Mexicali Recap and Student Stories

This past Sunday at our High School Ministry worship service, we replaced our regular teaching time with students’ stories about our recent missions trip to Mexicali. It was awesome to hear how God moved in the lives of students and used them to serve our friends down south. You can listen to students’ stories HERE or on the Second City Podcast in iTunes.

This past Sunday at our High School Ministry worship service, we replaced our regular teaching time with student stories about our recent missions trip to Mexicali. It was awesome to hear how God moved in the lives of students

Mexicali 2011 Photo Gallery

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The pics are flying around Facebook right now. You can view full galleries of students’ photos on the MPPC High School Ministries Facebook fan page

Mexicali Missions Trip, Day 5: Almost Home!

After an amazing final evening of food, worship, teaching, and hanging out, we got up this morning at 5:00, packed up, and got on the road just before 6:00. That’s gotta be close to a youth ministry record for breaking camp. After the smoothest and fastest border crossing we’ve ever had (45min!), we rolled into the Calexico Walmart parking lot to our awaiting buses. Kids were great at customs and momentarily suspended the loud music to look the officer in the eye and say, “Yes sir.” We budgeted 3 hours for the crossing as it usually takes about that long. What a blessing that we got through quickly with room to spare which meant no rushing around, less stress, and more time to enjoy being together and reminiscing.

After a quick transition from vans to buses at Walmart, we got on the road. We’re actually a bit ahead of schedule but there’s still a long way to go.

Remember that we have a free text messaging service to keep you up to date on our estimated time of arrival back at MPPC. Just text MPPCPARENT to 68398 to receive these updates directly to your phone.

It was an amazing 5 days and it would be impossible to sum it all up in a blog post. I’m so proud of our students for the way they gave of themselves and served. It was inspiring, challenging, tiring, and amazingly fulfilling. Our speaker was incredible. Ask one of the students about Todd. You’ll get a big laugh (cause he’s a stand-up comic masquerading as a youth pastor), then you’ll hear about the ways he challenged and encouraged us to pursue real intimacy and depth with Jesus. If you can, find one of the students who went on this trip and ask them to tell you a story about their favorite moment, a challenging time, or where they experienced God this week. You’re guaranteed to hear a great story.

I have to end with this thought: one of the best aspects of this trip for me has been the way God has brought together an amazing group of leaders and adults that made this trip happen. I mean that. They made this trip happen. As in, this trip literally would not have happened without these folks:

Julie Berry, Heather Bridges, Rosby Castaneda, Rosby Lamm, CJ Clark, Robin Connell, Ashley Diaz, Beto Diaz, Susan Doyle, Chandler Eason, Brittany Foerster, Laura Garcia, Todd Garman, Juice Gerughty, Tony Sanchez, Sarah Gillette, Julie Glazener, Jen Hayden, Amy Heneghan, Jolene Kokroko, Tim Langeloh, Kenzie Lanigan, Joy Yoo, Dave Liggett, Emily Liggett, Beto Sanchez, Eric Lindquist, Lisa Lindquist, Holly Martin, Johnny Has, Hyatt Moore, Jason Nikolao, Tony Nolasco, Teri O’Neel, Johnny Ortberg, Junior Sanchez, Janet Perez, Kristy Perez, Jenn Rechsteiner, Meritt Sawyer, Steve Sawyer, Katie Sherwin, Sean Sousa, Shelley Sousa, Kate Taylor-Keeling, Pedro Sanchez, Antoinette Sanchez.

Often, you can tell God is in something when he moves in the hearts of a group of people to accomplish something for his kingdom. This is the Family of God. I think that’s what happened this week. God called together an incredible group of folks to accomplish something that he designed to benefit his Kingdom. Personally, sharing God’s purpose with students and being a part of this team has been the best part and an amazing privilege this week.

As I write now, we’re about halfway home from Mexicali. It’s been so fun to journal thoughts and experiences this week. Thanks for following along and praying for our kids and our team.

