Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Day 12 - The Last Leg
As we've experienced during most of our US travel - we are a bit behind schedule. It is 6am and we still have a good portion of Washington to navigate. Expect a later-than-8pm pickup in Prince George this evening.
It is quiet on the bus this morning - sounds like most are getting some rest. Last night I sat about one third of the way back on the bus...in perfect position to hear a fusion of worship: the younger generation led by Derek Joyce (guitar) and Peter Stauffer (bongos) in the back; and the old(er) generation led by our driver, Gil, with his old time gospel song and strum. Good stuff.
Gotta run...see you soon!
------------
Just spoke with Mr. Brown - and our group made a safe arrival at just after 10pm. Some great closing reflections and sharing from our hearts - and a great time of worship as the group arrived in PG...to the eager arms of parents!
Thanks so much for all who prayed for us and supported this life-changing 12 days. You have NOT heard the end of what God will do with this investment! We look forward to how God will multiply one-hundred times what He did in the hearts of the students and leaders of this group!
Praise God!
It is quiet on the bus this morning - sounds like most are getting some rest. Last night I sat about one third of the way back on the bus...in perfect position to hear a fusion of worship: the younger generation led by Derek Joyce (guitar) and Peter Stauffer (bongos) in the back; and the old(er) generation led by our driver, Gil, with his old time gospel song and strum. Good stuff.
Gotta run...see you soon!
------------
Just spoke with Mr. Brown - and our group made a safe arrival at just after 10pm. Some great closing reflections and sharing from our hearts - and a great time of worship as the group arrived in PG...to the eager arms of parents!
Thanks so much for all who prayed for us and supported this life-changing 12 days. You have NOT heard the end of what God will do with this investment! We look forward to how God will multiply one-hundred times what He did in the hearts of the students and leaders of this group!
Praise God!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Day 11 - Escape TO Alcatraz
Whew! Nice to get a good rest last night...and a great complementary breakfast (there was even a waffle maker! - a big hit). We were up and out of the hotel by 7:55am this morning, and navigated the bus through San Francisco to Pier 33 - The Alcatraz Tour.
Tour was great - some had never been on a "big boat" before! It was our first rain for quite a while, but the gray misty, low cloud added a bit of ambiance to the journey to Alcatraz. After a half hour or so, the rain let up and there is blue sky and sunshine poking through once again. Pretty amazing building and fascinating stories! Most of us took the 45 minute "audio tour" and checked out the cell block (which, amazingly, was build by the inmates themselves!).
Presently, I am sitting on the second floor of Barnes and Noble while 8 of our crew takes a guided tour/visit of Pixar Studios (set up through Joel Kesler's connections) and the remaining members of our group ride cable cars to a big mall in the center of San Fransisco for lunch and a bit of pre-border shopping. We'll meet at 2pm to begin our journey home across the Golden Gate bridge toward our home and native land.
We will, Lord willing, arrive in the lower mainland in the morning for a last team meal before some of us are dropped off and the majority continue through to Prince George. We have found our travel in the States to take a bit longer than estimated...so we will likely arrive home on Tuesday late (hopefully before midnight). The team continues to be troopers - enjoying their time together and making the most of the long journey home together.
Pray for a speedy return and smooth crossing at the border - not to mention grace as we spent the next MANY hours on the bus together...
Tour was great - some had never been on a "big boat" before! It was our first rain for quite a while, but the gray misty, low cloud added a bit of ambiance to the journey to Alcatraz. After a half hour or so, the rain let up and there is blue sky and sunshine poking through once again. Pretty amazing building and fascinating stories! Most of us took the 45 minute "audio tour" and checked out the cell block (which, amazingly, was build by the inmates themselves!).
Presently, I am sitting on the second floor of Barnes and Noble while 8 of our crew takes a guided tour/visit of Pixar Studios (set up through Joel Kesler's connections) and the remaining members of our group ride cable cars to a big mall in the center of San Fransisco for lunch and a bit of pre-border shopping. We'll meet at 2pm to begin our journey home across the Golden Gate bridge toward our home and native land.
We will, Lord willing, arrive in the lower mainland in the morning for a last team meal before some of us are dropped off and the majority continue through to Prince George. We have found our travel in the States to take a bit longer than estimated...so we will likely arrive home on Tuesday late (hopefully before midnight). The team continues to be troopers - enjoying their time together and making the most of the long journey home together.
Pray for a speedy return and smooth crossing at the border - not to mention grace as we spent the next MANY hours on the bus together...
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Day 10 - On the Road Again...
On the road again today - with continued adventures!
Today's "fun" event (have to have at least one!) was having a baggage compartment door open on the mountain pass to Tijuana. We stopped on this uphill corner section and flagged down drivers to determine if we had lost any baggage. One driver said yes, another said they hadn't seen anything. So, to be sure, we off loaded the front two sections and had people account for their bags...and yes, we lost one bag. Fortunately, it was a bag of clothes only...and we decided that it was not worth turning back and continued our journey forward.
