Salvation day complete

Hi everyone!

We were down three team members (different ones from yesterday) this morning due to some more stomach/digestive system-related illness. However, at various points during the VBS, each one came down from quarantine or their rooms to watch a bit of VBS, so I think we're on the mend once more. As of 10:15 Mexico time, all three seem to be doing much better, so hopefully a good night's sleep will cure any other sickness. Also, there are those who aren't dealing with upset stomachs, but are tired or have colds, so please pray that we would finish strong tomorrow. Please pray that God would give each us the discernment and self-awareness to know if we're getting sick and take as much precautionary measures as possible. While this hasn’t been the worst trip as far as heath goes, Kevin (our team nurse) has been so great at administering meds and checking up on people who aren’t feeling well. His care for people has been admirable! 

We started off this morning with a team meeting that included prayers for each other and the sick team members, and went on to have a great, energetic day of VBS. We presented the gospel message today to more than 50 kids, and although we may never know what effect we had on the kids, we know that we worked as hard as we could. It was amazing to see the locals explain the salvation bracelets (black for sin, red for Jesus’ blood, white for our sins being cleansed, green for new life and yellow/gold for eternal life in heaven) to the kids during craft time, and Sara Becerra (Pastor Jaime’s wife) give the kids an opportunity to give their lives to Christ at the end of the day. The kids had the chance to write on pieces of paper (which were then put up on the cross) asking Jesus to forgive their sins and that they wanted Him in their lives.

The cross in the church, covered in notes from children.

After lunch, we had a team meeting and a bit of free time.

Stuffed peppers for lunch!

For the sick people, the locals made a special meal — sweet rice, cooked plantains and apples.

It's funny — after my post last night describing what we did during our team meetings, our meeting last night wasn't spent talking, singing or praying — it was instead spent bonding and laughing. We played a game where we all had to write down on a piece of paper a random name (like Spiderman, Bugs Bunny, ect) and then everyone had to go around the room to guess who said what. Once someone guessed correctly, the person who was guessed joined the person who guessed correctly to work as a team. It was full of laughter and much fun, after a bit of a challenging day. 

Speaking of team meetings, we didn't have one today. We just got back from a fun outing out to a Christian bookstore for people to buy some bilingual Bibles, a market and then for churros. I had a nutella churro — it was AMAZING! We then returned back to the church for a quick supper and straight to bed.

I can't believe this missions trip is coming to a close so soon. Tomorrow I will post more entries from team members (here are some for today), how the last day of VBS went, and how you as families and friends can prepare for our return.

Here are a few more entries about people's thoughts about Mexico:

Kevin:

I think my favourite part of the trip so far was the drime that took place on the fourth day of VBS at Huixquilucan. What stood out most to me was how it portrayed the emotion of Christ’s death and the struggle between good and evil when Christ was pulling people towards Him, away from those holding them back. I also loved the tenderness when Jesus was healing the sick and the blind. I just thought it was so beautiful that even though I couldn’t understand the words to the song, I almost felt like I was there, witnessing it. One of the most surprising things for me is even though many of us don’t speak Spanish, we are still able to communicate with the children and show them God’s love through simple words and actions. On a slightly more casual note, I was also surprised by how quickly the weather can change and how extreme the thunderstorms can be. It’s nothing like what we experience at home.

Megan: Kevin, what have you learned so far?

Kevin: I’ve learned, Hola, como estas, buenos días… oh wait, that’s not what you were asking, right?

Something that God has put on my heart over the last few weeks is the idea that we don’t have to feel totally prepared and ready in order for God to use us. I felt really rushed before I came, and so I didn’t feel totally prepared for the trip. I was wondering, “How can God use me when I’m feeling so scattered right now?” But, when I got here, God presented me with a lot of places where I could support the students and where I could reach out to the kids and show them God’s love. It reminded me of all the people God sent who weren’t really ready or prepared, and yet, He worked through them. 

