Yes, I know, I've been slacking and not writing blogs. I feel a little, teensy-weensy bit bad about it, but not only do I suppress emotions like that, I also have a plethora of what I deem excellent excuses. I'm home now, back in the great state of Michigan and the blessed cool weather it brings. I cannot describe the joy I felt when I walked outside at the airport and my sweat glands did not go into overdrive. But before I get ahead of myself, let me revisit the last couple weeks in Mazatlan.
The last week and last group was a church from North Carolina. They had crazy accents, and by the end of the week I felt myself talking real Southern-like. It was great. This group was one of my highlights of the summer. I was asked to lead one of the small groups in the mornings; one high school kid and four college guys. I had been briefly clued into their stories before they arrived, and they were so very different from my own past. How could I relate to them? How could I provide help and wisdom for situations and lives that I knew nothing about? You know how when someone asks a really hard question no one knows the answer to, so someone just says "Jesus" because that pretty much covers all questions...well He really was the answer to those questions I was asking myself. I got to know the guys in my group over the course of the week way quicker and in much more depth than I got to know anyone else in any group all summer. How? By talking about Jesus, and what He had done in their lives and my own. Situations I have no experience with, Jesus could provide the wisdom and all I had to do was be available for Him to work through. Every morning before small group I prayed for wisdom. Things would come up in small group or throughout the day and somehow I had a Bible verse in my head. Now, remembering references is a serious problem for me, but not for that week. It could only have been God. Even with all that going on, my own insecurities had me worried that I would say something "wrong" or give bad advice, especially in very specific, tough-issue discussions. However, my team of fellow interns and staff continued to encourage me and note the difference they saw in me and the guys in the group over the course of the week. The highlight was hearing that one of the guys volunteered to pray for the group before leaving at the end of the week. All week we had talked about leading spiritually, and so during small group I made each one of them pray at least once (they were a bit shy). Hearing that, by the end of the week, one of the guys stepped up and led the group in prayer was such an answer to my own prayer. I continue to pray for those guys and am so excited for what God will continue to do in their lives.
My last day before getting on the plane home, we went to the Salvation Army home for the last time. As a very task-oriented person, it was an incredible day of wrapping up projects. It sounds so ridiculous, but for anyone that has been tasked with digging a footer in Mexican dirt (rock), finishing is a big deal. I got to spend most of the day in a hole with some of the other interns and guys from my small group, talking and digging. We also mixed up a bunch of concrete by hand so we could pour the last footer of the summer. A fitting nail in the coffin of a long summer of work projects. As much of a highlight as that was, interacting with the kids for the last time outshone it by far. A previous group had brought a ton of backpacks, so we loaded them up with school supplies and let each kid pick one out. They were SO PUMPED. Naturally, the tiniest little ones picked the biggest ones instead of the ones meant for little kids. I had one of them on my lap while she unpacked all the school supplies, and she made sure to show me each and every item and where it belonged in the backpack. She was so proud and I was about in tears. I tried to help her carry it over to where they were taking a group picture, but she insisted on carrying it herself. My heart just about melted into a puddle in the dirt when she put it on and walked away: the backpack was so big all you could see from behind was her feet. It looked like a backpack with feet walking around. Precious. Then they gave us all hugs and climbed into their van to leave for the weekend. I'll never forget the image of that van pulling away and a bunch of little arms sticking out the windows waving goodbye.
I was going to talk about all the things that struck me as I returned to the States and home, but don't think I will. I'd rather the last thing you remember in this blog be the same as my last image of Mexico; those beautiful children of God.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for praying for me and Back2Back this summer. May God bless you and keep you. I love you all. Amen.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
Recap
At this point in the summer, I feel the need to recap what has been done so far at the homes. Most of you who read this might not have anything to compare the progress to since you haven't been here, but just trust me that if I talk about it, it wasn't here before and now it is. If you have in fact been here before, pat yourself on the back and then ask yourself why you have been here and you haven't brought all the aforementioned schmucks on a trip yet. But, when you finish reading this post, close your eyes and try to visualize the homes with all the changes we have made. Don't shut your eyes yet, because I haven't told you about anything yet and you wouldn't be able to read about them with your eyes shut.
Rancho de los Ninos:
This special needs home has gotten a face-lift this summer. The outer wall has been sealed and covered in stucco. We put up a fence that separates the main complex from the large field that lies behind it. Until the second half of the big concrete wall is finished around the whole back of the property, this fence will keep the children safe. It has concrete running all along the bottom and will have razor wire along the top. Speaking of the rest of the big wall, the footers have begun to dug! With the help of a backhoe every once in a while, we have made a fair amount of progress getting footers put in. The sidewalk in the covered area where the van parks to unload has been busted out so that a ramp can be poured and the house made more accessible to wheelchairs. We put in a sweet sidewalk that runs from the car port around the front of the house to the front door and took out a useless, huge concrete ramp that really just got in the way. We put up a fence that encloses a huge portion of the front yard so that kids can go outside to play without the caretakers having to worry about where the kids are. We installed an air conditioning unit in the therapy room. No need to explain the significance of that. Lastly, we put new platforms on many of the playground structures and painted the roofs and slides in fresh bright colors. Sweet.
