Dear Friends and Family of CCA 11th Gr. Team
Last but not least, I would like to encourage you to find out from your student how the following "Upper Room" time has affected and impacted them for their mission at home and globally.
Sat: Debrief and recap of our village mission experience & exhortation by P. Chet
Sun: Debrief of Host Homes Visits and Broken Bread Experience - Aaron, P. Topher and P. Mark
Mon: Communion and Worship - Closing by P. Topher and Aaron
It has been a great privilege for us to serve alongside you and your students. It has been a glorious mission trip. A total of 16 souls saved through village visits and street evangelism. Another 90 to 100 children gave their hearts to the LORD at our VBS presentation in two villages over 4 days. More than 200 folks heard a gospel presentation during our 10-day mission trip in Merida, Tabi & Hocaba. His work in us has just begun.
Bel for P. Topher & Aaron Mills
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
Day 8: Work Day in Merida
Dear Friends and Family
Project Love at Casa Abuelos continued with preparing a piece of unused ground for a garden. Initial plans was to add top soil, plants and sods to the garden. However, the contractor wanted us to make a more gradual decline to that plot so we had to removed sand and gravel first before we can go about doing what was planned. At the end of it, it was all worth being soaked in soil and dirt. It added a peaceful and restful atmosphere to Casa Abuelos.
Another group went to CCA Merida and spent time with the students there. They made a lot of friends (from K to 6 Gr), and was surprised with a bag lunch prepared for them by the CCA Merida students. Love in Christ is so sweet, isn't it?
In the evening, we went on a city tour with Dr Aguayo. He gave alot of historic background to the students and it was greatly enjoyed. Followed by souvenirs shopping, and a farewell dinner to our missionary families and interns.
Please pray for safe travel home tomorrow and that the interns will be able to experience the leading of God in their pursuit of him in this mission field. To follow up on the new Christians at Tabi and Hocaba.
Love and thank you for all your prayers, intercession and financial support.
God Bless.
Project Love at Casa Abuelos continued with preparing a piece of unused ground for a garden. Initial plans was to add top soil, plants and sods to the garden. However, the contractor wanted us to make a more gradual decline to that plot so we had to removed sand and gravel first before we can go about doing what was planned. At the end of it, it was all worth being soaked in soil and dirt. It added a peaceful and restful atmosphere to Casa Abuelos.
Another group went to CCA Merida and spent time with the students there. They made a lot of friends (from K to 6 Gr), and was surprised with a bag lunch prepared for them by the CCA Merida students. Love in Christ is so sweet, isn't it?
In the evening, we went on a city tour with Dr Aguayo. He gave alot of historic background to the students and it was greatly enjoyed. Followed by souvenirs shopping, and a farewell dinner to our missionary families and interns.
Please pray for safe travel home tomorrow and that the interns will be able to experience the leading of God in their pursuit of him in this mission field. To follow up on the new Christians at Tabi and Hocaba.
Love and thank you for all your prayers, intercession and financial support.
God Bless.
Day 7: Fellowship, Visit Host Homes and Broken Bread
Dear Friends and Family
We were so looking forward to our church service at CC Merida. We were only able to briefly talk to some on our way in last week. Pastor Sam gave us a warm welcome, and gave the church an update on what we were able to accomplish in the last week at Tabi and Hocaba. The water filtration site and all our building projects should be fully ready in three weeks. Also, that the he had turned in a petition for the government to give to the ministry a machine to make tortillas at Tabi. It has already been approved, and their government had offered to provide the machine and the ingredients to make tortillas for the village at Tabi. What an awesome testimony of God's provision.
Pastor Topher taught that morning. He shared from Col 1, giving praise and thanks to the church for being so faithful at reaching out to the Mayans in Tabi and Hocaba. Encouraging them to continue in the good work, walking in a manner worthy of Christ. Their correct understanding of Christ's heart for the lost, has led to correct actions and Faith, that produces fruit.
In the afternoon, we were able to lunch with host families, and experience a time of intimate fellowship and breaking bread. Their hospitality was so simple yet extravagantly lavished upon us.
In the evening we had a Broken Bread Experience. In a nutshell, it is a poverty meal that most refugees and HIV infected patients eat on a daily basis in any third world country. The object lesson that Aaron Mills shared was to encourage the students to tie in their mission experience so far with those whom we met at the homes in the villages of Tabi and Hocaba. Most families in the villages live on $1 to $2 a day, surviving on home made tortillas and leaves from plants. The more fortunate ones have eggs and peas on them. How can our faith motivate us to help the people we see in Tabi, Hocaba and beyond affected by poverty, and the children that are orphaned by AIDS worldwide. In our small groups, we shared and prayed, asking God to show each one of us what we can practically do to help those that are affected by the vicious cycle of poverty, hunger and aids.
We were able to have a good time of reflection personally (on Luk 22:19 & John 6:48) and then corporately in our small groups discussed John 6:1-14, 2 Kings 4:2-7. Followed by a fast that night. Our students are moved to act. They thought about starting from cutting down on unnecessary STARBUCKS, Movies, sodas at home, then in their immediate community at CCA advocating for students to hear God's heart for the poor. At the end of the night, students gave their pesos to help buy flour to make bread for Tabi.
We are blessed.
We were so looking forward to our church service at CC Merida. We were only able to briefly talk to some on our way in last week. Pastor Sam gave us a warm welcome, and gave the church an update on what we were able to accomplish in the last week at Tabi and Hocaba. The water filtration site and all our building projects should be fully ready in three weeks. Also, that the he had turned in a petition for the government to give to the ministry a machine to make tortillas at Tabi. It has already been approved, and their government had offered to provide the machine and the ingredients to make tortillas for the village at Tabi. What an awesome testimony of God's provision.
