Thoughts of the Aaron

I was extremely sad I had to leave. Mexico was a great experience for me. I have never been on a mission trip before and I really enjoyed it. On top of that I had never been to Mexico, so this was totally a new experience for me. Not knowing what to expect I got the unexpected, I never thought the women and children would connect as they did, they just brought us into their life's. That was really a neat experience. I truly miss them. I also will miss the other friends I made down there.

The thing i will miss the most is the women and children, as well as with Robert, Johnny, Ray, and Michelle. I also really like bonding with the other missionaries that went down to Mexico. Oh I will also miss the great food and Coke. LOL. I will never forget this trip, NEVER!

I really hope I can go back to Deborah's house between now and next year. Thanks everyone for your support.

Yours truly,
Aaron Gley

From Kari

After all is said and done, and even though while in Tijuana I met some really amazing and giving people, the thing that means the most to me are the relationships that I formed with all of my fellow travelers!

I also learned a lot about myself. About the things that mean the most to me and what I can or can not accept. I would like to say to all of them that I love them and I can't wait until a time when we can have peace and everlasting friendship!

Thanks!
God Bless!
Kari

Never the Same Again

The job is done...sort of.

We have finished working at Deborah's House...for now. We did all of the construction we could in a week and we have left. The exterior walls are up and most of the interior walls are finished. A big chunk of the second story is framed but its not complete.

But when is the job really done? Even if we had finished all of the framing someone still has to install the electrical wiring and the plumbing. Rooms need sheet rock and paint. Stairs have to be built and the roof laid.

After this building is done, the next phase can begin. A house is needed for the Resident Manager. The next large building is needed for offices and training. An entire apartment complex needs to be erected.

And the ministry continues everyday...women and children need support and love. Meals need to be cooked and laundry done. Children need to go to school. New homes need to be found, counseling offered, trainings presented.
As I write this from my Oregon home on Monday I am reflecting on the success of our trip. In the last 2 days I have slept a total of 23 hours. My bags are unpacked and most of the laundry is done. Our great Mexican adventure is over...or is it?

Our hearts have been changed by this experience. We have loved until it hurt. Our eyes have seen the need. Our arms are sore from hugging and swinging hammers, building bonds of love and support. The same jewelry adorns our necks and the necks of precious Mexican women and children. The beads string a connection of love. We are bonded together in a way that can only happen in the Kingdom of God!

The trip is finished but we will never be the same again. We cannot be satisfied with our current lives. There is a restlessness with the status quo. How can we consume so much when people we love have so little?

Nelson Henderson said, "The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit." We have worked this week for the benefit of others and yet we have gained so much ourselves.






I'm resting in the comfort of my life knowing full well that this is only half time. God has stirred our hearts and we will not be content until we are back to planting trees.

"Just say the word, Lord. I'm rested up and my passport's ready!"
Tim Moore

Saying Goodby

Boy this day was one of the hardest days I have ever had! Say good by or see you later was a sad one. My heart was heavy when Jordan came and cried in my arms asking us not to leave. When Nereyda grabbed me from behind and wouldn't let me go. I never thought it would be this hard or be this painful. But I want you all to know that I was proud to represent Jesus and to be his hands and feet to be a servant for God. I want you all to know that while we were there no gun fire. Ray made us feel very safe. I want you all to know that it was the most wonderful expereance I have had. I wish you all could have been there with us. I look forward to see you all this Sunday and to share with you all about Debra's house and the wemen and children.
Love you all
Tammy

So, our current situation...

We successfully made it through the US/Mexico border! Yeah!! No hickups. But, Briston's hands were hurting very bad (from an intense sunburn), and it was decided to take him to the hospital. We made a short trip to SHARP Hospital in San Diego (the very hospital I was born in over 21 years ago!!!). We were set back a little bit, so we've decided to drive straight home. 20 hour trip ahead...HERE WE COME!

So, we'll probably be back in the early afternoon on Saturday!

Please pray that we are safe on our travels!

