Good Morning

Good morning, people in the States!
I hope everyone is having a good day. We are all getting ready for church and eating some good breakfast Luke made. It's a version of french toast Luke likes to call "egg bread".

If you pray today, pray for our safety as we go to Zacatecas. It's about an hour and a half drive. We want to visit with Pablo and his family, but he haven't tried to get a hold of them yet.
We also want to show the newbies Guadalupe (One of the idols the people worship), the town Guadalupe itself, and La Bufa.

We are all doing good, and no one else has gotten sick. Praise the Lord.
We love you all. Dios le Bendiga!

Some in the kitchen eating before church

-Jennifer

Today so far

Alright-we are safe, we are fed, but we are tired. We rode on a bus for seven hours from Guadalajara to Jerez, Mexico, and arrived at the house at 7:30am. Needless to say not all of us have slept yet. Most have, but I think Sherri and I didn't sleep.
We got to visit the children's home today and interact with the children. Everyone is really friendly. Tonight we are going to the church to experience discipleship with Steve, Amber, and their fellowship. Tomorrow morning we have actual church with worship and sunday school ( I believe). Tomorrow is also the day we go to Zacatecas to sight-see, hopefully visit with Pablo and his family, and to eat more yummy mexican food.

By the way, we are all full from eating at Pollo Feliz (The Happy Chicken). A nap seems nice right now.

Keep the prayers coming, we can definitely feel them. Unity in the group is group and our spirits are up, despite the fact that we are all so very tired.

Joseph found some boys to play with. The language barrier doesn't stop the love of toys. 

All of us found someone or a group to interact with. Kim and Elise played Uno with the girls.

 

-Jennifer 

So Far So Good...

Well, so far we have been on one airplane, and now we are sitting in the Atlanta airport waiting to fly to Guadalajara. I think all worries have been subsided about flying so far. Joseph is absolutely loving all the airplanes!
I'm feeling better. Still a long road to recovery. Keep praying for us. We won't get to Jerez until the middle of the night.
To keep you updated, here are some pics of the trip so far.

Seat Buddy

The whole group in Atlanta (our original pic was missing Luke). 

Waiting to board

Joseph was too excited!

-Jennifer

9 Days and Counting...

   Well, the time is drawing near for the Mexico team to start packing our things and heading on an eye-opening, heart awakening experience. This year we will be going to an orphanage in Jerez, which is still a part of the state of Zacatecas. While we are there, we will be painting and doing any work around the orphanage, as well as leading Vacation Bible School.
  I hope the people who followed us last year will continue to keep track of us through this blog, and I hope many new people will jump on our journey and help us in God's calling by praying for us and keeping us in your constant thoughts. This isn't the same mission team or the same mission trip as last year, but we know that God is in it, and that's why we have been successful so far. 
  Continue to watch for more updates! 


If you want something to pray for, start praying for: 

• Safety on the way to Mexico, while we are there, and on the trip back.
• Our health-it's a different climate and different food. Many things can happen while in a foreign country. 
• The children in the orphanage as well as the children involved in the church and in the town. Many children and adults will be reached through VBS as well as visiting and going out. 
• Our strength-We all grow through this experience. Pray for our unity, strength, and clarity.                       

We love you all! 

-Jennifer 

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