Team Mexico 2010

Let's try this again. Was trying to blog our Mission's trip the other day, and the power went off. So, here goes:

I'm 36 and Caden is 16. We are headed to Merida, Mexico with 13 others to help build a church! We are excited and ready for whatever the Lord has for us there. There are 11 from our church in Hutch, and 4 from Grace Baptist in OKC. Me, Chase, and his mom Shelly are the only adults. The rest are teens. Amber, Lyndsay, Mallory, Lacey, Ashley, Lindsey, Caden, Jeff, Jonathan, Caleb, Chris, and Wes.

Day 1, June 1
Bus picks us up in Haven. Kobe was sad to see us go. We are driving to OKC to meet the others and get to know them a little before we fly out tomorrow. Once there, we play games, some VB, have dinner, and a Bible study. Girls spent the night at Shelly's and guys went over to Chris'.

Day 2, June 2
Up for breakfast at each house. Loaded up and headed to airport for flight at 1:10pm. Lengthy layover in Houston, and finally arrived in Merida around 10pm. Took awhile to get through customs and had an hour drive to the church where we will be staying. First thing I noticed off the plane were the heavily armed guards and how stinkin hot it was! OK Lord, get me through this. We all know how much I LOVE the heat of summer...not! We met the local Mexicans and had sandwiches for dinner. Vickie is the Smith's 15 yr old daughter. She will be will us for the entire time to help with translating. She immediately fit in with our group, which was great. Most of our team slept in hammocks, but there weren't enough hooks so some of us, including me, got beds. Pretty sure the hammocks were cooler, with the extra air flow, but I was OK with a bed. I kept running the scene from Gilligan's Island through my head. Took a cool shower and got to bed around 1:30am.

Day 3, June 3
Didn't sleep well. Noises of nature all around, and the heat...oh my goodness...was bad. Up at 6am, to begin our first day of work. There's a huge load of dirt (or should I say rocks), that has to be moved into the floor of the new building. I helped with that. We had to shovel into wheelbarrows, then transport up a ramp, and dump. A couple people leveled all the dirt. This was pretty intense work. Chase and his group mixed mortar, moved cinder blocks, and began to build the walls of the new auditorium. This was very intense work. Add in the high temps and 100% humidity, and it was downright difficult. Some painted chairs for a bit, but the majority of the day was spent moving dirt and building walls. Stopped for breakfast at 8am. Had eggs n ham with veggies, beans, and OJ. It was delicious! The wonderful ladies from the church have volunteered their time to cook for us, every meal, all week! We are blessed. Worked till noon time, had some sweet bread which was cooked over a fire pit. It was yummy. It was break time as the heat of the day was at it's highest. We walked to a local swimming hole which was located underground in a cave of limestone! It was the most amazing place I have ever swam. We wore our nasty work clothes and just enjoyed the crystal clear water and coolness. One of my favorites places in Mexico for sure! After the swim, we enjoyed another great Mexican meal of fajitas, rice, and beans. The siesta follows lunch. We relaxed, napped, and got some much needed rest. Back to work around 4pm. It was so hot and muggy! Stopped at 6pm. Everyone showered, and unfortunately we ran out of water! A couple kids had to use a cup and bucket! The heat is so crazy that I would sweat constantly, while I ate, slept, or showered! CRAZY!!! That evening we headed downtown Motul to the square where all the action is. Some of the kids rode in the back of a truck, standing! Walked around, went into the Governor's house, and had some ice cream. Got back around 9pm, had a dinner of tostadas that were to die for. One weird thing is the eating schedule. We eat breakfast early, then late on lunch, then really late on dinner. I asked if this was typical, and Vickie, said not really. Bed by 10:15pm. Our roommate the little lizard, is quite noisy, so little rest again for me.

