The End?

It's strange to think that the end of the year is fast approaching, and in fact, is really here already. I know it seems that at the end of every year it just feels like everything went by so fast and I tend to say, "I can't believe it's the end of the year already." This time, I feel like a have a whirlwind of feelings and thoughts about this past year.

In January I started to spend time with my team, most of whom I knew very little about. I moved in with Shae and Josie and spent a lot of time getting to know the rest of the guys. We walked in the snow and a river of ice once to get to the bus stop because we weren't allowed to drive (Mission Term rules restricted us from doing a lot of things that made life easy for us). Our whole class traveled to Mexico City and for a week got to spend time with AIMers and missionaries there.

We had Camp Adventure and were in charge of campers. We attended the class of 2007's graduation, a preview of where we'd be in 2 years. Then we hit the road for the Tulsa Workshop and visiting other congregations in Arlington and Oklahoma. Teams then split up and went all across Texas and other states for a week on our own working with a church. Our team went to Montgomery, Alabama.

When we got back to Texas we had to say goodbye to the friends and family we'd come to know better over the 7 months in Lubbock knowing that we probably wouldn't see most or any of them again until our graduation, 2 years later.

I had a short amount of time at home and then the big move came. I came to a different world, living in Europe. In Italy I've encountered a different way of life than the one I was used to. The people, the food, the language, the customs, the dress, so many things are different. I've traveled to major cities like Rome and Florence. I've been on a mountain and walked past vineyards. I've helped organize parties for the church. I've had a bible study with future-Christian young ladies of the church. I've helped format electronic songs for the church. I've attended language classes and learned the basic rules of the language and that learning a language is a continual process for me.

I've met local non-Christians and hung out with them and felt the rush of excitement at the thought of helping them know Christ.

In November I traveled to London. I got to meet a group of Christians there and was reminded how great the family of God is. I went on to Scotland to meet up with other AIMers and relish the few days spent with them touring Glasgow and Edinburgh.

I've spent time with the mentally disabled.

I've fed the poor.

And I've realized that the end of the year is not an end to anything for me. It's like a page is being turned and what is about to be read is only more intriguing. It's like this past year was a step ladder that will help me climb over a wall and I'm able now to get a peek at what's on the other side.

This pas year has been amazing and truly blessed. God's been working me like a piece of clay, cutting off pieces that don't belong and shaping me into what he wants me to be.

It hasn't been easy this whole time that's for sure. I've been frustrated with myself and with others. I've been disappointed, annoyed, angry. But the growing process sometimes hurts. Knowing that God's got it under control has brought me peace and keeps me going.

And for all the temporary difficult times, there have been times when I was filled to the brim and overflowing with the joy that God provides. God is the Great Provider. And yes, God is good all the time.

Happy New Year!

They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love

Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of traveling to the UK with my friend and teammate Shae Baker. We were on our way to the AIM retreat in East Kilbride, Scotland where we would meet up with 14 of our classmates who are serving the Lord in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Zambia (the two from Zambia were a pleasant surprise). Before starting the retreat in Scotland, we decided upon making a stop in London for a day of some sight seeing and a little adventure of our own.

When deciding upon staying London, we knew from the flight details that we'd need a place to sleep for two nights. We were about to look up hotel prices when I remembered that one our classmates had to say in London for a few days before going to her field in Africa. I knew that she met some Christians there and got to hang out with them, so I thought I'd ask her if she could give us a contact so maybe we could meet some of the Christians while we are there, too, and perhaps even stay with them for the two nights. She gladly gave us a name and we went with it.

The name she gave us was one of an ex-AIMer. He was more than happy to help us out with our stay and was so excited to get to meet us. He found us a couple to stay with for the two nights and got off of work so that he could take us around London on the full day that we would be there. At first I was just excited about getting to go to London, but then I started to get really excited about meeting my fellow Christian and the people we'd be staying with. I mean, this is some of my family that I'd never met before! They've lived across an ocean from me all this time and we hadn't known each other before my trip, but they were my family, bonded by the strongest, purest blood of all-the blood of Christ. Hearing that they were excited to meet me, made me very excited to meet them.

