Mexico!

Bueno! We're back in Tucson after an amazing week in Mexico. God moved in incredible ways among the people of Nogales as well as our students, and I would venture to say it was our best spring break trip yet.

We arrived in Nogales, Arizona on Friday night, and enjoyed just getting to know each other and connecting before going into Mexico on Saturday. On Saturday there was the opportunity to go border shopping before heading to the church. Here's a shot of the church building:

We met some of the youth from the church and went out in groups to the surrounding neighborhoods to invite people to come to church on Sunday. My group was lead by David, a senior in high school who plans to go to university next fall and study communication. We didn't have many Spanish speakers, but David's English was so good, he was able to keep us up with what was going on. We started handing out CDs with some Spanish worship music and the testimony of Juan Carlos, the pastor of the church. After talking to a few people, David asked us "Do you have extreme faith?" I was a little confused, but Bryce immediately said "Yeah. Take us to the hardest neighborhood!" So, we walked a ways through the really poor neighborhood where the church was, and then reached a really nice gated community. David informed us that this neighborhood was where all the drug dealers and corrupt cops lived. After going back and forth with the guard for about 15 minutes, we were finally allowed to enter the neighborhood, with the stipulation that we would only go down one street. Almost the first house we walked up to had a huge dog who wasn't so happy that we were there. He barked and jumped with force, as though he were trying to get through the gate which was the only thing between him and us. I'll admit, I wasn't super excited to be there, but David courageously led us up and down the street, and we were able to hand out many CDs. He then talked the guard into letting us go through the rest of the streets, and I even learned how to say "I have a gift for you" in Spanish, and was able to take a small part in actually connecting with the people. It was an amazing experience, and God definitely moved in my heart.

On Sunday, we went to the service at the church, and Juan Carlos talked about how we are vulnerable to the Enemy, and the first problem we have is that we fail to recognize that fact. It was a great sermon, and I know it touched a lot of our students. We went to La Salida, a restaurant with amazing food, for lunch and got to connect some more with the youth from the church. We got back to the church afterward only to discover that we had left one of our students behind (sorry Christy!). Thankfully, a family who went to the church happened to be there and the father spoke English and had a cell phone, so Christy was able to get word to us at the church. It was good to see God so protect her and provide a way for her to get back.

Monday through Wednesday, we worked on several different projects for the church. I was on a team which painted scaffolding with a red oil-based paint.

My hands will never be the same... (seriously, I still have paint on my hands five days later after soaking them in paint thinner)

There was a team who painted the outside of the sanctuary building...

...a team who moved 800 cinder blocks from the ground to the roof of the Sunday school building...

...and a team who helped some of the members of the church get a site ready for a new taco stand.

Beyond that there was shoveling...

...hammering...

...and bending rebar (super difficult!).

We made great progress on the church, and we were all ready for a little respite afterward. Wednesday afternoon we said goodbye to our new friends at the church and headed south to a ranch in Santa Ana. We stopped in Magdalena on the way, to experience a little of the religious atmosphere found in much of Mexico. There is a church there dedicated to Father Kino, inside of which there is a statue of his likeness. People come to the church to pray to Father Kino; they kiss the statue and lift its head (I think it's supposed to be a ritual which ensures the prayer will be answered). It's sad to see the idolatry, but it's a great opportunity to pray for the people of Mexico, that they will turn to Jesus, who is the only One who can fulfill our needs.

After visiting the church, we went to some nearby ice cream shops for raspados - shaved ice with flavored syrup and cream.

Dustin and I also showed off a little of our newly acquired salsa dancing skills.

Then it was on to the ranch for a day and a half of rest and relaxation. We could have extended time with God, play basketball, watch shooting stars at night, and just enjoy each other. Thursday night we had a bonfire, and some people shared what God had done in their lives this week. It was so neat to hear how many ways He had been moving in each of the students' hearts. This was one of my favorite parts of the week - I love how good God is, and seeing it first-hand really moves me.

After the time of sharing, Dustin and Hannah got everyone going with a really fun time of rapping. Dustin started with a rap about each of the staff members...

...and then the students got in on it...

...and every single person there did a freestyle rap - even me. Now, most of us don't have any rapping skills whatsoever, so it's really a testament to the bond of the group that we all felt free to be silly with each other.

It was a great trip for us all!