Home

Well we are home. I myself was exhausted, so I napped when I got home. Our planes were on time and or early so that was a blessing.
I was going to update the followers on a few things, and add a few pics/videos.

Friday we had our last day of VBS. It was so hard to say goodbye to the kids knowing it could perhaps be the last time I'd see them. They didn't quite understand why we were crying, but some did. We hugged on as many as we could, and didn't want to let go of some.
There were 140 children at the church Friday, more than any they have ever had in the history Dios Es Amor Church. It was awesome seeing all the kids piled in there, so excited, dancing and singing their hearts out.

We went to Plateros Friday afternoon to see the idol the Santo Nino. It's a doll that these people worship, pray to, and believe that it heals them and blesses them. It's so sad, and a little scary to think these people's minds are so warped. We walked through the halls where people send pictures, letters, clothing, hair, x-rays, casts, shoes, etc. to the Santo Nino thanking him for all the miracles. We prayed for those people on the steps of their Cathedral, asking God to open their eyes and to bring that place down.

Friday night we had a good fellowship with Pablo's family. They brought us tamales and they gave us gifts they had got for us. It was nice just relaxing for a short period with them. Knowing you had to say goodbye to them was the hardest part. Those people have so much love for God and for the people of Zacatecas. Continue to pray for them. It doesn't matter if you know their name, just pray for the helpers and people that stay in Zacatecas year round, and the church of Dios Es Amor.

I'll make another blog with pics and videos after this one.
Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely felt them and experienced blessings because of the support. Can't wait to see all of you tomorrow night at the service. God will surely bless you by what you hear and see.

Dios Le Bendiga!
-The team

Thursday, 7/23/09

Today was a great day!! We got so much accomplished in not even 24 hours. Even more kids were at VBS this morning. They just keep coming. I believe they know we will leave tomorrow, and I know that both them and we are sad to see this week end. They try to hug you as much as possible and love on you. I feel as though they are loving on us more than we are loving on them.
Tomorrow is the last day of VBS, then they will have an ending service where parents are invited to come and celebrate with them.
The pictures I put on today are of where some of the kids live. These places are horrible conditions, and are miles and miles away from the church. Also, some of the kids loving faces. :] You can see why we love them so much, and don't want to leave them here in this city.

Bro. Kevin has a lot to share, so I'll let him take over.
Bro. Kevin:

I believe if we had 15 passenger vans we could bring over 200 kids to VBS every day. Bob is carrying 15 kids plus him in his trail blazer! There are 25-30 kids in the 80's model dodge van that Rozeta owns. This morning Bob had as many kids as he could in his chevy and while he was leaving there were several kids chasing his vehicle wanting to come. There was no room for these kids. The children of Guadalupe are so hungry for attention. The kids are so packed into Bob's Chevy that he opened his hatch at the church and a 5 year old boy fell out like a bag from walmart. Right on his head! He shook his head, got up and ran in. No problems. Please pray for us tomorrow, we will present the gospel to the children of Dios Es Amor. Pray for a great harvest! The block party was a great success in Guadalupe. When we pulled up for the block party it was so cloudy. The rain began to fall, but we prayed for God to clear the sky. This is the honest truth. In less than 5 minutes the rain stopped and the sun came out. So much so that my head was burned. It never rained again while we were there. We had 50 people show up and they all heard the gospel! The team did the card board testimony presentation and it was powerful. It was a great success! Right in the shadow of the virgin of Guadalupe statue, we shared the truth of Jesus Christ with 50 people! We also went to the La Bufa today. It is the highest mountain in Zacatecas. La Bufa means "Bull's bladder." I kid you not. It is a steep climb to the top, but a few of us braved it. At one point today I was the tallest person in town! I risked my life today. There was a zip line from the top of La Bufa, I did it and it was awesome. It was thrilling. The group bought some great souvenirs for family and friends. I love you all so much and it is a privilege to serve these people in the name of Valley Creek and Jesus Christ. Tomorrow we are going to a town called Plateros to visit. We are all getting homesick.

Alright everyone. Hope you like the pictures. I'll try to post more tomorrow. We all love you so much, and am missing you all.
Update: Luke is feeling 100% better. He woke up this morning and felt fine, and has been doing everything like everyone.
Love you all!
Dios Le Bendiga!

-The team

Hey all! Sorry it is so late getting this thing updated, but things are rolling and we are so very busy! Everyone misses their families, and we've been praying for ya'll every chance we get. Continue to pray for us.We have two days left, but those days are going to be the best.

