Retreat? Retreat!

To all the readers I HOPE are reading this. (: Christina here. I've been appointed as co-writer of this blog. No, please don't throw any tomatoes.

I'm pretty much going to be doing the same thing Matt was doing up here. Except different. I know, big oxymoron. But really, it's only different because I'm a student in the youth group, and he's the old guy who heads it up. See?

Fall Retreat coming up THIS WEEKEND! EVERYONE should be signed up for that. It's mad fun. We'll be leaving the church around 5 ish on October 10 (that's this Friday) and returning on October 12 (Sunday) at 5 again. It's $110, and the money was due TODAY, so ya'll better hurry down to the church office to get yours in. Be sure to invite a friend!

Bible study, as always, is at 7PM on Wednesday nights, and don't forget the Flavor of the Week at 6:30! Free food! There's also drama practice at 6PM, unless otherwise told. Again, something I hope MANY people are getting in on. Lots of good fun.

So there's my first post for all you guy! Lots of love,

-Christina

Roots Student Leaders and the 3 R's

My absolute favorite thing about youth ministry is watching teenagers "do the ministry." That's what's beginning to happen with the formation of RSL, the senior high Roots Student Leaders.

We had our first meeting this week and the excitement of this group of students for the ministry is intense. One of their first decisions, "Let's throw a party during Bible study to welcome the new freshman," followed by willingness to call each and every freshman to welcome them to Bible study and to their "welcome to the senior high youth group" bash!

We laughed a lot and had great discussions about small groups (D-Groups) which we're really hoping to get rolling early in the fall. The student leaders' desire is that D-Groups be real for conversation, encouragement, equipping and accountability. They say that in real estate the three L's are the most important thing (location, location, location). Well the same is true in ministry, except it's the three R's: Relationship, Relationship, Relationship.

I'm excited to see this continue to develop in the hearts of our students, both Senior High and Junior High. You should look forward to it also, whether you're a parent, student or youth worker.

And look forward to seeing a new and current trend for our blog: student updates. Not excactly sure how this will pan out just yet, but look forward to it nonetheless...because it will bless your soul.

Monterrey [Friday]

We woke up 6 for our last day of work. We got a lot done in this week and it was sad to think this was our last full day. We had a fun time at work as usual. When we got back we had lunch, which was really good.

Then after lunch we went to the orphanage where we played with all the kids. Matt and I came out with our faces covered in face paint! All the kids were just adorable. Mollie and I wanted to run out with one of the babies to take home. All the kids have parents but their parents cannot take care of them. It was sad to leave all I kept thinking was that these kids always meet or spend time with someone who always has to leave.

We had so much fun there, the kids were just so happy to be playing with us, getting attention and some toys. When we got back some of us packed to get ready for tomorrow, and some took a siesta. Then we ate the most delicious dinner I have had all summer. It was Gringas! During dinner Elim the Christian guitar band played. They all come to the church here and their playing and singing was amazing! When I heard them I thought this must be like a piece of heaven, people you don't know yet singing beautiful music to God.

Monterrey [Thursday]

Today we woke up at 6 and went to our Bible study. Then we split into our groups, prayed and had our own quiet time. It was a great start for the day. We then had breakfast and left to go work. We got a lot of wall building done! We took our usual coke and cookies break during work, which is always really funny.

When we finished working, and surprising each other by throwing buckets of cement water on each other haha, we went back to the church and ate lunch. After lunch we were suppose to go to the orphanage, but we had to reschedule it for Friday. We went to this huge mall instead. We all had a great time. I know the rest of our group walked around and had a good time. Mollie and I hung out in the Starbucks seats and talked with one of the interns Kelsey.

After the mall we came back, ate dinner, and left for ministry down town where we passed out tracks. It is awesome downtown there are so many people and the square we were in had a lot of different performers. One group was fire spinning hippies. They were really good. A ton of people came to hear our group and watch the mime routines. Many people heard the gospel and were spoken to by the people in our group who speak Spanish. It was a great night all around...you could really see God working.

Monterrey [Wednesday]

Today we got to wake up at 8! We ate breakfast and left to go swimming in a natural waterfall & spring. The trip was about an hour and it was all up hill. The views were amazing, and the road was really curvy.

The spring was really cool and wasn’t that deep. The water was really cold too. You could jump off a little cliff into the water. The water fall had rocks all around the bottom of it and they were used as slides. Mollie and I weren’t planning on going in we were just walking around in the shallow places, taking pictures. That didn’t last long because we just needed a video of me (Jeany) getting thrown in! Hahaha I was glad later though, because it was hot the rest of the day.

After the spring, we went lower down the mountain to have lunch and see some bigger waterfalls. They're called, "Horsetail Falls." You couldn’t swim in them but they were awesome to look at. Then we went shopping there, and they had some really cool stuff.

Then when we got back to the church we ate dinner. After dinner we went to see the huge Mexican flag, it was on a mountain that was used to defend Monterrey. It is so big, like 100 ft! From the top of the hill you can see everything it’s so beautiful! We than sat down with two guitars playing and we sang worship songs. Then we prayed for Monterrey, the people of this country, and the outreaches of this week. We stayed there till dark and saw the view with all the lights. It looked like a river of lights through the two huge mountains.