Talk soon…

Mexicali Missions Trip, Day 4: Wrapping Up

AMAZING final day here in Mexicali! It’s just after midnight and we’re getting up at 5am to pack up and get on the road so I’ll be somewhat brief here and then post more details on the ride home tomorrow.

We talked with our students this morning about making the most of every moment and opportunity today to serve and that’s just what they did. With local kids in school most of the day, we spent the better part of today working construction projects until school got out. Then the games were on. By late afternoon, it was time to get on the road back to the hotel. Saying goodbye was agonizingly difficult for many. Even after just a few days, strong bonds were made and it seemed the most common Spanish phrase being used was “Ano proximo” which I’m pretty sure means something like “see you next year.” Our kids had a tough time saying goodbye but everyone agreed that they would be back. Even our graduating seniors began asking about the possibility of returning on our college “Special Ops” crew. Believe me, we’d love to have our alumni return with us and we’ll need their leadership as this mission continues to grow.

We had a wonderful and moving final worship session back at the hotel. Our speaker, Todd Garman, left us with some final words as he talked about a few distractions that keep us from pursuing intimacy with God: apathy, busyness, and worship of others opinions about ourselves. He encouraged students to seek connection, community, and communication within the body of Christ. Namely, time with each other in small groups and with leaders. He then had every adult stand in a circle around the group and had students seek out their leaders for a prayer of blessing as we get ready to leave. It was a moving and powerful moment.

Please be praying for safe and smooth travels across the border and on the buses.

Well, off to bed but I’ll post more stories tomorrow and off course update you on our arrival time as the day moves along.

Thanks for praying…

 

Morning Calisthenics in Mexicali

Mexicali Missions Trip, Day 3: The Adventure Continues

Hi friends – if you left a comment earlier below the previous blog post for a friend, daughter, or son on the trip, THANK YOU!! I read your messages to the kids tonight at Family Time and it meant so much to everyone knowing that you’re praying and thinking of us. Kids loved hearing not only messages addressed directly to them but all the other notes from home. We’re so far away in such a different part of the world – different sights, sounds, smells, and experiences throughout the day – but hearing familiar words from friends and family was VERY moving for students. Also, Lisa Carhart shared a message for her son Will that included the fact that Tahoe just received many feet of fresh powder…got a great, envious groan from all!

I just have to say that here’s something about the desert sky that’s completely enchanting and mesmerizing. The openness, sheer expanse, the colors, we can see the horizon in 3 directions and distant mountain peaks to the south. Sunsets as we head back to the hotel are spectacular.

We gathered together tonight like we have the past 2 nights to share stories of the day. We sit outside in the chilly air on camping chairs in a large circle, everyone all bundled up, hot chocolate in hand. It’s a crystal clear night sky, and countless stars. Here are a few stories that were shared:

We all had the opportunity to join our local churches in their worship services this morning. Many expressed joy in being a part of such tightly-knit faith communities and appreciated the relative simplicity of the gatherings. The services were times of worship, folks sharing testimonies of God’s grace and love, and a message from the Pastors. It had the feel of Acts 2 style early church gatherings where all the believers shared everything in common and praised God’s goodness in their lives.

This afternoon, we had a big BBQ for all the churches at Quintana Roo. It was an incredible experience of fellowship as a few hundred folks showed up, some traveling over an hour from communties that we’re not even working in this year to join in the fun. Jen Hayden and many students jumped right in and began some face painting with the little kids (see above photo). It was great to see all of our students initiate conversations and games with local kids. Our college student “Special Ops” team were fantastic as they led games and a big raffle for the whole crowd. It’s been great to see these MPPC HS ministry alumni step into new leadership roles this year.

