Barb Blankenship’s Journal.

 MEXICO TRIP - FEB 12, 2005

 

 Feb. 12, 2005

            God was so good. He had Ricky (husband), Melissa & Angela (daughter and granddaughter), Bonnie & Jon (Sister & nephew), at the Church to pray us off.   It really meant a lot to me that they came.   I really was not sure if anyone would show, but it touched me that they did. 

We got to the airport fine, and wile waiting for our plane. Beth, the Hinkley’s, Sarah & I went into the Burger King to get a bite to eat.  Wile eating, Beth blacks out.  I jumped out of my chair & literarily catch her falling out of her chair.  I gradually hold her & continue to let her go to the floor.  She was out for about 10 seconds.  A firefighter/ EMT was going down the wrong corridor when she heard the commotion. She came over & helped.  Beth is getting over the flu & bronchitis along with being hypoglycemic.  She came to and the EMT took her pulse, blood pressure and checked the things she could. Was it a coincidence that she was just going down the wrong corridor?  I know not! God had sent her down that one to be our helper.  Along with Tim having the blood pressure in his carry on.  Praise the Lord all went well and we made it on the plane just in time.  Isn’t that the way God works. 

Beth is still wobbly in the legs, and we arrived finally at Harlingen at 8PM and 75 degrees. Palm trees and awesome! 

We circled up after loading a church bus & prayed & sang “I’ll never be the same again, Oh, no”

            Got to the mission to a hot meal of sloppy joes, corn & Fritos and cheese.  Along with water to drink.   We unloaded the bus and got our bags in our sleeping spots and ate.  Then we had our evening group devotions.  Then off to bed. 

            Praise God for allowing us to arrive safely. I ask for a blessing of good health for us all, souls saved. 

 

Feb. 13th

 

            3:54 am their time.  Just finished catching up on yesterdays writing.  Could not sleep. Don’t know for sure why.  Have had shower & ready for my devotions, “God please have all go well today!” And work on peoples hearts!” I pray that customs go well and we are supposed to do a puppet skit this morning in church.  I pray it also goes well.  This is a neat place.   Closing for now.

            It’s 9 pm and it’s ready for bed.  I was up early and the day is long.  God provided us with smooth sailing through every check point.  A miracle in itself.  Did not have to show any ID or anything.  It was the first time ever that they have had such a smooth crossing.  Not even a bribe was asked for.  That alone just does not happen.  Can’t remember who for sure prayed that God would not have us pay a dime, before we left and as you can read, we did not.  God is an Awesome God.  On the way the other van, the white, one pulled over.  I and some others started to pray that God would fix the van, let it be a wire or something loose that can be wiggled or touched and fixed.  We turned around and we pulled into this driveway that was well above the means of any other house in the area.  They suspected it was a government house, mob house or drug house.  People just do not have house’s that nice unless you fit into the categories above.  It was a battery cable and it was fixed and off we went. Praise God he answered prayer again and another miracle.  Next I saw 2 cows in these people yard. I’m talking a cubical yard, Big enough for a car.  We see cows, horses, goats of different kinds. Houses from rich to poor (poverty poor).  Yards as small as shoe box’s to mansions, it is really something.  It was such a shock to see cows in an area with people sitting right there in chairs.  Cows belong in a grassy area with a fence and other farm stuff.   Not on your front porch.  That really was a culture shock thing.  We went to get money exchanged and we all could not get our money.   They ran out.  I got part of mine and that was it, and those after me had to wait. 

            The service this morning was on the armor of God, by Ben Butler. We were given a wooden sword to take home with us.  But we left it in TX for us to pick up on the return trip.  We had eggs for breakfast with hash browns and cereal.  Lunch was sandwiches and Fritos.  Same as last night for dinner, except no cheese and corn.

            Can’t wait for tomorrow.  I feel funny, so I am going to bed. With only 4 hours sleep, the puppets went great, Beth is a little better. And we gave Mike and Jan their shirts.

 

Feb. 14th

5:55am their time. 

