OSC--Guanajuato 2010

I can’t believe the trip is over.  Time flew.  What an amazing week.  God is good—ALL the time.  This marks the 6th short term trip I have been a part of, and I cannot remember one going as well as this one did.  In no way am I discounting past trips, far from it; however, in terms of my stress levels, team dynamics, and the need for semper gumby (the motto of ALL short term trips!) this trip was by far the smoothest!  The  only hiccup along the way was Hodge’s flight delays and one could (and probably should) argue that those were God’s way of reminding Hodge that He is in control and not Hodge.  Things went as planned and in most cases better than planned.  We were on time or early for everything.  No one got sick.  No one got hurt.  No one got into any major fights or arguments.  No events had to be scrapped.  No crafts flopped.  No pointless work projects (moving bricks from one side of the platform to the other, only to move them back again the next day!).  No awkward VBS lessons.  No inedible meals.  No major facility problems.  Nothing!

Not only did things not go wrong, but things worked out in ways that only God could have orchestrated.  The sermon on Sunday and the Sunday School lesson were in Spanish, so only a couple of us understood them—but it was as if the teacher and the Pastor had taken a page directly from our team devotional.  3 times that Pastor repeated nearly verbatim a point made in our group time the night before.  On Monday our devotional talked about David rending his clothes and dancing before God with joy…Monday night Jake ripped off his shirt and danced through the meadow after encountering God in a real way for the first time in his life.  On Tuesday Alex and Andy realized our group was moving too quickly during the work projects and gave us some new assignments.  A free night to decompress turned into a great time of team bonding.  On Wednesday a night out turned into a night to remember.  On Thursday Hodge left, and then returned…which led to a group lesson that turned into a turning point for our youth group.  On Friday a free day of fun almost turned to tragedy as a young boy was struck by a policeman on a motorcycle…but that near disaster reminded us of God’s sacrifice through Christ and turned into a powerful challenge for our group as we went home.  On Saturday a day of travel turned into a chance to reflect and countless opportunities to see new friendships forged and new leaders emerge.

How can I sum up this past week?  One word—God.  God showed up.  God moved.  God spoke.  God intervened.  God blessed.  God orchestrated.  God painted.  God wove.  God was…well, God.  I sure am glad He Is!

Wow, things have been busy around here.  It is 1030 and we are all beat.  We just returned from a night out in Guanajuato.  It was a great time!  I will fill you in on that in a bit…

The last time I posted we were in the middle of Tuesday.  A lot has happened since then.  We had VBS yesterday afternoon with all our new friends.  We had a lot of fun playing games and loving on the kids from the village.  All of the same kids were there and people found the kids they played with the day before very quickly.  One thing that stood out involved our craft time.  We gave the kids booklets with their craft which explained the colors and meanings of Charlie the Gospel Worm.  After the craft time one of the girls was sitting with Sarah and reading through the entire book.  Then she and Sarah went off and the girl read the book to Sarah and another girl.  It was neat to see how Sarah was able to encourage the girls even though she wasn’t able to speak to them.  God was definitely working.

Last night was a fun time too.  We decided that everyone was tired and overloaded and we needed some down time, so we simply had a fun evening.  Part of the group played a game called signs with some of the leaders of the camp, while the rest of the group played volleyball outside.  Then the game of signs broke up and people headed outside.  By the end of the evening people had played ultimate Frisbee, 4-square, Horse, sat around and talked and just enjoyed themselves.  It was a much needed fun night. 

People are still tired but in great spirits and enjoying themselves.  Still no one sick or hurt and no interpersonal problems either!  Please pray that all of these will continue!

Wednesday July 14^th

Today was a LONG day.  We got up and continued our work projects.  The dirt/rock crew continued hauling dirt and removing rocks.  Part of that group mixed concrete for the floors of the bathroom.  Still others worked to grade the ground outside the bathrooms to provide for better drainage.  They also dug trenches around the bathroom which will eventually connect the drains and provide water.  The paint crew finished the walls in the classrooms/bedrooms.  They also continued on the outer walls of those rooms with green and purple.  At the end of the day the floors to the classrooms also received a much needed coat of paint.  That project will be finished tomorrow.  All in all there was a lot of work accomplished and a lot of progress made.  Everyone is working hard and seems to have a good attitude about serving.  We are all sore and lots of shoulder rubs have been exchanged J

