Eternal Life Mission Team 2006

Saturday, July 29

2006-07-31T08:11:00.000-07:00

The team and four of our young people went to the coast for a jungle boat ride and a swim in the Pacific.
Baby crocodiles.

Saturday, July 29

2006-07-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a well-deserved day off. The team members and four young people went to the coast. They took a boat ride down a river to its source. Then they were able to eat at a little hotel and swim in the Pacific.
Baby crocodiles.

Friday the 28th of July

2006-07-29T19:56:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, this is Jolanda again. Friday morning was our last morning that we were going out and inviting people for the program. Here is Pastor Anema trying to stick the folleto and the invitation between the door because there was no response on the doorbell. We had prayed that we won't rain out this night, and when we came there the sky was clear, but that changed very quickly! And we got a very heavy rain! But in the meanwhile a lot of children had showed up and stayed with us and waiting with us under the tent. And the adults were watching us, waiting to see what we were going to do. We waited till the rain stopped, and then we started singing. And it was one of the best evenings of this week, I think. This time we had an adult class too, and some of the ladies were really interested. Out of this area we got four names and phone numbers of people who showed some interest. So God heard our prayer, only He answered in a different way then we expected!
There were also alot of young people, of whom some didn't want to stay, but stayed after all and showed interest too.
And because we had to wait till the rain stopped before we could start our program, it was almost dark when we were done. So we got to see this beautiful sunset.
It was a great week for us! We have seen and learned alot I think, about how it is on the mission field. How God is working in people, and that the only thing you can do is trust on God, and put our efforts back in His Hands!

Thursday, July 27 - Shopping downtown!

2006-07-28T13:52:00.000-07:00

Hey, this is Michelle here. Even though I look really dumb in this picture, I've agreed to put it on the blog. Anyways, in our free time, we headed to downtown Tepic. It was a beautiful walk to the plaza, the sun was partly out. We all got our shopping done and by the time we were ready to leave, it was starting to rain. Our walk back was an adventure through flooded streets rushing with water. They looked like small streams. It was a wonderful experience and one I'll never forget. By the time we got back, we were quite wet. It was fun anyways!
This is Kristen in downtown Tepic enjoying her agua-fresca drink.

The days fly by . . .

2006-07-27T15:09:00.000-07:00

It may be that our pictures all look quite the same to you; lots of excited kids and the team members doing what you would expect them to do. However, in each place where we hold our program different opportunities present themselves to speak to individuals, each with their own special set of circumstances. The Lord knows each one of these children, young people, and adults by name. We ask you to pray with us that the Lord would give us the words to speak, and that His Spirit would work in the heart and life of each one.

As with every other team, we are able to get our church name and information to many people. We printed seven thousand tracts with a simple gospel message and an invitation to the mission. We hope to get them into as many hands as possible, so people know where they can go to hear more.

2006-07-27T08:06:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, Andrew here. This is a picture of some of the children who came out to our program despite the rain. The children were for the most part very enthusiastic about the singing, which was encouraging. We hope and pray that God will use our efforts in teaching these children about the bible through the programs we have, and that their lives will be changed by the word.

Wednesday, July 26

2006-07-26T20:20:00.000-07:00

Hi! This is Tammy. Tonight it started raining shortly after we were set up. Here we are singing under the canopy trying to stay dry.
Jorge and Aaron really have a good time together. They have become good friends despite the language barrier. Aaron is learning some Spanish and Jorge is working on his English. They do a lot of "sign language" to help them figure out what the other is saying. It is fun watching two Christian young people have a good time witnessing to the children down here.
When we arrive in each neighborhood for the program, Jacob is the main attraction. Many children crowd around him and want to touch him. They are amazed at his blond hair and blue eyes.
Here is Pastor Richard leading in the singing of the kids' songs. Kristin and Michelle play the piano during the kid's singing. Even though the crowd was small tonight because of the rain, the kids sounded really good. Because of the rain, we didn't divide into smaller groups tonight. The highlight, as usual, for the kids was the making of the salvation bracelets. Pray that they will remember what each color bead stands for so they can witness to other kids they come in contact with. After the program tonight we went out for pizza in Xalisco with Martin & Martha and their family and Maria & her girls. It was a great time of fellowship, and the pizza was enjoyed by all. It's hard to believe we only have two days of presenting our program left, time is going very quickly. We are all learning a lot and enjoying our time with the church members here.

Martin and Marta's home

2006-07-26T10:55:00.000-07:00

After the program on Tuesday everyone went to Martin and Marta's house for gorditas. Gorditas are little fried corn cakes that you eat with salsa. Marta was gracious and offered to teach us how to make them. It's harder than it looks.