Chris

Leaving Deb's House

We left Deborah's house at 10:30am today (Friday) with a lot of tears and thank you's. Much love had been shared this week. Jordi, one of the kids there, was particularly devastated that we were leaving. He didn't know that we were leaving so soon, and when he realized that we were gathering to leave, he broke out in wails and moans. Through his crying he asked, "Can't you all just stay a bit longer." It is difficult to make such deep connections and then break them so quickly.

A mentor of mine once said, "Love like it's never going to hurt." I value this statement very much, but I realize that it is almost impossible for most people. Since we know that we will be leaving a place, we choose to not attach ourselves in the first place. Jordi had no idea when we were leaving (if ever). He didn't know the hurt was coming, so he loved as if it would never hurt. And, even though he was the most hurt person out of all of us, I would venture to say that he loved the most deeply and therefore gained the most from this trip.

We have all been touched, in some way, by the people at Deborah's house. I'm sure that we would all be more than willing to share with you our experiences! Borders were crossed! God truly blessed this trip!

Chris

Last Night at the Camp Fire

There was a great wiener roast at Deborah's House last night (Wednesday night). S'mores followed. We had such a great time with Spanish songs and quirky songs from Camp Arrah Wanna. Here is a video of Megan, Nora, and Michelle singing "Everybody's talking 'bout LOVE" which they translated into Spanish! What an awesome experience!

Chris

Que hicimos hoy (What we did today)

Megan and Nora's account of the afternoon after lunch:
We (most of the group and all the women and children, minus a group who stayed to work on the roof) went to the beach in Rosarito and played with the kids! We saw a shark! Okay, just kidding. But we had lots of fun! Corie went missing but then we figured out where she was :) False alarm. We buried the kids with sand and took pictures; they love having their picture taken. We got really, really wet and sandy and ate cookies on the bus on the way back. Chocolate chip-the best.


An update on the jewelry team from Tammy:
All the women have thoroughly enjoyed making jewelry. Kari and I have become very close with them during the times we have made jewelry. We have made necklaces, bracelets, key chains, and anklets. They are really enjoying making jewelry. Hopefully they will start selling on the Night Light (Night Light is dedicated to providing a way for exploited women to make money; Deborah's house is hoping to join this organization, which is part of International Missions.) I know that God has touched my life through them and I will truly miss them when we leave.


So I asked one of the children here, Jordi, to say something to our families back home about what we've done this week. This is what he said:
"Hicimos angelitos. Los decoramos con tierra de colores. Hicimos galletas con nuestros nombres. Queso! Hicimos pulseras con bolitas que brillan en la oscuridad. Tambien manteles. HI!"
Translation: "We made little angles and decorated them with colored sand. We made cookies with our names (these were nametags shaped like gingerbread men). Cheese! (I'm not sure why he said cheese :) I then pointed to his bracelet and he told me more) We made bracelets with beads that glow in the dark. Also placemats. Hi!"
The kids have been great and the fact that I've been able to communicate with them has really made it easier for us to connect. In fact, we're such good friends already that they told me today they want to be invited to the wedding :)Yeah, I'm going to miss these ninos!
Jenn

ON WEDNES...day

Today was a very exciting day...

As a group, we decided that we have had enough of Ray's practical jokes (constantly raining down upon us). So, we thought it would be great to pull a big one on him. Ray was scheduled to arrive here at 10:30. Jon and Jenn took the bus out of the compound and everyone hid in the downstairs room. All of the women were in on the whole thing and were ready to tell Ray that we got sick of the work and worried about water failure so we left. Somehow, Ray got wind of our little prank and he pranked us back...overall it was just a big practical joke morning. Nobody really knew what was going on. Actually, I still don't really know what was going on this morning. Then we got right to work...haha.

