Last Day in Merida!

Hola amigos!

Our team had a fantastic last day! We got an extra hour of sleep, had an amazing breakfast, and then stayed at the church to do some clean up work. We pulled weeds, painted the gym and classrooms, and touched up the fences and doors. After finishing our work for the day, we had spaghetti and fajitas for lunch, which was a very interesting combination. We then were given time to rest and pack before heading to an earlier than usual large group.
      In large group we sang many songs, and everyone had the opportunity to share what they had learned or gained from this trip and the people on it. Many tears were shed, and hearts were happy while worshiping the Lord. After worship we broke into our small groups to discuss our final memories and experiences from the trip. I think everyone can agree that bonds were formed that can never be broken on this trip.
     Heading into dinner, we were surprised with a Mariachi band, and sang songs and danced with our  friends at Shalom Church. While eating dinner we sang karaoke, which was probably the highlight of my day. The entire team let loose and enjoyed each other's company as we said our last goodbyes to the people at Shalom Church, and headed back to the hotel to prepare for our long day of traveling tomorrow.
   As our trip comes to a close, It is important that we remember all the friendships that were formed and all the experiences that were had here in the beautiful city of Merida, Mexico.

- Claudia Crawford

Last Day of Construction and VBS

¡Hola amigos! We got an early start this morning and went to construction site for the last day of work. We finished the roof with a nice layer of water proof of cement. Everybody took turns pouring cement and bringing the buckets back by using an assembly line. Even though everybody was so tired and the buckets were so heavy everyone pushed through the mental and physical barrier and we finished in no time. After work we had a tasty lunch and headed back to the hotel to get ready for VBS. Team 1 closed the last day at VBS with songs, water balloon catch, sidewalk chalk, face paint, and pictures. Team 2 did the same activities at their VBS. We had an awesome time worshiping with the kids and singing the songs in both English and Spanish. It was really tough saying goodbye to the kids. We had hot dogs wrapped in bacon for dinner and they were so good. We are going to have small group and worship, and we are very excited to see what is in store for tomorrow.  ¡Hasta mañana!

Much love,

Abby Stubbs

P.S. Visit the Facebook for pictures from today: https://www.facebook.com/iomexico14

Work Day 2 - Tuesday, July 22

¡Hola! ¿Como Estas? Today we started by waking up bright, and early for some delicious homemade Mexican breakfast at the church. After devouring multiple servings of the amazing Mexican food, we ventured onto a 30 minute bus ride to the construction site. The students were ecstatic to start a day of work regardless of the hot weather, or a short night of sleep. We began work at 8:00am, and worked hard for 2 hours pouring concrete, and moving it to 3 floors to the roof as our Mexicano construction amigos spread it. We took a much needed break around 11 o'clock, but were back at it about 20 minutes later to finish some of the daily projects we had started. After a hard day of work around 1pm some of the students played fütbol at the school with some of the Mexican students from Shalom church that had joined us for work. Quickly we raided the bus covered in dried concrete, and took our bus ride back to the church excited to join the children at VBS. We split up into a group that stayed at the church, and another group that went to a shelter for children. It was amazing to see how much the students opened up, and socialized once they had a day to get used to some new faces. Being able to connect with the children and teach them about God was an amazing sight to see. After around 3 hours of being with the children we are currently meeting back at the church to have an amazing dinner of tortillas chicken and other various Mexican foods!

¡Hasta Mañana!

Lawton

Facebook pictures coming soon: https://www.facebook.com/iomexico14

Good Morning!

Buenos Dias!

We're at breakfast right now eating some yummy omelets that Shalom Church has prepared for us! We're getting ready to head out for day two of construction. I think everyone is a little sore from our hard work yesterday, but we're all really excited to get going again! We're making great progress on the building, so we may get done with our work a little early this week and be able to help serve in another way. We'll keep you updated when we find out more. We've already posted some pictures this morning, so you can check those out and be on the lookout for more pictures and posts later today.