Monterrey [Tuesday]

Today we woke up at 6am, got ready and our morning devotionals where Rik talked about having faith in everything God calls us to do even if we become apprehensive. After we split into groups and prayed for this week and the day...that was beginning.

Then we ate breakfast which was, French toast. We then went to our work site where we were going to lay blocks. Mollie and I got to lay some blocks today! It was really fun. On the worksite we had some friendly competition about who was laying the blocks the best. I have to say Matt and Mollie’s blocks had some cracks. Hahaha...Mine and Jonaton’s (an intern here) were pretty good. After a little while we had a coke break and some cookies. The coke and the cookies are way better here than in the states. After working we drove back and had lunch which was fried steak, mashed potatoes, and rice.

After lunch we went on a drive up the mountain to these cement slides! They were so much fun. You ride down them on cardboard. Then when we got back we had a siesta.

Then we left for ministry which was in Apodaca the houses were really nice there. They were all different colors. A lot of kids showed up there. We did face painting, blew up balloons, and let the kids play with Playdough. After the dramas and at the end of the Spanish sermon the pastor asks if anyone would come up and accept Christ. We waited a little while and it some of the young boys looked like they were going to come up but were taking a little while, but then one little girl just walked up! It was awesome. Then the rest of the kids came up. There was also a lot of adults who were listening to the program.

It was a great day, Mexico is just beautiful!

Monterrey [Monday]

It is so different in Mexico. I wake up to lots of girls! I have to wait for the mirror and the shower. Oh, the shower, we get to shower once a day. I tried to save my shower so I could have two in one day but they have rules that must be written in cold showers that don't allow that.
We had a great day! We got to play with Legos it was so much fun. The Legos in Mexico are bigger and heavier than the ones in the USA. I really think that Pastor Matt might have missed his true calling. Master of the Lego builders.

Ok, now enough with the fun. Yes we kinda played Legos but it was with real block and yes we had to carry them up two flights of stairs. We made the cement with the best cement mixers they have right now in Mexico. Molly, Jeany, Tim, Joel, Jonathan and Jacob. I was having an issue with my back so I was supervising. Pastor Matt was having the time of his life putting the block together.

This was our long hot day of work we had our lunch at the work sight and continued to work in the afternoon. Most of us are just a little red in the face now. I can't tell you how hot it is but Noah's wet socks dried real fast. The heat was also hard on some of my boys. They decided to make me feel real humble. I know that in James 4:10 it says to, "humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up," but I really don't like it when I am also humbled...in the sight of others. Thank you, Lord, for the great way you teach us. Even us hard headed people.

Back to the showers...boy did they feel good after our hot day. I don't even use but one knob, it 's cold all the way!!!! Then to dinner. The food is real good and the fresh fruit is wonderful! I just wish that I could bring it home with me. Oh well I know all good things must come to an end.

Ministry time is wonderful! I played tic tack toe with the best boy he won every time. Just in case you don't understand what I mean, we start in the park by playing games with the children; we do face painting, play soccer (football), and after awhile we have all the children come and sit on the seats we take out of the van. We have some skits and someone gives a testimony. The Nationals than give the message. Usually it is a Pastor from the local church. Four people came to know Christ. The nationals will speak with the locals after they come forward. They will let then know about the church int he area. They also look at the people who are listening and will try to speak with them after the service.
Please continue to PRAY. PRAY for growth for the four new believers. Pray for strength as we continue to play with our Legos...just keep Praying!!!!!

"Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain." [Psalm 127:1, ESV]

Monterrey [Sunday]

This morning, we got to sleep in. The bell didn't ring until 8:30 indicating that breakfast was ready. Most of us were awake before that and got dressed and ready before the bell rang. Breakfast was muffins and cereal, but because the stove had broken, Rik went out and bought some breakfast tacos. The muffins were very very good. After breakfast we had until 10 to chill out. At 10 Sunday school started. We heard testimonies from Rik and also from Hannah (an intern who is staying here for the summer). We also sang some songs. Then we had a 15 minute coke break (They really like their coke here). Then church started. There was a service going on in the actual church (we were in the dinning area) for all of the Mexicans. Obviously, it was in Spanish so we had a separate service.

After church we had lunch. It was meatloaf, corn, and mashed potatos. Then we hung around with Matt and some other people and eventually we played apples to apples. After that, we went upstairs and took a siesta. At six the bell rang. It was time to go to church again. This time, we went to the Mexican church. We couldn't understand most of it, but it was still really cool. After the service we all had voyos (Plastic bags filled with ice cream or slushie type thing. You suck the ice out of the bag). Then we had dinner. It was taco salad. At 9. we all went on the roof and sang worship songs. It was really cool and the view was amazing from there. This picture is of Saddleback Mountain, which is our geographical point of reference so we always know how far from our Mexican home we are. After singing, we went to bed.