Salvation Army:
The wall has begun! Like the wall at Rancho, except not at Rancho. We have been digging holes, squaring holes, bending boots and pouring footers. Progress is being made. We busted out and re-poured the concrete at the main entrance so that anything with four wheels doesn't bottom out driving over it. Behind the offices a brand new concrete pad was poured with four sturdy clothesline poles held fast within. No more stringing laundry from rickety posts or a tree while standing in the dirt. Lastly, we ran video cable from the caretakers' house to each of the dorms and installed video surveillance cameras. These cameras will help the caretakers monitor who is in each dorm, and in particular for the boys' dorm, monitor any hazing or bullying that is an ongoing issue. Super sweet.
FloreSer:
As any intern will tell you, this home has been one of the most frustrating work-wise. The tasks are not largely noticeable, but they are tedious and take a long time to complete. The greatest foe has been a railing that runs along some outside stairs. First all the old paint had to be ground off. Then sanded. Then weatherproofed and primed. Then repainted. God bless anyone who poured their strength and heart into that railing. Group members have also spent countless hours on scaffolding scraping old paint off a huge wall. When they get done they look like someone dunked them in greenish/white powder. Gross. We have also drywalled a new room that will be used as the computer room. The big project has been mounting razor wire along a stretch of wall. It involved building a frame out of wood and then filling it with concrete so that the y-shaped things that the razor wire is strung on stay sturdy. It was been such an adventure. Everything is done on scaffolding for one. There isn't a great place to mix concrete, so we have just been mixing it in the street. In the States, definitely not ok. Here? No one really cares as long as we don't leave a giant pile of concrete in the middle of the road. Once it gets mixed, we put tiny little bits in a bucket and hoist it up (think a bunch of clowns trying to put out a fire) three levels of scaffolding to pour into the molds. Super duper sweet.
Padres y Compadres:
This is the physical therapy center that we visit once a week. Several of the Rancho kids go there for therapy, as it is provided at a ridiculously cheap price. They love on the kids and families who come there by hardly charging, so we love on them in turn by helping keep up the place. We moved a bunch of dirt so they could have an enclosed area with a tile floor. They have a horse therapy program, so we fenced in their corral and put a new floor in the horses' stalls. Work projects are not really the focus here so that is about it, but the continual assistance we provide with therapy and feeding the children has been hugely beneficial.
So, before you close your eyes and visualize, one last thing. Everything that has been accomplished has been by God's good and perfect will through his strength in us. We are just the tools. And one other thing that has been accomplished this summer: the love of God has been shown to children who need a little extra dose of love. Beautiful. Go.
Rancho de los Ninos:
This special needs home has gotten a face-lift this summer. The outer wall has been sealed and covered in stucco. We put up a fence that separates the main complex from the large field that lies behind it. Until the second half of the big concrete wall is finished around the whole back of the property, this fence will keep the children safe. It has concrete running all along the bottom and will have razor wire along the top. Speaking of the rest of the big wall, the footers have begun to dug! With the help of a backhoe every once in a while, we have made a fair amount of progress getting footers put in. The sidewalk in the covered area where the van parks to unload has been busted out so that a ramp can be poured and the house made more accessible to wheelchairs. We put in a sweet sidewalk that runs from the car port around the front of the house to the front door and took out a useless, huge concrete ramp that really just got in the way. We put up a fence that encloses a huge portion of the front yard so that kids can go outside to play without the caretakers having to worry about where the kids are. We installed an air conditioning unit in the therapy room. No need to explain the significance of that. Lastly, we put new platforms on many of the playground structures and painted the roofs and slides in fresh bright colors. Sweet.
Salvation Army:
The wall has begun! Like the wall at Rancho, except not at Rancho. We have been digging holes, squaring holes, bending boots and pouring footers. Progress is being made. We busted out and re-poured the concrete at the main entrance so that anything with four wheels doesn't bottom out driving over it. Behind the offices a brand new concrete pad was poured with four sturdy clothesline poles held fast within. No more stringing laundry from rickety posts or a tree while standing in the dirt. Lastly, we ran video cable from the caretakers' house to each of the dorms and installed video surveillance cameras. These cameras will help the caretakers monitor who is in each dorm, and in particular for the boys' dorm, monitor any hazing or bullying that is an ongoing issue. Super sweet.
