Thanksgiving in Mexico

Although they don't officially celebrate Thanksgiving in Mexico, we still had a thanksgiving dinner at the YWAM base here in Ensenada. Very traditional - turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, the works. And it was a very international event - I ate thanksgiving dinner with a German, a Canadian, a Norwegian, and a Romanian/new American (Lily just became an American citizen before she came to visit me!)... it was very cool. I missed you all, and hope you had a great day with lots to be thankful for. Love you!

Homes of Hope - Ensenada

This weekend I served a translator for a Homes of Hope team, it was wonderful because I got to spend my time building a relationship with the family and I loved it, here is a peek at our build site (below are the English words to the song the girls are singing - so cute!)

Habia un sapo (sapo, sapo), que nadaba en el rio (rio, rio), en su traje verde (verde, verde) y temblaba de frio (frio, frio)
Su mama la sapa (sapa, sapa) siempre le decia (cia, cia) que tenia un amigo (amigo, amigo) que se llama JESUS!
There was a toad, who swam in the river, in a green suit, and shivered from the cold
His mom the toad, always told him, that he had a friend, whose name is JESUS!

Also, CLICK HERE to more pictures from the build, and see me learning to cook Mexican food!!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2040635&l=578e3&id=41603236

Homes of Hope in Tijuana

Check out this video of my Discipleship Training school building a house for a needy family in Tijuana. We finished in just two days!

Here are some pictures of our build...

This weekend in Ensenada...

This was our first free weekend in Ensenada... on Saturday, I helped one of my friends on base repaint his apartment, then we went out for lunch to eat empanadas. Empanadas are sort of like a homemade Mexican version of a Hot Pocket - a hot pastry stuffed with all kinds of goodness, meat, cheese,veggies, bacon, mushrooms, chile, etc. They are one of my favorite foods down here, along with tamales. Tamales are made of corn meal dough called masa stuffed with a delicious filling and then wrapped in corn husks and then steamed in huge covered pots. These can also be filled with a variety of things, like meat or cheese, or be sweet and have fruit inside, like pineapple. I have learned that you will find the best tamales being sold out of someone's house or from a little stand on a street corner from a local. :)

Saturday night we all went to the circus! It was set up right behind the Walmart in town, so we all headed there for a fun night. I realized that I had never been to the circus before, even in the US, so I was pretty excited. At first I didn't really want to go because I thought it was with all those crazy rides and dumb arcade games, but then I realized that was a carnival, and that the circus would have animals and that would be fun. So I imagine the Mexican circus is pretty much the same as the American circus - clowns, acrobats, trapeze artists, mini horses, panthers, tigers, etc. The one thing that was alittle strange is they said the kids that were on the trapeze were only between 11 and 14 years old... I guess those kids really did run away from home and join the circus.Gordana and I pretending to be tigers outside the circus, haha.

Real tigers jumping through a fiery hoop!

Sunday was a ridiculously fun day, I went with my friend Giezi (who is also on staff here) off-roading in his jeep. We picked up some lunch in the morning then headed out with his other friends in their jeeps up to the mountains of Baja. We caught the most beautiful views of the coast. By the end of the day I was covered dust and dirt, but I didnt' care. It was really an unforgettable experience..I can only hope all my weekends here will be as memorable as this one :)

A tour of Ensenada's Harbor

Last week, our staff took us on a surprise boat tour of the harbor in downtown Ensenada. Ensenada is a port town on the Pacific ocean, and often there are cruise ships here. Tourism is a main source of income, as well as fishing. Here are a few pictures from our tour...

This ship was sinking, but it made a nice place for all these sea lions to sun bathe!

A view of the YWAM base from the ocean, it's the big red building in the middle, and check out those beautiful mountains in the background!

The Black Pearl from Pirates of the Caribbean movies is docked in Ensenada!

Me, Gordana (Germany) and Brandon (Minnesota) on the boat. Good times!!!

Susie's Tour of YWAM Ensenada Base (part 3)

Take a look at my room in Ensenada...