Thanks for all your support! We love you all!!

Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/iomexico14

Construction and VBS - Day 1

Hola Americanos! Today we met up at 7am to eat breakfast and then we headed out to the construction site. I think we all were nervous, and none of us knew what to expect. At the site, we split up into our work teams (beam team and block squad). The beam team worked on lifting 6 beams that weighed 572 pounds each onto the roof of the third floor. Block squad started an assembly line shuffling 60 pound blocks up the scaffolding  to the roof of the third floor. After about 2 hours we took a short snack break of delicious fruit and cookies. Then we began our concrete mixing for the floor of a hallway. We had a huge assembly line that went from the concrete mixer, up the scaffolding, onto the third floor, down a separate scaffolding, and back to the mixer. We all started with fears of concrete burns . Regardless all of us ended up mildly covered in concrete but no burns! We were all totally exhausted as we headed back to the hotel around 2pm. We ate lunch, and then went back to the hotel to shower and nap before VBS. Half of our team went to El Comedor ( a shelter for needy children ) for VBS and some of us stayed at Shalom Church. We worshiped with the kids and were able to connect with them despite the language barrier. We're eating dinner now of empanadas, and about to  head off to do large group, small group, and worship.  After all of that we will be rewarded with a greatly needed rest!

 ¡Adios!
Serena and Maddy

Here is the link to the Facebook page: https://m.facebook.com/iomexico14. Pictures from today will be posted later tonight!

Hola! Day 2 was our fun day. We started it off by going to the church service at Shalom, and then taking a 2 hour bus ride to Chichen Itza. There, we got to visit a beautiful sinkhole and see the Mayan Ruins. When we came back to Merida, we prepared for VBS and construction. Even though today was mostly fun and games, we're all prepared and excited for the week to come! My favorite part of today besides the fun activities was getting to listen to the church service. Even though we couldn't understand the sermon, being able to see how the people of Merida reacted to it was incredible. I love knowing that Jesus is a language for anyone around the world, regardless of culture. Overall, today was a great start to the week and we can't wait to get to work!

- Ashley Goldston

(p.s. Here's the link to our Facebook photos of today: https://m.facebook.com/iomexico14...enjoy!!)

Good news--We made it to Merida safely!! After the flight and bus ride, we checked into our hotel. We got to have a little bit of "down time" before we headed to Shalom Church for dinner. We then headed down to a local festival for some live music and shopping. We stopped at an ice cream shop here to have some of their awesome sorbet! Finally, we finished off the night with some team worship, large group, and small group. So glad we're here safe and ready for an awesome week of service!

We've been having some trouble with wifi here unfortunately, but we will post more info and pictures as much as we can!

Also, please follow us on social media to get updates on our trip:
Twitter - @IOmexico2014
Instagram - @IOmexico14
Facebook - IO Mexico '14

Thank you!!

My Heart is in Mexico

     

     On this trip, my life has been changed more than I could have ever expected beforehand. My life was changed on the first trip I went on here two years ago, but for some reason I thought that the spiritual feeling would "cool down" or something on this trip. But honestly it is incomparable. I was worried I wouldn't get as much out of it and I went into it not expecting as much. I return today with my expectations blown open.

     The power of our God to work through our lives is always inspiring, but the way in which He does it is sometimes even more so. The people He surrounded me with on this trip are each individually some of the best, most genuinely God-abiding, loving people I have ever had the pleasure and honor of meeting and getting to build a personal relationship with in Christ. The way in which they have conducted themselves and worked and grown as a team to bring people closer to God, including each other, has been an absolutely amazing thing to watch. I know I could never have asked God for a more perfect mission trip group because I know there has never been one. I have befriended nearly everyone on this trip, which is amazing considering the fact that one week ago I hardly knew most of these outstanding individuals personally. But our God does great things and He has definitely introduced some amazing people into my life that I never want to let go of. 