FloreSer:
As any intern will tell you, this home has been one of the most frustrating work-wise. The tasks are not largely noticeable, but they are tedious and take a long time to complete. The greatest foe has been a railing that runs along some outside stairs. First all the old paint had to be ground off. Then sanded. Then weatherproofed and primed. Then repainted. God bless anyone who poured their strength and heart into that railing. Group members have also spent countless hours on scaffolding scraping old paint off a huge wall. When they get done they look like someone dunked them in greenish/white powder. Gross. We have also drywalled a new room that will be used as the computer room. The big project has been mounting razor wire along a stretch of wall. It involved building a frame out of wood and then filling it with concrete so that the y-shaped things that the razor wire is strung on stay sturdy. It was been such an adventure. Everything is done on scaffolding for one. There isn't a great place to mix concrete, so we have just been mixing it in the street. In the States, definitely not ok. Here? No one really cares as long as we don't leave a giant pile of concrete in the middle of the road. Once it gets mixed, we put tiny little bits in a bucket and hoist it up (think a bunch of clowns trying to put out a fire) three levels of scaffolding to pour into the molds. Super duper sweet.
Padres y Compadres:
This is the physical therapy center that we visit once a week. Several of the Rancho kids go there for therapy, as it is provided at a ridiculously cheap price. They love on the kids and families who come there by hardly charging, so we love on them in turn by helping keep up the place. We moved a bunch of dirt so they could have an enclosed area with a tile floor. They have a horse therapy program, so we fenced in their corral and put a new floor in the horses' stalls. Work projects are not really the focus here so that is about it, but the continual assistance we provide with therapy and feeding the children has been hugely beneficial.
So, before you close your eyes and visualize, one last thing. Everything that has been accomplished has been by God's good and perfect will through his strength in us. We are just the tools. And one other thing that has been accomplished this summer: the love of God has been shown to children who need a little extra dose of love. Beautiful. Go.
Friday, July 12, 2013
Categorically Bilingual
Hola. I'm going to start by answering one of the most common questions I get from group members: I speak very little Spanish. What I do know is a collection of seemingly random words that in fact are grouped nicely into three categories: tools, Jesus-words, and food. In the life of a Back2Back intern with a healthy appetite, these are pretty much the three most essential categories in which to be bilingual.
This past week was a bit different from the standard week as we had two groups here simultaneously. One was a medical team made up of physical and occupational therapists, while the other was a group of young people from North Carolina. Now that I'm out of college I'm allowed to call people that are still in college "young people". The medical team worked exclusively with the kids at the special needs home: assessing their abilities, giving them therapy, and also creating videos with therapy instructions for the caretakers so that the best possible care could continue after the group left. They were an incredible blessing for the kids, caretakers, and the staff here who now know how best to help the kids at Rancho. It was so cool to see the relationships that they built with the kids when they spent a whole week with them. Most groups only get to spend a day or two with kids from a given home before moving to a different home, but not this group. I saw a child who is typically stone-faced and quiet whistle and purr and laugh until he could hardly breath and was drooling all over the place. I saw a little girl who never seems happy, stuck in a cycle of crying until so exhausted that sleep overcomes her and then beginning to cry upon waking again, sit contentedly in the lap of one of our interns for an entire afternoon. I saw such an outpouring of love towards the kids at Rancho, and it reminded me so starkly that there are so many different ways to show the love of Christ to others.
The young guns showed off their youth. They were some of the hardest workers I've seen since I've been here. Their attitudes towards their friends, the staff here, and God were much more mature than I expected when first met them. I wish I would have had more time with them this week, but I was often with the therapy group and unfortunately cannot split myself in half. I did enjoy hitting the volleyball around with them though, something I've missed a lot while here.
It is weird being more than halfway done with the summer. I still have no idea what is going to be happening when I get back to the states. Other than playing beach volleyball and playing with the dogs, I really don't have any long term plans. Not to say that I don't want plans, if I could have had it planned before I left, that would have been sweet. Once again God is just playing the "you gotta trust me" card, and every card He's got is kind of a trump card, so I'm just trusting that even if I don't have a plan, He does.
In other news, it has started to rain here a little bit. When people said "rainy season" I expected an every day torrential downpour, paddling our vans like boats to get to the children's homes. I may have set some lofty expectations, but I still don't think the rainy season has quite begun. It rained maybe three or four nights in the last week, and only a little bit one morning. Watching the storms roll in over the Pacific is pretty awesome though. Elections happened in Mazatlan, Felton won. Yippee. All that really means for me is now that the political craziness is over we can go get late night Mexican food again. Hallelujah.
