Mexico

Reflections

It is a bit overwhelming when I try to capture my summer in Mexico in a nutshell . Thankfully, I was allowed some time to debrief and collect my thoughts with my missionary family before returning to my everyday life. In wrapping up this portion of The Red Van, I'd like to leave you with some closing thoughts on God's work in Mexico and how he worked on me while I was there.


God used this summer to break things down for me. He took my life, which daily becomes cluttered with obligations and to do lists, and he simplified it in order for me to learn some seemingly simple (but crucial) lessons.

Lesson 1: God is big. I warned you these lessons were simple. Don't get me wrong, if you would have asked me before my experiences in Mexico if I thought God was big, I would have undoubtedly answered yes. The difference between now and then is that God has equipped me with a vast repertoire of first hand stories and examples of how endless His justice, His compassion, His mercy, and His love is for His children. My God is the God of all people. All is not limited to a certain culture, race, age, gender, or lifestyle. My God is God of ALL people, the living, the dead, and those who haven't lived yet. I am telling you THAT IS A LOT OF PEOPLE. My God is a God that meets people where they are, that cares about each individual, and that works uniquely in each and every situation. My God is a God that does not discriminate. There is no such thing as too broken, too sinful, or too helpless. My God is a God of grace, a grace that extends to everyone. I could introduce you to people who have have traded their families for alcohol addictions, who have been detained for drug trafficking, who have been in prostitution, who have been in and out of drug rehab so many times they don't even remember the first time they tried to give it up. In each of these situations I could show you people who have been covered by God's grace and love and are now living new lives. It is so easy to give up on people who seem past the point of help, who don't seem to listen or try, but thankfully, my God is bigger than that, He does not give up on the broken.


Lesson 2: God is in control. To say that I like to be in control of a situation is an understatement. I love the process of creating, planning, organizing, and overseeing an event or project. I get a kick out of being a part of each facet of the ordeal, and then watching all the details come together just as I envisioned it. There are two parts to this lesson. Part 1: God doesn't always let me work like this (but I'm pretty sure He finds it entertaining to watch me try.) Part 2: When my plans fail so that His can succeed, the results are ALWAYS better than anything I could have ever accomplished on my own accord. This realization hit me several times on both large and small scales in Mexico, but one instance is particularly funny. One of my projects for the summer was planning and putting on a weekend retreat for teenage girls. For this retreat, I recruited a guitar player named Pancho that I was introduced to, to lead worship. He was very excited to help even though we couldn't afford to pay him anything. After giving him the retreat schedule and themes for each session, he agreed to play four separate times and told me he would try to rope some friends in and piece together a small worship team. The only thing I had to do was round up a little bit of sound equipment. My friend Jesus, who is from Puerto Penasco and on the OneMission team, made a couple phone calls and found a pastor who was going to let us borrow sound equipment. Arrangements were made to pick up the equipment the morning of the retreat, which made me very nervous, but I had no option other than to trust that he would come through on his promise. Sure enough, upon arriving to pick up said sound equipment, we were told that they didn't have everything we needed. Attempting not to panic, my friends and I grabbed a bite to eat at a street vender while Jesus made phone calls to track down a second sound system. As I get more and more anxious as each of our phone calls fails to connect us with an available sound system, I get more and more fidgety. For some reason, I end up nervously stirring a ramekin of  Habenero salsa that is sitting in the middle of our table. In a moment of exasperation, I put the spoon down and rest my face in my hands... bad idea. Almost immediately it felt as though the top layer of my skin was pealing off of my face. After 30 minutes of trying to wash the heat of the Habeneros off of my face, I put my hands to my sides and waited for the burning to subside. At this point, I still had no sound equipment, I had what looked like a fresh sunburn from ear to ear, two blisters formed on one cheek, and I was running out of time to get back to camp to run my staff meeting. Needless to say, I was completely out of control. As a last resort, we ran into the office of a local DJ who is known in Puerto Penasco for providing music at the local bars and clubs. Jesus told them about the problem we were facing, so they loaded up their equipment (one of the best systems in the city) and came out to the camp to personally set it up. This happened just in time for the band to arrive. Turns out the band was a little more than some ensemble my friend Pancho through together. In fact, I find out that I have the most highly demanded worship band in Puerto Penasco. Not only do they lead worship at one of the larger churches in the area, but they are the band that is contacted anytime there are larger events going on that calls for worship. Not to mention, they often get paid. So despite my grand plan for a small worship band, some borrowed equipment, and a timely schedule, God landed the best of the best of everything right in my lap, just in time for the girls to show up and begin their first session. Once again I am reminded, try as I might, I am not in control. 

Lesson 3: God works. In the midst of being human and making mistakes and having problems and messing things up, God works. If you believe that God can only work in you and through you if you are perfect, then you believe a lie. In fact, the truth is, God works and is going to work, in spite of anything you do. First of all, contrary to popular belief, God does not rely on us to do His work for Him. He wants to use us to achieve His purpose, but if you choose to ignore the work that He has for you, His purpose will surely be fulfilled by other means. Secondly, when a situation is not pretty, that doesn't mean that God isn't working. When there is dissension between people, when things don't seem to be working out, when obstacles are put in the way of what seems to be God's will, God can and does still work. I was guilty of getting very discouraged one night when one of my bible study girls came to me and told me she wasn't allowed to attend my study anymore. This was a girl that was very near and dear to my heart and I was very concerned with how easily influenced she is by the world around her. In my own opinion, if there was one girl that I meant that needed to be in that bible study group, this was the girl. I was so angry that she was snatched away from me for no reason. Despite my discouragement and my inability to help the situation, God changed her mom's heart without me taking any action. By the end of the summer, this girl had brought several friends to my bible study, attended the girl's retreat, and now her mom is attending a woman's bible study on a regular basis.

