Hey...here's just a quick update.
We are leaving Sunday at three thirty in the morning...killer :) We fly out of Tijuana and land in Culiacan later that morning. We start our program right away. We will be with about sixty other Mexican nationals. We will have two to three hours of prayer and worship each day, then two hours to prepare and hopefully relax. We will go to the different camps/assignments at around four in the afternoon since we can't do an outreach with the people until they are back form working in the fields.
We were all given evangecubes....if you don't know what that is its a block that has all different pictures on it depicting the life of Jesus. Its pretty interesting and it sounds really/looks really cheesy...but apparently it has been used all over the world, successfully bringing whole groups of people to Christ. Its really cool. This is going to be a really big evangelism time for us...its nerve wracking since we don't speak spanish very well....but God will use us somehow :)
We have spent this whole week praying and fasting and worshipping and listening to the Holy Spirit...its been so awesome. I've never felt so at peace. I mean, its and expected thing after spending about three to four hours in prayer everday, and have anywhere from one to two hours a day set aside for quiet time with the Lord. Today we drove out to this cemetary which sounds really creepy but its not. Mexican cemetaries are not as creepy as U.S. ones. They are really bright and cheerful...more flowers than graves. It also has the most amazing view of the mountains that surround Porvenir. It was such a beautiful and peaceful time. I just sat there in the warm sun with the wind blowing and it was really special. I am confidant that God is going to use our team to do some awesome spreadage of the Truth! (if spreadage is a word...hopefully you know what I mean :))
I'll write again in two weeks. Thanks!
Mikaela
Friday, January 30, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Getting Prepared for Culiacan
Hey everybody!
I just got done with my second visit to Casa de Gabriel, the orphanage for handicapped children. It was a very intense day today. We stayed and helped to feed the children their meals. The majority of them cannot feed themselves. The staff there is made up mostly of single mothers who came from very bad domestic situations, and they are awesome, caring women, but there is so few of them that it was super awesome for them to be able to pass off some of their responsibilities to us gringos (white people). And I sure acted like a clueless white person today. I helped a lady feed a girl (whose name I cannot remember unfortunately) who cannot swallow her food. How in the world does that work? I don't really know. I held her head while the lady continuously caught the food the girl spit out and shovelled it back in. The poor girl was trying so hard to get it down, but it was such a hard thing. The food was all blended together, so it was as smooth as possible, but she had to open her throat and just let it slide down, and she would choke on it most of the times. The nurse asked me if I wanted to try it, but I couldn't even get the spoon in her mouth. It was so scary for me. I almost cried, but no one else was so I held it in. Then, the same nurse asked me to come with her to change another girl's diaper named Gabbi. I was just learning how to, so I stood to the side. Gabbi is seven I think. She cannot speak, cannot walk, and cannot sit up on her own. She just sits there and stares at you while chewing on her shaking hand. She was a sweet heart! I am excited for when we can go again. We will be taking the youth groups there every week we have one down. So we will be there alot in about three weeks.
We are having a preparation week for Culiacan. Most of our classes have been shortened and switched around so we can have ample time to pray and fast and focus on the Word. Our hearts have to be prepared for the service we will be called to do. Us students have been told that we won't really know what we are doing until like three minutes before we do it. We will be told by the directors and then we go. No matter what it is. We will be working with about 60 other Mexican nationals from the churches in the surrounding areas and us Ventaneros might not even room together during these next two weeks. It will be a trying and spiritually testing time, but we are excited for our time there, spreading the love of Christ through actions and words. We will be showing the Jesus Film to the Indigenous people as well a few nights a week. The people we are serving are all Indigenous, so they don't speak spanish mostly, its a totally different dialect. The languege barrier will be another thing to worry about for us Ventaneros.
Another huge prayer request as we go is for us girls. The men in Culiacan are known to be very crass and crude. Me and Michalene have to wear shawls on our heads because of our lighter hair color. Us girls are all wearing shirts that are two sizes too big, and long loose skirts with socks that cover our ankles. We are trying to look as unappealing and droopy as possible :) so i might not want to post any pictures from that time...you all might be suprised at my unappealing looks :) Just kidding. I am so excited to go out and be able to see how I can serve Gods people. Just pray that I can have a servants heart and that I'm willing to do everything with an attitude of humility and thanksgiving. We are under continuous spiritual attack, as a group and idividually. We are all on edge, so please pray that we can draw together as a team and be supportive and encouraging to each other. We need to have one mind--to serve God's people, and through that, serve God himself. But its difficult, especially in a high stress situation like this one.
