In addition to the weather, I really enjoyed the ministry that we did in Tecate. To catch you up, I left Ensenada 3 weeks ago after finishing the "Lecture Phase" of my Discipleship Training School. My team began our ¨Outreach Phase¨of the DTS in Tecate Mexico, about 1 hour northeast of Ensenada, on the border with the US, for 2 weeks.
The past two weeks in Tecate we have been doing several different kinds of ministries: visiting nursing homes, praying for the sick in hospitals, leading church services, painting and other work projects, hanging out at an all-boys orphanage, handing out hot chocolate and LOTS of kids programs. About once a day, I found myself in a clown costume, doing a drama, singing spanish songs about Jesus and telling the christmas story to cute mexican children :)
Our last weekend in Tecate, we split our team into pairs and each stayed with a mexican family from the church we had been working at. My friend and I were with the pastor and his family. They lived in, well you can't really even call it a house... there was a little part with 2 bedrooms, concrete for the floor and plywood for the walls. They had no bathroom or running water, just a hole surrounded by a curtain and a bucket to shower with. It got below 40 degrees at night and we froze, both inside and outside.
I thank God that one of the daughter's gave up their bed for us and so we had lots of blankets to sleep with and we cuddled enough to keep ourselves warm.
During my time with this family, I recognized the great sacrifice that this family is making to serve God as pastors in this community. This family lives with the joy of the Lord in their hearts, willingly welcoming us into their home and then including us as one of their own. They really dont have any material possessions to keep themselves occupied - no tv, dvd, videogames, etc - but they find joy in spending quality time together, laughing over meals and continuing in sharing stories long after they've finished. Each cares for one another, the pastor's wife always cooks food for her 11 person family (plus us this weekend) and waits for them all to finish to make sure they've all eaten enough before she even makes herself a plate. All the way down to the 12 year old son, who is always looking out for his 2 and 3 years old nephews. Although I wasn't able to feel my fingers or toes for the 2 days I was there (seriously, they went numb!), the love that I saw and experienced in that family warmed my heart and soul.
Brian and Kevin, the pastor´s grandkids and my new friends
Gordana (germany), Joseph (India) and me
For more pictures of my time in Tecate, Mexico, CLICK HERE
For more pictures of my Christmas in Mexico, CLICK HERE
I hope you had a very Feliz Navidad :) And I wish you a very blessed New Year!
