Today has been a day of affirmation. When I came back to Mexico, I struggled a bit at first with being here. I wasn't sure if I was ready to return and leave everything back at home. It took about a week of being here to get readjusted to life out here. Once I was settled in and started to get involved in ministry out here, I really started to feel at peace with being here.
And today, God just reaffirmed my ministry here. I was scheduled to lead worship in the English church this morning. There are some times, when preparing to lead worship, that everything seems to come together very clearly and other times when it seems to take a lot more work to get things together. This week in preparation was one of those where God clearly brought everything together, from songs to scripture. Of course, being a doubting human, I entered the service not show how it would all tie together with everything else but sure enough, God had it all planned out and brought together everything as only He could. Following the service, one lady approached me and shared with me how the Scripture read and the songs were exactly what she needed to hear.
Perhaps it wasn't anything huge, but it was one of those mornings where God seemed to speak very clearly, affirming me in where I am and in what I'm doing right now. It's just been one of those spiritually refreshing days for which I thank God for!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Saturday, April 12, 2008
The Calm After the Storm
It's been quite a stretch! I have to apologize for slacking off in the blogging department. It seems that over the past couple of weeks any idle moments (the few of them that there have been) have quickly been occupied by relaxation, friends, and sleep! We've just come off a real busy stretch, having teams coming pretty much non stop from when I first arrived. It's been a good stretch of many different ministry opportunities and many new connections made with a number of different churches in the area. Some highlights have included:
Doing various projects with a college team from Oregon at a school in a small, poor native village called Bago, located about an hour from the center. We spent some time painting, playing with the kids, repairing the schools only water source (as seen in the picture) and ended our of work out their showing a Christian movie called "Facing the Giants" and sharing a testimony.
Distributing clothes and other items in various places. The instance in the photo is with a youth group from Crystal City, MB and was done in conjunction with a church in the area, providing a neat opportunity of outreach in their community. It's always humbling to see people accept with incredible gratitude, the things that we (in our society) have deemed "second hand" and no longer use for ourselves.
Helping to construct a pastor's house. This particular pastor has spent much of his time in constructing the church building his congregation is now meeting in (which is a beautiful building!) In the meantime, however, he and his family has been living in the Sunday School classrooms and the church kitchen (which is badly in need of a new roof itself). The youth group from Crystal City fundraised enough money to put a roof on the pastor's house and also spent a couple of days help him with the construction project.
Putting on a new coat of paint at the local junior highschool here in San Carlos. The culture here in Mexico, though it is very Roman Catholic, believes very much in the spiritual realm. And so this school, according to popular belief out here is considered to be haunted. We've been told stories of people seeing ghosts here and hearing different sounds come from this school. Even as we were working there, one younger woman came by with her friend just to visit the school again and told us about some of the common folklore regarding this building. After we finished painting, we spent some good time in prayer for that building, and for the people in the area, particularly the children who spend so much time in that building, acknowledging that, though Satan is real and that he is at work, God is infinitely bigger and more powerful.
Those are just a couple of highlights but now life is going to take a drastic change as now it's just me and the dog, Pinta. Art and Brenda left this morning to spend the summer and fall (into November) in Montana, back on the farm. Ministry will take place more in the surrounding area, including the local churches and the orphanage. But life here at the center will be a little more quiet. Though it will take time to adjust to a new pace of life, the quiet will be welcome after the fast pace of life we've endured over the past weeks!
Doing various projects with a college team from Oregon at a school in a small, poor native village called Bago, located about an hour from the center. We spent some time painting, playing with the kids, repairing the schools only water source (as seen in the picture) and ended our of work out their showing a Christian movie called "Facing the Giants" and sharing a testimony.
Distributing clothes and other items in various places. The instance in the photo is with a youth group from Crystal City, MB and was done in conjunction with a church in the area, providing a neat opportunity of outreach in their community. It's always humbling to see people accept with incredible gratitude, the things that we (in our society) have deemed "second hand" and no longer use for ourselves.
