Epworth United Methodist Student Ministries

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Ponder this.....                       July 16, 2007 

It was an awesome week in Chihuahua Mexico.

Our Mission Team of 54 arrived without incident in Chihuahua around dinner time on Saturday July 7.  We had an Italian dinner of sphagetti with meat sauce.... not quite what we would expect in the heart of Mexico, but nonetheless it was good and it settled our stomach growls after a day of traveling.   We did in fact travel in an air conditioned motor coach bus which accommodated 50 of us and the balance of our team traveled in a mini-van.  The bus did have a bathroom, but it didn't flush. Hey, it's Mexico!  We finished Saturday with our routine evening devotions as we reflected on the theme of our mission week, the Least, Last and the Lost.

We awakened to a continental breakfast before we departed to attend a near three hour church worship at an Assembly of God church in Chihuahua.  The first hour was awesome music with a 13 member praise band including several brass trombones and trumpets.  The music was powerful.  Announcements and the daily message took up the balance of the worship time. The overall worship message was the question of "who are you listening to?"  The world is constantly telling us how to live our life, basically with an eat, drink and be merry life philosophy.   We are bombarded with this message from television, magazines and movies and it's such a strong message, that we tend to fall into the life philosophy trap.  The other life philosophy is listening to God and having Godly values determine how we live our life, relate to others and basically, placing God first,others second and ourselves last.   The congregation was very friendly and welcoming to our Mission Team and most appreciative of our coming to help their community.

After a lunch break back at the COI base camp, we then went to a local orphanage to meet, play and have a fun afternoon with the 80 kids whose home is the orphanage.  Many of these kids from 2 to 16 have spent all of their lives in orphanage, often being dropped off by a Mom or Dad who could not provide for them.  Often in Mexico, when a baby is born with any physical "defect" even as minor as bow legs or one leg being slightly longer than the other, the baby is often abandoned.  Accordingly there are many orphanages in Mexico.  This is also a significant blessing to those babies and children, for without the orphanages, the plight of these children would be horrid.

Our Sunday evening devotion was in our base camp courtyard, out under the open sky and stars of Chihuahua.  It was awesome weather with great worship music led each night by Beth Figley and numerous youth.  We projected the music words on the building wall to help all of us with the words ---- which worked well with awesome praise music each evening!

Monday was a new day as we traveled by two buses to Aldama Chihuahua.  Let me explain. There are 28 Federated States in the Federated Republic of Mexico. (something like the United States of America)  Chihuahua is one of the 28 states.  In the state of Chihuahua, the capital city is the City of Chihuahua. So it's Chihuahua Chihuahua.    Aldama is a small town or village of approximately 22,000 people which is about a 45 minute bus ride out of the city of Chihuahua.  Aldama is representative of many Mexican cities with the town grid laid out with a Town Square or Plaza in the city of Town.  Many businesses and a Catholic Church are on the 4 streets on each side of the Town Square. There are basically 4 major roads leading out from each of the 4 sides of the Town Square with many interconnecting streets between these four major arteries.  The major industry of Aldama is farming.... specifically pecans, key limes and other fruits along with onions, potatoes, carrots etc. 

About 4 blocks away from the Town Square is an old factory type building of approximately 120 ft x 120 feet with 25-30 foot high interior ceiling.  So here's the project for us on Monday and Tuesday.  The Living Word church in Chihuahua that we attended worship on Sunday has obtained this old building with the intent of making it a new Christiano church in Aldama.  So half of our Mission Team starts painting the outside and inside of this old building to become a church.  There is alot of debris and junk inside the building that gets hauled out by hand and the adjacent yard has to be cleared of its high grass for parking.  As half of our Mission Team is cleaning, painting and changing this old building into a brightly painted yellow church ..... the physical changes are dramatic.  The remaining half of our Mission Team is out in the town of Aldama, going door to door of the homes, giving those residents a flyer about the new church, Living Word, and inviting them to come to the first church worship on Tuesday evening, meeting in the town square at 6:00 pm.  That's right, Tuesday evening --- one day away from the start of our painting renovations of this old building.  In addition to passing out the flyers at the homes, we also talked to them about knowing and having a relationship with God.  To say the least, doing this in a Spanish speaking town by a bunch of Americano's with little to mediocre Spanish fluency........was a challenge.  But to tell you the truth, a warm smile, handshake and saying "Olla" (Spanish for Hello) is always a great beginning.  Often we found many natives who conversed with us in Spanish and as we fumbled and stumbled to communicate with them, they would often say in English something like, "don't worry about your Spanish, I speak English"! 