Tijuana was crazy busy and we had a tough time finding the bus lane...so we tried to get in disguised as a large SUV. We fooled no one, but the border guards arranged a nifty lane change for us. Just to give you an idea of "lane change": there were 24 packed lanes of traffic heading into the border inspection area! Side benefit: Mr. Stauffer treated us to "chiros" from one of the many street vendors that flood the rallying area in front of the border. Once we got to the border, we all had to exit and carry (in one trip) all our luggage through the scanning area and back onto the bus. All told: 2 hours to cross. Not bad, from what I understand. Everyone was patient, and there were no major issues with the border guards.
Once across we were able to stop for lunch (or was it breakfast?), bathroom break, and a bit of a stretch-out in the San Diego sun. A beautiful day here today...
10 hours into the journey...another 8-10 hours to go until we reach San Francisco! More later...
Well...our last stop...a couple hours outside San Francisco. Looks like we'll be in just after midnight tonight. The time change coming back was not in our favor today. But hey...we get to sleep in 3 hours longer than we did this morning! A soft mattress will be welcomed by all. To summarize the long ride:
The Good: a beautiful, Californian sunset; watching "The Incredibles"
The Bad: Realizing that mapquest.com's time calculations are based on high performance sports cars
The Ugly: Watching "High School Music 3" (at least for some of us!); hotel arrive at 1am
Good night, all!
Today's "fun" event (have to have at least one!) was having a baggage compartment door open on the mountain pass to Tijuana. We stopped on this uphill corner section and flagged down drivers to determine if we had lost any baggage. One driver said yes, another said they hadn't seen anything. So, to be sure, we off loaded the front two sections and had people account for their bags...and yes, we lost one bag. Fortunately, it was a bag of clothes only...and we decided that it was not worth turning back and continued our journey forward.
Tijuana was crazy busy and we had a tough time finding the bus lane...so we tried to get in disguised as a large SUV. We fooled no one, but the border guards arranged a nifty lane change for us. Just to give you an idea of "lane change": there were 24 packed lanes of traffic heading into the border inspection area! Side benefit: Mr. Stauffer treated us to "chiros" from one of the many street vendors that flood the rallying area in front of the border. Once we got to the border, we all had to exit and carry (in one trip) all our luggage through the scanning area and back onto the bus. All told: 2 hours to cross. Not bad, from what I understand. Everyone was patient, and there were no major issues with the border guards.
Once across we were able to stop for lunch (or was it breakfast?), bathroom break, and a bit of a stretch-out in the San Diego sun. A beautiful day here today...
10 hours into the journey...another 8-10 hours to go until we reach San Francisco! More later...
Well...our last stop...a couple hours outside San Francisco. Looks like we'll be in just after midnight tonight. The time change coming back was not in our favor today. But hey...we get to sleep in 3 hours longer than we did this morning! A soft mattress will be welcomed by all. To summarize the long ride:
The Good: a beautiful, Californian sunset; watching "The Incredibles"
The Bad: Realizing that mapquest.com's time calculations are based on high performance sports cars
The Ugly: Watching "High School Music 3" (at least for some of us!); hotel arrive at 1am
Good night, all!
Day 9 - Parting Festivities
Today was full of heart checks and celebrations.
We had a bit of time to "slow down" and work together as a whole group - moving Anna-Lydia and her family from her old one room "apartment" to the home our group build for her. On site we gave gifts, blessings, and prayer - dedicating her, her family, and her home to the Lord.
After a great sandwich lunch, we had our last opportunity to walk into town and spend our pesos before heading out as a team to the beach. This was our first real opportunity to take in the waves, the ocean breezes, and "frolic" on the sand. We spent a couple hours just running, splashing, and soaking in the sun's rays. It was, however, quite windy...and it was a stretch to wait for the sunset photo opp. We built a fire to roast hot dogs, marshmallows (and some roasted fresh strawberries...although, not sure why one would do such things...), and keep warm. It was a great closing time for the group.
Afterwards, we returned to the base and packed for our early morning departure (4am start tomorrow!). After some singing, sharing, and a great bedtime story by Mr. Brown, we are off to bed for a little while.
Goodnight! Pray for our journey home...
We had a bit of time to "slow down" and work together as a whole group - moving Anna-Lydia and her family from her old one room "apartment" to the home our group build for her. On site we gave gifts, blessings, and prayer - dedicating her, her family, and her home to the Lord.
After a great sandwich lunch, we had our last opportunity to walk into town and spend our pesos before heading out as a team to the beach. This was our first real opportunity to take in the waves, the ocean breezes, and "frolic" on the sand. We spent a couple hours just running, splashing, and soaking in the sun's rays. It was, however, quite windy...and it was a stretch to wait for the sunset photo opp. We built a fire to roast hot dogs, marshmallows (and some roasted fresh strawberries...although, not sure why one would do such things...), and keep warm. It was a great closing time for the group.
