Southside

Well, we just had our final spring team, Southside Christian Church, finish up their ministry in Cofradia and head back home to Washington. They are from Spokane, and they were one of the three teams that came last year during my first three months in Mexico. Truthfully, it was because of how much I enjoyed the time I spent with this team last year, that I decided I wanted to be Short-Term Missions Coordinator when I returned to work here full-time. This church has a great bunch of youth, and they put together a stellar team every year. They are creative and full of energy, and that affects people! We had another great time this year.

Just like last year they did a Kids Club VBS in the afternoons and did construction at the new church facility in the mornings. But we started their trip off differently than last year. This year, on Sunday after church, they took a sightseeing trip to the Penas Mountain, returned for dinner, and then we took them to Arrayanes for a worship experience. It was a really neat experience not just for them but for me as well. We started off with some worship, and then Jay and Steve (who were leading the evening) explained the different stations and put music on and let them go at it. Basically the purpose was to allow the kids to worship in whatever way they could and creatively. There were stations for molding playdough, finger painting, drawing, writing sins in the sand as confession and then erasing it to symbolize their forgiveness, writing letters to God, a prayer wall where they could write names of people they know and love that they are praying will come to know Christ, and a music video station where they could just sit and worship before the Lord in music. It was a really cool experience, and I think it definitely helped set a correct tone for starting their week of ministry.

As for the construction aspect of their trip, this team (like Cy-Fair) had the added bonus that they were here last year to help start the construction on this facility. Last year, this team helped finish pouring the foundations for the property walls, and they made re-bar cages for the beams that support the walls. But at that time the facility was still just a piece of land that still didn't have a wall built. This year, they came back to find the property walls built to 2/3 their final height; a sanctuary floor (larger than a colegiate basketball court) completely poured and finished; a finished sanctuary platform with storage rooms on either side; and the property secured by a ginormous iron gate painted brown and ORANGE! :) I took them down to see the property on Sunday morning before the service started (the morning after they arrived), and as they approached the property, they saw the walls and their mouths just started dropping. The best part was when they walked inside though and saw all that the Lord has accomplished in this humongous project just in the last year! It truly is incredible. They couldn't believe it! The great thing is that this year in their construction work, they began digging and pouring foundations for the education wing, and especially the library. Not only that, but they were able to finish the foundations of the libarary, pour its floor, and start work on the brick walls! They worked hard, and they got a lot accomplished. It will be neat to see how far we are next year when they come back!

The Library

The Education Wing

For the Kids Club VBS activities, their theme was being the salt and light of the world. Each day they started off with some fun games for the kids, and some songs.

Day 1: Four-legged race.

Day 2: Hippity-Hop relay race



Day 3: Balloon-Stomping

Day 4: Balloon Toss
and...
Huge Balloon Relay. Some of these balloons were almost bigger than the kids carrying them!


This is a video of the kids singing "Jesus Loves Me" for song time

Then they moved into a drama that they had prepared for the Bible story of the day. Then finally, their pastor gave the short lesson and explained the craft they would be doing that was related to their story.

Day 1: Faith Like a Mustard Seed

Day 1 Craft: Seedling Planters

Day 2: The Sower and the Scattered Seed (this is the good seed)


Day 2 Craft: Coloring the different seed scenarios and gluing on stuff to decorate them

Day 3: Being Salt and Light

Day 3 Craft: Salt and Light of the World

Day 4: Fishers of Men

Day 4 Craft: A fishing game
They colored the fish and attached paper clips to each. They each got ten and then could try and hook them using other fish and their hooks!

The kids seemed to enjoy the activities and kept coming back each day. When everything was over, the youth on the team would just play with the kids in their groups. Some would chase them, some played on the swing set. Others played games with the hippity-hops. The greatest things was seeing the kids having fun with the youth. These youth know how to play, and the kids here appreciate and remember that. It was a really neat time, and I know the Lord used it!

At the end of their trip, they headed back to Puerto Vallarta. Last year they flew through Mazatlan, and I was blessed to be able to go with them for their last night in the country. This year they came through Puerto Vallarata, and again I had the chance to go with them. It was cool cuz I had not yet had the chance to go to PV, so this was a new experience for me. We stayed at a hotel in the Romantic Zone, which was a very "interesting" experience for sure. But it was a very beautiful part of town, built on these steep hills. It had this old-town, antique feel to it, and was just very beautiful. The hotel was also beautiful and right on the beach. The room I was in with two of the youth girls had a balcony overlooking the beach and the ocean, so we got to sleep to the sounds of the ocean waves! There's nothing better than that, for sure!

The Tropicana Hotel, Puerto Vallarta

The view from my balcony!

Built into the hills..reminds me of pictures I've seen of Greece!

For their team banquet we took them to a restraunt called the Brazil. It was INCREDIBLE! This place is basically a meat/steak-house. You come in and sit down and they bring you about 10 different kinds of meat prepared in various styles, along with other side dishes and cold salads, and wonderfully delectable food! And let me tell you, these kids ATE! But everyone had a REALLY good time at the restaurant and in just hanging out on the beach or shopping in town. It was a great time with the team from Southside, and we're looking forward to their return next year!

The meat fest at the Brazil

Back there in the corner, you can see how they served us the meat--they just went plate to plate!

It is such a special thing to be able to build these long-term relationships with the teams that come down every year. They have such unique opportunities to minister because they build lasting and ongoing relationships with the people here, and it's neat to see how the Lord works through that regardless of the distance and the time. It doesn't matter that the people here don't see or speak to them for a year at a time. When they return, they are old friends! That is a very special gift from the Lord, and I'm looking forward to seeing how He uses those gifts He pours down on us to further His Kingdom in this area!