Pastor Topher taught that morning. He shared from Col 1, giving praise and thanks to the church for being so faithful at reaching out to the Mayans in Tabi and Hocaba. Encouraging them to continue in the good work, walking in a manner worthy of Christ. Their correct understanding of Christ's heart for the lost, has led to correct actions and Faith, that produces fruit.
In the afternoon, we were able to lunch with host families, and experience a time of intimate fellowship and breaking bread. Their hospitality was so simple yet extravagantly lavished upon us.
In the evening we had a Broken Bread Experience. In a nutshell, it is a poverty meal that most refugees and HIV infected patients eat on a daily basis in any third world country. The object lesson that Aaron Mills shared was to encourage the students to tie in their mission experience so far with those whom we met at the homes in the villages of Tabi and Hocaba. Most families in the villages live on $1 to $2 a day, surviving on home made tortillas and leaves from plants. The more fortunate ones have eggs and peas on them. How can our faith motivate us to help the people we see in Tabi, Hocaba and beyond affected by poverty, and the children that are orphaned by AIDS worldwide. In our small groups, we shared and prayed, asking God to show each one of us what we can practically do to help those that are affected by the vicious cycle of poverty, hunger and aids.
We were able to have a good time of reflection personally (on Luk 22:19 & John 6:48) and then corporately in our small groups discussed John 6:1-14, 2 Kings 4:2-7. Followed by a fast that night. Our students are moved to act. They thought about starting from cutting down on unnecessary STARBUCKS, Movies, sodas at home, then in their immediate community at CCA advocating for students to hear God's heart for the poor. At the end of the night, students gave their pesos to help buy flour to make bread for Tabi.
We are blessed.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Day 6: Work Day in Merida
Dear Family & Friends
Greetings.
Casa Abuelos Update:
Love Abuelos Project : To install a garden for the abuelos, clean and mop each room in the Elderly Folks Home. A lot of heartbreaking sights and stories, we were thankful that we could share, pray and comfort with the abuelos. One old lady, Maria Jesus, shared that her mom and dad died very early in life and she was abandoned by her children 7 years ago. That sent immediate tears down our throat. Our students from Team God and Jesus, interacted with all the abuelos, and participated in clearing up the waste area that would become the garden for our abuelos.
Other God Stories:
Laura was asked if she could help clean up an old lady, she felt privileged, humbled and also very blessed to be able to serve her that way. She helped to comb her hair afterwards, and that open up a way for them to communicate openly.
Katie was cleaning a room and discovered an old man sleeping on his own feces. She was in a state of pain for him because he should not have to live like this. Our students interacted with all the abuelos, and participated in clearing up the area that will become the garden for our abuelos.
CCA Merida Update:
Paint Project for the Additional 2-Storey Building of CCA Merida : Students put on their work clothes and painted the interior of the new classrooms and the surrounding walls of the new building. It was fun as the students painted and sang together on this work day. Time flies when you enjoy your work, isn't it.
Pray for our time tomorrow, we will be visiting CC Merida and visiting with different host homes for lunch. We want to get to know and fellowship with the Merida family too. Please pray for continued good health for all. For Pastor Topher as he will be teaching tomorrow.
God Bless.
Greetings.
Casa Abuelos Update:
Love Abuelos Project : To install a garden for the abuelos, clean and mop each room in the Elderly Folks Home. A lot of heartbreaking sights and stories, we were thankful that we could share, pray and comfort with the abuelos. One old lady, Maria Jesus, shared that her mom and dad died very early in life and she was abandoned by her children 7 years ago. That sent immediate tears down our throat. Our students from Team God and Jesus, interacted with all the abuelos, and participated in clearing up the waste area that would become the garden for our abuelos.
Other God Stories:
Laura was asked if she could help clean up an old lady, she felt privileged, humbled and also very blessed to be able to serve her that way. She helped to comb her hair afterwards, and that open up a way for them to communicate openly.
Katie was cleaning a room and discovered an old man sleeping on his own feces. She was in a state of pain for him because he should not have to live like this. Our students interacted with all the abuelos, and participated in clearing up the area that will become the garden for our abuelos.
CCA Merida Update:
Paint Project for the Additional 2-Storey Building of CCA Merida : Students put on their work clothes and painted the interior of the new classrooms and the surrounding walls of the new building. It was fun as the students painted and sang together on this work day. Time flies when you enjoy your work, isn't it.
Pray for our time tomorrow, we will be visiting CC Merida and visiting with different host homes for lunch. We want to get to know and fellowship with the Merida family too. Please pray for continued good health for all. For Pastor Topher as he will be teaching tomorrow.
God Bless.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Day 5: More Confession of Faith made in both Hocaba and Tabi
Dear Parents and Friends
We got to complete the basketball court at Tabi today. Lots of cement mixing today. We started the morning with visiting the community in Tabi. By the way, there were at least two confession of faith made in Tabi yesterday. Mr Salvatelli, Laura Foreman, Jenn Schmidt, Ryan and Camilla got to witness to a 19 year old gal who lives in Tabi all her life. Laura shared her testimony and David translated and also shared in the preaching of the gospel. Maria put her faith in Christ after our short 20 minutes of sharing. What a glorious day, for the students to see the work of the Holy Spirit in action.
Dan T., Jessica M., Grace and Raisa met an alcoholic and was so burdened for his salvation that they ran back to get help in presenting the gospel to Jose. Aaron Mills, Mr Alvarez and myself were blessed to be able to lead Jose to Christ. Jose struggled with drinking for a long time and really wanted to get out of his cycle of alcohol abuse. Whilst talking to him, we found out that he really considered himself unworthy before God because of his alcohol abuse. We explained to him why that is not the case, because Christ died for unworthy sinners like us all, and loved us before we know of Him..... One water, one sow, one harvest..... what an awesome God we serve.