Thank you all so much for your support. Please continue to pray for safety, and for all of us to be courageous in the name of Jesus Christ!
Much love,
Mikaela
I just got done with my second visit to Casa de Gabriel, the orphanage for handicapped children. It was a very intense day today. We stayed and helped to feed the children their meals. The majority of them cannot feed themselves. The staff there is made up mostly of single mothers who came from very bad domestic situations, and they are awesome, caring women, but there is so few of them that it was super awesome for them to be able to pass off some of their responsibilities to us gringos (white people). And I sure acted like a clueless white person today. I helped a lady feed a girl (whose name I cannot remember unfortunately) who cannot swallow her food. How in the world does that work? I don't really know. I held her head while the lady continuously caught the food the girl spit out and shovelled it back in. The poor girl was trying so hard to get it down, but it was such a hard thing. The food was all blended together, so it was as smooth as possible, but she had to open her throat and just let it slide down, and she would choke on it most of the times. The nurse asked me if I wanted to try it, but I couldn't even get the spoon in her mouth. It was so scary for me. I almost cried, but no one else was so I held it in. Then, the same nurse asked me to come with her to change another girl's diaper named Gabbi. I was just learning how to, so I stood to the side. Gabbi is seven I think. She cannot speak, cannot walk, and cannot sit up on her own. She just sits there and stares at you while chewing on her shaking hand. She was a sweet heart! I am excited for when we can go again. We will be taking the youth groups there every week we have one down. So we will be there alot in about three weeks.
We are having a preparation week for Culiacan. Most of our classes have been shortened and switched around so we can have ample time to pray and fast and focus on the Word. Our hearts have to be prepared for the service we will be called to do. Us students have been told that we won't really know what we are doing until like three minutes before we do it. We will be told by the directors and then we go. No matter what it is. We will be working with about 60 other Mexican nationals from the churches in the surrounding areas and us Ventaneros might not even room together during these next two weeks. It will be a trying and spiritually testing time, but we are excited for our time there, spreading the love of Christ through actions and words. We will be showing the Jesus Film to the Indigenous people as well a few nights a week. The people we are serving are all Indigenous, so they don't speak spanish mostly, its a totally different dialect. The languege barrier will be another thing to worry about for us Ventaneros.
Another huge prayer request as we go is for us girls. The men in Culiacan are known to be very crass and crude. Me and Michalene have to wear shawls on our heads because of our lighter hair color. Us girls are all wearing shirts that are two sizes too big, and long loose skirts with socks that cover our ankles. We are trying to look as unappealing and droopy as possible :) so i might not want to post any pictures from that time...you all might be suprised at my unappealing looks :) Just kidding. I am so excited to go out and be able to see how I can serve Gods people. Just pray that I can have a servants heart and that I'm willing to do everything with an attitude of humility and thanksgiving. We are under continuous spiritual attack, as a group and idividually. We are all on edge, so please pray that we can draw together as a team and be supportive and encouraging to each other. We need to have one mind--to serve God's people, and through that, serve God himself. But its difficult, especially in a high stress situation like this one.
Thank you all so much for your support. Please continue to pray for safety, and for all of us to be courageous in the name of Jesus Christ!
Much love,
Mikaela
Monday, January 19, 2009
Second Week!!!
Hey all! Our second week in Mexico has come to a close. And it has been a full one! We just said goodbye to our first Camp Ventana youth group. About eighteen people in all came down to Porvenir for a weekend of service and it was AWESOME! We worked hard in the community painting, cleaning, digging, and replacing the roof on the girl's trailer. Actually...WE didn't since I was the "Picture Lady" as the students called me. I took all the pictures and made a slide show that was shown today before they left. I loved it...but yesterday was filled with tons of technological difficulties and it was one of the most stressful times of my life. But everything turned out well and I sent the youth pastor away happy with a copy of the movie and all the pictures in his hands. Whoo!