Like I said, these lessons are simple and obvious, but I needed to be reminded of them. It makes it a lot easier to remember these lessons when my life gets complicated and messy. God is big, He is in control, and He works. It is so comforting to be able to rest in these three truths.

I can never thank all of you enough for your help in my summer projects. Thank you for your donations, your prayer, and taking action when it was needed. Because you chose to let God work through you, I was able to go to Mexico, deliver 10 beds to people (mostly children) who were sleeping in the sand, set up a teenage girl's bible study that has continued since I left, put on a girl's retreat for 30 young woman, help out at an orphanage and a woman's rehab facility, among other small projects that arose daily during my stay. The friendships I made are invaluable to me and I am still in close contact with both the missionaries and several of the locals that I worked with. I know that I always have a home anytime I return to the area and I plan on taking advantage of that again in the near future.

A couple things to note: I will be leading a workshop for a woman's conference at Olathe Christian Church in September. The workshop is about stepping out of your comfort zone. I'm also going to be representing OneMission as the mission focus for the conference. The ladies that attend will be given the opportunity to donate money to go towards school uniforms for kids that need them in order to go to school. These are kids that I worked with in Puerto Penasco so I will be able to share pictures and stories at the conference.If you are interested in attending this event, go to www.olathechristianchurch.org. for more information.


Thank you so much for caring enough to keep updated with the blog. It is so encouraging to know that I have an army of supporters. Pictures will be up soon as well as a link to a new blog that I will be keeping now that I find myself stationary (at least for now.)

As The Red Van comes to a temporary halt, I encourage you to periodically check the blog for missions related updates such as the upcoming Woman's conference as well as for news on upcoming trips. Also, don't hesitate to notify me about any trips you might be taking, I'd love to set up a page for you on The Red Van.

"He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" Micah 6:8

Letters from the Inside of a Mexican Prison

Alright so I'm not in a Mexican Prison, but I did get hauled off to the police station tonight in what can safely be called one of the scariest moments I've encountered here in Puerto Peñasco. The long and short of it is, it's tough to see stop signs at night time on street corners that are more than a stones throw away from anything with electricity! The policeman was.... mean. He escorted me (and all five of my young passengers) to the police station where I was denied any assistance in English despite the bright orange sign that clearly states, "English spoken here."After that, I stood in front of some man behind a desk that listened to an over zealous officer tell the story of my stop sign-passage. After raised voices, hands slammed on the back of chairs, and much frustration over my complete shut down of the Spanish language, I was left in the hall to cry and wait on Tony to come save me. And save me he did, but not alone. Tony showed up with a bandwagon of OneMission staff, one of which was a little camera happy, assuring me that, "I'd appreciate these pictures someday." After negotiating my fine and chastising the angry police officer for his maltreatment, I left with all 8 of my friends that visited me in "jail."

This whole (very true and frightening story) is just to say that, I realize I would make a TERRIBLE prisoner. As I stood with tear filled eyes in front of a stranger who was in charge of deciding my fate, my head was absolutely spinning. This man knew nothing about me and cared to know nothing about me except how much cash I was willing to pay to leave that room. I felt completely helpless as it seems to be harder for me to understand Spanish when I'm scared out of my wits. AND my only friend in the room was Tony's 19 year-old-son, Carlos, who (bless his heart) only knows Spanish and was doing his best to argue my case. All of this was just because I ran a stop sign somewhere between "the middle of nowhere" and "the edge of the world as we know it." Imagine the kind of wreck I would be if I was in serious trouble with handcuffs or jail cells involved! I would cry myself into blubbery oblivion.

Speaking of deciding fate, the girls retreat that I have been talking about for a couple weeks is just around the corner. As it turns out, I will be delivering the messages at the main sessions and the first one is going to be on Grace. It has been a struggle to prepare for my messages as I am overwhelmed by the amount of information I want to drive home to these girls in such a short amount of time. Tonight, it was demonstrated to me how simple my first topic really can be. When I stand before the throne of grace, it's not going to be up to me to scrape up cash to pay a fine or stammer through some sort of excuse for my behavior in what might as well be Japanese.  In fact, the only thing that will resemble my experience tonight is my utter helplessness. The most important difference is who will replace the money hungry man behind the desk. I am so thankful, humbled, and honored, to know that my mistakes will be covered by a judge who will freely extend to me grace.

As far as the rest of my stay in Mexico goes, more beds have been delivered, more families have been fed, and more planning has been completed for the retreat. I can't wait to see God move in the lives of these girls that will be here in a few days. Please keep this event in your prayers!!!

The Run Down

I'm so sorry it's been such a long time since I've posted. I was talking to my mom yesterday and told her I had been having a hard time coming up with things to write about. It's definitely not a matter of not having the material, but I think it's a matter of just getting into the swing of things. Now that I have been here for several weeks, it no longer seems like I'm here for a short time, but like I've adapted to day to day life in the ministry of Puerto Peñasco.

Every morning I wake up around 6:30 and head off to Spanish lessons. Immediately following that is our team's bible study. The rest of my day typically consists of planning for the girl's retreat, preparing bible study lessons, and (depending on the day) a visit to the woman's rehab center, the orphanage, the mattress store, OneMission's community center, the girl's bible study, or just to visit a family in the barrios.

I'm calling July 6-8 "Puerto Peñasco Beds on Parade." These are the dates that my mattress guy has promised to cut me a great deal on all the mattresses I can haul away. I've been secretly choosing families who are currently bedless to be victims of my surprise bed deliveries. I cannot WAIT to post a video on how my "parade" goes.


The girls' retreat is coming right along. As of yesterday I have a worship band committed to leading the event as well as translators. I'm still in need of another key note speaker and a small group leader, so if  you'd like, you could pray that those would fall into place. We officially have 10 girls sponsored and several promises to sponsor a girl by the end of the week. Our goal still is to send 30 girls to the retreat and I'm confident that is going to happen.