In Hocaba, our teams have also divine appointments besides their laborious hard day of finishing up the foundation at the water filtration site. The foundation has to be laid with rocks, sand and gravel before they could do the flooring of it. Mrs Klipfel, Mr Matthews and the bus driver chance upon the neighbor's home next to our work site. They went in to visit and it ended up to be a divine appointment for the 3 young mason workers. They gave their life to the LORD and fell to their knees. Last but not least, the bus driver, Antonio gave his life to the LORD too.. What a Faithful Father we have to teach us his heart for the LOST.
Pastor Chet, the 10th Gr. Visionary Team and Mr Lofthouse also visited both Tabi and Hocaba today, praying and planning for the trip that would take place next year.
More updates to follow. Please pray for our work day in Merida for the next weekend. Thanks.
We got to complete the basketball court at Tabi today. Lots of cement mixing today. We started the morning with visiting the community in Tabi. By the way, there were at least two confession of faith made in Tabi yesterday. Mr Salvatelli, Laura Foreman, Jenn Schmidt, Ryan and Camilla got to witness to a 19 year old gal who lives in Tabi all her life. Laura shared her testimony and David translated and also shared in the preaching of the gospel. Maria put her faith in Christ after our short 20 minutes of sharing. What a glorious day, for the students to see the work of the Holy Spirit in action.
Dan T., Jessica M., Grace and Raisa met an alcoholic and was so burdened for his salvation that they ran back to get help in presenting the gospel to Jose. Aaron Mills, Mr Alvarez and myself were blessed to be able to lead Jose to Christ. Jose struggled with drinking for a long time and really wanted to get out of his cycle of alcohol abuse. Whilst talking to him, we found out that he really considered himself unworthy before God because of his alcohol abuse. We explained to him why that is not the case, because Christ died for unworthy sinners like us all, and loved us before we know of Him..... One water, one sow, one harvest..... what an awesome God we serve.
In Hocaba, our teams have also divine appointments besides their laborious hard day of finishing up the foundation at the water filtration site. The foundation has to be laid with rocks, sand and gravel before they could do the flooring of it. Mrs Klipfel, Mr Matthews and the bus driver chance upon the neighbor's home next to our work site. They went in to visit and it ended up to be a divine appointment for the 3 young mason workers. They gave their life to the LORD and fell to their knees. Last but not least, the bus driver, Antonio gave his life to the LORD too.. What a Faithful Father we have to teach us his heart for the LOST.
Pastor Chet, the 10th Gr. Visionary Team and Mr Lofthouse also visited both Tabi and Hocaba today, praying and planning for the trip that would take place next year.
More updates to follow. Please pray for our work day in Merida for the next weekend. Thanks.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Day 4: God Story: Life in Tabi
Dear Friends and Family
2.7 billion people in the world live on less than $2 a day, and 1.1 billion people in the world live on less than $1 a day. Most of the folks in Tabi and even Hocaba live the statistic. We met a young man who used to be a juvenile and was miraculously released from jail through Pastor Sam's ministry to him in the jail. Got saved and now married with child. He works in a bee farm, and get sting on a daily basis in order to get a liter of honey each day. This young man makes between $60 to $75 a month. Mr Matthews, one of the parents on our team, and our students were blown away by poverty they witnessed, but more so the LIFE Changes that had happened in many lives in TABI because of Christ, the work of the Church and its saints in that community.
Please pray for continued vision, and for God's calling on our body to participate in transforming lives.
Blessings.
2.7 billion people in the world live on less than $2 a day, and 1.1 billion people in the world live on less than $1 a day. Most of the folks in Tabi and even Hocaba live the statistic. We met a young man who used to be a juvenile and was miraculously released from jail through Pastor Sam's ministry to him in the jail. Got saved and now married with child. He works in a bee farm, and get sting on a daily basis in order to get a liter of honey each day. This young man makes between $60 to $75 a month. Mr Matthews, one of the parents on our team, and our students were blown away by poverty they witnessed, but more so the LIFE Changes that had happened in many lives in TABI because of Christ, the work of the Church and its saints in that community.
Please pray for continued vision, and for God's calling on our body to participate in transforming lives.
Blessings.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Day 4: Update
Dear Friends and Family
It has been such a memorable day for Team God and Sin. We did brick and mortar on the side walls of the bakery and the distribution centre for Tabi. It took a while to learn how to use the plumb line, learning to "slap on" the right amount of cement so that the mortar will stick. A group of students also went to visit with the Mayan families living in that village. A Mayan Village Home is a stick hut, with just an opening to enter the hut, hammocks for sleeping, a stove to make tortillas, a wash basin at the side of the hut to wash clothes, and very barely furnished.
Praise report: a team of students during the house visits led Sophia, a young mom who is 17, to the LORD. Another student Dan, led a 14 year old to the LORD during our VBS activity. The VBS went well for God team, and we have a total of 62 young lives at this VBS. We pray that we are building in the foundation of these young lives, besides the foundation we are trying to lay for the village and community church projects.
Hocaba report: Team Jesus and Commitment wanted to complete their project at the Water Filtration Site. They were trying to fill the site with rocks, soil and gravel so that it can be cemented. It took a lot of team work to fill up a third of the site.
Seeing Jose at the work site was the highlight of the day for everyone on the team. Our teams met this 10 year old boy on our first day at Hocaba. We found out that he lived with his grandmother and was abandoned by his natural mother after he was born, and his birth dad was dead a few years ago. Jose has not gone to school all this time. Because of our friendship with Jose, a group of CCA students and Anya started to pray about the possibility of doing a "School for School Project" for Hocaba and Tabi next school year.
More updates to follow. God Bless.