So here the sweet part of this story.  On Tuesday evening around 5:45 pm, after some cool off time at a local Aldama swimming pool, we walked down to the town plaza and met about 300-400 people who then walked back with us to the new Living Word Church.  You see, everyone in Aldama had heard about the Americano's or the Gringo's and the Yellow Building that was now the Living Word Church.  The sight of this mass of people walking down the street to the new church was fabulous!  After some messages and welcomes by the new pastor and his wife, fantastic worship music was led by the Living Word musicians.  In our honor, one worship song was sang by them in English......... it was a great evening and it was truly a blessing for our Mexico Mission Team to be part of the Living Word new church start in Aldama Chihuahua.  Perhaps this church will become a sister church of ours!

Our Tuesday evening devotions were once again under the Chihuahua stars.  We traveled to Mexico to serve the Least, Last and Lost, but the reality of it all is that we are all just fractions away sometimes from ourselves being the Least, the Last or the Lost.  We shared the time in our life that we felt most least, last or lost.  This was an emotional time sharing holes in our life's.......but a significant first step in healing or patching a hole in our life is in fact the recognition and acknowledgement of the hole or pain that exists in our being.

Wednesday was another great day in Chihuahua. 22 of our Mission Team traveled one final time back to the Living Word Church in Aldama to do the finish touches of painting of the exterior/interior of the building along with the sign on the building's exterior.  The remaining 32 members of our team traveled to an orphanage that we served at when we traveled to Chihuahua in July 2002.  Our soccer group got killed on the soccer field but we all made new friends with these great kids at the orphanage.  Those returning members of our 2002 Mexico Mission Team remembered and renewed acquaintances of some old friends that we made at this orphanage in 2002.   The game of Spoons was taught, balloons, water guns, candy, balls and a variety of items were shared and given to these kids and were joyfully received.  Epworth's Senior Pastor, Bob Thomas showed up in Chihuahua "unexpectedly" and joined us at the orphanage after he shared lunch with our painting crew at Living Word in Aldama.  Pastor Bob spoke little Spanish --- but several young boys spyed Pastor Bob as an easy mark for their water guns just about the same time that Pastor Bob asked who brought these water guns?   We quickly learned that a Spanish tongue was not the only means of communications between individuals from different parts of our planet........

Wednesday's devotions were again under the Chihuahuan stars as we shared our thoughts and experiences of the day and examined the Parable of the Lost Son.  Regardless of where we are in our life and spiritual journey, the Prevenient Grace of God is calling us into relationship with God.  As challenged in the Sunday morning worship, "who's voice are we going to listen to?", the voice of God and His prevenient calling of us into relationship or the eat, drink and be merry values of the world?  It was an awesome Wednesday with a great surprise of Bob Thomas' travels to be with us for several days.

On Thursday we traveled to what is perhaps the "poorest" neighborhood in the city of Chihuahua.  Jose, the resident COI Base Camp Director, in involved in a "soup kitchen" in this neighbor, feeding about 100 young children a daily meal.  Often this daily meal is the only food these neighborhood kids receive.  The plight of the people in this neighborhood is very difficult to describe.  Many of their homes would be considered to be "shacks" in our culture and many of these shelters have walls of cardboard.   As we walked through the neighborhood with the COI staff, several moms knew Jose and we were welcomed guests to view their homes.  As we met and talked with these Moms we ended our time with them in prayer for them and their families.  One teenage girl we met just graduated from high school and hopes to get a scholarship to the local university to study accounting with a hopeful future of working in a bank.  At the age of 16, all of her girlfriends are pregnant.  In the evenings, she never goes further than about 20 feet from her home for fear of robbery or rape by local gangs that rule this turf at night.  All of the neighborhoods Moms and children were appreciative of our visit to see them and pray for them.  None of us will forget this neighborhood tour!

