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.