This past week was a bit different from the standard week as we had two groups here simultaneously. One was a medical team made up of physical and occupational therapists, while the other was a group of young people from North Carolina. Now that I'm out of college I'm allowed to call people that are still in college "young people". The medical team worked exclusively with the kids at the special needs home: assessing their abilities, giving them therapy, and also creating videos with therapy instructions for the caretakers so that the best possible care could continue after the group left. They were an incredible blessing for the kids, caretakers, and the staff here who now know how best to help the kids at Rancho. It was so cool to see the relationships that they built with the kids when they spent a whole week with them. Most groups only get to spend a day or two with kids from a given home before moving to a different home, but not this group. I saw a child who is typically stone-faced and quiet whistle and purr and laugh until he could hardly breath and was drooling all over the place. I saw a little girl who never seems happy, stuck in a cycle of crying until so exhausted that sleep overcomes her and then beginning to cry upon waking again, sit contentedly in the lap of one of our interns for an entire afternoon. I saw such an outpouring of love towards the kids at Rancho, and it reminded me so starkly that there are so many different ways to show the love of Christ to others.
The young guns showed off their youth. They were some of the hardest workers I've seen since I've been here. Their attitudes towards their friends, the staff here, and God were much more mature than I expected when first met them. I wish I would have had more time with them this week, but I was often with the therapy group and unfortunately cannot split myself in half. I did enjoy hitting the volleyball around with them though, something I've missed a lot while here.
It is weird being more than halfway done with the summer. I still have no idea what is going to be happening when I get back to the states. Other than playing beach volleyball and playing with the dogs, I really don't have any long term plans. Not to say that I don't want plans, if I could have had it planned before I left, that would have been sweet. Once again God is just playing the "you gotta trust me" card, and every card He's got is kind of a trump card, so I'm just trusting that even if I don't have a plan, He does.
In other news, it has started to rain here a little bit. When people said "rainy season" I expected an every day torrential downpour, paddling our vans like boats to get to the children's homes. I may have set some lofty expectations, but I still don't think the rainy season has quite begun. It rained maybe three or four nights in the last week, and only a little bit one morning. Watching the storms roll in over the Pacific is pretty awesome though. Elections happened in Mazatlan, Felton won. Yippee. All that really means for me is now that the political craziness is over we can go get late night Mexican food again. Hallelujah.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
The People's Elbow Returns to Mazatlan
Hola. Yes, that is about the extent of my Spanish-speaking abilities now that I have been here almost four weeks. Not really, I've learned a few more things, but most of the words I know are some sort of construction tool so I'm not exactly conversational. Lots of things have happened since my last blog, but if you read my first blog I made no promises about how often or consistent my blogging would be. If you want to complain, go for it. I'm in a different country so I won't be able to hear you anyway.
So in order to stay in some kind of chronological order, LAST week we didn't have an official group, just a group of three lovely people who set three days of their week-long vacation aside to work with us. The week looked pretty normal other than the lack of a group; the interns and staff continued work projects at each of the homes and had some great bonding time with all the kids. Since there weren't a bunch of people to be fed each evening, we got to mix up our traditional meal schedule which is the same every week. The highlight? Brinner. Duh. (That is breakfast for dinner, in case you have lived a deprived life to this point, you are welcome for changing your life). Our team worked great all week and we were thoroughly exhausted by the end of it. After a gracious couple days to sleep in over the weekend, we were recharged and ready to face the next week.
I might be repeating myself for the next little bit, and again, feel free to complain, it won't bother me even a little bit. For those of you who don't know, while at Michigan State I was involved with Riverview Church. Two spring breaks ago I came down to Mazatlan with a group of 52 college students as a part of the second group to be in Mazatlan, and so began my love for this mission. This week another Riv group is here, and it has been wonderful. I only know a handful of the people, but just knowing that we all come from the same area is comforting. And I've been really sick of listening to that nasty Ohio accent. This group works so hard, even through some pretty ridiculous challenges and I thank God for each of them. I've been sitting in on the debriefing sessions at the end of every day (something I haven't done yet this summer) and it is so cool to see God at work in the group members. As much as I love having them here, I can't wait for them to go home after being here and make a crazy impact on the Lansing area.
