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Saturday, March 16, 2002
At the "Internet Red" Internet cafe: Hola! I'm going to write quickly as we have
to get back to the base before 10pm -it's 9:38 now.
Though the news and Internet were predicting rain for the Sacramento airport, it was a
nice morning - just cold. But, we were blessed by going ticketless! We checked our baggage
outside and then were able to go directly to the gate!
Security was fairly uneventful, but one mom brought those itty-bitty scissors and some
needles to do some sewing and they threw away the scissors but let her keep the needles.
Several had to take off their shoes - but it was okay as we all had clean socks!
The flight down was quick, uneventful - and the entire plane got to know that Neighborhood
Christian School was flying to do the Lord's work in Ensenada! It was cool - the flight
attendant, over the loud speaker as we were arriving in San Diego, said they really
enjoyed having the sixth graders on the flight - and all clapped!
At San Diego airport, we had picked up our luggage and we were waiting outside the
terminal
for the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) team to pick us up. They arrived only about 10 minutes
after we were outside! Jessie was the first one we met, and she recognized Mr.
Bushéy's t-shirt - an orange t-shirt he received in the first trip two years ago (says
"Metamorphosis" on it - email him and ask him what that's all about).
We loaded our gear and bodies into three vans and headed out to National City - a major
city just south of San Diego. The YWAM crew needed to get gas for the vans, fill up on
In-N-Out burgers, and then had to take a quick stop at WalMart for some supplies.
We filled up with petrol, and then headed over to In-N-Out. Even though many of us had
eaten our sack lunches at the airport, most of us picked up some more yummy food at
In-N-Out. It was delicious as always! We then headed to WalMart for the supplies.
A few parents and students joined the YWAM staff and went into WalMart, while the rest of
us hung out in the vans in the parking lot. We Heard a voice, looked out the driver's
window of our van (Jessie was in WalMart), and saw an older lady, with old scratched and
bent glasses, hair messed up, face weathered and dirty, clothes old and filthy. Mr.
Bushéy told her to hold on a sec while he got out of the front seat, walked around to
that side of the car, and asked what she had said.
Mr. Bushéy asked her name, and she answered, "Barbara." She repeated her
request for a little bit of food. She said she hadn't eaten in over a day. Mr. Bushéy
remembered that he hadn't yet been able to get time to eat his very nicely packed
sack lunch (his wife Maria had provided him one of those ready-to-eat tuna and crackers
lunches), a fruit roll-up, and a power bar. As the students heard what was happening, they
joined Mr. Bushéy.
Russell and other students provided additional food - fruit, cheese sticks, crackers, and
more ... we ended up filling up a plastic WalMart bag full of food for her. With tears in
her eyes, she welcomed Mr. Bushéy's request to pray for her. Several of the group layed
hands on her and Mr. Bushéy prayed a blessing on her from Jesus. She was crying as she
thanked God for sending our group to her!
Wow! Not even in Mexico yet, and already we have had two awesome opportunities to share
Christ (at the airport in Sacramento and now in So. Cal.!)
The shopping gang returned and we headed to the border. At the border, God was again with
us as the newest twist in going into Mexico for more than three days is that you have to
have a passport, and not a birth certificate (we were told that either would work). But,
with some quick prayers, and some coaxing, the visa agent said he'd let us in this time.
After paying our visa fee (just over $22 each), and filling out 29 separate multi-part
forms (thanks to all the parents and staff who helped complete all those forms), we were
on our way to Ensenada!
The day was breezy but sunny and we had tremendous vistas all the way down. About half-way
down we stopped at a beach rest stop to stretch our legs and enjoy some fresh air. Mr.
McBeth purchased a coconut and had coconut milk and shared the coconut meat (the white
stuff inside) with everyone. We took some pictures of the students standing next to some
horses (they had them for rent, but no time to frolic). Back into the vans and we were off
to the YWAM base.
We arrived at the base and were met by a ton of smiling faces! The YWAM staff and DTS
(Discipleship Training School) YWAMers picked up all of our luggage and carried it to our
rooms! What service!
We registered and then got settled in our rooms. After a few minutes, we regrouped and
headed out to the beach (a stone's throw from the YWAM compound). We walked down the beach
a ways, looking for items for our sand-castle-making contest. Each room made some kind of
sand castle that represented a different Bible story or theme. The YWAM staff helping us
out for this week picked the winners - the room with all the girls in it! They each won a
beautiful cross necklace while the rest of the group earned lollipops for participating.