We arrived late Tuesday night, but Pete waited for us at the airport (after much delay) and took us to Craig and Crystal's home outside of London. We were much later than anticipated, but Crystal (26) and Craig (25) waited up to meet us. She was so sweet and had saved leftovers for us to eat (which made me very happy because we were very hungry). We talked for a little bit before letting her get to bed and us to our dinner and sleep.

The next day was wonderful because Pete picked us up early and we went around London. And although seeing the sights was definitely fun, it was only half the fun. We didn't stay out all day because we had made plans to get back to the suburb before dinner to eat with Crystal and then head to Wednesday night study. While we were too late to make it to dinner BEFORE study, we made it back to the town in time for Wednesday night study at a Christian's home.

We had been told by Pete that everyone was excited to meet us and when we walked in I felt automatically in place and very welcomed. I greeted the 8 new faces (Pete, Crystal, and Craig made it a 11 person small group), grabbed a spot on the couch, and soaked in the goodness of an open, searching, loving, humble, sincere, group of adults discussing the challenges they face and how Christ would have us face them. The discussion was great, the leader did very well, and it was obvious that when we had already gone past time, they all wanted to keep going talking about scripture and Christ living in us. It was awesome! By the end of the discussion, I was fighting back tears because being in a group of English speaking, hungry for God's word people had been an experience I haven't had in half a year. It felt soooo good.

When we concluded the study, there was no pause between that and just talking about plans for the week, asking questions about us, us asking questions about them, the host offering beverages and bringing out the snacks, and just easy-flowing, laid-back, talk amongst ourselves. We had two other households offer to have us stay with them When we come back again to visit...they kept stressing how they wanted us back and it was a shame we had to leave so soon.

After leaving from the study we headed back to Crystal and Craig's place for dinner. Five of us gathered in their little kitchen and had some more good conversation and fellowship. I just kept feeling so blessed to have that family there who would just open up their home to us, feed us, and have this bond with us. A few hours later we had to call it a night and the next morning Shae and I left for Scotland.

I had told Craig and Crystal that last night that we were really grateful for their hospitality and blessed by the small group. I told them that if it had been a non-Christian in my place, he or she would have been shown a good example of what Christians are because of the love they showed, the unity of the group, and the sincerity of interest in God's word.

I love meeting family across the world! This world is big, but the family stretches far and wide.

Come se dice...?

Tonight me, Shae, Josie, Ryan, and Jackson went to hang out with Carmen and Elena, two of the Hondurans who go to our church sometimes. It took us a little while to find their place, but once we got to talking, the fun began :) Elena has been living in Italy for a longer period of time than Carmen. Elena speaks Italian well, but Carmen is not so confident and less practiced...much like us. We all tried to get out understandable sentences to each other and managed to pull it off. I loved how we were all in the same boat and no one got frustrated or annoyed with anyone else. We were just 6 young adults who speak (or at least partially) 3 different languages. Once, Jackson was trying to ask how to say a certain phrase in Italian, but I could only think of it in Spanish. So he asked me, I asked Elena, and Elena told us what it was.

We ended up walking around and getting gelato at this place around the corner. We talked about games, pets, languages, family, and whatever else we thought up and managed to find words for. Those girls are awesome and I'm glad that we have them to hang out with.

We also managed to schedule in some more hang out dates. I noticed in their apartment a box of dominos, so I asked who liked to play. Elena said she does so we set up a game time with them at the church. We also asked if they wanted to go to Firenze with us.

On Sunday is Maynor's birthday. He is a Honduran boy who goes to the church too. He actually lives right next door to us. He has been hanging out with us a lot lately. He comes over and Josie helps him with his homework and the guys will play video games with him. We also like to play soccer with him and his friends sometimes. We've been invited to his birthday party on Sunday, where we will also see Carmen and Elena along with the rest of his family who attends church.

Of all the Hondurans that attend church (about 10 or so) I believe only 1 is baptized. We are hopeful to have studies with them later as we build relationships and communication becomes easier.

Sunday in August

August is the vacation month. People are out and about traveling and so each Sunday has had different amounts of people. Once it was just us AIMers, our coordinator's family, and two Italians. Other times, the Hondurans would show up which adds a good number to the group. This past Sunday we had a pleasant surprise- a visitor!

