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

Lake Day!!

Hello all!

WOW! We can't believe we leave for Merida in only 4 days! It's been a long preparation process, but we're so excited the trip is finally here! Last Saturday we had an awesome time hanging out at the lake. After a fun afternoon on the water, we went inside for dinner, worship, large group, small group, and communion together. Some pictures from our Lake Day are below. Huge thanks to Sam Jacobson's family for hosting us at their home for the day! Thanks to all who worked hard to plan this, and also thanks to everyone for coming out and having a great time with us! 

We're so excited to head down to Merida and begin serving together this Saturday!!

Blessings,

The IO Merida Team 2

Construction Project in Merida

Would you like to meet our host in Merida? How about understanding a little more about the construction project? Take a look at the video! Get in shape now...squats, overhead press, bicep curls, walking / running and more. You will thank me later.

Serving the needy children in Merida

We can not wait to serve in Merida! After each hard day of construction work, we will take a few hours rest then head over to Comedor de Beneficencia para Niños de Escasos Recursos Emmanuel A.C. where we will bring food, school supplies, clothes and anything else we can to support the children. We are also planning, for now, to put on a mini-concert and perhaps a skit or drama along with a relevant and fun gospel message. I put together a few pictures so you can see exactly where we are going. For those supporting our efforts, we could not do it without you!

Small Group Dinners

Small Group Dinners

Every month, our wonderful Mexico group gathers together. This month though, in lieu of a meeting, we took the opportunity to gather in a more intimate setting as small groups for dinner after InsideOut. In local restaurants small groups got to know a little bit more about each other and about the trip. With less than 60 days until departure, our excitement continues to grow for July 19th!

Thanks,

Serena

The "other" Walk in Merida

We're making a few changes this year, one of which is the hotel where we are staying in Merida. This year we will be at the Las Margaritas in Merida, just a few minutes walk down the street from Shalom Church. Take a virtual walk with us from the hotel to Shalom in this 30 second video. Enjoy!

Meeting #3

Hello friends!

Just a reminder that we have our third meeting today, Sunday, March 2, in the Upstreet Gym following InsideOut. Remember to bring any missing paperwork or checks you have. Can't wait to see you all then, and as always we're ecstatic to be gearing up for this awesome opportunity for service with you!

Praying for you!

Love and Blessings

Meeting #2

Hello all!

We're getting excited for our second team meeting coming up on Sunday, February 9, at 6:15. We'll be meeting in the UpStreet Gym to hang out, get to know each other and host our letter stuffing party.

Students and leaders -
Remember to bring 50 copies of your letter and postage for them. Envelopes will be provided. Lastly, send names/addresses for address labels to Lauren Segars before Sunday so she can print them for you.

We're thrilled to get this process started! Please pray for our team as we prepare for this amazing journey God's taking us on.

Love and Blessings

Welcome

Welcome to the 2014 InsideOut Merida Mexico blog from Browns Bridge Community Church in Cumming, Ga! Due to the great response from last year and huge need in Mexico, we are doubling our efforts! This year we have TWO teams full of incredible high school students and leaders that will serve in Merida this summer...how awesome is that! The first team will descend on Merida beginning July 12-19 ("trip1"); the second on July 19-26 ("trip2"). We have decided to use ONE blog for both trips and will do our best to tag each post accordingly!

Parents of students serving in Merida and those supporting our efforts, our intent is to keep you updated through this blog while in Mexico. We have a VERY tight schedule and a lot to get done so it's possible we may miss a day or two but will do our best! If you do not see your child or a familiar face in a series of pictures or videos don't worry, they will show up eventually. Insights, updates, videos, pictures and more will soon be on this blog...we are ready to go! Thanks for all your support!