Emily:

I wanted to return to Mexico because of the people here.  I have been impacted by their love for us as a team, for the people they are ministering to, and for God. The relationships I have built with these people have impacted me so deeply and have taught me so much about what Christ-like love looks like. It’s so hard to pick one favourite moment! I have loved working with the children here. I love seeing their joy on their faces as they play games, or do crafts, or sing songs. Another favourite moment was definitely the Sunday service we had at Monte Sion. It was so powerful to worship together with the Mexicans and to realize that we love the same God. I have seen growth in myself in my willingness to step in and lead. During our last trip here, I was much more timid about using my Spanish and being in any sort of leadership role with the children. However, on this trip, I have been leading the crafts station for the children which has forced me to speak Spanish and to jump in with the kids which has been stretching, but so rewarding. 

Tuviere:

I would say my favourite part so far in my Mexican experience is seeing the blossoming relationships happening between the McKernan team and the Mexican children. Each time they come for VBS, they come with renewed energy and with bright smiles, hugging all members of the team. They have such infinite love, which is amazing, considering the short amount of time they have come to know us. I was surprised at how easy it is to communicate with the Mexicans considering how little my Spanish vocabulary is. One of my worries coming was the language barrier that was sure to exist between the Mexicans and I. However, the Mexicans have shown us such grace, staying patient when we needed a minute or two to translate. They were always trying to help us communicate, tuning into what little Spanish we knew. I have learned the value of community. Being in Mexico while so rewarding and great can also be quite exhausting. Our team has ben so amazing in the sense of community that it maintains. At least 5 people each day ask how I am doing and are always ready to offer a hand when needed. Without each of every member, our goal of sharing the truth would definitely be more difficult. 

Daniel:

Q: What has your favourite part of Mexico been so far?

A: Playing soccer with the Mexican kids and locals, and seeing everyone smiling together.

Q: What has been the most surprising part about being here?

A: The leaders really prepared us for coming to Mexico but when I arrived here I’ve found that the cultural differences are super cool. Honest, I love the sketchy driving, open markets and tasty tacos. I could stay here forever. :)

Q: What have you learned in your time in Mexico? 

A: I have learned plenty of Spanish. But the main thing is that the Mexican culture allows the locals to be amazing hosts. The only thing they let disturb us is an overfull stomach. They bend over backwards to provide for us, so perhaps I’ve learned that while we are here, the most important thing for them is building relationships with us.

Day 3, week 2 recap

Hi everyone!

Megan here!

First off, I just want to thank you for your prayers for the sick team members. After a morning of rest for those who needed it, and a solid afternoon of more rest and quiet time, we were all able to take part in the team meeting this afternoon. As I write, everyone is working on VBS prep for tomorrow, so that is a huge praise item there!! However, please continue to pray for health for the team — both spiritually and physically, as we are presenting the gospel message tomorrow. The evil one does not want us to be at full force tomorrow, and we are getting more tired everyday as this VBS and the missions trip comes to a close in only three full days away.

Today was a very good day at VBS. Students seamlessly stepped into places where their friends were absent, and as a leader, I was so proud of everyone who did.

Since that was basically what our day consisted of, I'd like to give you a quick run through (and tour) of the main format of our days. Wake up is at a 7 am, so we have enough time to dig through our suitcases to find our VBS t-shirts, a skirt or caprees for girls, and pants for the guys. We also need to enough to time to go downstairs to the bathrooms to brush our teeth, wash our faces or shower. Breakfast closes at 7:45, and we usually meet as a team inside the church to pray in between 8:30 and 8:50.

This church is beautiful.

Around 9 a.m., kids begin to trickle in, where we then organize a few games of pato, pato ganzo or futbol. The beginning songs and skits begin at 9:30 a.m., and the first station ends at 10:30 a.m., where the kids have lunch. (Yes, lunch at 10:30 a.m. ... the team has granola bars.)

The courtyard where we welcome kids and play games with them.

After that, we have two more half-hour stations where the kids rotate between games, crafts and drama.

Crafts in the courtyard by the side of the church!