It has been such a memorable day for Team God and Sin. We did brick and mortar on the side walls of the bakery and the distribution centre for Tabi. It took a while to learn how to use the plumb line, learning to "slap on" the right amount of cement so that the mortar will stick. A group of students also went to visit with the Mayan families living in that village. A Mayan Village Home is a stick hut, with just an opening to enter the hut, hammocks for sleeping, a stove to make tortillas, a wash basin at the side of the hut to wash clothes, and very barely furnished.
Praise report: a team of students during the house visits led Sophia, a young mom who is 17, to the LORD. Another student Dan, led a 14 year old to the LORD during our VBS activity. The VBS went well for God team, and we have a total of 62 young lives at this VBS. We pray that we are building in the foundation of these young lives, besides the foundation we are trying to lay for the village and community church projects.
Hocaba report: Team Jesus and Commitment wanted to complete their project at the Water Filtration Site. They were trying to fill the site with rocks, soil and gravel so that it can be cemented. It took a lot of team work to fill up a third of the site.
Seeing Jose at the work site was the highlight of the day for everyone on the team. Our teams met this 10 year old boy on our first day at Hocaba. We found out that he lived with his grandmother and was abandoned by his natural mother after he was born, and his birth dad was dead a few years ago. Jose has not gone to school all this time. Because of our friendship with Jose, a group of CCA students and Anya started to pray about the possibility of doing a "School for School Project" for Hocaba and Tabi next school year.
More updates to follow. God Bless.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Day 3: Updates
Dear Family and Friends
Our 4 teams consisting of God, Sin, Jesus and Commitment went two different directions to do work projects at the village churches and VBS. Day 3: Team God and Commitment went to Hocaba, whilst Team Sin and Jesus went to Tabi. The folks at Tabi surrounded our team with lots of curious children wanting to work as hard as our students. The team was asked to find more rocks to fill the land marked out to be a basketball court, and they dig and they dig for all kind of soil in the village, surrounding the church. The villagers were friendly and helpful in their endeavor. VBS went well for the team, they said the children were very receptive and half of them were at our presentation last year. They got a lot of work done, in fact a sense of satisfaction was definitely on their countenance as they shared how pleased they were at the hard work they put in and the friendships they developed with the children.
Team God and Commitment were at Hocaba, and Commitment was asked to fill out the church kitchen and office with sand and gravel so that they can lay the foundation with cement. Team God has the task to remove all the stubble in the ground at the water filtration site. Then fill up the foundation with rocks and gravel so that cement work can take place in the next day. With the help of the other team, we managed to fill up a third of the water filtration site with rocks and gravel.
Now, VBS for Team God and Commitment went really well. They were able to minister in the downtown of Hocaba and invited about 40 to 50 children out to this VBS presentation. They grow with each minute. Our students rawk.
Not to forget, a group of us was asked to help divert a group of troublemakers who are trying to distract the VBS presentation. Tim Davis, Joel DeSousa, Nic Seagraves, Mr Alvarez and myself got to share our testimonies and two youths received Christ. Their names are Giovani and Victor. Five other friends of theirs also heard the good news, and are seriously contemplating the gospel. Please pray for these youths, that they will go to CC Hocaba and check out the bible studies there. They were also introduced to the local Pastor.
Ok, try to update you guys soon about what's going on on Day 4.
Blessings.
Our 4 teams consisting of God, Sin, Jesus and Commitment went two different directions to do work projects at the village churches and VBS. Day 3: Team God and Commitment went to Hocaba, whilst Team Sin and Jesus went to Tabi. The folks at Tabi surrounded our team with lots of curious children wanting to work as hard as our students. The team was asked to find more rocks to fill the land marked out to be a basketball court, and they dig and they dig for all kind of soil in the village, surrounding the church. The villagers were friendly and helpful in their endeavor. VBS went well for the team, they said the children were very receptive and half of them were at our presentation last year. They got a lot of work done, in fact a sense of satisfaction was definitely on their countenance as they shared how pleased they were at the hard work they put in and the friendships they developed with the children.
Team God and Commitment were at Hocaba, and Commitment was asked to fill out the church kitchen and office with sand and gravel so that they can lay the foundation with cement. Team God has the task to remove all the stubble in the ground at the water filtration site. Then fill up the foundation with rocks and gravel so that cement work can take place in the next day. With the help of the other team, we managed to fill up a third of the water filtration site with rocks and gravel.
Now, VBS for Team God and Commitment went really well. They were able to minister in the downtown of Hocaba and invited about 40 to 50 children out to this VBS presentation. They grow with each minute. Our students rawk.
Not to forget, a group of us was asked to help divert a group of troublemakers who are trying to distract the VBS presentation. Tim Davis, Joel DeSousa, Nic Seagraves, Mr Alvarez and myself got to share our testimonies and two youths received Christ. Their names are Giovani and Victor. Five other friends of theirs also heard the good news, and are seriously contemplating the gospel. Please pray for these youths, that they will go to CC Hocaba and check out the bible studies there. They were also introduced to the local Pastor.
Ok, try to update you guys soon about what's going on on Day 4.
Blessings.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Tabi Update from Day 2
Dear Friends and Family
The Tabi team worked so hard today... they had to fill a basketball court with rocks and then leveled it with gravel. Students were mixing cement, and digging the ground for rocks to do the duties assigned to them. Talk about faithfulness and diligence. All our ministry teams worked so hard, that we could only say... Pastor Sam's vision for CC Tabi and the community, is our motivation to participate in building this house of worship, and a basketball court that they can do ministry with teens.
