Casa Hogar Work Day

Hello friends and family!

I thought I should update tonight because tomorrow will be a busy day.



Today began with breakfast and devotions as Meghan wrote in ourlast note. After breakfast we had some small chores to do and then began gathering the tools we needed for a day of painting. They have been adding rooms on to the dormatory. These rooms will be used for the ¨dorm Parents¨ which at the moment the do not have. The pictures I have attached are of the team priming and painting. We had a small competition between the guys and gals to see who could get more done. Well the girls won...but only because the hired a professional to help. Sort of. Carlos, I believe his name is, has been donating time to the orphange and he is in the building trades and happens to be a really good painter. So at the end of the day the girls had more done than the guys.



Tomorrow morning we will be mixing cement ( all done with shovel ) and helping to pour a sidewalk around the new addition to the dorm. We will also finish the painting we started today. Maybe we will let the girls do that !!!



In the afternoon Enrique will take us swimming at a favorite water hole. Then in the evening we will be having our ¨childrens extravaganza¨. It will be a very full day.



I am so proud of our team members. They are all hard workers and are having fun doing it. Meghan has been a blessing in so many ways but her job as translator is immensly helpful to all.



It continues to be hot but we are all careful to keep ¨watered¨. Thanks for your prayers. We are looking forward to the childrens ministry tomorrow night. Pray for attendance and well as receptive hearts.



Love to all!

Pastor Scott... on behalf of the team!

México--A Whole New World

Buenos días todos!

It is Thursday morning here at the orphanage, and we feel like completely different people writing to you. So much is different...wonderful, but full of newness and challenge.

The Lord blessed us TREMENDOUSLY in crossing the border without even been stopped! There were two checkpoints that had given previous mission teams problems, and though we were pulling a trailer loaded with luggage and work tools and VBS materials, the customs officials waved our two giant vehicles through. Thank you SO MUCH for your prayers!

Reality (and the heat) soon hit us. If I can speak on the group´s behalf, we shared a feeling of discomfort, excitment, fear, love, and complete reliance upon God.

The orphanage was still a two hour roadtrip south. We arrived 5pm to a metal and cement campus with dormitories, dust, and about 20 boys and girls who live here. A couple of them know some English, but that´s it. It´s nearly all Spanish from here on out.

Last night, we attended a Penecostal church service in the town of Sabinas Hildalgo. It was in an adobe building with squares cut out for windows and a giant fan in back to keep the air flowing. Beyond the geography and design, the hermanos y hermanas (brothers and sisters in Christ) displayed such a pure, uninhibited joy for the Lord. THAT is what is sticking with us. As a custom, during every service, there is a time when the congregation stands up individually and shares a Bible verse and how God is at work in their life--adults and children, both. It is a time of excitement and praising and encouragement and clearly is something that everyone looks forward to.

After the service, we had our supper at a local restaraunt about 10pm. Carol and Enrique led us in a sort of de-briefing from our long, challenging day. We had the option of sleeping indoors, but because of the unreal heat, most all of us carryed our mattresses outside in the center of the orphanage courtyard. Quite literally, we sleep under nothing except the Mexican sky in a circle of twin mattresses and sticky bodies. Praise be to God for the breeze!

Today we will paint and clean and pray and paint.

I believe that our devotions this morning will be the theme for the remainder of the week. John 15:1-8. God is the vinedresser, Christ is the vine, and we are the branches. He will be pruning us all week.

Love,

Pastor, Monte, Sherri, Emily, Kendra, Kyle, Travis, Michal, Heidi, Helen, and Meghan

Laredo, Tuesday Noche

Hey again!

Less than 10 hours and we cross the border into Mexico! We had a relaxing day of travel from Ft. Worth here to Laredo, arriving at 6pm to meet Carol and Enrique at the Red Roof Inn.

While traveling, we practiced singing our Spanish canciones (songs) for the children who will attend our carnival. They include, "Cristo me ama" (Jesus Loves Me),"Mi Dios es tan grande" (My God Is So Big), and a few others.

