Sunday, January 28, 2006
Team members gathered in the motel's breakfast room at slightly different times for a cooked or cold breakfast as people preferred. Transferred tubs 3, 5, 8, and 9 from Frank and Joyce's van into the 12 passenger van rented for the week. Also took the cooler with lunches bought at a nearby deli.
Crossed the border with no problem and met and followed Faith Ministry's Elder Izidro to the Reynosa church compound. (FM plans for us to have a refresher guided tour each year for our first trip into the colonia.) As we got into the “depths” of the poor section of Reynosa, the roads became extremely rough and our top speed was 2 or 3 mph. As we went down the first rocky block, first time mission team member and van driver, George, said, “We aren't in Kansas any more!” One passenger, who shall remain nameless said, “I have to go to the bathroom.” Two blocks later, “I don't have to go to the bathroom any morel.”
It was wonderful for those of us who have been here before to get greetings and hugs from those we remember from previous visits. Chairs in the sanctuary were arranged in a circle instead of in rows. The Communion table was in the center. Fifty were in attendance to start with, but before very far into the service, there were 80 including about 15 children who left for a while for what probably compares to Covenant's Second Hour program. George, accompanied by Frank at the piano, sang “We Are One in the Spirit” which was a wonderful gift. No arrangements had been made for Roman (a young bi-lingual worker at Faith Ministry) to translate the service, so we didn't understand anything during the two hour service. (That's right folks—the service lasted a little more than two hours!)
Of course it's not really true that we didn't understand anything. During devotions tonight we talked about how the service contained all the familiar parts of Covenant's services. We felt the devotion of those present as they actively paid attention to, and responded to, the various parts of the service from beginning to end. Hymns were sung enthusiastically. About 10 people spoke about God's work in their life early in the service, and even without understanding the words, one could sense the sincerety of what they said. There was a palpable sense of family, especially where the children were concerned as well as a sense of the church-wide community.
This was Communion Sunday, and the children returned to the sanctuary in time for this part of the service. Everyone walked to the table which was set in the center of the room to take a piece of cubed bread and the juice in small glasses like those at Covenant and returned to their seats. It was fun to watch the young children very carefully carrying their elements back to their seat and holding them until all were invited to partake. Afterward we saw one of the men washing and drying the glasses.
On Communion Sunday, the last Sunday of each month, everyone goes to the all-purpose room for lunch. We ate what we had bought earlier and shared in their tortillas which were 6” x 2” rolls of slightly thickened cornmeal with a slightly spicey filling. They had been wrapped in corn husks and boiled. Just peel away the husk and eat with a fork. Rather tasty, we decided!
We then showed the women who were present some of the things we planned for them to make. Their eyes danced with delight which pleased us immensely—and which should please all those at Covenant who donated many of the resources for the crafts. They were also delighted to see the sewing kits we had assembled for each woman: thread, needles, small scissors, measuring tapes, etc. Again, Covenant's generosity made it possible for us to buy these things for them. We had the impression they couldn't wait to come tomorrow, and we feel the same way!
The men met with Izidro who showed them where they would be painting this week: dormatories in the compound for mission teams who come in the summer to build houses. About six or seven men will work with them, so on the way home, we stopped at Home Depot to buy painting supplies (brushes, rollers, etc.) The Home Depot gift certificates Dick and Ginny's son-in-law, John, had arranged for, covered the cost of supplies with some left over. While the men (and Barbara) were at Home Depot, the rest of the women went to the Dollar Store next door and bought various items for the craft work.
We ate at Luby's restaurant before returning to the motel at 7:00. At 7:30 we met for a review of the day, planning for tomorrow, and devotions. At 8:30 we dispersed to our rooms tired, but happy with the events of the day.
Monday, January 30, 2006
Sunday, January 29, 2006
CAMT Has Landed
The Drivers
Pat, Frank and Joyce arrived at the Days Inn in McAllen (actually San Juan), Texas at 3:45 pm. Temperature was 80 degrees. They've driven 2109 miles in 39 hours (driving time over 5 days) and averaged 25.2 mpg in spite of sitting in traffic for an hour on two consecutive days (yesterday and, believe it or not, again today.) Note of interest: gas is $2.13 in this area!