Chris

This has been quite a week

Robert Bruce, unofficial missionary here at Deborah's House (aka "Chief Pooper Scooper"), is not happy with our team! Apparently, the toilets here have not been so plugged for six months. AND, I may add to Christopher's blog earlier today, the man's (singular) toilet is now officially plugged. We have heard so many lectures about flushing t.p. that we hopefully now all "get it." Sad but true.
All of the youth are currently playing a game. Some others are sitting around here just talking and laughing.
This is an incredible experience.
I want to add how much I miss Jan and Ron being here. Ron, I hope you're feeling better soon!"
Nancy: Elliott says hi and he loves you :P
--Janet Savage

Construction things (more recent than the stuff further down the page)....

Construction of the second story for Deborah's house has been quickly progressing! Lots got done today! Take a look at the pics!

Only about a quarter of the exterior walls need to be raised, and some interior walls have already been installed. There is still much to do, but tomorrow TIM comes back (he was gone since Sunday and will be back tomorrow (Wednesday))!!! Oh Tim, come back to us...please come and experience the wonderful sewage!!

The women here have been making beautiful jewelry that looks very professional! They have gotten super super into it and they will finish some pieces us tomorrow! Thanks Tammy and Kari (the ringleaders of the beads) for that!

We had two additions to our party of 19 today from the United States (Santa Barbara area). One is checking this place out for a potential year-long mission work thingy. They'll be tagging along with us until Friday morning!

It has been really great to get some of the youth helping out with stuff. Austin learned how to drive a nail (using his very own hammer)!! Go Austin! Corie seems to take a liking to the drill (attaching the OSB to the frame!)

Adam has been finding that he knows much more Spanish than he thought, and is constantly conversing! Elliott got absolutely fried by the sun yesterday, but that didn't stop him from working on the roof all day (he covered up by wearing his newly purchased wool pullover in high heat!)!

Life is just going really well here. The women are truly able to find peace and rest here. It is our hope that we can help Ray and Adalia make even more space for this incredible ministry!! God is working here. Please pray that we are obedient in following his calling! Thank you all!

Christopher

Later in the dia (day) on Martes (Tue)

In response to a question about what Aaron’s learned…
I’ve learned Spanish, and how to build walls for the second story that we’re putting up. I’ve really enjoyed the trip. It’s been awesome and a great experience. (Janet adds in that he’s been very mature on the trip-Amanda you’d be very proud.) The women are very kind and they’re really good cooks. It’s really good food! And great tacos down the street.

From the mouth of Nora:
I’m looking forward to getting to know the kids better. I wish that time would slow down! There haven’t been any problems so far, and I want to keep having fun.

Janet is currently cupping a bead in her hands to see if it’s a glow-in-the-dark bead. “I’ve never been so completely available. Nothing is more important than each new moment. I’ve never been so present and received such joy from it.”

According to Jenn:
Today we had the kids play with bells and they played the song “Jesus Loves Me.” They were very into it and did a great job. The whole day they were asking what was next once they neared to completion of an activity. After the bells we also decorated angels and different pictures and filled bracelets with colored sand. It was a beautiful day and we were able to make the most of it as we set up our table outside.



I was able to help some of the women in the kitchen today and that was awesome! I cut up radishes, lettuce, onions, and limes as we prepared for a big lunch of pozole. It was 100% Mexican and delicious. The Savages had tears streaming as they discovered the hot sauce was really very picante, or spicy! 



The second story is coming along really well. It’s always been a dream of mine to go on a mission trip to Mexico and help build something, and here I am doing it. It’s a very thrilling and satisfying feeling. I’m learning a lot about construction and how many little details, not to mention vocabulary, go into it.

Stephanie thoughts:
The tacos that we had the very first night were really really good! The market that we went to was very different from a few years ago (when I was here last)…lots of stuff. I got two rings: identical rings for me and my friend…sterling silver. I’m having a lot of fun with construction!

This Morning (Tuesday)

So...just thought everyone should know...4 of the 5 women's johns are clogged. They apparently can't figure out not to put TP down the toidy.

The day is off to a great start! Thanks for all of your prayers!

Christopher

WORKING with the CHILLENS!!

The kids have been absolutely the cutest things in the whole entire world! They cling to us like non other!!!

Nora: "So, what did we do? We played with them, we made bracelets and necklaces."

