My offering

So as I thought my trip was over, it was far from it. Kaitlin was still stuck in Atlanta, but we found out that she got a flight into Gainesville at 11:30 am. Well, that didn't work out as we planned either... we went to the airport 3 different times, and finally when she actually was landing, we were late. Ellie, Betsy, and I had bought her a bunch of goodies that would remind her of Mexico and make her feel better for having to get stuck in Atlanta. It was a glorious reunion. We went to claim her luggage, and found that it didn't quite make it to Gainesville yet. As if anything could get any worse. It would be delivered to her sometime tomorrow, so she would still have to get by with no clothing like the day before. We finally were able to leave the airport, and with a new found hatred for them we did it in a hurry. We quickly sped to the teller window, and being right on time, we didn't have to pay the parking fee. With much rejoicing, we went on our way to Ellie's apartment.

On the way there for some reason a boy walking caught my eye. I recognized him from waiting at baggage claim, and wondered if he had a far way to walk. He looked like a UF student and if he was trying to get anywhere near to campus he had at least a 6 mile walk. So I collectively we decided to turn around and see what was up. We pulled over and asked him if he needed a ride, he responded with a no, because he was just looking for a bus stop. Well, we informed him there were not any bus stops for miles and offered him a ride. With a surprised look on his face he said sure. We loaded his guitar in the back and asked him where he lived. We asked him about his studies and why he was walking, and before we knew it we were at his house. I got out to help him with his bags, and he looked at me and said "thank you, seriously, you made my week." He was supposed to hang out with his mom in Miami, but she blew him off, so he went to visit his grandma in Atlanta. Then he came home to find out that his ride could not come get him. We definitely made his week.

The kindness did not stop there as we went to Satchel's for lunch. We brought in the cake that we had bought for Kaitlin so we could eat it after pizza. We offered our waitress some and she immediately obliged. Afterwards, Kaitlin asked us if she could give her cake away to the restaurant staff. We all agreed, "Kaitlin, it's your cake, you can do whatever you want with it!" So as we left, we offered the cake to our waitress. With a surprised expression she said, "sure!"

I never thought that I could apply the lessons I learned and the wisdom I gained in Mexico to my real life. However much we wish that mission trips were our "real" life, they never are. It's so much harder to go back to the stiff and judgmental United States and try to impact someone. But God proved me wrong in this case. Clearly I had limited His power by assuming things. He can work in our lives and give us opportunity if we don't put it passed him. When we doubt ourselves it's a form of doubting God, our creator. This week has shown me that it's more than just an offering... it's a sacrifice. We can surrender half way and fake it, and try to trick God, but nothing but complete and utter surrender will suffice or will change your life. Ha... trick God? Seriously, I've tried. This world is hard on us... the US is hard on us... our families are hard on us... we are hard on ourselves. "But take heart, for I have overcome the world." -John 16:33

-k10

...in the end

We had to wake up a little earlier than usual because we were leaving for the airport at 8:15 am. We got up at 7 am and made sure that we were all packed and ready to go by 7:40 am. We took our luggage out to the LBM, ready to be packed into the Suburban, and then got out some cereal for breakfast. The Austin, TX group had already left at 6 am that morning, so we really didn't get to say goodbye to them. We sat outside one last time to soak in the amazing view from the picnic tables outside the LBM. The weather was a little warmer to, so everything was just about perfect. Greg came out to work early to sit with us and say goodbye. For the last time, we quoted a little office, and laughed about playing Catch Phrase in the car. Greg was followed by Cathy and Katey. We took some group photos with the Huffer's and then with our buddy Katey, and then it was time to go.

The goodbyes were bittersweet. While I knew I would be able to come home and share everything that has happened to me, I still wanted to stay right in Mexico, and not go anywhere. I felt like I was having to leave my heart behind. Just like leaving Sabinas a few days before. Rodo didn't come out to say goodbye, so we were a little sad about that as well. Rene was going to be going with Katey to the airport so she didn't have to drive home alone. We piled into the Suburban one last time, waved goodbye to Cathy, Greg, and the B2B facility, and the amazing view. We probed Rene with questions about his life in the 45 minutes to the airport. As always, we felt like he needed to be our best friend, just like Katey, lol. We made it to the airport, unloaded the luggage, and then we said our goodbyes to the lovely Katey. Thank goodness she was there to keep us sane this week.

We went inside the airport to check in, and found out our first flight out of Monterrey would be on a tiny Aeromexico plane. The had to individually open all of our bags and check them for security. We warned them not to open the garbage bags because they were lice bags and needed to stay closed for the next 10 days. I think we scared them a little. Once we got through security and checked-in our bags we walked down the hall of random applause. Seriously, you would just be walking and then all of the sudden it sounded like there was a theater full of people clapping. We easily went through the security check point, since Ellie didn't have any liquids, and I didn't have the boot, and made it to our gate. Everything they said on the loud speaker was in Spanish and was never repeated in English, so we were trying to guess what we were supposed to do. All we really could understand was puerta negra catorce... black gate 14 (heck if I knew what that meant). We had to present our boarding passes and then go through another intense round of security, including frisking, opening and turning on the laptop, and taking off our shoes.

We all were starving and Ellie wasn't feeling so well. None of us really wanted to leave Mexico, so all of us were in bad moods. Then we realized our flight was delayed, just like it had been on our original flight into Monterrey. It took about an extra 45 minutes for us to be boarded on the plane, and then we had to walk .25 mile out to our tiny jet. We climbed up what appeared to be a pool ladder to get into the plane... seriously, it was tiny. They offered us tiny Mexican candies before we got on the plane, and considering the fact that I was starving, I openly obliged the offer. Ellie was still feeling sick, and we reminded her to get the bag out of her seat, because it would have been an awful ride otherwise, since the plane was so small. I got to sit right beside Betsy and Lauren, and we were very excited about this, because we always seemed to be on opposite ends of the plane.

