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Reaching our world with the spiritual and practical aspects of Christ’s message
Mexico Mission to Parras - August 2007
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Itinerary
Saturday Aug 11, 2007
Depart Seattle 7:30AM FLT AA2576 Arrive Dallas 1:15PM
Depart Dallas 2:35PM FLT AA 551 Arrive Monterrey 4:10 PM
Meet Juanito at Escabedo Airport with vans.
One rented for day from Parras, one rented for entire time from Monterey. Depart Airport by around 5PM.
Arrive Parras @Vida Nueva at around 8PM.Sunday Aug 12
Team get up at 9AM and have breakfast.
Sunday is a day of rest we will do personal devotions and a chapel time with our team.
In the afternoon we may go to the tank, or to another local attraction.
Later in the evening we will go up to the church on the rock and pray for Parras.
Finally we will go down to the town walk-around.Monday Aug 13
Team wake up at 9AM for breakfast. Personal Devotions/Team Chapel
Prep for afternoon VBS
12 Lunch
12:30 depart for VBS - Church
1-3 VBS
3 Return to Vida Nueva for rest and dinner
7PM go into Parras for Outreach and Evangelism (City Rally)
11PM return to Vida Nueva/ Team Meeting
12AM – lights outTuesday Aug 14
Team wake up at 8AM for breakfast. Personal Devotions and Team Chapel.
Prep for afternoon VBS with Pastor Francisco (Church)
12PM lunch
12:30 depart for VBS and after for Ranch.
1-3 – VBS program for local children
3 return to Vida Nueva for quick turn around and sack dinners…
4 Leave for Del Carmen Ranch
12midnight – return from ranch
Quick team meeting – bed timeWednesday Aug 15
Team wake up at 9AM for breakfast. Personal Devotions/Team Chapel
Prep for afternoon VBS
12 Lunch
12:30 depart for VBS
1-3 VBS
3 Return to Vida Nueva for rest
Evening for rest… or maybe the canyons, or cave
11PM – team meeting
12AM – lights outThursday Aug 16
9AM breakfast/ Personal Devotions/ Team Chapel
Prep for Afternoon VBS
12 Lunch
12:30 Depart for VBS
1-3 VBS
3 Return to Vida Nueva for relax and refit
7 Return to Parras for Outreach and Evangelism (City Rally)
11 Return to Vida Nueva
12 AM Lights outFriday Aug 17
Team wake up at 9AM for breakfast. Personal Devotions/Team Chapel
Prep for afternoon VBS/ and Ranch Ministry
12 Lunch
12:30 depart for VBS
1-3 VBS
3 Return to Vida Nueva for Quick Turn around
4PM depart for La Cecilia Ranch
12 AM return to Vida Nueva Brief Team Meeting
Lights outSaturday Aug 18
9AM Breakfast/Personal Devotions/Team Chapel
Prep for Evening Outreach
12 Lunch
1 – Depart for tank
5PM - depart for soccer game with Mexicans
7PM Share gospel at soccer game
11 PM – team meeting
12 AM - Lights OutSunday Aug 19
9 AM Breakfast / Personal Devotions/ Team Chapel
11 – depart for canyons or cave (bring sac lunches or eat early)
5 – Vida Nueva children return to home
7 – Walk around with kids
9 – pray with children at home (following foam fight)
10 – Team meeting
11 – Lights outMonday Aug 20
8 AM Breakfast/ Personal Devotions/ Team Chapel
11AM – Rest
12 Lunch
1 – Children Return from school – (possibly take to water park?)
5 – Dinner
7PM Disco with kids
9AM pray and close
10 repack get ready to depart early following morning
11 Team meeting
12 lights outTuesday Aug 21
5AM wake up/Breakfast/pack vehicles
6AM Depart for Monterrey
9AM Check-in at Airport
Depart Monterrey 11:22AM FLT AA3804 Arrive Dallas 1:05PM
Depart Dallas 2:25 PM FLT AA1587 Arrive Seattle 4:30PM*Revised July 22, 2007
Hey Everyone,
We are now on fast foward to heading home. I hope that you are all doing well. The team is doing great!! We have had a blast with the children in the home for the last 24 hours or so. Today a member of the church that we have been working with invited us to come for lunch. It was a very good meal. We had a great time eating with the members and spending time with them again.We were so suprised last night at church when the Pastor's whole sermon was based on giving a word to the Americans. Then they presented each of us with a gift and said that we must not forget the things that God has done here. It was a very special time for us.
