Just a reminder for those who have been keeping up with this BLOG, the week of July 5th through today (the 12th), has been spent with Roger and the summer staff.  To see our photos and read BLOG entrys, go to the summer group BLOG.  Thanks!

“Week 18” we’ve called it on the BLOG, but to be honest, who knows what week it really is down here…it will probably remain a mystery until someone with lots of time at hand will comment on this anomaly.  Well July fourth has come and gone and it’s now some couple hundred years after the fact and I’m in Mexico…crazy huh? 

This week “18” was a good one; fairly relaxed with some visitation and services, but I figured that I’d give the guys a little bit of a break since they’ve been working real hard filling in all of the positions since the other left.  When you go from 15 to 5 you realize that you have to prepare your message tomorrow since you forgot yesterday!  But it has been good to see our friendships really grow in these last few weeks.  Just the other morning Juanita was talking about how much she’s going to miss all of us (not just us 4 with her right now, but EVERYONE!) and how much of an impact this year has had upon her life.  Going from newly Christian to DMT was quite the leap, but as she shared in her message tonight in San Andres, Christ still asks us to choose to put our faith in Him no matter the circumstances, the sickness or the situation…pretty amazing to hear that from a very young believer.

It’s been great here in El Higo and it’s hard to leave yes, the friends, the fellowship…the heat…the lack of rain…maybe it’s not that hard to leave after all!  But I ask that you pray for this little town’s spiritual state and for the little church “on the curve” as it’s become to be known around town.  The believers there are hungry and they want to see not only themselves grow but also their church, and I believe that God will gladly answer that prayer.  Lord send more workers into the fields!  Whether the wheat or cane is ready, more workers are needed here in El Higo!  Until next time!

Joel

This week was the last week here in El Higo before heading to Dr. Arroyo. I’m sad about leaving behind all the relationships we’ve built but ready to leave the hot weather (although we had a good amount of rain Saturday morning). This week we didn’t do all that much. We went visiting in the mornings and then as usual service or teachings in the afternoon. Although we didn’t do much, God was working in my life and speaking to me in amazing ways. My biggest prayer these past few months has been that He would mold me into the true person that He wants me to be. In one of my morning devotions I read about Rebekah and how her character and inner beauty was what stood out to the servant Abraham. God began speaking to me clearly. Where is my servant attitude? With Roger and the group coming down, I pray that God will show me exactly how to serve others to my best ability.

Monica

Happy Independence Day to all of you Americans out there! As I write I’m watching some awesome cloud to cloud lightning in the distance. God is providing a cool substitute for the traditional fireworks show I see every year.

We have three more full days here in El Higo. Soon and very soon we’ll be meeting the summer staff and heading down to the island for the last time. After that we’ll be going up to Dr. Arroyo for the youth camp and summer groups. Not too much time left!

As I reflect on our time here in El Higo I look back with happy memories. Although we have been roughing it with no electricity or running water, God has blessed us with a fantastic ministry. We’ve seen minds transformed, spirits lifted and lives changed all because of the power of God. Sure we’ve been putting in the work of going door to door and building relationships, but our work would mean nothing without the conviction of the Holy Spirit, the life-changing power of the Gospel of Jesus, and the overwhelming love of the Father. Lately it’s been imprinted in me that if you want to see lives changed you must rely on the power of God and not your own words and actions. Only after you quit relying on yourself can you see God’s hand at work. It’s a test of faith and trust to let go and…(cliché alert!)…let God. That’s just what I’ve been seeing in my life. I can be quite the worrier and self-reliant type of person. Being on the mission field in a foreign country has broken me of a lot of that. I remember during the swine flu scare some of us (Americans) were kind of freaked out. Joel reminded us that if the U.S. was our security or our protection then we had seriously misplaced our trust. When it comes down to it, where is our security: our smarts, abilities, bank account, job, family, friends, medicine, police, country? Where should it be?

*Please continue to pray for our team’s safety as we’re going to be doing a lot of traveling soon.

Trailero

This past Thursday Steven and 5 of the students headed north to La Haciendita and left Monica, Trailero, Juanita, Viky and I here in El Higo…boohoo.  They headed yesterday (Sunday) up to Dr. Arroyo along with Roger and a group from Sandusky, Ohio to work with them this week (check out their photos online too!) .  After the Ohio group leaves, they will stay in Arroyo getting everything ready for the summer youth camp.

For those of us who’ve stayed here, it seems as though our days have gotten even busier.  We didn’t really get too many chances this past week to get out and visit but we sure did have services and teachings…and FISH!  Talk about fish; wow…but I’ll tell you that we sure aren’t tired of it though! 

Well, this is a short BLOG entry but nonetheless, we ask that you’d continue to pray for us, AND FOR RAIN!  They had said that there was a hurricane coming up through Veracruz City the other day and that we’d get a bunch of rain and wind, but we didn’t get anything.  I was told that about 35 miles south of here they’ve gotten a lot of rain over the past few weeks and then more from that hurricane…so we’re just waiting and praying.  Also pray for the brothers and sisters here in El Higo as Thursday we started our first teaching of “The Fundamentals of Faith” teaching and they really enjoyed it.  We talked about the Bible and this next Thursday we’ll be teaching on the Trinity.  Pray for continued hunger.

We have this last week here before Roger comes down and we head south to the Island and then swing through Alamo, VC, so pray that we still make a big push to visit and encourage our friends here in El Higo before we all head to Arroyo for the last 2 summer groups!  Until next time….