The flight out of Monterrey was gorgeous, with the clear skies and mountain ranges in full view. The flight was only about an hour to San Antonio and they gave us funny lime peanuts, but I was so hungry I didn't even care. Once we got to San Antonio, we had to go get our bags rechecked, and then we went to find our gate. This was the point where we would be leaving Kaitlin, because she had an extra 2 hour lay-over in San Antonio that we didn't have. We had some time to get food and candy, and we were a little relieved to be back in a place where we weren't the minority. Our flight again was somewhat delayed with boarding and then taking off, but the flight overall was ok. I sat close to the front while Ellie, Betsy, and Lauren sat near to one another in the back.

We made it into Atlanta, and my gate was just a few gates down from where we arrived. I had about 20 minutes until I started boarding, so I hung out with Ellie, Betsy, and Lauren for the time I had left with them. I was departing an hour before them on a different flight. While we were waiting, Kaitlin called to tell us that she was still in San Antonio, and if they didn't leave soon that she would miss her connecting flight in Atlanta. There were a lot of delays because of the bad weather in Atlanta. I assured her that it would be ok and we would be praying for her. Glory strength was once again our theme for the day to alleviate our frustrations. Right before I got on the plane we found out that Kaitlin got on her plane, but now we would just have to see if she would make it on time.

I got on my last plane of the day, and honestly I was excited to just get back to Orlando. We were delayed in getting out of Atlanta by about 40 minutes, but the flight went by so quickly, the flight attendants didn't even have time to serve about 75% of the plane. When I landed and turned on my phone I called Kaitlin, but she had her phone off, so I was hopeful that she would make it to Atlanta in time. I then got text messages from the girls in Atlanta telling me that they would be delayed for another hour and wouldn't get into Orlando until 12 am. So no biggie... I had two hours to myself. When I got to baggage claim, I got a phone call from Kaitlin.

She was crying hysterically, telling me that she missed her flight by 2 minutes, and the only flight she could get into Orlando would be tomorrow at 3:30 pm. As she was telling me this, I realized that not only was my luggage on the plane, but so was Betsy, Ellie, and Lauren's. So now here I was trying to figure things out with Kaitlin and grabbing eight pieces of luggage off the belt. Kaitlin told me that she was going to call her parents and then call me back to let me know what was going on, so I dragged the luggage off to the side and sat down for a couple hours. When I talked to Kaitlin again she said that she was able to get a hotel and she would be flying into Gainesville the next day at 11:35 am. We were all relieved to hear the good news. There were tornadoes in downtown Atlanta, so everything was going crazy at not only the airport, but equally in the city. Lauren, Betsy, and Ellie arrived around 12:30 am, and we made our way out to the car.

Lauren's boyfriend came to pick her up, so we said our goodbyes, and took one last photo, and then we were on our way back to Gainesville. Of course I would almost us on the way home. After getting gas, I had to check and see if we were going the right way on the interstate so i made a somewhat illegal u-turn to read the sign... it made for a funny picture and story. Once we got back to Gainesville, we went our separate ways, and i literally fell into bed and into sleep.

"And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him." -1 John 4:16

-k10

The Cadareta

As always we began the day with the routine of cereal at 8:30, quiet time at 9:00, and then small group at 9:30 am. We were told to be ready to leave for the Cadareta at 10 am, so we decided to start small group a little early. I spent my quiet time writing a letter to myself that will later be mailed to me, to remind me of the things that God has taught me in Mexico. As we started small group we went over some of the questions, like how we could take our offer home. We talked about how hard it's going to be when we get home, and how much we are going to need each other. At that point I realized Kaitlin was not talking all that much, and so I asked her if something was wrong. Immediately she began crying, and she admitted that she had been feeling something since we left the children's home the day before. She felt like she had not made an impact on any of the kids like we did, that she was always in the background, and that she felt very empty leaving the children's home and not sad at all...

Honestly, I got a little passionate/angry. I told her that if I could just name just one child that she had impacted I would, but instead I would have to name 23. I basically yelled at her, and started crying myself telling her that I have never met someone as light hearted and caring as her, and there is no way that she didn't get something through to those children. By the time we had finished our small group time Ellie, Kaitlin, and I were crying and we prayed while in a group hug... lol. That's our dysfunctional family for ya!

By then it was time for us to leave for the Cadareta, which was a shanty town about 45 minutes away. We had to pack our lunches after breakfast (PB&Js, cheetos, and oreos), and were told that we would stop at a gas station on the way there to eat our food. All the gas stations in Mexico are very clean, far beyond what are gas stations are here, and this one was no exception, lol. We literally stood outside by the Suburban and ate our lunch. It was about 12 pm at this point.

Today we were travelling with Gabriel (Gabo) and Katey. About 10 minutes from the town, Gabo told us we would be moving about 600 cinder blocks inside the area where they are building a church and kitchen, because the blocks kept getting stolen. These people had nothing, so it was convenient for them to take the blocks to build up their shanties. Gabo introduced us to the ministry there at the Cadareta. A pastor and his wife minister to the people and help provide them with anything that they have to give. The faith of the people in this town is so strong because of the things that they have to deal with everyday. These people are still happy though because they know what love truly is.

We started our work with loading the cinder blocks 3 at a time into the wheel barrows and then they were carried up a small hill into the unfinished building to be re-stacked in a corner. This was quite a feat for 5 girls to accomplish but we kept on trucking through the pain and through the injuries. Glory strength in the Lord was the only thing that kept us going. Gabo and another guy there, Darren, helped us with the last of the loads. They were taking 9 and 10 at a time! Once we were finished we felt very accomplished, but from there we went straight to serving the people in the Cadareta. All the children had been hanging around and trying to help us, and being very loving. At one point I saw the children playing with Styrofoam and it almost appeared as if they were opening presents on Christmas morning, they were so excited.