Helping to construct a pastor's house. This particular pastor has spent much of his time in constructing the church building his congregation is now meeting in (which is a beautiful building!) In the meantime, however, he and his family has been living in the Sunday School classrooms and the church kitchen (which is badly in need of a new roof itself). The youth group from Crystal City fundraised enough money to put a roof on the pastor's house and also spent a couple of days help him with the construction project.
Putting on a new coat of paint at the local junior highschool here in San Carlos. The culture here in Mexico, though it is very Roman Catholic, believes very much in the spiritual realm. And so this school, according to popular belief out here is considered to be haunted. We've been told stories of people seeing ghosts here and hearing different sounds come from this school. Even as we were working there, one younger woman came by with her friend just to visit the school again and told us about some of the common folklore regarding this building. After we finished painting, we spent some good time in prayer for that building, and for the people in the area, particularly the children who spend so much time in that building, acknowledging that, though Satan is real and that he is at work, God is infinitely bigger and more powerful.Those are just a couple of highlights but now life is going to take a drastic change as now it's just me and the dog, Pinta. Art and Brenda left this morning to spend the summer and fall (into November) in Montana, back on the farm. Ministry will take place more in the surrounding area, including the local churches and the orphanage. But life here at the center will be a little more quiet. Though it will take time to adjust to a new pace of life, the quiet will be welcome after the fast pace of life we've endured over the past weeks!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Semana Santa (Holy Week)
Don't let the name fool you...Yes, the week preceding Easter, Holy Week, is a huge holiday in Mexico. Schools are out during this week and next. Many people are off of work from Thursday on through the weekend. San Carlos is one of the popular destinations for many Mexicans, coming even from hundreds of miles away. For those of you who have had the opportunity to be out here in San Carlos, you will remember a quaint, quiet little town, and even wondering why they bothered to make a nice four-lane road through town with an extra "local traffic" lane going each direction in addition.
Well, one might argue that its for Semana Santa. The population grows from a modest 5,000 to probably well over 50,000. And what once took about 10 minutes to drive (from on end of San Carlos to the other) now took about half and hour, if you're lucking, and in many cases, one hour. The atmosphere is that of a carnival on steroids - car on car, person on person; the main street and the beaches are absolutely packed with people.
Unfortunately, the name is about the only part of this celebration that has anything to do with Easter. I suppose it isn't a lot different in Canada and the US when it comes to Christmas (for a lot of people). Here in San Carlos, its an excuse to get out, meet new people, an unfortunately, let the cerveza flow freely. I spent part of Friday night, walking down the street, snapping some pictures. There aren't many situations where I'm not comfortable but walking down that street, in the midst of the drunkenness, being just about the only gringo out there, I didn't feel very safe.
It's quite the contrast from this morning's 6:00am sunrise service that the English church had this morning, beneath the cross on the hill, just behind the mission center. From the apparent "happiness" and hopelessness in the streets this weekend to the incredible joy of knowing that the cross and the grave are both empty.
Well, one might argue that its for Semana Santa. The population grows from a modest 5,000 to probably well over 50,000. And what once took about 10 minutes to drive (from on end of San Carlos to the other) now took about half and hour, if you're lucking, and in many cases, one hour. The atmosphere is that of a carnival on steroids - car on car, person on person; the main street and the beaches are absolutely packed with people.
Unfortunately, the name is about the only part of this celebration that has anything to do with Easter. I suppose it isn't a lot different in Canada and the US when it comes to Christmas (for a lot of people). Here in San Carlos, its an excuse to get out, meet new people, an unfortunately, let the cerveza flow freely. I spent part of Friday night, walking down the street, snapping some pictures. There aren't many situations where I'm not comfortable but walking down that street, in the midst of the drunkenness, being just about the only gringo out there, I didn't feel very safe.
It's quite the contrast from this morning's 6:00am sunrise service that the English church had this morning, beneath the cross on the hill, just behind the mission center. From the apparent "happiness" and hopelessness in the streets this weekend to the incredible joy of knowing that the cross and the grave are both empty.
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| Friday night on main street, San Carlos. |
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| A sea of people - main street, San Carlos. |
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| Saturday afternoon on the beach. |
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