This afternoon we had another time of VBS.  There is an epic game of soccer that has lasted two days and should continue through a third.  The Mexicans and the “Gringos” are battling for world soccer domination.  At last count team USA had surged into the lead 6-5 (should be 7 or 8 but we have inexplicably had several goals called back.  I’m pretty sure they are using the same refs that refereed the world cup!)  It has been a great time of playing and lots of fun.  As the kids were leaving today I saw a lot more hugs and goodbyes than I did yesterday.  We are really bonding with the kids and enjoying them.  Our team is great about breaking up and just loving on the kids from the village.  It is so great to see Brendan with kids on his back or Linda leading some girls in her favorite new chant: Jose Pantalones!  Jose Pantalones (literal Spanish translation—Joe Pants…aka my Spanish nickname).

After VBS we all got dressed up for a night on the town, Guanajuato style!  We piled into the vans and headed up to see a statue of Pipila.  Pipila is a local hero, responsible for aiding the Mexicans in a key victory to start the Mexican Revolution.  There are giant statues of him all around the region, but the largest and best-know is in Guanajuato.  The statue sits along the ridge on one side of the valley, overlooking Guanajuato.  The area provides 180 degree views of the city of Guanajuato and the valley.  It is gorgeous.  We enjoyed the opportunity to take pictures and marveled at the city and the mountains.  After the photo op with a stunning backdrop, we drove down into the city to explore and eat dinner.  We had about 45 minutes to explore the area and then met back together for dinner.  It was fun to see out team break off into groups and just mingle with the crowds.  Near the end of our free time, several members of the group came across a street artist.  He works with spray paint and sells his artwork on the street.  If you are lucky, you can catch him actually completing these paintings.  We were so lucky.  We got to see him masterfully and very quickly turn a blank piece of posterboard into a work of art.  Hodge was particularly impressed but Jake and Josh Schaffer were the big winners as they both walked away with one-of-a-kind pieces of art (for a mere $5!).  We ate dinner on the square and filled up on beef, steak chorizo, onions, tomatoes, guacamole, chips, tortillas, and even cactus!  We also had a chance to experience an authentic mariachi band as they came and serenaded us with a couple of songs.  Many of us liked the fact that the MLB All-Star game was on TV so we had a chance to watch a little baseball.  There was also free internet access that several of the kids took advantage of with their i-pods.  That little taste of home was much needed after this long away.  Our evening finished up with a trip to the other side of the valley to visit a mine and overlook there.  It provided a breath-taking view of Guanajuato just as the sun was setting.  From that vantage point we could see the Pipila overlook from earlier in the day, Cristo Rey from Sunday, and nearly all of Guanajuato.  We then spent some group time where we had a special ceremony to smash the masks that we had made earlier in the week.  All in all it was a great team night and wonderful night out on the town.

Prayer Requests:

·         Traveling mercies—Brian Hodge will be leaving in the morning to travel home.  Pray that he will have a safe and easy trip home.

·         Safety—tomorrow is our last day of construction (Friday will be a fun day in San Miguel de Allende).  Pray that we would end the week with a perfect safety record.

·         Diligence—we have been very hard-working and productive up to this point, but everyone is exhausted and sore.  Pray that we would work through tomorrow and finish the work week strong.

·         Team dynamics—everyone is tired.  Now is the time when problems could arise as people are tired and patience can wear thin.  Pray that we would continue to be close as a team and that there would be no interpersonal issues.

·         VBS—tomorrow is also our last time with the kids from the village.  Pray that we would love them well on our last chance to see them.