We split up into 3 groups. Betsy and I went with the pastor's wife, Katey took Kaitlin and Lauren, and then Ellie and another girl Hannah went with Kelly, Gabo's wife. She actually said that she tries to come out once a week to visit the people. We went down the three different aisles of houses and let the people know that we would be serving food at 3 pm. It was amazing to see the pastor's wife interact with the people. She knew all their stories and all their names. She was very much invested in their lives and cared about what they were going through. The houses were awful... just some cement with whatever else they could find to throw on there. Some garage doors, fences and sheet metal along with blankets and some cardboard. It was truly amazing that these people had such a strong hope in their conditions. It was beautiful to see the children playing in the streets and having a good time, and also helping their parents with the daily chores. They took care of one another.

When we got back to the unfinished building where we would be serving food, the people already started to come out and line up. I was on drink duty with Katey, Darren on doritos, Kaitlin on salsa, Ellie on crema, Betsy on queso, and Lauren on cabbage. We were to serve over 350 people, mostly children. It was hot and we were tired from the cinder block moving but it was so worth it to see the faces of the children light up when they knew that they were going to get food. They were all so friendly and wonderful, and just wanted to be loved on. It took us an hour and a half to serve all of the people, and then it was time for us to pack up and go. The kids swarmed us and we got to play and hang out with them for a little bit before we left. We then gave the leftover food to the pastor and we were on our way.

We went from the Cadareta to B2B to drop off the trailer and then to EL POLLO LOCO! A much anticipated restaurant for our trip. The food was amazing. All the chips and salsa you want and smoked chicken. It was terrific, and like always I scarfed down my food. We got to eat with all the staff workers and even the pastor and his wife. We said our goodbyes to them after dinner as they thanked us with the usual Mexican adios (kiss on the right cheek). Then we went back to the facility to unload the trailer and clean-up the stuff that we had taken with us to the Cadareta. On the way home we saw an interesting parade. Gabo told us it was for Easter coming up, since there were nuns with microphones involved. It didn't take us long to clean up and then we were allowed to shop at the market that was set up outside the LBM. It opened as soon as we got home and finished at 7 pm. We shopped for about an hour or so and then Cathy told us that we would be debriefing at 8:30 pm at her apartment, so that we could shower and whatnot before we started.

We got up to her apartment just upstairs from us, and she had bought us ice cream and all the fixins for ice cream sundaes. Greg was there to greet us as well and we reminisced about Sabinas and all the fun that we had there. We got our ice cream and we were able to get the tour of her house, and her family (Mark, Luke, and Ben). We sat down and ate a little and then just told some stories from Sabinas and the Cadareta that day. Glory strength seemed to be our theme for that day, and we were able to tell stories from the day, and how God had kept us going when we didn't have anything left to give. We each were told to get a stone and then to say one thing that God has taught us. The stone would serve as a reminder to what God was teaching us when we got back to the states. My stone represents all the dependency issues I have, and being able to accept people's love and help. God definitely worked on me this week, and revealed to me how I would have been useless without my awesome girls and the leaders from B2B.

Katey came up to visit a little with us and we made her share her Valentine's Day date story. Let's just say that Rene is one amazing guy... she told us that we would be leaving for the airport at 8:15 am the next morning, and Rene would be coming with us! So we finished our debriefing with an overview of more ways we can help B2B and with prayers all around. We were exhausted from the days work so when we got back to the room we packed a little and then we were ready to crash.

"As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us." -Colossians 1:9

-k10

last day @ Sabinas

We woke up to the usual morning routine, but then realized that this would be our last day at Sabinas. We had breakfast at 8 am as usual and then quiet time and small group time. This time we sat up in the middle of the children's home by the fountain, where the cats still came to love on us. During small group time we talked about character over comfort and talked about how rewarding it is to sometimes be in the background and to sometimes be doing the dirty work. We read Romans 12:6-10 where it talks about all our gifts and how we can use them. We then reminisced on the past couple days and the way that we had impacted each other and how the kids had impacted us.

We started work at 9:30 am as usual, and everything left to do was just simply touch up work. We were putting the second coat on the big room, bathrooms, and the laundry room, and the edging definitely needed a second coat as well, so that is what I did the majority of the time. Greg, Katey, and Rodo helped with scraping and smoothing the windows, and then started with the black oil paint about 45 minutes before we were finished working. Greg told us at about 12ish to start wrapping things up, because he wanted us to spend the rest of the time that we had with the children. He wanted us to be cleaned up and ready to play by the time they arrived home from school.

The van pulled up and I felt a sinking feeling as I knew that this might be the last time that I would see a lot of their shining faces... but there was joy knowing that other groups would be able to come and invest in their lives just like we had done. The kids piled out and many of them ran up to us and gave us hugs before they went to change out of their uniforms. We had lunch with them one more time, and it was similar to beef stew with the usual rice and tortillas. The girls saved me a seat once again and for the last time. At the lunch table we quietly discussed our eye color with the girls and then I had to convince Angelica that I was not Lauren's sister. Angelica also was prone to forget my name. After a while though I think she was just trying to joke around with me. We finished lunch and the kids started to get into their usual play routine. I went and sat with little Jeremy for a while and laughed with him about how much fun we had the day before and how much he loves airplanes.

We then decided that we would hand out all the candy donations that we had brought. This meant a lot of air heads, starbursts, and laffy taffy. There was so much candy that I was practically throwing it at the children. They did not have any opposition to the action though! We also gave candy to the adults and the directors of the children's home. After we finished passing out the candy and started to say our goodbyes, the directors called us into their office. They gave us a car window sticker, bracelets, their business card and a magnet all for Casa Hogar Douglas in Sabinas. We were all very excited about this and just about speechless. They thanked us in Spanish and Rodo helped translate. Greg asked if we had anything to say, and I asked Rodo to just tell them thank you for all that they do for the children and thank you for letting us come be a part of God's work that is going on here! Tears were beginning in my eyes as I saw their faces light up in response to my thanks. They told us to come back PLEASE! And we said we would be back soon and would stay forever if we could.