Afterwards, we returned to the base and packed for our early morning departure (4am start tomorrow!). After some singing, sharing, and a great bedtime story by Mr. Brown, we are off to bed for a little while.
Goodnight! Pray for our journey home...
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Day 8 - Winding Down
Our second to last day at Welcome Home...and we are starting to see the end in sight. We finished the house this morning - painted, cleaned up, and ready to move the family in tomorrow. Check out the pics...it looks great! The last daycare session with the kids completed today, and we get to sleep in for an extra half hour tomorrow...yeah!
After a hard working morning of painting and garbage clean up in the surrounding neighborhood, we took in a local Friday Market in town - having some good team "down time". At 3pm we headed out to a drug rehab center about 20 minutes from the base. There we had a tour of the facility, visited the womens' dorm, and met some of the recovering addicts and troubled men and women that are staying there. Men and women who enter the facility go into a mandatory 3 day "detox". One women was on day 2 of her detox and was yelling and banging on the brick wall with tremendous force - an eye-opening look at what drugs can do to a person. Many of our team members were taken aback by the security and forcefulness of the treatment: "Beans, Rice, and Jesus Christ", said Steve.
However, as we entered into the chapel we were (almost literally) blown away by the sincere and active involvement of the men and women as they sang worship songs - in typical Mexican "polka" fashion. Many of the students even found the bass too loud...as it rumbled our bellies! Tyler Mueller led us in some English and Spanish worship songs after their group was done - and then the testimonies began. Many of our group were amazed by the humility and realness with which the Mexican men and women spoke. Our group kind of tag-teamed with their group...taking turns sharing what God had done for and in us. Pretty neat to be a part of this. I couldn't help thinking about just how similar we are to these men and women in rehab...being called to the same thing, but perhaps in a different way. We read this morning about how we need to not "love the things of this world" and to "consider rubbish" everything but Christ. This message is just as true for the members of our group as it is about those in drug rehabilitation!
We returned close to 7pm and went out for dinner at a huge Mexican dining facility near the beach. We felt completely spoiled as we dug into burritos (chicken and bean), stuffed peppers, rice, salsa, and more! "One of the best meals that I've had" was spoken by many team members (who will remain nameless to guard their identities from their mothers...who's cooking is likely really good too!).
And now back for closing worship and bed! Adios!
After a hard working morning of painting and garbage clean up in the surrounding neighborhood, we took in a local Friday Market in town - having some good team "down time". At 3pm we headed out to a drug rehab center about 20 minutes from the base. There we had a tour of the facility, visited the womens' dorm, and met some of the recovering addicts and troubled men and women that are staying there. Men and women who enter the facility go into a mandatory 3 day "detox". One women was on day 2 of her detox and was yelling and banging on the brick wall with tremendous force - an eye-opening look at what drugs can do to a person. Many of our team members were taken aback by the security and forcefulness of the treatment: "Beans, Rice, and Jesus Christ", said Steve.
However, as we entered into the chapel we were (almost literally) blown away by the sincere and active involvement of the men and women as they sang worship songs - in typical Mexican "polka" fashion. Many of the students even found the bass too loud...as it rumbled our bellies! Tyler Mueller led us in some English and Spanish worship songs after their group was done - and then the testimonies began. Many of our group were amazed by the humility and realness with which the Mexican men and women spoke. Our group kind of tag-teamed with their group...taking turns sharing what God had done for and in us. Pretty neat to be a part of this. I couldn't help thinking about just how similar we are to these men and women in rehab...being called to the same thing, but perhaps in a different way. We read this morning about how we need to not "love the things of this world" and to "consider rubbish" everything but Christ. This message is just as true for the members of our group as it is about those in drug rehabilitation!
We returned close to 7pm and went out for dinner at a huge Mexican dining facility near the beach. We felt completely spoiled as we dug into burritos (chicken and bean), stuffed peppers, rice, salsa, and more! "One of the best meals that I've had" was spoken by many team members (who will remain nameless to guard their identities from their mothers...who's cooking is likely really good too!).
And now back for closing worship and bed! Adios!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Day 7 - Nearing Completion
We made some significant progress on the house(s) today. The house for Anna-Lydia and her family is nearly complete. Stucco of the outside and inside was completed, and the roof beams and plywood are on. Tomorrow morning we'll apply paint to the inside and outside, and complete the roof. A great day of hard work by the house crew today!
At dinner we invited Anna-Lydia back to the base with her family for dinner and to pass along gifts we had for her family: clothes, food, a stroller, two quilts (made by the Cedars community), and a Bible. It was pretty overwhelming for them and there were many tears from her and her husband. I spoke with the family about how this gift was a long labor of love from not only our group of 45 - but so many others in Prince George and beyond! So many of you reading this blog played a significant role in making this moment happen. On Saturday morning we will dedicate the house and help the family move their stuff in.