Last but not least, we had a time of street evangelism in Piste, and we divided to meet the young people in Piste. Mr Alvarez, Meagan, Jessica, Dan Tracy, Jennifer Schmidt and myself got met two groups of teens. We were able to present the gospel to a group of 10 to 15 boys, and see two young men come to the saving knowledge of Christ. Our teams invaded the downtown of Piste with the urgency of the gospel. Neat to see that. We are also invited to a friendly Mexico/America basketball match in the next few nights.
Keep praying for us.
The Tabi team worked so hard today... they had to fill a basketball court with rocks and then leveled it with gravel. Students were mixing cement, and digging the ground for rocks to do the duties assigned to them. Talk about faithfulness and diligence. All our ministry teams worked so hard, that we could only say... Pastor Sam's vision for CC Tabi and the community, is our motivation to participate in building this house of worship, and a basketball court that they can do ministry with teens.
Last but not least, we had a time of street evangelism in Piste, and we divided to meet the young people in Piste. Mr Alvarez, Meagan, Jessica, Dan Tracy, Jennifer Schmidt and myself got met two groups of teens. We were able to present the gospel to a group of 10 to 15 boys, and see two young men come to the saving knowledge of Christ. Our teams invaded the downtown of Piste with the urgency of the gospel. Neat to see that. We are also invited to a friendly Mexico/America basketball match in the next few nights.
Keep praying for us.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Building Projects at Hocaba
Dear Friends and Family
We saw the vision for the CC Hocaba building, and it made our day of laborious work so much more meaningful because believers in this Mayan village will be able to meet in a sanctuary, and the students be able to have rooms for Sunday School. There will also be an office and kitchen instead doing church in ONE makeshift hut. They will also have a water purification plant in the vicinity, providing drinkable water to the village.
Alot of construction was taking place before we arrived, and the construction workers were pleased to receive additional help, so that the building could be completed before the deadline. They were also surprised that our American students (girls and guys) came all this way to do hard labor work, carrying blocks of concrete for up to a mile in some cases.
Well, to be like Christ to all men.... that is a moment to savor. One of our students leader said, well, at least we can say we have help build a Village in Mexico for Christ in our life time. A good way to look at it.
We will be doing an outreach in Hocaba tomorrow, be praying for our VBS presentation as well.
Waiting for the Tabi team to come back, and will post you their updates.
God Bless, Christabel
We saw the vision for the CC Hocaba building, and it made our day of laborious work so much more meaningful because believers in this Mayan village will be able to meet in a sanctuary, and the students be able to have rooms for Sunday School. There will also be an office and kitchen instead doing church in ONE makeshift hut. They will also have a water purification plant in the vicinity, providing drinkable water to the village.
Alot of construction was taking place before we arrived, and the construction workers were pleased to receive additional help, so that the building could be completed before the deadline. They were also surprised that our American students (girls and guys) came all this way to do hard labor work, carrying blocks of concrete for up to a mile in some cases.
Well, to be like Christ to all men.... that is a moment to savor. One of our students leader said, well, at least we can say we have help build a Village in Mexico for Christ in our life time. A good way to look at it.
We will be doing an outreach in Hocaba tomorrow, be praying for our VBS presentation as well.
Waiting for the Tabi team to come back, and will post you their updates.
God Bless, Christabel
Sunday, June 1, 2008
We Arrived ... Chichen Itza
Dear Friends and Family of the Mexico Team
We landed in Merida at 1515hrs and drove straight to CC Merida. What a sight to behold, the one storey kindergarten is now a full blown elementary school (2 floors) for up to six grade. All within one year of our last mission trip here.
Got to mingle with some old friends from CC Merida, sat in for worship, and headed out to PISTE, Chichen Itza in the evening to check in to our hotel.
The best time of ministry happened during our travelling to Piste from Merida. The students shared God stories, struggles, painful events surrounding their lives, honest to the core, seek counsel and wisdom, etc. LOVE it when the Holy Spirit ordained ministry to His Saints, touching and healing them, setting them apart for the ministry ahead of them.
Please pray for our students health and for protection. We will begin our construction projects in Tabi and Hocaba tomorrow at 7.30am (1 hour behind Florida Time), VBS in the afternoon and an evening outreach to families in Tabi at night.
LOVE FROM CHICHEN ... christabel
We landed in Merida at 1515hrs and drove straight to CC Merida. What a sight to behold, the one storey kindergarten is now a full blown elementary school (2 floors) for up to six grade. All within one year of our last mission trip here.
Got to mingle with some old friends from CC Merida, sat in for worship, and headed out to PISTE, Chichen Itza in the evening to check in to our hotel.
The best time of ministry happened during our travelling to Piste from Merida. The students shared God stories, struggles, painful events surrounding their lives, honest to the core, seek counsel and wisdom, etc. LOVE it when the Holy Spirit ordained ministry to His Saints, touching and healing them, setting them apart for the ministry ahead of them.
Please pray for our students health and for protection. We will begin our construction projects in Tabi and Hocaba tomorrow at 7.30am (1 hour behind Florida Time), VBS in the afternoon and an evening outreach to families in Tabi at night.
LOVE FROM CHICHEN ... christabel
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Wow, we are leaving in a few hours
Dear Parents and Mexico Team
Speaking of the things of God, that lays heavy on my heart over this week... something that you could pray for us always on this trip, that we will not fail to speak to each other, those that are in Merida, Tabi and Hocava The THINGS OF GOD. In some translations, the mysteries of God. I love that exhortation.
So, we are leaving in a few hours, and could you please lift up our travel plans to the LORD. The weather, the health of our team, the feverency of our students to do the laborious work and the boldness to speak forth the THINGS of God.
See you all in a bit. God Bless, christabel
Speaking of the things of God, that lays heavy on my heart over this week... something that you could pray for us always on this trip, that we will not fail to speak to each other, those that are in Merida, Tabi and Hocava The THINGS OF GOD. In some translations, the mysteries of God. I love that exhortation.
