Mexico, Day 4
Wednesday was full of adventure and productive progress. I’m reminded, however, that our success on this trip is not best measured by productivity and progress.
The day started simply with the usual trip to Punta Vida followed by breakfast and conversation with members of the church. We again broke into teams to begin work. Preparations for VBS were underway so some folks began tasks to beautify the park, including removing weeds, edging sidewalks and clearing brush. Another hardware store and supply run was made (this will likely necessary every day) to get additional tools and a few other helpful things.
An incredible encounter occurred right around the corner at the local convenience store as a few folks went to grab a some snacks. An elderly woman from the community and her grandson held the door open for us and greeted us in the name of the Lord! Her excitement, joy and enthusiasm for her Lord and Savior practically bubbled over as she regaled us with her story of healing at a retreat hosted by the church. She went in to the retreat with a walker, and left able to walk without assistance! She told us she has cancer and other health issues but she won’t stop praising God in every circumstance. She hugged us several times and smiled in a way that would light up the darkest room. It was very encouraging!
Once the kids arrived for VBS, several team members began working on construction tasks that would not be too disruptive or noisy, such as measuring, drilling and occasional cutting of lumber pieces. Sadly a few folks were not feeling well and eventually needed to head back to the MTC to recuperate.
Work continued at the park as part of the team began working through the process of building up our inventory of cut lumber pieces for the playground. Others continued beautifying the park by mowing the grass and edging sidewalks. Still others helped clean dishes after lunch, which was fried pork and potatoes (with tortillas). We wrapped up work around 4:30 to clean up the work site in preparation for a movie night in the park pavilion. Once the cleanup concluded, we intended to head out for dinner, but our hosts were working through tech issues with playing the movie.
The church was hosting the neighborhood kids for a viewing of The Chronicles of Narnia movie of the book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe which famously contains strong allegorical elements of the story of Jesus sacrificial death on our behalf at Calvary, after which they would present the gospel. We felt we couldn’t leave until the tech issues were solved, so some folks worked on various solutions while others helped hang a tarp on one side of the pavilion to block some light so viewing the projector screen was easier.
The tech issues were eventually solved and we headed out to dinner, which was street tacos, fresh fruit drinks and churros in Tala! Navigating the streets of Tala while exploring was quite an adventure. We found a candy store (dulcedía) and snagged bags full of candy such as chilé-covered mangos, then went for tacos at a row of food stands placed curiously close to the street (you are practically in the street as you order). Sadly one team member stumbled over a stray dog, fell, and injured their hand on broken glass. After a trip to the hospital, stitches were not required. Praise God! The final act was our course churros!
As we hit stride in our work and activities for the week here in Guadalajara, please pray that our hearts remain humble and our attitudes continue to reflect the glory of our Lord Jesus. Please also pray for healing and relief from illness and stomach issues as some team members are needing down time to recover. Finally pray that God shines through us and the church members of Punta Vida to sow effective seeds for the gospel in this community.