The motel is just as we remembered it: attractive, conveniently located, very nicely appointed rooms, clean, full breakfast, great rates—and absolutely abominable handling of our reservations. MUCH time was spent getting four rooms which Mary D, our intrepid travel agent, reserved before the Christmas holidays and had double-checked several times since.
The Flyers
Dick, Ginny, Barbara, George and Millie arrived about 9:30 which was later than planned due to having sat on the runway in Houston 45 minutes before taking off for McAllen. They arrived in high spirits either because of the thin air of high altitudes or in anticipation of the week ahead. Unfortunately, it took more than a half hour to get their room assignments finally arranged, but eventually everyone was able to gather in Frank's and Joyce's room to discuss plans for tomorrow (Sunday) and to have a brief time of prayer together.
Update: medical/breakage/threats
1.Joyce lost a cap while chewing a gummy sour baby snack, but it doesn't seem to both her, and the cap is safely tucked in her purse. (We hear Mexican dentists are really inexpensive.)
2.Frank's Nikon camera fell out of the van while unpacking tonight and did what appears to be major damage to the camera and lens.
3.The warning light came on in the van this morning, but a check of the manual says that unless it blinks it's not dangerous to drive. So far, it's not blinking, so we're driving.
Prayer requests:
1.For the team as they begin their work with Mexican sisters and brothers.
2.For Frank who for several weeks has had unusually severe pain due to his arthritis.
Thanks: To Ed E. for his help with the laptop at all hours of the day and night—Joyce woke him up one night when she “lost” the cursor while typing the blog and couldn't shut off the laptop. (Unplugging it would have left it running on battery power until the batteries ran down.)
Pat, Frank and Joyce arrived at the Days Inn in McAllen (actually San Juan), Texas at 3:45 pm. Temperature was 80 degrees. They've driven 2109 miles in 39 hours (driving time over 5 days) and averaged 25.2 mpg in spite of sitting in traffic for an hour on two consecutive days (yesterday and, believe it or not, again today.) Note of interest: gas is $2.13 in this area!
The motel is just as we remembered it: attractive, conveniently located, very nicely appointed rooms, clean, full breakfast, great rates—and absolutely abominable handling of our reservations. MUCH time was spent getting four rooms which Mary D, our intrepid travel agent, reserved before the Christmas holidays and had double-checked several times since.
The Flyers
Dick, Ginny, Barbara, George and Millie arrived about 9:30 which was later than planned due to having sat on the runway in Houston 45 minutes before taking off for McAllen. They arrived in high spirits either because of the thin air of high altitudes or in anticipation of the week ahead. Unfortunately, it took more than a half hour to get their room assignments finally arranged, but eventually everyone was able to gather in Frank's and Joyce's room to discuss plans for tomorrow (Sunday) and to have a brief time of prayer together.
Update: medical/breakage/threats
1.Joyce lost a cap while chewing a gummy sour baby snack, but it doesn't seem to both her, and the cap is safely tucked in her purse. (We hear Mexican dentists are really inexpensive.)
2.Frank's Nikon camera fell out of the van while unpacking tonight and did what appears to be major damage to the camera and lens.
3.The warning light came on in the van this morning, but a check of the manual says that unless it blinks it's not dangerous to drive. So far, it's not blinking, so we're driving.
Prayer requests:
1.For the team as they begin their work with Mexican sisters and brothers.
2.For Frank who for several weeks has had unusually severe pain due to his arthritis.
Thanks: To Ed E. for his help with the laptop at all hours of the day and night—Joyce woke him up one night when she “lost” the cursor while typing the blog and couldn't shut off the laptop. (Unplugging it would have left it running on battery power until the batteries ran down.)
Friday, January 27, 2006
Two-Day Update
Computer complications prevented posting news yesterday, so here's what's been happenin'.