We approached the building and saw a man standing outside looking at the door and then at us. He was holding a paper in his hand. No one else had arrived at the building yet so it was locked. We unlocked it, introduced ourselves, and went inside just the 6 of us and him.
He name is Kingsley and he is a Nigerian who moved to Prato to work. He had gotten the address of the church from a friend. He was very friendly and interested in the church here. He spoke English to us and I'm not sure how much Italian he knows. It was nice to see a new face and have someone else worship with us. Since so few people come in August, we don't have bible class. We use that time to just fellowship with whoever is there. We have espresso and talk. So we got to use that time to visit with our visitor.

It appeared to be another empty Sunday with just our visitor and 2 Italians, but shortly after starting, a group of Hondurans showed up. I like getting to talk to them. It's weird because now I'm getting my Spanish and Italian mixed up more and even forgetting the Spanish words for things.

Jackson led the songs in Italian and English and Ryan helped with the Lord's Supper.

After church I got to talk with the Hondurans some and their little kids. They are so cute! I was able to talk to Alessandro who is 6 and Daniela who is 3. The kids can be pretty shy so this was cool. We talked more with Kingsley for a while and then went our separate ways. It was a good Sunday. Very refreshing.

Mensa

On Wednesdays and Saturdays a few of us go into the soup kitchen to volunteer. We cut up fruits or veggies, wash dishes, and serve food, clean up afterward, and whatever else they tell us. I really enjoy when I get to go in because of the interaction I have with the Italians. The good totally outweighs the bad.

When I say bad, I mean the times that I get frustrated with not being able to speak Italian well. Sometimes the main chef will give me an instruction and I understand what he says, but I'm confused about the details...like once he told me to help a lady cut vegetables. I knew what he wanted but I didn't know where the knives were. He looked annoyed that I was confused and said, "Coltello, coltello" [knife, knife]. As I looked around for a knife he goes to them points and says coltello again, then points at the lady who needs help. I knew what a coltello was, and I knew what I was supposed to do with it, I just didn't know where they were. I got a little frustrated because it seemed he thought I was stupid, and he walked away with an annoyed look on his face. Other times he'll tell new volunteers off the bat that I'm American and don't speak Italian, so then they don't even talk to me. They'll just point or grab my arm and move me. It can be frustrating sometimes, but these really aren't big deals.

I've met people at Mensa who are very friendly. There are a few who speak a little English, like Sergio, Ornella, and Ricardo. They try to speak some English to us and we try to answer back in Italian. They are so patient with our broken language and they always make us feel welcome. I love getting to talk to these people. There are some who don't speak English at all and are still friendly. They speak slowly for us and repeat themselves so we can understand. There was an old lady named Anna who helped me serve bread on Saturday. She was so sweet because I didn't know the names to all of the different types of bread, so she would point them out to me and tell me the names. When the people going through the line were impatient with me or I couldn't understand them, she stuck up for me.

Not everyone who comes to get a free lunch at Mensa is so grateful. Some come through the line and are very picky. They want extra servings and specific amounts/types of foods. They don't smile and don't say thank you. They snap and just seem bitter. They are getting a blessing but don't seem to realize it. Other people that come through the line are the opposite. They are patient, they take what they're given, they smile and say buon giorno, they ask instead of demand. These people make me smile. :)

At Mensa, the people are served very well. They get pasta, lots of bread, fruit, yogurt, a dessert, and sometimes salad or another dish. It's very good food. After helping all the volunteers get to serve themselves and eat. Mensa lunches are awesome!





This past Saturday we met some new volunteers. Two young guys joined us and to our surprise, they not only spoke English, one of them was from the States. He was from Missouri and the other was from Ecuador. They are Mormons. It was great getting to talk to them and ask them about what they do. We got to tell them that we are also here to help with a missionary. We got along great with them and hope to see them at Mensa again and maybe even play soccer with them. They could be leaving soon, but the opportunity to talk, get to know them, and discuss spiritual things is so exciting!

Roma

Last weekend I traveled with 4 of my teammates to Rome to meet up with Shae's brother, Lonn Baker, and see the city. We took a train out of Prato and made it to Roma in about 3 hours. I discovered I love riding in trains. I've always wanted to ride in a train because the idea of sitting in a coach and looking out at the land around us is wonderful.