Tuesday:
We're at bible club right now and the amount of kids has almost doubled! We had 19 kids show up today. Prayer and faithfulness definitely work. To see how excited these kids are to have people pay attention to them and to just love on them. It's incredible. Tonio didn't show up today, but that's okay, because we are still praying for him.
Even though we are on a vacant lot, we wouldn't want to be anywhere else at this moment.

Today:
This morning at VBS was fun. It seemed as though we didn't have as many kids, but I honestly can't keep track of all the kids. I do know that the kids have our hearts. When they call you by your name and attempt to talk to you, it's simply amazing.
Bible Club went well today. We had 21 kids show up, and many parents. Six children raised their hands to accept Christ, and the mission teams are going to follow up tomorrow and talk with them. Bro. Kevin just told me there were 160 children at VBS this morning. We are definitely running out of room, and crafts!! God is blessing Dios Es Amor in more ways than one.

Luke is not feeling well. Please pray for healing on his body. He has been in bed most of the day, and continues to stay there for fear of getting the rest of us sick. I know he wants to be up and moving, but right now he needs to rest.
Continue to pray for all the children that they will make a lasting decision.
Pray for the missionaries down here that continue this year round, when we are only down here for a week.
Pray for Pablo, Miriam, and all the family at Dios Es Amor. They need our prayers and our love. Even though you as a member are in Alabama, they still feel your love.

Bro. Kevin wants to share now..
Bro. Kevin:

We were a little disappointed That Tonio didn't show up at the back yard Bible club in Guadalupe yesterday or today. Continue to pray for him. I hope he comes tomorrow night. We are sharing the gospel with everyone at the party through drama, music, and Kevin Elworth's message. Javier continues to talk with Jim everyday. Jim has put many doubts in his mind about his beliefs in Jehovah Witness doctrine. Pray that he will come to know the truth. Last night we were reminded that we are in a spiritual war. Local witches left a curse on our door through leaving dirty mop water at our doorstep. Jim told me that this is common for the church. They once cursed his car, but it cranked the next morning. Their curse obviously didn't work. We had more kids today than the other days and six salvations at Guadalupe. Bring it on witches! "Greater is he that is in us, than he that is in the world." Our group prayed over pastor Pablo and his family tonight. It was a powerful time of prayer. The power of God was mighty and powerful in the sanctuary tonight. There was not a dry eye in the place. Pablo is such a great guy and he is constantly telling me how much he appreciates Valley Creek Baptist Church and our support for his church and family.
Today we drove around the neighborhood where we pick up 90% of the children for VBS at Dios Es Amor. It is such a sad place. The poverty is overwhelming. These children are in need of a touch from Jesus Christ and we are providing that touch. There are many more adults attending the VBS from this area as well. That is great! Thank you church family for your love and support. We will be home soon. Dios Le Bendiga!

Terri, your husband wants you to know he loves you and that he has eaten many a mexican meal, and has converted.

We all love you, and miss you. I will try and update tomorrow, but it will be difficult between VBS and setting up for the block party tomorrow night.

Dios Le Bendiga!
Buenos Noches!

-The team

Update for Tuesday 7/21/09

OK guys, I am so very sorry for not being able to update. We have been very busy with VBS, BBC, and just getting situated in general. I've been writing in my journal so that I can just post what has been going on quickly.

Monday
VBS is about to start. Now people of the church are arriving and we have to put the final touches on everything, then VBS will start at 9am. Dea just walked by and said that there were so many kids that we had to use another vehicle to transport them all. That's amazing! God is already showing uo and showing off. Kids are showing up!

Monday- 8:03pm
Just got back from the backyard bible club, and it was fun! We went to Guadalupe, a town about 25 minutes from Zacatecas. We worked with Kevin and his wife and a married couple who are missionaries. 10 kids showed up, which was a good crowd. They got to experience music, crafts, bible story, games, and snack. While the BBC was going on, Jim (the guy with us) got to witness to two men. One, Javier, is a Jehovah's Witness who had a lot of questions, and Tonio, a man with 3 children who is on the verge of accepting Christ as his Savior. Javier said he would be back. I hope Tonio returns.

Tomorrow we start the day over again. VBS @9am, break, then BBC @5pm. It's been a long day, but we can make it through because Christ is with us and this is why we are here.

Pray for: Tonio, Javier, The Backyard Bible Club to grow, That even more children will show up @ VBS, and that we can find space to fit all the children. Pray for us. We are all very tired. I myself am feeling sluggish, but a good nights sleep will do us good.

Today:
Alright, we are on our break, and we've already had a great day! VBS went very well. We had even more children show up. Dea, the VBS Director, said that 120 kids were at VBS yesterday, and that was the most children they have had in 135 years.