Wednesday, January 26:
We spent the night in Bill Clinton's home town of Hope, Arkansas, but there was no sign of Bill. It was dark when we arrived, so we can't comment on what the town looks like and we won't have time to explore before take-off in the morning.
Not a whole lot to report for the day except that we crossed the half way point in our approximately 2000 mile trip. Hit the 1000 mile marker at 11:00 am after a total of 19+ hours of driving time since leaving Tuesday morning. For those interested in statistics, we're back up to averaging 25 mpg now that we're past the hills of WV. The Fayetteville, WV mission team will appreciate what we're talking about. The last half of today's roads like those we'll travel for the rest of the trip are essentially flat and somewhat barren—not much that's interesting to see, but we thoroughly enjoy each other's company, listen to an occasional CD or radio station and practice our Spanish.
Thursday, January 27
Another relatively uneventful day—which is OK when all you have planned is going from point A to point B. Took a side trip to the small town of Waxahachie, TX to get gas ($2.28 a gallon) and lunch. We wondered why there were so many lawyers' offices until we saw the courthouse which, of course, suggests the town is a county seat. We never did find an explanation for the fact that the town has the biggest funeral home we've ever seen. Anywhere. The little restaurant in which we had lunch had lots of interesting pictures and signs, one of which said, “Speak your mind, but ride a fast horse.”
Austin, TX uses Interstate 35 as a parking lot from 5:00 to 6:00, so we didn't arrive at our motel just north of San Antonio until almost 7:00. However, tomorrow will be a short travel day. We should arrive at our motel by mid-afternoon, but the five flyers won't get there until 8:00 or 8:30. Then we shift into high gear!
We can't take all the crafts across the border at one time because that would arouse the suspicions of the border guards, so we have to decide which boxes we need for our meeting Sunday after church with the two women who will supervise the management of the crafts after we leave, and which we can take Monday morning. The rest will go with us Tuesday. Fortunately, all the tubs and bags are labeled with their contents.
¡Adios!
Wednesday, January 26:
We spent the night in Bill Clinton's home town of Hope, Arkansas, but there was no sign of Bill. It was dark when we arrived, so we can't comment on what the town looks like and we won't have time to explore before take-off in the morning.
Not a whole lot to report for the day except that we crossed the half way point in our approximately 2000 mile trip. Hit the 1000 mile marker at 11:00 am after a total of 19+ hours of driving time since leaving Tuesday morning. For those interested in statistics, we're back up to averaging 25 mpg now that we're past the hills of WV. The Fayetteville, WV mission team will appreciate what we're talking about. The last half of today's roads like those we'll travel for the rest of the trip are essentially flat and somewhat barren—not much that's interesting to see, but we thoroughly enjoy each other's company, listen to an occasional CD or radio station and practice our Spanish.
Thursday, January 27
Another relatively uneventful day—which is OK when all you have planned is going from point A to point B. Took a side trip to the small town of Waxahachie, TX to get gas ($2.28 a gallon) and lunch. We wondered why there were so many lawyers' offices until we saw the courthouse which, of course, suggests the town is a county seat. We never did find an explanation for the fact that the town has the biggest funeral home we've ever seen. Anywhere. The little restaurant in which we had lunch had lots of interesting pictures and signs, one of which said, “Speak your mind, but ride a fast horse.”
Austin, TX uses Interstate 35 as a parking lot from 5:00 to 6:00, so we didn't arrive at our motel just north of San Antonio until almost 7:00. However, tomorrow will be a short travel day. We should arrive at our motel by mid-afternoon, but the five flyers won't get there until 8:00 or 8:30. Then we shift into high gear!
We can't take all the crafts across the border at one time because that would arouse the suspicions of the border guards, so we have to decide which boxes we need for our meeting Sunday after church with the two women who will supervise the management of the crafts after we leave, and which we can take Monday morning. The rest will go with us Tuesday. Fortunately, all the tubs and bags are labeled with their contents.
¡Adios!