            Well I was up at 4 am.  Had shower and now my devotions are done.  Read 2 chapters and had a long prayer with the Lord.  I chose the dining area to do my devotions. 

            Lord bless us today and keep our hearts right toward you.  Thank you for letting me be here.  I love you Lord.

9: 50 pm 

            What an awesome God we serve.  We had a place to go and before we went to leave, the water main broke to the building.   So the water guy (plumber) came.  So they had to go to another village to do paper work and got water on.  They saw some children, and gave them some candy and asked if they would return later for puppets and some food.  SEE!

            So the guys came back and our day was full and changed gears.  The guys painted the mission at the same time the Plumber fixed the pipe.  Scary that the guy only had to put his thumb on the pipe to stop the pressure. 

            We went to a store that Joe called their version on Wal-Mart’s.   Well let me tell you that this store was NOT a Wal-Mart.  It was about the size of my house, without walls.  It was like a truck stop.  Like a Dollar General store.  Then we went to a bakery and took some pictures there, this was a cool field trip.  Then we came back its 1:30 and have to be ready by the time we had to leave, 2 pm. The temperature is getting hotter, and Buttons has to arrive.  I was really concerned if I could pull it off.  It was so hot.  It felt like 85 – 90 degrees before I got dressed.  So add another 20 on to that if not more.  It didn’t take long to get into drip mode.  We split up into groups at the water tower. Martha, Sherrie, Joe, Jarcoba, Shieann. & I went in one group.  All 3 groups went out and asked everyone to come see the puppets and clowns and hear the Word.  They replied “Si” and they would be there.  At 4 pm we started.  But first we prayed.  Then we started, “Don’t Monkey around with the Devil”, Buttons did beads, then “Go Jonah”.  I think Brenda was next with her mime sign.  They prayed and we prayed. Then we broke up into 2 groups. While the service was going on, Martha translated and Bart did the service.  There where about 140 -160 people there. They said that 60 souls accepted the Lord.  Then there where some healings, praying for the sick, plus a few others.  One lady came forward to have up pray for her & her family.  Her daughter committed suicide last year.  She shot herself.  We prayed for her.   Along with others too. 

            I did a lot out of my comfort zone today.  One was praying out loud with 3 guys and 3-4 girls.  Praise God for their salvations.  It really is strange to see how we do things that we normally would not do.  God is so good!

            How God brings so many people from a little town is beyond my comprehension. These people have hardly anything.  They have 4 walls and a tin roof or thatched roof.  They have no grass, all dirt yards.  They have beautiful gazebos of flowing foliage.  But our people on welfare are extremely rich next to these people.  It just amazed me, we went door to door, stayed at the gate saying “Hola”, and they come to greet you at the gate.  We invited them to the service and they all changed their clothes, put on their best for us.  They all were so different from before.  They all were wearing their Sunday best and sat on the dirt ground.  Things are different here, woman are a step behind.  We are learning dos & don’ts 101.  For instance you have palm down to say come here.  Not fingers up.  One is good and the other is extremely bad.  If there is a man and a woman together, no matter what sex you are, you always shake the man’s hand first.  If you are a male and shake a woman’s hand first, you are telling them that you desire her.  If there is not a man in your group, you would never approach a group of or a single man by himself.  There are a lot of culture things that are like 50 years behind us. 

            Martha played music in the meeting room and we all sang and praised God.   Such a blessing. And I was deeply blessed.  

            This is a footnote to the day.  Sarah saw a bug and I informed her it was a water bug. Then we where informed no, it was roaches.  In Mexico they are like ants in Michigan.  But they are only about 4 inches when full grown and a ¼ inch think, if you had 6 they would be a meal. I have never seen such big ones in my life.  Then the TP thing is not so bad, we have a waistbasket that all TP goes into, nothing down the toilets in Mexico. Everyday we take it down stairs to be disposed of.  But no toilet seats are more of a problem than the TP thing.   Praise the Lord the mission has toilet seats.  