It was great fun!
It was very chilly out by now with a strong wind and the sun going down, so we headed in
to the base to get cleaned up and get ready for dinner. We ate a great dinner of spaghetti
(with chunks of steak!), garlic bread, and salad. After an orientation meeting and a short
team meeting, and we had some free time to check out the rec room and play some foosball,
pool, and ping-pong. We headed to bed around 10pm. What a glorious first day!
Go to top
Sunday, March 17, 2002
Sunday began with an overcast day, but soon the clouds broke and we had some blue sky, but
the wind was still with us. The YWAM staff and local people all said it was unusually cold
for this time of year. We all dressed for church at Pastor Nino's church in Maneadero. We
ate another scrumptious breakfast and left for the Maranatha church.
Some thirty minutes later and we pulled up to Pastor Nino's church and began the service.
It was a great time of joining the local church family and another group of students -
high schoolers from New Mexico! Their teacher had met Pastor Nino at a mission's
conference and they were at the service as well! After some introductions, we had some
spirit-filled worship with Indra (Pastor Nino's eldest daughter) leading, Sarvia his next
eldest daughter singing with Indra, and Giese (Jessie in English) - Pastor Nino's son
playing on his electric guitar (plus another two teenage girls playing drums and
keyboards). It was awesome to see the Holy Spirit speak to all of us across language
barriers!
Neighborhood students then were able to share some songs, and the "Chicken"
drama skit. It was a very blessed time.
After the service, we quickly changed into warmer clothes (it was still very chilly with
the constant wind) and headed to downtown Ensenada and La Riviera - museum and civic
center area just across the main street from the place where the cruise ships dock in
Ensenada. There is an extremely tall flag pole at this location that was missing its very
famous 150 foot by 120 foot Mexican flag. They took it down due to the inclement weather
(mainly the strong winds which could damage the flag).
With some redirection from an employee at the civic center grounds, we were directed to
the opposite side of the center where we ate our YWAM-provided lunch of sandwiches, chips,
and fruit on some nice outdoor picnic tables. We relaxed just a bit then jumped into the
vans and pulled down the road a bit to visit the port area and the fish market.
The smells and excitement of the vendors around the fish market hooked more than one of us
as we spent some of our souvenir money picking up early gifts. More than one story was
circulating among the group of how we bartered down the vendors from $12 to $8 for a
hammock, or from $5 to $2 for a slingshot! We all had a great time, especially watching
the huge sea lions at the waterfront.
It was very cold by late afternoon, and we had to practice our puppet program for the
week, so we headed back to the YWAM base. After an hour or so of practice, we bundled up
and headed out for our Taco Night Out. Mr. Bushéy managed to find his way back to Jaime's
sidewalk cafe, and God was gracious as the wind subsided and we ate a fantastic dinner of
tacos, tortas, quesadillas, quesatacos, and sodas. Yummy for your tummy!
After this long day, we were all pretty tired and headed back to the base for a quick
meeting of our team and then off to bed. Many of the boys, girls, and even a few adults
rigged up the hammocks between the bunk beds and those adventurous few actually slept in
the hammocks! The adventure continues even in our rooms!
Go to top
Monday, March 18, 2002
Mr. Bushéy was able to talk Tim L. and Kim B. into getting up early and going running
from the YWAM base to the BIG flag pole in downtown Ensenada, a roundtrip of five miles.
The sky was dark and overcast, but the brisk morning air was a real blessing. After much
huffing and puffing, the three weekend warriors touched the flagpole. Ever so slowly, one
drop turned into two, then three, then a constant sprinkle encouraged the trio to head
back quickly. Within minutes it was really coming down - keeping the runners motivated to
complete the five mile trek. Though wet and tired, the run was a great way to start an
awesome day for the Lord.
Neighborhood's team, in all four rooms (two girls, two guys), awoke to some moisture on
the floor. Further investigation revealed that the rain and winds was so strong that the
water leaked through the windows. A quick mop up, showers, another scrumptious breakfast,
and the team was ready to start the day with a time of devotion.