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Wal*Mart and Banana Papers
We are in Music City, USA—Nashville, Tennessee for our unhip readers. We waved at the Grand Ole Opry as we drove by and remembered spending several hours this morning listening to country music in honor of our impending arrival in this hallowed place.
The day started with snow flurries which continued off and on through early afternoon, but were no problem. We crossed the border into KY and were tooling along just fine until we somehow missed a turn. The next thing we knew we were in a Wal*Mart parking lot. Those who know about our Tex/Mex mission trips know that we usually make multiple trips to the Wal*Mart near our motel to get various and assorted items needed for our work or because someone needed a personal item. We decided today's experience functioned as a practice run for when we're in Texas.
We ate lunch at Long John Silvers and, not being familiar with the various offerings on their menu, asked the cashier what was in the Ultimate Fish Sandwich. “Fish, cheese, lettuce and banana papers,” was her response. Joyce asked her three times to repeat/explain banana papers, and was more than a little embarrassed to hear Frank finally whisper “peppers.” (Who ever heard of banana peppers, anyway?) Southern accents sometimes need translating for Yankee ears.
During the afternoon we listened to tapes Pat brought which are supposed to teach Spanish to its listeners. They really didn't work for us, so we just used the book that came with them to review vocabulary words we might need. Tonight we fished out the pages of English/Spanish helps Michelle assembled for us last year, much of which deals specifically with craft work. With only a few days left before we will be working with the women, it's obvious we will have to count on the courtesy and kindness of the Mexican people to make educated guesses about what we're trying to say.
Tomorrow, we're off to Arkansas!
The day started with snow flurries which continued off and on through early afternoon, but were no problem. We crossed the border into KY and were tooling along just fine until we somehow missed a turn. The next thing we knew we were in a Wal*Mart parking lot. Those who know about our Tex/Mex mission trips know that we usually make multiple trips to the Wal*Mart near our motel to get various and assorted items needed for our work or because someone needed a personal item. We decided today's experience functioned as a practice run for when we're in Texas.
We ate lunch at Long John Silvers and, not being familiar with the various offerings on their menu, asked the cashier what was in the Ultimate Fish Sandwich. “Fish, cheese, lettuce and banana papers,” was her response. Joyce asked her three times to repeat/explain banana papers, and was more than a little embarrassed to hear Frank finally whisper “peppers.” (Who ever heard of banana peppers, anyway?) Southern accents sometimes need translating for Yankee ears.
During the afternoon we listened to tapes Pat brought which are supposed to teach Spanish to its listeners. They really didn't work for us, so we just used the book that came with them to review vocabulary words we might need. Tonight we fished out the pages of English/Spanish helps Michelle assembled for us last year, much of which deals specifically with craft work. With only a few days left before we will be working with the women, it's obvious we will have to count on the courtesy and kindness of the Mexican people to make educated guesses about what we're trying to say.
Tomorrow, we're off to Arkansas!
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Shaky Start--Solid Finish
After four hours of sleep, Frank and Joyce woke up Tuesday morning to 26 degree temperatures and van doors that were frosted shut. Joyce's first thought was to warm up the van so the frost would melt so the doors would open. This is proof that sleep deprivation does weird things to one's ability to think clearly.
Fortunately, within about 15 minutes, they all opened on their own. However, a little while later, when Frank went out to put some last minute things in the van (actually quite a few things—suitcases, snack bag, maps and tour books, things-to-read-in-a-motel-at-night, etc.) the door opening on the side where Pat would sit, wouldn't open.
There's no way she could climb in from the other side since there was only about two feet of clearance between suitcases and the roof. The door had “hesitated” to open several times in the past few months, so Joyce expected the worst. However, it wasn't long before it “miraculously” opened quite freely. The air was so heavy with moisture (hence the heavy frost) that it must have frozen shut again.
By the time Frank and Joyce picked up Pat, filled up on gas and added more air in the tires to compensate for the extra weight (luggage—not Pat), it was 9:15, only about 15 minutes behind schedule.