     I thanked God every day of this mission trip for the opportunity He blessed me with, and I know that He will continue to bless me in potential future mission trips and spiritual endeavors, but none can be quite like this one. The way that God channels His Love through His children is beautiful. Sometimes I can't sufficiently explain all the love I feel from God at one moment, but I don't need to, and I don't want to. I don't want to be able to explain everything. I used to struggle with this, but God has given me eyes to see that the works that He does are not meant to always be understood. Nothing about God is quite meant to be fully understood in the way that we can't explain everything. But that's what makes praising Him so awesome. He has no limits like our simple brains do. His Love has no conditions like our human love does. His strength has no end like any amount of mortal strength does. We may not be able to comprehend why He does what He does, how He does what He does, or anything like that, but isn't His Love enough? Isn't it enough that He's given us a life to live even though we are so harshly undeserving? Isn't He miraculous enough to where questions don't matter? I'm not suggesting that it is wrong to question faith in Him sometimes (as it is perfectly normal), but why would you?? Isn't His Love enough of an answer? 

      I am sure everyone on this mission trip would agree, and everyone who pursues an active relationship with our One True Father and King knows that His Love is THE answer... to it all. To life. To every intermediate step in life. To those little struggles we have daily. To those larger struggles we may have over the course of years. His Love is the answer for why we live our lives how we do, even in the bad. Not because He has something against us. Not because He favors some of His children over others (I can assure you He does not, no matter who you are or what you've done). Not because He intends for pain to break us and push us away from Him. He is not deserving of this blame. Whether we realize it or not, everything that happens in our lives, the good and the bad, is a part of His Plan for our us. And it is His Love that directs the current of our lives. It is His Love that allows things to take place to make us stronger people. It is His Love that gives us experiences, especially bad ones, that may be shared with others to bring them closer to Him. God gives us a crutch in others to lean on so we do not feel alone. We all sin. We know we do bad things. And we will continue to throughout the course of our lives. But that doesn't mean we cannot be good sons and daughters of Christ. 

     God did not make us to be perfect in all that we do. He made us to struggle. He made us to doubt. He made us to worry. But that's what faith is all about. Without hardship, we would have no reason to doubt Him. We would be compelled to follow Him. But He wants to give us a choice, and in doing so, He makes us stronger people by teaching us lessons that sometimes cannot be learned or taught in any other way. Although God made us to worry, struggle, and doubt, He also made us to love! How amazing it is that we can have a personal relationship with our Father in Heaven! It is His Love alone that compelled Him to send His Son to die for us. And it is His Mercy in sending that Son to save us from our sins. So although we may continue to sin, and continue to think we are pushing ourselves away from Him, we are actually always there in His embrace if we are willing to realize it. In fact, we actually move closer to God in our wrongs. They are powerful lessons to be learned that have the potential to transform not only your faith, but the faith of others, should you choose to admit your wrongs and learn from them. Sometimes we feel like we are drifting away from God. In those times we may not act as godly; however, in reality, He is resting in our heart with open arms should we choose to run back into them. He gives us unfailing, unconditional Love. He gives us the path to eternal Life. He gives us a choice. My choice is to follow Him. Based upon the amazing experiences I have been able to behold, and my life-changing revelations on this trip, I know that that Love of His, simply to give us the choice, is enough of an answer for me. And it is for you, if you embrace that Love and Grace that He shines over you. 

     So no, my spirituality is not "cooling down," and my awe for the works He has done on this trip has opened my eyes even wider to His perfect Love. God has blessed me with these amazing people to surround myself with, and together, we are a team. Even as we return to Forsyth County and hop back into our "normal" lives, we are still a team, inseparable by the strong Hand and Heart of God. And we will continue to serve Him with hand and heart to bring His Love to the world together. We are a team doing a great work and we cannot come down. Even when we feel like we may be the only ones doing His work sometimes, nothing we do for Him is done alone. 