We got to Roma and had to ask how to get to our hostel. It was a few blocks away from the station, thankfully, so we didn't have to walk to far.

Praying for Powerline

Last Monday was a day off for our team. On our days off, we either just chill, take it easy, or go somewhere outside of Prato to do something fun. Last Monday the team decided to go to the beach. We had been doing a lot of traveling on our days off and I felt like this time I really did need to take a personal day. I needed some time to myself and some alone time with God to pray and meditate. I also thought it would be good for me to be in town and soak in Prato-to pay more attention to the little details of the city and to its people.

When the rest of the team was leaving for the beach, I had them drop me off in the centro so I could start my day there. I first went to the church for singing and prayer. It was a place that I could be alone and just sing out. It was a good start to the day. Then I went to one of our little coffee bars for a panino and reading time. I got to read through some psalms and journal. I noticed the barista behind the counter, the other customers at their tables, the business men at the cassa ready to pay for their coffee and pastry. Every one of these persons has a life and a soul. I was glad to be around them and see them for the significance they really have, and not just a body. So many times its easy for me to see past people, instead of seeing them for how the Lord created them, each beautiful and loved greatly.

After my panino and reading time, I did a lot of walking. I walked throughout the streets, past the castle, past the duomo, past a bunch of places that I recognized and some that I didn't. I'm pretty sure I went in circles a couple times. I looked around at the buildings and watched the people that I passed (it was lunch hours so there weren't too many people walking the streets), taking note of individuals so that I could say a prayer for them. They're strangers, but they're important to me. I noticed a lady and her little girl, an old man standing by the river, a group of older men in the park, a man riding his bike, and others. The man riding his bike through the narrow streets, very easily caught my attention though.

He was riding a street/racing bike and dressed in the appropriate bike gear, very bright colors. He had on sporty shades and his hair was slicked back on the sides. He had a smirk on his face that seemed to be there naturally, like it would be there at any point of the day, even if he wasn't thinking of anything that made him happy. His eyebrows looked raised and slightly pointed. He was thin and very tan with black hair. He looked, to me, the human version of Powerline-pop star of A Goofy Movie. One look at him and I laughed to myself and said, "Powerline". So I said my prayer for him

The date is set!

It hasn't been very easy getting to meet and make friends with people over here. The obvious reason: different languages! Learning the language hasn't been so fast of a process and so having conversations with people has been a challenge. However, there are some girls that worship with us who are from Honduras. One has been living here a little over a year and the other for 4 months. They don't speak English, but with the little Italian we know, plus the Spanish that some of us can speak, we are able to talk to them a bit more than others. The girls have decided that it would be good for us to have a girls night with the Honduran twins, to get more familiar with them. So the date has been set and we are excited! We'll have them, Anto, and Beth over to our place for a chill evening with the girls. :)

Jesus Doesn't Make Box Wine: Thoughts on the First Sign of Jesus as Written by John

Chapter two of the book of John starts on the third day after Jesus’ baptism by John the baptist. The Holy Spirit was seen descending and remaining on him (1:32) and he has gathered disciples (1:35-51). Now on the third day after his immersion into water, he revealed his glory to his mother, disciples, and many oblivious guests. Chapter 2 verses 1-11 can be taken as a historical account of the first miraculous sign performed by the man Jesus. However, when reading the scriptures, it is important to remember that Jesus is a man of purpose and plan. In this gospel account, John reveals the history of Jesus as well as allowing readers to see that even small details can have great significance. Jesus’ character and identity is revealed through the obvious miracle, but his purpose and plan are shared through the interactions he has with individuals as well as the detail in setting.

Here is an overview of this first miraculous sign: Jesus, along with his mother and disciples are at a wedding (1). At some point of the celebration they ran out of wine (2). Jesus’ mother wants him to do something about it so she tells the servants to do whatever he says (3). Jesus tells the servants to fill six jars (4) with water. When the servants draw the water out it has turned to wine (5). Then the master of the banquet tells the bridegroom that, unlike most others, he has saved the best until last (6).