On other fronts, work with the trusses continued on the other house. It too should be finished up (at least our part) tomorrow. The floor and other parts will likely be left for another group to finish up. This is the Mexican way...there are many "works in progress" here!
We also took a part of our day to help out a mission down the road led by a 80+ year old woman who has "retired" in Mexico to do work here since the early 1990s. We took a crew in the morning to do some painting and weed-pulling...and then joined her weekly Thursday routine of ministry to an outlying community. Each week she runs a Bible program for about 150 kids and their moms - teaching them Bible stories and having them memorize verses and sing songs. Afterwards we helped distribute some clothing, milk and peanut butter (kind of an interesting combo...many students are looking forward to trying this at home!), and hot soup ("supa"). We again got off the bus amidst a sea of children - played soccer and interacted with the kids. Once again, our soup pot ran dry and we had to shake our heads no to those who went without. I keep praying that we would see a miracle of an "endless" pot like in the days of Elijah and Jesus! It is so hard to turn women and children away because there is "no more". We've all been impacted by the obvious desparity between what we have and what these Mexican people have.
Our evening together was great. The young adults led us in a scavenger hunt in the neighborhood - looking for things, taking pictures, doing musical performances, and seeing how many dogs we could capture in one still photo! It was a good release, but also became a platform later to hear from each person about what has impacted them the most about this time in Mexico...and what this will mean for them back home in PG.
A full day...but not without a few tears. Many of us are homesick and long to see and be with our families again. However, we remain focussed on this opportunity to serve, and know that our return will be even sweeter because of the way we are God's vessel here and now.
Blessings!
At dinner we invited Anna-Lydia back to the base with her family for dinner and to pass along gifts we had for her family: clothes, food, a stroller, two quilts (made by the Cedars community), and a Bible. It was pretty overwhelming for them and there were many tears from her and her husband. I spoke with the family about how this gift was a long labor of love from not only our group of 45 - but so many others in Prince George and beyond! So many of you reading this blog played a significant role in making this moment happen. On Saturday morning we will dedicate the house and help the family move their stuff in.
On other fronts, work with the trusses continued on the other house. It too should be finished up (at least our part) tomorrow. The floor and other parts will likely be left for another group to finish up. This is the Mexican way...there are many "works in progress" here!
We also took a part of our day to help out a mission down the road led by a 80+ year old woman who has "retired" in Mexico to do work here since the early 1990s. We took a crew in the morning to do some painting and weed-pulling...and then joined her weekly Thursday routine of ministry to an outlying community. Each week she runs a Bible program for about 150 kids and their moms - teaching them Bible stories and having them memorize verses and sing songs. Afterwards we helped distribute some clothing, milk and peanut butter (kind of an interesting combo...many students are looking forward to trying this at home!), and hot soup ("supa"). We again got off the bus amidst a sea of children - played soccer and interacted with the kids. Once again, our soup pot ran dry and we had to shake our heads no to those who went without. I keep praying that we would see a miracle of an "endless" pot like in the days of Elijah and Jesus! It is so hard to turn women and children away because there is "no more". We've all been impacted by the obvious desparity between what we have and what these Mexican people have.
Our evening together was great. The young adults led us in a scavenger hunt in the neighborhood - looking for things, taking pictures, doing musical performances, and seeing how many dogs we could capture in one still photo! It was a good release, but also became a platform later to hear from each person about what has impacted them the most about this time in Mexico...and what this will mean for them back home in PG.
A full day...but not without a few tears. Many of us are homesick and long to see and be with our families again. However, we remain focussed on this opportunity to serve, and know that our return will be even sweeter because of the way we are God's vessel here and now.
Blessings!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Day 6 - In the thick of it...
Another full day! Our group continues to work hard on many fronts.
Our main house project was stuccoed on the outside today, and the last bricks were added to the first floor of the building - in preparation for the roof. Our hope is to finish up the house for a bit of a dedication on Saturday. Tomorrow we'll have the family we are building for join us for dinner and pass along quilts, a food package, and stroller for the family's younger children.
Another group was planning on coming to Vicente last week, but pulled out - leaving work to be completed on another house start. Our team cleared out weeds on the "floor" of the brick-walled home to prepare it for a concrete floor. As well, they have repaired the walls in preparation for a roof.
Yet another group has been assembling roof trusses and painting them to go on the 2nd home tomorrow afternoon. This group has also built some picnic tables and will continue painting them tomorrow.
Chris and I did a bit of computer work today - and passed on the laptop we purchased for Steve and Jackie. And another group did some work with the children in the daycare on site.
These are the main duties...but dishes, meal prep, and cleaning were also part of the day!
At 6pm this evening we took in a spanish church service (with translation)...which was pretty cool. The students commented about the vibrant worship and the smiling faces in this 500+ congregation of believers. Others commented about how neat it was to see people we think of as having so little...being "rich" in their relationship with Jesus.