Well, in these last 2 weeks I have learned new things because some of the  students have gone to Oaxaca and some of the others have gone to Dr. Arroyo and there are only 5 of us left here, but like the Word of God says, “Where there are 2 or 3 gathered, God is there with them.”  Even though there are only a few of us we were invited to eat fish at a friend’s house.  It was really good and our friends really were thankful that we came.  Every day I’m beginning to learn new things about God from reading the Bible and I ask that you would continue to pray for us and especially pray for me.  Thank you and God bless!

Juanita

Ok, this past week we did many things.  Tuesday we went to Chicayán and Wednesday we went to la Palma.  The service in La Palma was really great as it was a praise and worship service.  Carol shared about what worship is.  Thursday we went to a family’s house who had invited us to eat and the food was reeeaaaallllyyyy good…mmm!  Afterwards Joel gave the teaching in the church service and Friday we went to Loida’s house to have service there.  Saturday we went to San Andres and we had service there in the evening, which was a lot of fun, and we also ate Posole with sister Laura and brother Chelo.

I have been learning lots and this has been good for me; everyday I’m learning new things and the Lord has been speaking to my life and I’m very happy for that.  God bless you all!

Viky

Wow, it’s crazy to think that it’s really, truly almost been a month since I’ve put anything up on the BLOG, for everyone who always looked forward to reading the BLOG once a week, I’m really sorry.  Obviously there has been a lot going on down here so bear with me a bit to fill you in with what in sam’s hill has been going on with all of us….

About half way through our time spent on the island (you can see more island outreach pictures at http://www.dayspring.tv/island) I hopped a bus north (the 20^th of May) for Roger and Carolyn’s son’s wedding (which was May 30^th).  After some 26 hours in a bus, I arrived in La Haciendita to get my passport (and spend a few days with Ruthy!) and catch a ride to Texas with Roger.  We flew up to Joplin and had a great time at Wade and Jessica’s wedding…CONGRATS GUYS!  After almost a week there, I flew back to the border and rode another few buses back to the island, arriving May the 3^rd.  We spent the next day getting ready and the 5^th we got up early, loaded everything up and headed back to El Higo.  From there, Michelle, Chely, Monica, Trailero and I drove to La Haciendita where we dropped off Chely (who was going home for a week) and picked up Ruth, her mom and her sister and drove out to Texas.  While in Texas we had a youth group from Lincoln, Nebraska come to the Guesthouse (June 8^th -15^th) where we visited a few churches, had some children’s VBS programs and tried to stay cool in the heat!  We also took the group to Padre Island for a “Worship on the Beach” event over the weekend where set up a tent and listened to some great worship music from the Valley area.  After the group headed back home, we decided to go to the zoo in Brownsville for the afternoon before heading back to Mexico the next day.  This last Thursday (the 18^th) we arrived back in El Higo and it was great to see everyone again.  Saturday night, we put Chely and Michelle on a bus to head to the island again where they’ll be for another few weeks working with Lalo and Eliud. 

Fewwww!  There has been a lot going on for sure, well at least for me; I had wanted to figure out how many miles I’ve traveled in the last month but I’ve given up trying to figure it out.  Over all, everyone’s been doing really well, staying healthy and doing a great job ministering…wether in Texas, El Higo or on the island.  Please continue to pray for us all as we have right at about 2 months left before everyone heads home.  Pray for continued strength, excitement and blessings.  Read on to hear more about what we’ve been doing! 

Joel

As I type I’m in El Higo under cloudy rainy skies and cooler temperatures. Whooo! We’ve all been waiting for it to cool off for a long time now. It feels great.

            For me, these past few weeks since the island have been pretty exciting. Joel, Michelle, Monica and I went up to Texas to help with a summer group from Lincoln, Nebraska. It was quite an experience going to the states after four months in Mexico. I drank a lot of Dr. Pepper!

The Nebraska group was great to work with. They worked hard and with a lot of enthusiasm for the kid’s services and anything else we asked of them. We had a lot of kids and parents come to our services. The main theme was obedience. We told the stories of Jonah and Joseph through dramas. After the Joseph story we then shared the greatest story of obedience. Jesus’ story. To my surprise, most of the kids had a good idea of who Jesus is and what he’s done for us. It was encouraging. We headed back down to El Higo after the group left us.

Our group is going to be split up a little these last couple months of the school. I’ll be here in El Higo with some others working with the growing church. Some others will be heading off to Dr. Arroyo to get a youth camp ready. Plus we have three on the island right now working with Lalo and Dennis.

Trailero

Hi

Wow the month of June has seemed to go by really quickly. We were still on the island the first week of this month. Our last full day there we held two children´s services and were there for the start of the rainy season! It poured and we watched as people cheered. I imagine now that the lake, which was very low is steadily filling with the daily rains. We returned to El Higo on the 5th of June. Our group split for about a week while some of the American students went to Texas to work with a summer group from Nebraska. While I was not there we heard awesome stories, saw some neat pictures and have been enjoying some of the sweets from care packages that families sent to the students. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers and the cookies! I think Tyler is writing about their time in Texas so I encourage you to check out his blog to learn more. The other half of us students stayed on in El Higo. Daily we went to revisit and encourage the new believers that are here. It was very special to return to the homes we had visited and be welcomed in and feel like we were among friends. With the small group of us I got adventurous and tried my hand at cooking some Mexican food. I think I am learning little by little…I have learned to flip the tortillas without burning my fingers (well at least not too many times), and how many chiles not to put in the salsa (three might have been too many , but I am learning! With the group working hard in Texas we were left with only a translator or two and so many of us got adventurous once again and tried our Spanish skills without the training wheels of a translator. That too has been really fun to see. Carol and I often talk about how neat it feels to actually be able to communicate in Spanish and realize that the friends we are talking too are really understanding. “You mean those Spanish words came out of my mouth and they were understandable”. Awesome, high five, yipppeee! So these months have been good.

