I am sitting here, slouching is more like it, in a comfy couch in the coffee shop at Mt. Hermon. I cannot believe I am here, planning for our first week of campers. Ventana is over...
It is the weirdest feeling in the world, let me tell you. I miss everyone so much and I am trying to make as smooth a transition as possible into the American culture...and it seems to be doing really well, but that is probably due to the fact that I am at Mt. Hermon, one of the greatest places on earth! I am so blessed to be able to be in full-time ministry here, right after my amazing Ventana experience...I don't have to worry about becoming comfortable and taking steps back. I am able to get into the word everyday...God is so good to me.
My mom flew down to "surprise" me, but I found out...I am smart :) She will be here for the week volunteering on campus, and we will spend our spare moments together. It is really exciting and I can't wait to get her in a big bear hug.
Much love to you all and thank you for reading my blog...it was a blessing being able to share my experiences with everyone who wanted to hear. You all are amazing, beautiful sons and daughters of God, and I am so blessed that He put you all in my life. May He care for and bless you, and may you always know that you are His beloved, and that he always wants the best for you. May you always live near to Him and His heart. God bless!
Mikaela Alexander
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
She's Finally Dancing.
Sorry I haven't updated in a while...the internet is so janky here. This is my last time with internet before we start our end of the year technology fast. We have only two more weeks left in Mexico and I can't believe it is almost over. We have finals next week...and then classes are done. The last week is spent debriefing and deep-cleaning..oh so fun! It has been so amazing here learning everything that I have. I will miss it here so much, but at least I have Mt. Hermon to look forward to. Its going to be a whole other growing experience for me and I am stoked to learn about God and his flawless, unblemished, and amazing character. Thanks for supporting me, and I can't wait to see all your beautiful faces at some point in the near future. Now for some bittersweet news...
Last Friday, eleven year old Rosa from Casa Gabriel passed away. The was a chicken pox epidemic at the orphanage, and Rosa contracted them. They spread to her brain almost right away and she went to be with Jesus. She was the youngest of the four sisters that I have told you about before. She had the biggest smile and I played with her specially every time I went. We got to the point that she recognized me when I came and would get mad if I didn't play with her. She was so precious.
She loved Jesus so much. I asked her about it one time and she gave me an enthusiastic "YES!" by nodding her head vigorously. She was just a little girl, but had a huge heart. It is amazing to think about how many lives she touched, even though she was only eleven. There are hundreds of people that come and go from Casa Gabriel every year, and Rosa was everyone's favorite. Think about it...I know that I am walking away from Casa Gabriel a different person, hopefully a better one :) And she played a huge part in that...she showed me Jesus in a totally new and radical way. How many more people has she done that for, just by laughing, smiling, singing, and loving Jesus the way she did. Nobody expected her to go...it was a huge shock. But we can all rejoice, even though we'll miss her, because a little girl who has never been able to walk or talk in her life is now doing both in the presence of Jesus Christ, her Savior. How beautiful is that? Renny, the director of Casa Gabriel, said that she was sure that Rosa was dancing circles around him...like she would have if she had been born without a handicap. What a beautiful God we have, One who restores and rewards those who have suffered here on earth.
Today, us Ventaneros went to Casa Gabriel for the last time. We had a celebration of life for Rosa. Her three sisters let off balloons with notes tied to them from all the kids. We got to help them write them, since most of them can't write. Those who are cognitive seemed pretty upset. All those kids there are so precious. The parents of the sisters, who have been regular visitors to Casa Gabriel came to the celebration. They really love their girls and it was so sweet to see them there, comforting their other children. They just didn't have the means to take care of them by themselves while still working in the fields...please keep this family in your prayers because Shelly, the oldest was very upset today and wouldn't even smile. Ellie and Sonya are the other two...just to see the three crying today, I can't even tell you how touching this story is. Just to see them interact together...
As the balloons were let go, all the children at Casa Gabriel yelled up "Adios Rosa! Adios Rosa!" And there is one boy named Teddy, I know I told you about him before...He yelled "es en cielo!" She's in heaven! Then he named another girl from the Casa that had died a while before. It was the sweetest thing...they really understand it and were truly happy for her. That darling girl who is now enjoying everlasting life with the Father. Its an amazing story. Praise God.
I love you all and I hope that Rosa's life has touched yours in some way...even though you haven't met her. I'll introduce you in heaven! It'll be amazing to see her again with her new body.