So, we are leaving in a few hours, and could you please lift up our travel plans to the LORD. The weather, the health of our team, the feverency of our students to do the laborious work and the boldness to speak forth the THINGS of God.
See you all in a bit. God Bless, christabel
Friday, May 9, 2008
Important ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dear Mexico 08 Team and Parents
We are down to the "T" in terms of preparing to go to Mexico. There are a few more details that we would like to draw your attention to:
Missions Training: Please be punctual
5/23 Friday 10.45am to 1.40pm (Topher Harrison)
5/29 Thursday 1.00pm to 5.00pm (Pat Cannon - Evangelism & VBS)
Students: You are encouraged to bring lunch for our break during these training.
Love Bags for Children in Tabi and Hocava: 2 to 4 bags/students
Items for love bags: a t-shirt, a pair of shorts, one children story book in Spanish or shoes/slippers. Suggested age group 6 to 14 years old. We have many donations for babies and toddlers items already! CONTACT PERSON: Mrs Debbie McCall.
Flight Info:
AM 421 01JUN Miami to Merida Depart 1405 Arrive 1505
**Student Registrations at 7.30am at the HUB on Sun, 06/01**
AM 420 10JUN Merida to Miami Depart 1015 Arrive 1305
## Please pick up your students at the Miami airport ##
Online Payments for the Balance of the Trip:
You can utilize the payment form or the donation form (for odd amounts not listed on the payment form). Or send in a check with their outstanding paperwork to Mr Aaron Mills.
Thank You.
We are down to the "T" in terms of preparing to go to Mexico. There are a few more details that we would like to draw your attention to:
Missions Training: Please be punctual
5/23 Friday 10.45am to 1.40pm (Topher Harrison)
5/29 Thursday 1.00pm to 5.00pm (Pat Cannon - Evangelism & VBS)
Students: You are encouraged to bring lunch for our break during these training.
Love Bags for Children in Tabi and Hocava: 2 to 4 bags/students
Items for love bags: a t-shirt, a pair of shorts, one children story book in Spanish or shoes/slippers. Suggested age group 6 to 14 years old. We have many donations for babies and toddlers items already! CONTACT PERSON: Mrs Debbie McCall.
Flight Info:
AM 421 01JUN Miami to Merida Depart 1405 Arrive 1505
**Student Registrations at 7.30am at the HUB on Sun, 06/01**
AM 420 10JUN Merida to Miami Depart 1015 Arrive 1305
## Please pick up your students at the Miami airport ##
Online Payments for the Balance of the Trip:
You can utilize the payment form or the donation form (for odd amounts not listed on the payment form). Or send in a check with their outstanding paperwork to Mr Aaron Mills.
Thank You.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Updates on Merida from Robert Aguayo & Family
To all our friends, family, and supporters,
2007 was a year of overwhelming blessings as we were able to impact the lives of children, families, and the elderly here in Merida through the Centro Educativo Calvary and the ministries and missions of Calvary Chapel Merida. We also saw how the Lord provided for the spiritual and physical needs of the school and ministries here in Merida through your prayer and support. We wanted to start off the year reviewing what the Lord did in 2007 and sharing with you all our mission goals for 2008.
The main project in 2007 was the establishment of the school both legally as we were incorporated into the Mexican school system and physically as we built the school building we needed to continue this project. We also continued to work with the missions of Hocaba and the Casa de Abuelos.
In this last year we received $79,465 in donations for the school and ministry from supporters in both small and large gifts. This amount was specifically for the school and missions and not for our personal support. Of that amount $65,555 went towards the school construction, setup, and permits, $4,500 went towards scholarships for students at the school, and $9,410 went towards support for the needs of the different missions.
As we look to 2008 we have taken the time to set specific goals as we seek how the Lord is leading us this year. We want to share these goals so that you can pray for them and if the Lord leads you support them this year. Of all our newsletters this might be the one with more text than pictures as we set the stage for the direction the Lord is taking us this year, but as the year moves you will be able to see these goals bear fruit.
[Aguayo Family Update]
As a family we had a blessed time over Christmas Break and at the end took some time off as we had to drive down to Belize to renew the permit on our car and did a little exploring on our way back to Merida. As we look at 2008 we are planning on doing a little more exploring of the areas around the Yucatan Peninsula as a family seeking to balance the importance of family in the midst of ministry. Spiritually, our goal is for us to grow closer to God and each other as a family as we focus on our relationships and being examples in serving each other.
As I look at the year ahead I wanted to let you know the situation of our family support. In the time since we have been here our support has decreased more than a third of our ministry budget amount with which we originally came down to Mexico. It has been a walk by faith to see how as some of our early supporters dropped out, he provided for our immediate needs through several one-time gifts to us from different sources. We have had to cut back in some areas in our original budget that include savings for future needs such as ministry travel, furlough, college, and emergencies. I usually don't focus on this area of our personal support but as we are starting off the year and reporting on 2007 I wanted to update you on the matter.
My heart is to let you know so that if the Lord puts it on your heart to be one of our monthly supporters or through one time gifts you can invest in the ministry the Lord has called us to in Mexico. Also for those who have not supported missionaries before it is good to know that it is definitely a group effort and most of our faithful supporters give between $10 to $50 a month, and together with those who are able to give more, the Lord meets our needs. It is also a blessing to you and to us as together we minister here in Mexico.
[Centro Educativo Calvary Update]
In Mexico, February is reenrollment time and we are busy gearing up for the next school year. Our goal for this year is to have a complete preschool and elementary as we add 5th and 6th grade. We currently have 58 students enrolled and are praying for 100+ students next year.