One day we were all sitting around the table after lunch and talking, the sky which had been cloudy started to look darker and the wind started to blow (no sun and a stiff breeze here are rare occurences)…Joel and a few others run out on the porch and look up at the sky, at the approaching storm and cheer. We were here for what appears was the official start of rainy season. Yesterday and today have been cooler and breezy with some rain usually in the afternoon or at night. Enough to cool it off and make all the mud in the yard stick to our flip flops! But the rain is here.

The rain has come to the island and now to El Higo and I believe that a spiritual rain has started to fall here as well. The people are thirsty for me. Just this morning Steven and I went to visit a sister and the three of us started to walk in the streets. We were talking about different parts of the town and she looked over at us and said, ” this is a good place, there is a lot of work, the people are hungry for God. It is too much work for only a few, they are hungry.” I didn´t say much but walked along looking too, thinking about what Jesus said when He said the harvest was ready. In the weeks that we have been here I think that is the best way to describe it we are becoming more aware and at the same time there is a growing thirst a growing hunger. The rains will come and water the ground, get the cane ready to be harvested and banish the dust for a few months, but the Living Water is coming too.

This past week while I was reading in Psalms 37 I was struck by a few verses that I read there. With the school coming to an end in 50 days or so many of us have started to think and pray about “what next?” I think if you were to ask any of us we couldn´t deny that over the course of these months God has been working in each of us in some very powerful, unique and transforming ways. Some of us are looking ahead to college and moving to a new town, others are thinking about work and how to share these adventures with their church family, others are wondering if Mexico is the field where God is calling them to serve. It is in this season that I read the words of Psalm 37. The Psalmist writes there, “Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.” (v. 3) There is the all important instruction to Trust in the Lord. To trust in Him and to live unto Him. I think throughout these 6 months we have all needed to and learned to Trust God more in different things. I know that God has been teaching me more of that lesson. But then I read on and read the word “dwell”. Steven and I will be married for 6 months at the end of this month and for over two months we have lived in a tent! We have had to learn how to build a tarp roof over it to keep away the rain… while standing in the pouring rain, what we could do to keep the dogs from marking our room as their territory and other adventures, but that is where we have lived. But I began to think of the important difference between simply living in a place and “dwelling” in a place. John writes of Jesus in the opening chapter that the “Word dwelt among us” (1:14). Jesus himself told a perspective follower that while the birds and foxes had a place to call home, He did not. And yet the Psalmist writes that in trusting in the Lord one must dwell in the land. As a newly married couple Steven and I have had those talks of renting a house or an apartment, yet I don´t think that Jesus purused the classifieids for a loft apartment. Jesus was a man on a mission, a man on the move and yet as I read through the Gospels I see that He dwelled among the people. Jesus did more than live among the people, even though He moved around He dwelled richly and fully among the people. With Trust in the Lord dwelling takes on a new meaning! It is not necessarily a place and roof, but rather a way of life, a way of seeing each day. Christ traveled and even taught His disciples while walking the dusty streets and yet He embraced every opportunity of life among the people He was sent to save. As I read the words of the Psalm the questions in my own head about “what next?” seemed to fade away and I began to sense that what God really wanted me to see was this way of life that is one of richly dwelling. I began to ask a different question, not about where or when, but how…God how do you want me to live today, how can I dwell in You and where you have me today! And with came the reassurance that God knows all the details, He knows the where and the when, but He is more concerned that I comprehend the How. How will I chose to live no matter where I am? The verse continues along with dwelling comes the importance of cultivating. Here in El Higo we are surrounded by cane fields. It is a place that cultivates and plants the land often. So immediately I began to think of the workers I had seen amid the rows of cane with a hoe or shovel in the heat of the day and I got this picture of hard tiring work. Yet, the verse says to cultivate faithfulness, so I began to think, well I better get to work. Then I noticed a little footnote in my Bible for that verse. And that word cultivate can be translated as “to feed securely, or to feed on His faithfulness”. I need to Trust and to Dwell and the rest is like a precious gift. I am welcomed to come a feed sercurely on the Faithfulness of God. The Shepherd that in Psalm 23 pastures His flock in “green pastures, beside quiet waters”. I looked up from reading and I just said “Thank You!” Thank you God for your faithfulness, for the invitation to Trust and to Dwell.

I believe that in our weeks here in El Higo we are dwelling. Many of us have accepted the invitation to dwell among the people here, to see familar faces in town and at the stores and talk to new friends. While our group will be splitting again for a few weeks while some of us go on to Dr Arroyo and others stay here, it is my prayer for all of us that we will dwell wherever He leads us.

Emily Herron

Wednesday the 13th we left El Higo, saying goodbye to many friends but excited to head off to the Island to start working there.  We left understanding that we would probably have to return to El Higo for a few more weeks later on to continue to grow the church and it’s members.  We were surprised to see that AFTER the swine flu pandemic hit the news that we saw MORE AND MORE opporunities to minister in the people’s homes; in fact they invited us in all the more!  So right before we were packing to leave for the Island, we were seeing many new believers, many healings and the church attendance doubling!  The last service that we had there we had many new faces and we all barely fit in the church, wow, God IS good! 

We arrived on the Island Wednesday night fairly late in the evening, with the last of 3 boat trips bringing the last few staff and students around 10:30 pm.  There Dennis, Elda and their new daughter, Katia, Lalo, Andrew and Honoria were waiting for us to arrive.  We quickly hung up our hammocks and ate supper…and then we all crashed.

Over the next few days we all spent some time adjusting…primarily to the heat, the hike and the…heat.  It was, for the first few days, much, much hotter there than it had been in El Higo.  In Veracruz we had fans and some shade, on the Island though, we were very limited on fans, shade and were all living and eating under the revival tent that Roger and Sandy Shaw had brought down a few days before we arrived, and it was HOT under that tent.  But we were happy for what we did have.