Love you all so much.
I'll write again in two weeks!
Please keep us all in your prayers as everything is drawing to a close.
THANKS!
Mikaela
Last Friday, eleven year old Rosa from Casa Gabriel passed away. The was a chicken pox epidemic at the orphanage, and Rosa contracted them. They spread to her brain almost right away and she went to be with Jesus. She was the youngest of the four sisters that I have told you about before. She had the biggest smile and I played with her specially every time I went. We got to the point that she recognized me when I came and would get mad if I didn't play with her. She was so precious.
She loved Jesus so much. I asked her about it one time and she gave me an enthusiastic "YES!" by nodding her head vigorously. She was just a little girl, but had a huge heart. It is amazing to think about how many lives she touched, even though she was only eleven. There are hundreds of people that come and go from Casa Gabriel every year, and Rosa was everyone's favorite. Think about it...I know that I am walking away from Casa Gabriel a different person, hopefully a better one :) And she played a huge part in that...she showed me Jesus in a totally new and radical way. How many more people has she done that for, just by laughing, smiling, singing, and loving Jesus the way she did. Nobody expected her to go...it was a huge shock. But we can all rejoice, even though we'll miss her, because a little girl who has never been able to walk or talk in her life is now doing both in the presence of Jesus Christ, her Savior. How beautiful is that? Renny, the director of Casa Gabriel, said that she was sure that Rosa was dancing circles around him...like she would have if she had been born without a handicap. What a beautiful God we have, One who restores and rewards those who have suffered here on earth.
Today, us Ventaneros went to Casa Gabriel for the last time. We had a celebration of life for Rosa. Her three sisters let off balloons with notes tied to them from all the kids. We got to help them write them, since most of them can't write. Those who are cognitive seemed pretty upset. All those kids there are so precious. The parents of the sisters, who have been regular visitors to Casa Gabriel came to the celebration. They really love their girls and it was so sweet to see them there, comforting their other children. They just didn't have the means to take care of them by themselves while still working in the fields...please keep this family in your prayers because Shelly, the oldest was very upset today and wouldn't even smile. Ellie and Sonya are the other two...just to see the three crying today, I can't even tell you how touching this story is. Just to see them interact together...
As the balloons were let go, all the children at Casa Gabriel yelled up "Adios Rosa! Adios Rosa!" And there is one boy named Teddy, I know I told you about him before...He yelled "es en cielo!" She's in heaven! Then he named another girl from the Casa that had died a while before. It was the sweetest thing...they really understand it and were truly happy for her. That darling girl who is now enjoying everlasting life with the Father. Its an amazing story. Praise God.
I love you all and I hope that Rosa's life has touched yours in some way...even though you haven't met her. I'll introduce you in heaven! It'll be amazing to see her again with her new body.
Love you all so much.
I'll write again in two weeks!
Please keep us all in your prayers as everything is drawing to a close.
THANKS!
Mikaela
Monday, May 4, 2009
Ventana Continues
I have been back here in Porvenir for a week now and its been such an awesome transition. I was afraid that I would not have an easy time coming back to the craziness that is Ventana, but it was so much fun to see everyone that I barely noticed the change. I think that a week was just long enough with my family that I had some good bonding time, but also did not get too adjusted to the easiness of home. I miss my family, not going to lie, but I am also excited about this last month, and the growth that I am still experiencing through the constant study of the Word and all the ministries that we are involved in.
My relationships with the locals have been growing so much in the past few weeks...I am going to go to school with one of the girls for a day sometime in the next two weeks or so. School has been closed for a week because of the swine flu, and tons of people are wearing little face masks so they won't be infected. Its is very weird being in the middle of all this. But no known cases in Porvenir as of yet, not to worry. Everyone in our church keeps saying "My God is a big God." and they just go around with out a care. Its funny. Us Ventaneros threw a big party for the local kids about three weeks ago, and it was so much fun. We roasted hotdogs, played loud music, goofed off, and watched a movies. There were about 30 or more youth there...it was awesome to see everyone come. We were afraid it would be a flop!