The day of VBS usually ends around 12:30 p.m. Anywhere between then and 2 p.m., we have lunch, which is always prepared by the locals.

An example of a classic Mexican meal — hand cut bacon/meat, green chile morron (not spicy), queso (cheese), rice and a choice of guacamole and/or HOT red sauce. (AMAZING!!)

After lunch, there are three people who wash the dishes (we take turns with this job), which involve taking the dishes in a large Tupperware container to the sink downstairs and outside to wash, rinse and dry. 

Before supper (which takes place anywhere between 6:30 p.m. until 9 p.m.), we have a team meeting, quiet time and free time. These can go in any order, depending on the day. For example, immediately after lunch today, we crashed until almost 5 p.m. to give people a chance to rest. Other days, we'll have a team meeting right after lunch, with free time and solo time after we're finished. Team meetings include prayers, debrief from the day, and planning and prepping for the following day. This week has had significantly less planning than last week, because it is the second time we have done this VBS. For solo time, we can either sleep, pray, journal or read our Bibles. Sometimes siestas (sleep/rest) is mandatory. ;) Free time is spent doing whatever we want, including playing futbol in the courtyard, reading, playing dutch blitz, laying out in the sun, or going to the corner store. The corner store is very close to the church, and there is pop, ice cream, crackers, cookies, chips, fruit, yogurt and anything you can imagine, for extremely cheap. For example, a 600mL bottle of pop is 8 pesos, which is less than 75 cents Canadian!

Playing futbol! Or, hit Oscar with the soccer ball.

After supper (which is made by our amazing food lady Clara, and usually consists of sandwiches or pasta — yesterday we ordered in pizza!!!!! [extra exclamation marks brought to you by a very excited Sam]), we have a combination of dish washing, free time and a team meeting before bed. The team meeting in the evening always has worship and prayer, and we've done a bunch of different things during that time as well. We have written out encouragement notes to each other, talked about how God is working in our lives, or listened to Dave, Terry or Kyle give us a talk to either challenge us, encourage us or give us insight and wisdom.

I have come to love the "schedule" of our time here. There are times to talk with our accountability partners, laugh with the locals and each other, or just spend some time by ourselves. 

I will include a mass post tomorrow with more people's answers to my question about their experience in Mexico!

Until then, hasta luego!

Day 3 Prayer Request from Pastor Terry

Hola friends & family!

Thank you for all of your prayer and support for our team as we continue to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to the children (and their families) in this part of the world.

This morning I reminded the team that we are on day 11, so if it felt like it has been a long time, that's why.

Friends, can I ask you to pray even more today and the upcoming days?  Today the question was - Was Jesus' death real and tomorrow is the day we present the Gospel to the children.  We are feeling the attack as this is a GREAT TEAM and they are representing Jesus Christ in amazing ways.  We have some who are under the weather and they feel terrible that they are not participating today in VBS (I won't let them as they need rest).  Others are stepping in to fill in the roles, but I can sense a bit of apprehension in the group wondering how everything will go and if they will be the next one to feel sick.  (Having some feel sick is not unusual on this trip, and I'm a little surprised that we made it to day 11 before it hit us - if that is any comfort to those of you who are wondering).

I want to assure you (parents, grandparents, friends) that I am paying very close attention to each of your special someone(s) who are with us on this trip.

You should be very proud of your children as they are really doing a magnificent job.

To McKernan - thank you again for allowing me to bring a team of teenagers and leaders to a place that so appreciates our presence in their lives and in their ministries.  We are a breath of fresh air, a cool refreshing drink and a boost of energy to help them continue to fight the good fight.

Ok - I gotta go as I'm needed in the VBS!

Blessings,

Pastor Terry

A day of VBS and a trip to the market

Hola a todos! Your local photojournalist here, Megan!

Today was our second day of VBS. We had almost 50 kids today! The games, crafts and drama all went well, Alex doing a great job subbing in for Lyndi at the beginning and end of VBS. 

Before getting to some more entries from team members, I wanted to hopefully describe something else we did today. After lunch, we had a bit of free time and VBS prep, and then walked to the market.

