It's been a busy couple of weeks here in Mexico and there's a lot to share. As I write I'm watching local news coverage of my first ever earthquake experience! Okay, well for some reason they're not covering MY experience specifically, so...I guess I'll do that myself ;)
At the Roque's house we felt the ground shifting for about 30 seconds. I spent the first half of that time trying to figure out what was moving the couch around, and the second half thinking...so this is what an earthquake feels like. The temblor was mild at the house as we're up on the mountain but apparently the buildings were really swaying downtown where the foundation is a dried up lake bed. So far we haven't heard of any deaths or injuries here in the city but I'm not sure how folks fared closer to the epicenter so prayers are appreciated.
In other news, the Pope visited Mexico this past week and that was a pretty big deal. Hopefully the people here are equally prepared for and excited about Christ when He comes!
The Saturday before last I had the privilege of helping out my host brother, Ivan, with a concert/youth event he was putting on at his church. We spent the morning setting up for 6 bands and about 120 people. Later, between two of the sets I got to share briefly from God's Word and Peter translated. I talked about how music is a gift from God but just like any gift from God it has the potential to be twisted and perverted by the enemy to lead to our destruction. I suggested we use the characteristics listed in Philippians 4:8 as a filter for what we listen to.
After the concert a group of students came over to the Roque's house to celebrate my other host brother, Elliot's, birthday. It was just like having a late nighter with the youth group at home. We had a great time but didn't end up going to bed until about 5:00 a.m. which made for a long Sunday starting at 7:00! But then again what would a school term be without a sleepless night here or there. Not to mention this was much more enjoyable than writing a paper!
Last Wednesday Peter and I went to share at a support group for people who are trying to break the addiction of alcohol. The group meets at a halfway house, of sorts. The house isn't run by a Christian organization as I understand it, but a friend of Peter's has been able to set up these weekly meetings for people who are interested in Biblically based support and teaching. He told us that all of the men who live at the house have accepted Christ at one time or another as a result of the meetings. Others who don't live at the house can attend as well. It was such a blessing to experience the responsiveness of many of the people there. They're at a place in their lives where they truly understand their need for God's salvation, grace, and strength. I appreciated their example of humility and dependance on God. I pray God would help me to never become so "self-sufficient" in my faith that I forget how desperately dependent I am on Him.
Fun in the supermarket with Ivan, Elliot, and Lilia, Ivan's fiance. I'm happy to report that I came in first place and that no cereal boxes were damaged in the making of this memory! Ivan and Lilia's wedding will be in August and if possible I'd like to return for it. I'm very thankful for all of the new friends that God's giving me here and I'm going to miss everyone a lot when it's time to leave just under a month from now.
Here's another photo from the kid's club that happens at the church every other Saturday. I was working with the younger kids on their craft. Some of you may recognize the photo frame projects...they were left over from VBS this past summer. I am thrilled that they were both put to good use here AND that they're no longer taking up space in the supply room at church! Some of you will appreciate that more than others, but no one can appreciate it like I do ;) Also, a special thanks to Ally for sending me with Extreme Sour Belts. They were used as prizes and I think you can see they're a big hit.
This is a picture taken later that same Saturday from Caja Roja, a street evangelism ministry that the church here does. The basic format is to set up a speaker in a public place, draw attention with a human video or skit , have someone give a simple 5 minute sermon when there's a crowd, and then pass out literature and be available if people want to talk or ask questions. Most of you probably know that I'm not evangelistic by nature (in fact it always lands last on the spiritual gifts tests) so this was a stretching experience for me but I really enjoyed it! People were generally very receptive and we passed out about 40 invitations to the church and the Easter play that's coming up. I decided that one benefit to the language barrier is that if anyone was making fun of us or saying rude things...I didn't know it :)
On Sunday I had the privilege of speaking at Viviendo Al Maximo En Cristo (Living to the Max in Christ), the church where Peter and Delia pastor and my home church during my stay here. I've really grown to love the people here and I feel honored to be able to share with them from God's Word. I'm also starting to feel more comfortable preaching which is one of the areas that I have really been wanting to grow in so I'm thankful for all of the opportunities. I'm also thankful for Peter who smooths over my rough edges in translation and makes sense of my speech when it's less than coherent :)
Last week a college group of 10 people from San Antonio stopped in Mexico City for a layover on their way to a week long mission trip in Costa Rica. The Breits hosted the group at their home and I got to help by driving to and from the airport. Before they left we took them to the Aztec Pyramids and to eat some good authentic Mexican food at the church cafe! It was fun not being the newest person in the country for a while and to hear them asking some of the same questions I was asking my first week here. They were a great group full of passion for ministry and it was fun to get to talk with them. This picture was taken during their layover on the way back to San Antonio. We had a bonfire that night and enjoyed some food, worship, and fellowship. Unfortunately I don't have a group photo but just imagine that the hot dogs represent people :)
Yesterday after dropping off the San Antonio team at the airport, a group of us from a couple of different churches hiked the Sierra de Guadalupe mountains, to a peak at about 10,000 ft. The hike was awesome and made me a little homesick for Oregon. We were hoping for a clear day but unfortunately there was a lot of smog. Nonetheless, as you can see, the view was fantastic! Unfortunately all I can think about when I look at this picture is how thin the back of my head is getting. I might be caught up to my brother at this point! Thanks Glazier genes! Fortunately I got to enjoy the unobstructed view yesterday. Behind me in this picture is a tall, old, rickety watch tower that we climbed up on. Peter made the comment that this is not the place you'd want to be during an earthquake. I have a brand new appreciation for that sentiment today.Thanks everyone for your prayers and support. I look forward to seeing you all next month :)