Yesterday we had a camp day with the whole church. We all went out to a park about fifteen minutes away and played volleyball and soccer for almost the whole day. We had a barbecue and played phase ten and uno...and just had fun with our Christian community. It was so much fun, and i really appreciate the way this church has accepted us. It was hard at first, but now we feel like family. Its awesome! On Satruday, I got to go with Gio, the youth pastor, and some of the students from the youth group to a city called Testerozo. They direct a children's program there, almost like a VBS. The town is almost all made up of migrant workers who just pass through, working on the fields. We had a good turnout of kids, and I just loved sitting there with them, talking and doing crafts and singing songs...what a beautiful experience this is. The people here are so loving, and I really enjoy working with the children...its just a passion that God has given me.
It is my birthday on Thursday of this week...strange how I feel like I just turned 18 and now I will be 19 in 3 days. This year has gone by so fast with everything that has been happening. Its crazy, and I suspect this summer will go by just as fast since I'll be a Mt. Hermon. And then Fox...God just seems to be keeping me busy, so busy in fact that I will have to be relying upon him for every ounce of strength. But that's ok with me because, in the words of my brothers and sisters here in Porvenir, My God is a big God. And his strength will never run out...how beautiful is that?
Much love!
Mikaela Alexander
My relationships with the locals have been growing so much in the past few weeks...I am going to go to school with one of the girls for a day sometime in the next two weeks or so. School has been closed for a week because of the swine flu, and tons of people are wearing little face masks so they won't be infected. Its is very weird being in the middle of all this. But no known cases in Porvenir as of yet, not to worry. Everyone in our church keeps saying "My God is a big God." and they just go around with out a care. Its funny. Us Ventaneros threw a big party for the local kids about three weeks ago, and it was so much fun. We roasted hotdogs, played loud music, goofed off, and watched a movies. There were about 30 or more youth there...it was awesome to see everyone come. We were afraid it would be a flop!
Yesterday we had a camp day with the whole church. We all went out to a park about fifteen minutes away and played volleyball and soccer for almost the whole day. We had a barbecue and played phase ten and uno...and just had fun with our Christian community. It was so much fun, and i really appreciate the way this church has accepted us. It was hard at first, but now we feel like family. Its awesome! On Satruday, I got to go with Gio, the youth pastor, and some of the students from the youth group to a city called Testerozo. They direct a children's program there, almost like a VBS. The town is almost all made up of migrant workers who just pass through, working on the fields. We had a good turnout of kids, and I just loved sitting there with them, talking and doing crafts and singing songs...what a beautiful experience this is. The people here are so loving, and I really enjoy working with the children...its just a passion that God has given me.
It is my birthday on Thursday of this week...strange how I feel like I just turned 18 and now I will be 19 in 3 days. This year has gone by so fast with everything that has been happening. Its crazy, and I suspect this summer will go by just as fast since I'll be a Mt. Hermon. And then Fox...God just seems to be keeping me busy, so busy in fact that I will have to be relying upon him for every ounce of strength. But that's ok with me because, in the words of my brothers and sisters here in Porvenir, My God is a big God. And his strength will never run out...how beautiful is that?
Much love!
Mikaela Alexander
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Blessed Be His Name
Today, April 21st, 2009, is the one year anniversary of my Daddy's passing. Even though it is a hard day, it is also blessed because I know that exactly a year ago, Bruce Alexander was welcomed into the Kingdom of God, given a new name and a new body, and asked to eat of the tree of life. He has been in heaven for a year, our time, but that constitutes as only a split second of eternity, if even that. How awesome is that, that God would give us that great of a gift. He has invited us to spend forever and ever and ever with him, our Creator. Wow. I can't even begin to tell you the comfort that this mystery brings me on this day. God is so good. Blessed be His name!
So I flew home yesterday and got into Portland at about seven pm. Spencer and Mom met me there and drove me straight home where I surprised the younger boys. Spencer and Mom went into the house and I stayed in the car for about a minute then couldn't wait any longer. I ran up to the door, rang the doorbell then waited as Pearce made his way to the door. He couldn't even speak he was so surprised. It took him about ten seconds to process that I was there, on the doorstep. Then he tackle-hugged me and still didn't say anything. It was just hysterical laughter. Then Isaac ran over and jumped on me and it was crazy and I might have to go get my back checked out at the doctors :) Just kidding. What a beautiful memory that will always be! Thank You, Lord, for bringing me here safely and giving me this time with my beautiful family! Blessed be Your name!
