Well, the last week was VBS week and a great week with the kids...We did the VBS at night because of the heat during the day, so the days were spent preparing the crafts and activities and making about 200 sandwiches for each evening...we had some really great personal and group devotional time for spiritual preparation for each night as well...We were blessed to have a house on the beach donated to us for the week, so it was awesome being able to spend some time with Jesus on the beach.
The VBS went really well...each day it seemed like the number of kids there would grow, as the children would invite friends...and each day, the activites seemed to go more smoothly as the leaders and kids got accustomed to the flow of things...We had a special song with fun little motions that the kids really enjoyed....It was a great opportunity to get to know more of the locals as well....there were about ten of the college-age nationals that helped out with the VBS, along with some parents from the church who paired up with helpers from our group for each of the different age groups...so it was great to work side by side with the local church in that way...
I was one of the leaders for the 3-6 year old age group, which was a very busy, but fun group of kids...We had an average of about 25 kids in that group and 4 leaders. It was a little draining at times because I would be called out of my group to go translate for another activity going on and then come back to my kids....But, it worked out well and it was fun to get to know the kids in my group...Each night we would start VBS with our special song/dance, then split the kids into their age groups (3-6, 7-9, and 10-12) and we would rotate them through craft, games, and puppets/Bible lesson. The kids in our age group seemed to especially enjoy the puppets and songs. They weren't as coordinated as the older kids during the game time, but we were able to adjust the games for their age group when we needed to....it was fun to watch them play and have a good time. Then at the end of each night, we'd get everyone back together to sing and pray and then they'd all get dinner at the end.
One of my favorite crafts that we did was that we took wooden crosses and had the kids write their sins on them...this was interesting with the younger kids...it was sweet because you could tell the older ones had already thought it out and would list off their sins kind of shamefully "I hit my brother, I lied to my mom, etc." I really loved the honesty though (honestly it reminded me of what it would be like to be the priest listening during confession)...The honesty and sincerity behind their sins made me think of that verse that says that we need to have faith like a child...we have to come to God with that kind of humility....On the other hand, there were a couple of little ones didn't know what to say...so, I'd give them ideas of typical toddler sins...I had one little 3-year old girl who was especially precious...I kept listing off different things "Have you hit your brother, have you said bad words, have you lied," etc. and every time she would say no and every time her older sister who was sitting there would say "yes you have!" It was pretty funny...Anyway, it was really neat because the next day, we took all the kids' crosses with their sins written on them and painted them white. We explained how Jesus makes us clean and pure because of the cross and how God doesn't see our sins anymore because of Jesus. It was such a cool picture for them of God's forgiveness that they were all able to take home to remember.
One of the really enjoyable things for me about VBS was also that I was able to bring several of the kids from the women's rehab center every night with me...some of the kids were the children of the directors there...others were children of some of the women who are there for drugs or alcohol problems...it was great to bring them to VBS and get to see them really enjoy all the activities...I had already been building relationships with them the week before during the time I stayed at the center, so it was fun to continue to spend some time with them...I also chose to work with the 3-6 year old group because 4 of the kids were in that age group. It was always funny though because I'd pick them up and bring them to VBS and everyone would kind of look at me funny when they got out of the car. I had several people ask me if Alexia was my daughter because she is pretty white and looks like she could be mine...Then one night, Rosa, one of the girls I was bringing from the center, had a birthday, so I took them out to ice cream...it was an interesting sight I'm sure, me and 6 kids with only 1 that looks anything like me...I got some stares and the lady who worked at the ice cream store asked me if they were mine...ha ha...I love it though...I've kind of adopted them all as my kids....I really enjoyed taking them all out even though they could be a handful at times because I know they don't get to go out for ice cream very often and they all really enjoyed it...
Anyway, VBS was great and the kids were great...I was really proud of them when they remembered their Bible verses and quoted them to me the next day...Our last night of VBS, we gave out little gifts to all the kids at the end. The boys loved the frisbees and soccer balls and the girls really loved the jump ropes and stuffed animals we gave them...After everything finished up at the church, we headed back to the house on the beach for a barbeque with all the leaders from the church who helped out. I got close with a couple of the college-aged helpers and we all got to hang out and have our little pow-wow on the beach...I was really bummed I couldn't sing with them (I lost my voice from being with the kids all week and translating so much) but it was still a really great time.
