I have never appreciated fast internet connections as much as I do right now at this moment. I´m at a tiny internet cafe and it took me a half hour just to load this page. So now, I don´t have very much time to update you all. Lets see, where to begin. So much has happened in the last few weeks.
We were in Mexico City for 2 weeks. The first three days we were there we spend reading the Bible out loud in different parts of the city. After that we sang Christmas carols around Christmas time, and prayed with different people in parks, while handing out sandwiches to the homeless and passing out bracelets to little homeless girls (the boys and mothers often wanted them too haha). We did several open air ministries in parks in downtown Mexico City, and got to pray for and talk to tons of people. I have tons of interesting stories about the city that I don´t have time to write down so you will have to ask me when I get back :).
Now, about the Dominican Republic. Our time here so far has been amazing!! We are working with a pastor named Veronica and living at her tiny little church in a tiny town called Bienvenido. This town is about 60% Haitian and almost 30% of the kids here are orphans. Pastor Veronica has such a heart for the people here and an amazing vision that I am so happy to be a part of. Most of the kids here start working, doing whatever they can to make money starting at age 3 or 4. Veronica has started a feeding program that we help out with three days a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Kids in the program can come and have a free meal at the church. On Monday and Friday nights we run a church service for the kids. About 10 kids accepted Christ last night it was really cool! On Wednesdays we do a VBS type program for the kids with a lesson and crafts and games. The kids love it. They love to take pictures with our cameras too, if you have a digital camera out you are automatically the most popular person around. There accents are really hard to understand so it is hard to communicate at times. But God is still doing work with the kids in this community. It is exciting to see. Veronica would love to see a lot more happen in the community, like a school and medical program for the kids and I hope to see that in the future as well.
Once again I want to thank all of you for your prayers and support, and would like to ask that you keep Veronica and the kids of Bienvenido in your prayers! :) They have captured my heart, and it will be sad to leave them.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Let the Adventures Begin!
The last few days have been really crazy. On Friday we spent the first half of our day packing all of our things and saying our goodbyes to the friends we would be leaving behind. Then, at 1:30 we gathered up our luggage and piled into the vans heading for Tijuana airport. After a slight hassle with our supplies box and a 40 minute delay, we boarded the plane. We arrived in Mexico City at almost midnight and were greeted by our Megacities host and translator who negotiated prices for our taxi ride back to our "new home". As we turned onto a street and our translator said "we're almost there", my first thought was "uh oh", because honestly it looked pretty sketch. We opened our gate and drove down a small streetish thing in between buildings to our door. We got settled in and after waking up the next morning we realized that it really wasn't as scary outside as we thought, but still not somewhere where you would want to be walking alone at night. And, come to find out, there is no reason for us to fear at all, because we have a GUARD DUCK! Yes, a duck! His name is Lucas.
Yesterday we were able to explore the city. We walked about ten minutes to a downtown area of the city called Zocalo. It is a gorgeous place filled with magnificent buildings (most of which churches or museums), cobblestone streets, shops and people EVERYWHERE! I don't think I have every seen that many people in my life. Mexico City seems to work around some sort of organized chaos. People flood the streets and walk across streets whenever they want to and cars just kinda do what they feel. We went to a local church today for their Christmas service. It was actually fairly modern and pretty similar to American churches, only in Spanish. There was a potluck afterwords and we were served with a lot of amazing food, and good (also disfunctional at times) conversation. Things I've learned about the Mexican culture thus far:
1. They are very warm, friendly and hospitable people
2. They are on their own time schedule, in no hurry. No event you go to will ever start on time.
3. When saying hello or goodbye, you hug and side kiss on the cheek. (unless its guy to guy)
4. If someone says "almost free" get ready to pay a lot for it.
5. If you are a blonde, get ready to get stared at.
We are going to start ministry tomorrow so I will be updating my blog as I can! God bless you all!
Yesterday we were able to explore the city. We walked about ten minutes to a downtown area of the city called Zocalo. It is a gorgeous place filled with magnificent buildings (most of which churches or museums), cobblestone streets, shops and people EVERYWHERE! I don't think I have every seen that many people in my life. Mexico City seems to work around some sort of organized chaos. People flood the streets and walk across streets whenever they want to and cars just kinda do what they feel. We went to a local church today for their Christmas service. It was actually fairly modern and pretty similar to American churches, only in Spanish. There was a potluck afterwords and we were served with a lot of amazing food, and good (also disfunctional at times) conversation. Things I've learned about the Mexican culture thus far:
1. They are very warm, friendly and hospitable people
2. They are on their own time schedule, in no hurry. No event you go to will ever start on time.
3. When saying hello or goodbye, you hug and side kiss on the cheek. (unless its guy to guy)
4. If someone says "almost free" get ready to pay a lot for it.
5. If you are a blonde, get ready to get stared at.
We are going to start ministry tomorrow so I will be updating my blog as I can! God bless you all!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Updates from Ensenada
I'm finally getting used to turning on my computer and seeing a Spanish google page, taking the bus or walking to get anywhere, looking out my window and seeing the ocean, and learning how to bargain with people on the street for shirts, jewelery, and bags so i don't get ripped off. I have decided that I must look a little Mexican though because the other day I was asked by a tourist if I spoke any English at all. She then proceeded to ask me if I would translate for her, haha.