Day 4, June 4
Up 5:45am. Worked till breakfast. Pancakes and fruit. Really good! The am was cool, but after breakfast, the torturous heat arrived. Some teens stamped Bibles, while the rest continued on with the walls, and dirt. Today was our last day in Motul. Swam again around 1pm, and actually got a little chilly in there! Lunch was fried fish with a wonderful carrot sauce, tortillas, COKE. It really does taste better here! After siesta, we passed out the Bibles (Books of John), to the locals. We split up into groups, Jon was with me, and we went up to the homes and shouted, "Buenos Tardes!". It was quite the experience for me. Completely out of my comfort zone for sure. But the people were nice, and didn't laugh to much at our Spanish. Had a Spanish church service that evening. Caden and Wes gave their testimonies. 4 of the kids that Caden's group gave a Bible, came too. And they got Saved!!!! PTL!!! Enjoyed their choir, and singing with them. Dinner after, tostadas with a cream sauce. Got to bed around midnight. Lacey and I decided to sleep outside, due to the heat. I was still very restless.

Day 5, June 5
So we got eaten alive overnight. Lacey has little bites (chiggers) everywhere, and the mosquito's feasted on me. It's Sat. Worked till 8am, finished 2 dump truck loads of dirt!!! The kids did an awesome job of working hard, with no complaining. Even when it seemed impossible, we kept going. Definitely with some help from above. The pastor and missionary were very impressed with all we had accomplished. Breakfast was cheese empanadas, which was a favorite for many. We relaxed till 10am, then headed to the beach. Stopped at some ancient ruins for around 30 min. Kids climbed the pyramid, and we walked around. It was off the beaten path, and no one was there. It was beautiful, my mom would have loved it. Playa De Coco was the beach we ended up at in the Gulf. Swam for a bit (once again in our clothes), and then went to a place where we could swim with big, freshwater fish. Cost around 880 pesos for all of us. We rode in boats down a forest covered canal, powered by a man using a long stick. This trip took at least 30-45 min. The mosquito's were ridiculous! We tried to use bug spray, but it didn't matter. I, once again, got attacked. Big time. I counted over 100 bites later that evening. Thankfully, Richard took me to a pharmacy to get some calamine. I am eternally thankful for that! So after the long boat ride, we get to the swimming area. It's not freshwater at all. It's slimy from all the algae, and the fish are huge! I got in for a short time, but it was pretty gross overall. Kinda reminded me of Lake Cheney. EWW! Rode the boats back, and headed back to church. I rode with Kique. He stopped on the way home to get us a Pepsi. Here he has very little, but gives it all. This is how we should live. Had lunch around 4pm. Pork with tortillas. Amazing again. Showered and go on the road to Merida for a youth rally. Mallory and Jeff gave their testimonies tonight. Service was in Spanish again. We sang for them. Trading my sorrows. Went pretty good considering we didn't prepare much. After church, we hung out in their outdoor fellowship area. Played games, mixers, and had some really good Mexican pizza. Got to bed pretty late.

Day 6, June 6
Woke up with my right eye swollen shut from another stupid mosquito! I'm pretty miserable with all the bites. We packed up and cleaned. Breakfast was corn flakes, fruit, and choc cookies. HA! We sang happy bday to Amelia the head cook. She is truly amazing! Had church, and after we were presented with a couple of banners telling us thanks and that we will be missed. It was a wonderful moment for our group. The fact that we don't understand each other, yet can communicate, was awesome. Had lunch and then our group and all the Mexicans all sat around the table and played games. They taught us one, and we did them. They played "down by the creek bank". The connection was made. People exchanged emails, took lots of photos, and said their goodbyes. Vans were loaded, and we were on our way to Merida, and a hotel!!!! AC and WIFI!!! Had church that evening in Merida. Chase preached and Richard interpreted. Lacey, Jon, and Lindsey gave testimonies. After, Richard and Valarie took us to a restaurant where they have the world's best tacos (according to Valarie). She was correct, they were great! We also had coke in a glass bottle. Went back to hotel, and the teens all walked to town square in Merida. Us adults were exhausted. Bed by 11:30pm.

