Youth Camp: "Operation: KRONOS"

20 youth, 3 days, 1 mission: use every minute to obey your commanding officer and Lord. 

 

“Operation: KRONOS”, our summer youth camp, was based on biblical studies of 1Peter with the theme of submitting to God’s will in every moment.  Each “agent” was given a wristwatch, with the command to constantly be aware of the time, both to arrive punctually at every activity, as well as to maintain

“communication with their commanding officer” (prayer time with the Lord) every hour on the hour.

 

Most of our activities revolved around the “agent-on-operation” theme, such as finding hidden “bombs” on camp, recovering classified objects (scavenger hunt),

Operation Rescue (capture the flag), and the “Final Mission” (a obstacle course), besides other camp activities like canoe races, zip-line, soccer, bonfire (with American smores, which the Mexican youth love!)

 

Our plans were changed multiple times due to rain, thunderstorms,

and even hail.  A couple of the tents flooded with water, our playing fields turned into mud, and zipline was closed during our activity.  But, even storms did not get in our way- we enjoyed fun indoor challenges, pool and ping-pong tables, and a covered area to fit our tents at night out of the rain. 

 

The trip was amazingly blessed!!  The group was very united in friendship (among many different ages of 12-22 years old, and different walks of faith between new believers and experienced believers), participative in all the activities, and attentive during messages and devotionals. 

 

Henry, age 19, gave a testimony at the end of the camp that he had fallen away from God and the church this last year, but was now renewed in his conviction to follow Christ and rejoin the church who so openly received him again.  Wow.  Miguel, age 13, who is brand-new to the church and faith, reminded me not to worry during an activity because we have “an inheritance in

heaven waiting for us” in Jesus.  I marveled that even he understood the message!

 

May the Lord continue to guide these youth on His path and remind them of His Word spoken to their lives!

 

 

 

"Chiles en Nogada"- Traditional Mexican Cuisine

The month of August marks the season for the traditional, very elaborate, Mexican dish: “chiles en nogada”.

 

"Chiles En Nogada" is a poblano chile filled with a groud-beef and fruit mixture, all covered in a creamy, sweet walnut sauce and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds.  The dish originated in Puebla, and is nationally famous for its Mexican colors: green chile, white sauce, red pomegranate seeds. 

 

I “helped” (or, observed J) ladies in our congregation prepare this dish for an August celebration.  It is so much work!- and includes so many ingredients that need to be peeled, diced, cooked, and fried!  The basic recipe includes ingredients like: apples, peaches, pears, raisins, many spices, pomegranate, walnuts, groundbeef, poblano chiles…

 

And, it tastes amazing! J

 

Vacation Bible School: "Train to Win"!!

Wow- God blessed VBS!  Approximately 50 children, both from our congregation and the surrounding areas, attended our week-long camp, themed “Train to Win” (soccer theme- for the World Cup craze that caught up even Mexican children J) based on the life and biblical book of Joshua.

 

Each day, a Bible lesson was taught, focusing on Joshua´s obedience to his “trainer” (God) and his “victory” in the promised  land with God´s power and blessing.  Following the lesson, the children rotated through 4 stations of activities which reinforced the Biblical message in a fun and different way: music/choreography, arts & crafts, sports & games, and kitchen crafts.   For example, they painted trophies to represent our victory in Christ (Rom

8:37), practiced soccer drills to remember the Bible training we need to succeed (Jos 1:8), crafted an edible tortilla-sun to remember God’s miraculous answer to our prayers (Eph 3:20), sang their decision to be on Christ’s team for the rest of their lives (Jos 24:15), and much more!

 

God’s blessing was obvious in many ways: perfect, sunny weather (though we are right in the middle of rainy season in Tlaxcala), many adult/youth volunteers from the congregation (when most had earlier said they would not be able to participate, the Lord changed many schedules in the last minute!), memorization of daily Bible verse by almost every child (even the littlest

ones!!), and more.  Even though Paco struggled with intense back-pain one day, the Lord strengthened him to continue serving the following.

 

Almost every child participate attended the closing ceremony at Sunday service- and four new families attended to watch their

child’s participation!  We pray that the Lord would continue to call these families to know Him, and that the seed of God’s truth and salvation would continue to grow in the heart of each child.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Invitation for Churches in Northern Tlaxcala

As part of the “Operation Christmas Child” team for Samaritan´s Purse in Tlaxcala, Paco and I have the task of searching out Christian churches throughout the state of Tlaxcala and inviting them to participate in the “Operation Christmas Child” ministry.  This year, the ministry will be focused on the northern counties of the state (who have never before participated).

 

Without any directory or list of churches in the area, Paco and I drive from town to town searching for temples and asking for Christian groups.  It is a slow process.  However, it is worth the effort to find a small congregation, sometimes the only one in the whole town, sometimes at the end of an unpaved road, that we can bless with the opportunity to

receive ministry resources from Samaritan´s Purse. 

Northern Tlaxcala is fairly unpopulated- lots of hills, countryside, fields: quite different from the more populated/civilized southern areas.  Paco and I marveled at the green scenery, the old-fashioned (stereotypical) adobe homes, horse/donkey carts, and

traditionally dressed women in some of the towns/villages.  At times, we felt like we were venturing to the ends of the earth in search of hidden churches among the windy mountain paths and open fields.

One exciting story:  we received word that one village did not have a church but only house Bible

study, at the home of “Conchita” who made clay pots.  With that tip, we travelled up and down the streets asking at every pottery shop until finding a “Conchita”.  When we asked if a Christian group met in her home, she was immediately suspicious of our intentions, until we explained our desire to bless her ministry with resources from Samaritan´s Purse.  She was

amazed we had found her, as she usually hides her faith and the Bible study from the rest of the town, who openly scorn her for being a Christian and try to hinder any Christian events they try to promote.  We told her that the Lord was with her and saw her need and persecution, and sent us, as Samaritan´s Purse representatives, to show her she is

not alone in her faith but connected to a large international body of believers.  It was eye-opening for us to talk to Christians who experience persecution even in our own state.

We continue to pray that the Lord will guide us to find the churches in Northern Tlaxcala and invite them to participate in “Operation

Christmas Child”.