And then it rained…and rained again, and again…and the weather completely changed.  The days went from being over 1oo degrees to actually being cool in the morning and having steady cloud-cover all day, making the temps run closer to high 80’s. 

By the begining of the next week,  we were ready to head out and work door-to-door as our long weekend was just what we needed to get some rest, get used to bathing down at the lake, get used to the hike up the hill and the new living situaiton.  Lalo and Andrew took the students and staff out to minister while a couple of the guys and I stayed back to put up the fence on the front-side of the property, do some terracing to prevent wash-out, and many other little jobs that we found needing to be done there. 

Well, I could talk about much, much more but this BLOG intry would be really long, so I’ll leave it at that.  I’m sorry, but I forgot to get some of the students to write something for the BLOG, but next week we’ll get more…you could re-read the last entry as each one of them wrote about our time in El Higo…there’s some great stuff there!  I do ask that you continue to pray for the work on the Island; for the new believers, for the ministry, the teachings, and for movement of the Holy Spirit there.  Until next time!

Joel

Alright, well this week was a longer one for us simply because we are in the middle of moving from El Higo to the Island.  This past Saturday Roger, Pastor Sandy Shaw and I drove the tent down to the island so that we could set it up Sunday afternoon.  We set it up over the structure that we built our first outreach to the island here almost 2 months ago and that’s where us staff and students will be staying.  While we were gone the staff and students held the fort down and had more services and visitation that they did.

This whole last week has been a really, really busy one with many new people coming to the Lord, many healed and many church services where we saw the brothers and sisters encouraged by the students to continue to follow Christ.  We have been excited to see the growth in the mission in El Higo as last Thursday’s service was pretty full!  Continue to pray for the church’s spiritual growth.

So, we’ve put up the new pictures from this week, but as much as I’ve tried to get them to stay in order, they keep jumping around, so excuse that.  Also, I encourage you to read the BLOG as we’ve had each of the students write something short about their most memorable moments here in El Higo…so read on!  Until next time!  And also pray for us as we’re traveling south to the Island tomorrow!

Joel

Well, being here in El Higo has been a very beautiful experience because I was able to see many miracles.  I loved the church services that we had in El Higo and in other parts close by and I’m very happy because I was able to go and visit my parents.  I’m very happy with God for all of the things that He’s shown me since I showed up here.  I really enjoy evangelizing because I could see God’s hand in that but one time we had a conversation with a man who was demon possessed.  But thanks to God, we were able to control him but one of the students was really scared and was crying.  We prayed for them and they were able to regain their composure.  Everything turned out well and I’m very happy because we’re going to be spending some more time here in El Higo in June.  Some groups from the States might be coming here too.  Everything has been well and I hope that it stays that way…so that’s what I wanted to share.

Gaby #1

Well, we have been in El Higo and the area around it for about a month.   Through out this time here we have seen people healed and more important saved.  For the first two weeks we did not have anyone accept Christ as their Savior and in the last 2 weeks multiple people have come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior.  If I was to be asked what was my most fond memory of El Higo, I hope I would say: it is the way the people showed God’s Word reverence.  Time and time again when we gave people a New Testament Bible, they would cherish it and show their love for the Word of God.  I think that many times that God’s Word needs to be cherished.

Steven

We all have been asked to reflect on our time here in El Higo.  The month here has seemed to go by so quickly.  Yet every week has been full of ways to see God at work.  Thinking back over the time here various stories come to mind…standing in a living room with a sister as she prayed and accepted Christ…walking the streets and being offered cold water…playing games and sharing stories with the kids…seeing a 92 year old woman take a few steps after her illness, determined to tell other about Christ.  There have been challenges too, like really hot days and ravenous mosquitoes, but even the challenges have helped us grow.  Cool water after time in the sun puts a new appreciation for when Jesus says that He gives streams of living water.  Some times the language barrier has been barely noticeable, but other times when my Spanish lacks and I long to share I simply pray.  What strikes me most about our time in El Higo is the list of names written in my journal of new friends, new brothers and sisters to pray for.  As I look at their names I see faces, hear stories and marvel at how God works, before this month we didn’t know them and now their stories shared will stay with us.  May God who longs for a relationship with each person be given the glory as we courageously share our stories too.  God bless.

Em

Wow!  So God has been doing some amazing things during this past month.  My evangelism group has seen many healings.  But the highlight of this past month happened this past week.  We had a pickup soccer game with some of the neighbors and two guys we met the weekend before.  After about 3 hours of playing we sat around talking about life.  I went in to eat and when I came back out I heard Laurita talking about what Christ had done for us, and why He came down to earth.  During this time one of the guys, Carlos, was taking in everything Laurita and Chely were saying.  Chely then asked him if he wanted to have Christ change his life, and he said yes.  Then we proceeded to pray with and for him, it was an amazing moment.  This is just one of the amazing things that God has done and is continuing to do.

Monica

When Joel said to me that I had to sing and play tomorrow in the church services, I got really nervous because I am a very shy person when it comes to singing but in my weakest points God worked in great ways and little by little that weakness is leaving me.  There was a point in my life when people would tell me that I was not good at soccer, I was not intelligent, I wasn’t good at skateboarding or that I couldn’t do things because I wasn’t capable and that it would be better if I let someone else do it for me.  And so I thought that was the way that it was going to be always but I’ve shown that God has other ways of thinking than everyone else.  He says, “You can do it.”  Every day my God shows new things in my life so that some day I will do what God’s heart dreams of, even though many people don’t believe in me, I know that God has put His confidence in my life and that’s what has impacted me the most….

