One last day ... for VBS, Oasis and construction.
As I write the boys have headed to bed, the girls are "packing" the interns are singing Karaoke, and a small handful of leaders are playing best of 37 on the foosball table and Mike has just finished his evening clean and mop of the dining area. It had been a great week on so many levels. Today as the the final day of ministry - but the students continued to step up - to serve and to love.
The VBS team represented today. They showed their flexibility, willingness to go the extra mile and see the children as the focus (and not themselves). After a surprise second group showed several hours before our group was scheduled to host a VBS on the same day, with the same kids...our groups jumped in to help, play...and love on the kids.
Several students who desired to serve primarily in construction shifted toward the Oasis home and more relational ministry. These students really loved others and built friendships. As the boys from the home shared their transformational stories of Christ pursuing them and the joy they now experience, our students' worldview and understanding of a God who loved individuals changed for the better.
The construction teams worked hard. Many learned how to frame walls, hang drywall, mud a wall and sand...and so much more. By the end of the week the team was able to virtually complete the house. The new owners brought us a home cooked meal - not that PBJ or ham and cheese are bad, but this was really good. At the end of the day we had a dedication service and officially handed the young couple the keys to the home and prayed for them.
We were blessed this week.
Tomorrow we travel back to San Diego - a slightly different schedule and a little slower pace.
We will be putting together a presentation for you during mission month in October.
Thanks for your continued prayer support!
Peace,
P Scott
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Friday, July 18, 2014
Ensenada - 2014 Thursday
The last two days have been very, very good. Thank you for your prayers.
Wednesday was a full day - morning devotions, experiencing the market, more ministry and construction, and attending the misweek church service. Each day we have three options for the students - Psalms, Love like Jesus and a walk (hike) and dialog. Ths students have been up and ready each day. After brreakfast we traveled to the 'local' tourist market place to test negotiation skills one the open market. While we all love winning the lowest price prize, I must admit the constant pressure to purchase - come and see can become a little tiring. We all survived - some pockets emptier than others.
The Oasis team again connected well (both days)- giving and hearing testimony of God work in lives. the home is receiving younger boys seeking (some intentional - some imposed) to battle addictions social problems. I has been exciting to see the result of our project this pat year - raising money for the home - the student raised a good portion of the money needed to purchase the land that they were renting.
The construction crews on both days worked with excellence - the progress on each site has been well above expectations (and I'm a guy with high expectations for our team). I am eager for you to see the transformation - on each of the three sites.
The specials - on Wednesday we joined the same church communities from Sunday giving us a chance to follow up with new friends and experience some very unique times of worship and digging into God's word. On Thursday, we had dinner at the the taco stand - really, really good...it might be difficult to return to the taco places in Pittsburgh.
After dinner today, we jumped out to a beach - fun in the water, a pickup game of soccer with several local guys, a little relaxation and just plain fun. The water was much warmer than expected.
Look for more photos tomorrow!
Peace,
Pastor Scott
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Monday, July 14, 2014
Ensenada - 2014 Monday
Hey everyone! Sherese here... I want to tell you a little bit about my day.
This morning me, Emily Steinhauser, Becca Rodney, Pj Winters, and Allegra Wicker had the pleasure of going with a local Pastor (Pastor Reynaro-an Alliance Pastor) and 2 of the interns, Manuel and Bronya, to pray with a family that attends the church.
Pastor Reynaro goes and prays with families of his congregation almost everyday to build community. He not only blesses families with prayer but also with food (rice, beans and bread) . The families home that we went to had invited friends of theirs to join us.
Ironically, the brother of one of the men just so happened to be walking by and his brother invited him in. Pastor Reynaro spoke to the families and said several times that there are no coincidences and that they all were their because God called them to be with us at that exact moment.
p.s. Manuel was translating. I barely know a lick of spanish...haha
Pastor read from the gospel of John and from Revelation. His message was 1. to encourage the families and the marriages of the 2 couples and 2. to share the gospel with Benjamin- the brother.
What was cool was that he called upon 3 of us to give testimonies about our lives and our walk with God, to read scripture aloud, and to pray aloud for the families
Sidenote: oh, i need to back up a little bit to my personal devotion time. So towards the end of my time with God I specifically asked of Him to stretch and pull me to do whatever He wants me to do.
some of you might find this hard to believe but I hate public speaking. It terrifies me.
ok, back to the story...
When I said that Pastor called on 3 of us, that would be me being one of them! He looked right at me and said, you give your testimony You can't say NO ya know. haha and right away I remember my prayer earlier that morning... "Lord stretch and pull me..." I did it and lived! Imagine that..haha. Towards the end of our time we gathered around each family and prayed about their specific prayer requests. And guess what happened...Pastor looks at me again and says "you pray." I'm like...ok God... I see what you're doing.
It was such an awesome time of prayer and listening to the families stories and also the passion that Pastor has for lost and weary souls. Benjamin didn't seem as though he was ready to fully accept The Lord and Pastor wasn't going to force him of course, but you could definitely see Benjamin thinking and prayerfully God is working and pressing on his heart. My prayer is that he would be able to see the love of Christ through his brother and the blessings that God is providing for him and his family and start to ask questions.
I am so amazed at how quickly God gives us the opportunities that we ask for.
Please keep praying that all would listen to God's voice - serving and loving...