I can't tell you how amazing it is for me to be home, and all the details that were worked out so last minute and so on. God obviously orchestrated this for a reason. Today we are doing several things in remembrance of Dad. We are going to go and visit his grave for a while as a family. That will be lovely since it is such a beautiful day outside. Then we will go to Corvallis High School where we will have a sort of assembly for all the students who knew Dad, and some of their families, etc. We will be giving them oatmeal raisin cookies, which were Dad's favorites. Thanks to Mom's bible study for making those...you guys are so awesome! And then we have a couple other things running around through our heads. We'll see how it all plays out. Its just so nice being here with all my bothers and Mom...we haven't been all together since our vacation to Palm Springs. So yeah, Blessed be the name of the Lord! He is good, and awesome, and majestic, and beautiful and I love him and trust him with my whole life. And he is watching out for my family while I am learning about him. How wonderful it is to serve a God like Him.
Much love!
Mikaela Alexander
So I flew home yesterday and got into Portland at about seven pm. Spencer and Mom met me there and drove me straight home where I surprised the younger boys. Spencer and Mom went into the house and I stayed in the car for about a minute then couldn't wait any longer. I ran up to the door, rang the doorbell then waited as Pearce made his way to the door. He couldn't even speak he was so surprised. It took him about ten seconds to process that I was there, on the doorstep. Then he tackle-hugged me and still didn't say anything. It was just hysterical laughter. Then Isaac ran over and jumped on me and it was crazy and I might have to go get my back checked out at the doctors :) Just kidding. What a beautiful memory that will always be! Thank You, Lord, for bringing me here safely and giving me this time with my beautiful family! Blessed be Your name!
I can't tell you how amazing it is for me to be home, and all the details that were worked out so last minute and so on. God obviously orchestrated this for a reason. Today we are doing several things in remembrance of Dad. We are going to go and visit his grave for a while as a family. That will be lovely since it is such a beautiful day outside. Then we will go to Corvallis High School where we will have a sort of assembly for all the students who knew Dad, and some of their families, etc. We will be giving them oatmeal raisin cookies, which were Dad's favorites. Thanks to Mom's bible study for making those...you guys are so awesome! And then we have a couple other things running around through our heads. We'll see how it all plays out. Its just so nice being here with all my bothers and Mom...we haven't been all together since our vacation to Palm Springs. So yeah, Blessed be the name of the Lord! He is good, and awesome, and majestic, and beautiful and I love him and trust him with my whole life. And he is watching out for my family while I am learning about him. How wonderful it is to serve a God like Him.
Much love!
Mikaela Alexander
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Ventana Craziness
The last two weeks have been non-stop business! Last week all of us students were split up and sent to stay with different Mexican families from our church. I stayed with an older couple named Pedro and Lupe. Pedro was the leader of our Culiacan trip, and I knew him and his wife before just randomly staying at their house, which was nice. But it was awkward nevertheless….I finally got to really see how different the culture is here, and how differently they live. We as Americans are so centered on doing, doing, doing, and having everything sanitary, and sleeping in, and so on. It was so strange because I woke up at about six thirty every morning to do nothing. I woke up, ate the breakfast Lupe had prepared for me (which was often something with bologna), swept and mopped her little house, sat down for like half an hour and did nothing, got into the car and drove to visit Lupe’s mom, sat at her mom’s house and pretended not to understand when they talked about me in Spanish, went home, at lunch, took a nap, got up and watched telenovelas (soap operas…they are sooo popular here!) and then talked to the visitors that came over every once in a while, then went to bed at around seven thirty or eight. I love Pedro and Lupe. They were very sweet and funny and genuinely cared about me and the rest of the Ventana students. They know us all well because Pedro is our maintenance man on campus.
Some funny experiences during my house stays: once I ate spaghetti for breakfast…it was wack. And then some neighbor lady who always popped in and out of the house came in and watched me try to mop. Then she just shook her head and said “No…no.” Then she took the mop out of my hands and just started going at it vigorously. It was so funny. But I have now learned the proper mopping technique, so feel free to call me up when I’m home J Lupe also told me that I should just stay in Porvenir forever…and that I could live with them. The funny thing was that they were semi-serious. That just shows what kind of people the Mexicans are…they care more about people and the relationships that they have with each other than their schedule or comfort. This is definitely something that I have had to adjust to since the American culture is so different. Oh yeah…their shower did not have running water…so I used a bucket. And the drain was right over the sewage system so it smelled like yucky things in there. I’m glad I have that experience under my belt now…I feel like I can almost do anything now J So yeah, that was my house-stay experience in a nutshell.