Ok, story time. Yesterday we were working at Racho de los Ninos, the special needs home. All of us were busy with our tasks, going about our own business. Except one of the other interns, who needed to wait for another job to be completed before she could begin. While she was hanging out with a few of the kids in the house, the caregivers started unloading some groceries. She went to help, and the smallest girl in the home tagged along. Now, when I smallest, this girl is TINY. She is probably less than three years old and super small. Well she was too small to carry any of the bags that actually contained groceries, but rather than leave her un-involved, one of the caregivers gave her an empty plastic grocery bag to carry. Which she did wonderfully. I didn't quite grasp the beauty in this small gesture until debriefing in the evening as we talked about things God was teaching us about Himself. This story is an exact portrayal of our relationship with God. He has a good and perfect plan (getting the groceries inside) and really doesn't need our help (carrying an empty plastic bag). He is all-powerful, He created the heavens and the Earth, He can snap His fingers and things pop into existence. However, He loves us so much that He allows us to be a part of what He is doing. Even though we are flawed, messed up little punks, He extends to us an offer to be a part of His good and perfect plan. And even though we often resist, screw up the plan, or whatever the case may be, His will is done exactly and as perfectly as He planned. Even though most of the people who come here with Back2Back are not construction workers, buildings and walls have popped up all over the place. Even though most are not social workers or counselors, the paths of children's lives have been drastically altered. That is God's doing, not our own. Pretty cool what He can do through us if we are willing to let Him work and trust that His plan is better than our own.
Hopefully that makes sense, I don't proofread things, so it'll just stay the way it is.
I'd love for you to continue praying for me and what God is doing here. If you have anything you'd like prayer for, this isn't a one-way thing. Get a hold of me and I'll do a little praying myself. In the meantime, get to bed on time or someone might just drop the People's Elbow on you.
So in order to stay in some kind of chronological order, LAST week we didn't have an official group, just a group of three lovely people who set three days of their week-long vacation aside to work with us. The week looked pretty normal other than the lack of a group; the interns and staff continued work projects at each of the homes and had some great bonding time with all the kids. Since there weren't a bunch of people to be fed each evening, we got to mix up our traditional meal schedule which is the same every week. The highlight? Brinner. Duh. (That is breakfast for dinner, in case you have lived a deprived life to this point, you are welcome for changing your life). Our team worked great all week and we were thoroughly exhausted by the end of it. After a gracious couple days to sleep in over the weekend, we were recharged and ready to face the next week.
I might be repeating myself for the next little bit, and again, feel free to complain, it won't bother me even a little bit. For those of you who don't know, while at Michigan State I was involved with Riverview Church. Two spring breaks ago I came down to Mazatlan with a group of 52 college students as a part of the second group to be in Mazatlan, and so began my love for this mission. This week another Riv group is here, and it has been wonderful. I only know a handful of the people, but just knowing that we all come from the same area is comforting. And I've been really sick of listening to that nasty Ohio accent. This group works so hard, even through some pretty ridiculous challenges and I thank God for each of them. I've been sitting in on the debriefing sessions at the end of every day (something I haven't done yet this summer) and it is so cool to see God at work in the group members. As much as I love having them here, I can't wait for them to go home after being here and make a crazy impact on the Lansing area.
Ok, story time. Yesterday we were working at Racho de los Ninos, the special needs home. All of us were busy with our tasks, going about our own business. Except one of the other interns, who needed to wait for another job to be completed before she could begin. While she was hanging out with a few of the kids in the house, the caregivers started unloading some groceries. She went to help, and the smallest girl in the home tagged along. Now, when I smallest, this girl is TINY. She is probably less than three years old and super small. Well she was too small to carry any of the bags that actually contained groceries, but rather than leave her un-involved, one of the caregivers gave her an empty plastic grocery bag to carry. Which she did wonderfully. I didn't quite grasp the beauty in this small gesture until debriefing in the evening as we talked about things God was teaching us about Himself. This story is an exact portrayal of our relationship with God. He has a good and perfect plan (getting the groceries inside) and really doesn't need our help (carrying an empty plastic bag). He is all-powerful, He created the heavens and the Earth, He can snap His fingers and things pop into existence. However, He loves us so much that He allows us to be a part of what He is doing. Even though we are flawed, messed up little punks, He extends to us an offer to be a part of His good and perfect plan. And even though we often resist, screw up the plan, or whatever the case may be, His will is done exactly and as perfectly as He planned. Even though most of the people who come here with Back2Back are not construction workers, buildings and walls have popped up all over the place. Even though most are not social workers or counselors, the paths of children's lives have been drastically altered. That is God's doing, not our own. Pretty cool what He can do through us if we are willing to let Him work and trust that His plan is better than our own.
Hopefully that makes sense, I don't proofread things, so it'll just stay the way it is.
I'd love for you to continue praying for me and what God is doing here. If you have anything you'd like prayer for, this isn't a one-way thing. Get a hold of me and I'll do a little praying myself. In the meantime, get to bed on time or someone might just drop the People's Elbow on you.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Cow Heads on a Moped
I saw a dude driving a moped with a basket of cows heads on the back. Sweet.
I held out some hope that after a couple weeks my body would adjust to the constant heat and I wouldn't continue to sweat constantly. That hope has been crushed. In fact, I think my body is rejecting the heat and choosing to sweat even more than normal. Is that gross and probably not something that should be put in a blog? Probably, but I'll use the "I've never blogged before so I don't know the rules" excuse.