Tomorrow we have another unique opportunity to work at "Ermas"...another mission down the road. More about this tomorrow!
Can't say enough about this team, though. Each one is working hard and serving others in amazing ways. The leaders and young adults we have brought along have worked alongside the students and have encouraged and been encouraged. Personally, I have been amazed the spirit in which our team has served. It is awesome to hear the students speak again and again about they want "this" to come home with them and serve like "this" when they get back to PG. Awesome!
Thanks again for your prayers and encouraging words! Three more days in Vicente to go!
Our main house project was stuccoed on the outside today, and the last bricks were added to the first floor of the building - in preparation for the roof. Our hope is to finish up the house for a bit of a dedication on Saturday. Tomorrow we'll have the family we are building for join us for dinner and pass along quilts, a food package, and stroller for the family's younger children.
Another group was planning on coming to Vicente last week, but pulled out - leaving work to be completed on another house start. Our team cleared out weeds on the "floor" of the brick-walled home to prepare it for a concrete floor. As well, they have repaired the walls in preparation for a roof.
Yet another group has been assembling roof trusses and painting them to go on the 2nd home tomorrow afternoon. This group has also built some picnic tables and will continue painting them tomorrow.
Chris and I did a bit of computer work today - and passed on the laptop we purchased for Steve and Jackie. And another group did some work with the children in the daycare on site.
These are the main duties...but dishes, meal prep, and cleaning were also part of the day!
At 6pm this evening we took in a spanish church service (with translation)...which was pretty cool. The students commented about the vibrant worship and the smiling faces in this 500+ congregation of believers. Others commented about how neat it was to see people we think of as having so little...being "rich" in their relationship with Jesus.
Tomorrow we have another unique opportunity to work at "Ermas"...another mission down the road. More about this tomorrow!
Can't say enough about this team, though. Each one is working hard and serving others in amazing ways. The leaders and young adults we have brought along have worked alongside the students and have encouraged and been encouraged. Personally, I have been amazed the spirit in which our team has served. It is awesome to hear the students speak again and again about they want "this" to come home with them and serve like "this" when they get back to PG. Awesome!
Thanks again for your prayers and encouraging words! Three more days in Vicente to go!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Day 5 - Stories of our first day of work in Vicente Guerrero
Well, we had a very busy - but productive day! I think everyone felt like they contributed something. Here's some of the highlights from the group:
Whoa - the first day was beautiful. A picture perfect day . I had a sweet time cleaning up a floor of an unfinished house so we can lay a cement floor. It was windy so I have dirt absolutely everywhere and am looking forward to a shower. (Craig)
All I can say is wow. A lovely breakfast, followed by some hard work on the house (making mortar, laying bricks, digging very deep holes) and fish tacos for lunch (nomnomnom!!!). Then we returned to our various duties and continued until about 3:45, at which time we all went to visit a migrant camp where we found ourselves in the midst of a mob of youngsters who were incredibly cute. Dinner time now (spaghetti). (Jeremy)
All the kids just loved all the toys we brang - bouncy balls, chalk, bubbles. As soon as we got off the bus they took it from our hands right away. The bubbles were just for the kids but we also had a bit of fun with them too. ( Caitlyn & Richelle)
One elderly lady was soooooooooooooo grateful for the bag of food we were handing out to the families. She was crying as she passed me by. I said to her, "Dios te bendega" (God bless you) and she gave me a hug and couldn't say gracious enough times. From what I could understand, she was telling me she had very little or no food in her home. (Mrs. Davis)
Just a few of the stories from today. We heard (and likely you will hear more...) many more stories just like these after dinner in our closing worship/debrief time. Really a great day. Personally, this whole Mexican scene is reminding me so much about times in the New Testament - houses with "upper rooms", mothers and children pressing in on us in great need, distributing food to the poor...
It is a beautiful thing to be tired at the end of a day like this one. So full. So right.
Thanks for your continued prayers...our camp sickness is passing and sick team members are starting to get back on their feet again.
Oh...one more thing. If you've been trying to get a hold of Mr. Brown via cell phone...his service is not working as planned. For the next few days email to Mr. Nelson works best (shanen@cedars.bc.ca).