After lunch we traveled to downtown Chihuahua for some free time and "shopping" in various retail stores around the town plaza.   Our last evening devotions in Chihuahua were once again under the Chihuahuan stars.   We need to get up by 4:30 am and load the bus with all of us and all of our gear for a 5:00 am bus departure back to El Paso.  We'll skip breakfast at departure since everyone will slip back into sleepdom on the bus. 

We arrived in El Paso around noon.  Our border crossing back into the United States was incident free and we were back on the bus and heading towards our Friday accomodations within about 30 minutes at the border.  We stayed again at Faith UMC in El Paso with several hours of free time at a local mall for dinner.  Our Friday evening devotions had to get moved out of the courtyard into the very hot family life center due to some stormy, rainy weather.  However after the first part of our final devotions, we took a short break and moved outside to the cooler courtyard to have our traditional prayer circle for our departing seniors as they will start leaving home and off to college.  In addition to our prayer circle for each senior, we also prayed with Emily Gromes since her family is moving to Kansas City due to a job transfer for her Dad.  These prayer circles were emotional and rejuvenating as we send off these eight young adults into the world in the name of Christ.  We look forward to our own beds and baths in Toledo....but Mission Week in Mexico was an experience that calls for our thoughts and actions....

We've asked all members of our Mexico Mission Team to share some thoughts about their Mexico experience.......... so here goes.................

Emily Gromes:The trip to Chihuahua, Mexico was a great experience at many levels.  During the trip I learned so much about a third world country that is so close to home.  I learned about the people, living conditions, government, religion, and culture of the Mexicans.  Though a majority of the people we came in contact were living in conditions to us seem so pathetic and sad I also saw how it could have been worse for the families and children.  Though the people had troubling circumstances their families played a large part in keeping them on their feet and bringing them hope that things will get better.  In Mexico the people are so close to their families because that is how they survive where as in the United States some families maybe e fighting or broken apart due to minor things compared to the Mexicans.  The Mexicans also are so much more grateful for what they have and even if they almost have nothing they are willing to help someone else that is in need the best way they possibly can.  I cried various times throughout the week for various reasons.  I cried the most when everyone felt compelled to sure maybe their most deepest feelings or secrets to everyone in the devotion circle.  We revealed things about our lives that maybe others didn't know and it made me cry to hear all the things people that I know have gone through.  Also I cried during the send-off to the seniors and myself because though I know I will always e welcome at Epworth I won't be as close to my church family when I need them.  During the trip I got mad a few times when I saw things that were being done that were disrespectful to others and were childish actions that should not have been going on.  There is no reason to harass just because how someone thinks or acts.  People should be accepting to all not just some. 

My life is kind of crazy at the moment and I am kind of lost in the hustle and bustle of the moving half way across the country experience.  I want to try now and forever to truly appreciate all of my family and spending time with them is not a burden but a privilege and something I should look forward to every time.  I want others to know that one week in a third world country on an Epworth Mission Trip can change your life forever.  This trip impacted my life in various ways including my faith, openness to others of different cultures and races, and my way of life in general.

Thanks for such an awesome trip that I will never forget and I hope to see at reunion.