Today feels like a wasted day to me. I got sick yesterday evening with some weird stomach bug and still haven't kicked it. There is a lot of work to be done and I hate watching a whole day pass by from my bed. It's mostly due to not feeling well that this post seems to lack a lot of spark. Nonetheless, I'm having a FANTASTIC time and couldn't be more thankful to be here. I have two weeks left before I return home and already am completely emotionally torn. Part of me can't wait to see my friends and family who I love and miss dearly, but the other part of me has become so attached to people here, I know it's going to be tough to leave.

Check back soon for another, (hopefully more inspired) update!

Thanks for your love and prayers



Calling all Girls!!!!

I am so so so happy to report some great news going on in Puerto Peñasco! The girls' bible study is meeting twice a week and is growing! Last night, we ran out of chairs and had to sit on buckets! God is so good. He is bringing girls of all different ages and places in their spiritual walk together to talk and study and have a great time doing it!

Now we're going to take it a step further. On July 16th, myself and a few other ladies will be putting on a 24 hour retreat for young girls ages 12-16. So far, we have been given access to a great big beach house to hold the event, we've created a schedule for the event, and we already have some of the needed volunteers on board. At this retreat, the girls are going to learn what it means to have Christ in their lives and to continue living a Godly life from here on out. They will hear speakers, attend classes, discuss in small groups, participate in activities, and worship together in a way that many of them have never been able to. If nothing else, by the end of those 24 hours, these girls will have heard about a God who loves them and wants their lives more than anything else in the world. I am so excited for this event and things are just coming together left and right. For crying out loud WE HAVE A HUGE BEACH HOUSE! In order to pull this off, I am going to need help from all of you back home. We are planning this event for 30 girls and it's going to cost about $35 a piece to cover food, activities, materials, and transportation. We want to put this event on for the girls free of charge to them. That being said, I know many of you have already donated and are invested in my stay in Mexico, so please don't feel obligated to donate again. But, to my family, friends, and readers who have not yet financially contributed to this cause and feel moved to do so, please use the Donate button on the home page of this blog. I will be able then to pull that money out from Mexico and put it directly toward the retreat. Again, if you would like to sponsor a girl to come to the retreat, the cost is $35. Any amount that you feel lead to give would be more than appreciated. I am confident that July 16-17 is going to be life changing for girls here in Rocky Point. Please pray that the planning would continue to go smoothly and that God would be our guide through the duration of this adventure. Thank you again for all of your support!


Dear Dad, Each day I set out with a to do list and each day about half of it remains incomplete, but it's not my fault, it's just the nature of the culture. Are you sure you don't want to come visit?

Inconsistent is a mild word used to describe day to day living in this place I've come to call my summer home. When the hours on the pharmacy door read 9:00-1:00, it really means "We open when we get here and we close when we get hungry for lunch." Ordering a Coke at your favorite restaurant has the potential to be a let down because the delivery guy quite possibly dropped off the little bottles instead of the big ones (too bad the prices are more consistent than the Coke guy.) Today, the lady at the burrito stand feels like putting chilies in your burrito, the guy that lives in that red house on the corner of the diagonal street and the street you're supposed to turn on painted his house green so it's no longer a viable landmark, yesterday was a good day for a mattress discount but today times are a little too tough, and the degree of patience in the first person to stop at the red light decides whether or not the light is mandatory or an option.

After growing up in a house where the dish washer is loaded from back to front, if the scissors are found in the wrong drawer there are interviews to find out who put them there, and the time you were home 4 minutes late from a friends house in the 5th grade was the last time you ever even thought about breaking curfew, inconsistency becomes a foreign idea.

Yesterday commenced my first bible study for teenage girls in the barrios. After much prayer, preparation, translation, and an obsession over reading out loud in Spanish over and over and over again so that I would pronounce each word right, I was reminded that nothing ever goes as planned. This time, however, it was a sweet surprise instead of a let down. I made the rounds to pick up the 7 girls that have thus far committed to bible study with me and the festivities began. I had expected to encounter blank faces, boredom, communication breakdown, and a lot of awkward silence. For each of these barriers, I had come up with creative plans to overcome them. I am thrilled to report that all of those plans were unnecessary. All of my girls were eager to participate, read out loud, ask questions, and soak everything in. Several of them even have plans to bring friends to our next study this Friday.

The last activity that I had for the girls was to write down any questions on any topic that they wanted an answer to and hand them in anonymously. The idea of this activity is for me to be able to research their questions and address a few at the beginning of each study, giving them a Godly answer. Being naive and arrogant, I didn't give a second thought to being able to adequately research and answer any question they threw my way. I am elated and terrified that these girls were so bold with their questions; questions about drug trafficking, police corruption, neglect, abuse, divorce, poverty, why I study the bible, and why I believe God is real. Though inconsistency may be their way of life, these young girls are searching their little hearts out to hold onto something or someone that won't abandon them, abuse them, or leave them broken.

Everyday I make new discoveries of why God has lead me here this summer, even though so many of my original plans were altered, changed, or completely dropped. Through the world's inconsistencies, He is teaching me the importance of His consistence.

"You are the light of the world, a city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone that is in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" Mathew 5:14-16

God, let me be a light in a place filled with darkness and despair. Help me to use my remaining weeks in Mexico to build consistent relationships with these girls so that when I leave, they will not feel abandoned, but let it be that they will have discovered an unsurpassed consistency in a relationship with you. Thank you for teaching me to live without the things that I have come to rely on. Please further break the heart of the church for people who need to see you. Inspire us to live justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you, not so that we can be admired, but so that you can be glorified so much in our lives that the people around us can't help but to glorify you also.

A Shout out to the Fam

Let’s just talk about how much I miss my family real quick. When I say, “Let’s talk” I really mean, “Read what I have to say” because that’s the beauty of blogging.