Finding a solitary place to just focus on the Lord, each student and adult spent some
thirty minutes in their "Without Excuse" devotional give to all Neighborhood
missionaries by the YWAM staff (we did this Sunday morning as well). It's an awesome time
just to get with God and think about the day ahead, to ask God to help us grow as
Christians, and to pray for our day and the people we'll meet.
Nine o'clock came quickly and the entire base met at the worship hall for a time of
Q&A about the devotional readings - with Russell E. and Christine L. rewarded for
answering first the questions posed about the passages. Fifteen minutes of Spirit-inspired
worship and an encouraging time of prayer was a fantastic sendoff for our first full day
of presentations and ministry work with the migrant Mixteca "Indios" (Indians).
Pastor Niño directed the team to a public school in a small village of Indios, called
Colonial Salitral. While the parents and staff set up the sound system (portable speaker,
microphone, and CD player) & prepared for the skits with props, the students played
soccer with the elementary-aged school children.
With the equipment ready, the students donned their "Jesus Te Ama" ("Jesus
Loves You") presentation t-shirts and did a great job sharing the love of Jesus
through songs, dramas, and testimonies. Parents had some children on their laps, sitting
next to many others, as they enjoyed the program. Many hugs, "¡Hasta luego!"s
and smiles later, we had to load into the vans to travel less than a mile to a migrant
camp.
We pulled up to a small migrant camp and were immediately welcomed with many smiling faces
from both young and old. While some parents and staff were setting up the sound system,
other parents and students brought out some soccer balls and the contest began! One of the
younger men living at the camp was the goalie, and Neighborhood moms, dads, and students
tried to score a goal against this worthy opponent. A few did succeed in getting the ball
past him, but that was usually when three of us kicked balls at the same time!
Bigtha rounded up the children and adults to come around the cement basketball court, to
sit down and enjoy a time of songs, dramas, and testimonies. The puppet show was a big
hit, and the children from the camp joined in on the "Celebrate, Jesus,
Celebrate!" song, trying to copy Neighborhood students' clapping pattern. Because
this was a camp, Pastor Niño was able to share about Jesus in detail and then asked if
any of the people there wanted a gift. The children all raised their hands, shouting,
"¡Si!" (Yes!).
They were expecting candy or toys, but he told them about the BEST gift of all - eternal
life with Jesus. After explaining about the sin in their lives, the separation from God,
and how, through the blood of Jesus on the cross that they could be reconciled to our Lord
forever, Pastor Niño asked if any there would like to accept Jesus into their hearts. Shy
hands went up from more than a few of the younger and older children. They were invited to
step up near Pastor Niño, and the entire team was immensely blessed to be able to lay
hands on these young ones and pray with them and for them as they prayed to accept Jesus
as their Lord and Savior. Glory to God! Hallelujah! The angels sang praises in heaven that
morning as our Lord used our team to change hearts for eternity.
Though they had already received the BEST gift, we wanted to give them something more to
remember this moment. The team provided the black, red, white, and green beaded Gospel
bracelets to all, explaining to them the message of salvation (once again) through the
beads.
More gifts were to follow as we handed out candy, frisbees, and gave the camp's soccer
team a brand new soccer ball - signed with a message in Spanish that the ball was a gift
from Jesus. A soccer match quickly broke out and the goalie was once again ready to take
on all comers. We didn't want to leave, but our time was up and we had to head to Pastor
Niño's church for lunch. A short fifteen minutes later, and we pulled up to Pastor
Niño’s church, Iglesia Maranatha. Parents and staff set up the lunch in one of the
newer Sunday school classrooms. Everyone had a relaxing and filling lunch - tuna or peanut
butter and jelly, with a choice of chips, water, and these totally awesome macadamia nut
mini-cookies. Though most of us were ready for a "siesta" ("nap") with
our full bellies and the warm sunshine, we had God's work to do, so we loaded up and
headed out to the surrounding Maneadero camps.
With another migrant camp (Rancho Fonseca) and the more open environment (we can’t
openly share the Gospel in preaching fashion at a public school), the team performed more
songs, dramas, and then we were able to share the Gospel message with the “Gospel
bead bracelets” -handcrafted by students, parents, and staff for each little one at
the camp. Students shared testimonies with the help of Bigtha, our YWAM interpreter.
