July-August Monthly Update

Happy Fall!!!

The weather is certainly turning chilly here in Virginia, and the leaves are beginning to change color. Fall is finally in the air! The last couple of months have been hectic and full of activity, including preparations for and travel to Virginia for two months. I must apologize up front for having not sent out a July update. Evan after being in the states for over a month now, I'm only just beginning to be able to sit down and think through the events and activities of the last 2 ½ months. I don't want to leave too much out, but since this update will encompass July and August, I will also include links to where you can get more details about all that went on. So, sit back with a mug of something warm, enjoy the cool weather, and hold on for the roller coaster ride you're about to read!

Jumping into July…

Shortly after I returned to Mexico after my brother’s funeral, we headed to Tepic, the state capital of Nayarit, for a 1-day camp planned and executed entirely by our four student leaders: Jesus, José Luis, Martin, and Sandy. This activity was intended to welcome our New Generation of students: the rising 7^th graders who would be joining the youth group. All of the activities planned by the four leaders were intended to help the new students get to know each other and their student leaders, build a sense of community, encourage teamwork, and welcome them into the youth group. We headed to a public park where they played several team-building games and then spent some time debriefing in small groups. While the kids were playing, Steve, Geña, and I prepared lunch. After lunch Martin shared a devotion that He had prepared, and then all four leaders gave short testimonies about what it was like for them when they first began attending the youth group. They encouraged the kids that things were going to be different but that the Lord was going to teach them a lot and that they were going to have a lot of fun in the process. It was truly a great day. After the organized activities were over, we headed to the mini-zoo that is next to the park and then spent some time playing soccer before heading home. The kids seemed to have a really great time, and we’re excited to see how completely they have jumped into youth group activities since their “induction” as the New Generation! We are excited to see how the Lord will begin raising up yet another generation for Him among the youth of Cofradía and the surrounding towns. We were also thrilled to see how the four student leaders took ownership of their first task as leaders, which was this camp. There have been other tasks that have followed, and with each one their dedication and passion for how the Lord is using them grows.

A couple of weeks after Camp New Generation, we hosted another speed soccer tournament. It was a really exciting time, and the young men who participated as team captains and as team members played hard and glorified the Lord with their attitudes and leadership. One of the goals for these sports tournaments is to draw in more youth that are not part of the church yet and to encourage the current youth group members to reach out to their friends and to be leaders among their peers. Just as in our Christmas tournament, the youth went above and beyond as they lived out this vision. If you want to read more, please check out Steve’s blog at http://thesilbermans.blogspot.com/2007/07/summer-youth-soccer-tournament-report.html. At the end of the tournament we had an awards ceremony (winning team to the right) and a LIFE NIGHT event. The church in Arrayanes was packed with all the youth that attended, and it was the first official event for our New Generation. In addition our four student leaders were introduced to the youth for the first time as “Pastors”. It was a very exciting night!

In addition to these youth group activities, at the beginning of July we delivered 2 of our youth, Mili and Julio to a 5-week intensive mini- DTS (Discipleship Training School) hosted by the YWAM bas in Culiacan. During this program they spent 3 weeks in lectures on subjects such as intercessory prayer, doctrine, and missions, and they spent 2 weeks doing outreach missions and evangelism in surrounding areas. These two young people graduated from that school as completely different people than who they were when they began. They have a new confidence in their identity in Christ and a new fervor and passion that drives them forward in leadership among their peers and in the larger church body. We are excited to see how the Lord will continue to grow and use them to impact Mexico for HIM!!

August Whirlwind…

From July 31 through August 4, twelve of our youth (plus Mili and Julio who were already there with the mini-DTS) attended a yearly youth camp in La Cruz, Sinaloa about 4 hours north of Cofradia. We camped in tents and enjoyed relay games/competitions, solid preaching from several dynamic guest speakers, passionate youth-led worship, and fellowship with youth from all over Mexico and even from Texas! God moved in powerful ways among the youth present that week, and not one of our youth returned unchanged. It was exciting to see the differences in them as we returned back to life at home. They were bolder and filled with a joy that radiated from their hearts. Their testimonies of the Lord's work in them are powerful. God is certainly preparing for something in our area, and I'm beginning to think that it is starting with our youth! So much happened during that week that there really is not room enough to share it all here. Please go to http://amberinmexico.blogspot.com/2007/08/harvesting-destinies-with-firm-step.html to read more and see pictures.