Eluid

Well this month has been going really well for us.  We have been evangelizing and it’s very beautiful to see how the people are hungry for God.  My evangelism group has been talking to a lady named, Celia and she has come to church.  She said that she could feel the Holy Spirit working in her life and that’s a good thing.  We also have been talking with a man named, Victor.  He goes to AA meetings and he’s opened up his home to us and likes to share what he’s learned about God in his meetings.  We’ve been enjoying the services…I preached in Chicayán, Gaby preached in 3 Palmas, Juanita in La Palma and Eliud in La Palma 2.  We have held services in different missions with brother Narciso and brother Cirilo.  We also had an event in the plaza and we showed the drama of the demons.  Sunday, we showed the drama, “The sin chair.”  In the devotions I have been feeling that God is working in my life.  This week I liked the devotional because it talked about The Law of Priorities and I liked it a lot when Joel said that we need to put God first, that He would be our priority and that we would let Him break our hearts.  Laurita also said that we need to fully seek God and I think she’s right.  Blessings and God bless!

Vicky

In our fourth week down here in El Higo, Veracruz, we spent a lot of time visiting people for the second or third time.  I was excited to go back and visit with them again because it gave us a chance to build relationships.  It seems like an impromptu sharing of our faith is all it takes to be a good Christian and to win people to Christ.  But I have enjoyed getting to know people by learning their names, hearing their situations and praying for their needs and concerns.  As we go door-to-door, we go with the purpose of sharing the Good News but if we happen to get into a conversation about the weather, bad health, drunks, kids, or anything else, we can always relate it back to the Gospel and build relationships in the process.  I have learned the importance of building relationships.  When you have a good relationship with someone it is much easier to share your faith with sincerity and love.

Trailero (Trucker)

Well this month was a little difficult for me because it’s very hot and there are a lot of mosquitoes.  We’ve gone out to evangelize and we got to know a very special family and we there were 3 from that house who accepted Christ.  They also invited us to eat in their house but we saw that they were more hungry for the Word of God and this encouraged me and the other students with me.  We’ve had difficult times but I know that God is with us.  We’ve had services in many ranchos and they’ve been really good for everyone.  We’ve seen people that have been healed.  We’ve been received well in some homes but other we haven’t because of the swine flu scare.  But that doesn’t mean that we won’t go out and keep evangelizing.  Some of the students have been a little scared but we are here for a reason, and that’s why we are going to keep doing God’s work.  That’s all.  I ask that you would pray for my family and especially my brother that he will know the Word of God some day.

Juanita

This past month in El Higo has been one for the books. We all have been stretched in our faith with the Swine Virus—taking necessary precautions but still reaching out and visiting with the people in town. For me, when I think about my most memorable moment from the past month, it’s hard to pick one. (I’m pretty sure that’s how it is with everyone.) I really enjoyed the time we took to revisit the families down town. We started in this area and the families there showed a hunger to know more, or to just talk a little bit. We were able to pray with a family and pray with them and witness healings. We were served and ministered to at an old lady’s house—who was so excited that God gave her strength to walk two feet across her porch. We ate at a couple houses that were so welcoming and inviting. We gave a bible study to a man that showed such a desire to know more about God—he smiled and smiled when he received it. But I think for me, that same guy took us to his cousin’s (I think it was his cousin) house to listen to his testimony. This guy was a drunk and drug addict. God drastically touched his life and changed him, and when we visited him, he was so excited to see us. He told us that the previous night he had a dream that an American friend of his came to his house to visit…it was really cool that happened the night before. His life is totally changed and it was a great visit.

Taylor

This past month in El Higo has been fantastic.  I have been learning so much about God and growing so much closer with the other students.  I have been learning how to play soccer, I preached my first sermon, and almost every day we went evangelizing and I was able to share the amazing truth about Jesus Christ my Savior.  While evangelizing, we saw many healing miracles and had people accept Christ.  But the most powerful experience that I have had happened Sunday at a church service at Laurita’s house.  I gave a testimony in Spanish.  I first wrote out what I wanted to say in English, and then with the help of Chely and Laurita, I translated it into Spanish.  After practicing many times throughout the day, I felt more or less ready when it came.  Up in front of the church full of people, I started to read my testimony off of the wrinkled paper on the pulpit.  Every word that came out of my mouth was like a mini-victory.  I could not pronounce some of the words like el evangelio (the Gospel), but Chely sat up front and helped me every time I struggled.  When I finished, I was congratulated with a huge applause and I felt so good about what I had just shared.  My testimony was about how I had been healed of a respiratory problem that started while I was here in El Higo.  After struggling with my breathing for a few weeks, I finally asked the students to pray for me.  After they prayed, I was able to take deep breaths and I didn’t feel any pain any longer.  At the end of my testimony, I said that we needed to sometimes take extra steps in our faith to serve God; that sometimes we needed to do things that were difficult or that we didn’t want to do to glorify Him.  Sometimes, we like to stay in a comfortable place in our faith and do the things we are good at.  By making myself vulnerable, and sharing my testimony in Spanish, I hope to be able to continue growing in my faith and walking with God.