A pick-up soccer game, and handing out candy to all, rounded out the special time of
sharing Jesus. Before we left, Chris F. was able to give away one of the new soccer balls
to one of the boys with which he’d been playing. The kids there didn’t want to
see us go, and we really didn’t want to leave, but we also wanted to share with as
many people as possible in the short time we had in Mexico, so we had to go.
Just a quick drive around a couple of fields, and we had to make a pit stop for Mr.
Bushéy and Pastor Niño to say, “¡Hola!” to an old friend. We pulled up to a
small wooden house, with a blue door surrounded by an old, weather-beaten wood structure
of a house. Mr. Bushéy and Pastor Niño knocked and then helped Navidad, a gentle old man
of 92 years, to walk out and wave hello to all of the team still in the three YWAM vans.
He was dressed in old, worn clothes, had only a
few teeth left, and his face showed the wear and tear of years of drinking, smoking, and
low nutritional diet. Mr. Bushéy told him that he wants to talk with Navidad again next
year when Neighborhood returns. The old man smiled and agreed. We headed back to base with
a full day of the Lord’s work behind us. All were blessed and many stories will
remain in our hearts.
One of the indisputable aspects of this short-term mission trip to the YWAM mission base
in Ensenada, Mexico, is that the food is delicious and plentiful! We all filled our
bellies at dinner and then met for a very special presentation, which began at 7:30pm.
The worship hall was packed full as we were blessed to share the evening with the YWAM
staff and DTS students from the Tijuana base as well as the local missionaries. After
filling out small cards with a sin or a burden that each of us wanted to give up to Jesus
(to have Him cast it away “as far as the east is from the west”), we dropped
these cards in a bag and then everyone was in awe as Roman soldiers burst into the worship
hall dragging Jesus with them. They brought him up
to the stage area in a rough fashion to Caiaphas, to be judged guilty, even though He was
innocent of all with which they charged Him.
Jesus was then taken outside and downstairs to the plaza area while all of us followed as
ordered by the Roman soldier, since we “were witnesses and ordered to follow!”
Once downstairs, the Passion Play continued with Jesus taken before Pontius Pilate and the
crowd of performers yelled, “Crucify Him!” The soldiers took Jesus and nailed
Him to the cross laying on the ground, and then raised the cross to display Jesus
crucified. Surrounded by torch lights, this was a very real and
intense scene. One could hear the hammer pounding the nails in, and then in the dim,
flickering light, we could all see Jesus on the cross, suffering for our sins.
Women came wailing and weeping for Jesus, but He had to suffer this cruel death to pay the
price for our sins, so that we might have eternal life with Him. The time of His death
came quickly, and He cried out and breathed His last. They took down the body to bury Him,
and the mourning women followed closely behind as they walked out of the plaza area.
As they carried the limp body away, all eyes caught site of something still on the cross.
In the dim light, we could make out the shape of a bag - the same bag full of our
“sin cards” - our pain, our ugly stuff - the stuff for which Jesus had to suffer
and die - a price He willingly paid because of His endless love for us. It was truly an
awesome performance!
It took a while for us to go to sleep after that, with so much to think about. Though
portrayed by actors, this very impressive Passion Play brought into focus something we
should all think much more about - the ultimate sacrifice paid for each and every one of
us - Jesus’ death on a cross. What a preparation for the soon coming Easter season!
Go to top
Tuesday, March 19, 2002
Up early this morning, greeted by a beautiful sunrise, chirping birds, and Buddy, the
camp's faithful friend. Mr. Bushéy wanted to send another email before everyone got up,
but he didn't pay attention to the manager of the Internet cafe. When the young man said
(in Spanish) 6-10, he meant 6pm to 10pm, not 6am to 10pm. The email update couldn't be
sent out Tuesday morning, and for the remainder of the trip, no time allowed for any more
email updates to be sent back home.
Another great breakfast, worship time, and then we waited for Pastor Niño to arrive to
lead us to the public school next to his house on the east side of Ensenada, up near the
foothills. Leaving a little after 10:00am, we drove through the back side of Ensenada,
seeing many businesses, lots of transit buses, and generally a big city look - lots of
cement, bricks, and almost no grass or trees. On the outskirts of town, we dropped off the
paved roadway onto dry, dusty, dirt roads, heading
more into the foothills towards Escuela Prim. Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta.