Susie's Tour of YWAM Ensenada Base (part 2)

Here is part two of the YWAM Ensenada base tour...

Susie's Tour of YWAM Ensenada Base (part 1)

Instead of posting pictures, I thought I'd try to be alittle more high-tech this time and take you all on a video tour of the YWAM base here in Ensenada. There are 3 different videos that all show different parts of the base, including where I eat, sleep, go to class, and more. So come, see where I live, I'd love to show you!

New Friends and Food

Here is a picture of me with some of the other students here in Ensenada: Danielle from Minnesota, Kyoko from Japan, Gordana from Germany, me, and Elizabeth from Wheaton. The other students that are here with me are mostly from California, Minnesota, Oregon, North Carolina, and Canada. That is something I just love about YWAM, there are people from all over the world, all here serving God together! Today I ate lunch with some of the staff here: Jason from New Zealand, Jean-Phillipe from Switzerland and Katelyze from Mexico. I love learning from all the different cultures and languages and customs of the different people I meet, it's one of my favorite things about doing missions! I'm trying to get Kyoko and Gordana to teach me a new phrase everyday, so by the end of my 5 months I can be quad-lingual, hahaha, not really, but at least know what to say if I make any other German or Japanese friends :)

The food on the base is really great. We eat both American and Mexican food, mostly American food (which comes from Costco, which we also have here!) Usually we have cereal and muffins for breakfast, sandwiches and salad for lunch, and then some bigger dish for dinner, like chicken, roast beef or pasta. My favorite meals though are the Mexican ones: tostadas, flautas, tacos de carne asada, etc. This weekend, I ate shrimp tacos for the first time and they were delicious! I acutally eat alot here, because we have snacks during our break in the middle of class, which can range from fruits and veggies to cake, and then usually have ice cream or popcorn at night. So, no worries about me not eating enough while I'm down here! We are very blessed, and there is always more than enough food to go around. There is also a great taco stand down the street that we love to go to, where the pile on the beef, cilantro, red onions and guacamole, they're the best. Yum!

My Address in Ensenada

Please write to me! I love getting mail, and you can send everything to our sister base in San Diego, so you dont have to worry about the Mexican mail system!

YWAM San Diego/Baja
Susie Walter/Ensenada DTS
100 W. 35th St, Suite C
National City, CA 91950

I'm waiting to hear from you!

Discipleship Training School in...

ENSENADA, MEXICO!!

Hola! I'm excited to tell you that I have enrolled this fall in the Discipleship Training School (DTS) with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in Ensenada, Mexico. I will be sure to keep you up-to-date about all my adventures here, and stay in touch while I am away!

WHAT IS A DTS? The Discipleship Training School (DTS) is designed to encourage young people toward personal character development, cultivating their relationship with God, and identifying their unique gifts and callings. After completing the DTS, I believe that I will be more prepared to work with current and future generations of students in ministry, as well as respond to the call in the Bible that says to“go into all the world and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

The DTS is an intensive Christian discipleship course beginning with 3 months of teaching followed by 2 months of field assignment. During the lecture phase, I will receive Biblical training on topics such as worship, intercession, spiritual warfare, and God’s heart for the lost. After completing this part of the training, I will take part in an outreach in Latin America where I will be able to practically use what I have learned in a cross-cultural setting. I am really excited about this opportunity to combine my degree in Spanish from IWU and my ministry experience there with the new lessons I am learning here.

For those who don't know, Ensenada is just 2 hours across the border from San Diego. The drive is absolutely beautiful, as it is right along the Pacific coast. Here are some maps, to help clarify exactly where I am...

Locks of Love: New Haircut!

Hello friends and family! Below are the images of my recent haircut... :) I donated my hair to Locks of Love, an organization that makes wigs for children with long-term hair loss. Many of the children who receive wigs from this organization have cancer. Now, you only need 10 inches to donate, so consider it for you or your child today!



For more info, visit http://locksoflove.org/

NYC '08: Mission Trip Photos

"A pictures says a thousand words"... so here are some photos from the Vacation Bible School in Spanish Harlem:

my amazing team!

