Summer Fun

We are into week three of our summer season! Here are a few snapshots of what we have been up to so far. Many more to come!

Here Cheque is explaining a craft to the kids at Rio3. This day we taught the kids about being a part of the family of God and that when we are a part of His family we are royalty.

Another picture from Rio3. Here I am leading group games and songs with the kids and a mission team from Ohio. The children at Rio3 love to sing "I'm Trading my Sorrows" and "My God is so Great." This summer we are putting lots of emphasis in making every moment count with the kids. Every interaction is a chance to teach something. We call it Play With A Purpose (PWAP).

Me and my friend, Wendy from Casa Hogar Douglas. We are listening to a story called "You are Special" by Max Lucado... beautiful.

Cheque keeping the grill hopping with chicken burgers for a cookout with the kids at Douglas... he is becoming quite the professional griller!

New Additions to the Reading Program

Gilberto, Elder, and Jose Luis

Elder and her two sons joined our literacy program about a month ago. Before Elder started participating, I noticed that she would stop my students on their way home from the program to look at the books they had borrowed. When I invited Elder to come to the program with her two sons she was very excited. "I would like to learn how to better read to my boys." she told me. They have been faithfully attending each week. The two boys love to check out books about animals, their favorite being one about puppies!

Green Pastures

This post is an excerpt I wrote for our summer B2B Bible study. I hope you enjoy a taste of our summer teaching :)

"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters..."

Psalm 23:1-2

Usually when we thinkof green pastures we picture a huge rolling meadow with lush green grass growing up to our shins (kinda like the above picture). This is our American imagination at work. Actually the “green pastures” in Israel still look, to this day, as they did in David’s time: rocky, rough, barren, wilderness. Almost the exact opposite of how it is portrayed in our children’s picture Bibles. There is not much fertile land in Israel, so all of it is strictly used for farming. The barren mountainsides are the “greenpastures” for the sheep to graze.

Israel's green pastures

When we realize the pastures in Psalm 23 look more like wilderness than alfalfa fields, it changes the entire meaning of the verse. The only green in the Israeli pastures are small tufts of grass growing up from around the rocks. Moister from the air condensates on the rocks overnight, running off to give these tufts of grass their only water supply. The shepherds graze their sheep on these sparse weeds, pointing the spades of grass out to the sheep as they walk along. Each sheep must trust the shepherd to show him each mouthful. The scripture is true, that the sheep are not in want, however this is because the faithful shepherd is providing each and every mouthful exactly when it is needed, not because the sheep are self-sufficient in the rolling meadows. (Taken from a teaching by Ray Vanderlaan. For more info see: www.followtherabbi.com)

Israeli shepherd with his sheep

Psalm 23 is a wonderful example of our Sustainer at work. When we come into the Kingdom weare not promised alfalfa fields of ease free from any problem. No, we are promised a faithful shepherd who will sustain us mouthful by mouthful, just enough for right now, as we learn to depend on Him each and every day. This is how He holds us together.

This past year I clearly saw a sheep dependant on his Shepherd through an encounter I had with Jose Angel, a pastor in the impoverished Caderyata community. One day PastorJose Angel asked me what my fiancé and I still needed for our approaching wedding. I told him our biggest needs were buses to transport our out-of-country guests, however renting these were very expensive. Jose Angel looked at me with determination in his eye and said,“consider it done.” I’ll be honest thatI was a bit confused. Jose Angel, his wife, and 5 daughters live in a tiny house. He works full time for nearly free as a preacher in an impoverished community and runs a very small mechanic business out of his house. For the past several years B2B has helped to support his family with donations each month. I knew that the buses would cost the majorityof his monthly salary. “The buses are REALLY expensive,” I tried to say with tact, “are you sure you can afford that? Why don’t you just pray for this need instead.”

“I’ll do that too,”said Jose Angel, “I don’t have the money right now, but God does and He is going to give it to me so I can bless you.” I was so humbled. Here was Christ’s sheep, completely trusting his Sustainer not only for his needs that day, but for mine too.

Still not having learned the lesson, I was surprised when a week before our wedding Pastor Jose Angel showed up at B2B with an envelope of money to cover the bus expenses. He left it in the office for me and went on his way. No explanation necessary.