Michelle Richards:   The mission trip to Chihuahua was a week filled with memories that I will never forget.  There were zany times playing spoons, crazy dice, hearing the funny stories of the day and laughing until we cried. Many times during the week there were tears for other reasons.  The extreme poverty, young kids working for tips as baggers in stores to help support their family, kids and adults without the means to get the dental and medical help that they needed, kids without shoes playing in the streets that had broken glass and bricks, the stories of abuse, rape and shootings.   Then there were the other times that warmed our hearts:  kids jumping out a curtained window in the poorest area of Chihuahua to get a few pieces of candy from the Americans, the bonding experiences at the orphanage, and of course, watching Mexican 10-12 year olds at the orphanage beat some of our high school varsity athletes in a game of soccer.  Some of the most memorable moments were during devotions when our youth spoke of their blessings and their gratefulness for the concern and love of their parents even if they had previously felt that their parents were “too involved or overprotective”.  Spending time with kids in the orphanage helped to put in perspective how important it is to try to mend or strengthen relationships with our family members.  I was touched by stories of youth team members talking about wanting to start fund raising for the projects in Chihuahua, and possibly changing their vocational goals because of the impact of the trip.  I think that everyone grew in their faith, and felt more grateful about all their blessings. The enthusiasm of the Epworth youth was contagious and kept everyone on the team energized even on when we had limited sleep the night before.  Having Pastor Bob share part of our week was a highlight and will be remembered by everyone on the team.  It was a great week, and I am very glad to have been able to participate, and want to thank the congregation for their support and prayers. 

Katie Koffman:   Going to Chihuahua, my expectations were unknown and I felt like I didn't know many other people. I learned so much this past week and created great friendships with so many people. Most importantly, I feel that I built up my relationship with God. As the week progressed, and the people shared their stories, I saw that these people who had nothing or close to nothing were living proof that God does exist. The week may have been tough physically and emotionally, but I got so much out of the trip.

The orphanages were the toughest places to visit during the week. Many of the children were abandoned, not true orphans. I couldn't understand how parents could even think of giving up their children to someone else because they wanted to or because they couldn't take care of them anymore. Working on the new church Palabra Viva and evangelizing the community of Aldama while speaking Spanish were probably the hardest, but my favorite part because I learned how much I liked to speak Spanish which I have been learning over the past 3 years. What I hope is that people will be inspired by our team to go down to Mexico next time their is a trip down there. It was such an awesome trip, and I think my favorite out of all of the ones I've been on so far.

Alison Judge:  Mexico was an amazing trip and I am so glad I was blessed enough to receive the opportunity to go with the church. While the whole week was moving for me I think the part that hit home the most was Thursday when we went to the poorest part of Chihauhau. Seeing the inside of Betty’s house brought it all into perspective for me. Just looking at how little they had and what conditions they were living in really sunk in and made me appreciate so much more. And the most encouraging thing was that for how little they had, they loved ten times more. She had cardboard as instillation and a bathroom outdoors but she gave all of what she did have—time, love, faith….to the soup kitchen and caring for others. Seeing the faith these people had just amazed me and made me want to share in their excitement for the Lord.

            I really want people to know that having a lot really does not mean a lot. And I want to further my relationship with God and with my family and really grasp the concept of letting Him take full control and drop those barriers between us. Mexico truly was a life changing experience—from playing with the orphans, to evangelizing and working on the church, to witnessing the sea of people coming to the service, and finally getting an inside look at the poorest of poor, Mexico brought it home and made me thankful for all the privilages I am blessed with.

Matt Emch: Last week will have a life long impact on my spiritual journey with God. Stepping off the bus in Chihuahua was as if I had been transported back to the 1600 or 1700s. I could never fathom the poverty that this 2007 world could still harbor. What touched my heart the most, however, was that all of the people, even the least, last, and lost, still had hope. What made me upset about this situation was the fact that as Americans, we can lavish in our materialism, but not think about giving our money, let alone our time to these desperate people. What I would like others to know, is that there is still the need to donate our blessings, money, and time.

Bill Ludwig:  I wrote daily into my journal and on July 10th I wrote --  AWESOME church service tonight, the first night the church was ready to hold services.  Our group walked to the park in the center of town to meet the local townpeople, many who had been visited by our youth , inviting them to come see and attend the new yellow church down the road! after a few minutes, the crowd that gathered was incredible -- and the walk back down the street to the church was very inspiring and a very neat thing to witness. During this first service, the skys opened up, the rain came pouring down and this brought good luck--and Gods blessings to this church. The double rainbow that came brought even more good feelings.  WHAT A START !!