Songs in the sanctuary of the church

We brought the kids up to help us do the moves :)

"Surf's up!"

Game Time!

Crafts
sandart was my favorite:)
~New friends~
Her name was Susanne too!
my team taking the subway back to Brooklyn

New York City '08: Mission Trip

Basically all of July consisted of planning for trips and then taking them... at the Spread Truth office we were working non-stop for our annual summer trip to New York City. This year, there were 385 people from all over the U.S. that went to participate in sports camps, prayer stations, and vacation bible schools all over the city of New York. We had about 700 inner city kids take part in our basketball and soccer camps, over 500 kids enjoy our Vacation Bible Schools, and prayed with more than 5,000 people all over the city!!!

My role for the week was camp director for a Vacation Bible School at a church in Spanish Harlem. I had 25 volunteers with me from churches in Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. My experience as a team leader in New York was very unique for 2 reasons: first, there were people of all ages (not just college students like I am used to). There were some college students, but there were also families and a few elderly people too. There were even 2 pastors on my team, which was kind of weird since I was supposed to be "in charge." The other crazy thing was that I didn't get to meet any of the people on my team until I got to NYC!

We had our Vacation Bible School at the Primera Iglesia Bautista (First Baptist Church) in Spanish Harlem, a predominately Hispanic neighborhood. I loved being able to speak Spanish with the kids and their families there, and helping translate for my team members. Our theme for the week was "Surf's Up!" so we decorated the church with paper fish, palm trees, etc. We sang songs, did beach-related crafts, water games, and shared Bible stories related to the sea (for example, Jesus walks on water, Moses parts the Red Sea, etc). We had 20 kids on Monday, and grew each day until we had about 60 kids on the last day. It was great to see the kids getting excited about our program and bringing their friends, and also remembering our stories and songs throughout the week. I know God's hand was over the whole week, and I feel blessed to be able to be a part of that ministry in Spanish Harlem.

To be honest, here were a few moments during the when I felt like it was just complete chaos, hahaha, but seriously.... but my team worked really well together and definitely picked up my slack when I was overwhelmed. We also had many helpers from the church come and serve along side us during the week. I really enjoyed working with them because they dont usually have kids' programs at their church, and now I hope they have some ideas about how to run their own Vacation Bible School for their kids throughout the year. Oh, and I had some of the best Mexican food I've ever had in Spanish Harlem that week, always a plus. :)

At night, we had free time to explore the city... Monday night, I took the Staten Island Ferry with some of the people on my team. It goes right past the Statue of Liberty, so it was really beautiful as the sun was setting that evening. Afterwards, we went to a family-style Italian restaurant called Carmine's in Times Square. We got 5 giant plates of food and shared among 10 people, it was so delicious!! Tuesday I met up with a friend from the church in Spanish Harlem at this dessert place in Union Square that served all kinds of chocolate desserts. I got crepes and he got waffles, plus chocolate drinks and banana/chocolate chip bread to go for breakfast in the morning. :) So much chocolate...it was like this restaurant was designed just for me! Wednesday night, I went with some friends from my church in Bloomington to the Empire State building, up to the 86th floor observation deck, it was an amazing view of the city. Thursday night we went to the Brooklyn bridge and had ice cream and took pictures on the bridge.

Lucky for me, after the trip I got to stay in NYC for vacation... more stories from that week and pictures of my trip to come!

First trip to NYC

This summer, all of my work at Spread Truth Ministries is focused on our mission trip to New York City in July. We are taking 380 people from churches all over the U.S. to minister in different parts of this huge city. Personally, I am in charge of running a Vacation Bible School at a church in the neighborhood of Spanish Harlem. Last week, my work sent me out to NYC to meet the pastor of the church and familiarize myself with the city. Here are some pictures of my trip...