 

Feb 15th

    7:30 am  Last night I slept.  It has been the first night since we got here.  Or should I say since Thursday, since I slept sound.  I fell asleep while journaling.  I wrote some stuff that is unreadable.  Today we are going to a detention center and orphanage.  I pray I can make it through the prison, with out breaking down.  A lady just came and brought her son. He has a headache and lower back pain.  She came for us to lay hands on him.

    She, Lecha, brought her son Anthony.  We all did lay our hands on him.  Lecha, is the one that they laid hands on and was healed.  So we are so excited to see what God has in store for us today.  We are having morning devotions at the river today.  I am looking forward to seeing that.

   8 pm  Just got done eating Poncho’s chicken from town.  It was really good.  Our day was so exciting and full of blessings and emotionally draining at the same time.  This morning Nathan and Roger both got baptized in the river.   The name of the river is the “Purification River”.  There is an awesome sight right there.  This huge tree is at the edge of the river.  There is a trail to the river 1 block from the mission.  The trail is really wide at the top about 3 people wide and narrows down to a single person path at the end.  About 2/3 of the way down the trail has narrowed down to where there is a ton of trash.  Mike said it is like a person’s life, “we are on a trail in life and at some point we have to leave or friends and family behind and then leave all our baggage and garbage and go ahead by our self, all alone. This is where we leave behind everything to follow Christ.”

    There was a tree by the river, a giant tree.  Mike preached on planting your roots by the river of life.  Then Nathan and Roger got baptized after giving their testimonies.

    We headed back another way.  We got to where there was a fork in the road.  Mike stopped us all and told us about how we now have to choose in our lives which way to go, that the Bible talks of this also.  We have to choose.   Then he led us up the path to Lecha’s house.  We came up the back side.  We climbed up this hill, where steps were made in the side of it.  It was how she got to the river to bathe, do her laundry and get her drinking water.   She wanted us to see her house.  She was so proud of it.  We went around the house and entered from the front.  My heart sunk, when I got going up the hill, first we where walking in stuff that I prayed and thanked God was dry, because the back of the hill was also their restroom, she had no inside place. So when we entered the house we entered through a lean-to, which was her kitchen which was something I was so thankful for not having to do every day. The room consisted of a stove which was like our outside fireplace, except it was made of cement type stuff with a grate on it.  Then her kitchen table / counter was something you would find in your garage or pole barn, a work bench. Last in the room was a mattress leaned up against the wall.  At night she would lay this down on the ground to have the babies sleep, so they where close to the fire, to keep them warm.  After that we entered the house that was 10x10.  It consisted of two mattress and clothes against the wall. This is it.   She showed us her door. This door was wrapped in cellophane still, the workers did not have time to finish putting the door on.   They do this so she does not get taxed. Once the door goes on she will have to pay much higher taxes, which she does not have the money to pay. This house housed 14 children, her husband and her self along with a couple of grandchildren.  She was so proud of this house.  She would not give anything for it.  She felt deeply blessed.  Who in the USA would feel that way?  People on welfare, complain on their conditions, we complain on our conditions, well even people on welfare live like kings and queens next to these people.  I am not putting down the system that we have or people on it, just trying to let you know how blessed you and I am to have the things that we have.  Unless you go and see this, you really do not know, will not get the impact.   This is a beautiful woman, and so are her children.  Really in need of so much, yet she feels blessed just to have what she does have and willing to give you the shirt off her back.  We headed back after Joe and Andy tried to blow the cows horn.  She made it.  She had to show them how to blow it correctly or one of her children did, can not remember for sure.

