From Average to Awesome

Friday’s plan was to decorate and dedicate the house – then God went to work.

We arrived to see la familia de Fernando had the front yard cleaned up and a sweet grill operation going. Nothing like the sweet smell of roasting chicken in the morning.

Decoration began as pictures were hung, curtains installed, table set, pantry stocked, clothing folded, and paper hand cutouts were hung with names of all prayer warriors and trip supporters.

Dedication verses were written on a beam, along with the names of everyone who worked on the house.

Joshua 24:15 and Joshua 1:8 were chosen by pastor Jaime especially for the family and their home.

At the dedication, Bruce elaborated on being a missionary. He encouraged everyone to not be a “pew pig”- be the hands and feet of Jesus and watch the Lord go to work.

Well, God was working hard. At the dedication, eight people accepted Christ as their Savior.

Then three couples became engaged. It’s not every day that three guys get down on one knee and ask for their soul mates’ hand in marriage in front of twenty strangers.. These couples each had three plus children but were moved to honor God’s wish for holy matrimony.

Hard to follow that act, but the La Colonia tradition continued as Fernando carried Diana across the threshold for the grand entrance.

On the way out of La Colonia, we handed out beans and rice to the neighbors and gave little horse “caballito” rides to los ninos.

The day was capped off back at Bruce and Paula’s house as everyone shared a God moment from the week (hard to pick only one) and we shared affirmations for each other.

Celebrating His joy,

Ken, Brad, and Gunnar

And we're walking...

"And we're walking".... that was the quote for today from our fearless mission leader - Bruce.

Our adventure started by visiting and exploring the Big Heart Orphanage in Reynosa, Mexico.  They provide all the needs for children ages 6 - 18 years.  We walked down to the elementary school to serve lunch to all the kids, among them many of the orphans.

Then we took an excursion to have an authentic taco for lunch.  We enjoyed three different types of salsa from mild to hot - and yes hot was "caliente" according to Janet.

After our fill of delicious local cuisine, we did a little shopping at the "Disco" mart and found yummy delights of Mexican made goods.  A portion of our group took a little detour to the airport to pick up another small family who have come to help our missionaries with their work this week and will be going with us to the dedication ceremony of the house tomorrow.

Beth

Esta Terminado (It Is Finished)

What a Wednesday!

Yesterday we finished the final touches on  the house. We did trim work, shelving and cleaned the building site. The family once again cooked a delicious authentic meal for us and we enjoyed mango and lime ice cream. Afterwards, we headed back to the community center to prepare a meal for the local Mexican workers to thank them and their families. While dinner was being prepared, we made friendship bracelets with some  of our quilting friends. We listened to some guitar music and pastor Jaime's family also joined us. Jaime was crucial  in doing the electrical work on the house. After dinner, we had a sixteenth birthday fiesta for Katie with a traditional celebration, including trece de  leche and a pinata. After the party, Bruce, Paula and the team surprised Katie by giving her the quilt she and Alicia made. Our team felt blessed to spend time with Aleazar, Andres, Victor, and their families, who helped build the house for Fernando and his family.

In Christ,
Kristen, Madi, Levi and the rest of the team

Tonight we stayed late in the Colonia and had dinner with our new Colonia friends

We are home safe, the best kind of tired and headed to bed. More tomorrow. Much love, Janet 

Tuesday - "Team Divided"

Our morning began with another culinary delight, prepared by Paula, and an inspirational devotion.

SEW... today we divided and conquered. Half the team team went to a local sewing group at the community center and the other half of the team returned to finish the house we have been helping build. 

The sewing group was attended by about 10 of the women from the community. As a group, we accomplished completing 2 sets of curtains, cutting and prepping multiple squares, and 3 finished quilts. Our very own, Katie and Alicia- worked vigorously as first time quilters, and managed to complete a beautiful masterpiece! Katie, Karsyn and Sue helped greatly bless Bruce and Paula by cleaning the storage house and their La Colonia home. Their cats Taku and Luna, stayed close and kept everyone company. Karsyn played endless games of Uno with the local kids, colored, and "made pretend dinner" out of dried flowers they picked together.  She even managed to talk them into helping her clean. The sewing group ended with Katie trying a beautiful, pink Quinsenerra dress, it had 9 layers and she looked like a queen.

The "house" team painted the house a happy blue (feliz azul), and all the trim complemented by a lovely gray! Some of the team worked to install the wiring in the house with Pastor Jaime and others worked with some other locals to install the metal roofing. LOTS of time spent on ladders today! Others on the team worked to dig the pit for the outhouse. We were blessed again to be fed authentic, local food by the family. The family is so nice and kind, and the kids are beautiful.

Although we went different directions today, we all accomplished acts of labor and more relational value from the people we've been blessed to spend our week with.

Your continued prayers are so appreciated!

Brad S. & Alicia on behalf of the team

Today we woke up at 6:30 to start our first group devotional. We then enjoyed Paula's cooking of biscuits and gravy for breakfast (Texas rocks). We headed to La Colonia, where we worked on the house with Fernando and his family for about eight hours. We got four walls up, two windows, and the start of the roof! Some of us traded off between blowing bubbles with the local kids and hammering nails. It was a productive, God-planned day!

Keep us in your prayers, please!

Karsyn and the team

Fair and Foul a Day We Have Seen..

Today we woke up to a wonderful breakfast cooked by Paula before we set off for the day. We took bags of beans and rice with us as we crossed the border. Our first stop was a soon-to-be orphanage where today's church service was held. We met Jaime the pastor, whose birthday we celebrated today. The service was filled with touching testimonies and great music in both English and Spanish. We were honored that the congregation translated the service for us. Jaime is a kind and well respected pastor who values his family and serving the lord. One of the passages of scripture shared in honor of Jaime's Birthday was Jeremiah 17:7-8. We also were treated to a delicious lunch and entertainment was provided by River of Peace, an 8-piece guitar band who sang for Jaime's birthday as well.

We then headed to La Colonia where we  met the guitar band again and danced with the residents. During this time, Paula and Bruce held their clothing sale, where people were able to choose clothes for a penny. We then experienced Paula and Bruce's version of Helping Hands through their food outreach that provided food for over 200 families. 

A local woman had a heart attack during the afternoon - our team members (Kristen Gustafson and Alicia Eddens) did chest compressions onsite and all the way to a hospital. The lady passed away after arriving at the ER. Prayers for the family would be greatly appreciated as they move through this difficult time.

Once our team was reunited, we were able to meet the family we will be helping build a house for tomorrow. 

Keep us in your prayers as we tackle the rest of the week.

In His joy,

Katie, Sue, and Madi