Our second group has officially departed now, and we don't have a real group for the upcoming week. By that I mean there is a group of day-trippers that will be working with us M, T, W but not a big group that stays in the team house all week. Since the week is different, we are kicking it off with a retreat for all the interns and nannies. There's an island just off the coast called Deer Island and we are going to camp out overnight on the beach. I can't wait. There are only two things that concern me: getting carried off and eaten by some manner of giant insect colony and not sleeping high enough on the beach so the tide carries me out to sea while I sleep. I've been told both are highly unlikely but I'm not so sure.
After the retreat our group of staff and the day-trippers will continue to work on projects at the homes. I'm looking forward to being able to work in a smaller group. I think it will be a great opportunity for our team to bond (since often we spend time trying to get to know the group members that are there for the week). We also will be attending a graduation party for a couple kids at the Salvation Army home; one kid is graduating from middle school and the other from elementary. It's super cool that we get to celebrate a landmark achievement for these kids who have had such tumultuous childhoods.
Last thing, I would love some prayer support. I continue to apply for teaching jobs back home, but so far have heard either nothing or bad news. I continue to pray and ask for God to help me trust Him and have faith that His plan is better than mine. Unfortunately I haven't been able to break that anxiety. As soon as I think I've made progress I see another person posting something about their new teaching position and I drop right back into mistrust and doubt. Congrats to all of you who have gotten a job by the way, you'll do great! I guess I just don't have the faith to accept that not getting a job is really the best plan God has got for me. Basically if you read this and could toss up a prayer or twenty, that would be lovely and I'd be so thankful.
Also, if you're looking to see some pictures of what is happening down here, follow Back2Back Mazatlan on facebook or add me as a friend because I'll be tagged in pictures as well. I'm not a big picture-taker myself so I let the people who know what they're doing handle all that. Peace. I'm gonna go pack all the kitchen knives in my backpack in case I have to fend off an insect army during the night.
I held out some hope that after a couple weeks my body would adjust to the constant heat and I wouldn't continue to sweat constantly. That hope has been crushed. In fact, I think my body is rejecting the heat and choosing to sweat even more than normal. Is that gross and probably not something that should be put in a blog? Probably, but I'll use the "I've never blogged before so I don't know the rules" excuse.
Our second group has officially departed now, and we don't have a real group for the upcoming week. By that I mean there is a group of day-trippers that will be working with us M, T, W but not a big group that stays in the team house all week. Since the week is different, we are kicking it off with a retreat for all the interns and nannies. There's an island just off the coast called Deer Island and we are going to camp out overnight on the beach. I can't wait. There are only two things that concern me: getting carried off and eaten by some manner of giant insect colony and not sleeping high enough on the beach so the tide carries me out to sea while I sleep. I've been told both are highly unlikely but I'm not so sure.
After the retreat our group of staff and the day-trippers will continue to work on projects at the homes. I'm looking forward to being able to work in a smaller group. I think it will be a great opportunity for our team to bond (since often we spend time trying to get to know the group members that are there for the week). We also will be attending a graduation party for a couple kids at the Salvation Army home; one kid is graduating from middle school and the other from elementary. It's super cool that we get to celebrate a landmark achievement for these kids who have had such tumultuous childhoods.
Last thing, I would love some prayer support. I continue to apply for teaching jobs back home, but so far have heard either nothing or bad news. I continue to pray and ask for God to help me trust Him and have faith that His plan is better than mine. Unfortunately I haven't been able to break that anxiety. As soon as I think I've made progress I see another person posting something about their new teaching position and I drop right back into mistrust and doubt. Congrats to all of you who have gotten a job by the way, you'll do great! I guess I just don't have the faith to accept that not getting a job is really the best plan God has got for me. Basically if you read this and could toss up a prayer or twenty, that would be lovely and I'd be so thankful.
Also, if you're looking to see some pictures of what is happening down here, follow Back2Back Mazatlan on facebook or add me as a friend because I'll be tagged in pictures as well. I'm not a big picture-taker myself so I let the people who know what they're doing handle all that. Peace. I'm gonna go pack all the kitchen knives in my backpack in case I have to fend off an insect army during the night.
Friday, June 14, 2013
A Night in the Life
The last couple days have been wonderfully crazy. Our first group was here and we kept them plenty busy. Some projects got done quickly, others will be summer-long projects. I'm happy to say that my summer will include lots of footer-digging and concrete pouring, my old loves from my last trip. My life wouldn't be complete without them. Today is a brief head-above-water day where the first group is gone and the next arrives tomorrow. Therefore, I am sitting in front of a fan eating leftover tacos for breakfast and lunch before going out to get more for dinner (although I heard a rumor about some sort of bacon/hot dog creation for dinner).