Today when we returned from taking back the rental van (which is a funny story in itself) we found out that one of the kids from the home had been hospitalized today. Her name is Peca. I think that she is about 8 or 9 years old. When she came in yesterday we all noticed the sore she had on her temple. Today it was hurting her so they took her to the hospital and found out that it was some sort of bad infection because she had not been bathed in a very long time (she was in the home, then about 6 months ago her parents pulled her out, she returned for the first time yesterday). So we were told that she would be in the hospital at least overnight because of the seriousness of the infection. They will be giving her intraveneous antibiotics. So please pray for her and for her family. At this time Karina, Jaunito, Roger, Carol, Alise, Ashley, Katie H., and Clarissa are all at the hospital. They have left Myself, and the team in charge of the other
20+ children. Pray that we will not break any rules.In the middle of all of this, we are trying to get packed up so that we can leave at 6AM in the morning. I know that everyone will be calling family from our layover in Dallas, but if things go as planned we will be arriving Seattle at 4:30PM. So anyway, I hope that all is well we cannot wait to see you.
Love you guys,
Chad and the Mexico Team
August 19, 2007
Hey Everyone,
Things have been amazing. We have really seen God working in us and through us on this trip. I have never been on a trip where there was so much intense combat with the enemy, and yet the team perservered and even excelled through it.We have basically finished our outreach portion of this trip. Thursday we did our second city rally in a town plaza. It was very different from the first one, but was amazing in its own regard. The two Pastor Franciscos are a very dynamic duo. It was neat to see people respond. There were 8 or 10 salvations. We were very excited. Then at the end of all of our events, there is a prayer time for people wanting prayer. This is a very special time where we are expected to pray for anyone who asks, and we immediatly get to see the heart of the people that we are working with.
Friday night we went to Karina and Jaunitos ranch, called San Francisco. It was a good time and there were tons of children I would guess over 100. It was interesting at this ranch that the people were more reserved than at the previous ranch. It was still very neat, but the ministry did not seem to yield as much visible fruit.
Saturday we went to a place called the canyons. It is a hike through a river bed that takes you into a crevice that that has been eroded by water for a very long time. It gave us all the feeling of being in an Indiana Jones movie. There were pools of water you had to walk through, and pools so deep you had to swim across them. It was a really neat time. I am sure you will hear stories of that hike. It is amazing the power of our God in nature. To use water to carve mountains, to bring water from inside rocks, and as this hurricane is bearing down on the gulf we are reminded just how small we really are.
Last night we played soccer with some local children. We divided teams up evenly and ran around like crazy. Roger who had left to go back to Texas suprised us by returning yesterday, so he was playing as well. He and Andrew Flansburg went up for a header in which Andrew scored, but in the process one of his front teeth hit Roger on the forhead. As you can imagine this was not a good thing. It split Rogers head open with about a 1 inch gash, and chipped one of Andrews middle teeth (I am sorry Bill and Carol, your boy is a bit competitive). The tooth went through the front of Andrews lower lip, but he stopped bleeding quickly and continued playing. Roger bled profusely for a few minutes and returned to the home, where I thought he would go and get stiches, but he returned a half hour later and continued to play as well. They are both doing well today, but I would appreciate prayer for the two of them.
Megans foot is completely well now, and William is eating hard food now.
All of our stomach problems from earlier in the week seem resolved so I think we are doing well. Just pray that we do not have any more injuries.We put Jeff Bundy on the bus to go to the taxi to take him to the plane at 630 this morning. He should have taken off a few minutes ago. Pray that he makes it home alright.
We had a great worship time and team time last night. We started about 11PM and went until almost 230 this morning. It was great. every single person shared and was encouraged by the group. This morning during our chapel we talked about how to take this back home. What can we do. So Bekah D, and a couple others have planned an outreach event in her neighborhood this coming Sunday Night. We are excited to continue our ministry after we have left.
We would like for any of you that are interesed to attend. We have a tentative location, but we have to check make sure before we give that out, so check back here in a few days for more info.Marlys, can you give me a few minutes this Sunday to make an announcement and if possible a very brief report. Let me know. I hope that everything is well.
We are expecting the children here at the home in the next few hours, so please pray that we are able to encourage them and have a blast with them.
We love and miss you all.Chad
August 16, 2007
Hey Everybody,
I hope that all is well with you. I apologize for the length of time between the updates at this point. Thing have been so very busy. We actually intentionally planned in times for rest because we knew that the ministry would be demanding... but we are still overwhelmed with activity.I have to say that this team is doing great! We have been able to maintain our 24-7 prayer commitment. We have been praying continuously since Sunday.
It is really great. Our rotation is smooth and the effects are being felt. So I going to attempt to be brief and give you a run down of the weeks events to date.
Monday:
1PM - We had our first VBS. Only 14 children were there, but the program was great and we had a good time. We prayed that God would bring more children. Andy spoke and did a very good job.
6PM - we did our first city wide rally. We arrived at the park and realized that we were really only on a large side walk. We had trouble getting power, but finally were able to do our spanish songs, and our dramas. After that Pastor Francisco spoke, and another Pastor in town also named Francisco spoke. It was a great time. At the end they gave a plea for those who wanted prayer and several people responded. After that we were asked to pray for all of the people that asked. The highlight of the evening was when the Pastor's prayed for Jaunito, (he is our host/translator) and afterward he spoke of experiencing the presence of God. It was an awesome time for all of us.
Tuesday:
1PM - Day 2 VBS it went very well. We still only had about 15 children. This day Sheena did a great job teaching through a translator.
