Javier: Hungering for God's Word

This is Javier. Javier is 10 years old and lives in the neighborhood that borders the Rio. One day not to long ago, Javier was out playing in the street next to his house when someone came by and mentioned something to him about God's Word. He went running inside and told his mom that he wanted to learn about God's Word. From that day on, Javier has had an unquenchable hunger to know what God's Word is.

Not long after, myself and a group of staff were walking through the Rio community inviting the people to come to the weekly soup kitchen meeting. I was talking to a woman named Tere who lives in nearly the last house in the community. Tere, in her odd way, ask if we could walk a little further and invite a friend of hers to come to the soup kitchen. "By all means," we thought! Tere's directions to her friend's house were pretty much just "go up the hill into the community and find the house that is also a store and tell the people that Tere sent you." You have to love the Rio! We followed her directions and by the grace of God found ourselves on the doorstep of Javier's home. We knocked on what appeared to be a store window and told the women who answered that we wanted to invite her and her family to join us at the soup kitchen for food and teaching. The woman looked a little surprised and with a smile asked if we would talk to her son. She called Javier from the back room and we explained to him that we have a children's Sunday school class each week at the comedor where we teach about God's word. With a grin a mile wide, Javier excitedly agreed to come that very day. About a half hour later Javier showed up at the soup kitchen with his mom. He had combed his hair, put on clean pants, tucked in his shirt, and was ready for his first day of Sunday School. This family has been coming to the soup kitchen nearly every week since and Javier's hunger for God's Word continues to grow!

Hurricane Alex 2010

First off I want to say thank you to everyone who has been praying for us here in Monterrey!! It has been an intense week, but God has been faithful through it all. As many know, about a week ago tropical storm Alex swept through Monterrey flooding many parts of the city including our B2B property. Many staff and interns were up throughout the night the storm hit bailing out houses, punching holes in the property wall to let water through so they wouldn't collapse, mopping out houses, controlling rivers of water running through the dorms, avoiding sink holes, and praying for help! We got about 40 inches of rain in 36 hours! We were out of power for about 24 hours (much less than we expected) and still to this day have a small "B2B river" running through the property. God is faithful, however! Everyone is fine and we lost no walls to the storm! Many parts of the city were hit as hard or harder than we were. One of the major highways in Monterrey was almost completely washed away and one of the poor communities that we work with was utterly swept away. Please continue to pray for Monterrey and the people who live here. We (B2B) are pretty much back up on our feet and ready to hit our sixth week of summer groups running, others in the city, however, still have no homes. Below are some pictures from the Hurricane event. Thanks for your prayers.

Packages of food to be passed out at Rio 1 as part of hurricane relief efforts.

This is what is left of the Rio 3 community that we work with. Rio 3 is a very impoverished community that housed about 300 families. These families lived in shacks next to the river which was a source of water for them. With the high flood waters, Rio 3 was nearly completely washed away. This picture shows what is left of the 300 homes. Thankfully I don't think that anyone was killed, however many are now homeless. Please pray for them.

The many people from Rio 3 in line for food at a church B2B has helped to build. Thankfully the church was dry through the storm and is now being used to house nearly 100 people each night.

An exit ramp from one of Monterrey's highways, Constitucion, that runs next to the river Santa Catarina.
What is left of highway Constitucion... four lanes completely washed away!

Flood waters flooded a community not to far from us destroying houses and cars.

Another major highway in town, Revolucion.

My wonderful boyfriend helping to evacuate the group that was here during the storm.

Our B2B property.
A team of people working the day before the storm in the rain, trying to keep the Guckenbergers house from flooding.
Water gushing in past LDM from the property behind us.

The bridge we used to use on a daily basis to get in and out of our property.

More Mexico :)

After much prayer and thought I have committed to stay in Monterrey for at least 2 more years to work with B2B Ministries!!! Yay! I'm excited. I've seen the Lord move in so many ways these past two years that it blows my socks off! After our Mexico B2B director came to me and asked me to commit for 2 more years I began to pray... these past two years I have seen God move in so many ways and my heart continues to be excited for ministry here. He has awakened in me a heart for prayer like never before and I've seen Him answer in specific ways. Ministry in the Rio is booming, relationships are being built there, and He is invisioning my heart for so much more that He wants to accomplish in that place. God has given me opportunities to use my teaching skills in the children's homes and I love it! My Spanish is daily increasing and I so enjoy learning more about Mexico and it's culture... As I was praying I felt the Lord showing me these things and simply confirming to my heart that He has more planned for me to do here. It is not over yet :) There is not a doubt in my mind that the Lord wants me here some more... So friends, please continue to pray for me. Next year is going to look a little different (as always!). I will not be working in SMCA at all, but focusing more time on the Rio, on children's ministry, on prayer, and other areas as well. While there is a part of me that is saddened by not teaching in school, I feel a real peace about this change and have already seen the Lord using my teaching skills elsewhere. I think this next year will be one of the Lord training me in leadership and other areas of ministry. I am excited to learn. Thank you all for your continued partnership and prayers as my life turns corners. Who knows what lies ahead? I don't... but I trust in the God who does. Stay tuned... :)