The last day as we headed out of town, we stopped by the women's rehab center to bring by some kids' toys and extra food that we had left over and to say goodbye to all our friends there. It was funny because when we got there, we found my friend Kari there trying to do a Bible study with the women from the center. She saw me walk in the room and was like "Oh my gosh, I'm so glad you're here. We are having a really rough time here. Can you translate for me?" So, God gave me another unexpected opportunity to serve. I really enjoyed the Bible study too and it was a lot of things that I feel like I needed to hear too. It was kind of humbling to translate with my lack of a voice, but I know it was good for me to rely on God's strength. So, we finished the study up and said goodbye and then I headed home with some friends from the AIM group. They are both older and wiser and I felt like God put them there with me for the car ride home too because they are just so full of wisdom and love for the Lord. I love how God is a part of everything that takes place, even those small things like who you ride home with.
Well, I really truly can honestly say that Rocky Point feels like a second home to me now. I really enjoy being there and I feel like I have family there. It was a great 3 weeks and I'm so thankful that I had the opportunity to be there. I feel truly honored and blessed to be a part of what God is doing there and I'm looking forward to see all that He continues to do.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
Nueva Creacion
Well, this has been an amazing week so far! I don´t really even know where to start..Sunday, after we went to Family of God church and everyone headed out, I took some time to recharge at the house we had stayed at, then headed over to spend some time with the Diaz family....They are a family of 4 kids...Karen is 24, Fernando 22, Alex 11, and Taylor 7....Their parents died in a car accident a few years ago and they´ve been through a lot, but they are stronger for it and they are such a neat family...I met them through an American pastor named Tab when I was down here in March....So, Tab and his wife Ellen were out of town and they were all staying at Tab´s house this weekend while he was gone, so I got to go over to hang out with them and spent the night at the house there...It started out as a pretty eventful night...Taylor came running in to the living room and was like ¨Hurry come here, there´s a fire¨ which of course scared me half to death because I never have to put out fires, but it ended up being outside of the house...Someone had set some rubber stuff on fire inside of a dumpster type thing, but the fire was growing and it was getting close to a light post, so we had to call the firefighters who surprisingly arrived pretty fast and put it out...Taylor loved the excitement because he wants to be a firefighter!
Monday, I got to spend the whole day with Taylor and Alex while their older brother and sister were working at the store they own here in town....We got to play football on the beach (Tab and Ellen´s house is right on the beach...I love it!)...and played cards and watched Happy Feet in English which the kids loved and was also good practice for them because they need to learn more English and I was able to translate a lot of it for them....The rest of the afternoon we were out and about running errands...I loved having them at the grocery store with me because they act like their my kids and people look at me funny because I´m so white with these adorable Mexican kids...it cracks me up! When we got home, Taylor and I went out and found shells together on the beach..He is precious...he kept finding them and giving them to me, telling me ¨This is a gift for you¨...it was precious....We all ate dinner together and as I was leaving to head to the women´s center (which is where I´m staying for the rest of the week), Alex said ¨Thank you so much for such a fun day¨...it was so sweet and then it hit me that they don´t normally have someone to just love on them and give them attention on a regular basis...their older brother and sister love them, but they´re busy with their store and other things and the kids don´t frequently have someone to take them places and do stuff with them...not that it was any sacrifice on my part...I loved spending the day with them...it was just as fun for me if not more fun...It was really neat to spend that time with them though...
Things at the women´s center have been great...Maria and Gregorio (the couple who run the center) are such an inspiration to me...they have such great hearts and are constantly praying and sharing about the Lord...Every morning they pray and someone preaches...so it has been great being a part of that this week and hearing Maria and Gregorio preach...God´s love really shines through them...Gregorio is always praying and fasting too...he was telling me yesterday ¨It´s not about what I say or preach...it´s all because of prayer and fasting...that´s my work here.¨He went on to tell me, ¨Yeah, I fasted yesterday and I probably will tomorrow too¨..it´s just such a normal part of his life...it´s so awesome...and he is always taking breaks to pray..that really challenged me...Maria also is amazing...she was telling me the other day when we had to take Reyna to the hospital (she´s the lady who just had the baby and we had to take the baby in for a vaccination), she was telling me how important it is to always be joyful and showing the love of Christ through your face and in the way you interact with people...and it´s so true...she doesn´t just say it, she really lives it...