"The swings pulled us all over the place"

"they're just a bunch of cute kids that are fun"



Janet: "We made all kinds of crafts (hours and hours). We were dragged in a million different directions by wanting hands."

"I pranked Jordi (one of the youngins that LOVES farts...)" Ray called everyone together to talk about problems with methane gas...it seemed so real. As Jordi was intently listening, Janet set off the strategically placed fart machine. Jordi was stunned and couldn't believe that someone was just letting 'em rip. He laughed and laughed and couldn't get his hands off of the fart machine remote control. Ray loves his practical jokes...he and Janet really get along in that sense.


Megan: "We really love just hanging out with them and bonding...and...yeah..."

"I'm really sun burned"..."and, I fell off a swing"

We gave the boys HOTWHEELS (thanks to Josh Roberts!!) and they were in young man heaven.

(Anthony: "they also found themselves up on the roof holding up walls (the workers, not chillens")

Construction THOUGHTS!

The crew ascended to the roof to build walls; our task for the week is to frame the second story of Deborah's House. It was slow at first, as we were trying to figure out how we were going to do this. Ray gave us some great direction, although we discovered that he was in and out all the time. Whether he was picking up the compressor, running to the hardware store, or buying dog food (they have 6 dogs!), his presence was very helpful. And above all this, we had a great crew that was willing to do whatever needed to be done. Amid the sunburns we offloaded a flat bed of lumber and sheathing. (Sheathing is 1/2 inch OSB material used on the exterior of walls in stucco structures.) We raised six 8-foot sections of exterior walls and two interior walls. Rich and Jon both received "owies" along the way. But never fear, Rich is better after showering this evening. :) It was a slow start, but we are very encouraged by what the rest of the week holds. We're going to build an awesome building!!!

#1 forman,
Anthony Doheny

SUNDAY!

First off, thank you all for your prayers as we familiarize ourselves with Mexico! Today was a relaxing day spent getting to know people and some of the Mexican customs. After joining hands, our entire group was led in prayer in Spanish by Maggie, the eldest resident at Deborah’s house. Cereal, toast, and apples gave us energy to load on the bus and drive about 45 minutes to church. Sidenote: Have you ever heard of putting syrup in honey nut cheerios? Well apparently that’s the thing to do here J

Anyway, we saw lots of Tijuana on our way to church, including a huge statue of Jesus and lots of taco stands. The church service was amazing, but then again I was a particular fan because it reminded me of my church in Spain last semester. Nevertheless, the songs were upbeat, the people very welcoming, and Adelia translated the entire sermon for us. Sopes following the service were DELICIOUS, o delicioso as they would say here, only 3 for $1.50. Let’s just say that we’re not going to go hungry here-today we basically ate at all times of the day!

CJ is going to finish the day from here, but let me just jump ahead to say that the fish tacos that we had later in the evening were an instant favorite, as Ray took us to his favorite spot near a shopping market where we all tried our hand at bargaining. How uninterested can you appear and how long can you hold out in order to make them cut their starting price in half?

J We’re excited to being our work tomorrow morning. Love to our families back home; more to follow,

Jenn Gabica

Hey there all! CJ reporting here. The rest of the afternoon was spent doing a variety of activities. We started the afternoon by spending some time setting up the rest of our week. The men met with the architect going over all the plans for the second story that we are going to be building and the women spent time with the mothers and children. We had a quick meal of ham sandwiches to complement our Sopes we ate after church, then all packed on the bus and headed out for an afternoon of shopping! We headed down to Rosirito beach where there is a very nice open air market. We spent a couple hours wondering the market visiting all the vendors. I must say it is sad to see how empty it is during this spring break. Just about everyone bought something to take home for themselves and their loved ones (that’s you guys!). On the way back to the bus we stopped by this amazing little open air fish taco stand! We have only stayed here one day but it really does seem like 2 or 3 to me. We have already done and seen so many amazing things. Most of the day that I wasn’t spending out with our group I was entertaining a very cute little girl named Karen. She has quickly become a fixture of my stay here at debras house and I can’t really say that I mind. We finished off the evening by sitting down to an amazing spaghetti meal prepared for us by the women staying here. The one and only casualty we have had is Austin. He ran into a bar on the playground and split his lip pretty good. He is already feeling a lot better and is in good spirits. We have a lot ahead of us but we are all very excited to get started in the morning! We will continue to keep you posted on our days. God Bless and again thank you for all your prayers! CJ

We've Arrived!