The market is filled with people of all ages — crying babies, kids running around, teens chatting, young adults making out in the middle of the crowded aisles, seniors, ect. ect. ect. As you walk underneath the bright red tarps, you inhale strong scents of gas, sewage, food, incense, new shoes and strawberry deodorant. People walk through the aisles, calling out what they are selling and holding out their products right up in your face. There are people on either side behind tables, selling everything from lingerie, clothing, shoes, fruit, meat with flies buzzing around, personal hygiene items, jewellery, fake Toms shoes (Mike, this one is for you!), car parts, shoes so worn they are smashed up and have holes in them, entire tables full of TV remotes, broken phones, dolls, action figures and toys … I could fill pages full of all the stuff we saw. Some clothing was neatly displayed in racks, and other items were spread out over two large blankets on the ground. I even saw a bowl of pop tabs and another bowl full of broken cell phones. Like Terry said, what we would give to the landfill, these people will sell. 

It was a fascinating walk, and many of the team members returned with mangoes and pomegranates!

There are many hand clapping games to be learned!

Jenn helping with crafts!

Who wants to follow Jesus? 

More crafts!

Alex helping with crafts!

DELICIOUS soup at lunch.

Look, Maman! Veggies!! And chicken, guacamole (I've had some every day. I have no words for how good it is.) and amazing hot tortillas. 

At the market!

Alright, and without further ado ... here are some blog posts! 

Austin:

Q: Why did you want to come back to Mexico? 

A: The people (and food) here are incredible. I had great experiences here last trip.

Q: What is your favourite part about being here?

A: I have definitely gotten to know other team members much more and leading the VBS's have been lots of fun. 

Q: How have you seen growth in yourself since your last time here?

A: I think I've learned to be more dependant on God since last trip. 

Cassie:

I wanted to come back to Mexico because on the last trip we got to meet and serve some awesome people who showed us amazing, selfless hospitality. The last trip God revealed and challenged me with a lot of things and I couldn’t imagine not coming back. It’s so hard to pick a favourite part, so I’ll list three: food, children and worship. The food is mouth watering delicious, guacamole is heavenly. I adore the smiles and hugs from the children, they will always have a place in my heart. And last but not least, the worship that we had at the church Sunday service was so passionate and exciting, I loved it! I have much more confidence to approach the children at the VBS and to sometimes look foolish when doing actions to the songs for them. I know about the same amount of Spanish as I did my 

last time here, but I’m interacting much more with the locals which I’m very happy about. 

Clara:

I was so pleasantly surprised at the depth of YMT's and McKernan's ties to the locals here. I know people were excited to return and I'd heard that the locals loved us Canadians, but I underestimated the depth of the love and sense of "familia" there is amongst us. And I have to say that my favourite part of this trip has been getting to see our youth students step out in faith and respond to God's call. All of them have grown and challenged themselves in so many different ways — whether it's through sharing testimonies, squishing bugs, volunteering to be part of a drama, trying new foods, and interacting with people in a whole new culture — all of them have been so engaged and willing to serve! I've learned the value of affirmation as our team keeps encouraging each other to be the best they can be and holds each other accountable. The love from the locals has also been such an encouragement and has given all of us much energy and passion to serve. 

Rakel:

Mexico has been a wonderful experience. I have loved getting to experience a different culture, and the food here has been amazing. One thing that has surprised me is the joy the children have here. They can have so much fun with just a soccer ball or playing hand clapping games. It has been such a blessing to see this. One thing God has been teaching me is to trust Him. I was worried about going on this trip because it is completely out of my comfort zone; however, this trip has been a great opportunity to serve and build relationships with the locals and the team. God has a plan, and we just need to trust Him.

Day one of week two done

Hola a todos, here is the last post for today. Sorry for the double post day, but as Christine said, (thanks, Christine!) last night was late, and I wanted to be able to separate the weekend with the first day of VBS.