Well, it´s been awesome this week too getting to know the ladies at the center more...They all have awesome stories and it´s just neat to see what God is doing in their lives and how they have changed because of His work in their lives...Wednesday, a new lady came to the center...she smelled like alcohol and was a mess...she told us she hadn´t eaten for a month because she had been afraid...she was in really bad shape and it was really sad, but we prayed for her and then Gregorio took her to the hospital later because she had multiple health things going on that she needed treatment for...
Well, one thing that I have come to learn over the years is that God has a plan in everything and that his timing is perfect...Maria´s sister and her kids are visiting right now and her nephew Daniel was recently diagnosed with childhood diabetes...but, he and his mom never really received much diabetes education and they still are feeling pretty unsure about some things and just needing some instruction....so, it was perfect because I used to teach new diabetics about diabetes at Phoenix Childrens...so, I´ve been helping them learn more about it this week...Sylvia, (Daniel´s mom) was crying the first night I stayed at the center because she was so frustrated over all the problems she´s had with Daniel this past month...but, throughout this week, we´ve been able to talk a lot about his insulin and his diet and she seems to be getting more comfortable with everything...one of my friends also picked up a diabetes handbook in spanish from my work for me so I can give it to them and go over it with them this weekend (she´ll be coming down tonight)...So, that was a total blessing and I know it was God´s timing...I let Daniel give me a saline injection in my leg today because he´s still afraid to do the injections himself..he did great with mine but was still afraid to give himself the injection after that..so, he´s taking baby steps, but it´s still gonna be awhile before he gets it all down...
Yesterday we got to take Maria´s family and some of the kids from the center, along with some of the ladies to the beach...it was a great day...the kids loved it and it was fun for me because they kept coming up to me and asking me how to swim...so, we had some little swimming lessons at the beach...even one of the ladies from the center asked me to teach her to swim...so, my 2 years on swim team came in handy after all! :) It´s been cool too because Maria´s daughter is here visiting this week too and isn´t really living her life all for God right now, so i´ve been able to hang out with her a lot and talk to her about different things and try to be a good influence on her...
Of course, I´ve been loving being at the women´s center too because I´m close with some of the little girls that live there...it has been a lot of fun this week playing with them and taking pictures with them (which they are always begging me to do lol)...they like to follow me out to the trailor that I´m staying in and wait there whenever I go in for something...then if I don´t come out right away, they start knocking on the door and calling my name...it´s precious....I have a handful of little puppie dogs following me around!
Well, I know I´ve said a lot despite the fact that a lot more has happened that would take way too long to write here...there´s one more thing I want to share though..Last month when we were down passing out bags of food, I met these four ladies Mati, Lupe, Rosario, and Elsa and got to share the gospel with them...they all prayed to receive Christ and we gave them Bibles...so, I invited them to the ladies´Bible study that we had on Wednesday night which they weren´t able to come to, but then we had a service at the church Maria and Gregorio attend last night and Lupe and Rosario were both able to come with me! It was so neat to be there with them...all of us were first timers to the church, so I wasn´t really sure what to expect, but the service was good and we all especially loved the worship songs...It was really neat too because I got to help them find different passages in their new Bibles during the service...that was really special for me...I was really excited that they were able to meet one of my friends from the ladies´Bible study and she came over and talked to them for awhile....so, hopefully they can get plugged in and continue to grow...I´m gonna try to bring them with me to the women´s Bible study and to church again next week!
Anyway, I am really loving everything down here...Before the group left last week, one of the girls asked me if I thought it would be hard being here all week alone before the next group came....But, I told her that I feel so at home in this place and in this culture...it´s like a second home to me...I´ve realized that even more this week...I feel so blessed to be here...God has definitely been speaking to me too and it has just been an awesome experience so far!