We left with the normal Mexico greeting and goodbye, a handshake and a kiss on the right cheek. The directors were truly an inspiration and their faith and stamina is beyond expression in words. We left the office and so began the goodbyes... Most of the children were doing their homework or playing, but they stopped what they were doing to come say goodbye and get one last hug. We went to the girls room where they began throwing their belongings at us. Nanci gave me what looked like a little Mardi Gras bear, and Juanita handed me a bracelet for the one of the Monterrey soccer teams. After this I gave Sara a hug and as we were hugging I said dame un abrazo grande, which means give me a BIG hug! And so she did. She gave me about 6 more hugs, squeezing me tight and making me and all the other kids laugh. I hugged all the boys, and gave Jonathan a pat, because he was too cool for a hug. Then I had to say goodbye to Angelica. She held me tight for a good two minutes and then released me so I could say bye to some of the other children. Little Elliot ran up and gave me a huge long hug and I told him to be good for the directors.

Greg yelled to us from the Suburban and we began to make our way down the hill to the vehicle. I turned around to see Angelica standing there watching me leave. I opened my arms and asked for one more hug. She ran to me smiling and we had one last moment before I had to go. "Te quiero mucho," is all I could say without balling my eyes out. As we trekked our way down to the Suburban, it felt like an eternity. I found myself finally letting the tears out, and as we left no one said a word. Lupe and Julio opened the gate for us and we waved and said goodbye to them one last time. Then we were off, on our way back to the facility. The trip home was somber, and we talked about our experiences at Sabinas... thennnn, someone mentioned something about how much fun Catch Phrase was the night before, and suddenly Greg is holding the game in his hand. We split into 2 teams, and our trooper Greg played while driving. It was hilarious and a little scary, but we had fun. After some time we realized that we had gone through most of the clues so we decided to stop playing and take the rest of the trip to relax. We only had about 45 minutes left to get back anyway.

We got to drive through the downtown area which was very pretty and busy, and it was a relief to finally be back to Back2Back. Once we got there though we had to go through the lice shampooing process, and make sure that all our clothes were tightly sealed in the garbage bags that we were given on Sunday. Back2Back didn't want an outbreak at the facility, so it wasn't really a big deal. None of us were infested, but it was good to be cautious. We enjoyed our time in the yard by the faucet, with the stinky lice shampoo and tiny combs. Cathy then told us that we could take a break and shower and get settled back in, and that we wouldn't have to do anything until dinner at 6:30 pm. This gave us about an hour and a half, which we were excited about, because we didn't have to bathe in the tropical oasis!

We showered and checked emails and whatnot and then had an AMAZING dinner in the LBM. It was beef soft tacos with scrambled eggs and potatoes. I just about ate my hand, because I scarfed it down so fast. We sat with Todd's brother and his son and talked to him about Back2Back and how we found out about it, and what we did at Sabinas. Then Cathy told us we would have debriefing at 7:30 pm down in the big palapa. So we uploaded pictures, hung out a little and talk to the Austin crew about their trip to the Rio, and then headed down for debriefing. At debriefing we received a piece of notebook paper and a pen, and after telling Cathy some amazing stories from our trip she gave us instructions for what to do with the paper. First, we talked about how we all offered ourselves this week and what that looked like. She then told us that we would be writing encouraging notes about one another on these pieces of paper. The only catch was that you only had about a minute to do so. It was amazing to see all the nice things that everyone had to say about me, and it was just another thing to help us grow more together.

After debriefing, we all bought ice cream and diet pepsi and went through some of the pictures that I had put on my computer in the LBM. After laughing so hard and waking up some of the Austin, TX kids we moved into our dorm room and finished the slide show. By then it was about 12 am, so we all went to sleep still thinking about Sabinas, but ready for a new day and what that would bring.

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith, in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me." -Galatians 2:20

-k10

oh, the waterfall.

Again we woke up to the beautiful ring tone of "siren" on my phone, and if that didn't get you then the roosters surely would. We then had breakfast at 8 am, quiet time at 8:30 am, and 9 am small group time. We discussed how the world really does get in the way a lot of the time when we want to fully surrender. Also, we talked about how we should bring God our everything, and not the things that are a little bit easier for us to let go! This morning was less eventful as the last, except for a visit by the usual cats and an adorable baby that Kimara was playing with. We also saw the cat from the night before that had been chased up a tree in a horrible cat fight. He appeared to have broken a leg trying to get back out of the tree, aka falling.

We then started our work day which was painting for all of us. We also finished some of the scraping of the windows that had not been done from the day before. I did mostly edging along with Lauren and Katey. We did the edging near the ceiling with a ladder and then scooted all the way around the room for the edging on the ground. We tried to keep our spirits up by singing Disney, the sound of music, and whatever else we could think of. Greg was surprised that I could sing and told Katey that she definitely needed to start singing like me. The room that we were preparing would be the room that other volunteer groups would get to stay in when they come, complete with bathrooms and a big living space. Next door would be the laundry room so that they could move the washer and dryer inside and attached to some piping so the washer would stop flowing water down the hill like a river after every load. Ellie, Betsy, and Kaitlin were rolling the walls in the main room and into the bathroom areas.

