Warehouse Thurs., 7 p.m.

Parkside Sun., 9:45 a.m.

Mexico: A Look Back (+ Pictures & Video!)

As Mrs. Foster commented, we are back from Mexico, having safely arrived at the airport late Saturday afternoon.  I think I can speak for all of us in saying that it was truly a great trip and that we are very appreciative of your prayers and support.  It is difficult to summarize the benefits of the trip in a single post, especially being only a few days removed from it, but I want to highlight just 2 things that I found particularly striking about our journey.

First, this trip taught many of us a little bit about how to walk with God by faith, trusting that His plans are better than our own.  From the outset, things didn’t quite go as planned: as you read about in our blog, we had to leave Jon in Houston due to an overbooked plane, and we weren’t able to fly out to Amoltepec on Monday because the weather was too stormy.  Naturally, these were initially perceived as significant disappointments, but as the week unfolded, we realized that God had built them into our trip for good.  When we had to leave Jon in Houston, it was the jolt we needed to actively depend upon the Lord, trusting Him to bring our team back together in Oaxaca (which He did the next day).  And in God’s providence, the bad weather that prevented us from flying to Amoltepec on Monday actually enabled us to visit an orphanage in Oaxaca and serve a church that Edgar had just planted on Oaxaca.   Had we flown out as planned, we wouldn’t have had this opportunity, and likely would have run out of work in the mountains…proof again that God knows what He is doing when He adjusts our plans.  As Jeff Mills often says, when God changes your plans, He’s actually enhancing them.

The second thing that stood out to me about this trip was the breadth of God and His church.  During the course of the week, we had an opportunity to worship with two different congregations, one in Oaxaca (in Spanish) and one in Mamey (in a native language called Mizteco).  And while we couldn’t understand much of the service, we knew that they were worshipping the same Christ we do, and got just a small taste of what it is going to be like in heaven when people from every tribe, tongue and nation come around the throne to worship God.   It was really neat to be able to spend some time with brothers & sisters in a different part of the world, and while there is so much that is different about us (from clothing to language to food to culture), there is one thing that is in common: our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Perhaps the most poignant moment of the week for me came during the service in the isolated mountain community of Mamey, when the pastor there, Pedro, thanked us for our work painting their church and said it would always be a reminder to them that “they are not alone.”  The bond of Christ is truly a unique and wonderful thing!

Thanks again for all your prayers, support, and comments on the website.  They were an encouragement to all of us while we were down there.  Since words can only describe so much, be sure to check out the pictures of the trip that Jon just sorted through and uploaded (thanks Jon!).  And to get a different view of things, watch the video of us landing (thanks Hiram!) and the one of us taking off from mountain airstrips!

One Response to “Mexico: A Look Back (+ Pictures & Video!)”

1. Ginny Vasil Says:
   July 6th, 2009 at 9:43 am

   Hello!

   Can’t leave this box empty forever.
   I really enjoy these blogs and thank you wonderful young people for the job you are doing in the mission and allowing those of us at home to share your trip.

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