Getting Up to Speed

Current Weather: Hot, but cool enough to sleep under the covers at night.

Current Book: The Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster.

Status of Stomach: Awaiting results at the lab tomorrow to see if the bacteria and amoebas are dead or alive after two rounds of antibiotics (I have a sneaking suspicion that some might be alive).

Weekend Plans: Fourth of July BBQ with some of the other Americans Friday evening. Beach trip a few hours south of Ensenada with good friends from the Vino Nuevo youth group on Saturday. On Sunday, breakfast with Pablo and Martha, the associate pastors of my church, followed with training on how to run the powerpoint that projects the lyrics to the praise songs by Martha (who is American), followed by church, followed by welcoming two American groups to AV in the afternoon. 

Recently Achieved Goal: I translated my first VBS. This means that the American group that I am working with did the talking and then I said it all in Español so that the kiddos could understand. At some point, I think it may have been in my Christmas letter, I said that my goal was to be translating this summer. And now it has happened. I'm still considering myself an apprentice, but I'm quickly learning the trade and am quite excited to be contributing to the ministry in this way. 

Coolest Thing I've Seen Lately: Last week I worked with a group from Grace Church in Elk Grove, CA for the second year in a row. We went back to a place called Paraíso, which is probably my favorite ministry site in the Ensenada area. It is way at the edge of town, up a steep hill. It's a very poor community, as far as I can tell everyone who lives there are indigeous Mexicans who have come up from states in the South of Mexico (mostly Oaxaca) to work the fields. Many of the houses are wooden ones that were clearly built by American groups on service projects. Anyways, we came in the afternoons and put on a VBS for the kids. I loved getting to spend time playing with them and reuniting with my buddies from last summer. But some of the men from Grace noticed the T.C. (that's slang for people who think they are too cool) teenage guys hanging around outside. They began playing soccer with the youth and talking with them about Jesus a little more each day. Then on our last day, Thursday, we had a church service in the evening together with the Mexican pastor that has been working in the village, Santos. People invited the youth and they filled up a whole row of seats. Ryan, the youth pastor from Grace who had been spending a lot of time with the guys preached about who God is from his perspective of having grown up without a father. After the sermon was over Pastor Santos invited anyone who wanted to come up for prayer. One of the youth that had been hanging around since day one went up with no hesitation. Soon, all the rest of the row of guys had followed him up and both Pastor Santos and the men from Grace prayed for them. Amen to walls coming down!

Things to be Praying for: With all the groups coming in and out we are all extremely busy and getting tired. Pray for strength and patience and love for us. We are also getting into the home stretch of construction on our new seminary building. Eight weeks to go and we are still finishing laying the blocks for the wall, and then we have the whole inside to do. Please pray for provision for the needed materials to finish the building and hands to finish it before the end of August. Pray for the community of Paraíso and for Pastor Santos as he continues to minister there, that people would know Jesus and know him better each day.