Monday, I got to spend the whole day with Taylor and Alex while their older brother and sister were working at the store they own here in town....We got to play football on the beach (Tab and Ellen´s house is right on the beach...I love it!)...and played cards and watched Happy Feet in English which the kids loved and was also good practice for them because they need to learn more English and I was able to translate a lot of it for them....The rest of the afternoon we were out and about running errands...I loved having them at the grocery store with me because they act like their my kids and people look at me funny because I´m so white with these adorable Mexican kids...it cracks me up! When we got home, Taylor and I went out and found shells together on the beach..He is precious...he kept finding them and giving them to me, telling me ¨This is a gift for you¨...it was precious....We all ate dinner together and as I was leaving to head to the women´s center (which is where I´m staying for the rest of the week), Alex said ¨Thank you so much for such a fun day¨...it was so sweet and then it hit me that they don´t normally have someone to just love on them and give them attention on a regular basis...their older brother and sister love them, but they´re busy with their store and other things and the kids don´t frequently have someone to take them places and do stuff with them...not that it was any sacrifice on my part...I loved spending the day with them...it was just as fun for me if not more fun...It was really neat to spend that time with them though...
Things at the women´s center have been great...Maria and Gregorio (the couple who run the center) are such an inspiration to me...they have such great hearts and are constantly praying and sharing about the Lord...Every morning they pray and someone preaches...so it has been great being a part of that this week and hearing Maria and Gregorio preach...God´s love really shines through them...Gregorio is always praying and fasting too...he was telling me yesterday ¨It´s not about what I say or preach...it´s all because of prayer and fasting...that´s my work here.¨He went on to tell me, ¨Yeah, I fasted yesterday and I probably will tomorrow too¨..it´s just such a normal part of his life...it´s so awesome...and he is always taking breaks to pray..that really challenged me...Maria also is amazing...she was telling me the other day when we had to take Reyna to the hospital (she´s the lady who just had the baby and we had to take the baby in for a vaccination), she was telling me how important it is to always be joyful and showing the love of Christ through your face and in the way you interact with people...and it´s so true...she doesn´t just say it, she really lives it...
Well, it´s been awesome this week too getting to know the ladies at the center more...They all have awesome stories and it´s just neat to see what God is doing in their lives and how they have changed because of His work in their lives...Wednesday, a new lady came to the center...she smelled like alcohol and was a mess...she told us she hadn´t eaten for a month because she had been afraid...she was in really bad shape and it was really sad, but we prayed for her and then Gregorio took her to the hospital later because she had multiple health things going on that she needed treatment for...
Well, one thing that I have come to learn over the years is that God has a plan in everything and that his timing is perfect...Maria´s sister and her kids are visiting right now and her nephew Daniel was recently diagnosed with childhood diabetes...but, he and his mom never really received much diabetes education and they still are feeling pretty unsure about some things and just needing some instruction....so, it was perfect because I used to teach new diabetics about diabetes at Phoenix Childrens...so, I´ve been helping them learn more about it this week...Sylvia, (Daniel´s mom) was crying the first night I stayed at the center because she was so frustrated over all the problems she´s had with Daniel this past month...but, throughout this week, we´ve been able to talk a lot about his insulin and his diet and she seems to be getting more comfortable with everything...one of my friends also picked up a diabetes handbook in spanish from my work for me so I can give it to them and go over it with them this weekend (she´ll be coming down tonight)...So, that was a total blessing and I know it was God´s timing...I let Daniel give me a saline injection in my leg today because he´s still afraid to do the injections himself..he did great with mine but was still afraid to give himself the injection after that..so, he´s taking baby steps, but it´s still gonna be awhile before he gets it all down...
Yesterday we got to take Maria´s family and some of the kids from the center, along with some of the ladies to the beach...it was a great day...the kids loved it and it was fun for me because they kept coming up to me and asking me how to swim...so, we had some little swimming lessons at the beach...even one of the ladies from the center asked me to teach her to swim...so, my 2 years on swim team came in handy after all! :) It´s been cool too because Maria´s daughter is here visiting this week too and isn´t really living her life all for God right now, so i´ve been able to hang out with her a lot and talk to her about different things and try to be a good influence on her...