            We got back to the mission and ate lunch.  Then we headed out to the detention center. There I had a hard time going in.   I stopped Joe and Sarah and asked for help. I thought my feet where going to run in the opposite direction.  I felt sick, my heart raced fast.  I told Joe and Sarah that I needed prayer.  I wanted and knew that I had to go to this place but I just was not sure if I could.  All I saw was my son, and my heart broke.  They prayed and I got a second wind.  I went to the counter and showed them the stuff in my pockets, and they let me in.  Not like here in the USA. Her you have all kinds of things to go through to get to a person.  Here we went through one gate and one door. Not 3 -4 doors. There were 14 boys and 1 girl. The girl was with a guard; to be sure she was safe from the boys. We did our puppets and Brad preached.  He was awesome.  6 boys came forward.   After that I went around and passed out my beads. I prayed through the preaching of Brad and caught bits and pieces of it. I cried and prayed that everyone that did not know the Lord would come forward.  That I knew I had a reason for being there, and I was not sure what it was, but I had a weight on my chest that told me differently. 

            While passing out the beads, I met a boy that spoke English.  I came out of character, and spoke to this boy. He was about 15 years old, just a child.  He told me that he was in TX, and he was incarcerated there 2 times and now here once.  I was so broken, I thought I would die, I asked for God to have someone speak English and would understand what I had to say and there he was.  I told this boy my story of my son, and how he was going to have to serve 16 years in the state of Washington, while I lived in Michigan.  That I have only got to see him once since he has been there.   It was hard for me to tell my story, then I told him, “Promise me you will tell everyone here my story, and that no matter what, deep down inside their mothers still love them.  They might not show it, they might not be able to come see them; they might even act like it is not even in the picture, because they are so hurt.  But deep down inside a mother always loves their children no matter what.”  He told me he would pass on my story.  At that moment I felt a hand on my shoulder, I looked up and here was Mike, “Buttons, are you trying to start your own prison ministry?” As I looked I was the only one left, Mike had to come back and rescue the clown, they where all at the vans waiting for me.  I was so shocked that they where gone.  I had no idea that they left.  Mike and I left the building and while going to the exit I told him that a big weight was lifted off my chest.  He told me that this was one reason why I had to come to Mexico.  We left to go back to the Mission for 15 min. and we left and went to the orphanage.  There where 52 children there.  It was precious to see kids from toddler to 20 years old, all were starved for attention, and enjoyed the puppets.  It was so awesome to see the guys sitting on the floor, with the kids swarmed around them.   I do not know who was enjoying it more the kids or the guys.  There was a little girl there around 9 years old, she had downs, and of course Eric flooded into my mind.   That was the first time I missed home.  I missed the rest of our team. I wished that the rest of the team could have come; I know it would change them as it has me.  We really enjoyed the kids and you just hated to leave them. The lady there offered me a drink of water; I was so hot and thirsty.  But I told her “no thank you”. I really wanted to drink it, but was not sure if it was safe, so better be safe than sorry.  I then saw a boy lean over the sink and get a drink. I then knew I made the right choice.  We left and came back; it has been a long day.

    Oh yes, a thought for all to chuckle, on the way down to the mission and on the way back from the detention center my water bottle was on the seat.  Both times it fell over and you know what happened from there. Yep! I got the feeling of wetting myself.  I thought it was bad enough the first time, but this time I was in my outfit.  I was dry by the time we got to the orphanage, but the seat had some drying yet to do.  Lucio of course would not let me live it down and I am sure it will be in the memorial part of events for all to remember.  Well time for devotions so I’ll close for today.

 

Feb. 16th

    7:25 am    Did my devotions and spent time in prayer. While finishing my time up, there was a prankster at work.  Nathan was at work getting Brad and Andy.  We will find out what the total damage will be, but we see a bed rail against the door to surprise them to a loud wake up call.  I seen a sign “do not enter”, suit cases are mysteriously missing and who knows what else will arise through the day.  Well we have morning church in a few min, so I’ll close for now.

