~Mexico Missions Trip - Day 2~

Sunday morning we woke up bright and early to enjoy a cinnamon roll breakfast.  I soon found out why they feed you so well... they torture you with lack of sleep and cold showers :-0

Anyway, Sunday morning we attended a local church.  We arrived back at the mission for lunch... a wonderful turkey dinner.  Our church spend the afternoon putting tracts in with the bracelets and crosses we brought down.  Kiersten and I had been helping make them for a few months.

Our evening church service was in Mexico.

This church reminded me of some of the churches I saw in Romania when I was a teen.  The big difference is Mexico has a lot of stray dogs... in Romania there were chickens everywhere.

The church members were in front to the right.  They set up the empty side for their 60+ visitors.  We helped this church canvas the area Monday and Tuesday... reaching probably 700 people.  I can't wait to hear a year from now how many of these seats are filled by their own members!!!

The Pastor and his wife.  I don't think they spoke a word of English.

What a crowd... I know this church was encouraged!

The Pastor and family

This was the first day I experienced crossing back into the USA.  On a fast night at the border we only had to wait an hour.

We were not allowed to take pictures at the border but it looked like a long row of toll booths.  The buses have to be in the far right lane.  Everything in the bus and everyone had to be checked.  The people walked through a building with guards and x-ray machines.  The bus had to be driven through an x-ray machine as well.  Traffic is slow on the bridge but the problem comes if there is a bus ahead of you... especially if it has luggage.  Everything has to be unloaded from those buses!  We had a great week of border crossings!  Maybe it had something to do with praying every night as we neared the bridge :-)

~Mexico Missions Trip - Day 1~

Jordan and I had the opportunity to go on a missions trip last week with ten other members of our church.  What a great time we had... we both would go back in a minute!

We left our house Saturday, August 2... at 12:45 am!  Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep that night.  We had a 3 hour drive to the airport, a 3 hour flight,a short layover and a 2 hour flight ending in El Paso, Texas.

We got some breakfast at the airport.

Waiting for our first flight... not even a hint of sunlight yet

My first flight seat mates... now the sun is shinning!

We met a young man, Raule, who was traveling alone.  We promised his Spanish speaking mom that we would make sure he was taken care of for both flights and the layover.  He was a very nice young man... and now he knows how much Jesus loves him!

Look at the air moving over the wing!

My 2nd flights seat mates!

We were greeted at the airport by Hector (the man that runs the trips in Mexico) and two of our former church members who are now missionaries with BPS El Paso.  We spent many, many hours in this bus!

We stopped for an early lunch at El Taco Tote!  Yumm-o!  The first real food we had today.

We were the first group to arrive at the Mission.  We got unpacked, took a nap and went exploring.  We got to catch up with 4 of our young people who were working down there (some for 3 and some for 5 weeks)...

... we also got in a game of Catch Phrase.

All 60+ people arrived for a delicious supper and we headed out for "the Mountain" in El Paso.

My young man has a heart to serve, so glad we got to share this week together!  It was a joy to see him jump in wherever he could.

From the viewpoint, we could see El Paso, the Border and Juarez.

The straight line of lights is the border... The big red "X" is in Mexico.  The six major boarder crossing each have a letter from the word "Mexico."  

The first day, while extremely long, was a great day.

One of the buses broke down on the way home that night.  We were very thankful!  It was only a few miles away and it was easily towed back the next day.  It could have broken down in Mexico... leaving half the group stranded for hours (late at night) and it would have been a real challenge to get the bus towed across the border!!!  Bro. Jarvis said, in his very casual, trusting God way... "You know it's going to be a great week when Satan is already starting to attack."

~Baby Love~

I've spent the spring/summer working on a sweet little baby blanket.  I haven't had much down time without school work, but I managed to get it done just after baby was born.

I found the free pattern here.

Kiersten and I got the chance to deliver it and meet the sweet little bundle of joy named Olivia.

~VBS~

One of our favorite weeks of the year is in July!  The kids all love VBS.  Jordan and Jared always enjoyed going, but they say they enjoy working in it more :-)

Kiersten with her friend Jonathan playing outside

Our theme was dinosaurs

There were activities outside while the kids were waiting to begin

Jared helped with the puppets again this year

Jordan did most of the MC ing

We all brought pennies for the offering

The boys won the offering and got to smash a pie in Deidre's face :-(

Gregg and I got to do some projects around the house and go out to eat several times.  This was Kiersten's first year, so all our kids were at church!

~August 2014~

~Done~

A friend of mine was chatting with me and mentioned this little book.  I couldn't help but add it to my next Amazon order... it's under $3.00!  You can get it here from the publisher though.

What a great little book!  It is perfect to read through to help in your witnessing but it is also great to hand to someone that is searching for truth.

Here are some of my favorite points...

• Excruciating - we often use this word for lots of pain... it is a Latin word meaning cross or crucifixion. The word was made up for the Romans as they crucified people on the cross. Wow! Jesus did that for me!
• Propitiation - means "the full payment for". Here are some verses that take on a whole new jaw dropping, tear wiping moment. 
• I John 2:2 and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
• 1 John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins
• Grace & Mercy - "Grace is getting what I don't deserve. Mercy is not getting what I do deserve. Mercy is when the police officer pulls you over for speeding but lets you off with a warning. Grace would be the police office pulling you over for speeding and giving you a $100 Walmart gift card just because he loves you!"
•  A quote "Yes, this lake of fire (according to the Bible) is a real place, a terrible place, and men do end up there because of their sins. It's not God's desire; it's not what he wants for you, but it is the final resting place of sin. Apart from a miracle, all who sin are headed there because God is too good to let sin live."
• Two things that stood out... the lake of fire is a resting place for SIN and God is too good to let sin live. Wow! Isn't it great knowing sin will be no more! God is good!!!

I have enjoyed listening to several sermons by this Pastor as well.

~Cow Appreciation Day~

I always look forward to Cow Appreciation Day!  This year I was able to meet up with a friend and her two girls!  

I normally dress everyone in black and put white spots on them.  This year, I found cow print table cloths at the grocery store for one dollar!  I used one table cloths for Kiersten, Nathan, and Eric.  I cut the table cloths in half for the rest of us.  I also printed out cow faces.  It is so difficult putting ears on the boys (no hair to bobby pin it too and they don't want to wear a headband ☺).  It was nice to not have a nose taped to my nose this year!  I will keep the table clothes to use again next year!

Other friends of ours went for breakfast... I think I'd like to do that next year... I've never had a Chick fil A breakfast before!

Kiersten and her friend Abigail

I think half our church stopped at one Chick fil A or another Friday.  We are one crazy herd! haha!