Arriving a little before 11:00am, the team unloaded the vans and Bigtha, Rich F., and Mr.
Bushéy set up the sound system, while Mrs. Trueblood, Casara P., and Carrie F. provided
the students with their presentation t-shirts and organized the students for their first
song of the day. Setting up on the upper cement basketball court located between the
classrooms, the students and Mr. Suderow began with a couple of worship songs, then
transitioned into the skits, starting off with the
"Chicken Skit" - one of the favorites of the Mexican children and Neighborhood
students.
More skits, songs, and then Gospel bead bracelets kept the students of this public school
not only excited about having students share with them from California, but they learned
so much more about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
After the bracelets, both local Ensenada students and Neighborhood students ran down to
the lower cement basketball court area and began an energetic game of soccer, the favorite
sport of this, and most other countries in the world. After a while, some of the group
broke off from the soccer game and, joined by some parents, began a wild and crazy
basketball game. Yet others, not interested in either game, played tag and climbed on the
playground apparatus.
Pastor Niño and Mr. Bushéy were blessed to be able to give to the school administrator
one of the new soccer balls for the students. This small gift, and the presentation from
the students, opened a relationship between Pastor Niño and the administrator. Pastor
Niño hopes to be able to nurture this relationship for the glory of the Lord and future
events at the school.
With the noontime sun, warm weather, and all the activities, everyone was getting hot and
ready for lunch. The outreach team gave out a bunch of hugs, said, "¡Hasta
luego!" and loaded into the vans for a short ride up the hill to Pastor Niño's
house. Just a few turns later, the missionaries arrived on the top of a hill with a
gorgeous view of the Port of Ensenada in the far distance. Pastor Niño's wife, Ada, was
ready to receive this large group at their small home.
A scrumptious lunch prepared by Ada and family, including homemade flour tortillas,
(especially made by Ada at the request of Mr. Bushéy), was a very special treat for the
entire team. A short version of Pastor Niño's incredible testimony, translated by Bigtha
for our group, was a perfect finish to a great time of fellowship. Reluctantly, we all
said goodbye and headed for one of the two orphanages or "house-homes" we were
to visit during this week.
Orfanatorio de la Calle 29 is located on the highway to Tecate, some thirty minutes or so
from Ensenada. The director warmly welcomed Pastor Niño and our group, while the local
children excitedly got to know our team through fellowship, soccer, and basketball. With
the sound system set up, the songs and skits were underway. Neighborhood students, though
tired after a long day, did a terrific job in representing Christ to these young ones
through the songs and dramas.
Balloon animals, insects, and plants of all shapes and colors rounded out the precious
time with the children and adults at the orphanage. The long shadows from the setting sun
let us know it was time to pack up and head back to the base for dinner and the evening
program at the YWAM base.
Another filling and delicious dinner, a short time of worship, and then a special quiet
time of reflection and commitment to our Lord completed this spirit-filled day. The YWAM
staff set up a very impressive time in the worship hall with a commitment card and the
cross on stage, to which we nailed our commitments. A gift of an "evange-cube"
was waiting for all at the foot of the cross. Many accounts from team members gave
evidence of how God's Spirit used this time to do a mighty work in our hearts and lives.
It was an awesome evening.
Go to top
Wednesday, March 20, 2002
The beautiful morning was accented by the arrival of the "Ecstasy" cruise ship
coming into the Port of Ensenada. Seemingly heading straight for the base, the elegant,
white, red, and blue passenger ship slowly and gracefully turned to the port side and
lined up for the dock. One could imagine the excitement for the many passengers on board
as they prepared to spend the day in a foreign country, shopping, eating, and visiting the
tourist spots around Ensenada. Yet, it brought a smile
to my face as I contemplated the work we'd be doing for the Lord this day that would
impact hearts and lives, not just for a day, but for eternity.
Big Ben's shofar (ram's horn) once again called God's servants at the YWAM base to focus
on our Lord and Ben's exhortation to impact the hearts of the people of Mexico and around
the world was another great start of another awesome day! Scott was feeling much better
after laying around for a day with the flu bug and a fever as was evidenced by his pancake
and peanut butter breakfast -- yummy!
Worship time this morning was a special treat as John M., one of our dads, gave everyone a
five minute demonstration on how to use the evange-cubes we received the night before.