Tricia

Hello.  I am Chely, and I am very happy for what God has been doing en El Higo, Veracruz.  We have been working here three weeks and we have seen the hand of God moving in a huge way.  It is difficult for me to write about this time of ministry, but I am going to try.  The time of evangelism has been a great time for our group of Emily, Steven, Tyler, Viki and me.  We have been going house to house.  Some houses have received us very well and other houses have not, but we know that God is with us.  It is encouraging for me to remember that God is with us.  In this last week in El Higo, we visited some specific people.  One of the people we visited was Gloria, and she received Jesus into her heart.  Our group helped her to say a prayer of faith and we gave her a Bible.  It was a great joy for our group, the first person to accept Christ this Outreach!  Wohoo!  She felt very good and she told us that the pain she had pain in her back before we prayed for her, but after we prayed she felt no pain.  It was a great joy for everyone.  The second person that we visited was Celia, a woman that opened the door to her house.  We were praying for her and one day we asked her if she would like to go to service.  She said yes, but that day the government suspended all public gatherings and church services because of the flu.  We returned to her house to tell her that we could not have service, and she began to cry.  I could see how the people really have a need for God, and have a hunger for him.  This touched my heart in a powerful way, and I can understand that we need to share more about God with the people.  Another person is Victor.  He is a man that also opened his door of his home to talk about God and what He has done.  It was a good time and we gave him a Bible.  What a blessing it is to see the people receiving the Bible with such a big smile =)  Humberto is another person.  He came to service with us and he is very interested and happy.  He also gave him a New Testament, and now we have a great friendship with him.  And to end, Carlos was a youth that prayed to receive Jesus.  It’s strange, but he received Jesus after a soccer game.  But, we came see that God has his time for every person.  Well, there is much more, but this is what has impacted my life.  I have had a good experience ministering with Dayspring.  Please continue to pray for us and for every student, for the grace of God to fall on us every single day.  God Bless You.

Chely =)

Hello.  Well, I’m very happy with what the Lord is doing here in El Higo.  We have seen many different thing and it’s surprising to see how God’s moving in big ways.  For me one of the most exciting  moments was when we went to visit one of the sisters from the church and another woman that many of us had known from before, who we had prayed with, visited and she had attended services, and that day she shared with us what she was feeling in her heart.  She said that she was ready to receive Christ in her heart!  It was a joy for me because I had seen the seed been planted in her and then I was able to see the fruit later.  I couldn’t stop crying tears of joy and gratitude because I knew that it was God who did the work and He deserves all of the glory.  Afterwards my group and I were praying for her and God showed up and we could feel His presence with us.  That day was a very special day for me and my group, I believe that God’s going to keep moving in incredible ways because He is BIG.  God bless you all!

Laurita

My favorite moment in El Higo was the day when my group had the honor of joining a woman in prayer as she accepted Christ!  It was May 4^th, and my evangelism group journeyed into town.  We needed to deliver a message to Domingo, who owns the building we use for church services here in El Higo.  We found Domingo’s wife as we walked, and she invited us over to her beauty shop.  Her friend Lupe was with her too.  Since Laurita knew Domingo’s wife, she did most of the talking.  I sat there listening and praying that the women would seek the Lord and that He would move in their lives.  Laurita shared Romans 10:9 with them which says that if we con confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead, we will be saved.  Both of the ladies had some questions, and after talking for a while we moved to the back area of the salon to pray for them.   After we prayed over both ladies, Lupe asked Laurita how to accept Christ.  She said she would have to accept him the next time she could get to church.  Laurita explained that she could do it anytime and anywhere.  Lorena said she was ready right then!  Laurita led her in prayer, and had Lupe repeat after her.  We all continued praying, and as she prayed more Lupe stood up and began coughing as if something needed to come out of her.  I just kept praying that the old would be completely removed, and that she would be a new creation in Christ.  She sat back down and laid back in the salon chair as we prayed over her.  We began to sing together and we celebrated with the angels of heaven as one of God’s children joined the family.  What an exciting and rewarding day!  It was a joy to return to the rest of our team and get to share that a woman had accepted Christ!  The group rejoiced with us, and we all joined in prayer for Lupe that her salvation would be secured and that nothing would pull her away from her decision.  Just that morning Joel had talked with us about how everything would be worth it here if we could even see one person accept Christ.  Since then, each of our 3 groups has seen at least one person come to Christ.  What a rewarding time we have had ministering here in El Higo!

Carol

The way Sunday morning started off, we should’ve known that this week was going to be a crazy one; I found out that my laptop had been infested with ants, AGAIN…lots of ants, so I spent Sunday morning tearing it apart and banging on it to get all of the ants (dead or alive) out.  It was quite an ordeal.  Come Monday though, everything had changed; through the news, the internet and phone calls, we found out about the swine flu epidemic.  To be honest, there were some moments where we all were really worried about what we should do next: leave or stay?  But after some time in prayer and worship, we all felt that if God had brought us down here, knowing forehand about the influenza, then we should trust the He knows what He’s doing.

So, even though regular church services, school classes and even catholic mass had all been canceled until further notice (some say the 6^th, others say the 11^th), we decided that we would trust God and spend more time door-to-door.  And wow, it’s been amazing to see the how we’ve been received!  We had been visiting homes behind the sugar plant the week before so we decided that we should go back to the area around the church to re-visit those homes.  God is faithful and many of the seeds that we had planted before are already showing fruit; we’ve spent long hours in so many homes ministering to open and hungry friends it was surprising even to us, praise the Lord!

So at the end of this week we can say that it’s been good…and crazy all at the same time.  We thank you for your fervent prayers and we ask that you would continue to pray for us.  This is our last week here in El Higo and we ask that you would really pray that God would open the flow gates of His power here!  God bless!  Until next time.

Joel

Hey!  Gaby here and I’m very happy with what God has done in my life because He has given me the opportunity to see my family again, and I’m happy that I’m close to them.  I’m also excited because we are evangelizing and we can see the Lord’s hand when we go door-to-door.  This week we met a few guys who want us to go visit them.  They are AA members and they want us to go and share the with them what God has done in our lives and I hope that in these next few days we can visit them.  I am also happy because God has been using my life and many great ways and I hope that He continues to not only here but also on the island and in Dr. Arroyo.   I’m excited because this Tuesday we are going to visit my family and have service in my house.  I hope that the people who live close by come to service too!