Two weeks after we returned home from camp, our youth went out to three different surrounding towns to do open-air evangelistic programs for the youth of those towns. This has been a dream of our four student leaders for some time, as well as of many of the other youth. I took over the organizing of this event while Steve and Gena got some much needed family R&R in Mazatlan before returning with Julio and Mili upon their graduation from the mini-DTS. All of the program elements were student-led and student-taught! We had testimonies, dramas, choreography that was learned at youth camp, worship, and of course fellowship time before and after the program when they got to just hang out, play with, and get to know the youth who came out for the event. The first town was Agua Aceda, an indigenous village in the mountains. The next day they went to Santa Fe, and the final day was spent in Pilas. In each town the youth went door to door to personally invite everyone to come, and then they played sports or other games with those who arrived to watch the program. Their testimonies were powerful, and their enthusiasm was evident as they acted out silent dramas about how Christ wants our true hearts and not our masked selves and how sin traps us and only Christ can free us from that trap. When the programs were over they spread out to pray with the folks who wanted prayer, and we saw people come to know Christ through this event and the prayers of our youth. This has truly energized them, and they continue to plan similar events in other areas surrounding Cofradia. They are excited to see how God is fulfilling their dreams for Him and not just the dreams of their leaders, and they are catching the fire of God's heart for the lost around them! There is so much to share about this event, so please go to http://amberinmexico.blogspot.com to read more and see pictures!

Jiggidy Jig…

Well, my trip back to Virginia wasn't so quick as "jiggidy jig", but it was definitely blessed. I left the same week as the same week as the youth evangelism outreaches, so that week was quite hectic as I was putting finishing touches on the items required for the dramas and choreography, accompanying the youth to the towns to execute the programs, and packing. In addition, my good friend Erika from Guadalajara was visiting that week. But after very little sleep and three days of traveling, including an all-night flight from LA to DC, I finally made it home. To top it all off, in the process of trying to get home, the Lord provided an opportunity for me to volunteer for a later flight and receive a travel voucher from American Airlines that has paid for most of my plane ticket back to Mexico in October. PRAISE THE LORD!!! His perfect timeing and provision never cease to amaze and overwhelm me!

My first month home has been quite restful and enjoyable. I was able to visit family in Minnesota and spend time with my family in Richmond. For my last month in the states, the Lord has again graciously provided me with a place to stay in the Fredericksburg area so that I may be more involved with my church family, receive some mentoring, and spend quality time with my friends while taking care of the tasks ahead of me before returning to Mexico on October 16. I am feeling very rested and am looking forward to the activity of fundraising and preparing to return to Mexico. Please continue to keep me in your prayers during this time that the Lord would provide the rest of the funds I need to meet 100% of my budget, and please keep the rest of the staff in your prayers as well:

Dave, Kathy, and Jonathan Elias are currently in Canada and will be driving back to Mexico in October. They will be accompanied by a couple from their church, Pete and Faye, who will be working with us for 6 months as they wait upon the Lord to know if they should go full time with our staff or not. Please keep their travels and the impending transitions in your prayers.

Jay, Faith, Isaiah, Elizabeth, and baby Kai TenBrink are currently in Washington state. Jay will be attending a linguistics school at the end of September before they head back to Mexico. This program should help him to more effectively learn the Cora language. After returning to Mexico, their family will be moving up to Mojocuautla to live full-time so that they may better learn the language and culture of the Cora in order to learn how better to bring Christ to the Cora nation. Please keep their travels and the impending transitions of their move and the effects on our staff and ministry in Cofradía in your prayers.

Doug and Jan Taylor are currently in Canada. They are nearing the end of their six months in Canada and will be returning to Mexico (driving) in October for six months. Please keep their preparations and travels in your prayers.

Steve and Geña Silberman and their daughters are still in Cofradía, while the rest of the staff is not. This means that they, along with the pastor and his wife (Goyo & Mati), are the only ones there to keep the ministries running. They are also in the midst of a very involved, month-long youth activity called THE CHALLENGE that requires a lot of volunteer staff, organization, and planning. They are looking forward to a break state-side in November. In the meantime, please keep them in your prayers for rest during this time, wisdom in the decisions that must be made daily, patience, endurance, and energy!

Thank you for your patience with me and for your continued support. The Lord has done much over the last year, and I’m looking forward to the “even more” He has in store for the upcoming year!

Blessings to each of you!!!

