Mission Trips
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Mission Trip to Oaxaca - Sept./Oct. 2000! Wow! I thought I was on a mission trip when I came here to Zacapu, MX! After the trip to Oaxaca, it feels like the States here! I�d have to say that Oaxaca was a "real" mission trip.
Chacho told me on the way that after the trip, it�ll feel like a train ran over you. He was right! We were so washed out after giving spiritually, emotionally, and physically, that it wasn�t even funny! The entire week wa packed with things happening from morning to night. Some days I couldn�t even find time to read my Bible! But the LORD really worked.
We had at least one service every day. We often had teaching in the morning or encouraged a pastor or who knows what. After the services, we�d pray for people for healing, etc. The presence of God was so real, like I haven�t felt in so long. Many people were healed.
I�m learning to be prepared "in season and out of season". Chacho would ask me to greet the people with a few words or whatever the LORD showed me to say. Praise the LORD! He is faithful and always gave me the words to say!
To give you the best account of the trip, I�ll post part of my journal here for you.
Tues. Sept 26 - A.M.
Chacho & I travelled all day yesterday. We arrived here in Acapulco late afternoon. It is so beautiful here! I went swimming in the Pacific Ocean for the first time in my life last night! God, You are so good to me.
Thurs. Sept 28
Wow! Today is Thursday. This week has been awesome. This is a real mission trip! We arrived here in Tacubaya, Oaxaca Tues. afternoon. We visited some people and I played "futbol" (soccer) with a boy in the dirt street. Then we caught a ride on a truck to another village about 10 miles up in the mountains. It�s hot and humid here as we are only a few miles from the coast. Transportation was a pickup truck with a box on the back and a tarp over the top. We crammed about 20 people in there! At least 4 of us stood on the back bumber because it was packed inside. (including me, �cause I wanted some pictures and it was more exciting!)
That night, Tues., we had meetings there in Naranjo. The Holy Spirit fell and many asked to receive the Holy Spirit. We were speaking in tongues for probably an hour straight or more. Wow! What and experience. There were only about a dozen people, but I could feel the presence of God like I can�t put into words. We left the church around midnight and went over to a brother�s house to spend the night. (p.s. shower, clean clothes, toothbrush, comb, deodorant, forget it!) After some sweetbread and cafe, we went to "bed". I slept on the floor with some of the brothers since there was only 1 bed. I tried not to think about the huge cockroaches I�d seen running through the dishes on the "counter" or the other critters that might enjoy a cozy bed with me. (There were no doors except on the front of the house. The back was wide open.)�Gloria a Di�s! We got to sleep about 1:00 A.M.
5:00 came mighty early the next morning. We caught one of the few trucks that goes up there at 5:30 and it dropped us of at a village partway down the mountain. We walked in the dark down a path to another brother�s house. I was so tired, I couldn�t hardly think. I crawled into a hammock and tried to get some sleep while they talked. I don�t know how they can keep going like that!
After a bit, Ram�n wondered if we wanted to see a waterfall to take a bath and get some pictures. Sure, let�s go! I had no clue that Chacho, Marcos, Ram�n, and I would be walking barefoot for litterally several miles down cowpaths and through rivers to get there. I can�t remember how many times we crossed rivers. (Still in my only set of clothes.) I took my shirt off and put my wallet, camera, passport, SS card and birthcertificate in there. (I always carried ID with me.) I carried that little bundle over my head as if my life depended on it. I don�t know what would have happened if I�d have lost my passport, etc. I guess I�d be Mexican! One river was a little deeper than my waist and very strong. I had to fight to keep it from wiping me under. We were all laughing so hard! ---We have to go pray! I�ll continue ASAAP!
Fri. Sept 29
After our adventures in the rivers, we ate at Ram�n�s. (Yes, we did see the waterfall. It was pretty!) This was real Mexican food....hot, fresh milk and all!
Sat. Sept 30
My, I can�t find time to keep up on my journal. We go non-stop from morning to night.
After breakfast at Ram�n�s on Tues., we had a church service where a girl gave her heart to Jesus and 11 said they wanted to get baptized this Sunday! I loved being with the people. I wanted to badly to teach the children or tell a story in Spanish, but I couldn�t. They all wanted to go back to the States with me! Sorry.
We got back to Tacubaya that night and had one of the most awesome services I�ve been in. There�s such a fervency for God. Lot�s of people were healed. PTL! After the service, I talked with the youth for about an hour or so. I wanted to stay with them longer, but we had to leave the next day. Their hearts are so soft and real.
Yesterday, we were all over the place visiting and encouraging people. Then we had church outside last night until we got rained out. The 25 or so of us crammed in a house where we prayed for them all. Then off to a brother�s house to sleep. We rode in the back of a pickup bed that they use to haul animals and got soaked to the bone by the time we made it to the house where about 13 people lived! We talked �til about 2 A.M. then went to sleep.
Tues. Oct. 3
Chacho asked me to share something with the youth Sat. night. I had 15 minutes to prepare! But the LORD spoke through me as I shared out of my heart. It was really awesome!
Sunday we preached at another church and prayed for people. I got diarrea (I can�t spell) real bad. But the LORD is my healer. I am getting back to normal. Monday we travelled back to Acapulco. In Acapulco last night we shopped in a street market. I started talking to one of the salespersons. Chacho was talking to the other and I shared how I was a Christian and read some Bible verses about the harvest being ripe, etc. to her. I explained how I like Mexico because God has put in my heart a desire to preach the Gospel to the people here. It was awesome because I�ve never been able to witness much in total Spanish without an interpreter. I�m always stuck with basic "hi, what�s your name, where do you live, etc." phrases. It was exciting to read Bible verses in Spanish, etc. She was a Christian, but I think it really encouraged her. And so concluded our trip to Oaxaca! I know I wrote alot of unimportant details, but I think there�s several of you who want to go on the mission field. If you�re like me, you want to know, so what�s it actually like? That�s why I�ve put so many little details in. The LORD did so many things in the hearts of the people.
Praise the LORD! All glory, honor, and praise belongs to our God! I�m so thankful to the LORD for allowing me to go on this trip and for those of you who helped make it possible!
I organized my mission trips to Oaxaca by date.
Click on any one below to read about them.
September
2000March
2001May
2002
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