For the team,
Sherese
This morning me, Emily Steinhauser, Becca Rodney, Pj Winters, and Allegra Wicker had the pleasure of going with a local Pastor (Pastor Reynaro-an Alliance Pastor) and 2 of the interns, Manuel and Bronya, to pray with a family that attends the church.
Pastor Reynaro goes and prays with families of his congregation almost everyday to build community. He not only blesses families with prayer but also with food (rice, beans and bread) . The families home that we went to had invited friends of theirs to join us.
Ironically, the brother of one of the men just so happened to be walking by and his brother invited him in. Pastor Reynaro spoke to the families and said several times that there are no coincidences and that they all were their because God called them to be with us at that exact moment.
p.s. Manuel was translating. I barely know a lick of spanish...haha
Pastor read from the gospel of John and from Revelation. His message was 1. to encourage the families and the marriages of the 2 couples and 2. to share the gospel with Benjamin- the brother.
What was cool was that he called upon 3 of us to give testimonies about our lives and our walk with God, to read scripture aloud, and to pray aloud for the families
Sidenote: oh, i need to back up a little bit to my personal devotion time. So towards the end of my time with God I specifically asked of Him to stretch and pull me to do whatever He wants me to do.
some of you might find this hard to believe but I hate public speaking. It terrifies me.
ok, back to the story...
When I said that Pastor called on 3 of us, that would be me being one of them! He looked right at me and said, you give your testimony You can't say NO ya know. haha and right away I remember my prayer earlier that morning... "Lord stretch and pull me..." I did it and lived! Imagine that..haha. Towards the end of our time we gathered around each family and prayed about their specific prayer requests. And guess what happened...Pastor looks at me again and says "you pray." I'm like...ok God... I see what you're doing.
It was such an awesome time of prayer and listening to the families stories and also the passion that Pastor has for lost and weary souls. Benjamin didn't seem as though he was ready to fully accept The Lord and Pastor wasn't going to force him of course, but you could definitely see Benjamin thinking and prayerfully God is working and pressing on his heart. My prayer is that he would be able to see the love of Christ through his brother and the blessings that God is providing for him and his family and start to ask questions.
I am so amazed at how quickly God gives us the opportunities that we ask for.
Please keep praying that all would listen to God's voice - serving and loving...
For the team,
Sherese
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Ensenada - 2014 - 3
Not just another Sunday... today we were able to experience a new side of Ensenada - the people, the church and the community.
After a refreshing breakfast and our chores - yep, the students are doing chores in Mexico, we set up for church in our dining hall. We split our group and most went to Pastor Reynario's church and some stayed for church on site. We enjoyed the worship, Natasha and Josh G. shared their testimony with the church, and then we heard a passionate message on the love of God that pursues us. Although the message in Spanish through a translator stretched us some, we were all engaged.
After church we joined the whole missionary staff - and likely millions around the world and watched the World Cup - well, some people napped, some went for a walk around Brian and Erin's community, some played soccer and some watched the game. We also worked on our ministry for the week.
At 4 we left to play soccer with people from two of the churches. Many of us played. Our field was dust and dirt - -maybe some small gravel, but we enjoyed the activity and connecting with our new friends outside the walls of the church. This opportunity really build a bridge for our team relationally. A few of the girls had their hair braided by a couple of the teens. Since there was a track around the field I noticed a number walking, running and even saw an old fashion foot race. We posted a number of photos from the game time, and will post more soon.
This evening after dinner we connected with the three ministry partners and people that we will be doing construction for. This was an incredible blessing for everyone. In my group, I have the opportunity to connect with the director of the Oasis home that student ministry had raised funds for this pasted year. We ended our time praying together for Saul and June. I hope we can share their story with you. They really are investing in a group of struggling teens.
The team is doing well.
They are excited to be together and I really think they are positioned for a great week. I believe that God in going to do some neat things and I am eager to see them and share them with you.
Please pray for our team as we venture into construction and ministry. Tomorrow the focus of the week changes.
Peace,
P Scott
After a refreshing breakfast and our chores - yep, the students are doing chores in Mexico, we set up for church in our dining hall. We split our group and most went to Pastor Reynario's church and some stayed for church on site. We enjoyed the worship, Natasha and Josh G. shared their testimony with the church, and then we heard a passionate message on the love of God that pursues us. Although the message in Spanish through a translator stretched us some, we were all engaged.
After church we joined the whole missionary staff - and likely millions around the world and watched the World Cup - well, some people napped, some went for a walk around Brian and Erin's community, some played soccer and some watched the game. We also worked on our ministry for the week.
At 4 we left to play soccer with people from two of the churches. Many of us played. Our field was dust and dirt - -maybe some small gravel, but we enjoyed the activity and connecting with our new friends outside the walls of the church. This opportunity really build a bridge for our team relationally. A few of the girls had their hair braided by a couple of the teens. Since there was a track around the field I noticed a number walking, running and even saw an old fashion foot race. We posted a number of photos from the game time, and will post more soon.
This evening after dinner we connected with the three ministry partners and people that we will be doing construction for. This was an incredible blessing for everyone. In my group, I have the opportunity to connect with the director of the Oasis home that student ministry had raised funds for this pasted year. We ended our time praying together for Saul and June. I hope we can share their story with you. They really are investing in a group of struggling teens.
The team is doing well.
They are excited to be together and I really think they are positioned for a great week. I believe that God in going to do some neat things and I am eager to see them and share them with you.
Please pray for our team as we venture into construction and ministry. Tomorrow the focus of the week changes.
Peace,
P Scott
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