Ok, that’s what I wanted to share; it’s not everything but just a little of what I wanted to say.  See you!

Gaby

Well, this week has been an interesting one!  Because of the swine flu, our schedule has not exactly gone according to plan. On Wednesday, we did have an amazing service outside at Chicayan.  Even with the flu being on everyone’s minds, we had an amazing time of worship before and after the message, praising God for the blessings in our lives, praying that He be glorified through all of this and that He use this time, use us, to move hearts in this time of uncertainty.  I think we all left with our spirits lifted, knowing God is in control and has a purpose for us being here in this time.  All services have now been canceled until further notice, but it has been a bit of blessing because we have been able to go back and spend extra time with some of the families who have been open and receptive to the message of God’s love that we are bringing.  On our free day, Carol, Eliud and I spent most of the day with Fabi, a girl we met evangelizing, and her family.  They were so friendly and hospitable, opening up their home to us.  We spent the morning downtown, buying chicken and fruit in the market, and then we headed back to Fabi’s house to eat.  They served us fried fish, green salsa, tostadas and raspas(which are kinda like snow cones with sweet milk drizzled on top-delicious!) and more.  I felt like they kept feeding us until we were stuffed and couldn’t eat another bite!  We spent the afternoon talking a little about the flu, God, our families and looking at some family pictures.  Overall, it has been a great week of prayer, praising God for His faithfulness and spending time getting to know some of the people of El Higo.  It’s been so great to see how God uses all different types of situations to draw people closer together and closer to Him!

God bless,

Michelle

Monday April 27, 2009

It is Monday night and it has been a pretty hot and emotional day for us.  We have been made more aware of the news of the swine flu epidemic that has began to rush through, what’s looking like, many parts of Mexico.  I want to first let all of you concerned parents and friends know that we are all doing well; we all feel healthy but we are all very aware of the symptoms and the serious dangers.  Last week when I had put up the BLOG, I had read a little bit (or at least the little bit that the news knew) about this flu, and as the week progressed we began to see more and more on the news.  We are in contact with Roger and with other State-side brothers and sisters, so that we can, 1: find out more information about this flu, and, 2: to be ready at a moment’s notice to act.  We ask that you would really please pray that God would give us protection, but also wisdom; we know that He is in control but that we must do our part as well.  I have asked each student to make contact with you via email or a phone call, but again, I really ask that you would lift us up in prayer. 

Sunday April 26, 2009

This morning as I remembered that I still had to write my BLOG, get two students to write a BLOG and to name all of the pictures that we’re going to put up online, I was…pleasantly surprised to find out that my laptop had, again, been completely infested with black ants.  So, I began to take the whole thing apart and clean, and was shocked (along with all of the other students) at how many ants were in the darn thing; in the keyboard, the DVD player, in and under every single nook and cranny that it has.  Wow.  In fact, as I’m writing this BLOG entry, I’m STILL KILLING THE LITTLE BUGGERS!  But on the good side, my computer’s the cleanest it’s ever been!  Ha-ha!  I just got another one!

This past week has been a busy, busy one, but we did have some good rest time Wednesday after a in home service was canceled and with our free day on Friday.  Those couple of hours that we had free were spent emailing home or trying to stay cool; this week was really hot.  It’s not necessarily the sun that’s really hot, but the humidity and especially in the morning; the humidity drains your energy.  But thank the Lord, in the late afternoon, the wind begins to blow in from the north and by bedtime, with a fan turned on next to you, you can actually are sleep fairly well.  I just killed another ant.

The evangelism has been going really well, and we have been invited into many homes to pray and minister.  The services also have been good though they are very different compared to the churches up north.  Here the brothers and sisters are very, VERY reserved and it’s funny to watch their reactions as we kick into “Te Doy Gloria” (check out Klaus Khuen’s version in English: “I Give You Glory” from his CD “Glory”).  The students are all jumping and running and the little brothers and sisters, are all wide-eyed wondering what’s up!  But it has been great to see many of them really start to get into the worship too, it’s good times!  I just killed 4 more ants.

Well, we ask that you continue to pray for us as we continue to minister in the streets and services.  Pray for cooler weather.  Also pray for God’s Word that we preach and share to be backed by God’s power!  God bless!  Until next time…oh, I just killed another 3 ants…

 Joel

Week two of evangelization…It’s been a little difficult because of the the temperature here but besides that everything went really well; everyone received us well in their homes with open arms, even giving us water drink.  All of the services have been full of blessings for all of those who’ve come.  I hope that all keeps going well but as far as the weather, I WISH THAT IT WOULD COOL DOWN BECAUSE IT’S REALLY, REALLY HOT!  Ok, we’ll talk later.

Eluid Ramirez

This past week was a busy one for sure!  We spent every morning in devotion, worship and engaging in the wonderful art of eating breakfast together.  And shortly after that, we went out to either evangelize, invite for a service, or have a service.  I also preached, taught a devotion and testified this week.  Phew!  But overall, this week was really, really fun.  Like: killing snakes and rats, getting locked in the bathroom, watching “Mr. Bean’s Holiday”, removing ticks from our bodies, writing a horror movie, not sleeping at night and being eaten by mosquitoes, the girls working out in our room late at night, playing soccer with the neighbors, watching the road being paved, waking up to yelling construction workers, getting lost in El Higo and a few other thingsJ.  We had a lot of real great laughs this week- and our team is really challenging ourselves in our work.  I’m excited for what this week has to offer as wellJ.  God bless!