So, as I was saying, today was our first day of week two of VBS. As a leader, I felt so proud of the students who jumped in the second the kids arrived (in between 30 and 40 today). Immediately after our team prayer, the students went outside with the kids and organized a game of pato, pato, ganzo (duck, duck, goose). After that, it was like clockwork as the kids were divided into three different groups, smoothly making the transition from crafts to drama to games.

It truly was a great start to the week!

Thank you all for reading and for commenting, as well as for your prayers. As Christine said, please pray for health, as there are team members with sore throats, colds and unhappy stomachs. There has been some more rest today, and no one has been getting worse, so please keep praying! 

One thing you can expect to see on the blog over the next few days are some entries from the team members! I’ll see if I can get in four a day until the trip is over, so here is the first batch:

Michelle:

My favourite part of Mexico so far has been the kids at VBS. They are so energetic and they make me smile. The food has surprised me in a good way. It has been fantastic. But what has surprised me the most is the culture. It is so different and it took me a while to get used to the way the people of Mexico live. I’ve learned that now matter where you are, God is always with you. I have seen God’s presence while being here. 

Sam:

My favourite part of Mexico has been seeing and experiencing the love the locals have for us. The most surprising part has been seeing how readily the locals love. I have never seen anything like it at home. I have felt that God is teaching me that I need to stop making excuses. He has been showing me that it is when I readily serve others that I am able to enjoy myself to the fullest.

David:

Q: Why did you want to come back to Mexico?

A: The food. Also the people. (The food part was a joke)

Q: What is your favourite part about being here, and how have you seen growth in yourself since your last time here?

A: I really love the sense of community that is formed between both of us as a team, and us and the locals. They really make us feel at home. I have found it much easier to adjust to the culture here this time around. I have also found myself more able to interact with the kids at VBS even with the language barrier. 

Bailey:

Q: What is your favourite part about being here?

A: The food! And creating relationships with the team, children and locals. 

Q: Why did you want to come back to Mexico, and how have you seen growth in yourself since your last time here?

A: Last time I went on the Mexico Missions I loved getting to know the children at VBS and experiencing incredible hospitality from the locals. I learnt so much about myself and about how God moves in people around the world. I am much more courageous when it comes to interacting with the VBS children and I have a betterish understanding of Spanish. 

And finally, without further ado, here are some photos from today! (Ps - shoutout to my maman and papa, who wrote a sweet comment for me. Love you lots!)

Jenn playing pato, pato, ganzo!

More pato, pato, ganzo.

Buds Daniel and Austin getting up to dash around the circle.

All the kids from the first day!

This little cutie is Marcos. I think I'm in love!

Game time!

Weekend thoughts

Hi everyone, Megan here!

We had a great weekend of rest here in the beautiful area of Santa Ursula, Mexico City. The past two days were spent chilling and having fun with each other and the locals. Saturday was spent inside the church complex, playing Dutch Blitz, reading, having quiet time, and walking down to the corner store (literally a 10-second walk away).

The highlight of the day is when we went up to the roof to have a worship session. All the locals joined us, and we sang a few songs in English before giving Oscar (Pastor Jaime’s son) the guitar for a couple songs. He and the locals sang in Spanish, while we sang in English — it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. The fact that we have a universal God who has personal relationships with the people in Mexico and Canada, and understands English and Spanish — even at the same time — is so powerful.

On Sunday, we had church around noon, and it went until past 2. The service included testimonies from Austin, Michelle, Cassie and Sam, who all spoke in Spanish, with translation help from Lyndi, Alex, Kyle and Emily. After a sermon from Terry (with translations from Lyndi and Bible verses read out by Sam, Emily, Tyler and Ben) and another rendition of the drime, the whole team came up to sing a few worship songs in English. After lunch, we went out to Xochimilco (a made made river with floating boats) before going to El Burger Y Ya! for an amazing taco supper! Tacos el pastor (pork tacos) are made with shaved pork, a slice of pineapple on two small tortillas. You have the option of squeezing key limes on it, as well as sprinkling on onions and cilantro. They are Terry’s favourite meal! 