Whoa - the first day was beautiful. A picture perfect day . I had a sweet time cleaning up a floor of an unfinished house so we can lay a cement floor. It was windy so I have dirt absolutely everywhere and am looking forward to a shower. (Craig)
All I can say is wow. A lovely breakfast, followed by some hard work on the house (making mortar, laying bricks, digging very deep holes) and fish tacos for lunch (nomnomnom!!!). Then we returned to our various duties and continued until about 3:45, at which time we all went to visit a migrant camp where we found ourselves in the midst of a mob of youngsters who were incredibly cute. Dinner time now (spaghetti). (Jeremy)
All the kids just loved all the toys we brang - bouncy balls, chalk, bubbles. As soon as we got off the bus they took it from our hands right away. The bubbles were just for the kids but we also had a bit of fun with them too. ( Caitlyn & Richelle)
One elderly lady was soooooooooooooo grateful for the bag of food we were handing out to the families. She was crying as she passed me by. I said to her, "Dios te bendega" (God bless you) and she gave me a hug and couldn't say gracious enough times. From what I could understand, she was telling me she had very little or no food in her home. (Mrs. Davis)
Just a few of the stories from today. We heard (and likely you will hear more...) many more stories just like these after dinner in our closing worship/debrief time. Really a great day. Personally, this whole Mexican scene is reminding me so much about times in the New Testament - houses with "upper rooms", mothers and children pressing in on us in great need, distributing food to the poor...
It is a beautiful thing to be tired at the end of a day like this one. So full. So right.
Thanks for your continued prayers...our camp sickness is passing and sick team members are starting to get back on their feet again.
Oh...one more thing. If you've been trying to get a hold of Mr. Brown via cell phone...his service is not working as planned. For the next few days email to Mr. Nelson works best (shanen@cedars.bc.ca).
Monday, March 9, 2009
Day 4 - Safely Across the Border!
This morning we were reminded of the power of our tongues for evil and for good. Not hard for me to speak well of our group so far. The students' attitudes have been great. Haven't heard a blatent complaint of any sort, and when asked to do this or that - nothing but cheerful servant attitudes. This amidst some uncertain times, some frustrating times, and some long times on the bus that we had needed to display some serious "long suffering".
The ocean was a welcome sight this morning - can't believe it was the first time we saw the ocean after driving as long and far as we have. Pray for Kyall - he's battling motion sickness each time we reboard the bus. Our moms have done an awesome job giving him care - dolling out medications and tenderness at every turn. Can't imagine this trip without them! Many thanks to all the adults and young adults who have done whatever we've asked - and then some.
Just entering San Diego now to refuel before we venture across the border to Mexico (with, hopefully, not too much adventure!)...
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Got accross the border - with a bit of hassel. Everyone had to get out and "press the button". If it was green when you passed through with all your stuff, you were good...if it was red, your luggage was searched.
Weird that as soon as you pass the border in Tijuana that it is so run down and poor. A nasty looking place. There were similar areas outside Ensenata, but nothing like the rolling hills of run down squats and buildings in Tijuana. Things were a bit nicer looking in Ensenata...with familiar McD's, Starbucks, a few white picket fences along the road, and even Curves for Women! Lots of English signage in Ensenata as well.
Statues were another strange sight - big gold heads in Ensenata and a huge Jesus statue between Tijuana and Ensenata. Three toll booths ($3-4 American for passage), and we saw two military vehicles - one with a big gun on the top, another with about ten soldiers in the back. Hanging meat is a unique feature of the side streets as well. Pretty much every house has a flat roof...or even no room for the "upper room" - kinda reminds one of stories in new testament times.
Stopped at the beach about a half hour beyond Tijuana and the group really enjoyed checking out the waves and the fresh ocean breezes. Beautiful! Equally - if not more - beautiful was the high oceanside drive further on towards Ensenata - sort of like the west coast of Oregon or Long Beach, but without the trees. Many places that we could have stopped to take photos...
4pm...and we are making a quick bathroom break in Ensenata before making our last step of the journey to Vicente Guerrero. All safe and sound...ready for our time in Mexico to begin! Lots of spanish practicing on the bus as we read signs...
Perhaps a bit more later tonight!
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Last installment for you regular blog addicts!
We have arrived in Vicente Guerrero (about 6:30pm) and partaken of our first authentic Mexican meal from a couple vendors in the downtown area. Orientation is done and we are off to bed...busy day tomorrow building, cleaning, repairing, and doing a food/clothing distribution.
More tomorrow!
The ocean was a welcome sight this morning - can't believe it was the first time we saw the ocean after driving as long and far as we have. Pray for Kyall - he's battling motion sickness each time we reboard the bus. Our moms have done an awesome job giving him care - dolling out medications and tenderness at every turn. Can't imagine this trip without them! Many thanks to all the adults and young adults who have done whatever we've asked - and then some.
Just entering San Diego now to refuel before we venture across the border to Mexico (with, hopefully, not too much adventure!)...
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Got accross the border - with a bit of hassel. Everyone had to get out and "press the button". If it was green when you passed through with all your stuff, you were good...if it was red, your luggage was searched.
Weird that as soon as you pass the border in Tijuana that it is so run down and poor. A nasty looking place. There were similar areas outside Ensenata, but nothing like the rolling hills of run down squats and buildings in Tijuana. Things were a bit nicer looking in Ensenata...with familiar McD's, Starbucks, a few white picket fences along the road, and even Curves for Women! Lots of English signage in Ensenata as well.