     We are lights in the darkness, illuminating the world together. We are little flames, burning bright and passionately, each with a fire for Jesus Our Savior. How wrong I was to think this Crazy Love, this powerful inspirational Spirit, would "cool down." As we each shine our little lights for Him brightly and distinctly, we form a much greater flame, one that can be seen on a large scale in this world full of darkness. He has given us the potential to go out and change the world with His Love, and I personally am going to make the most of that opportunity. As we move through this beautiful life, igniting others spiritually to live as fires for God, we inch closer to the entrance to an eternal life that we have been promised, one in His perfect Kingdom. The end of His worldly Path for each of us approaches faster than we realize. But in terms of His promised Eternity, this is just the beginning.

"I am doing a great work and I cannot come down..." (Nehemiah 3:6).

On the plane 2.0

 

We are on the plane

 

 

Heading Home

Well, after a VERY late but incredible and awesome night (and into the morning), we are heading home. We are tired, but it is a good tired. We are sore, but it's a good kind of sore. Most importantly, we are connected...connected to our friends in Merida, connected to one another and connected to our Heavenly Father as we've witnessed His power, grace and love pouring through each person on this trip. We are almost at the Cancun airport...can't wait to see our friends and family!

 

Time to debrief - Late night Friday

Each year we take time to "debrief" and talk through what we learned during the week, what God has shown us individually, and also to encourage one another in the Lord. Wow...these students and leaders have been hearing from the Father. Of course, before we get to the sharing, we must have what has become an annual event called the "Paper Plate Awards". The leaders get together and write something funny or meaningful (or both) that stood out during the week on paper plates. I could give a few examples but there is really no need, just ask one of the students about their award (there is usually a story behind it). Due to confidentiality restrictions, I will not share how late the session went...ok, there are no such restrictions, but if I disclose that information you would think we're pretty insane leaders (and you would be correct). See you soon.

 

 

Buenos Dias Amiguitos

Our last hour in Mexico is slowly coming to an end. We will shortly hop on the bus and begin our journey back to Georgia. We will be arriving at the airport around 6:30 and should get through the airport in about an hour. So we will see everyone around 7:30 tonight. This trip has been indescribable, and when I say this I think I speak for the whole team. God is moving everyone of us, and he is not just moving us here in the Yucatan. We are bringing back this love god is placing in our hearts to share with everyone back home. We are all so thankful for this experience, and we would like to thank everyone who supported us coming here. We couldn't have done it without you! Good luck to the second team who is on their way to finish our work. We will all be praying for you guys, and just know that we all love you very much. We hope that the trip opens your heart to The Lords love and grace, and y'all, you are going to have a blast! Adios Merida! 

Lunch at the beach

After an awesome time at the beach, we walked a few blocks to eat lunch (and yes, we were hungry!).

 

Friday afternoon at the beach

After our final work day at Blas Pascal, we rewarded this incredible team with an hour or so of fun in the sun at the beach! Take a look!

 

 

 

 

Construction Complete

We have officially finished all construction for the trip!

Last day

After staying up all night talking to eachother and having one on ones, we are up and at it again. There's no doubt that we are all tired today, but no amount of tiredness is going to stop us from finishing mission. We are finishing up breakfast, and soon we are headed back to Blas Pascal to finish cleaning up our construction site. Hopefully, after we finish our work we will be headed to the playa and enjoy the ocean for about an hour. After the beach, we will come back for lunch, and have one last opportunity to spend our pesos in town. Then, we will have dinner, and have our last large group meeting here in Mexico. We are all very sad knowing it is our last full day here in Merida. It is been extremely evident that god is changing the hearts of everyone here in Mexico. Every person on our team brings something to the table that amplifies our walk with our father. We have created so many new friendships that we will have for the rest of our lives. Long live Merida!

Help for the Kids

Our hearts are full from these children.