(1) The setting of this first miracle may very well be of no true significance. While I may be reading into text too much, I can’t help but think of the connotations of a wedding. This is a celebratory time. Two people have been brought together and united. A man and woman are making vows and a bond to last through time. A man is declaring to love her and provide for and protect his bride, while she is declaring to love him in return and respect and honor him. Many times in scripture, Christ is seen as the bridegroom while the church is his bride. What a great place for the first miracle of Christ- a party celebrating what Christ came to do- unite (himself to his church!)

(2) When Christ and his disciples are having the Last Supper, he tells them to drink the wine, which is his blood. Sure this is a party and there would be wine at such an occasion, but again I think about the symbol of wine. The people were having a good time and kept on drinking this mediocre wine. Then, it runs out. It can’t suffice…much like the animal sacrifices (blood/wine connection) used for centuries. The time came for this kind of wine to run out.

(3) Here is an excellent example of faith in action. She believes that her son can do something about this wine issue. There are so many other options of things she could have done, but she goes to Jesus and tells him about the problem knowing he can take care of it. She then acts upon her belief by telling the servants to do whatever he says. She knows that if they were to just listen, trust, and obey him, he would provide the wine for this celebration.

(4) I’ve found that numbers in the bible are more often than not significant and hold meaning. Here there are 6 jars that are to be filled with water. 6 represents incompletion/imperfection. It makes me think that the imperfection of man is being emphasized here, especially with the type of jars they are. These jars are not just any regular jars. They were some huge jars that were used in ceremonies of purification. What purifies all men? Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and resurrection, only his blood purifies man.

(5) So here it is, the first revelation of Jesus’ power. The servants draw the water out and it is wine! Jesus can do what is impossible for man to do. Jesus is faithful and he provides.

(6) So the man that puts all of this wedding celebration together, the one in charge of all of details, who would know his stuff, confesses that Jesus’ wine is the best. All of this time they’ve been drinking the so-so stuff, what we know as box wine. And perhaps, this wasn’t even so-so to them. Perhaps this is the best wine that people could come up with at that time. But even so, Jesus’ is better. He doesn’t serve box wine.

The other wine ran out and the best, most fulfilling wine is given by Jesus, straight from the purification jars, on the third day after his start of ministry!

The previous text is simply my thoughts from a close reading. I am studying John with my team and coordinator here in Italy and would like to post thoughts on some interesting things that come up. I will most likely not write from a mere historical perspective, but will look into small details to see just how amazing Christ is, with his plan that has been in place since the beginning.

Italy...first thoughts!

I have been in Italy for 3 weeks and it has been one crazy ride! Not knowing the language has to be the biggest barrier and setback of living in Italy. We started Italian lessons and have them twice a week. Anto, our coordinator's wife, is teaching us. We hang out a lot at our coordinator's house and spend time with him and his family. It's nice having them to speak English to and our new teammates, Brandon and Evan. The church family over here does not speak English so we have just been able to use the little bit of Italian we know with them. Some people there even speak Spanish so I use what I do know to try to make conversation, because I'm not so great at Spanish either :/

I'm excited to see what God will bring our way and pull us through. This is just the beginning of a great experience. Being over here, I have to remind myself everyday why it is that I'm here. The thing is, even if I wasn't here, it would be important for my to remind myself of that everyday. There is a sign in the church building that says, 'Every heart without God is a mission field and every heart with God is a missionary.'

I have obstacles here that I wouldn't have in the States. Still, I had my own obstacles there, mainly with myself that I've carried with me. Now, I'm gonna let God lead me to overcome them all. The great thing is...He can!

"Get on outa hea!"- Matt Baggett

My time here at home has come to a close. I've been here for a few weeks and tomorrow I head out to Fort Worth. I'll be there for a few days and then my girl teammates and I will fly out of Dallas toward our new home in Italy! The guys on our team had planned on leaving on the 1st of May, but because of visa problems, have pushed their flight back to the 18th! The same day as ours! Our coordinator, Mike, will pick us all up in Milan on the 19th.

My team plans on sending out newsletters as a team to keep everyone up-to-date. If you would like to receive these through email, let me know.

I'm going out into the unknown. All that I know is who it is that leads me, and that's enough for me to follow. So in the words of Matt Baggett, AIM assistant extraordinaire, it's time for me to "getonoutahea".