Two nights ago I had an incredible opportunity. For reasons not important to all of you, the Salvation Army home needed some overnight help this weekend. That meant that a few of us (staff/interns/groupies) got to go out to the home for the night and hang out. When we pulled up in the van, the kids came RUNNING out of the dorms to greet us, they were so pumped. We played games and had a quick devotional before getting them in bed. It was quite an adventure. They loved to call me over to tell me something, even though I didn't have the faintest idea what they were saying. I relied on a lot of hand motions and facial expressions to communicate, but its all good. After the kids finally settled down enough to go to bed, us American-folk sat on the curb in the dark, Mexican countryside and talked. We talked about our lives back home, God, orphans, special needs kids, and what was going to change because of this trip. It was super cool to hear the group members talk about the drastic changes they want to make in their lives and thinking; a lot of them were similar to my own when I was here for a week.
As I sat there on the steps looking up at the stars, I was struck by how BIG God is. He created everything and is active in his creation. I know God is at work at home, I know God is at work in Lansing, and I know he is at work here. And yet, he offered us the opportunity to know him intimately. I know it sounds like a simple revelation, but it was what struck me on the steps outside that dorm.
Wow, ok, take a breath from all that heavy stuff...one of the best parts was the next morning (which was at 5:45 in the morning after a terrible night of sleep in a dorm that felt like it was 120 degrees in a bed that may or may not have contained lice) when we woke the kids up for breakfast before going to school. I felt a little tap on my face, opened one eye, and heard "buenos dias!". I mumbled something the greeting in return and crawled out of bed. The little fella that is on my shoulders in that picture up there was struggling to wake up. Everyone else was bustling around getting dressed and picking on each other, he had made it like two steps out of bed. He was face down, spread eagle on the floor passed out again. I couldn't help but crack up. Eventually we got them all off to school and then took off back to the team house. It was a quiet ride, but it was a great night.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Lots of Things
I know I said I didn't blog and now this is a second one in three days, but I guess thats just the way it goes. Today had a lot of "making me think" types of moments. Quick summary: woke up, ate breakfast, cleaned the team house, had lunch, visited the three children's homes we will be working with this summer, made dinner, brought said dinner to the beach, swam in 5-7 foot waves, worshiped and devotionalized on the beach while the sun set, came back to a staff house for a movie, and back to home sweet bottom bunk where I am now. Yes I made up the word devotionalized. What follows are thoughts I had throughout the day, loosely in a corresponding order to the above events.
- Still not used to the time change
- Is it really raining while we eat breakfast?
- After only two days, our team is working together like we've been here a month
- God has put awesome people in my life
- Mmmmm tuna
- Rancho...wow. Last I was here there were eight holes in the ground and now there is a huge wall
- These kids are awesome and I can't wait to be here for the next two months
- The vision of the Back2Back staff is so cool.
- Driving around Mazatlan takes a long time
- FloreSer...cool to finally be here! But I truly stink at speaking Spanish, I REALLY should have worked on that
- Salvation Army...freakin' sweet jungle gym! Crazy thinking back to building it. So many excited kids, so much to do, so pumped for what God has in store for the kids and the groups who are coming
- Quiet van ride back to the team house, lots of thinking going on I think
- Appetizer of our lunch for the next two months for dinner tonight, booyah
- Salt water tastes bad and waves are stronger than me
- This community was put together by God for an incredible purpose
- The Creator made some pretty wicked awesome stuff
- My tendency to dump M&M's into my popcorn came from my mother
- Billy Crystal is a funny dude
- Tired
Those are exactly the only thoughts I had all day. No more, no less. Not really, but close enough. And like I said...tired. First group comes tomorrow and so begins the awesome craziness. Bring it.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
The Great White Ocean
I've given a lot of thought to how much honesty to put into this here blog. I made a somewhat embarrassing mistake that I'm not proud of...remember when I said I flew out on Monday? Yep, that wasn't right. I actually was scheduled to leave today (Wednesday the 5th) all along. It turned out ok though, I got to spend some extra time with the fam and the dogs, and I still made it to Mexico. Barely.
I got a phone call at 4:30 this morning that my first flight was delayed so I wouldn't be able to make the second flight into Mazatlan either. The lovely lady at American Airlines worked some magic and BAM, I had flights that still at least arrived today. The kicker? I had to connect through Mexico City, that was an experience. But I made it and felt an immense amount of accomplishment as I sat in my seat, bound for Mazatlan finally, with only a mild to heavy amount of sweat all over myself. I fell asleep for a bit on the plane and when I woke up and looked out the window, I saw the ocean. Except I thought I was dreaming or drugged or something because the whole thing was white. Turns out it was just a weird angle with the sun and a light layer of fog, but it was crazy awesome just the same.