Monday July, 12th
Sorry this is a little late.  We have been EXTREMELY busy and on top of that, the internet at the camp is down.  Hopefully 2 updates and some pictures will help :)
This morning we had our first day of construction.  Breakfast was served at 7am and we were ready to work at 8!  Our team divided into 3 groups.  One group was the dirt crew.  They were focused on backfilling the new bathrooms.  The entire footprint of the building had been dug out and the outside walls had been poured.  While the maestro and his helper were working on laying some PVC piping to act as drains in the finished building, we were responsible for moving dirt to fill in as needed.  Pick axes and shovels were flying.  Wheelbarrows were screaming around the construction site like Indy cars at the Indy 500.  Stampers were slamming into the newly deposited dirt, leveling everything out.  It was a site to see!  Those on dirt crew also dug up a post (and the concrete that had been poured in a large hole to keep it sturdy in the ground!) and moved a lot of stones around.  They worked VERY hard.  The second project for our team was washing moss off the bottom of a brick wall.  This wall creates the front of several bedroom/classroom spaces in the camp.  This wall is being painted and will be wonderful once it is done.  However, before it can be painted it has to be cleaned as there is moss growing along the bottom 2 feet of it.  Some of our team had bleach water and brushes, some had scrapers and we went to town on that wall!  The final portion of our team got to work painting.  Some were painting inside three of those classroom/bedrooms.  They were nicknamed the cheese-whiz crew as the color yellow that they were painting looked more like nacho cheese than it did paint.  (the consistency only served to further their claim that they were cheesing the room, not painting it!)  The other half of the paint crew was outside painting two sections of the wall—bright pink!  Once the wall is done it will have orange, pink, green, purple and yellow sections and should look great!  Work was supposed to last until noon with cleanup beginning at 1130, however, at 1115 it started to rain and so we hurriedly gathered up the tools and quickly cleaned and put them away.
For lunch we had tamales and they were AMAZING.  The team loves the food—I have not heard any complaints.  The kitchen ladies even went to special trouble to make some special hot salsa for Hodge and Silcox.  They both enjoyed it but weren’t overwhelmed.  (Although at one point Hodge did remark “
whew!  I feel alive!”).  Perhaps the ladies will take up the challenge of finding something too hot for Hodge.  Time will tell :)
This afternoon was our first VBS time.  Several members of the team walked through the village to gather the kids.  They arrived slowly at first but then more and more started pouring in.  By the time all was said and done we probably had around 40 kids come…a great turnout for the first day.  We played basketball, soccer, Frisbee, jumped rope and played tag.  It was just basically a time to have fun.  After about an hour we gathered everyone together and shared with them about Charlie the Gospel Worm.  Evan and Ellen did a great job.  We then gave them the option of going in and working on crafts or going back out and playing games.  Most of the kids came in and made a necklace with a cross and the Charlie colors.  After the craft time, the kids made their way back outside and everyone played games.  The highlight of the day was without a doubt the races we had at the end of the day.  The kids from the village were jumping on our kids backs.  Someone came up with the bright idea of having a race, so for a good 15 minutes we held piggy back races!  At one point Dixon, one of the interns here this summer looked at me and said “I’m glad it’s not me doing that!”  I agreed!
After another wonderful dinner we started our group time early tonight, because we knew it would go long.  We talked about masks and had a great group discussion.  Then we broke off into groups for a special exercise.  Everyone paired off and had a chance to make plaster masks of our faces.  We started by smearing Vaseline on our faces and then came the plaster.  As our masks too shape we had to close our eyes and eventually breathe out of straws.  It was a very intimate and unique experience.  In fact, it was such a powerful experience that God used it to kick a couple of kids over the edge, in a GREAT way.  Let me explain.
Jake Sherman (shared with his permission) came into the trip struggling with some trust issues.  He shared with our small group the first night that if he could change one thing about himself it would be that he would trust people more.  Thus far he has been stretched in that area a couple of different times.  The mask making event really stretched him and afterwards he was overcome with the Spirit.  He took off running across the field and just started praying to God.  One of the guys joined him and they had a great time of prayer, crying and sharing.  Jake shared that he has always told himself that he believed in God, but never felt it.  During the mask event and then afterwards he felt, for the first time, that God was real and there with him.  Jake said that when he ran off and started praying it was the first time in his life that he felt like he was having a conversation with God rather than talking to a brick wall!
After the experience our family groups (a guy’s small group and a girl’s small group together) spent some time debriefing the experience.  Lots of great conversations followed as our group times went well past lights out and bedtime!

Tuesday July 13th
You are getting a half day blog today, as Alex is going into town and can post there (despite the internet at the camp being down).  Also, I have been having some cell phone troubles here, so if you have tried to reach me for any reason I will not have gotten it.  If you need to get in touch with us please try Hodge’s cell phone.  Ok, back to the day…
Last night we went to bed and shortly after lights out a major storm moved in.  Thunder and lightning and torrential rains came through.  When we woke up this morning our construction site had turned into a mud pit!  But have no fear, we pressed forward and continued the work.  In fact, we pressed forward so well, that they are running out of major projects for us to do and are using us strategically for the rest of the summer.  We are being used to bring dirt up from the river and take rocks back to the river.  We are still painting and working on the bathrooms, but we are moving faster than the maestro can handle.  Today (before moving to river detail, the dirt crew finished leveling all 4 floors, started mixing cement, and leveling dirt around the building.  The team is working well together and people are making new friends.