Jacob's 3rd Birthday

Just after I returned from my trip to Minnesota, my nephew Jacob had his 3rd birthday party. He actually turned 3 on August 29, but we waited to have the party until I returned so that I could be in attendance. This is the first birthday that I've been able to attend in his short life, and I didn't want to miss it! It was fun. He had a Little Einsteins party. My sister, Jenn (Jacob's mom), set up a pool that someone had given her, and she also set up the slip-and-slide that she bought for him for his birthday. So all the kids had a good time getting wet and playing in the pool. Jacob had fun opening his presents. He got lots of cool stuff including some water toys. But his favorite gift by far was a mini acoustic guitar that he received. It wasn't long after the presents were opened and the cake was cut that Jacob was off to one side playing that guitar and singing at the top of his lungs. He gave us a great concert! It was totally precious because all of the songs he sang were about praising Jesus!! I swear this kid is going to be a great musician for Christ one day!! I took a video, so enjoy!!

The Land of 10,000 Lakes

I was home in VA for one week before I flew to Minneapolis, MN to visit my family there on Aug 24. My aunt and her family live on a lake there, and my grandmother is currently living with them as well. Grandma used to take my sister and I to visit my aunt for the whole summer each year when I was in middle and high school, and the last time I was there was the summer before my junior year of high school. I was 16. I've been trying to get back ever since. 11 years later, not much has changed, and yet everything has changed! It was a surreal experience, but it was a great 2 week vacation!

I arrived late on Friday night, and spent some time visiting with everyone before hitting the sack. On Saturday, we all headed to a park in a nearby town for the engagement party of my cousin, Chris and his fiance, Jenny. Then on Sunday afternoon, my aunt, my cousin Lindsay, and I met Jenny and her mom and best friend at David's Bridal to watch her try on wedding dresses. Afterward, we met up with Chris, my uncle, Jenny's dad, and her brother at the Mall of America for a little window shopping before we headed to dinner at Buca's, a family-style Italian restaurant.

Mall of America

The family at Bucas. From L-R: me, Grandma, Aunt Susie, Uncle Carroll, Matt (Jenny's bro), Jenny's mom, Jenny's dad, Jenny, Chris

Monday evening we met Jenny at a different bridal shop for more trying on of wedding dresses. However, she ended up choosing her dress from that shop, so it was neat to be able to see the dress she'll wear on the day she becomes Mrs. Chris Arnett. Very exciting! Afterward, we ladies headed to Dairy Queen for some celebratory ice cream and then home for some rest. Lindsay and I stayed up late playing Zelda on Super NES since that was my favorite game as a teenager, and I hadn't played it since my last summer there. Zelda ended up being our nightly ritual...lots of fun!

The next several days we ran various errands or just hung out at home. Then Friday, we headed to the state fair. My aunt had entered several craft items, so we went to the arts and crafts building first. We were very excited to find that a cross-stitch/hardunger piece she made for my grandmother's 90th birthday won a RED RIBBON (that's second place) for it's class!!! Lindsay and I had a good time looking around that building and then out on the fair grounds. We stopped at a henna stand, and we also saw a group of teenagers who had a drum line to various recorded songs. They were performing as we walked by, and we had a good time watching them!

Over the weekend we all headed to the Arboretum. My grandma was particularly excited about this outing because she loves that sort of thing, and Lindsay asked Chris and Jenny to bring their cameras to take pictures for her senior portraits. We had a good time walking all around the arboretum and taking pics. Lindsay was beautiful of course, and so were all the flowers!

Chris, Jenny, Lindsay, and I also hit the Renaissance Fair, which was a very interesting experience. I got to eat funnel cake and I rode an elephant!

Lin and I are the front two (first me, then Lin)

Here I am after the ride all wet from having been sprayed by our elephant transport!

Those two weeks were definitely jam packed with activity, but there was also a lot of quality time with my family, family I don't get to see very often. Before this trip, I'd only seen my cousin Chris one other time in the last 11 years. Aunt Susie and Lindsay come to VA often, but now that I am in Mexico most of the year, I have fewer opportunities to see them. I was especially excited about meeting and getting to know Jenny. I have never had the opportunity to know Chris's girlfriends in the past, but she is now more than a girlfriend, and it was neat to get to know her BEFORE the wedding! I'm looking forward to having her as a cousin-in-law.

Wait! We're not ready yet!
(Me, Lin, Jenny, and Grandma @ the Arboretum)
I know this shot looks posed, but it SOOO wasn't! So funny!!

Grandma & the grandkids...we're only missing Heather!