When I think of my family, I think first of my dad, my mom, and my little (big) brother. My dad has logged just short of 80 million hours worth of coaching me in everything from softball, to basketball, to how to keep my arm straight when I roll the bowling ball down the lane, to how to drive, to how walk the straight and narrow. He takes an interest in what interests me, he takes time to get to know my friends and people who are important to me, instructs me when I need it, instructs me when I think I don’t need it, and subtly encourages me and reminds me how proud he is of me. My mom is my loudest cheerleader. In her eyes, I am great at anything I try and have the potential to accomplish anything I want to. At age 21, I could probably paint her a picture of a stick figure and she’d frame it, shed a few tears over how beautiful it was, and call me Picasso. If anyone makes fun of me, she is the first one to become enraged and at least talk about how she is going to put them in their place. When I get excited about things, she gets excited for me, when I leave for extended periods of time I know she misses me becomes she tells me every 3 minutes, and when it comes to my safety and well being, you will not meet a person more concerned. Together, my parents are spiritual guides, life teachers, moral supporters, and the reason I haven’t starved to death yet. My brother is my best friend. He is who I call when I am mad or upset, when I have good news or bad news, or when I break something electronic. He supports me in my endeavors, even when it means I leave the country and, as he puts it, I “abandon” him. When I have to go to Best Buy, he goes with me so he can talk to the pushy salesman, when I want to take toys to kids in Mexico he makes an extra donation to make it possible, and when my Youtube videos are loaded under funny names and aren’t in a high enough resolution, he kindly reminds me of the very clear instructions that he’s already given me 40 times. When I try to argue with my mom, he picks me up and places me in another room to cool off and he brings me back to reality when I’m over reacting. I trust him and he trusts me. This is my “immediate” family.

What else is family? Family is my Aunt Jeanne who prays diligently for me, calls to check up on me while I’m away at school, and would be willing to swim to China and back if I told her I needed her to. Family is my Uncle Lance who drives six hours for every graduation, birthday party, or any occasion with even a slight significance to me. Family is the two-hundred people that are going to show up for the Barry Family reunion in August and pick up where they left off two years ago. Family are my five girl friends from high school that are spread out all over the country, but care enough about each other to remain deeply invested in each others lives. Family are my friends from college who I live with and rub shoulders with more often than with my family at home. Family is my church, which has grown me and matured me and taught me and encouraged me and supported me. Family is who reads this blog because you care enough about me to take the time to find out why the heck I’m in Mexico.

This idea of family structure has been on my mind because I have such an active family on so many different levels. I knew, as many of you did, that when I came to Mexico, my communication would be very limited. This poses a problem for me because I rely so much on all of these different aspects of my family for support and encouragement and I miss them very very much. I knew that God was going to stretch me in this. He was going to challenge me to rely more on him than on family, and he has. But what I didn’t account for was this, when God took me out of the place that I am most comfortable, the place in which anyone that I may want or need is simply a phone call away, he fills that place and he does it with gusto. After I arrived in Mexico, I found (and I wasn’t looking for this) a reading plan to read through the New Testament in 30 days. This is not the style of study that I am used to, but it has been so rewarding. Every day I have been immersed in so much scripture that I have been able to see God’s big picture instead of picking apart the little pieces. After taking me back to square one, where all of my encouragement and strength was coming from God alone, He began to build back up for me a new kind of family structure. He has exposed me to people that invite me in their homes, cook dinner for me, and call me their friends. He has revealed to me what it’s like to be a part of a bigger community, a part of a family that stumbles through language barriers together, pushes each others cars out of the sand, and builds homes for one another without the expectation of any kind of pay back. I have gotten to see a little bit about what it means to be a family here, when you live with your family and four other families under one roof, when your dad has to travel for weeks to another town to find work, when parents sleep on the floor so their kids have a bed. Sure, I miss my family, but I am ever grateful to be reminded that I have the family that I have been blessed with only because He has allowed it, and that before my needs are ever meant by this family of mine, all of my voids are filled by Him and Him alone.

A Few Differences from the Desert

Only in Mexico, while driving at a snails pace down the unpaved roads do you see a horse on the side of the road and suggest out loud, "If we only had a couple horses, we could get there much faster."

Only in Mexico, after a day at a house build, could you return home and find out that the water has mysteriously run dry.

Only in Mexico does it not really matter that you are out of water because honestly, as soon as you step outside the front door, your shower renders itself useless.

Only in Mexico do you have to drive to one store for coke and then to another for cups.

Only in Mexico could you order a cheese quesadilla at a restaurant and later in the week, return to the same restaurant, order the same quesadilla, and get something completely different.

Only in Mexico do I not get lost because I know that if I go toward the mountains I'll hit the US and if I go toward the resorts I'll hit the ocean.

Only in Mexico do people sit down to play Chinese Checkers, set up the game, leave without reason, and can be found in their trailer watching a movie because they forgot they were about to play a game.

Only in Mexico does someone cut the stinger off of a scorpion and show it off like a pet.


Only in Mexico do people look at me funny when I tell them my name. Come to find out "Lisa" is a big, happy fish that is commonly found leaping out of the ocean.

Only in Mexico can you not pour a slab of concrete without a stray dog leaving it's foot prints.

Only in Mexico do you ask someone if they'd like to spend the day at the orphanage with you, they turn you down because they have things to do, and then you get in trouble for leaving them. When you say, "You told me you had things to do!" you find out, "Well I got them done" which still makes you guilty of abandonment.

Only in Mexico do you eat tacos everyday of your life, until you get invited to a Mexican family's house, in which you eat hamburgers.

Only in Mexico do stories become twice as funny because everyone has to act them out to assist with the language barrier. You have not laughed until you have seen four people acting out the story of my friend Immanuel, who was trying to do the chicken dance while wearing a giant chicken head, lost his balance, and tipped over, right in front of his entire school at an assembly. (He's mortified that this story is on the internet.)

Only in Mexico does Jesus follow you around wherever you go, translate for you, and text you on a regular basis just to say "Que pasa?"