Well it has been decided, I will be going to the Dominican Republic and Haiti for my DTS outreach starting in December. :) There are about 20 of us going to Haiti and the DR. We will be spending about half of our outreach time in each place. We don't have many of the details worked out yet with where will will be staying, how we will get there, etc. Some of the staff have contacts in Haiti and the DR so they have been communicating with them trying to get the details of our trip figured out. Most of all, we want to be where God wants us to be with hearts to do the work He has for us. So be sure to keep us and the staff in your prayers as we prepare to go on outreach.
There are always people in and out of the base here, mostly groups that come down to build housed for a program called Homes of Hope. They usually stick around for about a week. That, together with sharing a room with 6 other girls has been a HUGE lesson on living in a community. There is a definite good side to living in community though...I have made tons of great friends already who I feel like I've known forever. There are some really amazing people here that I feel blessed to know and have in my life. This past month has flown by much faster then I thought it could. I've been learning so much, I don't know if I will ever be able to remember it all. My Spanish is improving little by little but I am impatient with it. This last week we had a YWAM leader from Salem down here to speak to us about a lifestyle of repentance. He LOVED to tell us stories, and he actually had a lot of really interesting ones. The first day of lecture our speaker, Peter Iliyn, told us a story of his dads life. (if you want to know the story he has a book coming out about it soon.) But I thought I would just share the thing that stood out to me the most throughout this last week. Peter Iliyn said to us, you will always have a choice in every situation. You can get bitter because of your situation (and focus on yourself) or you can get better (and focus on God).
Anyway that is a little bit of an update on what has been going on here. It really doesn't even scratch the surface of all that I have been learning and experiencing here, but I don't have time to write everything! :) If you would, please keep all of us in your prayers as we continue to learn and grow in God, and as we are preparing to go on outreach! If you want to know anything else or if you have any questions or comments I'd love to hear from you! Jesus loves you!
Well it has been decided, I will be going to the Dominican Republic and Haiti for my DTS outreach starting in December. :) There are about 20 of us going to Haiti and the DR. We will be spending about half of our outreach time in each place. We don't have many of the details worked out yet with where will will be staying, how we will get there, etc. Some of the staff have contacts in Haiti and the DR so they have been communicating with them trying to get the details of our trip figured out. Most of all, we want to be where God wants us to be with hearts to do the work He has for us. So be sure to keep us and the staff in your prayers as we prepare to go on outreach.
There are always people in and out of the base here, mostly groups that come down to build housed for a program called Homes of Hope. They usually stick around for about a week. That, together with sharing a room with 6 other girls has been a HUGE lesson on living in a community. There is a definite good side to living in community though...I have made tons of great friends already who I feel like I've known forever. There are some really amazing people here that I feel blessed to know and have in my life. This past month has flown by much faster then I thought it could. I've been learning so much, I don't know if I will ever be able to remember it all. My Spanish is improving little by little but I am impatient with it. This last week we had a YWAM leader from Salem down here to speak to us about a lifestyle of repentance. He LOVED to tell us stories, and he actually had a lot of really interesting ones. The first day of lecture our speaker, Peter Iliyn, told us a story of his dads life. (if you want to know the story he has a book coming out about it soon.) But I thought I would just share the thing that stood out to me the most throughout this last week. Peter Iliyn said to us, you will always have a choice in every situation. You can get bitter because of your situation (and focus on yourself) or you can get better (and focus on God).
Anyway that is a little bit of an update on what has been going on here. It really doesn't even scratch the surface of all that I have been learning and experiencing here, but I don't have time to write everything! :) If you would, please keep all of us in your prayers as we continue to learn and grow in God, and as we are preparing to go on outreach! If you want to know anything else or if you have any questions or comments I'd love to hear from you! Jesus loves you!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Surprising Statistics
Did you know????
-In 2009, the number of hungry people in the world went above 1 billion for the first time.
-25% of children under 5 years old are underweight
-As of 2008, there are 24,000 children dying from PREVENTABLE causes EVERY DAY.
-1.1 billion people in the world don't have access to safe water.
-The average person in a developing country uses only 10 liters of water per day. (To put that in perspective, the average person in developed countries uses TEN TIMES that amount of water in a 5 minute shower.)