What a blessing it was to fellowship with everyone in their home. Each person on the team loves getting to know the young people from the mission and friendships were formed quickly. We hope to encourage the young people here in Mexico and we are encouraged at the same time. We just had another call here at Bout's house concerning the tracts we've been handing out. The person on the phone asked about the time of the service on Sunday, if families are allowed coming, and if it costs anything to come. Mrs. Bout made sure she knew it was all free and everyone is welcome. It's wonderful to hear that people are interested in the mission and want to know more about it.

More Pictures from Tuesday's Program

2006-07-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

Martin told his class of 9 and 10 year olds the story of Zaccheus. Here he is with his class coloring pictures.
Adela led the 3 and 4 year old group.
Here Richard, Angela and their daughter Jessica are leading the singing for the children. After the Bible study time, the team and members of the church sang the songs we've been practicing all week. Pastor Bout explained the message and context of each of the songs so that the could appreciate what we were singing about. What a blessing it was to spread the Gospel message in Bible stories and songs.

Tuesday's Program

2006-07-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night we were able to have our program in Jalisco. The rain stopped just as we finished setting everything up and it turned out to be a nice night. Here are Kristen and Michelle playing piano before the program started. Pastor Rich Bout starts off the program with singing and an explanation of each song as we sing them. The songs we teach the children are simple Bible verses or have basic Biblical truths that are easy to remember. The children really enjoy the songs and when we come back the next year many of them still know the songs.
Here the children are doing the actions for Cuan Grande es Dios (My God is so big).
After singing the children are split up into groups according to their ages and are taught a Bible message. In this picture, Rev Bout is talking to the 11-12 year olds about God the Creator, His Son Jesus Christ, and His place in our lives.

Tuesday Morning Pictures

2006-07-26T10:18:00.000-07:00

Tuesday morning the team handed out tracts in a large apartment complex called Los Fresnos in Tepic. In the past, teams have held programs here, but this year we just handed out the tracts.
Another view of the apartment complex. Everyone got their workout from climbing all those steps up to the doors of the thousands of apartments in that complex.

A change of plans

2006-07-25T14:16:00.000-07:00

Richard often says, "If you don't like the plan, wait five minutes; it will likely change." Here in Mexico we are learning to trust the Lord's timing. Instead of holding the program (rescheduled for tonight, we'll let you know how it goes.), we went over to Martin and Marta's house for a time of fellowship and supper which Marta had worked all day to prepare. It was a very special time because three of our young people, as well as two church families were there too. Each team member shared something about themselves, as did our Mexican friends. Our people here were very encouraged and even a few tears were shed, when they expressed their gratitude for Christian friends and fellowship. So we thank the Lord for His perfect plan. And we'll try not to worry about rain tonight!
Here we are entering Martin's house.

Monday, the 25th

2006-07-25T13:35:00.000-07:00

Monday's program was rained out. The park was one huge puddle. We thought maybe we would wait it out but the weather showed no sign of clearing. Instead, some of the team braved the rain and enjoyed soccer with the children. Aaron was especially soaked. The rest of us stayed under the shelter of the stands and talked with the children who weren't playing soccer. We were encouraged by how many children were there despite the rain and plan on going to the same place tonight since its a clear day to do the program.
Marifer, the daughter of Maria from the mission, came well prepared for the weather.

Marifer's friend Joshua had so much fun splashing in the puddles and was thoroughly soaked.
We can't wait for tonight when we can go back and have the program for the families.

Sunday

2006-07-24T14:35:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, this is Kristen. I want to tell you a bit about our first Sunday in Tepic. The day started with breakfast at the mission and then a Bible study with the team. After the Bible study we headed downstairs for the church service. It's scheduled to start at 11am but in keeping with Mexican timing, it started quite a bit later. Richard led the service and I accompanied the singing on the piano. Following the service the team performed our songs that we sing at the nightly programs. The acoustics were wonderful in the mission and it made us sound almost professional :) Everyone lingered over coffee and juice after the service and we were able to meet and chat with the congregation. We went back to Rich and Angie's for lunch (tacos provided by the young peoples of the church). We had a nice Bible study with the young peoples and then headed out to hand out more tracts. It was a wonderful day for everyone. Below are some pictures taken inside the mission. Josh is a budding pianist and his cousin Andrew is a great teacher :) Jorge has been taking lessons with Mrs. Bout and played some hymns for us. Marisol wanted to learn too (next pic). While the younger children had fun blowing bubbles.

Our Daily Schedule:Sat. Mon-Fri.