The week after I returned home, Chris, Jenny, Lindsay, and Uncle Carroll came to VA for a week before heading to West VA for a wedding. I got to tour DC with them the day they flew in, and my sister and I were able to meet them in Williamsburg for the night one night that week. We were supposed to tour those historic areas with them the next day, but I pinched a nerve in my neck pretty severely upon waking up that morning. So, Heather and I headed back to Richmond and my doctor. However, it was neat to get some more time with them here where Jenny could get to know our favorite family "haunts".

It was a great couple of weeks, and I'm so thankful the Lord made them possible. I don't know when I'll see my grandmother next now that she's living in MN instead of with my parents, and Lindsay will be starting college next year making it less likely to see her as often also. Thank you, Lord, for my family and for time with them!

Santa Fe to Virginia in 1.5 days

Well, I'm back in VA now resting up. What a crazy trip I had. It started off looking like smooth sailing, and it was....it just wasn't the sailing I originally envisioned. But God is good, and I'll go into that in a minute.. First...Santa Fe Evangelism. The kids did SUCH a great job. The student leaders were all in charge with minimal oversight on my part, and they did really well! I hear Las Pilas was just as great, if not better. You can check out that report on Steve's blog. Anyway, Santa Fe started off in a similar manner. We arrived, and all the kids fanned out to personally invite all the youth of the town to the basketball court for the program. Then they returned to set up the equipment and be available to hang out with whoever arrived and play some games that we had taken with us (basketball, soccer, football, and various other fun games). By the time the program started, we had a great crowd, and they were very attentive. The dramas and choreography went really well. It was great to see the Masks Drama presented for real....I get chill bumps just thinking about it.

Here I am painting Aide's face for the choreography. She was one of the devils cheering on Goliath. Aide is Sandy and Mili's little sister. She is one of our New Generation students.

"Play Time" before the program began

"Mucha Lucha" choreography

The crowd that was watching

Mili gave her testimony in Santa Fe. She shared about what a rebellious teenager she was until she met Jesus and He completely changed her. Now, she's a leader among the youth and in the larger church body!

The Masks Drama. Aide, the one in the background, is the one who puts on all the masks. From L-R:
Gollito (an old beggar), Cecilia (tax collector), Gabriella (party girl), Mili & Pedro (a dating couple. Pedro cheats on Mili with Aide), and Ruben (Jesus)

The worship team

At the end Martin gave shared the gospel and gave an invitation to upcoming youth events like EL RETO in September, etc. He also told the crowd that our youth would be available to pray with anyone who would like it. As the program ended, the youth were on the sideline with last minute questions for the end, and then I shooed them off to mingle and play....but when I looked up, every single youth from our group was involved in PRAYER with individuals or groups. What was most impressive was that a group of three or four of our new girls (11/12 year olds who have only been in the group for a couple of weeks..this being their first major youth event) found a group of girls who stayed aloof during the whole program talking and joking on their own, sat down to talk with them, and ended up praying with them. I was stunned. I've been a Christian my whole life, and I've never seen anything like it. Maybe I was just sheltered, or maybe I simply wasn't really seeing until now, but all I can say is WOW!

After prayer time, we stayed another half hour or so for the kids to all play and hang out some more. It was a great time, and the youth just continue to amaze us. They are really into this, and it's even more awesome because this is their dream. This is something they have wanted to do for a long time, and they are making it happen. We're just standing back and watching as they spread their own wings and soar like eagles, running and walking without growing tired, weary, or faint. God really is amazing!

Wednesday night I spent the whole night packing and getting my apartment ready to leave it for two months. I went to bed at 3 or 4 am (I can't remember anymore), and I got up at 6:30. Then Erika and I took care of last minute details and final goodbyes, grabbed my suitcases, locked up my apartment, and waited in the church for the taxi that was going to take us to Penas to catch a bus to Guad. However, the taxi did not arrive at 9:30 like we had arranged. Finally at 10 am, the two of us walked to his house to find him. Sure enough, he had completely forgotten, so by the time we finally got to Penas it was 11-11:30 am and the last morning bus to Guad had just left. The next bus would arrive at 1 pm, which would get us in Guad too late since Erika's church meets on Thursday nights and her whole family would be at that service....and Guad is an hour ahead of Cofradia time. So, we headed across the highway with all the luggage in tow to check out a couple other bus lines. They arrive every half hour but they have no set schedule. So, we just had to wait and see what buses arrived and where they were headed. By 12:30 we were still not on a bus, and we were quickly arriving at the point where we were not going to arrive in Guad in time to catch her parents before they headed to church. As we watched a couple of buses arriving, Erika said, "well, now we'll see how much faith you have...let's hope this is an Elite bus" (since that's the line we were hoping for). I told her "I HAVE FAITH..just like Joshua told the sun to stand still during battle, I'm declaring that this bus is the one we want!" AND IT WAS!!!