Along with sharing time with the kids at the orphanage, and working to prepare the church,  the evening devotions had a big impact on me. To hear so many moving stories definitely touched my heart. I know sharing a couple of mine turned out to be harder to talk about than I thought they would. All those emotions just come roaring up. There is alot to think about and talk about. This trip was much greater than I imagined it would have been.

Jordan Tomase: Mexico was an amazing trip.  The people we helped  were very grateful that we traveled so far to serve them.  These people thought they were forgotten, but we proved to them that God doesn't forget about anyone.  Our mission team touched many lives. We helped a community  start a new church.  It was so awesome to see the church community come together and unite as a family.  Meeting the orphan children with bright smiles on their faces had a huge and lasting impact on me.  These children had nothing, yet they were happy. The children made me appreciate everything I have.  I am so thankful that I was given the chance to help others in Mexico.  It is even a greater gift knowing that the youth of Epworth helped changed their lives.

Kurt Vetter:   Probably the most impacting reaction that affected me on this Chihuahua mission, comes from the advantage point of being blessed to have been on the initial voyage in 2002. To see the progress that a society as a whole has made, was awe-inspiring. To see a society go from mixing cement in a machine, and to have the whole operation come to a screetching halt, while we searched to find the only spark plug within a 45 mile radius to repair the machine, and carrying bucket after bucket of cement up a make-shift ladder to pour onto the roof of a building that was not much bigger that most of our Master bedrooms, but housed 14 people, so they could add on a second floor!!. To see it go from these conditions to the sights I witnessed on this trip of power tools on rooftops, welders used in building the Palabra Viva Church and many other signs of industrialization, really brought a feeling of revitalization and pride amongst the community.

My heart was touched the most in witnessing our youth, totally stepping out of their comfort zones, and going door to door, preaching the Gospel and spreadings Gods messages of salvation. Once again the youth have proved to me that they are on fire for the Lord, and our Churchs future is in good hands.

What made me cry? I think a more realistic question would be what didn't?

What I will be doing different in my life is starting to "De-spoil" my children. The "Special" treats will be just that and not a daily routine. Our examples of giving to others in need will be more frequent that the annual spring cleaning trip to Goodwill and Holiday Toys for Tots. I will put a strong emphasis on not how much they have, but instead on how much they have....to give!!

Lastly, I would like others to know, that if everyone would take on the servants heart, and help out their brother & sisters in need, the world would be a much better place. Because if you look deep enough in your own life, you will see that at some point you have been one of the least, the last or the lost. And looking down from the pedestal that you may be on, you will see the people that may have helped you get to where you are today. PEACE <><

Holly Wasylkowski:  What a week it was! The hospitality provided by COI made us feel at home, the food was wonderful, the accommodations exceeded our expectations and the air conditioned motor coach was great!  The few inconveniences we experienced was typical Mexico!!

I was pleased by the progress our group made, converting a warehouse into a church in just two days!!  A bit of a daunting task but after seeing this group of youth on the mission trip to Chicago and the enthusiastic adult leaders, I knew the job could be completed!  Wow!   The visit to the community and the orphanages was a real eye opener to many of us.  I think many people have the idea of glamorous Mexico but don't know what it REALLY looks like. The amount of poverty was overwhelming and a look at reality. The people we visited don't know any other way of life.  What an absolutely blessed living we have in America!  Despite our trials and tribulations, we are very fortunate and richly blessed.

I hope to keep my experience first and foremost in my mind, to appreciate what I have, to realize that I have what I NEED and will seriously consider what I WANT before getting it.  I hope to teach my children to appreciate what they have and to see what we as a family can do to make the lives of others a little better through our words and actions.  Count your blessings daily!

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