Whoever dreamed up those cubes was definitely inspired by God! They are a fantastic piece
of work!
Following Pastor Niño, YWAM vans numbered 11, 14, and 15 carried our team some 25-30
minutes to the area just below Pastor Niño's church. We pulled into an empty rectangular
dirt area surrounded by a few trees and an old, rusty, barbed-wire fence on one side,
fences and houses on two other sides, and the dirt access road on the fourth side. In
talking to Pastor Niño, we found out that this dirt area is actually the three lots that
he is planning and hoping to place a Christian school for the Mixteca Indian children who
live in this area known as Colonial Benito Juarez. The owner of the land has extended some
additional time for Pastor Niño to purchase the land. We all prayed that God would
provide the finances needed.
The outreach team broke up into smaller groups and scattered throughout the 30 or so homes
that lined up along the agricultural fields, inviting everyone to a time of songs, dramas,
and a barbecue lunch of hamburgers and hot dogs. With some children still at school, the
crowd was a bit smaller during the presentations. The students again did a terrific job in
presenting Jesus to these precious people.
During the presentations, some of the parents and YWAM hosts prepared the barbecue, cooked
the meat (and some hair off the courageous men willing to risk life and limb over the hot
coals), and organized an assembly line-style food serving area with several vans and some
makeshift tables of pallets and empty water bins. With the presentations over, Pastor
Niño prayed a blessing for the food and the call went out to form a line.
By this time, the children who were attending school had returned, and many other families
arrived from their homes. It was a blessed time of fellowship and a great experience of
servant hood for Neighborhood students, parents, and staff. We had purchased 80 hamburger
patties and 90 hot dogs, several large bags of chips, and punch mix, and all of it was
gone at the end of lunch with Pastor Niño eating the last patty. God had provided just
enough, as always!
Tim L. had a bit of fun trying to feed a huge, irate, puffed-up, struttin' turkey near one
of the new houses just across from the lots, that previous YWAM high school teams had
built for a local family. The children and parents played soccer, hugged and loved on the
children, talked with the moms and dads, and overall had a fantastic time of just sharing
the love of Jesus with these migrant farm families. Though we would have loved to stay
much longer, we had to keep on our schedule
and said our good-byes to one and all.
After lots of sunshine, a hot barbecue, and serving a bountiful lunch to an estimated 130
Mixteca Indians and our group of over 30, the team was ready for a bit of fun and
fellowship, and El Reino de Los Niños (Kids' Kingdom), an orphanage (orfanatorio) or
house-home (casa-hogar) as the locals prefer to call it, fit the bill very nicely. Located
approximately ten minutes south of Pastor Niño's church, and about 35 minutes south of
the YWAM base, Kids' Kingdom is a beautiful
orphanage providing a loving, Christian home to an average of 40-50 children, from
toddlers to teenagers.
We drove up and Mr. Bushéy said, "¡Hola!" to longtime amiga Graciela, one of
the managers of the orphanage. He explained that we had some time to spend with the
children and wanted to get a tour, so Graciela rounded up Missy, a missionary from the
U.S. currently doing God's work at Kids' Kingdom. Missy was a gracious and friendly tour
guide, providing insight and answering all of our questions. Early on in the tour,
Graciela grabbed Mr. Bushéy to help with a major
computer problem they had in the office.
After some investigative work, Mr. Bushéy found out that their previous computer system
had died and they had been given several computer systems from a bank. None of the systems
had a modem, and the Windows operating system was corrupted and wouldn't work correctly.
As email and letters are the lifeblood of any nonprofit organization, especially one in
rural Mexico, this computer problem was a critical issue for the orphanage.
Mr. Bushéy began to reinstall Windows when Mrs. Trueblood came in to find out the status
and timetable. Mr. Bushéy told Mrs. Trueblood to go ahead and take the team back to the
base (as it was getting late in the afternoon) and that he'd get a ride later, after
finishing with the computer fixes. Rich F., a computer programmer and dad on our outreach
team, poked his nose in and asked if Mr. Bushéy needed any help. This was an answer to
prayer — Mr. Bushéy's prayer! He had pretty much gone as far as he could, and the
system was still not operating correctly, and Mr. Bushéy had prayed for help from God to
know what next to do. Rich F. jumped right in and, whiz-bang! he got Windows loaded, he
and Mr. Bushéy hijacked a modem out of one of the extra computers, grabbed additional RAM
out of another, and voila!, the orphanage had a good, working computer system!