We started classes last week and they are going really well! Again, they are going to be challenging but only because the teachers are trying to get us to develop our own opinions on things based off of what we read in the Bible instead of just spoon feeding us their thoughts. Its exactly what I need at this point in my relationship with Christ. This week I am writing a paper on salvation and why I believe what I believe using Biblical references. I know what I believe, but I have to find the verses that support that belief...its the best homework EVER!
We have experienced several church services with the church that we are partnered with in Porvenir and its absolutely amazing! Church is so different in Mexico...there are children on the side dancing and twirling flags during worship, people pray out loud and all at the same time so that they are not worried about impressing the people around them with their clever and righteous words :) Its such a new thing to me, but I am getting used to it. And I always have one of the worship songs stuck in my head especially my favorite one "Te Doy Gloria" (I Give You Glory) It is a really catchy tune with awesome meaning.
We are leaving for our two week trip to Culiacan in about..two weeks. I can't believe that we are actually going! Its going to be such a huge impact upon my life...and I am going to be stretched by all the things that we are going to be doing. Again, I would love it if you would be in prayer for this--that our team would be strong together and that Satan would not be able to find a foothold. Doug warned us that there is going to be some intense spiritual battle.
I love you all! I hope things are going well with everyone!
Mikaela
We started classes last week and they are going really well! Again, they are going to be challenging but only because the teachers are trying to get us to develop our own opinions on things based off of what we read in the Bible instead of just spoon feeding us their thoughts. Its exactly what I need at this point in my relationship with Christ. This week I am writing a paper on salvation and why I believe what I believe using Biblical references. I know what I believe, but I have to find the verses that support that belief...its the best homework EVER!
We have experienced several church services with the church that we are partnered with in Porvenir and its absolutely amazing! Church is so different in Mexico...there are children on the side dancing and twirling flags during worship, people pray out loud and all at the same time so that they are not worried about impressing the people around them with their clever and righteous words :) Its such a new thing to me, but I am getting used to it. And I always have one of the worship songs stuck in my head especially my favorite one "Te Doy Gloria" (I Give You Glory) It is a really catchy tune with awesome meaning.
We are leaving for our two week trip to Culiacan in about..two weeks. I can't believe that we are actually going! Its going to be such a huge impact upon my life...and I am going to be stretched by all the things that we are going to be doing. Again, I would love it if you would be in prayer for this--that our team would be strong together and that Satan would not be able to find a foothold. Doug warned us that there is going to be some intense spiritual battle.
I love you all! I hope things are going well with everyone!
Mikaela
Monday, January 12, 2009
Hola Amigos y Familia!!
Buenas noches! I am sitting in a coffee shop in Ensenada, which is about 45 minutes to an hour away from our home town of Porvenir. We just finished our first shopping day...can I just say stressful. I am team leader for the next two weeks, which just means that I pretty much am in charge of budgeting, passing along information from the leaders to the students, locking up the compound at night, and making sure everyone obeys the rules. Ugh. Its alot of responsibility, but I suppose its good for me, right? Every other Monday, the girl's house recieves 320 dollars which goes towards two weeks worth of gorceries and utilities, which include water, electricty, and propane. We get an allowance at the end of every month if we do our campus and house chores, and this will either go towards utilities or our own personal stuff, depending on how much our bill is. Its my first experience with budgeting, and since I am team leader, it all fell to me, but I successfully added up all our bills, and we saved 140 dollars after buying all our food. Crazy.