            7:20 pm  We went to the church close by, where Pastor Margarito is the pastor.  We did puppets and stuff.  We passed out all the t-shirts and every kid got one.  There were 30-40 that raised their hand for salvation.  This church had a chicken in it.  A live chicken, she was nesting by the sound equipment.  There were 5 eggs there when we got there and 7 when we left.  I took a picture of the 5 eggs.  They raffled off a basketball and a bike at this church.  The tickets were free, they just had to come to get the ticket.   There were a total of about 75-80 people present.         We came back to the mission and had dinner.  Then we went to watch the guys play basketball.  Lucio took Sarah and me to the store for post cards.  This town has NOT ONE of a lot of anything.  There was not one post card in the entire town.  I have been looking since Sunday for a postcard and stamps. Not happening!!!!  I bought the guys 4 Gatorades to drink since they forgot water.  We returned to watch the guys and girls play, only to find out that Nathan has twisted his ankle and it is really bad. So I made the guys come back after playing about 20 more min.  Nathan did not want me to have them stop, but he was getting in more pain than anyone needs to be in, when there are pills back at the mission to at least help dull the pain and Martha could look at the foot to see how bad it really was.  Martha, the nurse, checked it out and she gave him some drugs and he seemed to get a bit better.  We all laid hands on him and prayed for healing and relief of pain.  The younger ones had a water fight on the way back to the van and the Gatorade that I bought Brad… well lets just say Martha got Brad with water and Brad got me with my $1.00 per bottle of Gatorade , right across the face, my face could catch fly’s real easy.  I had just had a shower and my hair was still drying.  It was an accident, I laughed it off. Well this water fight continued through the night for a while. While sitting at the dinning area, some one got me with orange sticky stuff.   Could have been the orange Gatorade that I bought also.  I was not upset then either.  It was just kids having fun.  I just did not want my Bible to get it.  That was what I made a comment about.  NOT the Bible!  

            Nate is walking around no, it is 8:15pm and he’s walking without making that strange sound.  Praise the Lord!!!   Well we are to have devotions, so I’ll close.

 

Feb. 17th

            Last night I had a dream.  Wait let me back up to yesterday’s morning devotions.  When we got done, we had a “HOT SEAT”.  It was a time of asking for prayer for things we are convicted about.  A lot of us did, Beth, Sarah and I.  I asked for boldness to be able to tell others about Christ.  Not as a clown, Buttons has no problem with that, but me, yes; I cannot do the things that Buttons can.  Beth and Sarah asked for personal stuff that I don’t want to write down for others to know about. If they wish to write it in there journals, then they can do so.  Jan came for health, surgery Thursday the 24th of Feb.; Tim came for surgery the 29th.  Martha came for personal reasons, and Julia had a health issue, her side.  Now on with the dream, well I fell asleep and started dreaming.  I dreamed all night, but many times during the night I had a man come up to me and I knew it was Satan.  I claimed Jesus and told him he could not stop me.  That all I had to do was say “In the name of Jesus” and he would have to flee.  He left,  he returned several times through the night and I would say the same thing, “ Flee from me, in the name of Jesus”  I can not tell you how many times this happened.  When I awoke, I got up and my watch face is scratched up and my sheets are in the center of the bed.  Sarah informed me that I woke her up and she yelled at me.  I never heard her.  She said I was banging wild like and sounded like I was tearing the bed apart.  I told her my dream and then I told everyone that morning.  Margarito the Pastor told me to read Eph. 6:10-20. It was the same verse that Ben preached on Sunday.  Boy I never knew how he was preaching to me.  Sherrie is giving some verses that she claims.  I’ll take all that I can get.

            Nathan told me that he and Roger both were awaken by my thrashing also.   They thought I was coming through the floor.   I had no idea that I did any of it.  But I do know that I am not a person who sleeps like that.   I can most of the time get up and yank my covers and the bed look made.  So this was really a shocker to me. 

            2:40 pm We are at the church in the mountains.  Jan told us about her visit to heaven.  Her heart stopped 4 times and each time she got a glimpse of heaven and she saw the Lord.  But not a full face view.  She smelt a sweet smell and then she saw him.  She said when she got back she was as peaceful as could be.  She was mad at Mike for having her come back.