Of course, I´ve been loving being at the women´s center too because I´m close with some of the little girls that live there...it has been a lot of fun this week playing with them and taking pictures with them (which they are always begging me to do lol)...they like to follow me out to the trailor that I´m staying in and wait there whenever I go in for something...then if I don´t come out right away, they start knocking on the door and calling my name...it´s precious....I have a handful of little puppie dogs following me around!
Well, I know I´ve said a lot despite the fact that a lot more has happened that would take way too long to write here...there´s one more thing I want to share though..Last month when we were down passing out bags of food, I met these four ladies Mati, Lupe, Rosario, and Elsa and got to share the gospel with them...they all prayed to receive Christ and we gave them Bibles...so, I invited them to the ladies´Bible study that we had on Wednesday night which they weren´t able to come to, but then we had a service at the church Maria and Gregorio attend last night and Lupe and Rosario were both able to come with me! It was so neat to be there with them...all of us were first timers to the church, so I wasn´t really sure what to expect, but the service was good and we all especially loved the worship songs...It was really neat too because I got to help them find different passages in their new Bibles during the service...that was really special for me...I was really excited that they were able to meet one of my friends from the ladies´Bible study and she came over and talked to them for awhile....so, hopefully they can get plugged in and continue to grow...I´m gonna try to bring them with me to the women´s Bible study and to church again next week!
Anyway, I am really loving everything down here...Before the group left last week, one of the girls asked me if I thought it would be hard being here all week alone before the next group came....But, I told her that I feel so at home in this place and in this culture...it´s like a second home to me...I´ve realized that even more this week...I feel so blessed to be here...God has definitely been speaking to me too and it has just been an awesome experience so far!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
God´s work in Rocky Point
Well, today our group from Love God Love People left....It was a really great group and we had an awesome week! In the last week, we were able to help out with some different construction projects at a center for children with special needs...it was great because I haven´t been able to do much construction this past year on our usual weekend trips since I am generally at the kids outreach instead....we got to put up drywall and do some mudding, sanding, and painting....it was a really great time of bonding with everyone...there were 4 guys and 4 girls during the week, so we all got really close...it was also really cool because the guys did a Bible study on Romans and the girls did a study in Philippians which was another awesome time of growing closer together...
Aside from the construction projects, we got to meet with Pastor Julio and some ladies from his church talking to them about their concerns for the youth in their church and in their community so that we can be more of a help than a hindrance in our ministry...It was really great to get on the same page and hear their hearts and pray together....
Another highlight of this past week for me was our beach day with the kids...we got to take a group of 18 kids to the beach just to spend time with them and get to know them better...they all loved it and we all paired up with a few kids to make sure everyone had someone with them...I was kind of surprised that even though they live here in Rocky Point and the beach is so close, so many of them didn´t even know how to swim...it´s crazy because they live really close but they don´t typically have the privilege of coming to the beach...I was kind of surprised that so many parents let their kids go with us even though many of them don´t even know us...but it was great that they did because we all had an awesome time! The kids really enjoyed it! We had a little obstacle course for them on the beach at the beginning and then we just all swam with them and played with some frisbees and balls and stuff like that in the water...It was awesome to see the kids really enjoying it and knowing that they were receiving the love and attention that they need and that many don´t always receive...
Yesterday was our big day with the whole group here....We had our monthly kids´outreach and I spoke on the story of creation...it was great because we got to do a whole skit and had some girls paint the kids´faces before the story, so they were the animals in the story of creation and also helped to hold up different props in the story...So, a lot of the kids got to be involved in the story this month and they all loved it...not to mention that they were all adorable!
In the afternoon, we did our monthly food distribution and gave out about 200 sacks of food...it was an interesting time for one of the vans, as it got stuck in the sand and was stuck for about an hour (I wasn´t there because I drove another group to a different area in my car)...then, one of the girls got a flat tire and when 2 of the guys were changing the tire later on that evening, the jack slipped underneath and the car fell, causing part of the frame to crack...so, there was definitely some spiritual warfare going on to say the least...But, everyone had great attitudes...later that night, I found out that my friend Phil had hit his finger really hard with a hammer...but, he was a good sport too...it was encouraging to see everyone´s great attitudes...
