive safely today and we can proceed with the medical clinic tomorrow. Pray, as well, that the patients who were here today will return tomorrow and bring their friends!

Internet?

You may be asking yourself, "How are they posting to the internet this morning?"

Are you ready for the answer??????????


WE HAVE WIRELESS INTERNET AT THE RESORT! For those of you who have been here before I know you are having trouble wrapping your brain around that concept, but IT IS TRUE!

So, I will be checking email this week. If you have a message to send to us or anyone in the group, feel free to write. We need your prayers and encouragement. Pray that the rain does not dampen our spirits!

Rain, Rain, Go AWAY!

God, in his infinite wisdom, knew long before we got here that it would rain. During last night's worship service the rain began. I'm not talking about a gentle rain, a drenching rain. It has rained ALL NIGHT LONG! The wind is blowing and rain is creeping in the walls of our hotel.

Pray that the Lord will give a break in the rain so we can do the work at hand.

Border Experience

The short version of this story is that it took the entire group 3 1/2 hours to cross the border! 2/3 of the group missed most or all of the worship service.

Every vehicle received a green light which was wonderful! The slow part was not passing the supplies, but obtaining our permits. One little man worked the window to give us the permits. He moves like a tortoise. By the end of our line he gave Beth Madar his pen and had her finish the rest of the line. We wore him down!

Praise God that he allowed us across the border again!

We're Here!

We made it to San Antonio late this afternoon with no problems. Everyone scattered to various eating establishments nearby the motel. We will get on the road in the morning at 8 o'clock. Thank you for praying. Remember that we will be crossing the border around 4 o'clock tomorrow afternoon. Pray for the border guards to have sensitive hearts towards us. Pray that the process for obtaining our permits will be quick as well.

Mark, the bus, and Brother Pedro will have to take the bus to another border crossing as it is not allowed to cross at the Falcon Heights bridge. Pray that all goes well with their crossing too!

We'll be in contact as soon as I can borrow Maria's computer. Her connection is dial up so this could be a slow process!

Saturday Morning Update

Answered Prayer! Kevin, Mark, and the bus made is safely last night to Hillsboro, Texas with no problem. The trick will be getting through Austin some time this morning.

As I type this the Mexico group is gathering outside---tired but excited.

I will post again this evening in San Antonio. We covet your prayers!

The bus is on its way!

Mark, Kevin Welch, and the bus left a few minutes ago. Considering the cruising speed of the bus is 60, all of the minds got together and decided that it would be best that the bus didn't hinder the progress of the group. We do not know how far they will get down the road today, but the idea is for the bus not to hit Austin at rush hour. For those of you who know Austin, that's about 23 out of the 24 hours every day!

Those of you in Sheridan know that a sudden summer thunderstorm has just popped up! The men left in the middle of it. There are no seatbelts on the bus. This should give you reason enough to pray! On the brighter side, we can say that the Lord cooled the temperature down since there is no AC on the bus.

Crossing the Border

We have had reports this week of two other groups doing mission work in Mexico who had considerable trouble and were detained at the border. One group was detained for five hours. We don't want to take for granted the fact that we've always been able to cross with ease. We anticipate crossing the border between 3:30 and 4:00 Sunday afternoon. We covet your prayers throughout the week, but especially during that time.

Wed. update, July 2

Decals representing the city of Guerrero were placed on the bus today. The bus is ready to go to be presented to the city of Guerrero. Please continue to pray for safety in travel as we transport the bus to Mexico. As well, pray for those who will be receiving this gift that they will know Christ's love to them through something very simple and practical as a bus.