-Over half of the world lives on less then $2.50 per day.
-Less then 1% of money the world spends on weapons each year could give every child an education.
-There are 90 million children who aren't in school.
-7 million cases of HIV/AIDs could be prevented in the next decade if every child received a primary education.
-Only 2% of disabled children in developing countries will receive an education.
"For I was hungry, while you had all you needed, I was thirsty, but you drank bottled water. I was a stranger and you wanted me deported. I needed clothes, but you needed MORE clothes. I was sick, and you pointed out the behaviors that led me to my sickness. I was in prison, and you said I was getting what I deserved." -"The Hole in Our Gospel" by Richard Stearns
How blessed are we, simply to turn on our faucets and have clean running water? How blessed are we to have a roof over our heads? How blessed are we to have had the education we have had so that we can read this post? How blessed are we to have food on our tables when we are hungry, and money in our pockets for clothes? How blessed we are....but how often are we thankful? And how often do we give?
-In 2009, the number of hungry people in the world went above 1 billion for the first time.
-25% of children under 5 years old are underweight
-As of 2008, there are 24,000 children dying from PREVENTABLE causes EVERY DAY.
-1.1 billion people in the world don't have access to safe water.
-The average person in a developing country uses only 10 liters of water per day. (To put that in perspective, the average person in developed countries uses TEN TIMES that amount of water in a 5 minute shower.)
-Over half of the world lives on less then $2.50 per day.
-Less then 1% of money the world spends on weapons each year could give every child an education.
-There are 90 million children who aren't in school.
-7 million cases of HIV/AIDs could be prevented in the next decade if every child received a primary education.
-Only 2% of disabled children in developing countries will receive an education.
"For I was hungry, while you had all you needed, I was thirsty, but you drank bottled water. I was a stranger and you wanted me deported. I needed clothes, but you needed MORE clothes. I was sick, and you pointed out the behaviors that led me to my sickness. I was in prison, and you said I was getting what I deserved." -"The Hole in Our Gospel" by Richard Stearns
How blessed are we, simply to turn on our faucets and have clean running water? How blessed are we to have a roof over our heads? How blessed are we to have had the education we have had so that we can read this post? How blessed are we to have food on our tables when we are hungry, and money in our pockets for clothes? How blessed we are....but how often are we thankful? And how often do we give?
About My DTS
Hey, you all probably know this already, but I am currently in Ensenada, Mexico doing my DTS (discipleship training school) through YWAM. This is my third week here and I will let you all know a little bit about what we have been doing, as well as what we are going to be doing.
The DTS program consists of two phases; lecture phase and outreach phase. During the lecture phase, we are here at our base in Ensenada, growing in our walks with God, participating in local outreaches, and hearing from speakers from all over on different topics. Last week our topic was on "The Father Heart of God." and this week we are hearing about "Justice." For my local outreach every Wednesday my group and I go out and work with a program called "Project Deborah". This program reaches out to special needs children in the area and to their families.
For the outreach phase of our DTS we will be going all together to Mexico City for one or two weeks to work with a program called Megacities. (to learn more about the ministry of Megacities you can go to this link http://megacities.org.au/cities/ ) After our week or two in Mexico City we will be splitting into 2 different groups. One group will stay in Mexico to work with YWAM Pachuca, a city located about 2 hours north of Mexico City. The other group will be heading to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. We will be finding out how the groups will be chosen and who is in each group sometime next week.
I appreciate everyone who has been praying for me while I am down here, and I ask that you keep these two outreach options in your prayers, and also that I would have clear direction as to which place I should go on outreach. If you have any questions or comments I would love to hear them so let me know!
John 13:34-35 (NIV) - "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
The DTS program consists of two phases; lecture phase and outreach phase. During the lecture phase, we are here at our base in Ensenada, growing in our walks with God, participating in local outreaches, and hearing from speakers from all over on different topics. Last week our topic was on "The Father Heart of God." and this week we are hearing about "Justice." For my local outreach every Wednesday my group and I go out and work with a program called "Project Deborah". This program reaches out to special needs children in the area and to their families.
For the outreach phase of our DTS we will be going all together to Mexico City for one or two weeks to work with a program called Megacities. (to learn more about the ministry of Megacities you can go to this link http://megacities.org.au/cities/ ) After our week or two in Mexico City we will be splitting into 2 different groups. One group will stay in Mexico to work with YWAM Pachuca, a city located about 2 hours north of Mexico City. The other group will be heading to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. We will be finding out how the groups will be chosen and who is in each group sometime next week.
I appreciate everyone who has been praying for me while I am down here, and I ask that you keep these two outreach options in your prayers, and also that I would have clear direction as to which place I should go on outreach. If you have any questions or comments I would love to hear them so let me know!
John 13:34-35 (NIV) - "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
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