After all the different activities in the busy day yesterday, we had our ¨fiesta¨as we traditionally do at the women´s rehab center...it was great getting to see all the ladies..Shelley and I had spent some time with them earlier this week when we attended a baby shower for one of the ladies there (she actually had her baby 2 weeks ago, so they had to do it after the birth) so it was great to see all those ladies there...one of the younger girls named Lucia had shared her testimony with me at the shower, so it was neat to hear later that she had shared it with a few more of the other girls and to hear them talk about how it touched their hearts...she had previously been at the center for alcohol problems, but came this time because she was struggling with bulemia and anorexia and relationship problems...she has a great heart and it was awesome to hear and see all that God is doing in her life and how she knows now that she is a new creation in Christ (which is cool because the center is called New Creation) and how she doesn´t want to go back to her old life....
Last night, we had a campfire on the beach and debriefed the trip...it was a great time of reflection and of praise and worship too....everyone leaves tomorrow except for me, but I´m excited for what God has in store for me this week!
Aside from the construction projects, we got to meet with Pastor Julio and some ladies from his church talking to them about their concerns for the youth in their church and in their community so that we can be more of a help than a hindrance in our ministry...It was really great to get on the same page and hear their hearts and pray together....
Another highlight of this past week for me was our beach day with the kids...we got to take a group of 18 kids to the beach just to spend time with them and get to know them better...they all loved it and we all paired up with a few kids to make sure everyone had someone with them...I was kind of surprised that even though they live here in Rocky Point and the beach is so close, so many of them didn´t even know how to swim...it´s crazy because they live really close but they don´t typically have the privilege of coming to the beach...I was kind of surprised that so many parents let their kids go with us even though many of them don´t even know us...but it was great that they did because we all had an awesome time! The kids really enjoyed it! We had a little obstacle course for them on the beach at the beginning and then we just all swam with them and played with some frisbees and balls and stuff like that in the water...It was awesome to see the kids really enjoying it and knowing that they were receiving the love and attention that they need and that many don´t always receive...
Yesterday was our big day with the whole group here....We had our monthly kids´outreach and I spoke on the story of creation...it was great because we got to do a whole skit and had some girls paint the kids´faces before the story, so they were the animals in the story of creation and also helped to hold up different props in the story...So, a lot of the kids got to be involved in the story this month and they all loved it...not to mention that they were all adorable!
In the afternoon, we did our monthly food distribution and gave out about 200 sacks of food...it was an interesting time for one of the vans, as it got stuck in the sand and was stuck for about an hour (I wasn´t there because I drove another group to a different area in my car)...then, one of the girls got a flat tire and when 2 of the guys were changing the tire later on that evening, the jack slipped underneath and the car fell, causing part of the frame to crack...so, there was definitely some spiritual warfare going on to say the least...But, everyone had great attitudes...later that night, I found out that my friend Phil had hit his finger really hard with a hammer...but, he was a good sport too...it was encouraging to see everyone´s great attitudes...
After all the different activities in the busy day yesterday, we had our ¨fiesta¨as we traditionally do at the women´s rehab center...it was great getting to see all the ladies..Shelley and I had spent some time with them earlier this week when we attended a baby shower for one of the ladies there (she actually had her baby 2 weeks ago, so they had to do it after the birth) so it was great to see all those ladies there...one of the younger girls named Lucia had shared her testimony with me at the shower, so it was neat to hear later that she had shared it with a few more of the other girls and to hear them talk about how it touched their hearts...she had previously been at the center for alcohol problems, but came this time because she was struggling with bulemia and anorexia and relationship problems...she has a great heart and it was awesome to hear and see all that God is doing in her life and how she knows now that she is a new creation in Christ (which is cool because the center is called New Creation) and how she doesn´t want to go back to her old life....
Last night, we had a campfire on the beach and debriefed the trip...it was a great time of reflection and of praise and worship too....everyone leaves tomorrow except for me, but I´m excited for what God has in store for me this week!
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