March Madness

After Camp Adventure we hit the road for March Madness. We took trips to Arlington, Childress, Tulsa, and other towns in Oklahoma. It was a time of service, fellowship, and letting people know what we're about.

In Arlington we spent time with some of the youth, put door hangers on some of the homes in nearby neighborhoods, spent time with our host families, did different volunteer work, and went to church service on Sunday morning. At the worship, one of our classmates who is from that congregation got to be interviewed and tell the church what he is doing and what AIM has done for him. We also did a flag presentation. Right after lunch we hit the road for Childress, TX.

Childress has sent students to AIM for years and really supports the work that the program does. On Sunday afternoon we did a flag presentation at church. We spent a few days there doing service projects for the church and community. One night a family had us out to their ranch for a cookout. It was so nice getting to be out in the country, eating hot dogs, and talking and singing with friends. From Childress we loaded up and headed toward Tulsa

We went to Tulsa for the Tulsa Workshop. We stayed with families in Jenks, OK and spent the days in Tulsa at the workshop going to classes and talking with people about AIM at our booth in exhibition hall. I got to hear some encouraging lessons from Christians like Trey Morgan, Josh Graves, Jeff Walling, and Chris Johnson. The AIM class also did a flag presentation and passed out prayer lists to lots of people. After the workshop was over we drove to Dewey, OK to meet with the church there and spend time with families. We let them know about all the teams during church service and had class with the youth. Then we drove to Yukon, OK for evening service and do a flag presentation. This is the congregation that Pat Shaeffer, assistant director, is originally from.

From there we split up by teams to go to our Challenge Week destinations...

Camp Adventure

March 12-18th was Camp Adventure: Overflow. During the Camp Adventure weekend my apartment didn't get any campers because there weren't enough for everyone. This time we got three girls ( 2 from Houston area and 1 from Kansas). The three of us were really excited about having campers and getting to hang out with them and hopefully have a good influence.

Friday was registration and the 2007 AIM class graduation. We met our girls, got them moved in, got ready for the banquet/graduation, and headed off to the church for the night. One of our girls had never been to camp before so I was excited for her to experience the graduation and all the week had to offer. It was cool getting to see people that I know graduate. Two of my assistants (Aaron and Jessica) graduated, along with several other assistants that came back from the field and started volunteering with AIM.

After the graduation we gathered together in the high school room for a time of singing.

Throughout the week we did different things like listen to lessons by Geoff Dunn and Eli Hooper, lots of singing, devotionals from the assistants, saw field reports from past AIMers, free time to play games and get to know each other, and community service projects.

One of our service projects was to go to a new Salvation Army thrift store and help set up shelves, move furniture, and get them organized. We took our girl and guy campers and they all did a great job. Another day we took them to the South Plains Food Bank and packed carrots into bags for distribution.

During the week one girl was baptized.

On Wednesday night we had a talent show which included campers, AIMers, and some ex-AIMers. There was definitely a lot of talent that night and the show lasted about 3 hours! My team performed that night, singing two songs. We dedicated the songs to our campers and everyone really enjoyed it because they were interactive and fun.

This camp can be a great experience for anyone who comes to it. Its a great time to get to know other christians, be encouraged and uplifted, help out others, and learn a little more about AIM.

Ladies Chapel

Every Tuesday morning there is split chapel. The ladies of SIBI gather together in song, scripture reading, a lesson, and prayer. We have been hearing lessons on women of the Bible from different speakers throughout the year, mostly guest speakers and a few instructors. Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to speak at the ladies chapel. I took the first half and Ashton took the second half. We both spoke about Hannah and what she teaches us by her example in sacrifice and prayer.

I have to admit, I was a little nervous when the assistants asked me to speak in chapel a few weeks before. I haven't done much reading on the women of the bible and didn't feel confident in this area. Thankfully, Ashton had just read about Hannah and thought it would be cool to talk about her. So I read the 1st and 2nd chapter of 1 Samuel to become better acquainted with it and soon realized how crazy it is what Hannah actually did. She went through so much pain, had so much desire for a child, and once she had her son and watched him grow, she gave him back to God. She completely gave over the desire of her heart...how much more should we do the same! Just hand it over to Him, the great Provider.