Statues were another strange sight - big gold heads in Ensenata and a huge Jesus statue between Tijuana and Ensenata. Three toll booths ($3-4 American for passage), and we saw two military vehicles - one with a big gun on the top, another with about ten soldiers in the back. Hanging meat is a unique feature of the side streets as well. Pretty much every house has a flat roof...or even no room for the "upper room" - kinda reminds one of stories in new testament times.
Stopped at the beach about a half hour beyond Tijuana and the group really enjoyed checking out the waves and the fresh ocean breezes. Beautiful! Equally - if not more - beautiful was the high oceanside drive further on towards Ensenata - sort of like the west coast of Oregon or Long Beach, but without the trees. Many places that we could have stopped to take photos...
4pm...and we are making a quick bathroom break in Ensenata before making our last step of the journey to Vicente Guerrero. All safe and sound...ready for our time in Mexico to begin! Lots of spanish practicing on the bus as we read signs...
Perhaps a bit more later tonight!
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Last installment for you regular blog addicts!
We have arrived in Vicente Guerrero (about 6:30pm) and partaken of our first authentic Mexican meal from a couple vendors in the downtown area. Orientation is done and we are off to bed...busy day tomorrow building, cleaning, repairing, and doing a food/clothing distribution.
More tomorrow!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Day 3 - A night on the Road...and Day 4 starts...in a hotel.
The bleary-eyed travelers awake! Sleep came in little pieces for most during our night travels - but we were able to take in a hearty IHOP breakfast in Eugene, Oregon this morning. Never a dull moment - we await a locksmith to rekey our bottom storage lockers...hopefully the last hiccup before a good night's sleep in Anaheim this evening.
More later...hoping to catch a few winks this afternoon!
Much later...8am the following morning...
"The rest of the morning went by uneventfully, apart from a couple of fun times with word games and some guitar songs. The afternoon saw a quick pit stop in Yreka, California. We stopped in Yreka, California lunch, and then some of us ran up a mountain and climbed some boulders, and the view was absolutely amazing from on top of one of the larger rocks. Hopping back on the bus, we continued down the highway, singing songs, talking, sleeping, and having a great time while enjoying the amazing
mountainous scenery. We stopped in Williams, California for dinner, then took off yet again, watching Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark and then getting some gas. It was at this point that all of us learned that we wouldn't be arriving in Anaheim until 4 or 5 a.m. Wow. But we all just buckled up and watched Osmosis Jones for the next little while. That's what's happening now. Most of us are planning to catch some sleep during the night, but trying to do this with the cramped leg room on the bus is difficult. Good night, all!!"
Showered, shaved, and eating our continental breakfast. Thanks for all your prayers and encouragements...reading them out to the team on the bus to many cheers!
Pray for safe journey across the Mexican border today!
More later...hoping to catch a few winks this afternoon!
Much later...8am the following morning...
"The rest of the morning went by uneventfully, apart from a couple of fun times with word games and some guitar songs. The afternoon saw a quick pit stop in Yreka, California. We stopped in Yreka, California lunch, and then some of us ran up a mountain and climbed some boulders, and the view was absolutely amazing from on top of one of the larger rocks. Hopping back on the bus, we continued down the highway, singing songs, talking, sleeping, and having a great time while enjoying the amazing
mountainous scenery. We stopped in Williams, California for dinner, then took off yet again, watching Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark and then getting some gas. It was at this point that all of us learned that we wouldn't be arriving in Anaheim until 4 or 5 a.m. Wow. But we all just buckled up and watched Osmosis Jones for the next little while. That's what's happening now. Most of us are planning to catch some sleep during the night, but trying to do this with the cramped leg room on the bus is difficult. Good night, all!!"
Showered, shaved, and eating our continental breakfast. Thanks for all your prayers and encouragements...reading them out to the team on the bus to many cheers!
Pray for safe journey across the Mexican border today!
Day 2 - A bit of Adventure
Well, most of us had a great sleep on the floors last night in Abbotsford Christian School - at least
those who could sleep over the chorus of snoring in the "guys" room! Seriously, though, we couldn't have asked for anything more for our first night venue. Early morning prayer and worship in the music room was great - themes of the day: God's call to freedom - freedom to serve others in love, "ridiculous encouragement", and the need to "make the most of every opportunity".
Day started out with a great continental breakfast - complements to Mrs. Utz and company for a super spread and good coffee! We jumped over to CBC's campus and watched a boys "A" basketball game - cheering on the underdog team like a good set of encouragers would.
Lunch at the Seven Oaks Mall food mart and we were off to the Westminister Abbey - pretty amazing place! The church building was an amazing piece of workmanship - concrete, stained glass, and wood sculpturing. We had a monk give us a 1 hour tour and got to hear about their typical daily work at the abbey. A bit chilly - but beautiful grounds and a very reflective environment. The monks definitely lead a meditative existance - up at quarter to 5...AM!...with a number of prayer and reading times throughout the day. Hearing the monk speak about their existance and history caused me to think about how we would describe the existance and history of Cedars to others. I think that this trip says a lot about who we are as a school...