Though the team expected to just have a relaxing afternoon playing with some orphanage
kids, and even a couple of parents asked if we weren't going to be doing any
"ministry work" that afternoon, God had a divine appointment with Rich F. being
on the trip, ready and able to assist the office personnel with a critical problem with
their computer — a vital piece of ministry work! What an awesome God we serve! And
Rich F. had no idea that he'd be using his computer skills and experience on a mission
trip to Mexico! Hallelujah!
Needless to say, the entire team was primed and ready, after another awesome dinner and a
short worship time, to make the 20 minute journey in the vans up to "Prayer
Mountain," a mountain overlooking the entire city of Ensenada. It was a perfect night
to engage in spiritual warfare as the evening wasn't too cold and the skies were clear. A
huge idol given to the city of Ensenada by the country of Nepal, was our first focus of
intercessory prayer for these people as we petitioned the
one and only omnipotent God, our Lord, to break down not only this idol but all of the
idols in the lives of the people of Ensenada, Maneadero, and all of Mexico. Our time of
worship and prayer continued as we broke into groups, with each group focusing on
different aspects of the Mexican culture. We prayed and pleaded with Jesus to do an
awesome work through the dramas, songs, and love we shared with the Mexican people over
the past week. We prayed for His light to shine
throughout Ensenada and all of Mexico, that the Spirit would embolden and strengthen the
Christian pastors throughout this land to be used by God to bring many, many more into a
personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit was with us as we prayed many
blessings over that land. What another glorious end to another awesome day doing our
Lord's work!
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Thursday, March 21, 2002
The excitement and anticipation of an afternoon of shopping at La Bufadora was evident in
the early risers and much buzz throughout the base. After breakfast and worship time,
Pastor Niño led us to the poorest camp yet, Campo Arenal. Homes made of scraps of wood,
cardboard, metal, blocks, and wire, with roofs of blue tarps confronted the team as we
pulled up to greet the smiling faces of children and adults.
We spent about half of an hour just getting to know the people, walking around the small
camp and inviting all to join us for a time of song, dramas, crafts, and play. Maybe it
was the fact that it was the last camp to which we'd go, or because we were all pretty
worn out from a very busy week of doing the Lord's work, serving the people in and around
Maneadero and Ensenada, but these kids and parents seemed to be the most precious we'd
met. Though many of the faces were dirty and
unwashed for a long time, we couldn't help hugging and playing and laughing with these
beautiful children. One little boy, Arturo, filled our hearts with joy as he was
enthralled with the puppet show. Many other stories abound with personal encounters with
so many of the people at Campo Arenal. Please take some time to read the testimonies and
personal accounts posted on the web site.
Another donated soccer ball, much candy given away, colorful Bible books presented to all,
and Gospel bead bracelets on every little arm was the scene as we gave our final hugs and
bid God's blessings on the people living at Campo Arenal. We reluctantly loaded into the
vans and began the beautiful drive to La Bufadora.
Situated approximately 45 minutes or so south of Ensenada and the YWAM base, La Bufadora
is a place located right on the Pacific Ocean, where the structure of the rocks at the
base of a steep wall form a funnel, effecting a 100 foot geyser of sea water when a large
swell beats against the rocks. Due to this natural and fairly unique phenomenon, La
Bufadora has become a tourist haven, with close to 100 little shops and restaurants just
waiting to barter with each one of us.
Before being let loose to test our bartering skills, the team enjoyed another YWAM
sandwich and water fest, sitting on the rocks and dirt overlooking the crashing waves,
beds of kelp, and the many hungry seagulls begging for scraps as we ate our lunch. Axel
and Bigtha treated us to a rendition of "Poderoso!" a Spanish song that
became a favorite of many this week.
Trained throughout the year to be tough and savvy shoppers, the students and adults
finished their lunch and then tested their training as they bartered with the shop owners
and employees, going for the best price on hammocks, shirts, hats, statues, bowls,
bracelets, necklaces, blankets, jackets, rings, watches, and much, much more. Two and a
half hours was just about the right time to end the shopping spree and meet at the blow
hole for some group photos and to call it a day.
