Friday, March 21
9:52 a.m. |
Denise called at 9:52 a.m. our time and they are on their way. Will check in when they stop for lunch and probably later in the afternoon as well. |
| 2:37 p.m. |
The group stopped in Odessa for lunch and is loading back up on the buses now. It should be about 6 1/2 to 7 hours more. Denise will call as they get closer. Everything is still going great. |
| 5:10 p.m. |
The group is in Abilene right now. They are about 3 to 3 1/2 hours away. The trailers are about 1 hour behind them. The buses should arrive around 8:15 to 8:45 p.m. |
| Thursday, March 20 |
The houses and church are all finished! John Allen spent the day with the group and was there for the dedication of the houses and church. The dedication ceremony was emotional with joy.
The team crossed the border safely around 9:30 p.m. our time. They are at Golden Corrall for dinner in El Paso. After dinner they will clean out the buses and have worship services for Maundy Thursday. They will head back tomorrow. Denise will call and update during the day where they are at.
The kids are going to have so much to talk about when they return.
Sorry for the late entry, but there was Internet connection issues last night. |
| Wednesday, March 19 |
The group arrived back at camp around 8:30 p.m. our time. Tonight was treat night where they were able to stop at BIP BIP (like our 7-11) and get a Mexican soft drink and candy bar. All the items are safe.
The weather was great today; in the low 70's. They were able to get lots of work done today. The roofs have been put on both houses and the church. All the prep work has been done for the stucco and has begun. Tomorrow they will finish the stucco and some final roof stuff.
Today was the last full day of work and it is a tradition during devotional time of the last full day, the seniors get to hammer a nail on the house they were working on and then they were all able to do it on the church. It is a really powerful tradition and everyone was moved.
The pastor and his wife are so excited that their first service in the church will be this Sunday on what is their Resurrection Sunday (our Easter). On Sunday morning the pastor and parishioners will gather at the site at 5 a.m. They will begin praying outside and then move inside and have their first service in their new church. The houses and church will be dedicated tomorrow and our team is so overwhelmed that they will be dedicating the houses and church on our Maundy Thursday, the day that Jesus got down on his hands and knees and washed the feet of his disciples. Jesus’ foot-washing was not to clean their feet but to make a point about humble service. As our team is on this mission trip serving others, the whole week has been so powerful and symbolic. Not all churches participate in Maundy Thursday services. Denise asked the Pastor if they did and they do. They will be having a foot washing ceremony in their new church on Thursday evening after we dedicate in the afternoon. They have all felt the awesome experience of being there during Holy Week.
The group's spirits are very high and they have been extremely hard working. They will have a guest speaker tonight, Gayla Congdon, co-founder of AMOR Ministries. Gayla and Scott Congdon founded AMOR Ministries in 1980 because they shared a dream to minister to the poor in Mexico. She will share the history of AMOR with the group.
Another tradition of the trip is Senior Night. The seniors will have the opportunity to share their memories of the mission trip tonight.
The schedule tomorrow is to finish the houses and church until about 1 or 2 p.m. and then have the dedication. John Allen will join the group tomorrow and be there for the dedication and spend the rest of the day with them. The group will get to have fun time at the Mercado and do a little shopping for a few hours. They will probably start crossing the border around 5 p.m. It can be a lengthy process. They will have dinner in El Paso and stay at the YMCA. They may not be able to call and give update until after 9 p.m.
Sorry this entry is so long, but there was so much to share that we thought it was important you heard as much as possible. Many of these things will be great things you can ask your kids about their experiences. |
| Tuesday, March 18 |
The team arrived back at camp around 6 p.m. Today the walls and roof frames were put up on both of the single houses. Tomorrow they will put on the roof decking, tarp and chicken wire siding. The church walls and center beams are up. They are right on schedule. The group has high spirits. It has been cold, but luckily no rain. Everything is going great. Tomorrow the group would love for you to pray for great weather and no high winds since they will be working on the roofs. Tonight they will have Bible study, worship, dinner and then they receive their special letters from their prayer partners. That is always a special time for everyone. They are looking forward to another full day of work tomorrow. Kris Melvin was supposed to fly there today, but his flight was cancelled. He spent the evening with the Jr. High group and will fly in early in the morning. Say a prayer for a safe trip. |
| Monday, March 17 |
What a great day today! The team poured the slabs on two single houses and a big slab for a church. They are building the church for a husband and wife pastor that minister to senior citizens that have no means of support at all. They have a soup kitchen, housing and now will have a church. The homes they are building are for two families that are very involved in the building of their homes. Denise said this group of kids are just great. They are all getting along, cooperating and working very hard. It has been a little cold. It doesn't get above the 50's during the day and gets a little cold at night. They arrived back at camp around 5:30 their time. They will have dinner, family group time and worship. After a day like that, no one will have a hard time getting to sleep tonight. They are excited to get back to work tomorrow. |
| Sunday, March 16 |
The team arrived in Juarez around 4 p.m. our time, 2 p.m. their time. (That is why the update is later than planned today.) The team in setting up their campsite and having some difficulty with high winds. Keep them in your prayers for the winds to die down because it makes it very difficult to get the campsite set up with the winds. Tonight they will have dinner, worship and will go over the camp rules and go to bed early to get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow will be a very busy and tiring day, but they are all looking forward to it. The updates may be later in the evenings due to the time difference. Check around 10 p.m. each evening. |
| Saturday, March 15 |
The group arrived in El Paso around 7 p.m. and stopped for a leisurely dinner at CiCi's Pizza. After dinner they will go to the YMCA for the night. They will be able to worship and spend time visiting with each other and get a good night's sleep. In the morning they will have worship and breakfast and then head across the border into Juarez. Once they have crossed the border, Denise will call and the website will be updated with those details on Sunday afternoon. |
Denise will call in daily updates for the Sr. High Mexico Mission Trip around 8 p.m. our time each day (it is 2 hours earlier there). Please check the website between 8 and 9 p.m. for updates. Contact 