4PM - Drove to Ranch out in the Desert. This was another amazing time in ministry. We went to a ranch that maybe had 70 homes... we were able to go to every house in about an hour time period and invite them to the town plaza (this was basically an overgrown weed park with a concrete slide). We had toys for the children and games, and eventually were able to do our
dramas and share the gospel. Almost every woman and child in that ranch joined us for our program. We only saw 3 men the entire evening. Many prayed to recieve Christ and they invited us back as often as we can. After the program we played football against the younger boys and adolescents. We had a great time. Finally when it was dark we loaded up leave and a woman
came out to tell us that they had prepared a meal for us. So we had home made tortillas, beans, and a cheese soup that was awesome. We arrived home at close to midnight. That was a wonderful part of our week.Wed.
1PM - VBS was huge. We had over 50 people and some 40 children. We had a great time with them and served cookies and soda at the end. Pastor Fransisco requested that we do another VBS on Thursday because we had only planned for 3 days, we agreed of course. Angela taught and did a fantastic job.
4PM - We went to the tank to swim, that was fun.
6PM - we went to a local attraction called the cave. It is the spring that is the source of wated for this whole area. We had a great time walking the mile or so up into the mountain to see the water bubbliing out of the side of the moutian.9PM - we finally went to dinner. We all went to a steak restaraunt that has been bragged about for some time now. The steak took a long time,but in the end was incredibly good.
Thursday -
9AM - had breakfast and left to run some errands. One of our team has had some tooth problems. My brother Will has his wisdom teeth coming in and was not able to eat all day yesterday becuase it hurt so bad. So I took him to the local dentist to see what they suggested. As many are probably guessing they said that the wisdom teeth needed to go. So he had two wisdome teeth pulled today. Please be praying for him. He is actualy up and walking around and doing very well right now. Megan Swanson stepped on a nail yesterday so we took her into one of the clinics today for a tetanus shot. It went smoothly and she is doing very well, despite her fear of shots and the location of the shot :)...
1PM - Final day of VBS went very well. We had a great time. We did songs with the children and then our 4 dramas. it was great.
Tonight we will have our second and last city rally. Please be praying for us.
Sorry for the brief nature of this email, I hope you will all remember to pray for me.
Muchas Gracias,
Chad
August 13, 2007
Hey Everyone,
This trip has been crazy already!! Everything has gone very well. We had no problems with transportation which was an incredible blessing. We arrived in Monterrey and our bus was there to pick us up. The night before we left Washington, Alise had called me and let me know that the entire team had been invited to Glenda's (Glenda stays in the home, she is Karina and Juanito's younger sister) quinceniro (her 15th birthday party). In Mexico this is a huge event. Often a family will spend more money and time on this event than at a wedding.
So we arrived at about 8:30PM here in Parras and turned immediatly changed into our nicest clothing and drove to the Party. It was like no party I have ever seen in the states. Picture this a desert ranch community, automated lighting and professional sound equiptment, a catered meal (different from a catered meal in the states), hundreds of people and a beautiful girl dressed like a princess. There were professional dancers, tons of people and tons of excitment.
After watching for a little while, Glenda dragged the Americans out on the dance floor (dirt street), and then the Americans were dancing with the Mexicans. It was hilarious. If you have never seen Jeff Bundy dance, you are missing out , we have never laughed so hard. The party was scheduled to end at 2AM but we left a little after midnight. Many of our team were going on less than 3 hours of sleep from the night before. It was very exciting to be able to see a part of Mexican culture that we had never seen before.
At the party, I was able to talk to Pastor Fransisco. He asked if we were going to the evening service on Sunday and I said we would (this was unscheduled). So then he asked if I would play guitar and sing (this was not planned), I said yes. Finally he asked if the band would be willing to play as well (this was not planned either :)). So we were blessed for the opportunity to lead the church in worship. We have learned about 7 songs in spanish, but we are not very confident with them yet. We were blessed when the congregation sang some of the songs with us.
Finally after a 3 hour church service (we played for a total of 1 hour), we returned to the home. We had planned to go to the square and do the walk around. Jaunito told us that there was no walk around because of the fiesta in the town. So we decided to go to the fair down in the town. I have often shared that Parras is not a tourist town and that there is no tourism market, during this festival, that is all changed. There is a road maybe one mile long with shopes lining both sides packed side to side with people.
We were able to see once again, a different side of Parras. There was food booths, cowboy hat booths, festival rides, liquor stores, tons of tows, tupperware, kitchen supplies, clothing, leather goods, pottery, and one huge white bull with a saddle. You could pay a dollar to sit on the bull for a picture.
So that brings you up to date. We have had our 24 prayer chain going on for over 24 hours now, and everyone had had at least two turns, it is awesome.
We are preping right now for our afternoon VBS today and then our Night Rally a park here in town. Please pray for both events. We are still practicing our songs, dramas, and VBS teachings and music.
I hope you are all well. Have a great day.
Chad