Monterrey [Saturday]

The (very loud and obnoxious) bell rang at 6 o'clock on Saturday morning. We crawled out of bed slowly and got ready for a morning of hard work. The whole group met together in the church and started our morning off with some praise and worship songs. Then after a few short words from Rik, we split into small groups and prayed together. After we finished praying we had quite time for about ten minutes. The bell rang... again... to tell us that breakfast was ready. Breakfast consisted of pancakes and also a few different types of cereal.

Then it was time to load the vans. Our group went to a small church where we were building a second floor to provide space for sunday school classes. We were instructed by two Mexicans named Alfredo and Jared. They were both very nice and funny. We mixed cement and filled in a hole tha had once been a staircase to the roof. After that, we stopped for a coke break. The coke in Mexico is a lot better than the coke in the states. It's much sweeter. After our coke break we waited patiently for the truck with the cement blocks to arrive and when it did we unloaded the blocks and stacked them. Next, we loaded the vans again and went back to the compound for lunch. Lunch was some type of rice which was amazing and beef to go on top of it.

After lunch, we went downtown to do some shopping. We got to ride the public busses. It was fun but i'm not sure the locals were as amused as we were.... we did take up more than half of the bus. Luckily we got one of the air conditioned busses. The first place we went to was a building that consisted of a few different stores. It was a place specifically for tourists so there were a lot of cool things to buy and also to look at. We saw homemade pots and plates as well as blankets and ponchos and hammocks. One of the stores inside sold smoothies which a lot of people in our groups took advantage of. Apparently they were very good.

Then we all met up again and walked to a nearby street that was lined with stores. It was Saturday afternoon so, as you can imagne, the street was packed. The first place our group went to was a pet store. It was not just an ordinary pet shop though. They sold monkeys, snakes, ponies, aligators, chimps, chinchilas, ferrets, mice, dogs, cats, rabbits, gerbils, taranchelas, turtles, ducks, chikens, exotic birds, and even a tiger. Some of the animals were being held on leashes by the people who worked there and you could stop and pet them. The monkeys would climb up on to your arm and climb up your legs. It was incredible. After we left the pet shop, we headed to McDonalds to meet the rest of our group. Once we were all together again, we walked down the road and got on another bus. Not all of our group could fit on the first bus. Unfortunately, there was a drunk man sitting in the back throwing up all over the floor. It was pretty gross. Jeany, Matt, and I lucked out because we were in the very front of the bus, so we didn't have to see.... or smell.... it. We got off the bus a little bit before our stop and walked the rest of the way because being on that bus was pretty unbearable for the people in the back.

When we got back to the compound, we had about an hour of down time. Then the bell rang (still loud and obnoxious) for dinner. We had empanadas!!!! They were so good. There was beef and chicken. After dinner we loaded the vans and drove to a park in the next town over Monte Cristal. By "park" we mean a big field of grass. There were stray dogs everywhere. And there was also huge red ants. We split up into groups and walked around the streets to hand out tracks to people that invited them to join us in the park. We had to say, "Le invitamos a una programa en el parque ahora." which translates into "We invite you to a program in the park now." When we went back to the park there were already some kids there playing wit the people who had stayed behind to set things up. We took the seats out of the vans and lined them up so that the kids and adults could sit down. There was music playing and we had face painting, nail painting, and balloons. The kids were SO CUTE. We wanted to take them all home. There was this one little boy named Antonio, he was the cutest little kid i've ever seen. He was probably somewhere around 18 months old. Throughout the program he was walking around and dancing to all of the music. The program involved a mime routine, a puppet, a drama type thing called "The Redeemer", a testimony (done by Jeany), and of course more music. After the program ended, we packed up and loaded the vans to head back to the compound. On the way home we stopped for another coke break. When we got back, most of us got ready for bed and went to sleep.

Monterrey [Friday]

I can't think of a much better first ever Roots Youth blog entry than one on a mission trip! That's right...we're here in Monterey, Mexico with TIME Ministries.

Today started at 2:00am when we got up to be ready to meet at the church at 3:00am to go to the airport. We continued our journey at 4:00...to stand in line because we beat the airline folks to the counter for check-in. So after we waited for an hour we checked in and got ready to fly!
Our team consists of Jeany Lally, Mollie Melton, Tim Reid, myself (Matt Magee), Evelyn Reid and her sons (Jacob, Joel, Jonathan and Noah).

We flew from Newark to Detroit, then changed planes (sat for an hour-and-a-half on the new plane) and flew to Monterey. Safe and comfy flights the whole way!! And a little comedic, with little Noah saying upon prep for landing (when he saw the airbrakes on the wings moving), "I'm not ready to die." The front half of the plane got a good laugh.

We got settled in at the mission and Mollie and Jeany are playing spoons with some students from one of the other groups We're relaxing a bit before work begins tomorrow. And we're just about to have our orientation now so I should run.

More updates this week from different members of our team.
Please pray for us as we work and minister this week. Can't wait to tell you more.

Check out more pictures from our week...click pictures in the left menu!