Then this week we had our last Camp Ventana, and it went so well. I got to watch God move powerfully again…I just love it. There are always these certain students that all of us Ventaneros feel are being specially called by God, and so we pray for them, and talk to them, and pour as much of us as we can into them, and then God just does the rest…He has brought many high school students to tears as they realize that they can’t do it on their own, that they need to give every single one of their dreams or expectations up to their Creator. I am so stoked on hearing from them all as they continue to grow. And that I get to do this for the whole summer…that’s right…I applied for and was offered a position counseling high school and middle school students at Mt. Hermon Christian Camp in Santa Cruz, California! I have felt God calling me there for these past two years, and though it is going to be so hard being away from my family for another three months, I know that God is pushing me to go there and continue to grow and encourage others to grow. It’s the passion that God placed on my heart and I am so so so blessed that I get to go and pursue it. Praise God!
Just a bit more…sorry this is getting long. I would like to place before you guys some brief history’s of some of the families here in Porvenir and how God is moving through them despite all odds. The first family I would like to share about is one that I have never personally met…the Herrera family. This is a family of six, parents and their four boys, who moved from Porvenir to Morocco (the tenth hardest city to spread the gospel in). About a month ago the four boys had tomatoes and onions thrown at them because they did not believe in Allah. For the parents, this was a very painful experience since they had packed up the little that they had, walked away from the town that they had grown up in, and went off to some hard-core Muslim country to fulfill the calling of Jesus Christ. If you guys could keep them in your prayers, they are trying to get permanent residency there because they are so confident that God put them here for a reason. The second family I would like to “introduce” to you guys is one that is actively involved in ministry with the youth of Porvenir. Geo and Pati are a beautiful young couple with a little daughter named Stephanie. They co-lead the youth group for our church and put so much time and effort in as well as working their small movie rental store in the neighboring town. They also take in teenagers who have horrible family lives. They have taken in three in the past, and now one of my best friends here, a girl named Leti, is living with them. She had a very hard family life and Pati fought hard to help her get away from it. Leti has been living with them for two years and they have been paying for her schooling with money they barely scrape together. They make sacrifices so that they can send Leti to the best school in the area, and they treat her like a daughter even though she is free to leave whenever she wants. Geo just recently went on a missions trip down to Southern Mexico. To show you how amazing he is, he was prepared to get on the plane with no more than twenty dollars in his pocket, he was so faithfully trusting God to provide for him. He was not going to be able to get a hotel room or anything…so then God provided money for him right before he left through an outrageously productive day at their video store and a check from a stranger. Praise the Lord!
I just wanted to give you all a little taste of the company that I am keeping here…pretty amazing huh? I see these people with barely anything just living totally and completely for God. It’s awesome. And it makes me want to be a radical Christ-follower. Thanks for reading, you guys! Love you all and for those of you in Corvallis…I’ll be seeing you soon ;)
Love,
Mikaela
Some funny experiences during my house stays: once I ate spaghetti for breakfast…it was wack. And then some neighbor lady who always popped in and out of the house came in and watched me try to mop. Then she just shook her head and said “No…no.” Then she took the mop out of my hands and just started going at it vigorously. It was so funny. But I have now learned the proper mopping technique, so feel free to call me up when I’m home J Lupe also told me that I should just stay in Porvenir forever…and that I could live with them. The funny thing was that they were semi-serious. That just shows what kind of people the Mexicans are…they care more about people and the relationships that they have with each other than their schedule or comfort. This is definitely something that I have had to adjust to since the American culture is so different. Oh yeah…their shower did not have running water…so I used a bucket. And the drain was right over the sewage system so it smelled like yucky things in there. I’m glad I have that experience under my belt now…I feel like I can almost do anything now J So yeah, that was my house-stay experience in a nutshell.
Then this week we had our last Camp Ventana, and it went so well. I got to watch God move powerfully again…I just love it. There are always these certain students that all of us Ventaneros feel are being specially called by God, and so we pray for them, and talk to them, and pour as much of us as we can into them, and then God just does the rest…He has brought many high school students to tears as they realize that they can’t do it on their own, that they need to give every single one of their dreams or expectations up to their Creator. I am so stoked on hearing from them all as they continue to grow. And that I get to do this for the whole summer…that’s right…I applied for and was offered a position counseling high school and middle school students at Mt. Hermon Christian Camp in Santa Cruz, California! I have felt God calling me there for these past two years, and though it is going to be so hard being away from my family for another three months, I know that God is pushing me to go there and continue to grow and encourage others to grow. It’s the passion that God placed on my heart and I am so so so blessed that I get to go and pursue it. Praise God!