            10:48 pm   Well ready for bed. We leave at 8 am.  We went to a church in the mountains. It had 120 -140 first time visitors.  All went door to door, except Loretta, Robert and I stayed back to set up the stage and the puppets.  We didn’t do the clowns, but I did the beads as Barb.  I was not nervous at all. 15 people raised their hand for salvation, what a great time.  Came back and ate.  Lecha said I was family and she gave me a picture of her 2 daughters and a friend.  It was a treasure of hers.  I will send back a copy of it along with other pictures; I will be including my family. When she asked for me to give me the picture I was still getting dressed.  So I hurried and came down stairs.  She gave me the biggest hug.  She did not want to leave without giving me the picture, she wanted to tell me that I was family and I had to come back to see her.  I told her I would be back.  That picture was a priceless gift; It was the only one she has of her family.  She gave it to me.  I was so shocked that something so priceless to her, she would give me.  It is now priceless to me also.  I am so looking forward to making her a picture album, Sarah and I are going to make one up and take it back to her. 

 

 Feb. 18th  

    6 am   Ready to go.  I finished my devotions and decided to write.  Sarah can notfind her hip pack.  I know God has it in a place that we will find it.  She just needs to know that God is in control and give it to him.   She has claimed James all week; I think I will remind her of that if she doesn’t come out of this REALLY SOON!  Yes I know she is scared, that she won’t get home, but I think God is showing her something. 

            Evening      Well we got up and things where different today, we had to leave at 8 – 8:30 and we left at 8:30.  It rained all night and almost all day.  Martha (interpreter) said it always rains when we leave Padilla.  It’s because it is sad we are leaving.  We left and took 2 pastors with us.  1 was Pastor Margarito and the other was Pastor Juan, a pastor in the area.  They traveled to the border with us to pick up some vans to take back with them for their church ministry. 

            Now I will back up to this morning.  It rained all night and still raining. Sarah was still extra stretched, on the verge of a needing a case of flexi cookies.  Everyone started looking through everything that went to the church in the mountains.  But Jan prayed and asked God to reveal to her where the hip pack was. Now God was telling me last night to go to the van and we did, Sarah had Nate do a no no and jump the fence at night to look in the van. Let me clarify that, she was going bonkers and Nate jumped the fence to get her to shut up and go to bed.  So Nate did not find anything either.  So now back to Jan. God impressed on Jan to go to the van also.  So Jan went to the van and when she went to go into the van, she caught a white thing under the van. She looked and there was Sarah’s visor.   When she went to pick it up, she saw the hip pack.  Everything was soaked on the outside but the inside was pretty dry.  PRAISE the LORD ONCE AGAIN!!! This kind of thing just does not happen in Mexico. God protected that hip pack.  When it gets dark the streets get a cleaning.  If it is not locked up it is gone in the morning.  That is just the way it is there.  They are so poor that they just think that is ok. 

            In our van was Mike driving, and Jan co-pilot, Brenda, Martha, and Maragito.

 Then Me, Sarah and Juan. Next seat was Roger and Nate and in the back was Joe and Robert.  It was a great time of testimonies and side aching laughs.  Nate and Roger laughed so hard I waiting for them to lay an egg.   Then at one point they got me to join in. I thought I was going to have an accident.  I got pictures of them laughing so hard. They look like they are crying.        

            We shopped in Mexico.  We still could not find a postcard.  I could not believe that a tourist trap does not have any post cards.  They had a couple but they looked really bad.  Plus I tried to find my mother a bell.  Every tourist trap has a bell.  After looking forever, Jan and Sherrie helped me look and we found something that would do.  It still was not what I had in mind, but flexi, flexi.  I found little blanket looking things that I got for my supporters.  I thought they might make a nice book marker.  I also go a few other souvenirs for my family.  I got back to the van and sat there waiting for the others to return.  They all returned and we took off for the USA. 