Then the "challenges" of the day began. A hose broke on the bus as we crossed back over into
Abbotsford. Attempt number 1 to get going again involved emptying 30+ water bottles into the radiator. Attempt number 2 involved drawing green water from a roadside ditch...and realizing we forgot the rad cap at attempt number 1! But, all is well - hose is fixed and we are "on the road again" by the grace of God and many frevent prayers. Mr. Stauffer and our bus driver, Gill, worked super hard to get us out of Abbotsford and across the border with no lost time. The pick-up connection with the bball gals was flawless...and presently, we are rolling through Everett, Washington en route to Anaheim in a bit of sleet.
Thanks for your prayers and encouragement!
those who could sleep over the chorus of snoring in the "guys" room! Seriously, though, we couldn't have asked for anything more for our first night venue. Early morning prayer and worship in the music room was great - themes of the day: God's call to freedom - freedom to serve others in love, "ridiculous encouragement", and the need to "make the most of every opportunity".
Day started out with a great continental breakfast - complements to Mrs. Utz and company for a super spread and good coffee! We jumped over to CBC's campus and watched a boys "A" basketball game - cheering on the underdog team like a good set of encouragers would.
Lunch at the Seven Oaks Mall food mart and we were off to the Westminister Abbey - pretty amazing place! The church building was an amazing piece of workmanship - concrete, stained glass, and wood sculpturing. We had a monk give us a 1 hour tour and got to hear about their typical daily work at the abbey. A bit chilly - but beautiful grounds and a very reflective environment. The monks definitely lead a meditative existance - up at quarter to 5...AM!...with a number of prayer and reading times throughout the day. Hearing the monk speak about their existance and history caused me to think about how we would describe the existance and history of Cedars to others. I think that this trip says a lot about who we are as a school...
Then the "challenges" of the day began. A hose broke on the bus as we crossed back over into
Abbotsford. Attempt number 1 to get going again involved emptying 30+ water bottles into the radiator. Attempt number 2 involved drawing green water from a roadside ditch...and realizing we forgot the rad cap at attempt number 1! But, all is well - hose is fixed and we are "on the road again" by the grace of God and many frevent prayers. Mr. Stauffer and our bus driver, Gill, worked super hard to get us out of Abbotsford and across the border with no lost time. The pick-up connection with the bball gals was flawless...and presently, we are rolling through Everett, Washington en route to Anaheim in a bit of sleet.
Thanks for your prayers and encouragement!
Friday, March 6, 2009
Day 1 - In the Beginning
Today was The Day for all of us! We awoke at an early hour (as I'm sure most of you readers knew, from firsthand experience) and loaded up the bus, and we were away (after Dirk grabbed his Mexico T-Shirt from home). We all started off groggy, and most of us slept until Williams Lake, but believe me, once the zombie horde was awakened, there was no end to the fun that we had. One of the more hilarious notable things about the trip was the party in the back of the bus. We would look back periodically and either see them laughing and playing Crib and having a great time, or totally crashed and sprawled across the seats.
I think that the first day in the bus was super important to all of us, and we will all treasure it forever because we got to know each other in a very new way (that tends to happen with forty-something people crammed into a small place). Whether we were telling jokes, playing games, listening to music, watching Wall-E, or throwing Jelly Bellies into other peoples' mouths across the aisle (yes, I mean you, Tim and Craig and Derek), we were all growing in a very special relationship with each other and with God.
Arriving at Abbotsford Christian School, we all piled out of the bus and played the world's greatest game of kickball. Jacob Mullen was on fire as he caught ball after ball after ball that our team kicked sky-high.
Dinner at the Spaghetti Factory was delicious, as expected, and we all had a great time parking the bus and crossing the street as a group. After stuffing ourselves fat, we hopped on the bus and went back to the school. A rousing Gym Night drained our energy enough for us to get to sleep, and after a quick worship session we all hit the sack and...........zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz........
I think that the first day in the bus was super important to all of us, and we will all treasure it forever because we got to know each other in a very new way (that tends to happen with forty-something people crammed into a small place). Whether we were telling jokes, playing games, listening to music, watching Wall-E, or throwing Jelly Bellies into other peoples' mouths across the aisle (yes, I mean you, Tim and Craig and Derek), we were all growing in a very special relationship with each other and with God.
Arriving at Abbotsford Christian School, we all piled out of the bus and played the world's greatest game of kickball. Jacob Mullen was on fire as he caught ball after ball after ball that our team kicked sky-high.
Dinner at the Spaghetti Factory was delicious, as expected, and we all had a great time parking the bus and crossing the street as a group. After stuffing ourselves fat, we hopped on the bus and went back to the school. A rousing Gym Night drained our energy enough for us to get to sleep, and after a quick worship session we all hit the sack and...........zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz........
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