Just a bit more…sorry this is getting long. I would like to place before you guys some brief history’s of some of the families here in Porvenir and how God is moving through them despite all odds. The first family I would like to share about is one that I have never personally met…the Herrera family. This is a family of six, parents and their four boys, who moved from Porvenir to Morocco (the tenth hardest city to spread the gospel in). About a month ago the four boys had tomatoes and onions thrown at them because they did not believe in Allah. For the parents, this was a very painful experience since they had packed up the little that they had, walked away from the town that they had grown up in, and went off to some hard-core Muslim country to fulfill the calling of Jesus Christ. If you guys could keep them in your prayers, they are trying to get permanent residency there because they are so confident that God put them here for a reason. The second family I would like to “introduce” to you guys is one that is actively involved in ministry with the youth of Porvenir. Geo and Pati are a beautiful young couple with a little daughter named Stephanie. They co-lead the youth group for our church and put so much time and effort in as well as working their small movie rental store in the neighboring town. They also take in teenagers who have horrible family lives. They have taken in three in the past, and now one of my best friends here, a girl named Leti, is living with them. She had a very hard family life and Pati fought hard to help her get away from it. Leti has been living with them for two years and they have been paying for her schooling with money they barely scrape together. They make sacrifices so that they can send Leti to the best school in the area, and they treat her like a daughter even though she is free to leave whenever she wants. Geo just recently went on a missions trip down to Southern Mexico. To show you how amazing he is, he was prepared to get on the plane with no more than twenty dollars in his pocket, he was so faithfully trusting God to provide for him. He was not going to be able to get a hotel room or anything…so then God provided money for him right before he left through an outrageously productive day at their video store and a check from a stranger. Praise the Lord!
I just wanted to give you all a little taste of the company that I am keeping here…pretty amazing huh? I see these people with barely anything just living totally and completely for God. It’s awesome. And it makes me want to be a radical Christ-follower. Thanks for reading, you guys! Love you all and for those of you in Corvallis…I’ll be seeing you soon ;)
Love,
Mikaela
Monday, March 23, 2009
Youth Groups Are So Fun!
Wow! We had nineteen students come down from a church in Arizona this last week, and it was so amazing! This group came despite all the dramatized news about Mexico and all the violent events down here. The group had shrunk drastically in size, so we just got the most dedicated students who really knew that God were calling them down here. And let me tell you, the Holy Spirit moved. I got to meet a couple students that are for sure doing Ventana next year, and that was beyond awesome. I love watching students come and dedicate their weeks to serving the people of Porvenir. God just really likes to begin to put cracks in the walls that they have built around their hearts; walls of pride, or hurt, or just plain selfishness. Its so funny to see them realize that this life is not all about them, but about loving and giving glory to God. Praise the Lord for Camp Ventanas and the ways that they impact people's lives.
Just something for everyone to keep in their prayers...Ventana is continuing to have financial problems, and Doug and Carrie and their boys just really need prayer. They sacrificed everything they had to start this ministry for God, and its been a hard four years trying to get it off the ground. People have been so generous, and really, the Vom Steeg family is continuing to make sacrifices to keep it going, and so are all us students...just pray that Ventana can continue to impact the world by preparing servants and warriors for Christ. I didn't know how unprepared I was for college, for life in general, before I came on this trip, and I know that my faith was so shaken by what happened to Dad, that I might have just become one of the statistics of a Christian youth who lost her faith during her first year in college. Now, I know what I believe in, why I believe it, and how to support my faith with Scripture. Praise God for all the things in my life He has radiacally changed. Lets pray that this kind of change can continue to move through hundreds of other young students through out the years to come! Thanks everybody!
God bless you all, and thank you for keeping up with me on this amazing journey that God has led me through. Wow, God is so GOOD!