But now I 'm done with the boring news and will move on to the more exciting things....us Ventaneros went to Casa de Gabriel for the first time today. Casa de Gabriel is an orphange that we will be volunteering at every other Monday during our stay here. The children in the orphanage are all handicapped in some way: most are in wheelchairs, some are autistic, some have Down's Syndrome, and a few are HIV positive. I met so many special children today, and am almost brought to tears remembering them. There are four sisters who have a progessive disease that stemmed from the pesticides sprayed over the field while their pregnant mother was picking the produce. There was a young man named Raul who lived in a cage for most of his younger years because his parents didn't have the means to watch after him. There was little five-year-old Marisol who is completely normal except for the fact that she is HIV positive. I can't wait to post up pictures of them in the future weeks. This orphanage is run by an American couple who started rescuing handicapped children thirteen years ago. They currently have 38 children (slash young adults) in the orphanage, and have three adoptions pending. It is the most beautiful place I have ever seen, not because of how it looks (honosetly, its a little small and they have hopes of expanding so they can take in more children) but because of all the love and ministry that is going on. Their staff is mostly made up of single mothers who had nowhere else to turn. They pour themselves into these children twenty four hours out of every day. Some of the children are in very extreme conditions. One boy, Teddy, used to be so week in his lower body that every time he had to poop, his intestines would come out as well. So Irene, instead of taking him to the hospital every time he had to go, learned how to put them back herself. Now, praise the Lord, his muscles are strong enough, and he is healthy as he possibly can be. Please be in prayer for this ministry and the awesome works they are doing.
Going back a bit more in time, we spent three days in Tijuana for cultural training. This consisted of training classes and cultural excursions. We were sent out in pairs along a certain area of TJ and were told to just watch certain things about the people. i.e. how they greeted each other, what they wore, who talked to whom, how close they stood to each other when talking etc. It was really interesting and really beneficial if not a bit crazy. We stayed safe, no worries. During our visit, we stayed at a place called El Castillo, which is a castle (small for a castle, but very bonita) that is being transformed into a Bible school. The staff there was AWESOME and they are coming down to visit us sometime.
We went to our first church service and it was so amazing...but long :) Church in Mexico is a bit longer than in America...we were there from 9:30 until 2:15. We are getting to know the locals a bit and have had several pick up games of soccer and volleyball with some of the boys in Porvenir. We will be attending the church's high school and college groups that meet during the week. We will also go to an early morning prayer time every Wed. (We have to be ready at 5:45 in the morning) as well as go to a service that takes place later that evening. We have our first youth group coming down this weekend from Southern California, and us students with be directing everything during that...leading the devos, leading the service projects, hanging with the kids, cleaning the dishes, etc. Its gonna be crazy, and we are going to have five straight weeks of it later in Feb. and March, I believe. After this group leaves (on Monday) the Ventaneros will be preparing for our two week excursion into Culiacan where we will be bringing the gospel to over a thousand migrant workers. Please be in prayer for that since the devil will be attacking us in many different places. Its going to be hard to stay together as a team, and to keep energy up during the intense times. Hopefully I will have many cool, God-centered stories to tell you when I get back.
Sorry this was so long, I just have so much to tell you guys! Its been a busy past week. I will be on my computer every Monday afternoon, and will fill you all in on whats happening at that time. I hope everything is going well for all of you, and I send you tons of love from Porvenir!
Mikaela Alexander
But now I 'm done with the boring news and will move on to the more exciting things....us Ventaneros went to Casa de Gabriel for the first time today. Casa de Gabriel is an orphange that we will be volunteering at every other Monday during our stay here. The children in the orphanage are all handicapped in some way: most are in wheelchairs, some are autistic, some have Down's Syndrome, and a few are HIV positive. I met so many special children today, and am almost brought to tears remembering them. There are four sisters who have a progessive disease that stemmed from the pesticides sprayed over the field while their pregnant mother was picking the produce. There was a young man named Raul who lived in a cage for most of his younger years because his parents didn't have the means to watch after him. There was little five-year-old Marisol who is completely normal except for the fact that she is HIV positive. I can't wait to post up pictures of them in the future weeks. This orphanage is run by an American couple who started rescuing handicapped children thirteen years ago. They currently have 38 children (slash young adults) in the orphanage, and have three adoptions pending. It is the most beautiful place I have ever seen, not because of how it looks (honosetly, its a little small and they have hopes of expanding so they can take in more children) but because of all the love and ministry that is going on. Their staff is mostly made up of single mothers who had nowhere else to turn. They pour themselves into these children twenty four hours out of every day. Some of the children are in very extreme conditions. One boy, Teddy, used to be so week in his lower body that every time he had to poop, his intestines would come out as well. So Irene, instead of taking him to the hospital every time he had to go, learned how to put them back herself. Now, praise the Lord, his muscles are strong enough, and he is healthy as he possibly can be. Please be in prayer for this ministry and the awesome works they are doing.