            As soon as we crossed into the USA I called Rick first, no answer, I called my mom, then my daughter. I kept her 3rd incase she wanted to talk longer.   But when I kept hearing Angela, my granddaughter crying in the back ground, I had to cut her off, it was breaking my heart, she was sick with the flue and running a 104 temp.  I just could not stand it, I felt so helpless and so far away.  I let Sarah borrow my phone to call her mom, her mom asked for me and did not talk to Sarah.  I got this feeling in my stomach. She said that Rick had a heart attack. I questioned her, “my husband?” I knew Sarah’s dad was Richard, but in my house we separate the names, my son is Richard. So Rick was not Richard her dad.  So continued on and told me it was Sarah’s dad.  That he was fine and going in for more test and angioplasty on Tuesday.  As I looked out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sarah’s face, she knew something was wrong, but what she had no idea.  I hung up with her mom assuring her that Sarah would call at 10 her time and talk when my minutes where going to be ate up.  I know Sarah on a phone!  This way she could talk till my phone died.  I tried to assure Sarah that everything was ok and then I broke the news to her.  She broke down and cried in my arms.  I told her that God was going to take care of her dad and He was doing that now.  Then Jan talked to Sarah about giving it to God and letting Him be in charge.  Just like all the trials of the day for her. 

            I tried calling Rick a few more times and finally I called his shop, I needed to hear his voice, I talked only a few min so not to waste the battery for Sarah.   I found out the family had the flue.  Well just what I wanted to come home too.  Rick said that he felt bad and hoped it was not really bad.  I prayed for everyone.  I feel the worst for Melissa, with a 1 year old and them both with the flue.   It is hard when they can not tell you what is wrong. 

            We went to the Golden Coral for dinner.  They did not have cheese cake, bummer. When we were in Mexico we ate at a really nice restaurant. The guys were all dressed in bow ties and some in tuxes.  They came in and out like a whirlwind. 4 guys at the table, that was something.  The Golden Coral was awesome, you name it, and it was there, except my cheesecake. On the way home to the mission we stopped and got some Gas X.  We all had some, most everyone anyway.  We were all miserable. Poor Roger, nothing helped him, well just say, he left donations in TX. 

            Devotions was everyone telling their highlight of the trip. Man how do you do that in 3 min.  You are only beginning when you have to quit.  This trip has changed my life.  My view on missions and everyone needs to go on a mission’s trip. It will change your life too!

 

Feb 19th

    Got home safe and sound.  It was great to hug my husband.  I had so much to say that I could not say anything.  I came home and filled him in on bits and pieces.  I feel that us 12 have a pack together.  We are a team of a different kind.  We share some things that can never be shared again.  I can say that I am proud of us all.  I am glad that we all were on this trip. We made each other complete.  Thank you God for our new friends and family.

 

Feb.20th

    Went to Tim’s church and we had the morning service to tell everyone what happened in Mexico.  Roger and Nathan went to their church and Beth went to hers.   The rest was at Sparlingville.  It was awesome to be home and in Tim’s Church.  I was not at all nervous about telling my story.  I had something I wanted to say and when it was my turn, something else came out.

   I first thanked God for allowing me to go and providing my way.  Then I thanked my husband for allowing me to go.  Then I talked on the detention center.  I told my story.  All of us talked and hit different things.  But we all had other stuff we wanted to tell.  Just not enough time.  I just wanted to thank God for his miracles that he still does today and to let everyone know that “NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD”!!!

 

   Thank you for reading my journal and I pray that I did not bore you too bad. 

I truly believe that you need to go on a mission trip, maybe not to Mexico, but someplace that God lays on your heart.  It will change your life and your way of thinking.

   We are a very blessed nation and we really do not comprehend how blessed we truly are.  We complain if we lose power, our computer is too long downloading, our pop is running low, and there is not enough of something we want more of.  Until you see what others have and they feel blessed, you will not see how God has truly blessed you.  We are a truly blessed nation and I have a hard time thinking that so many people want to try to get him out of it.  May God have mercy on their souls.

Phrases that we will always remember:

Are we there yet?  6 more hours  (even if it is 5 min.)

Flexi Flexi

I’m gonna play my Get-tar