Everyone had a terrific time, with many stories of who got the best deal. As we loaded
into the vans to make the journey back "home," we got out the MP-3
player/recorder and once again turned on the walkie-talkies. While we were driving back to
the YWAM base, the outreach team took turns on the radio, telling of one or more special
moments or people who touched their hearts in a special way this week. It was wonderful to
hear how God worked in everyone's life in so many different ways. All of the
"walkie-talkie testimonies" were recorded and transcribed for you to enjoy on
the web site.
Back at the base, we unloaded our newly acquired possessions, many set up their hammocks
in the rooms, and then we got washed up and ready for dinner. After another excellent
meal, we had a very emotional and joyous worship time, reflecting on the past week. Most
of the outreach team answered Jessie's call to come up to the stage area and tell everyone
how God had touched our hearts over this week. (Jessie was one of the base directors.)
Our YWAM hosts Todd and Teri provided Neighborhood's team with a special commemorative
plaque, including a picture of our group taken the day before. We ended with more songs
and praise to our Lord and Savior. A very fitting wrap-up to this awesome week of serving
our Lord by serving the people of Mexico.
There was a little bit of free time before bed, and many of our team took advantage of
that time to buy some last-minute items from the YWAM store or spend some final moments
playing ping-pong, pool, and foosball. Conversations went into the late hours as we all
looked back on what God had done in us and through us.
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Friday, March 22, 2002
"Wake Up!" was heard at 6:00am, as everyone had to get up early to pack and
clean the rooms. Many hands do make the work go much easier as the two boys and the two
girls rooms were cleaned with plenty of time to spare before breakfast at 7:45am. We ate
and then had some minutes to spend, so we took one final walk on the beach.
God had provided a beautiful sunset the evening before and just as beautiful a morning
greeted us as we looked over the waves at the "old sleeping man" for the last
time. The old sleeping man was a series of island formations just off the coast that
looked like an old man lying on his back with his face pointed up to the sky on the left,
his big belly in the middle, and then his legs extending off to the right. A little
hacky-sack, a cellphone call to Neighborhood's office to tease the staff about
where we were calling from, and we had to head back up to the base to depart for San
Diego.
We didn't get very far, though, as the first van was stopped by a human chain of YWAMers
with their backs turned to the van, stretched across the dirt roadway. At the last minute
before collision, they turned and faced the vans and shouted with outstretched arms,
"Stop! In the name of love, before you break our hearts!" The line broke and
they jumped onto the van, shouting blessings to everyone. This scenario was repeated with
joy for the remaining three vans heading out to San Diego. It was a perfect sendoff to
wrap up our week.
The drive back to San Diego was full of reflection and even a bit more shopping, as the
wait to cross the border was about 45 minutes. Kim B. and Terry L. both jumped out of the
vans and picked up a jacket and a blanket, respectively.
Arriving at the San Diego Airport, we were able to get a sympathetic ear at the Southwest
Ticket Counter and got our luggage checked in with little pain. A short walk down the
terminal and we had our fill of Happy Meals and much more at McDonalds. Scheduling again
was just right as we got through security and arrived at the gate a bit over an hour
before our departure. The plane was delayed only about 15 minutes, which gave us some time
to relax and chat about the awesome time
we had.
Several slept on the short flight home as we left sunshine and breezy weather for a
downpour on our arrival into Sacramento International Airport. Family and friends greeted
us at the bottom of the escalator near the baggage claim with a huge "Welcome
Home" sign and many hugs and kisses. In line with their excellent reputation,
Southwest Airlines got all of our luggage safely to and from San Diego during this trip.
We loaded up and headed home, ending one fantastic, yet very busy week.
Each team member will be provided a video tape containing the 38 min. 33 sec. music-video
of our week and five more hours plus of the raw video and snap shots used to create the
shorter music-video. All of the snap shots and the walkie-talkie testimonies will be
available online in the near future on Neighborhood's web site
(www.NeighborhoodChristian.org).
Thanks, Jesus, for blessing us so we can bless others. Please use what we've done, the
seeds we've planted, and the tremendous work of Pastor Niño to work in the lives of the
people in and around Ensenada and Maneadero to bring them into an awesome relationship
with You. Amen!
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