What are some specific ways the Lord is asking you to depend on Him as your daily Sustainer?

What makes it difficult for you to trust your Good Shepherd for the next mouthful?

Spend some time in prayer with your Good Shepherd. Thank Him for being your Sustainer and holding all things together on a daily basis. Ask Him to help you trust Him for the next mouthful.

Our Cancun Trip in March 2012

Here are some photos from our trip to Cancun in March. It was a wonderful time to see B2B Cancun staff and then to join in with the Northstar team from Cincinnati (which included several members of my family) to serve for a week. Here are some glimpses of what we did :) 

Buying groceries for Oti and her family. Oti is a widow with 8 kids and has some severe health problems. When we arrived for an afternoon visit, we were told they had no food. Some of the kids went with us to the store to pick out groceries for the family. 

Cheque helping two of Oti's girls with their homework. They needed help creating masks for a school project. My artist husband found himself at home helping them create awesome masks to take to school.

My little brother Simeon ready to work at Delila's house. Delila is another one of the widows that B2B Cancun supports. She is saving money and constructing a house for herself and her children. We poured the concrete floor the day we were there. 

Now we know where Simeon gets his energy for work! This is my mom getting ready to mix cement for the floor. 

The Northstar team working together to mix cement. We did this quite a few times that week. It really makes you appreciate cement trucks :)  On the Northstar team came my mom, brother Simeon, Aunt Terry, Uncle Steve and cousins: Rachel, Zac, and Shiloh! 

My favorite part of the trip was all the prayer times we had, both for one another and the people we were there to serve. Here we are laying hands on Josephina and her children in their very small impoverished home. 

Constructing a play set for the 12 little girls at Casa Hogar San Jose. San Jose is a Catholic children's home run by nuns. These ladies are beautiful in the way they minster to the children. They truly consider it God's call for them to work with the girls, not just a job and that makes all the difference. 

Aunt Terry and the power tools :) 

Play time with the girls from San Jose. Here they are making pipe cleaner creations! 

Sim working on the play set

My handsome husband hard at work. 

Here I am helping the sisters at San Jose prepare traditional Yucatan foods. It was soooo good! 

Uncle Steve and Cheque jamming out with the kids before dinner

Rachael helping the girls with the craft project. We taught a VBS lesson  on Peace to the kids and here they are making dove hand print paintings. 

Our team taking a dip at the beach one afternoon. 

Aunt Terry and I trying marquesitas, a traditional Yucatan dessert! It is basically like a pancake rolled up and filled with nutella, nuts, jelly or even cheese!!! We didn't get the cheese filled one, but we did get raspberry and nutella... yum! 

Pouring cement beams at Pastor Victor's church in Tres Reyes. Pastor Victor started ministering in this impoverished community years ago before there were even roads to get there. He would ride in on his bike with a projector in the basket to preach the gospel to the people. Now Pastor Victor is building a church and we were able to help him. 

Group photo in front of the church

Getting to know the real Cancun culture with fresh fruit smoothies in the street. We tried mango, tamarindo, mamey, and lime smoothies.  Boy were they good! A sweet end to a sweet trip :) 

Casa Hogar de la Montana

A B2B group hiking out to the work site at CH de la Montana

Now this is real desert! When most westerners think of Mexico they usually picture some kind of dry, dusty desert... that is not terribly accurate. Mexico is home to all sorts of climates, however about 1 hour away from Monterrey is the closest thing I have been to real desert.

 About a month ago I went to a children's home in the desert near Saltillo called Casa Hogar de la Montana. This is a new children's home for B2B to be working with. Currently there are 7 kids in the home and a wonderful family directing the ministry.

Our most faithful bus driver, Mariano, giving us a hand on a project. 

Railroad tracks that run along side the children's home land

Fifteen years ago the government basically gave land to a retired couple from Tennessee in order for them to start a children's home near Saltillo. They have begun developing the land and currently have 2 homes on the property. The vision is to build 10 different family homes on the land. The idea is sorta that of foster care. Orphaned children do so much better in a family situation than in an institution. CH de la Montana is building homes for families to live and to take in troubled kids. We love this idea and are very excited about a potential partnership with this home.

tracks and old watering station outside the home

A B2B team of Pepperdine students helping to install a fence around the property

B2B brought a team to stay for two days at CH de la Montana to help out. We spent the majority of that time digging fence pole holes... I think our record was 66 holes in 2 days!