In the end we boarded around 12:30 with the plan to get off the bus at a very small bus station just outside of the beltway (the main bus terminal is on the other side of the city from her family). We had a very uneventful trip to Guad, which was nice. However, upon arriving the driver decided he didn't want to drop us at that small station, which meant we'd have to take a taxi back across the city, and the main terminal is almost an hour from where she lives...that equal expensive taxi fare and missing her parents most definitely. The driver gave various excuses having to do with baggage, even though our bags were three of FIVE bags under the bus and we had our baggage tickets with us, but it really came down to him not wanting to stop. As Erika told me what the driver said, I started praying in my head for the Lord to strike the driver with a crisis of conscience so that he would change his mind and let us off. Sure enough, 10 minutes later as we came upon the station, the driver's buddy came back and told us they were going to let us off!

None of our travel to that point had gone as we planned, and on only 2-3 hours of sleep, I was beginning to fade fast.Now we had to find a taxi that could take us to the church, since Erika's parents had already left their house. One taxi pulled over (we were standing on the side of the beltway with all our bags, by the way), but his taxi meter was broken and the taxi looked a little sketchy. He offered to take us to the church for 80 pesos, but we decided to wait for another taxi. He pulled away, and no other taxis were in sight. We waited for 10 minutes without seeing a taxi. Erika made another comment about my faith, since I'd told her what happened with my prayers for the driver to change his mind, and I said out loud, "Ok, Lord, we really need a taxi right now!" All of sudden there was a nice taxi with a working meter. 20 minutes later we were in front of the church, paying the taxi guy 100 pesos instead of 80 (little bit of divine humor perhaps??), but glad to be loading my bags into her parents car and sitting down in the service. I slept well that night, and it was really cool to hear Erika gush to her family about her week in Cofradia. I had been so worried that she wouldn't have fun or that she'd be bored in our little town since she's used to being pretty busy in the city. But I had nothing to worry about. Sure, it was different, but it seems she had a really stellar time and was really impressed by what the Lord was doing in our youth through the evangelisms, something she said her youth group has never done even though they have far more resources and opportunities available to them. So, our prayer now is that the Lord uses her experience to somehow light her group on fire too!!

Friday morning, Erika's dad and I left for the airport at 4 am (my flight left at 6), and I arrived in LA around 8:30. Customs went well, though I had some trouble pulling up my flight to VA in order to check my bags since I was switching airlines for my east coast flight. By 9:30 however I was sitting at my gate waiting for my flight which was to take off at 2:30 that afternoon. Yes, I had a 6 hour layover in the LA airport. At 2 pm when they began to prepare for boarding, they announced that my flight was overbooked and asked for 2 volunteers to go on a later flight, and they would provide meal vouchers for the wait in LA and a $500 travel voucher for future travel! Since I had yet to buy my ticket to return to Mexico in October and had no idea how I was going to pay for it, this offer peaked my interest. In the end, they only needed 1 person to stay behind, and since I was the first to volunteer, I stayed behind. My new flight home left at 9:30 pm, which means that I was waiting at the same gate in the LA airport for 13 hours, and I arrived at Dulles at 5:30 am. My dad was waiting for me, and we got back to Richmond around mid-morning at which point I promptly went to bed and slept until 6 pm that night! It was an extremely long day, but in the end American Airlines will be paying for my return flight to Mexico, praise the Lord!!!

I had a great conversation with Sandy while I was waiting in the airport about how the Lord had just overwhelmed me with his faithfulness during all my travels. I have had a pretty dry spell spiritually in the last month or so, and I admit that I've asked the Lord several times, "What's going on? I know you're there, but why do you seem so far away? Where do I step from here?" And in the midst of that dry spell have cropped up some age-old worries, like how to pay for things and how to get healthy, etc. Yet, as crazy as all my travels ended up being (especially trying to get from Cofradia to Guadalajara), the overwhelming theme was FAITH...real faith, not just lip service faith. The kind of faith that is so sure of its object that there's no need to second guess or worry cuz it just KNOWS without a doubt that the outcome will be good and right.