Prayer requests:
Please continue to pray for our safety and health.  Everyone is sore and tired, but doing well.
Pray for our team dynamics.  As we continue to dive deeper and deeper we are beginning to get into some very personal things.  Pray that we would continue to love each other and provide a safe environment for people to explore their feelings and faith.
Pray for our VBS times, that we would continue to connect with the kids and have opportunities to talk to them about Christ.
Pray for lasting life change.  Lots is happening in the hearts of the youth (and leaders!) while we are down here.  Pray that those changes would make their way back home and be life changes, not mountain top experiences!

The steadfast love of the Lord never changes. His mercies are new every morning.  We certainly are experiencing God’s new mercies today.  We woke up with a spring in our step, or as some in the southwest might say a little hitch in our giddy-up!  First let me say, everyone is exhausted.  We still need another night or two of good sleep to catch up and feel normal.  However, other than that the team is doing great!  Even those Krumenackers who were sick coming into things are doing very well!  Please keep praying for our health and safety, God has blessed us thus far!

Today has been a day to marvel at God.  The most amazing aspect of the trip thus far has been the weather.  We were expecting 85-90 degrees, we’ve gotten 75.  We were expecting thunderstorms and clouds, it has been dry and mostly clear.  The rains of the past week have helped to minimize the dust and dryness, so there are more greens and fewer browns in the landscape.  There is a slight breeze all the time that just seems to keep everything fresh.  The birds voice their approval of God’s handiwork constantly with a chatter and song that puts everyone and everything at peace.  Being at the camp is one of the most peaceful experiences I can think of.  Of course, a lot of that probably has to do with the fact that when we have been here, half of the team has been napping so there hasn’t been too much teenager noise to drown out the birds and the rustle of the leaves!