Taylor Paige Lincoln

I have had a number of questions on how the current swine flu situation in Mexico will affect the summer groups going into Mexico.  The doctors that I have talked to are saying that these things normally have a pretty short cycle and run their course in just a few weeks.  We still have a lot of time before the groups arrive and head into Mexico.  Our best advice is to just wait and see what happens.  In a few weeks it may no longer be a situation in Mexico and everything can proceed as planned.   We will keep you up to date on the situation through this blog.  Please check back.  If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call my cell at 417-629-7070.

Roger  

I wanted to use this to touch base with all the parents and others concerned about the team.  Here is the news as it stands right now.  We are aware of the problem in Mexico and watching it very carefully.  While our missionaries at Dr Arroyo are reporting some cases in the Matahuala area (30 miles from Arroyo), we have not had any reported where the students are right now.  In Dr Arroyo, many people are wearing masks to go down town and the weekly farmer’s market was even canceled.  We are in touch with our missionaries in Dr Arroyo and they are taking all the precautions necessary.  When I talked to Joel today, he had just heard about the problem for the first time today.  We feel at the present time the students are safe since there are not any cases in the El Higo area and there are in Texas along the border.  We will continue there and take all the precautions necessary to stay safe.  All the students are well and feeling good.  I have instructed Joel that if any of them display any symptoms (and he has a list of the symptoms) he will immediately seek medical help.  We are 8-9 hours from the border and US hospitals and would head that direction if it is necessary to receive treatment.  I am currently staying with a doctor and his family who is one of the sentinel providers that tests for influenza in thist area.  He along with two other physicians have been giving me regular updates which I forward to all our missionaries.  We are also monitoring the Center for Disease Control and World Health Organization web sites for updates. The drug Tamiflu is effective against this strain of flu and if necessary I will take enough of the drug down to treat all of the students.  The most important thing we can do right now is continue to hold the team up in prayer.  I gave them the option to head back either to the border or La Haciendita and they insisted that they will stay and continue to reach out to people.  They believe the situation will cause everyone to be thinking about God and eternity.

Right now we are just watching the situation very carefully and will continue to post updates on this blog as we have them.  Please continue to check back here for information.  I can be reached at roger@dayspring.us or by my cell at 417-629-7070.

Ok, even though I feel like we’ve been down here in El Higo for some time, it’s only been one week since the second group and I arrived here.  Tuesday will make it two weeks since Roger brought down the first group to get the house ready to live in.  We are still without running water or electricity but with the generator and water brought to us from a well down the road, we’re doing fine.  This first week here, we have seen lots of hot, hot weather; I don’t know what our average temperature has been but, with the humidity I’m sure we’re running high 90’s and into the hundreds.  But the students have been good and haven’t complained at all about anything.

Sunday we arrived and spent the next few days moving into our house.  We had a little more work to do to get everything ready but the students are always ready to help out.  Since it was hot all last week and we were just moving in, we didn’t go out to evangelize in El Higo until Thursday morning.  The people here do receive us well in their homes and we have spent some good times ministering to many already.  We ask that you’d keep praying for us as we continue to minister in El Higo.

Friday we spent all day going door-to-door and Saturday we held a service in a small village called El Recreo.  Saturday was really, REALLY hot.  All of us were wishing for a cold coke or some ice cream, and we all excited when I hollered, “LET’S GOOO!”, and we climbed into the air conditioned vans and drove the hour or so back to our house.

Over all it’s been really good down here and other than a few conveniences that we’re lacking (and the unfortunate turn of events with my laptop suddenly being found as a nice home for a family of black ants) it has been really good down here.  Until next time!

Joel

Hello, Juanita again!  Well this week was very hot and was full of lots of work because this week we began to do door-to-door ministry in El Higo.  It’s a little difficult for me because it’s my first time doing this but I know that God is with me and I always ask Him to help me out.  Saturday we went to a rancho named, “El Recreo”, with Sister Rosa.  We ate mole at her house and then we went out to invite the neighborhood to the service.  I gave my testimony during service and after returning home, some of us girls went into town with Gaby, Sister Laura’s daughter.  Sunday we had a morning church service in El Higo and then we had service at Laurita’s house and afterwards we ate supper there.

 Hello to all of you who take the time to see what we’re up to!!!  Life here is exciting, and we appreciate your prayers and participation through this blog.

This week has been really amazing.  We’re all settled into our new home at the future orphanage, and our ministry here has already gotten off to a great start.  It’s great to be applying all that we’ve been learning.  We have been ministering in the streets of El Higo, as well as holding services in several towns.  The first day we invited people to come to the evening service we were having as well as passing out tracts, then the next day we spent more time talking with people at their homes as we passed out tracts and told them about Jesus.  Though I was very nervous about this at first, now I’m thinking that when I return home I would like to try to do this there as well because I realize how important it is to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and to welcome people into the Church.

On Sunday evening I got to preach from the book of Nehemiah at the church in La Palma.  I was helping to lead the worship too, and we sang I felt God’s presence and peace in a powerful way. Once it was time for me to preach I wasn’t even nervous because I knew that God was going to speak through me and empower me.  This was such a blessing because I had spent most of the day feeling nervous and just not really my usual self.  I had taken some time to pray because I recognized that what was happening was oppression.  The enemy doesn’t want us to open our mouths to share the Truth, and so I just spent some time with God, and His peace washed over me. What an awesome and powerful God we serve.  He gave me the words and the confidence as I walked in obedience to Him.  I have seen Him do this over and over again in my time here in Mexico.

Please pray that we will have strength day to day as we minister in the streets during the hottest time of day.  We ask the Lord for people to be receptive to the Gospel and to respond.  Pray for doors to be opened not only to us physically, but also that spiritually the doors of their hearts would swing open wide in the time we are here ministering.  Also, pray for the churches here too, that they will be able to continue what we begin.  Thank you!!!   

God bless,

Carol