These are just a few stories out of my funny anecdote collection that I have been saving up over the last few days. I'm in the process of editing another video that will show you the process of a house being built as well as some more footage from the House of Hope. Be looking for that over the next couple days! I miss you all!

¡Hasta Luego!

6/15/2010 ¡Nos Video Primera! 

For today's post, visit The Red Van's youtube page for our first video! I'm sorry the quality seems to be a little fuzzy, but I think I know what I did wrong, so the next video should be a lot clearer. To get the full experience, fry up some cauliflower, grab a scoop of corn and rice, toss a couple tortillas, and enjoy lunch with the kids from House of Hope.

http://www.youtube.com/user/theredvan68

Thanks to my wonderful brother, Kyle, for making the youtube page possible!

6/13/2010 Another Brother

One house build down, two to go. This weekend has been a complete and total blur. OneMission has been hosting a group from Idaho for a house build since Friday I am sorry to say we have to say goodbye to them tomorrow afternoon. This group has been particularly special because it included two sisters, a brother-in-law, a niece, and a nephew of Scott Swartzentruber (the missionary whose family I am living with this summer). The building project went so smoothly, the group has been so much fun to work with, and sharing a 2 bedroom- 1 bathroom house with nine other people has never been so exciting. Before I get on with my story about "Another Brother", I just want to relay the message that I love it here, I'm having a great time, I'm learning a ton, and I miss all of you very much.

Ok, on with the story...

After three days of playing with kids, mixing concrete, sifting sand, and stuccoing a house, I got to spend a couple hours at the beach with the missionaries, the Idaho group, and a group of the locals. It has been easy for me to build relationships with kids, my peers, women, and the Americans. My Spanish keeps getting better, but the people here are very very patient with me and a few of them are BOUND AND DETERMINED to be responsible for my fluency by the end of the summer.

If you kept up with my blog over spring break, the name Tony might ring a bell. If it doesn't, you can scroll down and catch up on the story titled "Tony and Orfa." Tony and his family are the local family that is most involved with OneMission. They have an incredible faith and an incredible heart for sharing the love of Christ with the people they live around. Tony is approaching fifty-years-old, has 7 kids, is a building contractor, lives in Mexico and has nearly nothing in common with me. But for some reason, Tony likes me. He asks how I'm doing every day, he's interested in why I came to Mexico, he likes hearing about my future plans, and it's great because he speaks ENGLISH! That is, he did until about 8:00 this evening.

I walked into the dining room where the Idaho group was ready to have a short worship service and there was Tony with his usual friendly greeting. He pulled up a chair next to him for me to sit in and he started speaking to me in Spanish. I completely froze up! He's heard me talk to kids, women, people my age, etc in Spanish all week, but I could not find the words when he tried. All I could say was, "Tony, I get nervous to speak to you in Spanish." He asked me why, to which I pathetically responded, "Because you're a native Spanish speaker who speaks English flawlessly and my Spanish is just not that good." Tony put his hand on my shoulder, looked me in the eye, and said, "Lisa, this is how you learn. You don't need to be nervous to speak to me, I am your brother now and family helps each other out. I will help you learn Spanish. Now, no more English for your."

Holy Cow! This guy is investing in me! This middle age guy with a job and a family and a whole life that is completely different than mine just declared himself part of my family! Tony has the idea that I keep trying to have. The idea of community. You hear people talk about the "Church Body." That's the idea that, it's not just individual little church congregations all over the world, but that it's something so much bigger. This "body" transcends age, gender, ethnicity, language, culture, lifestyle, and personal history. This body embraces all of those things, knocks out everything that seems it should matter, and sets us on the even playing field of brothers and sisters. That idea is very encouraging to me and I can't wait for Tony is eons wiser than I, to teach me this summer.

The End

PS: A few other things worth mentioning: 1. I saw my first scorpion today and it was gross. 2. I've gone down in OneMission history for one of the funniest mis-translation story. I was passing out sandwiches at the work site and offering the locals either Ham or Peanut Butter sandwiches. The ham went like crazy and no one would take the peanut butter. Come to find out, I was actually offering either Ham or Gross sandwiches and apparently no one was feeling like a gross sandwich that day. Whoops. 3. Brittney, my roommate from Manhattan and the daughter of the missionaries here, is leaving tomorrow for Africa and won't be with me the rest of the summer. I'm going to miss her a lot.


6/11/2010 Sweeping Mexico

Disclaimer: This post is going to take a little bit of effort and imagination on your part to really get the full effect. Just go with me on this... there is a point.

Imagine a refrigerator box. Now stretch that box to encompass a space of 761,601 sq miles (roughly the outside border of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Missouri and Iowa). Got it? Ok, now dig a hole with the area 761,601 sq miles (see above) and deep enough to fit five empire state buildings end to end. Take the bottom out of your box and drop the walls of your box into your new hole. Fill that hole to the brim with sand. Add a few truck loads of flies and a healthy dose of wind gusts to the top of your box. Now place me on the edge of your box with a standard kitchen broom and tell me to sweep the sand out of your box. This is what it is like to sweep Mexico.

No, I did not set out to rid Mexico of sand today, but I was given the task of sweeping the sand off of a front porch. Let me tell you, it took me forty-five minutes to sweep a porch the size of a large kitchen table and all I had to show for it was a couple of blisters. After sweeping and re-sweeping, I came to the conclusion that the wind would never stop blowing sand right back on the porch and my job would never be done. The entire time I was sweeping I kept thinking, "Isn't there something more productive I could be doing with my time?" Finally, I decided I had done my job to the best of my ability and I was done. When I walked back into the house, the missionary I am living with that assigned me my chore just laughed and said, "Sweeping sand is job security in Mexico."