2006-07-24T13:21:00.000-07:00

Our daily schedule can be so busy that it is hard to find in "blogging time!" It is siesta time now, so I thought we should try to give an idea of what our days are like.

6:30-8:00 Wake-up and personal devotions
8:00-9:00 Breakfast
9:00-10:00 Team Devotions (Led by Pastor Ken, translated by Pastor Rich for those of the church here who are attending. We are studying in Acts.)
10:00-12:30 Inviting (Team and church members from here, namely Martin and his son Gorge, and sometimes some others, go door to door with a tract and an invitation to an evening Kid's Club and program. We will be doing this in six different neighbourhoods, D.V. We have already posted pictures of Saturday's program. We split up into groups of two or three, the non-Spanish speakers being accompanied with a Spanish speaker.)
12:30-1:00 Singing (We use this time to practice the songs we will sing for the evening program. They are Scriptural medleys that accompany a gospel message given by Pastor Harry. It is a challenge to pronounce the words correctly, but everyone is doing very well. On Sunday we all sang after church and it sounded great. Kristen and Michelle accompany us.
1:00-2:00 Lunch ( A great time of fellowship and good healthy home cooked meals! Today was tomato chicken and rice:) )
2:00-4:00 Siesta and Prep. for program. (Everything in Mexico shuts down for two hours in the heat of the day. So we do likewise. Today some of us went downtown to do a little exploring.)
4:00-4:30 Pack-up ( There are a lot of things to load up for our programs: converters, electrical cords, piano, colouring pages, music sheets, craft supplies, chairs, benches. And don't forget the little things like clothespins to keep the piano music from flying!!)
4:30 - 8:30 Program ( This is the climax of the day. The young people play games, mostly soccer, with the kids as some of the rest of us go inviting again. When we have atracted enough attention then we sit the children down and begin singing and teaching them children's songs. Then we divide up into classes and teach the Bible lesson of Zaccheus from Luke 19. Afterwards the little children colour a picture, and the older ones lesson to a gospel lesson by Pastor Rich. He uses the beads of a bracelet, black for sin, red for the blood of Christ, white for being washed clean, green for growth in the faith, and gold for our hope of heaven. The children love making the bracelets and quickly learn their meaning. After this Pastor Harry gives a gospel message and the group sings.
Saturday was our first program, right in front of a Catholic church. The priest stood in the doorway, and this seemed to intimidate people from this area from coming out. Many public squares have Catholic churches nearby. Thus the group was small, but we were all pleasantly suprised to have one lady and her three grandchildren who were there also attend our church service Sunday morning. We have also received one phone call in response to our tract distribution. So we are reminded that we must sow the seed and the Lord will take care of the increase.

2006-07-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

Hey all. This is Aaron. It's been a busy three days with flying, evangalizing, and taking in the new culture. Jolanda has been busy taking pictures of most of the events we've been at. Although we only caught bits of the sermon in church, the enthusiasism of the believers here is inspiring. Today, we will again be handing out tracts and invitations to the evening's program. The language is fast, but I'm starting to pick it up. May the Lord continue to bless the events and efforts in Tepic.

2006-07-24T07:05:00.000-07:00

saturday, the 22nd of July

2006-07-22T15:06:00.000-07:00

This is Jolanda, and today is my turn to write. I am already here for about 8 weeks, and stay here till september. And this 10 days I'm part of the team. And I want to introduce two of the young people from the mission. This are Paco(at the left) and Jorge. They are two of the few young people in the mission and really enthusiastic and encouraging! Last week i went with them for a walk we went to Cerro de la Cruz, this is a huge cross on a hill. Up there we saw lots of scary/interesting animals:

The beatles are really big, never seen beatles that big! They are pretty scary!
This picture is taken from the roof of Richard and Angie's house, the hill right in front is the Cerro de la Cruz. There was a big storm coming.

Friday, July 21st

2006-07-21T19:36:00.000-07:00

The team arrvied safely and got right to work. Here we are practicing our Spanish songs for the program, after we had supper.
This picture is on the front porch of Richard and Angie's house. Here we are minus Pastor Richard and Ken. We thank the Lord for a safe trip!

Tepic, Nayarit

2006-07-19T08:31:00.000-07:00

All of us here in Tepic are eagerly awaiting and busily preparing for the arrival of Team 2006. This year's team is comprised of three members of Messiah's Independent Reformed Church in Michigan, and five members from different reformed churches in southwestern Ontario. Lord willing, they will fly into Puerto Vallarta this Friday, the 21st of July. We will all get better acquainted as they individually contribute to this blog. Please pray that these upcoming ten days would be blessed by the Lord for the furtherance of His kindgom.