In order to do this we need to finish the school construction and classroom setup. We currently need $10,000 dollars to finish paying for the construction and finish the last details of the upstairs bathrooms, stairwell railings, and the school entrance. We will also need another $15,000 to set up the classrooms with desks and boards, set up the computer lab, and get furniture and some Spanish books for the library. We have been slowly working on what we can but need to get more done quickly as we start getting prospective parents and families visit the school.
Pray that the Lord would continue to provide as He has in the last year and that most importantly the school would be a place where now more students would grow spiritually as they become disciples through a Biblical school environment that prepares students to glorify God, spiritually, academically, and socially.
Pray for us as we are looking for teachers that will be founded in God's Word. We need a local teacher for the Spanish portion of the day and one or more English teachers for the English part of the day. So if any teachers out there want to come on a mission to Merida for a year or more, pray, and let me know.
We are also praying for funds to buy the property next door that would join together the school and the church. It is currently a mechanic shop/junkyard and they are looking to sell the property. We would need $120,000 to buy it and are looking at options and praying a lot more. Two big concerns are that if someone else buys it we lose the future connection of the school and church property. The other is that as we are growing we need more space for students to play and parking and this is the only way we can expand to meet those needs. Please pray!
Finally, we are in need of more scholarship for some of our students and prospective students. Our school is definitely not for profit and we keep the tuition low so that we can help families that have a desire to be a part of a Christian school. Unfortunately there are a lot of students that cannot afford to come even at a low tuition. We try to offer as many scholarships as we can but have had to cut back as expenses for the school have grown. Tuition for preschool is $800 a year and elementary is $950. If you want to help in this area and sponsor a student please contact me and let me know.
[Merida Missions Update]
In Merida we are currently working in three different areas or missions. These are areas which I have oversight and we have teams from our church, Calvary Chapel Merida, that go on a weekly basis to minister.
The first is the "Casa de Abuelos" a Christian convalescent home that works with the elderly that no one else wants. Some have been abandoned by families, others were living on the streets, and others were brought from local hospitals. We also have a Calvary Chapel mission that meets there for services on Sundays and weeknights. Our goal this year is to continue to support them spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Most of the time the needs vary from food and clothing to helping build an extra room to help with the overcrowding. We also have teams that visit on a weekly basis to minister to them, serve them, talk to them, and give them medical checkups (Damaris). Future goals are to build a better home for them as they are currently renting and the local government is in the process of giving them a piece of land.
The second mission is Hocaba, a Mayan village about an hour away from Merida. We have a church established there of over 50 people (with children) with a local pastor to oversee it and also have a team that goes to assist and minister each week. Our goal this year for Hocaba is a big one since we see this as a key are where we can establish a missions base to reach out to other areas in the Yucatan Peninsula. Our goal is to first build a water treatment plant that would benefit the community and connect us to them, and then build a sanctuary with classrooms that would provide a place for not only spiritual training but also academic and trades. Our goal is to be a resource for the community to help meet both their spiritual and physical needs. Future goals are to build cabins that could house teams visiting from Merida or missions in the US so they can reach out farther into the Yucatan Peninsula.This mission would then be a jumping off point for our third mission area, Tabi, and other new sites.
Tabi is our farthest mission and is about 2 hours away from Merida. It is a very poor area and we had established a bakery along with the church. We had a local pastor assisting us, but he left and is no longer at Tabi. We have had to shut down the bakery, but still have services and visit. Our goal is to build up Hocaba and have the pastor and others in that congregation then help provide the needed connection with Tabi. To that purpose we are teaching the pastor to drive and are looking to get him a car so that he can go to Tabi along with a baker and continue the work during the week.
You can read a little more about these mission in the online version on the Calvary Chapel magazine from the link below.
Calvary Chapel Magazine website
As I finish writing this newsletter, I realize that there is a lot more that can be said and many more details that can be added. My hope is that I have been able to give you a picture of some of the directions in which the Lord is leading and you will then be able to see which one, if any the Lord is calling you to join us. My prayer is that He would speak to you as He has spoken to us and that you will see Merida and the Yucatan Peninsula as an area in which you can invest time for prayer and support. May the Lord bless you and your family this year. I look forward to see what plan the Lord has for us in the future. Let me know if you need further information or details. I am at your service.
In His service and yours,
Robert, Damaris, Anne, Caleb, and Daniel Aguayo
2007 was a year of overwhelming blessings as we were able to impact the lives of children, families, and the elderly here in Merida through the Centro Educativo Calvary and the ministries and missions of Calvary Chapel Merida. We also saw how the Lord provided for the spiritual and physical needs of the school and ministries here in Merida through your prayer and support. We wanted to start off the year reviewing what the Lord did in 2007 and sharing with you all our mission goals for 2008.
The main project in 2007 was the establishment of the school both legally as we were incorporated into the Mexican school system and physically as we built the school building we needed to continue this project. We also continued to work with the missions of Hocaba and the Casa de Abuelos.
In this last year we received $79,465 in donations for the school and ministry from supporters in both small and large gifts. This amount was specifically for the school and missions and not for our personal support. Of that amount $65,555 went towards the school construction, setup, and permits, $4,500 went towards scholarships for students at the school, and $9,410 went towards support for the needs of the different missions.
As we look to 2008 we have taken the time to set specific goals as we seek how the Lord is leading us this year. We want to share these goals so that you can pray for them and if the Lord leads you support them this year. Of all our newsletters this might be the one with more text than pictures as we set the stage for the direction the Lord is taking us this year, but as the year moves you will be able to see these goals bear fruit.
[Aguayo Family Update]
As a family we had a blessed time over Christmas Break and at the end took some time off as we had to drive down to Belize to renew the permit on our car and did a little exploring on our way back to Merida. As we look at 2008 we are planning on doing a little more exploring of the areas around the Yucatan Peninsula as a family seeking to balance the importance of family in the midst of ministry. Spiritually, our goal is for us to grow closer to God and each other as a family as we focus on our relationships and being examples in serving each other.