We were told to stop at 12:30ish to clean-up paint and everything else for lunch with the children. We had some sort of soup made with legitimate chicken broth with potatoes and carrots and of course rice and homemade tortillas! The girls again saved me a seat, so I sat near AnnaLaura, Lesli, Nanci, and Angelica. We scarfed down another meal after a lot of hard work out in the heat. The night before we had been told that we would be making a trip into town to pick up some things at the hardware store and to also just get a feel for the landscape. Then we were told during breakfast that we would be taking the kids on a hike immediately after lunch. This then changed to going to a park and having a cook-out with hot dogs. Greg went into town earlier to go to the hardware store and to pick-up the food for the cook-out. Katey and Rodo also made a run to the store and our lovely Katey made sure to pick us up some Coka light for later that day.

So now we were waiting and cleaning and then playing with the kids until it was time to leave around 2ish. We were sitting with the kids and waiting. I was sitting with Betsy and Angelica and started to talk to Angelica about her life in all the Spanish I could muster. We were then told that the reason we were waiting was because the kids were not done with their homework yet. We all sat under the pavilion just hanging out with the maintenance director, Greg, Rodo, Katey, and all the kids. I was talking to Elliot, Norma, and Angelica about colors, and while I said them in Spanish they would repeat them in English. It was finally time to go around 2:30 pm, and all of the kids piled into that one van and the Sabina's directors into another, while we piled into our lovely Suburban.

We drove through town and stopped at El Ojo de Agua. This was a park where there was a fancy pool complete with enormous water slide. Judging by the looks of the algae and lack of water, it wasn't really time to be swimming in it yet. The director said that usually the water is all the way full, but not around this time of year I guess. The boys began playing soccer, and Lesli escorted me to the bathroom... where I made sure NOT to flush my toilet paper. After about ten minutes it was time to get back in our vehicles because they knew of another place where we could go and really swim. We really didn't think we were going to have to swim especially because we didn't have bathing suits or anything, but when we were told that the kids wouldn't be able to swim if we didn't, then we had to do it for them!

We arrived at what looked like a similar park, but as we pulled up it was very astonishing... a hydroelectric dam waterfall and lake. It was glorious. The kids immediately ran to the water and jumped in. The kids literally dragged us to the waterfall, where we climbed inside past the pummelling waters and had a great time throwing mud and following the leader. After finishing our little trek, everyone headed over to the rope swing. It was funny watching Lauren, Betsy, Kaitlin, and Ellie attempt to swing on this rope. All the kids had it down to an art though. Before going back on shore, I discovered that there was a snake in the water that the boys were playing with. They were mostly trying to coax it away from them because they were scared, so i grabbed my hat, scooped up the snake and dragged it to the woods. The kids were perplexed that I did such a thing and asked me if i was scared. "Un poco," I replied.

We got out of the water and went over to the playground, where the kids were having a great time. I helped push Nanci on the tire swing with Ellie and Sucleli, and then went over to little Jeremy. I asked him if he wanted me to push him and he said yes. As I pushed him, he kept dragging his feet and then counting the number of marks he made. His mom kept looking over and smiling at me, as I would continue to push and encourage the feet dragging. We started to make the pile bigger and bigger with the gravel, and eventually we turned it into a bulldozing fest, where he would grab gravel, put it in my hands, and then I would dump it into the pile. I probably did this 50 times for the next thirty minutes, but I loved every moment of it.

Finally, it was time to eat, so I went to help serve and I was on drink duty. We fed the kids first and then we got food ourselves. Everyone was now freezing from swimming in their clothes and not having towels or any clothes to change into. They would come and cling on to you for warmth. Norma for one came and sat in my lap while I was eating my dinner, and I tried to offer her a little comfort. All of the chips and whatnot that we gave the kids had pogs inside, so I noticed that the kids would hang around waiting for you to finish your chips so that they could claim you prize. We gave them candy, cleaned up, and then it was about time to go.

Angelica asked me if I wanted to go swing with her and I said sure after I asked Greg if I had some time. Miguel followed us with his box of candy and beanie babies. Greg called over to me after about 5 minutes and Angelica, Miguel, and I started to walk back. I noticed that Miguel was limping a little while walking on the gravel so I asked if I could carry him. So Angelica grabbed his box, I grabbed his body, and we walked back to the vehicles together. We all piled into our prospective vehicles and then drove back to Casa Hogar Sabinas. All the kids went in to change their clothes a get ready for bed, because it was nearly 7 pm, and Greg told us that we would meet for debriefing at 7:30 pm, so we could get some showers in if we wanted to.

We met, and talked about what are some of the hardest burdens to carry for others, and what are the easiest. For me, it's hard to carry the burden of anxiety, but easy to carry burdens related to family issues. We then had a time to talk about how much we all mean to one another, especially on this trip, and how much we have offered and sacrificed. We then played speed scrabble and catch phrase, snacked and then went to bed. Tonight was the night that Kaitlin literally had to fish her toilet paper out of the toilet right after she flushed. Thank you for saving my life Kaitlin.

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." -Galatians 6:2

-k10

Labor Day!!

We began the day with breakfast (the usual: Zucaritas and bread with peanut butter) at 8 am and then quiet time and small group time. We discussed offering ourselves completely and realized that our lives are not our own, but are for God. This morning we had visitors: the cats, the goats, and the talon. One of the goats had 3 legs... lol. They were chased back to their pin by Julio and Kimara with quite a commotion, including running, yelling, and throwing rocks. The older kids like Julio and Kimara went to school 3 times a week from 8 - 10 pm. All the other kids had left for school right down the road at around 8 am.

We started work at 9:30 am, and for me, Kaitlin, and Lauren we were up on the roof and for Ellie and Betsy it was sealing and painting walls. Thermotek was the name of the game, and the point was to seal the roof from the rain. It was a long and tedious job, but we finished the first roof. We first had to sweep the area of all the dirt and dust and then get the brushes to push around the Thermotek, which had the consistency of glue. After sweeping I got two large blisters on my thumbs, but was not going to let that stop me. Greg also had us put on firefighter boots to make sure that the stuff didn't ruin our shoes. Once we finished the laundry room roof we moved on to the second coat on the roof of the kitchen.

