We headed back to the Three Kings church today. There was no big welcome party this time, and instead we were met with five HUGE piles of rocks and rubble that we had to fill up the church with. It was still a lot of fun, and a few locals were there to help out, but the work was a lot harder and it took a lot longer this time. After work, Pastor Moreno was set on taking us to the island, Isla Mujeres. To get to the dock, we all packed into a little bus, which was really funny. The island was beautiful and we all had a good experience looking around and simply enjoying the "island life." Later that night, we all headed back to the Miracle church, were we were met by pastor Benjamin Castio, the youth director for the southern Mexican union. He presented our group with a plaque of appreciation and he expressed his gratefulness to us. It was touching and rewarding. Alex Heron gave her moving testimony and Pastor Moreno preached. The rest of us played with the little kids at VBS and it was just a special night.
March 2
One of the seven wonders of the world was an incredible site to see. Looking at all what the early pre-historic Mayans were able to do with their hands kind of dwarfs what had to do at the churches. The two impressive sites was of course the pyramid and the ball park. After our run around of the historic site we headed over to Xabe to eat a delicious buffet for lunch. We also had the opportunity to stop on our return trip at an old Yucatan city called Vallalodid which had a very old Catholic cathedral. Soon that was over we returned to "civilization" because we ate at a mall called "la Isla". We returned ready to work more on Wednesday.
March 1
Today the group headed back out to our first job site, the Pines church. Some of the local church members cooked us a traditional Mexican breakfast and then we got straight to work. It was cool seeing some of the progress that was completed from the first day, but we still had a lot we needed to do. The positive attitudes on the job site kept the work fun and helped the time pass quickly. After work today, we had plans to go snorkeling at a nearby island. However, due to high winds, we weren't able to, and instead we went to a local market. At the market we were exposed to a lot of different and new things. The differences in culture became very apparent as we were shopping for various souvenirs, and it was an awesome experience i'm sure none of us will forget! For worship tonight, instead of going to the Miracle Church, we had our own devotion at the hotel. We discussed how the trip was affecting us and how we thought it would continue to affect us back at home. We all agreed that our lives back in the states are blessed and we all want to try to be better about being happy with what we have. We also talked about how the only true way to happiness is by having God at the foundation of our lives. The trip is a lot of fun, we miss everyone back at home, but none of us are ready to leave yet! Hopefully everyone else is doing well too. :)
February 28,
Rise and shine was at 6:30 a.m. today as we all got ready for the job site. Today we headed out to a different location; the Three Kings Church. Upon arrival, we were greeted with a full blown welcoming party including balloons, streamers, and lots of smiling and cheering people. It was completely unexpected, but it made us feel special and gave us an extra boost of energy for the day. As we connected with the local church members, we began the shoveling, the mixing, and the assembly lines and the work continued throughout the day. Everyone put forth an effort to work their hardest, and we finished a lot earlier then we'd expected. After work we all had a delicious lunch, then headed out to one of the pristine, Cancun beaches! The water was clear, the sun was warm, and as the ladies relaxed, all the guys started up a game of football. It was a lot of fun! :) Later in the day, we went to the Miracle church to hold our evangelistic meeting and VBS program. Josh Smith spoke about creation being more than just a random accident, how it was God's specific design, and how He made us out of love. Everyone is receiving a blessing from the service opportunities we've been given here. So far, we all agree this is the most rewarding way to spend our spring break! Thank you for your prayers and support. God Bless.
February 27, Sabbath Day
The key phrase, its seems, for the week is let Christ work in your life and he will do the rest. This has been evident in Sabbaths experience as we have not only worshiped but we have been a participant in worship here in Mexico. Nathalie Borges speaking Friday night and Douglas playing his sax. For church on Sabbath Angela Crider with Carlos. And Sabbath night Tim Gosser with Gelline Layson. Great things can happen as again we allow Christ to work in our lives.
February 26, 8:00 am -1:00 pm
Early in the morning we peeled our weary bodies from the bed and a few times had to fight the sheets but we all managed to wake up. After breakfast and an inspiring worship we began to work at the "Los Pinos" church (The Pines). We where met, greeted, and worked side by side a handful of grateful members of this church. In our worship we were challenged to think about Christ, who is also building something for us in heaven. But in the meantime while we are here on earth we are to help build houses of worship while Christ builds our house in heaven. We where also told that the most important part of any building is it's foundation and columns because it not only keeps the building up but permanently up. As Christ is the foundation and corner stone in our lives so is the structure of this church and we all FLA students have a hand in its very important beginning. We are thankful that God was able to help us work together to accomplish our task for the day which was to mix and pour four columns. We were able to do six columns instead.
February 26, 2:30 am (Cancun Time)
We made it!!! Praise God safe and sound. Everything worked like clock work from meeting in the Green Room in the morning, loading up the bus, checking in at Mexicana counter, our flight to Mexico City, going through immigration, arriving in Cancun, loading up the bus again to our hotel, arriving at the hotel, checking into our rooms, and saying good night. Every one cooperated with each other and are in good spirits. Friday we wake up at 7 am and begin work at our work site at 8:30 am. The evangelistic series begins Friday night. We have Nathalie Borges opening the night (please pray for her) and Douglas Smith playing his Sax that evening as well. Our first VBS team is set to go for the evening. So much excitement and anticipation!!!! As always please continue praying for us.
We made it!!! Praise God safe and sound. Everything worked like clock work from meeting in the Green Room in the morning, loading up the bus, checking in at Mexicana counter, our flight to Mexico City, going through immigration, arriving in Cancun, loading up the bus again to our hotel, arriving at the hotel, checking into our rooms, and saying good night. Every one cooperated with each other and are in good spirits. Friday we wake up at 7 am and begin work at our work site at 8:30 am. The evangelistic series begins Friday night. We have Nathalie Borges opening the night (please pray for her) and Douglas Smith playing his Sax that evening as well. Our first VBS team is set to go for the evening. So much excitement and anticipation!!!! As always please continue praying for us.