Scenes of Central Park

me eating gelato in Little Italy

Inside Riverside Church in Harlem, where Martin Luther King Jr gave many speeches during the civil rights movement

Ulysses S. Grant's Tomb in Harlem

Street in Harlem, where I stayed with a family

I arrived in NYC on Tuesday June 17 and took the bus from the airport to Harlem, getting my first taste of NYC public transportation. I stayed with Mike and Lauren Hart, a missionary family in Spanish Harlem and fellow graduates of IWU. After dropping off my luggage, Lauren and her 2 year old daughter Zoe showed me around Spanish Harlem, the neighborhood where I will be in July. Spanish Harlem has the largest population of Hispanics in NYC, most of them coming from Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. Even though they all speak Spanish, there are a lot of conflicts and tensions among the different nationalities for many different reasons. Spanish Harlem began mostly with Puerto Ricans, and as more Mexicans came in, they felt like they were starting to take over their neighborhood. Also, there is underlying tension from the Mexicans toward the Puerto Ricans because the Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens and many of the Mexicans had to come here illegally, as it is very difficult for them to get visas. On top of that, these groups are racist against the Dominicans because they are black (descendants from African slaves).

I loved walking around spanish harlem, with all the signs in spanish and hispanic food restaurants and everyone speaking spanish around you :) We arrived at the church where I will be in July, a beautiful building built in the 1800's and still used today. We went inside and I mapped out how we will set up the Vacation Bible School in July. On Wednesday, I went and had lunch with a friend in the village, then walked around Little Italy and Chinatown. These town neighborhoods are right next to each other, so you can have one block full of pizza places and Italian flags, then turn the corner and have everything be in Chinese! It's kind of crazy like that in New York City. I know they call NYC the "melting pot of the U.S." since there are so many different people from all over the world in one place, but I dont really see much "melting" there because all of the different nationalities stay in their own communities with their own people...

I also took the subway a couple times while I was there, it's a great place to peoplewatch. So many people rushing to so many different places - businessmen going to work, tourists going downtown, kids going to summer camp, etc. After spending a few days in the city and seeing the traffic, I can understand why everyone takes the subway or buses there, it's just impractical and a waste of trime to drive! Wednesday afternoon I had a meeting with the pastor, his wife and 2 other people from the church at Spanish Harlem. I was a little nervous at first because I was leading the meeting (in Spanish!) but they were all really excited about the program we were planning and wanted to know how they could help. After the meeting, I went to a restaurant in Harlem with the Hart's where we were the only white people among all African Americans, but I guess this is typical for them since they live there.

On Thursday I took Zoe to Central Park while Lauren went to a doctor's appointment. It's kind of surprising at first that you could be in such a beautiful park right in the middle of this huge metropolitan city. We walked for over an hour and saw lots of animals and people enjoying a break from city life. When Lauren called after her appointment to meet up with us, I told her I didn't know where we were! haha It's so easy to get lost in Central park because you can't always see the streets from inside. Eventually we made our way back to the street and met up with her, then we walked the entire length of Central park, stopping outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a hot dog, before heading back to Harlem. I wanted to go to the Museo del Barrio, a Latin American Art museum, but it was under construction (as I discovered is very common in the city...) so we just continued to walk around Central Park, you could spend a whole week there and still not see every part of the park I think.

In the afternoon, I took a self-tour of Harlem: the Apollo Theatre, Grant's Tomb, Riverside Church, and Columbia University. I also stopped at a little cafe for a Nutella crepe, yum. It was fun finding my way around the city by myself, and I didnt' even get lost! It wasn't until I was walking back that I really realized how out-of-place I was there...all the stores were for getting your hair weaved, or African American skin care, or African head wraps and outfits. I definitely stepped into a different kind of culture there.

I came back to Chicago on Thursday night, and realized that I think I experienced more of the city of New York in those 3 short days than I have seen of the city of Chicago in my whole life! hahaha Still it was only a small taste of what that city has to offer. I'm going back to New York on July 20 and I'll be there for 2 weeks, and I look forward to taking an even bigger bite of the Big Apple!

So much to tell...

I can't believe when I went onto my blog the other day that I haven't updated since December! It's not like things haven't been happening... I moved to a new house, went to Mexico, got a part-time job, and now am getting ready to go to New York City in July! I will try to catch everyone up on my life little by little, so keep checking!