The southernmost communities of Reacomodo and Quintana Roo experienced a small earthquake just before lunch while worship services were going on. It was also felt by our food crew back at the hotel but the rest of us in other villages didn’t feel it. As a few folks in Quintana Roo began to walk out of the sanctuary to check on the Sunday school classes, the pastor remarked that, “I’m sure all the children are fine, God has them in his hand.” A simple expression of faith that impressed our students.

At the BBQ, we were able to give away the truckload of clothing and home appliance donations that were given by our MPPC community. I wish you could have seen the faces of the people who received the gifts. Priceless. Many students remarked that they wish we could have, should have, brought more and committed to doing so next year.

Myself and all of the leaders are so proud of the way students have been serving and giving of themselves. As you can imagine, we’re all a bit tired but energized by our mission here and looking forward to another day tomorrow.

Thanks for keeping all of us in your thoughts and prayers. It means so much as God is blessing us with incredible opportunities to give, serve, and love for his sake.

Until tomorrow…

Leave a Message for a Friend/Son/Daughter in Comment Box…

Good Morning! Day 3 here and it’s a beautiful, sunny morning. Just had a thought before we head into our church services-

If you have a friend, son, or daughter on this trip, please leave an encouraging word or message in the comment box below (you may have to click on the title of this blog post above to see the comment box).

This’ll be the modern version of the camp mailbag. I’ll share your comments, words of encouragement, and messages with our group tonight. If you have a message for a specific student(s) or leader(s), be sure to include their name and your name.

I have to say hi and love you to my Katie and Greyson – miss you!

Thanks!! More to follow…

Mexicali Missions Trip: Day 2

Day 2 is almost in the books! Jake Lindquist, Danny O’Neel, and Nick Henze are in my room and described the day as “tiring but very fulfilling,” and added “looking forward to tomorrow…and the food was the best ever.” Oh yes, the food. We’ve been eating. A lot! Both our own food crew and our host churches have been out-doing themselves. Banana and chocolate chip pancakes (with a gluten-free option), Peets coffee, fresh fruit, and all the trimmings for breakfast. Lunches and dinners of fresh tacos and empanadas made by our host churches. We’ve experienced amazing hospitality in just a few short hours and it’s been great to reconnect with families and kids in our host churches.

It’s been an incredible day. It rained on us a bit this morning but didn’t slow us down so we’re grateful for that. If you prayed for that, thank you. The sun came out around noon and we had classic desert winter weather, 70deg and dry. All that’s left is our nightly “Family Time” get together and small group time. Family Time is our large group gathering where we give students an opportunity to process the day and share stories of what they saw and experienced. Small group time is a chance to go a bit deeper with just our roommates and process the messages we’ve been hearing from our speaker, Todd Garman.

Oh yeah, and we also served, led childrens ministry, led through the women’s ministry curriculum, played sports with the local kids, worked on construction projects, and led worship services today. The students in our village of Michoacan did a great job sharing their testimonies, particularly Carly Reed and Chloe Realander.

Tomorrow morning, we expect to wake up to more sunny skies and Todd will share again with our group about what it looks like to have intimacy with Christ in our daily lives. Then we’ll join our churches in their Sunday worship services. In the afternoon, we’ll host all the churches together at Quintana Roo for a BBQ and evening service. It’s very rare for all the churches to gather together and we’re excited to be able to host the event.

Please be praying for energy as we move into the weekend. Everyone’s feeling great but we have a long day ahead of us.

We’ve already had some amazing stories from students about God meeting us right where we are. I look forward to sharing some of those stories with you tomorrow. But for now, off to grab some sleep!

Thanks for praying…

Mexicali Missions Trip, Day 1: We’re Here!

What a day! Long day of travel. We’re here at our hotel and everyone’s settled in. Quick recap: Buses and vans rendevous’d at Walmart in Calexico around 5:30p. If you’re counting, that’s 12 1/2 hours on a bus! Kids did great, watched movies, hung out, sang songs, did homework, slept, etc. Breakfast and lunch stops, all very smooth. Quick stop for snacks at Walmart and loaded up the vans. Each van and car had a little walkie talkie so we could keep in touch through stoplights, etc as we made our way across the border. Smooth crossing and we were on our way.