Just something for everyone to keep in their prayers...Ventana is continuing to have financial problems, and Doug and Carrie and their boys just really need prayer. They sacrificed everything they had to start this ministry for God, and its been a hard four years trying to get it off the ground. People have been so generous, and really, the Vom Steeg family is continuing to make sacrifices to keep it going, and so are all us students...just pray that Ventana can continue to impact the world by preparing servants and warriors for Christ. I didn't know how unprepared I was for college, for life in general, before I came on this trip, and I know that my faith was so shaken by what happened to Dad, that I might have just become one of the statistics of a Christian youth who lost her faith during her first year in college. Now, I know what I believe in, why I believe it, and how to support my faith with Scripture. Praise God for all the things in my life He has radiacally changed. Lets pray that this kind of change can continue to move through hundreds of other young students through out the years to come! Thanks everybody!
God bless you all, and thank you for keeping up with me on this amazing journey that God has led me through. Wow, God is so GOOD!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Getting to Know Porvenir
I just wanted to fill you all in on the grand town of Porvenir that all of us Ventaneros are living in. It is a really small, little country-bumpkin town with dirt streets and one main road. "The Mall" is a building with four stores inside of it, but only two are open on a regular basis. There are a few churches here...we live right next door to the big Catholic Church, and our church, Iglesia Cristiana de Porvenir, is an awesome, brightly painted building with several rooms and a kitchen...we eat after every service! I love the people in this town! They are so sweet and loving...very welcoming to us gringos :) We are very involved with the youth group here, and have made several good friends who we hang out with. My mom and the boys got to meet a few of them at church which was really fun for me...cause now all the talk about is how tall my family is! Haha...
We are going to a thing called a CONFRA on Saturday afternoon. A CONFRA is something directed by Pastor Marcos (our pastor) and it normally has about 700 people there. It is geared towards youth, but plenty of adults come too. It is just a big youth rally for the Christian youth here to come together and worship God. It is really awesome, this will be our second one since we've been here.
We got two Ventana puppies while we were in Culiacan and they both got sick about two weeks ago. They apparently had Parvo...which is a deadly disease common among dogs who don't have their shots. Someone accidentally gave Carrie the wrong information about when the shots were supposed to be given...so now we only have one puppy. Sunny, our little lightening bolt died on Tuesday morning between 12-2 a.m. Rachel and I had been nursing her all day on Monday, checking up on her every 45 minutes to an hour, and even got up every hour during the night, but she was just too dehydrated and sick for anything to be done. she climbed up onto the boy's porch and died...it was very sad, especailly for Micah, the directors' seven-year-old son, and we had a little memorial service for her. It is a miracle that Sunny's sister, Dot, is still alive. She got sick first, but recovered on her own. She is now super lonely since she no longer has her playmate, but is doing fine. We are going to begin trainging her tomorrow. I get to be the first teacher!
Just wanted to give you a picture of what life is like here on a regular basis...I won't be online for another two weeks because we have two youth groups coming down...this next week is a church from Pheonix, Arizona, and the one after that is from Portland, Oregon. We are very excited! I get to be the game director for the week! Whoo-hoo!
Thanks for your prayers! Much love to everyone!
Mikaela
We are going to a thing called a CONFRA on Saturday afternoon. A CONFRA is something directed by Pastor Marcos (our pastor) and it normally has about 700 people there. It is geared towards youth, but plenty of adults come too. It is just a big youth rally for the Christian youth here to come together and worship God. It is really awesome, this will be our second one since we've been here.
We got two Ventana puppies while we were in Culiacan and they both got sick about two weeks ago. They apparently had Parvo...which is a deadly disease common among dogs who don't have their shots. Someone accidentally gave Carrie the wrong information about when the shots were supposed to be given...so now we only have one puppy. Sunny, our little lightening bolt died on Tuesday morning between 12-2 a.m. Rachel and I had been nursing her all day on Monday, checking up on her every 45 minutes to an hour, and even got up every hour during the night, but she was just too dehydrated and sick for anything to be done. she climbed up onto the boy's porch and died...it was very sad, especailly for Micah, the directors' seven-year-old son, and we had a little memorial service for her. It is a miracle that Sunny's sister, Dot, is still alive. She got sick first, but recovered on her own. She is now super lonely since she no longer has her playmate, but is doing fine. We are going to begin trainging her tomorrow. I get to be the first teacher!
Just wanted to give you a picture of what life is like here on a regular basis...I won't be online for another two weeks because we have two youth groups coming down...this next week is a church from Pheonix, Arizona, and the one after that is from Portland, Oregon. We are very excited! I get to be the game director for the week! Whoo-hoo!
Thanks for your prayers! Much love to everyone!
Mikaela
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