After waking from a glorious night’s sleep the team dressed, feasted on cereal, and had quiet times.  This morning (as with last night) we are in Ephesians.  We then loaded up the vans and drove an hour to church.  I’ve heard that in two of the vans it was a pretty quiet ride as some team members slept and others talked quietly.  That was not the case, however, in my suburban.  We decided to turn on the radio almost as soon as we pulled out of camp.  We turned on the radio and I immediately exclaimed, “Hey!   I know this song!”  and I did!  When I was in high school my dad had a business associate come to visit from Brazil (I think).  He brought me a couple of gifts.  One was a soccer book (Way to go Spain!) and the other was a CD from a popular musician at the time from Chile, I believe.  Ricardo Arjona was his name (I think).  Now, 12 years later I’m driving in the suburban in Mexico, listening to the radio to a song from that CD!  Crazy!  So after that jolt of energy seemed to awaken the van we started to scan the radio.  After not too long we found some “fun” music.  Before I knew it Evan, Ellen, Hanna, and Randy were in the back having a dance party!  Matt Fox was back there too.  I’m pretty sure I saw him bust a move or two, even though at one point he was trying to sleep through the fiesta!
We arrived at church and walked in just as they were finishing prayer.  It was a tiny church, our group just about doubled Sunday attendance.  We sat in the back (where there were open chairs) in white plastic chairs and tried to follow along in the service.  The pastor welcomed us, we sang several songs, all in Spanish of course. We had to work as a team to pass around the song numbers so we knew where to try and find the songs in their songbooks.  After a few songs the children left and we had Sunday school.  The pastor explained that normally they would go to the back into another room, but that they didn’t have another room large enough to fit our team, so we stayed in the sanctuary.  A new man, the teacher, was invited up front and we began a study on joy.  As he jumped around the bible I tried to translate as best I could for the youth sitting around me.  “He is talking about the happiness and joy we feel when we first get a new boyfriend or girlfriend, or when we ask our girlfriend to marry us and she says yes…now he is talking about the joy we have in Christ…he is comparing the fleeting joy of material possessions with the everlasting joy of possessing Christ.”  It was broad strokes, but hopefully they kept up with things.  It was a great lesson and very much tied into our devotional materials.  I was excited.  Then the children returned from their Sunday school classes and shared with us what they had learned and we shared a verse we had learned with them.  Things were great and the youth were enjoying it, although they were having trouble keeping up.  That is when the hammer dropped…we’d been there for over an hour and a half at this point and many of the youth thought the service was over.  Little did they know that we still had to take the offering, and the pastor had yet to give the sermon!  They were under the assumption that the Sunday school lesson WAS the sermon!  Pastor Javier got up and proceeded to give a great sermon about the cost of being a disciple and of following Christ.   The more he spoke the more excited I got.  See, Pastor Javier was basically rehashing the main points of our devotionals for the week!  In fact, three different times I heard him say almost word for word something that I had taught the group the night before!  I was in awe at how God worked.  (the only problem was that most of the team didn’t understand anything he was saying because he was speaking in Spanish and we didn’t have a translator!)  I also saw some points in his sermon that I hadn’t seen and made some connections that I hadn’t previously connected.  That just served to get me MORE excited about what God is doing!
After church we drove an hour and a half to Cristo Rey.  Cristo Rey is a cathedral, statue, iconic monument on top of a mountain.  Apparently it is the geographic center of Mexico.  On top of this mountain is a catholic Mecca for Mexico.  There is an 80 ft tall statue of Jesus.  It is such a neat experience because it highlights so many aspects of the Catholic faith that differ from our own.  We were able to see several devout followers take off their shoes, get down on their knees and shuffle their way across the plaza toward the statue of Jesus and the sanctuary below it.  They do this as a form of penance, to work off their sin as they work their way towards God.  Just before they get to the end, at the foot of the statue and just before they enter into the sanctuary there are two steps up.  The pathway where they walk on their knees, however does not have steps…it has a sharply inclined ramp…just a reminder that even when they feel close to God they must not stop working and struggling to get closer.  One of the most striking aspects of the statue and the sanctuary beneath was the presence of crowns.  On the statue Jesus is flanked on either side by small angel figures.  One is wearing a kingly crown; the other is wearing a crown of thorns.  The sanctuary is a globe, and Jesus stands on top, ruling the world.  Inside the center of the sanctuary is a roped off altar, topped with a kingly crown.  A step lower surrounding the altar on all sides is a walking area, so that people can come and worship from any direction. Running around the entire walkway area is the crown of thorns (and by thorns I mean 2-3 feet long each).  The afternoon was one of juxtaposition: the kingly crown and the crown of thorns, the catholic faith versus our reformed protestant faith, the harsh reality of what they have to do to get to God juxtaposed again the glory of His creation.  I could go on and on about things but it is time for lights out and I am beat…more to come tomorrow :) 
Prayer Requests:
Keep praying for our health and our team dynamics.
Pray as we begin work tomorrow for safety and good work ethics
Pray for our first VBS time tomorrow that we would be prepared and have good connections with the kids that come.
Finally, pray that God would continue to work in our hearts and mold us into the people He would have us to be.

Whew, what a LONG day…but we made it!  Everyone is exhausted but in great spirits.  We had a couple of upset stomachs during the plane rides…I think it was as much a combination of no sleep, sugar and nerves as anything else.  Hopefully a good night’s rest and a good meal (chicken, rice, veggies, salad, tortillas…YUM) will solve all our ills.
What to share about the day…there was so much as we have been up and together for 21 hours!  We arrived EARLY to the church to travel to the airport (yes, NCF, we were EARLY!).  Our drive down was smooth and uneventful.  After a brief wait in the BWI lobby for the ticket counter to open we began to check in for our flights.  This is the 6th time I have flown internationally with a group.  I have NEVER had an experience even CLOSE to this.  We were all checked in and through security in less than 40 minutes!  The gate agent recognized our group and gave us special priority in boarding the plane, even welcoming us by name over the PA system :)  We found our seats together and lifted off, again, early!  Some tried to sleep, some watched the movie.  The flight had a bump here and a bump there, but all in all was smooth and easy.  It was a great first flying experience for some in our group.
Once in Houston we found our gate and then enjoyed nearly 5 hours in the Houston airport as we waited for our connecting flight.  If you haven’t traveled through Houston, there are a few things you need to know to understand the “fun” we had.   Concourse B has a main terminal area with shops and food options but not too much space for a group of 30 teenagers/adults to hang out.  Off of the main hub are several long hallways that lead to circular gate areas with 6-10 gates each.  Again, lots of people moving in and out, but not a lot of space for a group of 30!  The “hallways” leading to these gate areas are about 12 feet wide, with a couple of sets of seats along one side.  Our group commandeered the hallway leading to our gate :)  We had people sitting on both sides and had to move every time the courtesy shuttles drove through.  At one point team members started a “tunnel” that gave travelers the option of running through our tunnel (much like football players might run through the tunnel of cheerleaders to enter the field.  It was great fun as we tried to convince travelers to “go through the tunnel!”  People who decided to brave our gauntlet were met with cheers and applause.  We received a lot of big smiles.  One airline employee even went down the line tickling the tunnel-formers as he went!  The security guy for the area was playing along and having a great time with us too.  Lesson learned: youth + no sleep + anticipation for Mexico + long layover in airport= insanity and fun!
I will share more about our time in Mexico after our day tomorrow, but the rest of our day has been great.  We are settling in and enjoying how beautiful it is here.  The weather is PERFECT.  75 and slight breeze.  God’s handiwork is evident everywhere we look.  We also had our first team devotional and small group times.  The early returns are that the small group times were AWESOME.  I can’t wait to see what God has in store for this trip.
Sorry this is so quick and disjointed.  It is bed time and we are all exhausted.  We are trying to figure out how to upload this to the blog and get that all worked out.  Better blog to come tomorrow I hope!
Pray for continued blessings as thus far the trip has exceeded expectations in MAJOR ways :)  God is AWESOME!