I have to share a few moments that stuck out. On Thursday, our advanced team came down to set up and preview our work sites. And, man, did they set up! We rolled into the hotel and as we came around the corner I literally heard a few students say, “No way!” The advanced team set up the sound system with music playing for our arrival and an amazing buffet of pasta, meatballs, garlic bread, salad, and more all waiting for us. Just what everyone needed after a long day. It was one of the best camp trip welcomes I’ve ever seen. The amount of effort and thought that went into it was pretty mind-blowing. Thanks to Dave and Emily Liggett, Tony Nolasco, Eric Lindquist, Jason Nikolao, and Teri O’Neel for their incredible leadership.

After dinner, we had our worship program with some games and songs then out speaker, Todd Garman, shared from God’s word about the kind of intimacy that God desires with us. A great kickoff to a week of serving and being in community together. We had short small group time afterwards then dessert and hot chocolate!

For tomorrow, you could be praying for a smooth transition to our first day in our villages, reconnecting with our friends in local churches and setting up our work plans for the next few days. Also, there’s a slight chance of rain and it would be great if it passes us by or didn’t hamper our serving efforts.

Well, time to get some rest. By the way, Jim Candy texted me that there had been a report in the news about a small earthquake somewhere down here but if there was, we didn’t feel it or hear about it from locals. If you heard the same, rest assured all is well!

Thanks for following along and praying. Just a reminder, if you’d like to receive these posts via email, you can subscribe to this blog in the right-hand sidebar where it says, “subscribe.”

Until tomorrow!

Mexicali Missions Trip, 2011: 2 Days ’til Liftoff

Getting closer! Hard to believe the day’s almost here. We’ve been praying and planning for this year’s missions trip to Mexicali since we arrive home from last year’s trip.But the planning really started in earnest last October.

We took a somewhat different approach this year – last year, we had some amazing volunteers, leaders, and parents join us but the planning and preparation aspects were mostly staff-driven. Not all, but mostly. It all worked out and was a fantastic trip but we realized that we were limiting the scope and breadth of the trip by not reaching out to a larger group of folks beyond the HS ministry to lend their gifts, talents, and leadership (not to mention predominantly staff-driven trips of this scope are a decent recipe for burn out).

So here’s what we did this year: starting in September, we outlined a big dream, what this trip could look like if resources (people and money) were unlimited. Of course, money resources are limited but we found openings in our budget and began to shift things around to better suit the big dream. Then we drafted a roster of leadership roles that it would take to realize the big dream. And we began to pray for and reach out to people in our church community to join the effort with an opportunity to serve within their areas of giftedness. We realized that it was going to take a movement of God among a larger group of people to make this a reality. So we prayed. And made a ton of phone calls.

We began meeting every other week with a core leadership team beginning in October as folks started to come on board. Admittedly, the first few meetings were a little vague as the roster wasn’t fully filled out and new leaders coming on board were wondering what they got themselves into. But the vision for the trip slowly began to crystallize as people started to invest in the dream and bring their own backgrounds and experiences to the table. Our final leadership meeting went down January 23rd. Every leadership role we dreamed about back in September has been filled by incredibly talented people. Then we began 3 weeks of student trainings on Sundays after our worship service.

So now, 2 days out, just over 100 students and leaders are on the team leaving Friday with an early crew driving down in cargo vans on Thursday to set up. It’s amazing what God’s done over the past few months and we have to give credit to him for mobilizing such a great group of people.

I can’t wait to share incredible stories of God’s goodness and faithfulness as we serve, share, learn, and travel. Someone once said that faith is remembering God’s faithfulness to you. Based on God’s faithfulness so far, there’s no reason to assume he won’t continue to blow us away with his on-going faithfulness. We just have to remember!

Thanks for praying…