ANYWAY I'm here, I met the people I'll be working with (I only remember like a third of all their names at this point, shhhh) and they seem lovely. I'll hold off on writing any more about them until I know them well enough that I don't care about potentially offending or humiliating them on a public stage. I'm gonna go shower now cuz I'm REAL shtanky, then I'm off on some sort of Mexican potato adventure.
I got a phone call at 4:30 this morning that my first flight was delayed so I wouldn't be able to make the second flight into Mazatlan either. The lovely lady at American Airlines worked some magic and BAM, I had flights that still at least arrived today. The kicker? I had to connect through Mexico City, that was an experience. But I made it and felt an immense amount of accomplishment as I sat in my seat, bound for Mazatlan finally, with only a mild to heavy amount of sweat all over myself. I fell asleep for a bit on the plane and when I woke up and looked out the window, I saw the ocean. Except I thought I was dreaming or drugged or something because the whole thing was white. Turns out it was just a weird angle with the sun and a light layer of fog, but it was crazy awesome just the same.
ANYWAY I'm here, I met the people I'll be working with (I only remember like a third of all their names at this point, shhhh) and they seem lovely. I'll hold off on writing any more about them until I know them well enough that I don't care about potentially offending or humiliating them on a public stage. I'm gonna go shower now cuz I'm REAL shtanky, then I'm off on some sort of Mexican potato adventure.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Fruit Salad, Leftover Quinoa, and a Tuna Sandwich
I've never blogged before, so I apologize in advance for any and all guaranteed confusion that will surely follow.
For those of you who don't know why I suddenly decided to start a blog, look at the name of the blog and take three guesses. If you guessed that I'll be spending the summer in Mazatlan, good guess. If you didn't guess that...well, I'm not sure what to tell you except try again next time. I'll be in Mazatlan as an intern with Back2Back Ministries. They organize trips to locations throughout Mexico and the world specializing in orphan-care ministry. As an organization, their passion to love on orphans and spread the word of God is so apparent, and I can't wait to spend a summer with an incredible staff team.
As I write this, I'm sitting on the couch in my Lansing apartment for what will be the last time in the foreseeable future. It's bittersweet. On one hand, this has been my home for the last four years. I have found a church to call home. I have found an incredible community. I have had incredible experiences too numerous to write about. And lets be honest, I don't want to write all that and you don't want to read that much. Plus, if you are reading this you probably went through some of those adventures with me. As of right now, I don't have a teaching job lined up for the fall when I get back. So this could potentially be the end of my time in Lansing. This would be one of those topics I prefer not to think much about because I don't like being upset. Moving on.
On the OTHER hand, God is awesome. I'm so pumped for the summer and what God has planned. Honestly, I'm not sure what to expect, but He's got it under control. As for life after Mexico, I'm laying it at his feet and trying to spend the summer without anxiety about all that stuff. I'm sure it'll be easier said than done.
Alright, I've read like three blogs in my life, so I'm not really sure how long they're supposed to be. But this is my blog, and this is how long I think it should be. Time to finish packing, head to bible study, watch the Wings game, and eat whatever is left of my food in the cupboards and fridge.
For those of you who don't know why I suddenly decided to start a blog, look at the name of the blog and take three guesses. If you guessed that I'll be spending the summer in Mazatlan, good guess. If you didn't guess that...well, I'm not sure what to tell you except try again next time. I'll be in Mazatlan as an intern with Back2Back Ministries. They organize trips to locations throughout Mexico and the world specializing in orphan-care ministry. As an organization, their passion to love on orphans and spread the word of God is so apparent, and I can't wait to spend a summer with an incredible staff team.
As I write this, I'm sitting on the couch in my Lansing apartment for what will be the last time in the foreseeable future. It's bittersweet. On one hand, this has been my home for the last four years. I have found a church to call home. I have found an incredible community. I have had incredible experiences too numerous to write about. And lets be honest, I don't want to write all that and you don't want to read that much. Plus, if you are reading this you probably went through some of those adventures with me. As of right now, I don't have a teaching job lined up for the fall when I get back. So this could potentially be the end of my time in Lansing. This would be one of those topics I prefer not to think much about because I don't like being upset. Moving on.
On the OTHER hand, God is awesome. I'm so pumped for the summer and what God has planned. Honestly, I'm not sure what to expect, but He's got it under control. As for life after Mexico, I'm laying it at his feet and trying to spend the summer without anxiety about all that stuff. I'm sure it'll be easier said than done.
Alright, I've read like three blogs in my life, so I'm not really sure how long they're supposed to be. But this is my blog, and this is how long I think it should be. Time to finish packing, head to bible study, watch the Wings game, and eat whatever is left of my food in the cupboards and fridge.
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