Going back a bit more in time, we spent three days in Tijuana for cultural training. This consisted of training classes and cultural excursions. We were sent out in pairs along a certain area of TJ and were told to just watch certain things about the people. i.e. how they greeted each other, what they wore, who talked to whom, how close they stood to each other when talking etc. It was really interesting and really beneficial if not a bit crazy. We stayed safe, no worries. During our visit, we stayed at a place called El Castillo, which is a castle (small for a castle, but very bonita) that is being transformed into a Bible school. The staff there was AWESOME and they are coming down to visit us sometime.
We went to our first church service and it was so amazing...but long :) Church in Mexico is a bit longer than in America...we were there from 9:30 until 2:15. We are getting to know the locals a bit and have had several pick up games of soccer and volleyball with some of the boys in Porvenir. We will be attending the church's high school and college groups that meet during the week. We will also go to an early morning prayer time every Wed. (We have to be ready at 5:45 in the morning) as well as go to a service that takes place later that evening. We have our first youth group coming down this weekend from Southern California, and us students with be directing everything during that...leading the devos, leading the service projects, hanging with the kids, cleaning the dishes, etc. Its gonna be crazy, and we are going to have five straight weeks of it later in Feb. and March, I believe. After this group leaves (on Monday) the Ventaneros will be preparing for our two week excursion into Culiacan where we will be bringing the gospel to over a thousand migrant workers. Please be in prayer for that since the devil will be attacking us in many different places. Its going to be hard to stay together as a team, and to keep energy up during the intense times. Hopefully I will have many cool, God-centered stories to tell you when I get back.
Sorry this was so long, I just have so much to tell you guys! Its been a busy past week. I will be on my computer every Monday afternoon, and will fill you all in on whats happening at that time. I hope everything is going well for all of you, and I send you tons of love from Porvenir!
Mikaela Alexander
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Mexico...here I come!
Hey all!
I am here in Palm Springs, and the time is drawing closer to the end of my vacation. The sun is shining--its up in the seventies--and we are all enjoying multiple activities such as golfing, watching football, playing cards, swimming, and watching old movies on TV. My Aunty Marcie, Uncle Shawn, and cousins Danielle and Sam came and visited us for a few days on their way home from their own vacation and that was a whirlwind of fun. Its been so relaxing and beautiful, and the perfect end to my break!
On Saturday, my family and I will leave the condo our good friends the LaBossiers let us stay in, and we will go hang at the bustling outdoor market where my friend and fellow Ventanero, Michaelene, will meet us. From there, I will say my good byes and head over to Michaelene's house until we go to San Diego to meet up with the rest of the group. Then its off to Mexico! We will be in Porvenir (the town we will be actually living in for most of the time) for the first night, and then we will spend a week in Tiajuana. We would REALLY appreciate your prayers for our team since its kind of a dangerous situation down there in TJ.
I am so excited and will miss you all a ton!
Happy New Years! WOOT for 2009!
Love,
Mikaela
I am here in Palm Springs, and the time is drawing closer to the end of my vacation. The sun is shining--its up in the seventies--and we are all enjoying multiple activities such as golfing, watching football, playing cards, swimming, and watching old movies on TV. My Aunty Marcie, Uncle Shawn, and cousins Danielle and Sam came and visited us for a few days on their way home from their own vacation and that was a whirlwind of fun. Its been so relaxing and beautiful, and the perfect end to my break!
On Saturday, my family and I will leave the condo our good friends the LaBossiers let us stay in, and we will go hang at the bustling outdoor market where my friend and fellow Ventanero, Michaelene, will meet us. From there, I will say my good byes and head over to Michaelene's house until we go to San Diego to meet up with the rest of the group. Then its off to Mexico! We will be in Porvenir (the town we will be actually living in for most of the time) for the first night, and then we will spend a week in Tiajuana. We would REALLY appreciate your prayers for our team since its kind of a dangerous situation down there in TJ.
I am so excited and will miss you all a ton!
Happy New Years! WOOT for 2009!
Love,
Mikaela
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