Since my porch experience earlier today, I have this nagging voice that keeps telling me, "Lisa...there is still sand on the porch, go sweep it off! It was, after all, your job!" But I know and understand that I could spend all day and all night out on the porch for the rest of my time here in Mexico, and my task would never be complete. After two days in Mexico, I'm already starting to feel this nagging on a much larger scale. I have set in front of me specific tasks to complete in less than two months. I'm starting and leading a young girls' bible study, continually organizing incoming donations, developing a display to show visiting groups the already constructed homes, working 2-3 evenings a week at the community center, developing a relationship between OneMission and a local orphanage, participating in daily prayer walks through the barrios, building 3 houses, taking care of 3 American groups coming for house builds, the list goes on and on and on. Granted, I'm not being asked to stand on the edge of this big task box with just me and my little broom; I'm standing here with a whole team of missionaries and supporters that do this year-round. None the less, I feel like the tasks are overwhelming and the jobs endless.

My heart breaks for the people that I am rubbing shoulders with here in Mexico. I want to take advantage of the time that I have here to work as long and as hard as I possibly can so that in the end I can say, "I did something in Mexico, I made an impact." That all sounds great, but today when I was sweeping that porch, I realized that if I keep that mentality, I will just be sweeping sand in an endless desert. Instead, this has become my prayer.

Dear God,
By your hand and your will you have dropped me in the middle of this desert. In less than two months, I will move back to Kansas where I have a home and family and friends, and Mexico will become a distant memory. While I am here, please break my heart for what breaks yours. If I try to make an impact on these people, I will end up sweeping sand and leave with nothing but blisters. The only hope I have is to step back and allow you to use me as your tool. I want to be your hands and feet in Mexico. Not that my presence would have a lasting impact on the people of Puerto Penasco, but that your presence would overwhelm them and change there lives. I know that I am powerless when it comes to changing lives, but you are all powerful. There is no task too big or job too vast for you to complete. Please let me in on what you are already doing and will continue to do in this city. God, I want to see you sweep Mexico. Wrap these people up in your love and win their hearts. Thank you for the  opportunity to watch first hand, I already know it is going to change my life.

Amen.

Swallowing my pride and realizing that I am worthless alone, no matter how good my intentions or how hard I work, is very difficult. Please pray along with me, that I will remember what sweeping sand is like.


Settling In

I know you have all been patiently awaiting the first summer post on Mexico. Have no fear! The update is here! I'm happy to report that all errands have been run, all funds have been transferred, and all travel has been completed. I'm settled in to my new summer home and couldn't be more thrilled to be here. Thank you all so much for your prayer, financial, and emotional support. This has definitely been a journey. Because of you, I have raised my goal of $2,000 to spend toward mattresses and bedding and I can't wait to give those away. I am also armed with a couple bags of brand new toys to give away. The last couple days have been a whirlwind so please excuse my short update and my lack of creativity in this post. I promise the days to come will bring stories, pictures, and video to the red van. Thanks for the support and keep on reading!

    
Night Without a Bed

Thank you so much to everyone who prayed for, helped with, and came to "Night without a Bed" last Friday night. It was my very first Red Van event and it was A BLAST! We had a great turn out and I received enough financial support to provide 2 more people with beds! Just think, a few hours by the lake now means that two more people won't have to sleep in the dirt any more.

"Night without a Bed" was sponsored by

Panera Bread
Daylight Donuts
IHOP
Big Poppi Bicycle Co.
Carmike Cinemas
Bluestem Bistro
Kite's Bar and Grill
Digital Shelf Video
Sonic Drive-In
The Little Grill
Big D's Burger Shack
La Fiesta
Dillon's East
Dillon's West

Thank you to the over fifty attendees who came out to show your support and donate to the cause.

A special thanks to the faithful few that stayed for the duration of the night in order to get the full experience...
Alex Szalawiga
Brady Borslien
Zach Force
Courtney Hooper
Amanda Harrison
Liz Jackson
Kirsten Cranford
Jonathan York
Matt Varner
Chris Presnell

This event would not have happened without all of the sponsors and all of you you trusted me with your games and equipment that helped make the night what it was. I can never thank you enough for all of your support and prayers.


Thanks!
Lis

3/21/2010 Hasta Luego Mexico

Days in Mexico are longer than they are in the United States. I found myself awake and on the go by 5:30 each morning and hitting the pillow between 10:30 and 11. Friends are easy to make and hard to leave, crushing the language barrier becomes easier with each conversation, kids become your wisest professors, the sun is hot, the sand is dry, and the flies and moths never disappear, but somehow, things become more bearable in Mexico.  When you rub shoulders day in and day out with the desperate who manage joy, you begin to catch the joy and lose sight of disparity.

I want to live with these people.  I want to be a part of their joy. I don't want to bring America to Mexico. They don't need TV's and iPods, name brand clothing, fast cars, or fancy houses. They need the church.  They need people to live with them, to walk through life with them, to help them buy groceries, repair leaks in their roofs, and tutor their kids. I want Tony's joy, Jesus' work ethic, and Betty's simplicity.  I want to be another friend with the means to make the things that need to happen, happen.

I know I will be returning for a longer stay in a matter of a couple months.  My goal between today and June 1, 2010 is to brainstorm ideas for projects, talk with the missionaries that live here about those ideas, and come up with a functional plan of how to make those ideas materialize.  I will not arrive in June and take a week to get my bearings and start to strategize; I will arrive, and begin implementing.  I never thought waking up before the sun rises would become a daily part of my life, but things change in Mexico.

Even though I am safely back in the States and have a few weeks left of school to focus on, please continue to check the blog for updates. I will be keeping in touch with OneMission and letting all of you know how things are going in Mexico. I will also be asking for your help in planning for my summer. So please please, check the site frequently.

Thanks!
                                                                Lisa 


3/18/2010 Tony and Orfa

Not long ago, Tony was a successful builder in Puerto Penasco. Owning a house on the beach with typical appliances, furniture, and amenities, he was considered upper middle class on the local social ladder. After the economy took a turn for the worse, the two building projects that Tony was involved in were terminated before he could finish them and just like that, he found himself out of work.