At 10pm Saturday night we pulled into a McDonalds right on the US side of the border and there to greet us was Ray Schellinger! We spent a few minutes getting to know each other before boarding the bus again. One more fill of fuel and we were ready for the crossing.

The process was pleasantly simple. The officials asked us about the registration of the bus and then waved us through. That was it! The hardest part was changing our watches because Mexico does not do Daylight Savings Time. We are officially now on Mexican time...

Jon Diller expertly drove the bus through the narrow streets. He quickly noted that there were more road hazzards in Mexico and people drove a little differently. Fortunately the roads were mostly clear so we arrived in La Gloria quickly. Climbing up the hill to Debora's House we noticed a late night Taco stand with enticing smells but pressed on. It was a tight fit but Jon got the bus into the parking lot.

The next hour was spent settling on our sleeping arrangements, unpacking the bus and getting to know where things were located. It was a surprise to learn that the local plumbing system does not handle toilet paper well so Ray Schellinger had to conduct a brief seminar on the protocol. And showers are very short with a posible, hint of a prayer of warm water.

But before we could settle down we had one thing we had to do. The enticement of those tacos were too much to resist, so under Ray's guidance the group went around the corner and feasted. Yummy, drippy tacos!

The first phase is finished. We have all arrived safely. Our travel was so much easier because so many of you sent us off with tangible acts of love.

Jackie, your cookies were fabulous and this bus drive consumed more than my fair share!

Sharla, the oranges made it passed the California inspectors (yes, we showed 'em to them) and have been great snacks.

Jan, the sandwiches were a great idea! We were able to eat as we drove, like a picknic on wheels.

I am sure many more of you gave gifts that I have failed to mention. Tomorrow we will unload the bus and present to the people here at Debora's House the plethora of gifts you all sent down. We will try to post pictures of these gifts being given.

And we have felt your prayers. The travel has been wonderfully uneventful because you have prayed.

On Sunday we will have our first meal with the Shelter women. Then we will head out to church in another Tijuana neighborhood around 10am.

Think of us as we all worship our Lord and Savior. We will bring greetings from you to your Mexican brothers and sisters in the Lord. And thank you for your continue prayers.

Tim Moore

thoughts from I5 milepost 559

The sun is up as we drive past fields this beautiful morning.

We left Springfield a few minutes before 4pm. Yesterday we drove 360 miles arriving at FBC Red Bluff at 10:45. There was a team from the church to welcome and help us settle in.

One of the guys asked us why we would want to go to Mexico when there is so much need here in the US.

Its a good question. I think by entering a different culture we experience people in unique was. It gives us a better understand of a people and their culture. As we separate ourselves from our culture we are stripped clean, better equipped serve God

While there is need everywhere I think we will experience a level of poverty in Tijuana staggering to behold. Hopefully we will be challenged to make a difference ina sacrificial way.

This morning we learned thatn not all Diesel pumps are created equal. We pump 20 gal in 25 min and decided that we couldn't wait to put in the other 60 gals. We will find a truckstop with a highspeed pump next time.

We are on schedule to cross the Mexican border about 8pm. Thanks for your continued support and prayers.

Tim Moore

Hola Amigos!
I am sooo excited to go to Deborah's House and meet Ray and Adalia that I could just jump out of my skin! Not only is it going to be a wonderful experience for all of us, especially the youth that are going, but we are going to be able to reach out to men, women and children that need our help very much! We are going to minister, teach and give love to people for Jesus and that makes me sooo proud and happy!

By Adam Doheny