Mexico, Day 2
Our second day in Guadalajara Mexico concluded with some worship, sharing time, a wonderful dinner and some time to unwind before bed. The day that preceded this had a fair few wrinkles and bumps, but the group is of one mind in saying that God has provided for our time here in Mexico above and beyond anything we could imagine. And the week has just begun.
The day started with an early wake-up and to-go coffee as we hopped into the van to head to Punta Vida (the home church where we will do most of our service for the week). On the way, we stopped to pick up two guys who will be helping us this week, Israel and Ismael, and then we quickly topped up on gas before heading out.
Once we arrived at Punta Vida, we were served breakfast of scrambled eggs, ham, tortillas and watermelon. From there, the members of the church began working to set up for the late morning VBS. We set up tents I the park, began preparing for games, working in the kitchen and a host of other activities.
Meanwhile, a few folks headed back into town to visit the hardware store. This turned out to be quite an adventure, since they would not return to the worksite for several hours as they navigated around Guadalajara to find the wood and supplies we need for the playground build. Much of the time was spent traveling, but also getting creative to put together the right combination of materials to make the build plan work.
The VBS was wonderful to watch and participate in. The first day saw some 40 children from age 5 to about 10 (only a few older from what I could tell). The most meaningful part of the time was working elbow to elbow with members from the church who are joyfully and effectively serving the Lord. We began to form relationships and heard several stories of how the members of this church have faithfully served the Lord by giving of their time and pouring into others in one-on-one relationships with people who are truly struggling both financially and in other ways including drug and alcohol addiction.
It was later discussed during sharing time how impactful it was to see these folks doing this with no expectation that this will directly produce outcomes like growing the church or even awareness of the church in the community.
The delays in getting materials for the playground definitely impacted the group once VBS concluded for the day, but with God’s spirit and some patience, it was evident that everyone remained positive and encouraging. Once the group picking up supplies returned, we unloaded the van and they headed back into town to pick up yet more supplies.
Lunch was served around 3pm. We visited the convenient store around the corner from the church and made the most of the time by making plans for the next day and securing some of our supplies.
Once the group picking up supplies returned, we unloaded the van, played a little soccer with the neighborhood kids and prepared to leave. We arrived back at the Matthew Training Center a little after 5:45 pm (a few hours later than we planned), evidencing that the week will include a fair amount of tempering our expectations.
Please pray for continued blessings as God continues to challenge and grow each person in this trip. Pray that attitudes, emotions, behavior and expectations are redeemed and taken captive for the advancement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His glory.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10 ESV