As I was relating all this to Sandy, she shared with me that in her quiet time that morning she had forgotten to pray for me as she usually does every day. But before she finished, the Spirit reminded her that I was traveling and she prayed for protection and that the Lord would provide for all my needs. As she shared this with me, I was overwhelmed because that's exactly what he had done even though I, myself, had forgotten to pray such a simple prayer. I told her I'd worried over how to buy my return plane ticket, but I hadn't yet taken it to prayer. But she had, so really...Sandy bought me my plane ticket back to Mexico in October. What an awesome testimony to the Lord's faithfulness. Even when I'm not mindful of my own needs, He is, and He's working all things (even the prayer habits of a 20 year old girl half a continent away) for my good. Now I'm home with my family, resting a lot and enjoying their company. Friday, I fly to Minnesota for time with my grandmother and with my aunt and her family for 2 weeks. Praise the Lord because...

GOD IS GOOD...ALL THE TIME

Youth Evangelisms in Action

Well, the evangelisms have started, and WOW!!! Our presentation in church of the "Mucha Lucha" choreography went well. Of course there were some gliches, but the kids are ironing them out and doing well with it. On Monday Mili worked with the drama team to learn three dramas: the Mask Drama, the Sin Chair drama, and the Fleas drama. Sand, Erika, and I spent that time on Monday getting the last minute supplies ready. This included a scramble to find music for the Masks Drama since it requires 5 or 6 different songs for the changes in character and setting. However, although all but the last song were in English, they go well with each situation, and the drama gives us all chill bumps whenever we watch it. So, we're excited to present that one.

Here is a video of the "Mucha Lucha" choreography. The youth presented it in the Sunday services as a trial run for the week's program events.

Today, we presented in Agua Aceda. There were definitely a lot of gliches in the afternoon's events, but in the end we had a really great time and the kids really connected with the youth of that village. We arrived and spread out to invite all the youth to the basketball court for the program, and then set up the equipment. However, our two speakers fried themselves while we had an upbeat CD playing as we set up and waited for kids to show up to play games for a little while before beginning. So, Steve and a couple of the guys drove back to Cofradia (a half hour drive each way..this is a Cora Indian village up in the mountains) to get different speakers and a jug of water (since we'd forgotten that the first trip to the village and it was ripping hot today!). Then during our first testimony the power went out, so the rest of the testimonies were given using a bullhorn, and one of our dramas were out since we couldn't play the music. Then as we were finishing the program, a huge storm started darkening the sky and rain started falling, so we hurried to pack it all away and get in the trucks to head back to Cofradia. But then it didn't rain, so we stuck around and the kids spent an hour or so playing with the youth of the town as they had done before the program began. It was so great to see every single one of them out there engaging with the town's youth and kids. Some were playing, and some were just sitting around talking with them. Regardless, they were getting to know them and having fun with them...the foundation of ministry! Exciting stuff. The storm passed over us but on the other side of the town from us. We however, enjoyed the double rainbow that stayed over us the entire hour of play. What a first run!

I'm excited to see how Santa Fe goes tomorrow. I'm not going to be doing very much since it's Chuy's "practice run" at being in charge before I'm not longer around to ask questions of. He's going to do great, I'm very certain! I'm also excited cuz we're going to present the Masks Drama for the first time, and it's just phenomenal! I don't know when I'll get a post up about Santa Fe since tomorrow will be a busy day of packing my stuff and getting my apartment ready to leave for two months. Then Thursday morning, Erika and I head to Guadalajara, and I fly home on Friday. But keep checking back, and I'll post as soon as I can organize my thoughts!

When we first arrived, we split into groups and went door-to-door personally inviting everyone to the basketball court for the program. This is what the houses look like in these mountain villages.

Mili enjoying the river that runs through the village

Before the program started, the youth had time to play with the kids and youth of the village. We carried sports balls and other games with us for this purpose.

Sandy had fun with a group of younger kids. She taught them how to shoot a basketball as well as a cool handshake!

Chuy played soccer with a group of younger boys.

The choreography was one of the first items on the program.

One of the dramas we did in this town was the Sin Chair drama. Here they are still stuck to the chair trying to free themselves from their sin. Ana (the blue shirt in the background) eventually came around and told them about Jesus and prayed with them to be free.

Pedro giving his testimony. It's so dark because a huge storm was taking over the sky. The storm passed over the other side of the village. We never saw a single drop of rain. PRAISE THE LORD!

The Lord saved us from the rain, but we got to see the rainbow! It was complete, but it was so big, that we had to take two pictures to get the whole thing. His promise was certainly with us that day!

The sunset as we headed home. What a glorious end to a great day!