The team was a great team to work with! Everyone got along great, and I was truly blessed by the people that I spend the week with. I came back with so many friends, and got to enjoy a week of laughter and beauty. I hope that next year more people from my youth group will go, because it is truly an unbelievable experience. Even with only a few who went, it was an incredible journey, and I learned so much!
We ended up having a group of 26, unfortunately a few nights before we left, our 27th had an emergency appen..imy. I know God has a purpose for this, but it was very difficult to lose him.
The 26 worked great together. We stayed at Rancho Agua Viva, in Ensenada, Mexico, about 2 hours from Tijuana. We spent the week doing a VBS at "El Faro" the Baptist church, as well as working on building the seminary building for the Mexican seminary at the camp, and working on a tiendita for a pastor and his family to work at so that they can pastor the church.
One of my highlights of the week was on Wednesday night. The camp hosted a special dinner for us, and we got to hear the testimonies of 3 of the seminary students, Carman, Hector, and Manuel. What incredible testimonies of God's love and how God uses us and works in our lives.
Carman was the first that I heard speak. She felt God calling her to a small mountain town, so she packed up, and took a TV and VCR with her. She started her ministry by going from door to door showing the Jesus film, but people didn't want to hear it. So she decided to try something new. Many of the women in the town would never know how to read, so she started a class to teach women how to read, and through it she also taught them scripture and about the love of Christ. Eventually their husbands didn't like them spending so much time away from home, so they had to miss class to do chores. Did Carman give up? No! She started going to the river with them to do their laundry, she helped them to cook, make tortillas, clean, anything she could do to be able to build a relationship with them and share the love of Christ. Incredible! Would I be willing to do that?
Hector's story was also incredible. He went into a culture of scary men who dressed in armed guard, carried machetes and guns, and he went to them and shared God's love. He went into a scary situation and was able to get them to see the power of God and make changes in their lives! can you believe that? Once he was called to the seminary, he didn't have enough money, so he travelled by bus for 5 days without eating, got to the seminary, and didn't speak a word of Spanish. In just a matter of time he was learning Spanish, and now works at the camp as he is finishing seminary. God has used him in mighty ways.
Manuel coaches soccer, so that he can share the gospel with the youth of his town. He coaches, plays games, and prays and does Bible studies with his team. Lives are being changed every day, every week!
There was also a story of a man who went to a town to share the gospel. Great things were happening in the town, and some of the people didn't like it. So two brothers decided that they were going to kill this man the next time he tried to go to the town. He went every week. There was only one road into and out of the town. So the day that the man was coming, the brothers sat on the road, ready to kill him. Dark came, and the man never came, so they returned to their village. When they got there, the man was there. No one knows how he got past them, since he walked that road. (well, we know...the power of God!) The next day he took the brothers for a walk, and they both turned over their lives to Christ! Now one of them is a pastor!
Incredible stories all week, of God's power and of how He works!
I also got to meet Chuy and hear the story of his grandson, Kairos. Kairos is, I believe, 4 years old. He has extreme seizures, and has had over a thousand of them in his life. He needs surgery. A surgeon has offered to give Kairos the surgery he needs, but even with a free surgery, the costs for the tools, room, etc. are over $60,000. Kairos just got accepted to have an appointment at the MAYO clinic. The family is doing everything they can to raise money for the surgery, selling t-shirts, bumper stickers, hosting bands, etc. Please pray for Kairos and his family, and that they will be able to get the surgery for him and he will be able to live a happy and healthy life.
Lastly, I want to tell you about my new best friend, Petri. Petri is the dog that I am trying to adopt. He is a golden retreiver/cockerspaniel/shepherd dog mix. He is the perfect dog, and I want to bring him home so bad. I really miss him. I tried to bring him home, but the day we left, we couldn't find him. It's probably better that way since I will be at camp for the next two weeks. But after that, I really want him. I want to give him a good life, and to love him. There is a chance I will be able to get him up here, please pray that it works out. I know it sounds silly, but I really do love this dog, and am ready to have a pet. I need to work out a few kinks, but it's possible. The main thing is that I have to get him to San Diego (which shouldn't be too hard) and then get him up here from San Diego (that's the hard part). So, I know it sounds funny, but please pray that it happens. Bring Petri home!
Here is a picture of Petri. (Click on the picture to get the whole pic)
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