Day 7, June 7
Up at 7am. We have rented cars to travel. Each adult has one. Plan was to go to breakfast at the Smiths. Had no address or directions. Vickie would guide us. Except she wasn't in my car. We all got separated. I had no idea where I was, or where I was going. I knew they lived on the same street as the hotel, so I just started driving. Needed gas, so stopped. Ended up giving the gas attendant a really large tip, as I had no idea how much was normal. Ha! I guess it's usually 5 pesos, but I gave 50! Oops. The speed bumps in this country are insane. There are different types and are located randomly everywhere! Pretty sure I caught some air a time or two! Anyway, after getting lost, returning to hotel, and calling Richard, we were finally able to make it to their home. 1 hour late. Had mango muffins, cereal, fruit, and yogurt, with some really amazing mango juice. I was able to call Kobe from their vonage phone. He was still a little sad, but it was good to talk to him. Ten of us traveled to Tahdzibichen to help build again. Chase and Jeff did concrete walls, while me, Caden, Lyn, Mallory, Vickie, Chris, and Wes dug a foundation for a wall, and mixed mortar. So digging was hard. Huge lime stones had to be pick-axed and then dug. Wes had to physically lift gigantic boulders out of the way. He was impressive to all, including the Mexicans. And we forgot our gloves! So this first day here was trying on us all. I did get to use a machete!!! That was fun, for like a second, until I couldn't breath....ha! Lunch was some amazing bbq chicken, noodles, beans, and ice cream. YUM! The other group stayed and helped out at the church in Merida with painting and cleaning. On our way home, I was leading and missed our exit. Mainly because we were all laughing hysterically due to me hitting a speed bump at a high rate of speed. But Chase got us home. Hotel by 3pm , showered, and rested. Went back that night for a volleyball tourney with all the guys. I had 3 Mexicans on my team, along with Mallory and Lyndsay. We pretty much rocked! It was a cement court, but lots of fun! Dinner was tortas. The bread was so good.

Day 8, June 8
Breakfast at Smiths. Pancakes, bacon, fruit...so good. The bananas in Mexico are excellent! Worked again. Lunch was chicken fried steak, rice, beans, COKE. They filled their pool for us, so we were obligated to use it. Most of us just put our feet in. We were not clean! A couple swam. Got to hotel around 4pm. Walked down town, had dinner at a coffee shop. Had a great time bonding as a group. Did a little shopping. Bed 11:30pm.

Day 9, June 9
Slept in till 8am! Met as a group to talk about trip so far. Everyone spoke of unity, and teamwork. This experience has definitely changed the hearts of all involved. Breakfast at Smiths. Cereal, cranberry bread. Left Kobe and Mom as message. Drove 2 hours to the Chichen Itza ruins. It was so awesome! Saw the sinoche (altar) where the Mayans did virgin sacrifices. So hot again. Just us and the sun! Had tortas that the Smiths had packed for us. Valarie came along. There were lots of vendors, so did more shopping. Got Mia a Mexican dress! Got into some heavy rain on the way home. These rental cars are a pain. Not power steering, or tilt steering, and little leg room. I'm more sore from driving than from all the intense manual labor I've been doing. Church tonight at Tahdzibichen. Chris, Amber, and Ashley all gave testimonies. Home by 10:30pm. Gave the kids a 1am curfew. They want to spend time with Vickie before we leave in the am.

Day 10, June 10
Up 4:15am to get to airport. Lupe took our luggage. Richard and Valarie came to see us off. It was especially hard to say goodbye to Vickie. We were her favorite group ever. Took a few more group photos, then boarded. In Houston, customs took forever, and we were cutting it close to making our next flight. Caleb ran to stop the plane. We had to run through the airport and made the 10:20 flight at 10:19am! CRAZY! Once again, we were sweating! Got to OKC around 11:30pm. Chris' dad took us to Panera for lunch. Even though the authentic Mexican food was amazing, it was great to eat "normal" food again. We all shared our favorite moments. We will miss the people most.

All in all, this trip was for one thing. To show God's love to the people of Mexico. To do whatever they needed. That's what we did. In the meantime, we made friends, built relationships, and saw decisions made. We want this same unity and commitment here in Kansas. We want to all be on the same page. We want to win the battle we're in, not just complain about it. We live in a wonderful country. A country with power tools, air conditioning, proper transportation, safe water, sewer systems that can handle toilet paper, etc. We have everything, but give very little. The people of Mexico have little, but gave everything. We learned a lesson while there. Don't take anything for granted, and live for God, not yourselves.

So I can't remember who all gave testimonies and which day! If you know, tell me please!