This roof was four times the size of the other, and before we could begin we had to break up cement and clay molds and put them in the surrounding cinder block holes. It was like moving shards of glass, especially with my newly formed blisters. We decided not to wear the boots this time, because it made it easier to move around the roof, and we weren't too worried about ruining our shoes. At about 12:30 pm the kids came home and all 23 or so were piled into one van! It was an amazing sight to see them flow out of the doors. We were still up on the roof which was a surprise to most of the children, and they laughed and waved when they saw us. We were very excited to see our new friends and were ready to play! After about 30 more minutes after the children changed out of their uniforms, we were told to get off the roof because it was time to eat lunch with the kids.

We ate some authentic Mexican food, that was some sort of beef mix with potatoes, rice, and homemade tortillas. It was fun eating with the kids and we made sure to be quiet this time. Some of the girls saved me a seat and motioned for me when I turned around with my food. After lunch the wind really picked up and it looked like a storm was blowing in. All of the sudden, the breeze went from 0 - 30 mph! Of course, we would be getting back on the roof to finish the work we had started. Before we left the kitchen one of the girls, Angelica, brought her homework into the kitchen and sat down beside me. I took notice of her work and helped he a little. When I was told to get back to work, she latched on to my arm and asked me not to leave because she wanted me to play with her. I told her in Spanish that I had to go back to work and that I would play with her later. She tried to convince me that it was too cold, but I was insistent and she eventually let go of my arm. When I went to get up she yelled besito, and then as I pointed to my cheek she gave me a kiss.

Back up on the roof, we were fearful that the wind had blown away the piles we made while sweeping, but we were also scared that we would be the ones blowing away. Everything ended up being alright, and we got back to work removing the piles and beginning the Thermotek stage. Before too long we were almost done. It seemed like every time Greg left his work with wiring and looked up at us we were taking a pretzel/water break. We reassured him that we were almost finish and that we were working hard. After we finished, we left the roof and headed over to where Ellie and Betsy were sealing and painting to scrape windows. They would be painted with black oil paint so all the cement needed to be scraped off to make the palate smooth for the paint. We worked until 5 pm and then we were told that we needed to clean up and get ready for dinner. We were still going to eat in the kitchen, but we would be having sandwiches. Lesli, Sara, and AnnaLaura again saved me a seat by them.

After dinner we were told that we could take showers and whatnot or hand out some donations. We decided to just hold off on the showers and hand out some donations to the kids. The donation of choice happened to be BEANIE BABIES because we stuffed about 60 of them into our bags! They were all about bartering and trying to trade animals with us, but we knew we wouldn't be able to please all of them. I had never seen so many kids having fun just throwing these little animals around. Something that we keep so clean and on shelves or in cases was better seen in the dirt or air for these kids! Lupe, Betsy, and I had a snake fight and I spent a long time throwing the beanies with Miguel (he got an owl and a dragon). After playing some, Greg announced that we would have debriefing at 7:30 pm so we could try and take some showers, and that we did.

We had about 45 minutes for all 5 of us to shower so we did and then headed over to the kitchen where Greg and Rodo were sleeping. At this point all the kids were wrapping things up and going to bed because they had school in the morning. My legs were still covered in Thermotek, and my ankle brace resembled a dalmatian. During debriefing we talked about what a life completely surrendered to God looks like. It reminded me of a conversation that I had in my philosophy class, while trying to define what a moral person really is. After debriefing we all stuck around to snack on Laffy Taffy, Little Debbie's, and Chex Mix, and to play some speed Scrabble. We quickly discovered that Katey and Greg were the queen and king of Scrabble. Rodo was doing better than me and English is his second language, lol. We had a good time hanging out until about 11 pm, and then decided to call it quits and go to bed after a wonderfully exhausting day.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." -Colossians 3:23

-k10

to Sabinas...

We woke this morning for breakfast with the Texas group. We were in awe of the mountain view so we decided to eat outside. We got to chat a little with a couple of the older women from the Hill Country Austin, TX group. We then had quiet time and small group time over by the big palapa (shelter). Church would be in this large Palapa at 10 am. The palapa was organized into 4 different areas/groups. It was interesting because first we played an icebreaker game like "rock, paper, scissors," but instead it was "gorilla, gunman, ninja." Second, we were lacking a worship leader so we a played a "name that song" game in the groups that we were sitting in. We had to first name and sing ten words of a song that had a color in it, and then the word light, and then the word joy. It was fun to get to know the people in my group and to worship in that way... lol. Beth G. one of the founders of B2B (along with her husband Todd) spoke for us. She talked about the offer theme for the year (Romans 12:1) and about the sheet of paper representing the orphan's heart. Last she talked about a dog, a rooster, and a cow:

-"Don't drag your bumbi."

-"Use your wings, and don't cling to the line."

-"Stay inside the safety of your Father's fence."

We concluded with prayer and then we were told by Greg Huffer, Cathy's husband, to change and get our bags for our trip to Sabinas. He was going to be our leader along with Rodo and Katey. We ate lunch (PB&J) and took a group photo and then we were on our way. The road trip started loud and filled with stories, but by the time we got out of the city, we were all exhausted and rested the last part of the trip. At this point, we were out of the city and surrounded by mountains, and the beauty of God's creation. It really reminded me of Texas with the canyons, flatland, and rolling hills. Finally, we pulled into the children's home after about a 2 hour trip and about 20 kids came out to meet us.