Just a quick post…it is 10 till 1 on Saturday morning.  The youth will be here any minute to load up and head to the airport.  I can’t believe everything came together.  We had a great time loading up this evening…lots of space for luggage, no one fighting over who will sit in which vehicle, lots of loved ones (nuclear family and church family) came to see us off.  Thanks to all of you who did!  The time has arrived.  A Dios te bendiga!!!

So, today I’ve been to the store 4 different times to pick up team supplies that we need.  I still have one more trip to go, as well as meeting a parent at the U-Haul rental place to pick up a trailer…all before 6pm!  Oh, and I haven’t put a single stitch of clothing in a suitcase for myself :)  What a day!!!

Devotional booklets are printing out as I type this…I am very excited about these.  Our focus on the trip will be a devotional entitled: Continued Closerness.  It is a credit to the man and the legend, Brian Hodge.  In case you don’t know, our youth group is named One Step Closer.  One of our goals for this year in the ministry is not to simply rest at taking One Step Closer (to God, to each other, to whatever!) but rather to continually be drawing nearer to the One who has redeemed us!  In that spirit, we have coined the term continued closerness to describe our continual, constant coming together :)  We will spend time all over the Scriptures while we are in Mexico, from the Psalms to Samuel to Ephesians and Joshua.  I’m pumped to see what God has in store!

Yesterday I spoke with Alex.  He is the MTW guy down in Mexico.  We chatted for a long while about what they need down there, how things have been going, things they’ve learned from the first couple of groups (one group forgot to have their team bring water bottles…yikes!).  I think we are well prepared for the trip and trust that whatever God throws at us we will be able to roll with and just enjoy the ride.  I am experienced enough in these things to know that all the planning and preparations we have made are simply our best efforts to be prepared for what WE THINK God is going to do while we are down there…I know better than to assume that our plans will end up matching God’s plans this week!  After speaking with Alex I got a sense of peace and excitement about the trip that I hadn’t experienced before.  Alex reassured me that we are prepared and something about the way he and I interact puts me at ease.  We think the same way, express things similarly, and anticipate the same issues.  Working with him for a week is going to be WAY fun :)

I’ve been checking facebook today as I’ve waited for things (devos to print out, laundry that I thought was clean but wasn’t to wash and dry, breakfast to cook, etc) and I’ve noticed a lot of the same status updates: “packing for Mexico, see you in a week!” “only 7 more hours until Mexico!  WOO HOO!” etc.  I think the youth are getting pumped too!

This disjointed collection of rambling thoughts will probably be the last update you get while we are still in the states (perhaps I’ll put one more up tonight before head out but no promises).  Please pray for us while we are gone.  God is great and He has something great in store for this group of young people.  I can’t wait to see what He does.  Check back often to see whats happening and what God is doing and how you can pray for us!

Prayer Requests:

• Traveling mercies and safety…driving to the airport, flying, and then getting to the camp!
• Group Unity—pray that God would knit our hearts together as a team and that we would come back closer than when we left.
• Open hearts—both on our team and with the people we meet in Mexico.  Pray that God would be preparing all of our hearts for what He wants to do this week.
• Our Families—we will miss them and love them lots!