Today, Tony, his wife Orfa, and their seven kids, live in a small house built by One Mission in the barrios. Though they have sold most of their belongings to get by, their house is a hodge podge of the life they used to have, and the life they are quickly becoming accustomed to. Two bedrooms are separated from the rest of the house by scraps of fabric, their TV is run by a generator that lasts no more than an hour, and their refrigerator houses Tony's paperwork. Because their life was flipped on its head only recently, their children are still very well dressed compared to their new neighbors and their education level exceeds many adults.

Since Tony has been out of work, he and his wife have been dedicated to serving with One Mission. When a group needs a foreman to build a house, Tony takes charge, when a One Mission vehicle needs repair, Tony fixes it, when errands need to be run, Tony runs them, when the language barrier gets to be too much, Tony translates, Tony can do ANYTHING.... except cook. So, when One Mission is serving food, Orfa cooks it. They invite people into their home, they invest in the groups that visit One Mission, and they get their children involved in serving at One Mission as well.

Aside from collectively being able to do anything and everything, Tony and Orfa find a way to have contagious joy despite their new situation. Today, Tony stood on the roof of the cafeteria and swung the rope of a pinata for a birthday party, and he swung that rope just like he does everything else, with joy and to the best of his ability. I laughed to the point of tears as Tony teased the kids; he made the pinata talk and dance and swung it around, he put on a show for the entire mission. After the party was over, he packed up his family and headed back to the dark barrios with the promise that he would see us tomorrow.

This week, Tony landed a job building a new ice cream shop in town. This will be the first paying job that Tony has had in I'm not sure how long. The first thing that Tony did was hire a man named Jesus, another man very dedicated to the building projects of One Mission. Jesus has been out of work for over 18 months.  Jesus, his wife, and three kids live in the barrios and are largely dependent on the food and clothing donations they receive through One Mission.

I have had the privilege of getting to know Jesus, Tony, and their families this week. They have been great examples of selflessness despite the situations they have been dealt. Living day to day unsure of how they will clothe and feed their families, they continue to serve wholeheartedly and without ceasing. They are examples in their communities and to the groups that come to visit. This is what One Mission is about, building a community in which people help each other without expecting anything in return. This is what Christianity looks like in the slums of Puerto Penasco.


3/17/2010 My Education in Action

I spend 150 minutes per week in a class called Human Geography where I learn fascinating things. Most of the information I receive in this class is based on common sense ideas that I did not need someone else to explain to me, but for one semester, I have 150 golden minutes each week to sit and ponder these ideas.  On more than several occasions, I have found myself relating an experience outside of the classroom, to something that I had heard in the lecture of my Human Geography class. Today happened to be one of those days.

 After spending all morning at base camp and at work sites, a group of us took a few hours to go into the city and explore and check out the beach. Puerto Penasco is the name of the city that the barrios surround and One Mission is located about three miles on the opposite side of the barrios. Puerto Penasco is everything a spring break location hopes to be in Mexico; large resorts, crowded shops, loud music, outdoor bars, seaside restaurants, English speaking Mexicans, and paying Americans. In order to get to Puerto Penasco from the United States, you can take the main highway straight into town without ever seeing a hint of the barrios; but if you stray a mere half mile in either direction of the highway and brave the sand dunes, you will be exposed to everyday life in Mexico for those who are not fortunate enough to have jobs in the tourist industry.

Recently, Human Geography has taught me that, especially in poorer countries, cities are prime real estate. Outskirts of cities tend to be more "barrio" oriented than they are "suburbia" oriented, and thus is the case of Puerto Penasco, Mexico. At about 10:00 this morning I was being asked by three nine-year-olds, in Spanish, if I could bring shoes and school supplies back to them tomorrow. At about 3:00 this afternoon, I was asked for the third time, in English, if I was interested in participating in a "booze cruise" with my fellow American spring breakers.

It hurts me to know, that the amount of money that my peers will spend on alcohol, food, and entertainment, for one week's worth of spring break luxury, in Puerto Penasco alone, would cover the cost for all of my new friends, and all of their friends, and all of the friends they ever wish to have, to have a house and shoes and school supplies.


If only the big-spending Americans, taking body shots on the booze cruise at this very moment, were tall enough to see over the sand dunes.

Today, I saw the significance of the urban to rural spread in Mexico that I had only heard about in Human Geography. I rubbed shoulders with the undereducated and the over intoxicated. I just want to fix the disconnect.


 

3/16/2010 Betty

While making routine water deliveries to the multiple work sites today, I had the honor of speaking with a Mexican woman named Betty. Betty, her husband, and two children have been living in the barrios, in a tent that is smaller than a full size mattress. Without ever being introduced to Betty, she greeted me with open arms and a smile as wide as the desert she lives in. She immediately directed my attention to the very near finished house that would be ready for her family to move into by the end of the day. In my very broken Spanish, and with a lot of patience from Betty, we had a long conversation about the amount of work her and her husband and the team of builders had done, how grateful she was, and the trials that her family endures on a day to day basis. After this conversation, Betty took me to her tent, where I met her son, Ernesto.

Ernesto is seven years old and has a severe case of cerebral palsy. For the last seven years, Ernesto has slept with his family in their small tent, been constantly exposed to the desert climate, and has not received proper medical attention. Ernesto does not walk and does not talk, but he has a smile as wide as Betty's. Anywhere that Ernesto goes, he is cradled in his mother or father's arms and walked to his destination. Yesterday, there was a fiesta thrown for Betty and her family at One Mission, located over three miles away from Betty's tent and soon to be home.  Embarrassed of not being cleaned up for the event, Betty's husband planned to help Betty carry Ernesto three miles to the nearest shower, and then return to the tent where he would join his daughter in watching over the supplies that cannot be left alone. Betty and Ernesto would then finish walking to One Mission alone and take part in the fiesta without the rest of their family. Fortunately, their plan was foiled. Scott Swartzentruber, one of the permanent missionaries here, caught wind of the families plan. Scott convinced them that, "It would do him no good to be missing half of the family for the fiesta" so they just had to load up in his truck, ride to the mission, shower and clean up on the grounds, and then be catered to while volunteers watched over their lot and supplies in the barrios. All the while, Ernesto was passed back and forth between his mother and father's arms.