Sherri wants to post something, too.
Sherri:

Wow, there are really no words for what we are seeing. The people here and the the church have been growing since we were last here. The church service was much more crowded and the number of children here at VBS is incredible. I am getting to see some of the kids that I feel in love with last year and it has been emotional to say the least. Being able to hold them in my arms and love and kiss on them again. In fact I started crying when I got to hold them again and Kristen had to explain to them that I was happy and they were tears of joy. I am so proud of Pablo and the church and how they are reaching this city for Christ. Our backyard Bible club went well yesterday, we didn't know what to expect - but it went well and we are all getting excited for Thursday to get here for the block party. We are so blessed to be here and be a part of the work that God is doing and here in these cities. The missionaries we are helping in the afternoons are so nice and excited about their work here too. We really need prayers for our health, there are so many of us struggling with sinus stuff and lack of sleep! So please pray for our health, that is our greatest need right now. Satan is trying hard to break us down, so pray hard. We love you all and appreciate so much your prayers, love and support.
Willfully His, Sherri Sexton


Bro. Kevin would like to add something as well.
Bro Kevin:

I am so proud of this team. It is a tiring day for the team. We have seen the power of God displayed so many times already and it is only Tuesday. The people here walk in spiritual darkness. They so badly need the light of Jesus Christ to enlighten their heart to the truth of the gospel. We are so proud to represent Valley Creek Baptist Church. You cannot be here, but we represent every member. I appreciate my staff handling things in my absence. Thanks guys! I have never seen so many kids in one small building. This is great and we love what we are doing. I will see you soon. Dios Le Bendiga.



Alright, we have to go, but we will try to update soon. It takes too long to put pictures up, but I'll try again later.
We all love you! Keep praying for us!

-The Mexico Mission Team

Day 1-Sunday

Hey everyone! Oh my goodness, what a day! I'm so sorry that I haven't been able to get online and update all of ya'll, but it is very difficult to get to the internet here in Zacatecas. I have so much I feel I need to tell ya'll.
We got into Zacatecas at 1:00am yesterday morning, after a 2 hour delay in Houston because of the storm, a 2 hour plane ride, and a 2 hour bus ride to Zacatecas. Praise God that we made it in one piece, and with all our luggage.

This morning we woke up and had church with Dios Es Amor. Sunday school was at eleven, and Mike Gordon taught our class. It was awesome. His message was out of Mark 10, and the title was "Keeping God Out of The Box". He really challenged us. Service was at 12pm, and it was a pretty packed place. You'll see a video of some singing spanish hymns. Bro. Kevin spoke about Paul stepping out of the boat to go to Jesus and Pablo interpreted for him. It was interesting to say the least, but the Lord used it for His own. You'll also see a video of the praise team we have down here singing, "Lead Me To The Cross". It was pretty moving from what I could see behind the organ.

We went and ate lunch at La Musica, and then we separated to do different things, such as shop at WalMart, prayer walk, and begin to decorate for VBS that starts tomorrow. Please pray for us as we begin El Expreso Bumerang tomorrow. Pray for the children that will come who may never have experienced these things before, and start praying for their parents that they will get interested as well. We are also starting backyard bible clubs tomorrow. Please pray for that, too. I'll try to keep this updated as much as possible. We love all of you, and are feeling your prayers.

in the airport

Hey guys! We are in Houston right now, getting a quick bite. Unfortunately I can't get online on my computer on my computer.. So no pics yet. Everybody is fine. We had a few ear aches, but nothing that won't fix itself. We board and leave at 6:25pm to head to Aguascalientes. Pray for safe travels! I'll post more when I can, including pics!

-Jennifer

The Night Before..

Hey Everyone!
Well, tomorrow is the big day. As our team gets things packed, crafts rearranged, and everything finalized, people are in Zacatecas living their lives, not knowing what is to come. They have no idea that in a weeks time their lives will be changed, and something much bigger than them is going to come in and take care of everything. That something is our LORD. Our Father, daddy, and the person that is going to restore these peoples lives. I'm excited for the people I don't even know, and excited for our team as we share this experience together. I'm also a little nervous because of the language barriers, but I know God is already going before us and there will be nothing to worry about.

Please pray for us. This blog will be updated daily, if not hourly. I hope to have others on the trip post thoughts, pictures, prayers, etc. Continue to pray for us. Pray for safe travels in the air and on land as we travel to the church in Mexico. Pray for health, that none of us get sick. Pray for us to be able to speak to the people of Zacatecas.


"Give me your eyes for just one second, give me your eyes so I can see. Everything that I've been missing, give me your love for humanity. Give me your arms for the broken hearted, the ones that are far beyond my reach. Give me your heart for the ones forgotten, give me your eyes so I can see..."

-Jennifer