At the end of the day, just south of Charleston, WV at 6:00 pm the van's information center registered 460 miles, a very satisfactory 23.5 mpg, and a comfortable 54 degrees. If the van had registered laughs, that number would have been high, too. There were alottalaughs during the trip due to great senses of humor. (What is the plural of sense of humor anyway?)
Fortunately, within about 15 minutes, they all opened on their own. However, a little while later, when Frank went out to put some last minute things in the van (actually quite a few things—suitcases, snack bag, maps and tour books, things-to-read-in-a-motel-at-night, etc.) the door opening on the side where Pat would sit, wouldn't open.
There's no way she could climb in from the other side since there was only about two feet of clearance between suitcases and the roof. The door had “hesitated” to open several times in the past few months, so Joyce expected the worst. However, it wasn't long before it “miraculously” opened quite freely. The air was so heavy with moisture (hence the heavy frost) that it must have frozen shut again.
By the time Frank and Joyce picked up Pat, filled up on gas and added more air in the tires to compensate for the extra weight (luggage—not Pat), it was 9:15, only about 15 minutes behind schedule.
At the end of the day, just south of Charleston, WV at 6:00 pm the van's information center registered 460 miles, a very satisfactory 23.5 mpg, and a comfortable 54 degrees. If the van had registered laughs, that number would have been high, too. There were alottalaughs during the trip due to great senses of humor. (What is the plural of sense of humor anyway?)
Monday, January 23, 2006
Loading Time
To make room for everything, three seats were removed from the van and parked in Frank’s and Joyce’s living room. After he cleaned out the van, Frank reloaded the dental supplies (see the most recent post to find out who donated them), and he and Joyce headed for Covenant.
Larry, Covenant’s sexton, had volunteered to pack everything in the van. He had already moved all the tubs and boxes several times in recent months as we sorted, repacked and double-checked everything one last time, but he seemed genuinely interested in helping, so his offer was accepted.
You can see the progress of the loading which was done with near-scientific precision. When all was loaded, the van was packed solid to just above the bottom of the windows. Adding extra air in the tires has made it ride better, although with all the extra weight, they will need to reduce their speed (especially Joyce), and the mpg will definitely be reduced. (Where is cheap gas when you really need it?) Map Quest says the trip is close to 2000 miles, and driving time is estimated at 30 hours and 46 minutes. We’ll see…
The van leaves Tuesday, Jan. 24 and the “flyers” leave Saturday, Jan. 28. We’ll post news from the road as we can, so stay tuned!
Larry, Covenant’s sexton, had volunteered to pack everything in the van. He had already moved all the tubs and boxes several times in recent months as we sorted, repacked and double-checked everything one last time, but he seemed genuinely interested in helping, so his offer was accepted.
You can see the progress of the loading which was done with near-scientific precision. When all was loaded, the van was packed solid to just above the bottom of the windows. Adding extra air in the tires has made it ride better, although with all the extra weight, they will need to reduce their speed (especially Joyce), and the mpg will definitely be reduced. (Where is cheap gas when you really need it?) Map Quest says the trip is close to 2000 miles, and driving time is estimated at 30 hours and 46 minutes. We’ll see…
The van leaves Tuesday, Jan. 24 and the “flyers” leave Saturday, Jan. 28. We’ll post news from the road as we can, so stay tuned!
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Ready! Get Set! Go - to Mexico!
We've been so busy, the blog has taken a back seat. Sorry about that! We had our “Sorting Party” late in October to take a close look at all the crafts that have been donated. Everything looks good except the child's poncho which Joyce knit. Even after ripping out the first one and redoing it, she's decided it wouldn't fit any child of normal proportions and it doesn't even look good stretched out artistically on a table. She's planning to rip one more time and make a scarf....
We sorted things based on which would be easy to teach, which ones we could leave knowing they could figure them out by looking at a sample or by reading brief directions translated by special friends into Spanish. We have arranged to send some of our suggestions to Faith Ministry so they can check with the minister's wife to make sure what we've planned will be appealing to the women there. (OK, I suppose we should have done that first—but in the beginning we didn't know what we were going to do. The whole thing was rather like Topsy, it “just growed.”)