We were the first group to ever come to this home so it was an exciting thing to see their curiosity. We moved our bags, floor mats and things inside the girl's room, but then were told later that we would have to stay in a separate room from the girls, just a couple doors down. Instead of mats, we were going to get beds. They were so generous in trying to make us feel comfortable. After we finished doing that Greg began heating the charcoal and we were told to play until dinner. So that is exactly what we did. First, along with the girls, Rodo, and some of the children, we went over to play soccer in the field behind the children's home. I didn't have any tennis shoes so I stuck it out in my flip-flops. It was pretty dusty, but a lot of fun, and the boys seemed to really enjoy our attempts. Jonathan, one of the boys started out as our goalie, and then decided to give his job to me, and take on the offense. After an hour or so of soccer we walked back to the facility, and there we played basketball (around the world), played on the swings, seesaws, and slide, and just ran around.

I was exhausted, sweaty, smelly, and dehydrated, but I never felt better. We played up until they called us in to serve dinner, which was hamburgers with ham and cheese... aka DELICIOUS. We served the children first, me with the catsup, Betsy with the mayonesa, and Rodo with the mostaza. The kitchen where dinner was served was very clean, large, and organized. We were also not aware of the rules of the kitchen: be quiet. At one point one of the older girls rejected Rodo's offer of mustard, and we laughed about it. I asked, "Como se dice 'rejected' en Espanol?" He replied, "Rodolfo." In all our commotion, the director let us know about the rule and we immediately shut-up. We also were able to get food and sit down with the kids. There were about 23 kids at the home, ad I planned on learning all their names! All of the girls seemed to enjoy our presence and the fact that we wanted to hang out with them and sit by them at dinner. After dinner we played more basketball and whatnot until we were told to meet for debriefing down in the pavilion at 7:30 pm. We had to convince the children to let us go to our meeting. One girl, Angelica, literally attached to my arm, and I had to explain, "Tengo que hablar con mi grupo!"

We had out debriefing, and talked more about offering ourselves and what that looks like. We were also asked what expectations had been verified or completely disproved. Luckily none of us came in with expectations, so God had already started His work in our lives. Greg then gave us the schedule for the next day: roof and wall sealing and painting. After debriefing we went back up the hill, said good night to the children and then went to our room with Katey. We made our beds and prepared for showers. I was covered in dust from soccer so I asked if I could go first. While taking the shower I realized that it was not draining like it should be. In fact, it wasn't draining at all, and as others took showers after me, it began filling up more. Ellie bit the bullet and took a shower in our filth, but Katey decided since she would be going last, that she would put off taking a shower until tomorrow (great decision). We dubbed the shower the "Tropical Oasis," equipped with beautiful jungle scenery and man in loin-cloth, to feel better about our situation. We were exhausted after a long day of driving and play, so we went to bed soon after everyone had showered/waded.

"A man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." -Proverbs 16:9

-k10

The Introduction:

We got a decent nights sleep since B2B wasn't planning on picking us up until 11 am the next day. We met in the lobby about ten minutes 'til 11 and waited for someone to come get us. We saw the Suburban pass the front doors and proceeded outside to meet our drivers, Katey Dowd and Rodolfo. We piled into the old Suburban and headed on our way to the facility. With all our luggage and bodies, we were a sight to see in that Suburban. The city was amazing and busseling with people and places and things to look at. It reminded me of Jamaica and all its craziness... including the driving (SCARY). Suddenly, there were all these mountains that we didn't see while we were fliying in because it was night time. It was gorgeous. We made it to the campus after about 45 minutes, and marelled at our view of the mountains from the main building (known as the LBM). There we met Cathy Huffer, who proceeded to introduce us to Mexico, lunch, and orientation. After we ate lunch (PB&Js - a common meal), we went on a tour and then sat down to talk about the history of Back2Back and rules for the week.

We settled into our dorm room which was right below Cathy, and then were told to pack our bags because we would be leaving the next day for a children's home in Sabinas. It was another branch of the Casa Hogar Douglas. We were going to be the first group to be taken here, because it was a newer relationship. So then we met some more of the staff, unpacked and repacked our bags, and updated our parents again before we left the next day for Sabinas until Wednesday. We then had a little free time before we left for a cook-out at Casar Hogar Douglas in Monterrey. We decided to walk with our escort Rodolfo (aka Rodo), because it was only one mile away. The walk was interesting, including packs of dogs, street vendors, and car dodging. We made it to the home and found it swarming with children, 90 to be exact. We immediately got a tour, because Rodo had actually lived there before he started helping with B2B.

Afterwards (and after Betsy crashed down the stairs), we got to work. Betsy and Ellie went to help Rodo make cheese and Lauren, Kaitlin, and I volunteered to play and entertain children for a while. There was a huge cement slide, monkey bars, swings, jump ropes, see-saws, a soccer field, you name it, we played on it. Attempting to communicate in Spanish was interesting, but I began learning their names, and also tried cheering up one little boy who had been hit by another. All the children were AMAZING and beautiful with their smiling faces. I could see God's light in their eyes. He was their only hope.

We served all the food, which consisted of Katey on drink duty, Rodo on hotdog duty, me on condiment duty, Ellie on chip duty, Kaitlin on jalepeno duty, and Betsy on cheese duty. We were a great team and in no time, we had served all 90 children. Once we ate ourselves it was time to clean up and play a little more before we had to leave. There was one of the girls that I made a special connection with. She took Lauren and I up to the church that was at the top of the cement hill and overlooked the mountain range. It was beautiful. She then wanted to to go down the slide one more time with her, so of course, I did. Sadly we had to leave all the children and walk back to the campus. While walking Rodo decided to play a nice trick on us and ding-dong ditch at one of the nice houses surrounding the area. You should have seen me run, lol. All I had to say to him was, "Como se dice 'jerk' en Espanol." He was definitely a great help to us there, and I can definitely tell he loves the Lord.