Last days of SMCA

Here are some pictures from our last few days of school. We had a great year together studying Botany and ancient world history.

Here we are making the cover for our SMCA time capsule. Some of our original SMCA students are moving to Cancun next year. I thought a time capsule would be a great way to end our time together. Each student filled a ziplock bag with momentos, pictures, and letters to themselves in 10 years. Together we put the time capsule in the ground and covered it with this mosaic. We all decided we would meet back in 10 years to open it together!!! (notice my wonderful boyfriend helping with the art project. He also was the one who finished the time capsule, along with many other projects I start and then don't know how to finish ... what would I do without you Cheque???)

Here we are on a Botany fieldtrip. My 4 students and myself went to a local park with a stream to have a picnic lunch and look for plants! It was really fun.

Botany scavenger hunt!

My very studious students studying a plant for a nature journaling project.

Josh with his pastry booth at Ancient Roman Market Day. At the end of the unit each student created goods that would have been sold in Ancient Rome for our market. It was a huge success :)

The iron goods booth.

Chloe at the pottery booth.

Miss Beth buying some sandles from Corinna.

Ben the money changer.

All of us Ancient Romans!!!

Snake Toys

If anyone out there thinks life is dull, you need to move here! There is always something new to experience. One day, a few weeks ago, we had finished up at the soup kitchen and I was talking with some ladies when I noticed a commotion outside. This is what I saw....

Yup. That's a snake ... it was dead, but still really big! Someone had found and killed it and was now showing it off. The kids were all touching it and holding it. For my one little buddy, Jesus, (the boy in the picture) he had found a new play thing. He toted that dead snake around for the next hour playing with it, petting it, holding it. I asked Cheque if that wasn't kinda strange to do... I mean, play with a dead snake? Cheque reminded me that these kids hardly ever get new toys. They are used to being creative and playing with whatever they can find... this was a perfect example. As for Jesus, he was perfectly content :) To end the story, later Milagros (the girl the the first picture) told me that they might go home and fry the snake up for dinner... I guess that is one way to be resourceful :)

Lives Sweetened with the Fruit of the Spirit

Well, the school year ended terrifically with the close to our unit on the fruit of the Spirit in the Rio. After talking for weeks on end about the Holy Spirit and each fruit He gives us, we decided to end with an illustration of what our lives look like with and without those fruits. We had about 50 kids present that day and all eyes were glued on the activity. Beforehand I had bought several fruits and labeled each with a spiritual fruit given by the Spirit (ex. Pear labeled "faith", pineapple as "peace", etc.). I also had bought some not-so-good-tasting foods, like onion, jalapeño, and garlic and labeled those with opposites to the fruit of the Spirit (ex. onion labeled "fear"). We also had two blenders labeled "my life". One of the gals helping me out that day told stories describing the lives of two children... one listened to the Holy Spirit when making decision and the other did not. As she told the stories we began adding ingredients to the smoothies. One blender was full of the "fruits of the Spirit" and the other full of foul tasting combinations. At the end we blended everything up and ask for volunteers to try each "life". With squeals several kids tried both the bad and good tasting smoothies.... the point was clearly demonstrated :) Our lives our so much sweeter with the fruit of the Spirit in them!!!!

The children watching as the smoothies are being made.

Fruits and blenders labeled for the activity.

Our courageous volunteer trying the "life without the Holy Spirit" smoothie.

Maru and I preparing Fruit of the Spirit smoothies for the kids.
Nubia coloring a tree with the Fruit of the Spirit.

Our Awesome God!

Okay, I just had to put up these pictures of the mountains in front of and behind where I live. Isn't our God so cool!!!??? Wow! I am constantly shocked by our creator.

Came out to run one morning and saw this fog rolling in...

A sunset view from the front of our property.