The lessons went very well. Ashton and I have different speaking styles and both complimented each other well that morning. It was so encouraging to hear that the message was received with open hearts and minds and made an impact on the ladies.

Speaking in front of crowds might not be the most comfortable thing to do, but when I pray about it, get prepared, and have a good message to share, it's a great experience! Hopefully I can find the audio recording of it to post up later.

Mexico City- Into the Wide Open

My class, AIM staff, and some of the church from Paducah, KY went to Mexico for a week. This trip for me was a mixture of emotions. At times I was overjoyed and uplifted by my class, the teachers, and the AIMers that are in Mexico right now. At time I was angered and saddened by the poverty. I was in awe and frustrated at how askew the beliefs of so many of the people are. I was touched by God's grace when playing with orphans, and made happy to make new friends at a high school. God is definitely good-all the time! Here's a day by day glance at my trip. We left Thursday afternoon and got there Friday night.

Saturday:

We spent the day split into two groups. Half of the class went to Tlapan and the other half went to Apaxco. I went with the group to Apaxco, which is about an hour outside of the city. We spent the day at a preparatory school with the students doing different projects. I got into a small group and first we worked on a craft. Wow, these people know how to do real crafts and they are not easy! We made a bicycle out of folded up paper glued together and then painted with coffee. Each group made a few of these that would be used to hand to children in the community. The bicycles have a basket in which they would put candies.

Then I went with a group into town and we scraped off old paint from the curbs of the street. We swept the curbs and then painted them again with bright yellow paint. We rode to this area in the back of a truck, AIMers and students packed in tight and laughing whenever we went over a bump because we'd sway back and forth and sometimes fall on each other. While we were working on the streets, a little boy came and hung out with us. We all thought he was someone's little brother, but turns out nobody knew him. When we went back for lunch, he snuck into a car and went back with us. The rest of the day he stayed with us and played a lot with my teammate Josie. I could tell he had lots of fun with her and being with all of us. He even asked when we would be back, but sadly that was our only day there.

We listened to some of the students play guitar and one of my classmates, Cody, played guitar for them. Jacob taught them how to sing Amazing Grace and Ryan talked to them about who we are and what we were doing in Mexico and in the future. Then we all did another craft, which was also very difficult for me. We exchanged this craft with each other as a sign of our friendship. Then we painted our hands and put them on posters with our names. They would display these posters to show our friendship with the town.

We had tamales for dinner and I had a sweet tamal for the first time. The tamales in Mexico are very different than the ones in the states. The sweet tamales were very good, especially with a cup of coffee. We hung out with the teens and then had to say goodbye.

I had made friends with a few of them there and there was this kid named Alex who was really cool. I hung out with him a lot. We even went to a snack shop across the street and he showed me his favorite snacks and bought some cookies for me. Josie bought her first torta and enjoyed it.

When we left the teens followed us to our bus and yelled "we love you". It was sad to leave. We all loved our time there.

Sunday:

We split into three groups this day to go to three different churches. I went to the church in Tlapan, a section of the city. This is the area and church that three AIMers work with. They are Bryce Ballard, Austin Odle, and Randall Young. Austin was our guide during the whole trip. The church there is a small size but the people were very nice and good to talk to. I tried to use as much Spanish as I could, but struggled at times. I was able to have some good conversations. I also had to remember to kiss every lady that I met and talked to. Oh! and for the communion, we used tortillas instead of crackers. I thought that was pretty cool.

After church we went to lunch in one of the markets. There are so many small markets and people trying to sell stuff. I had to just keep walking though, even though the fruit smelled so good. After lunch we passed out some flyers and went to an even bigger market. We were there for a while and then had dinner at this very crowded place and ate fried quesadillas. I ate a lot that day, greasy foods, and later regretted it.

