I have been looking back and reflecting on my trip and I keep remembering little details here and there. Overall the trip was VERY good. There were a few problems along the way but God really blessed.
I heard about this trip from a newsletter in my E-mail that I get from Chick Publications. It was perfect timing that I got it too. God had been, and still is, doing something in my life that changed the way I have been thinking. A few situations and having already had a burden for Mexico, I got this E-mail. It was definitely God's timing. I talked with many of my peers in church to try to get them in on it and Matt decided to join in. We got our tickets and our motel reservations (which we ended up not needing but I'll go on about that later) and got ready.
Matt and I left the Saturday before the whole thing started. We figured that we'd check out the church and See the city a bit. We flew out of the Boise airport without a problem. Our flight was on time and we had everything, it was exciting. We then arrived in Denver where the first problem arrived. We knew that we'd have to be quick to get to our flight since we only had about 1/2 an hour to get to our gate. It was pretty good timing that we got there but we came to find out that our flight was cancelled to El Paso. They got us another plane and an extra 45 minutes. Matt and I decided to explore the Denver Airport (which was pretty neat) and then we had to get back to our gate. Beltway after beltway we finally got back to the other side of the airport with just enough time to get a Starbucks. Sipping on our frappuccinos we found out that we had a plane but no crew to fly it meaning more waiting. We finally got a crew and then boarded the heavily cramped airplane. As it taxied we were informed that, somehow, the plane had been over fueled and we'd have to wait on the tarmac for about 45 minutes as they burned off fuel. A tired sigh of relief overcame all those aboard the plane as the pilot(ess{which I thought was strange}) informed us that we would be taking off. It was a smooth and uneventful flight... thankfully.
In El Paso we disembarked from the plane to find an eerily empty airport. We then commenced to find our motel information. "Our motel should be pretty close to the airport." Matt had been telling me. "Let's call them and ask if they have a shuttle" he then said. So I called our motel and found out that they were kind of lost as to why we would ask such an absurd question. I called my dad and asked for him to find the information on his computer because everything we were finding in the airport said that we were nowhere near our motel. It turns out that I had made reservations for a motel about 15 minutes away. We ended up taking a taxi to our motel and getting some supper before going to bed wearied and a little frustrated. I had been talking to Matt and I was mad that I had made such a stupid mistake but he reminded me that there's a reason for everything. There was a soul driving that taxi by the name of Angel who was able to receive a tract and CD. Pray for him, perhaps salvation is near for him.
Sunday arrived and we had contacted Hector Jimenez, the man who basically was the one whom God used to have the vision for this outreach. He is a very humble man. He does a lot with BPS El Paso mostly driving buses and doing whatever is needed. He came and picked us up and took us to the BPS facility where we unloaded our stuff and discovered our home for the next week. It was a nice facility with a couple dorms, many rooms similar to motel rooms, a nice kitchen, lots of storage rooms, and a game room assembly area. In another building not far away there was a bus garage where they kept two or three 1960's greyhound buses that were very nice for this sort of thing. One of them was the bus that took us many times into Mexico and back. They also had a print shop affixed to the building where they mostly collate and bind covers to John and Romans and New Testaments.
Hector Jimenez driving our bus
We had just enough time to get a bunk and see a little of the place before it was time to roll out to church. After church we went back to the facility and met some of the men. Then, after lunch some ping-pong and Foosball it was time to get ready to go to night church. This was our first trip to Mexico of the trip. We were going to go to church at Iglesia Bautista Agua Viva where a man from our group spoke after we sang many familiar songs but in Spanish. I loved singing those songs in Spanish and listening to the people sing.
(Living Water Baptist Church)
Pastor Joe Compana
Monday morning rolled around and after an impressive breakfast, which is something that they served every day, the men geared up. It was an odd day for me because I didn't really know anybody. I felt a little apprehensive because I wasn't sure just how unusual these 40 or so men were going to be. That day I had the opportunity to meet the director or Bearing Precious Seed, Al Braley and a Pastor From New Mexico. We got to talk a lot and pray together. God really used that first day to help me and get me into the frame of mind that I needed and to meet everybody.
After lunch (The ladies made Mexican food most of the week and it was all very good) we went back out to pass out many more John/Romans. Most of the time we would be placed at a busy intersection and when the cars would stop we would walk along the line handing them to people through their windows until the light turned green, or I should say until we were able to get out of the road and the possibility getting hit then we'd do it again when the light went back to red. This was pretty much what we did all week. Sometimes we were at lights, sometimes at stop signs and sometimes at yield signs but we were able to give many out to drivers. Sometimes some of the Spanish speakers would get on a bus like the ones driving all over town and preach for about 5 minutes while going one way and then he'd do the same coming back.
One of the intersections I worked
One of hundreds of buses that were all over town
Every night at 7 we'd meet up in a different area where they set up for speaking. They had special music, puppet shows and, of course, preaching. There were many people over the whole week that got saved. The meetings had a lot of people from Mexican churches and then several people who had received invitations with their John/Romans.
The meeting Monday night
The singers on Monday night
Tuesday night singers
I met several Mexican people over there whom I came to love as much as my closest friends. I could hardly communicate with several of them but God gave a special unity over this whole thing. I met a man named Lalo I think I first got to work with him on Tuesday and we were together most of the rest of the week. It was nice that he had spent much of his time in the U.S. so he spoke English quite well. Lalo had such a brightness to him. He had a passion for the people of Juarez. Here was a man with tattoos all up his arms and neck singing practically the whole time we we're out there and then pleading with people to read their John/Romans and come to the meeting. I also met a pastor from farther south of Juarez who was sent out by one of the churches we visited for lunches. Pastor Julian was very nice. He had a very pleasant family. I could tell the way he jumped into things with all his might that he was a hard worker. He spoke a little English and I spoke a little Spanish and we were able to communicate a little but it was a blessing. We became very good friends and he invited me to come and visit his church. I would love to have that opportunity. I even got to play soccer with him and his younger teenage son and several other Mexicans. That was a blast as well. Some others that I had a much harder time communicating with but there was just a unity and a brotherhood. It was an amazing thing to me because overall there was about seventeen churches represented and there was such a unity and the men and women had such a heart to work. Where I could only imagine how this could have worked in a lot of places in the U.S., God blessed over there. I was blessed to see brothers from another place whom I have never met before and possibly will never meet again this side of heaven. It was nice to get out of our little box and see that we are not alone. We also had several people that we had given the John/Romans to that thanked us for caring for their city, mostly christians.
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Lalo and me
Me with Pastor Julian, his son Joel, his wife Angelica, his daughter Carla and his son Gerson
in the church that sent him out
I worked with Manuel many days, he didn't speak English but we had a good time
It was truly heart breaking to get on that plane and come home. I left with several memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life, things that will bring smiles to my soul now and again. I left with a heavier burden for the Mexican people and a deeper love for souls. I didn't want to leave but I just have to take everything in God's time. Maybe one day he will take me back over there and maybe not. Whatever he has for me I can say that, like this trip, I am sure that I will see great and mighty things which I know not.
