I have posted a map on Google showing where we were in Mexico including the turns we took to get to Casa Bugambilia. I thought everyone would enjoy seeing where we were. It can also serve as a resource for future groups trying to navigate there.
Friday, June 27th at 6:00 is the preferred date. Let me know if that will work for you so I will know how much pizza to order.
Mission Group: Sorry I’m so slow making this call. I have heard from Cara, Ron,
Rick(maybe), Aaron+Kellen, and Jim G. Summer is hard, but I think we
can do better than this. I would like to postpone the meeting and try
to pick a date and time when we will have more representation. Let’s
try June 25 or 27 or July 9 or 10 at 6:00. Let me know which date/s
might work for you. We will discuss: Evaluation of the experience. Dates reserved for next year’s trip - May 31 – June 5 Kinds of work we will do. Recruiting people to do the work needed. Goals for the future.
You do not have to have been on this year’s mission trip in order to
come to this meeting. We would welcome those seeking information or
considering the possibility of joining us in the future.
Last year on our trip we accompanied a group of high school and college students from Highland Park United Methodist Church out to Isla Fantasia. I was very impressed with them and in my sermon asked, "what happens when you teach a bunch of wealthy, connected kids from Dallas that to be a follower of Christ means doing mission work?"
This year we got an answer in the person of Matt. He was one of those students that has been sponsored by his church to serve and internship with Juntos Servimos. He has been recording his experiences on a blog http://mattsamoros.blogspot.com/ that is great reading for anyone who cares about this community.
I have posted all of the pictures that Tracy and I took to a web album at
http://picasaweb.google.com/aaron.sapp/Matamoros2008
Enjoy today's video diary from Siemon
Even going home takes preparation. Today, after we returned from our work in Mexico we started getting ready to come home. We've folded the tablecloths and given away our extra food. Tomorrow we'll strip the beds and put the sheets in our pillowcases for transport to the laundry. We'll pack our bags and say our good byes. All of this just to get ready to return to the familiar. Our friends and families, our regular jobs, our own beds.
Sometimes we think that the familiar doesn't require preparation, that we can just show up and everything will go well. This is especially true of church on Sunday. This week spend a little time in preparation for Sunday. This can be reading the worship texts as part of your daily devotional (hint this week will by John 4), or as simple as being in your seat when worship starts and anticipating an encounter with God in the familiar.
I hope that you will join us this Sunday as the members of our team present our experiences through worship.
Enjoy today's video diary from Tracy
We have a map! I have a pretty good head for navigation, but I've never managed to figure out where Casa Bugambilia is. Until this year there weren't street signs in the colonia. Yesterday I wrote down the name of the streets we were taking and looked them up on Google Maps on my iPhone. Rick filled in the gaps where things weren't clear, and we made a map. Today I double checked it against the route and took pictures of all of the turns. I hope to make a guide for future groups to use.
I also tried to make a map to our work site. I was able to get part of the way there, but there are gaps. Some of the roads don't have street signs. Some of the signs appear to have been set on fire and are illegible. At one point the path meanders through an active dumping area. It also doesn't help that we come home a different way than we get there. Most of the time we are dependent on following Larry to get us home and we're not sure he has taken us the same way twice.
It isn't always clear where God is taking us. There are almost never street signs, but somehow we always end up where there is work for us to do.
Aaron
Enjoy today's video diary by Winston