Spending time with the Baltzers was AMAZING! Our whole group gets along like family. We enjoyed a Mexican dinner tonight near our hotel and finished up with some intense games at the pool. (See video!!!!

Please pray for us as we're told the average temperature at the orphanage in 115 degrees. Aye carumba!

Well, that's it for today... We look forward to updating you more once we hit Mexico tomorrow.

Con mucho amor (with much love),

Pastor and Meghan on behalf of the group

PS: There will be video when we return to the States.

Howdy from Ft. Worth

Howdy Ya'll!

We arrived to Hickman, NE safe and sound 8:00ish Sunday night and spent the night at David and Vera Boender's. Super hospitable and comfy beds, too! We left their place Monday morning at 8:21 (thank you, Kyle) and headed south for a thankfully uneventful drive. . . except for the heat outside. Pastor's outdoor car thermometer read up to 110!! We stopped for a quaint pincic lunch at a reststop somewhere before Salinas, KS where we stretched, filled up on pb&j, used their immaculate bathrooms, inspected their really cool and totally clever swinging garbage cans, and called loved ones. (No offense if you were not called... We probably still love you, too.)

Hey, and speaking of Kansas, what's with the lack of sunflowers? It's supposed to be the sunflower state! According to someone in the van, "We have Mt. Rushmore available year round! If I'm in KS, I expect to see sunflowers whenever I want."

Pastor drove 80% of the time but let me (muhahaha) drive for a couple hours from Salinas, KS almost to Oklahoma City. From there, it was another straight shot south to Forth Worth, TX where the Baltzers miraculously beat us to the hotel. No confirmation yet on how fast Monte was driving... :) We met up in the downtown area and walked around beautiful Sundance Square; most everything "appropriate" was closed. After about 20 minutes, we headed to our hotel. Some of us swam. Some of us raided the cooler. Others watched football. Still, others crashed.

We will depart in a few minutes for the last leg of the trip--Ft. Worth to Laredo!

Hasta pronto,

Meghan on behalf of the group

PS: Please pray for Sherry Balter's health. She's still fighting flu/cold symptoms.

Dia de salir (Leaving Day)

Hola todos!

I can't believe it's here! Today marks the actual day that our mission team will hit the road to Mexico. By the grace of God, all 11 of us were present together (first time EVER) for Pastor Davis' commissioning ceremony. At the end of church service, we huddled together in the sanctuary and received prayer from our family and church elders, not to mention were treated to a special lunch of Linda's delectable lasagna.

At this very moment, most of the group is in the church parking lot, in the heat of the sun, putting together the puzzle pieces of our luggage. We've got pb&j and cold cuts for the road... I hope somebody smuggled some chocolate.

Vaya con Dios,

Hope Family Bible Mission Team

one week til departure

Dear friends,

Today marks the one week point before departing on our trip to mexico. Much has happened since January to get us to this point. First let me tell you who is going on this adventure. As pastor, I (scott) have been leading the group in preparations for the trip. Joining me from Hope Family Bible Church are Meghan Hanson (21) who will be our spanish translator, Kyle Niewoehner (18), Heidi Hoekman (18), Helen Hoekman (16), Travis Trupe (15). From Ohio is Michal Marvel (18) a cousin to the Hoekman girls, and from Huron Mission Church a family of 4, Monte and Sheri Batlzer and two daughters Emily (17 ??) and Kendra (16). So altogether there will be eleven of us.

Since January we have been meeting, planning, and fundraising. Our local fundraisers included a Valentine Banquet, cooking and serving our church's Easter Breakfast, a talent show and bussing tables at Pizza Ranch. Each one of the team from HFBC also sent out support letters to friends and family. To all of you who are supporting us through prayer and financial gifts we say "THANK YOU!"

Please pray for us this week as we make the final preparations for our drive to Mexico. We will be leaving Sunday afternoon July 12. I will update this blog again before we go and hopefully a few times while in Mexico.

Blessings to All!