Going into Mexico… Ready to Serve..!

Saturday morning we had to wake up early to get ready to head into Mexico.  All of our bags had to be packed and ready to go before breakfast.  After breakfast I had to collect all of the keys and name tags to turn in.  Our team then had to sit around and wait for a couple hours… unfortunately we had some issues with our van so we decided to be pro-active and have it replaced before heading into Mexico.  I took advantage of this time and worked on homework while the rest of them ream socialized and played games.  

Finally, we were on the road, which was just the beginning of us always being the last ones to leave.  Before getting into the vans I handed out the mail that I collected… the students were surprised and excited to read their letters.  

Queen already to head into Mexico

Working on homework..!

Abby doing magic tricks... 

Mail Call... letters from home..!

 Thankfully, on the car ride south, since we were stuck in traffic for so long, I was able to complete all of my homework for my Master’s course… Praise God..!  I didn’t think I would be able to do so since my teacher wasn’t going to give me the work early… but praise God I convinced her to give half of it early… and then was able to complete the other half yesterday and today. 

Fuego leading the way... 

My crazy team driving into Mexico... 

Since we were so far behind everyone we made only a quick stop at the rest area for lunch before heading off to meet the team and caravan staff a couple miles from the border.  Sam hopped into our van to lead us into Mexico and on to Servelandia… as we crossed the border we had a code of silence.  Everyone had to remain silent and take in what they saw and experienced, and of course pray as we crossed over that all the vans and luggage would have no problem entering.  It has been 15 years since my last trip to Caravan and so I noticed so many things that were different and yet was reminded of my first trip in and how much the poverty affected me on Serve 95.  I loved listening to the thoughts that the students had when we debriefed this experience later on.  

Sam ready to lead the way into Mexico... 

Bienvenidos a Mexico... 

The leader and the Mexico Pro... 

Praise God we had no troubles getting into Mexico and it was the smoothest transition Serve has ever had in the past.  Everyone was excited to get to Servelandia and set up our camp for the next week.  Tents were up quickly and dinner was served before our evening meeting.  Tim Vincent and Eddie Passmore, Caravan leader, gave instructions on camp living and safety in Mexico.  I don’t think any of us felt unsafe in Mexico… back at camp we were fenced in with security 24 hours a day.  

Everyone helped set up tents... 

Excited to be in Mexico... 

A time of worship... 

I love this team... 

Eddie Passmore...

Today was an amazing day for me… not only did I complete my homework and be able to enjoy the rest of the trip… but also I was finally back in Mexico… I have always loved Latin America so I felt at home being back in Mexico.  To top it off I found out yesterday that I passed all three categories of the West-B Test and I received an official letter in the mail congratulating me for my NEW job as a certified teacher for the Kent School District.  I was on top of the world..!

Sunday was a nice transition to service in Mexico… we started with our typical morning routine for the next week.  We woke up and had 30 minutes to get ready for the day.  Camp then went “quiet” for the next 30 minutes as we did our personal devotions.  The next hour was a combined time of breakfast and preparing for the day.  We would then have a worship and message session.  

Cindy doing quiet time in the shade... 

Breakfast time... camp style..!

This morning Jeremy spoke about how Jesus is the one who sustains us.  Some of the points that stuck out to me were that Jesus needs to soften our heart and that He is more than our expectations.  I started to realize how hard my heart has become.  I have been going through the motions and been so busy that I felt that my heart was hardened and yet empty at the same time.  I let Matthew know so that he could start to pray for me.  I realized that I had been focusing all of my prayers for the students and other leaders and neglected to pray for the work that God was going to do in my own heart.  

After the morning session we met all of the Caravan staff that were here for the summer as well as past staff members who came down to help for the week.  We then went over rules on the job site before being dismissed for lunch.  After lunch we split up into work site groups to do a prayer walk in various neighborhoods that we would be building houses in during the week.  

Caravan staff members... 

Tyler finally joined us..!

For dinner we met up at the dorms for a neighborhood barbeque, otherwise known as a taco feast.  I loved checking out the dorms and all of the changes they had made in the last 15 years.  I was flooded with memories from trips I took when we stated at the dorms when I was in high school.  God used the Mexico trip to change the whole course of my life and into a life of mission both in Argentina and supporting missions living in the States.  I was a little overwhelmed with the amount of people at the dorms.  Not only did we have over 200 of our team but also 2oo or so neighbors… I looked for opportunities to talk to people that were sitting alone.  

Neighborhood Fiesta... at the Caravan dorms..!

Interacting with the kids.. 

Falling in love with the babies.. 

Time to eat... yummy

Maggie... Eddie's wife

That evening we met back up at camp for a time of worship and a message by Eddie.  He talked about servanthood and how we are to come as a servant, a learner, and a representative of Christ.  We ended the night serving one another with a foot washing.  We decided to do it as work teams so it wouldn’t take as long.  My work team not only encouraged one another but had a lot of fun laughing together which was much needed for most of us.  

Preparing for the foot washing... 

Service and laughter combined...