Since I have Wi-Fi … I will let the photos tell the rest :) 

How mangoes are served. I don't have words to describe how amazing these are!!!

Oh HEY! It's me! I don't have any photos on here yet, so here's one with me and my Mexican sister, Katherin. She lives on the church property with her parents and brother. When I first came in 2006, she was only 6 years old — now she's a beautiful 14-year-old! She is an extremely special person to me.

Rooftop worship service!

Oscar, playing some tunes.

Church on Sunday. Pretty cool to have David and Austin included in the worship service! Left to right: Luis Becerra, David, Obed (Katherin's brother), Oscar and Austin.

Sam, Emily and Lyndi helping Terry out with some translation.

An example of a common Mexican meal — pasta and veggies (there was some chicken in there too).

The floating gardens. Much fun was had!

Daniel and Oscar making funny faces. 

A sign Ben found on the street where El burger Y Ya! is situated.

We filled up half of the restaurant!

Amazingness.

I will post later on this evening about our first day of VBS, but it was a really great day. Looking forward to sharing with you! Hasta luego! (See you later)

Quick Prayer Update

Hello Everyone!

VBS #2 has begun!

Terry texted me briefly this AM and asked if you could pray specifically for some of the team that are not feeling 100%.  There are two things troubling them...that sore throat/cold going around and then there are some tummy troubles.  Stomach’s not feeling right.  He mentioned some individually so I’ll add them here - Alex, Lyndi, Clara, Dave and Tuviere.  It’s harder to have the energy for a new week and a new group of kids when you’re not feeling like yourself.    No worries families, if anything gets worse Terry will always take them to the Dr.  :)  We never hesitate with stuff like that.

So if you could pray that God would infuse the team with health and energy for the task that is ahead of them I know they’d appreciate it.

The team got back too late last night from the restaurant to update the blog - but I’m sure they will when they can, hopefully later today.

Photo post!

Here are a few photos to capture our week's VBS at Huixquilucan. I wish I could post all of them, but hopefully this is an accurate, albeit small, representation of what everyone was doing this week!

Tyler is going to be a great dad someday.

Sam helping with crafts.

Playing human knot!

Kevin having fun with a little guy.

David, our drama guru. He was the clueless but endearing detective who acted out a scene with Lyndi every morning to start off the VBS.

Daniel, AKA Jesus.

Bailey and Cassie, our amazing song leaders. They made memorizing actions for seven different songs effortless. Michelle joined them later on in the week, and was equally amazing.

Emily, our amazing crafts leader and Spanish speaker!

The boys loved Ben, for some reason ... he was also a great games leader.

Lyndi, who once again blew it away with her teaching and Spanish experience. She was integral to the VBS.

Brannon playing games. He helped out a lot there!

Alex did a fair bit of teaching as well, and his Spanish is amazing.

There were a couple girls who really latched onto Clara!

Kyle and Salvador. The two had a special bond, and Salvador was so affectionate and seemed to always be hugging someone. 

Jenn having fun playing games before VBS started for the day!

It was very sweet to see the girls playing together! No words needed.

Love this one.

I was to the right of Sam, but this is four of us crammed into the back of a car!

Dave and Terry, preparing for bumpy ride. Fun fact: in Mexico City, they don't have a lot of street lights — just many speed bumps to slow drivers down.

The camaraderie between Luis (Pastor Jaime's 20-year-old son) and Austin continued. Here, Luis was spinning Austin around, and Austin, of course, was killing himself laughing. 

This was the view just before the church site in Huixquilucan. Absolutely breathtaking. 

A view of the area where we did VBS from the games spot. The doorway pictured is the crafts room, and on top is where Cassie, Bailey and Michelle would stand to do actions. The rest of the leaders and VBS kids would sit underneath the tarp. To the right (close to where you see the clothesline) is one of the Pastor's homes.

I hope you enjoyed these as much as I enjoyed taking them! Definitely many more photos to come throughout the week, if the Internet continues to be this good. I also hope I didn't miss anyone!