Making Guacamole

When not digging holes we helped the children's home in their ministry to the impoverished community right outside their gates. We brought the fixings for an arrachera meal and invited the community to come. Several women from the community came to help prepare the guacamole.

Jalepeno eyes!

Right after telling the cooking team to be careful not to get jalepeno juice in their eyes, I accidentely got some in my own! Talk about humbling and painful! Little did I know that even after you wash your hands with soap, the jalepeno oils don't come off... My mother-in-law helped me clean my hands with lime juice to get the jalepeno residue completely gone!

Don Pedro

The children's home often brings food to this elderly man in the community. He has lived in this abandoned house for years and spends his days collecting a certain part of a cactus in nearby fields with which he sells for a small income. Pedro cooks over a fire in his house and sleeps in his own garbage. I have never been in such impoverished conditions in my life. Pray for Pedro to come to know Christ as his living Savior.

Pedro's house from a distance contrasted by a beautiful sunset. 

Kelly, a fellow staff member, came for the night with her twin boys!

Evelyn's Tuesday morning Bible study

One of the most impressive things about CH de la Montana, is a girl named Evelyn (orange sweatshirt). Evelyn is 19 and lives with her parents, the current directors, to help take care of the kids in the home. Her dream is to have a children's home of her own specifically for infants and babies. Evelyn, on top of caring for the kids, teaches Kindergarten three days a week in the community where there is no school, and has a Tuesday morning woman's Bible study for the community ladies. I continue to be impressed with Evelyn's maturity and her heart to serve and love others... I totally see another Katie Davis not too far away :)

Putting in the posts

The team and the kids after a rousing soccer game. 

Casa Hogar de la Montana is an amazing place so full of potential. Thier biggest prayer request right now is for more workers. They are prepared to receive more kids, have a house ready and everything, just are lacking a family to live there and take care of the children. Pray also for the funding they need to continue with the building projects on the property. They still have 7 and 1/2 houses to go, a community center, and a school that they desire to build.
What a blessing it was for me to go and be apart of this ministry at CH de la Montana. May the Lord continue to bless this place!  

Excited for Literacy!

The students look through the book bins to pick out the books they want to borrow for the week. 

Here are some more recent photos from the literacy program I'm heading up in the Rio. We have now been going at it about 6 months! How time does fly! Just today I was out in the Rio with the kids teaching them a lesson about good readers asking questions. We did an activity where we listed all the questions we had about a particular book before we read it, while reading, and then afterward. We checked to see if any of our questions were answered along the way. I was really encouraged to see the kids participating and enjoying the mini lesson. The kids worked in groups of three to do the same activity on their own with another book... it was great! Even the littlest of 4 years was asking great questions. So good to see the kids involved in the books and excited about reading!!!!!

We love to read!!!!

Maru, my mother-in-law and my biggest helper, reads with Monse. 

Daniel and Sara bring the books they have borrowed to exchange them for new books. 

Reading with Yajira during free reading time.

Today a very excited thing happened while I was packing up my things to leave the Rio after our class. I noticed that one of the ladies in the community had stopped the students, on their way back to their houses, to look at their books. It turns out that this lady is the aunt of several of the students and I discovered that after the students leave my class they usually go to their aunt's house and let her borrow some of the books they have borrowed from me. This aunt lives two doors down from the comedor where we hold the literacy program. She has two tiny boys. Open seeing her eagerness to read the books the kids had, I invited her to come to the literacy program herself next week. I said her boys were young, but if she wanted to bring them with her to the class she could. Exposing her sons to literacy at an early age is really just what they need! She was delighted at the thought of being able to check out her own books to read to her kids. She told me that maybe she could learn some things too in order to read better with her boys! I am very excited about this opportunity and pray that she becomes a weekly participant! Praise Jesus for parents who have interest in reading to their children!!! What a great day! 

Flower pots!!!

Our potted plants :) 

Yay for potted plants! Cheque and I have been cheering up the front of our apartment with flowers! We spent our day off a few weeks ago picked out plants and arranging them in pots. There is nothing so relaxing as being outside and getting your hands in the dirt :) Praise Jesus for His creation!!!!

The front of our house

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