As we made our way back we thought of how amazing our first two days had been and there was so much more to come. We came home and met some of the people from the Austin, TX team. They would be staying at the B2B property for the whole week while we went to Sabinas. We then had our debriefing where Cathy shared our quiet time booklet with us. The verse of the year is Romans 12:1, and she also shared with us the idea of an orphan and their heart being a sheet of paper torn to pieces. We also talked about the cycle of Experience >> Reflection >> Change >> Action. During our debriefing we were told to share a "picture of the day." During the time of reflection I thought of what God was trying to teach me, and how I could OFFER myself. I know I'm not invincible, but I know that God will grant me the capacity to love and share and speak. He is my hands, feet, and my ALL, beyond anything I could understand. These kids have more love and faith in them than I could ever imagine.

We went to bed with showers and "Dirty Dancing Havana Nights" (which I would not recommend... lol), ready to start into the next day!

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." -John 16:33

-k10

The First Day

Well, today's the day! God had truly blessed me with an easy, stress-free exam last night, so I actually got some sleep. It's so great to know that so many people are praying for us and our trip. I am still in shock that I am actually in Mexico right now. We call our group the dysfunctional family: considering Ellie's maternal and crazy antics, my bum ankle, and Lauren, Betsy, and Kaitlin's hilarious personalities. I could not have asked for a better group though!

After all the setbacks, including lost hotel reservations ad having to get forms notarized again at the last minute, we were finally on our way this morning. On top of everything else, the weather was HORRIBLE. Tornadoes, torrential downpour, and any other way you could use to describe a monsoon. We were trying to transfer donations and put luggage into the car while trekking through a river in the street. But through the storm, before leaving Gainesville, we were already laughing a having a great time just being together. We had lunch at Moe's and then jammed to some Regaton on the way to the Orlando airport, just to get us in the Spanish vibe. We were beyond help when it came to our skills in the Spanish language. Everything seemed to be running smoothly until we got to the airport.

First, parking was just about impossible. After frustrations with that, we had to drag our luggage over to check-in, where there appeared to be no AC. It went by easy enough to get our bags weighed and x-rayed and then we were on our way. Next of course was getting though security... let's just say Ellie had liquids and I had a boot that happen to have metal in it. That was an adventure in itself, but we made it out alive and were finally at our gate. It was apparent that things were moving slowly as we boarded a little later than projected. Once we were on the plane we were stuck on the runway for about an hour, because of the weather. It was frustrating because of the fact that we had an hour and ten minutes to reach our connecting flight in Atlanta. At one point the pilot shut off the engines and said that all the north bound lanes were closed. I immediately started praying... I could think of nothing else to do. God was the only thing holding me together, and not but two minutes later the pilot announced that we would be flying out in seven minutes: PRAISE.

Seriously, God is so GOOD. So now we were going to get into Atlanta around the same time our Monterrey flight would be leaving! Frantically, as we got off the plane we checked to see if we had any hope. I had again been praying as soon as we landed for there to be a way. And luckily there was; our plane was now scheduled to depart at 7:15 pm. It was 6:55 pm, and we had to get across five concourses. The race was on. First, I left out early because of my ankle, but then I ended up going to the wrong gate because I didn't realize they had changed it from our original. When I called Kaitlin, she assured me it was OK, and they hadn't even started boarding the plane. I had never moved so fast in my life for being in the boot. I'm sure it was a sight to see. Somehow everything came together, however ridiculous it all seemed. We had time to get dinner, go to the bathroom, and there was no worry that our luggage would get lost.

We made it to the airport and realized that we were now the minority. It was a strange feeling. Once we got our luggage we had to find someone who could help us get to our hotel. Luckily a woman had the number for the hotel and the Courtyard Marriott van picked us up about ten minutes later. We jumped in with another woman who was from Chicago and shared with her what we would be doing for our spring break. Once at the hotel we got settled into our rooms, sent out some check-in emails to family and friends and then decided to go to the 7-eleven down the street. We started a new love affair with Coka light, 2.5 liter drinks, and pesos. We hung out in Betsy, Lauren and my room, watched a little TV, and enjoyed some sour-patch kids. Sometime around 1 am we decided to go to bed.

It still blows my mind that I am now in Mexico, and I cannot fathom what this week has to hold! I pray for God to prepare my heart, and so far we have had to catch a lot of curve balls. It has definitely be worth it though. I've grown accustom to my God with no definition, standard, or expectations. I cannot wait to love on todos los ninos y ayudar la gente de Mexico. We forget how lucky we are in the States, I am so ready to leave what I know, and to step into the unknown and uncomfortable. God has already challenged me in this one day of travel, but there's no telling what else He has in store.

"Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn." -Isaiah 60:3

-k10

on a mission... to Mexico.

Well, it is about time for me to be leaving for Mexico, and I still have to pack, and take an online exam. Definitely sounds like I'm prepared to leave right? I decided tonight to go to CRU, because I knew I would have regretted not going. God revealed himself to me during the amazing worship, and assured me that everything would be OK; even though it all seemed to be going wrong. I put off my test and packing, and Jessie came to pick me up. Once we got there we discovered they wouldn't be starting until 9:15ish, which would put me even farther behind schedule.

The worship was amazing though, but when returning home I realized I didn't have my key to get into Melrose. Finally my roommate came home, and she let us in, but at this point it was 10:30 pm. Luckily, I found my key at the bottom of the stairs where I had thrown it, lol. God was watching over me in this one. I then proceeded to begin studying for my test. For some reason without studying I felt very prepared for it, and I had assurance from God that it would be OK. So after reading about one chapter out of three, I took the exam. I finished in 30 minutes and felt very confident, and then finished packing, and am ready for bed right about now!

I cannot wait for tomorrow and what God is prepared to teach me. My prayer is that God will change my heart and help me be a light for those who need it! Please be praying for my team and Mexico, and what God has to offer!

Good night,
k10