Tonight, Betty and her family are sleeping in their new, two room house that is about the size of a small park shelter. They have a roof over their head, four walls to block out the wind, and a front door that they don't have to unzip in order to enter or exit. Perhaps the most exciting and unexpected gift that the family received, was a donation of two mattresses and bedding. I was not there when the mattresses were given to them, but from what I heard, Ernesto sprawled out and gave a bigger than life smile to thank those who helped provide him a home and some comfort in the midst of all of his pain.

I'm not sure how families like Betty's survive. I'm not sure how they go day in and day out without knowing how they will get food, stay warm, or provide for their children. I'm not sure how their arms will continue to carry a growing boy who cannot walk and has no other means of moving from place to place. All I know for sure, is that Betty and her husband love each other and their children from the bottom of their hearts, and I'm not sure how other families survive without that kind of love.

3/15/2010 Hola familia y amigos!

I have great news! I made it to Rocky Point at about 1:30 am this morning! I understand that many of you may be concerned with the advisory against travel in Mexico that conveniently occurred less than a few hours after my arrival, but I can confidently say you have nothing to worry about. The point at which Brittney and I crossed the border and will cross again on Friday is very safe and has had no border-war-type activity. I have not felt unsafe for a single second of my stay here. 

Top 10 Things I Have Learned on Day #1 of La Adventura Mexicana:
10.) When I ask "Did you enjoy the food" in what I think is Spanish, it translates as "Can I get you some more food." And when I say, "I need a big spoon for the guacamole please" it comes out as..."*blank stare giggle giggle*"

9.) Mexico=Sand

8.) When you are the only person from Kansas, people take pity on your transparent skin and funny looking first-day-spotty-burn as a cry for help. I have a promise of extra-special sunscreen tomorrow and I didn't even ask for it.

7.) Real, rolled-out, hand-patted, flour-tossed tortillas have to be a glimpse of the food in heaven.

6.) When donating to an organization or charity: DONATE BOTH SHOES

5.) Roadrunners are real and cross the road in zones like deer do in Kansas

4.) Keep away and dodgeball are equally funny in every language.

3.) Don't drink water if it looks like milk.

2.) XL Thai clothes may have their place in fashion after all.

1.) Just when you think you know what you're talking about, you realize you have no clue at all.

I have some very powerful and moving stories to share and I haven't even been in Mexico for 24 hours. I'm very excited for you to all hear about a family with a handicapped child walking three miles to shower, an American girl who goes to Spanish-speaking school without a translator instead of being homeschooled so she can minister to people her age, and my newest friend, Angelica, who let me call her Carmen all day long. I can now tell you with first hand experience that God is moving and changing lives in Rocky Point, Mexico.

Sack lunch and bathroom duty are calling my name at 6:00 tomorrow morning, so I must hit the sack. Keep checking the blog over the next few days with updates and more importantly KEEP PRAYING!

With Much Love,
Lis

3/13/2010 The Day Before Take Off

In less than 24 hours I will be in Tuscan Arizona and well on my way to Rocky Point! Though I have a general idea of the mission that I am going to work with, I won't find out exactly what my responsibilities will be until after I am there. Needless to say, whatever it is I will be doing, I am completely stoked about it!

I am under the impression that I will have access to internet while I am there, so I'm hoping to be able to keep you all updated with stories and snippets of life in Mexico, but in case I don't have internet access, I will be sure to update the page as soon as I return from Mexico to Arizona. Who knows, maybe I will even figure out how to upload pictures! (Or maybe Kyle can walk me through it).

Please continue to pray that I will stay focused on doing God's work, that my own relationship with God will become even richer through this experience, and that it will become very clear to me whether or not I should move forward on spending my summer in Rocky Point.

You have no idea how excited I am for all of you to be a part of what I am doing in Mexico!
Talk to you soon!
Lisa



 Mexico Plan
The count down to my spring break mission trip to Rocky Point, Mexico is on! I am going to visit an organization called "One Mission" which is operated by my roommate's family, the Swartzentrubers. Their mission statement is to, "Unite people behind one common goal. To build community by serving others." In order to fulfill this mission, One Mission hosts groups ranging from large youth groups to small families and everything in between. During the groups' visit to Rocky Point, they spend three days building a home for a family that otherwise would not have one. In addition to the housebuilding ministry, the Swartzentrubers, have recently relocated to live near the community they are building and are constantly looking for new ways to reach that community with the love of Jesus Christ.

For me, this spring break trip means an opportunity to meet and get to know the Swartzentruber family and the families they minister to on a day to day basis. I will get a feel for how the organization works and find out what areas they could use help in on a longer term basis. The hope is, after this short trip, I will be able to come home, finish my semester of school, and return for several weeks in the summer in order to fulfill more needs of the organization and community. It is this summer trip in which I will be looking for more financial support.

In the mean time, please be praying that God will shine through me during my short time in Mexico over spring break. Pray that I make a connection with people and families that I may be returning to in a few months. Also, pray for clarity in how I can be preparing to spend more time in Rocky Point over the summer.

As I mentioned, the Swartzentruber's recently gave up their comfortable lifestyle in Phoenix, AZ in order to go into full time ministry in Mexico. They always appreciate your prayers and support and would love to host you and a group of friends, co-workers, family, or any group of people who are searching for a way to make a difference. Check out their ministry in more detail at...

http://www.onemission.us/index.php

Be sure to check back under the Mexico tap for journal entries from Mexico through the dates of March 14-20th.

Thanks for your prayers and constant support!
Lisa