There are quilting projects, stuffed animals, sock dolls, beading, macrame, small vases that can be painted, or bits of tissue paper can be glued on to make beautiful designs. There is a cardboard tic tac toe pattern, God's Eyes (yarn wound around two crossed sticks—Scouts and kid's craft groups often make these), sculpting clay, the Guidepost magazine sweater which is really easy to knit or crochet, and plastic mesh which can be stitched with designs, and the list goes on.
Dick, George and Frank will be painting with two or three Mexican men or women, and Millie, who is a retired nurse, will spend most of her time helping at the medical clinic
One other note of interest, we've asked George to sing a solo during the worship service the Sunday we are there or during one of the praise services they often have after lunch.
Frank, Joyce and Pat will leave Jan. 24 in the van so they can take all the craft projects, 2 small sewing machines donated to Faith Ministry and about a dozen boxes of toothbrushes and toothpaste that Frank's and Joyce's dentist donates each year courtesy of Crest and Colgate.
Another donor is Wal*Mart. They gave us a gift card which paid about half the expenses of the sewing kits we'll give each woman. The kits contain items such as small scissors, needles, an assortment of thread, a measuring tape, straight pins and a thimble.
The five “flyers,” George, Dick, Ginny, Milly and Barbara, will leave Saturday, January 28 and we'll all leave the next Saturday, February 4.
Ed, who set up the blog for us, has loaned us a laptop from which we can post news while we're gone. He says it's much too slow to use to send pictures, so you'll have to wait until we return to get more of them.
We ask for prayers for safe travel and hearts that are open to God's leading while we work with our sisters and brothers in Mexico.
We sorted things based on which would be easy to teach, which ones we could leave knowing they could figure them out by looking at a sample or by reading brief directions translated by special friends into Spanish. We have arranged to send some of our suggestions to Faith Ministry so they can check with the minister's wife to make sure what we've planned will be appealing to the women there. (OK, I suppose we should have done that first—but in the beginning we didn't know what we were going to do. The whole thing was rather like Topsy, it “just growed.”)
There are quilting projects, stuffed animals, sock dolls, beading, macrame, small vases that can be painted, or bits of tissue paper can be glued on to make beautiful designs. There is a cardboard tic tac toe pattern, God's Eyes (yarn wound around two crossed sticks—Scouts and kid's craft groups often make these), sculpting clay, the Guidepost magazine sweater which is really easy to knit or crochet, and plastic mesh which can be stitched with designs, and the list goes on.
Dick, George and Frank will be painting with two or three Mexican men or women, and Millie, who is a retired nurse, will spend most of her time helping at the medical clinic
One other note of interest, we've asked George to sing a solo during the worship service the Sunday we are there or during one of the praise services they often have after lunch.
Frank, Joyce and Pat will leave Jan. 24 in the van so they can take all the craft projects, 2 small sewing machines donated to Faith Ministry and about a dozen boxes of toothbrushes and toothpaste that Frank's and Joyce's dentist donates each year courtesy of Crest and Colgate.
Another donor is Wal*Mart. They gave us a gift card which paid about half the expenses of the sewing kits we'll give each woman. The kits contain items such as small scissors, needles, an assortment of thread, a measuring tape, straight pins and a thimble.
The five “flyers,” George, Dick, Ginny, Milly and Barbara, will leave Saturday, January 28 and we'll all leave the next Saturday, February 4.
Ed, who set up the blog for us, has loaned us a laptop from which we can post news while we're gone. He says it's much too slow to use to send pictures, so you'll have to wait until we return to get more of them.
We ask for prayers for safe travel and hearts that are open to God's leading while we work with our sisters and brothers in Mexico.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Laptop
The CAMT loaner laptop is running (well, limping along slowly in all its dial-up glory) and ready for a trip to Texas and a little bit of blogging from the road.
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