As I look at the year ahead I wanted to let you know the situation of our family support. In the time since we have been here our support has decreased more than a third of our ministry budget amount with which we originally came down to Mexico. It has been a walk by faith to see how as some of our early supporters dropped out, he provided for our immediate needs through several one-time gifts to us from different sources. We have had to cut back in some areas in our original budget that include savings for future needs such as ministry travel, furlough, college, and emergencies. I usually don't focus on this area of our personal support but as we are starting off the year and reporting on 2007 I wanted to update you on the matter.
My heart is to let you know so that if the Lord puts it on your heart to be one of our monthly supporters or through one time gifts you can invest in the ministry the Lord has called us to in Mexico. Also for those who have not supported missionaries before it is good to know that it is definitely a group effort and most of our faithful supporters give between $10 to $50 a month, and together with those who are able to give more, the Lord meets our needs. It is also a blessing to you and to us as together we minister here in Mexico.
[Centro Educativo Calvary Update]
In Mexico, February is reenrollment time and we are busy gearing up for the next school year. Our goal for this year is to have a complete preschool and elementary as we add 5th and 6th grade. We currently have 58 students enrolled and are praying for 100+ students next year.
In order to do this we need to finish the school construction and classroom setup. We currently need $10,000 dollars to finish paying for the construction and finish the last details of the upstairs bathrooms, stairwell railings, and the school entrance. We will also need another $15,000 to set up the classrooms with desks and boards, set up the computer lab, and get furniture and some Spanish books for the library. We have been slowly working on what we can but need to get more done quickly as we start getting prospective parents and families visit the school.
Pray that the Lord would continue to provide as He has in the last year and that most importantly the school would be a place where now more students would grow spiritually as they become disciples through a Biblical school environment that prepares students to glorify God, spiritually, academically, and socially.
Pray for us as we are looking for teachers that will be founded in God's Word. We need a local teacher for the Spanish portion of the day and one or more English teachers for the English part of the day. So if any teachers out there want to come on a mission to Merida for a year or more, pray, and let me know.
We are also praying for funds to buy the property next door that would join together the school and the church. It is currently a mechanic shop/junkyard and they are looking to sell the property. We would need $120,000 to buy it and are looking at options and praying a lot more. Two big concerns are that if someone else buys it we lose the future connection of the school and church property. The other is that as we are growing we need more space for students to play and parking and this is the only way we can expand to meet those needs. Please pray!
Finally, we are in need of more scholarship for some of our students and prospective students. Our school is definitely not for profit and we keep the tuition low so that we can help families that have a desire to be a part of a Christian school. Unfortunately there are a lot of students that cannot afford to come even at a low tuition. We try to offer as many scholarships as we can but have had to cut back as expenses for the school have grown. Tuition for preschool is $800 a year and elementary is $950. If you want to help in this area and sponsor a student please contact me and let me know.
[Merida Missions Update]
In Merida we are currently working in three different areas or missions. These are areas which I have oversight and we have teams from our church, Calvary Chapel Merida, that go on a weekly basis to minister.
The first is the "Casa de Abuelos" a Christian convalescent home that works with the elderly that no one else wants. Some have been abandoned by families, others were living on the streets, and others were brought from local hospitals. We also have a Calvary Chapel mission that meets there for services on Sundays and weeknights. Our goal this year is to continue to support them spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Most of the time the needs vary from food and clothing to helping build an extra room to help with the overcrowding. We also have teams that visit on a weekly basis to minister to them, serve them, talk to them, and give them medical checkups (Damaris). Future goals are to build a better home for them as they are currently renting and the local government is in the process of giving them a piece of land.
The second mission is Hocaba, a Mayan village about an hour away from Merida. We have a church established there of over 50 people (with children) with a local pastor to oversee it and also have a team that goes to assist and minister each week. Our goal this year for Hocaba is a big one since we see this as a key are where we can establish a missions base to reach out to other areas in the Yucatan Peninsula. Our goal is to first build a water treatment plant that would benefit the community and connect us to them, and then build a sanctuary with classrooms that would provide a place for not only spiritual training but also academic and trades. Our goal is to be a resource for the community to help meet both their spiritual and physical needs. Future goals are to build cabins that could house teams visiting from Merida or missions in the US so they can reach out farther into the Yucatan Peninsula.This mission would then be a jumping off point for our third mission area, Tabi, and other new sites.
Tabi is our farthest mission and is about 2 hours away from Merida. It is a very poor area and we had established a bakery along with the church. We had a local pastor assisting us, but he left and is no longer at Tabi. We have had to shut down the bakery, but still have services and visit. Our goal is to build up Hocaba and have the pastor and others in that congregation then help provide the needed connection with Tabi. To that purpose we are teaching the pastor to drive and are looking to get him a car so that he can go to Tabi along with a baker and continue the work during the week.
You can read a little more about these mission in the online version on the Calvary Chapel magazine from the link below.
Calvary Chapel Magazine website
As I finish writing this newsletter, I realize that there is a lot more that can be said and many more details that can be added. My hope is that I have been able to give you a picture of some of the directions in which the Lord is leading and you will then be able to see which one, if any the Lord is calling you to join us. My prayer is that He would speak to you as He has spoken to us and that you will see Merida and the Yucatan Peninsula as an area in which you can invest time for prayer and support. May the Lord bless you and your family this year. I look forward to see what plan the Lord has for us in the future. Let me know if you need further information or details. I am at your service.
In His service and yours,
Robert, Damaris, Anne, Caleb, and Daniel Aguayo
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