Monday:

We spent this day with our guides exploring the city and taking in the lives of all the people. I was sick this day, but I tried to keep up with everyone and focus. We rode a lot of little buses and the metro. It was very crowded but we had to pack in there and the guys looked after us. We passed out fliers for the church by the metro. We went to the basilica first. This was amazing. It is so big and elaborate inside. I saw a lot of things there, some made me respect and have reverence, some made me sad and frustrated. We walked up many step to the top of a hill to a temple that was dedicated to the virgin Guadalupe. People were outside the temple chanting and inside there was a service going on. I heard the story of how all of that came to be and it amazed me. There were many statues everywhere too. We could see the tops of the mountains from there along with most of the city.

We went to the tower of Latin America. This is the tallest building in the city and we went to the very top to look over all of the city. The missionaries said that this was the best day they have seen in a long time for looking over the city. Mexico City has lots of pollution and so usually all people see is some of the city and lots of smog. We were able to see a lot of the city and the beautiful snow capped mountains.

Then we went to a cathedral located by the main circle. It was a beautiful building, and again gave me a mixture of emotions. We saw some of the ancient ruins that were near the cathedral.

Tuesday:

This day we traveled to Cuernavaca. This city is beautiful! It has so many trees and flowers. Once we were there, we split into two groups. One group went to the city square and the other group went to an orphanage. I went to the orphanage and had an amazing time. From the moment we got there, the kids just wanted to play with us. They didn't care that most of us couldn't speak fluently in Spanish. They wanted to picked up and carried around. I talked with some of the little girls and helped others understand what they were saying. I played kickball with one of the little boys and sang songs with one of the little girls. Another girl, Olivia, wanted to look through my camera and take pictures. There was a boy who was didn't really talk, but we had such fun playing with him. These kids showed me how amazing the Lord is, how innocent he makes children and full of love. It was emotional for me to leave the orphanage.

We met up with the rest of the class at the square and sang songs in front of everyone. We sang songs in English and in Spanish. Some people just walked by and others stopped to listen and watch us. Then we passed out fliers here all along the square. After that we went to a taco place, which was very yummy but I didn't eat too many tacos. Everyone's favorite was tacos pastor (pork).

Wednesday:

This was our last day in Mexico City. We had to say goodbye to the AIMers from Guadalajara Leon, and Tlapan in the morning. It was so great getting to meet them and be encouraged. We drove north to the ancient pyramids. We climbed to the top of the biggest pyramid. It was a little scary because the steps were very steep but once I got to the top, it was just a beautiful and amazing sight. I thought about the people the built them and the civilization that was there thousands of years ago.

Throughout the week we had devos in the morning and at night. We heard some of the AIMers speak to us and some missionaries. We learned songs in Spanish. It was just good for my soul to be there, participating in mutual encouragement and seeing what I will soon go through in Italy. When we said goodbye on Wednesday after lunch, it was difficult and I cried a little bit. I am so proud of all the missionaries in Mexico. I know that it is not always easy for them to be there. Sometimes, I know they do not want to be there and get discouraged. But they have gone on faith and I love them. The people are amazing, the culture is amazing, and the good things that happened made this trip wonderful. I also got to bond more with my team. Overall, blessed trip! God is good.

Glory to our King

For our Spiritual Disciplines class, we took a day away from the classroom to dedicate to prayer and mediation. Our class traveled outside of town to a lake and canyon area to spend some time with the Lord. During one of our segments focused on worship and adoration, I wrote a song. Here it is:
Glory to our King
Beautiful creations, the work of your hands.
You breathed the breath of life, to make man.
So now we stand before you, with breath in our lungs
To shout a song of praise- Glory to our king!

Glory to our king, the Lord of our lives,
The maker of the earth, the lover of my soul.
With a mighty hand you rule, and a gentle heart you love.
Your power is amazing, glory to our king!

I look to a brother, I look to a friend.
It's just what I needed, when I thought it was the end.
A hand to pull me up, and arms to embrace.
Amazing, when I see their love, I can see your face!

Glory to our king, the Lord of our lives,
The maker of the earth, the lover of my soul.
With a mighty hand you rule and a gentle heart you love.
Your power is amazing, glory to our king!

The waves will crash, the lightning flash,
But you're in control.
Through strife and despair, and blessings everywhere,
Praises be to You!

Glory to our king, the Lord of our lives,
The maker of the earth, the lover of my soul.
With a mighty hand you rule, and a gentle heart you love.
Your power is amazing, glory to our King!