2005 Mexico Mission Trip Journal/files/Mexico/Ministry/Mazatlan 1-22-05 044.jpg

 

Thursday, January 27

Hi there.  Just a quick update before we leave for breakfast.  Nothing new to report from yesterday.  Just continue to pray for the team and our travels today.  It is always a long day when you have so far to travel to get home.  Everyone is excited about everything the Lord accomplished in us and through us during our time here.  The ministry opportunities were amazing and everyone was so blessed by Pastor Ruddy's preaching.  The Lord blessed us with an awesome Team and they worked hard everyday and accomplished everything that was expected of them, and more.

We look forward to seeing everyone on Sunday!

Wednesday, January 26

Well, our work is done!  Actually, our team went above and beyond the work that was required.  They went about eight courses higher than was expected.  The next Team coming in only has 12 men so it will help them out.  We were on the bus and pulling out of the job site at 11.45 a.m.  The Team had breakfast at the site this morning to save time so that they could get out of there early today.

 

This afternoon the Team had free time and went shopping and swimming in the ocean.  It was a drizzly kind of day with temperatures in the mid 70´s.  (It is still better than 10 degrees and snow on the ground! -

Sorry)

 

We will be going for our last dinner tonight at 7.45 p.m. and then back here to pack for our journey home.  Our flight out of here is at 2.05 p.m. so we will need to be at the airport at 12.00 noon.

Tuesday, January 25

Today all of the inside walls were finished.  Tomorrow the Team is going in the morning and will finish up by noon.  They will finish the extra 8 courses on the two outside end walls that I mentioned yesterday.  Andy Stonesifers little gadget registered 102.2 degrees at the job site today.  The suntans-burns are coming along nicely.  Please don´t save any snow for us - we are not interested!  Thanks for the thought.

 

Service last night (Monday) was phenominal.  Pastor preached a great word on generational blessings and the families that came forward weeping was amazing.

Monday, January 24

The Team moved the block into the building today and began the inside walls.  It was expected that they would complete about 5 of the inside walls today and the remaining 1 or 2 tomorrow (I'm unclear if there is 6 or 7 inside walls).  (Another change - there is 1,400 inside block, not 800 that I noted in my last e-mail - sorry, I only report what the missionary tells me and that seems to change with the wind.)

 

The team will also be adding 8 more courses of block on the outside end walls.  Since they are so far ahead, they thought it would be nice for them to add the block now since the next team in March is only a team of 12 men.

 

The service last night (Sunday) was another great service.  Pastor Ruddy preached on how Jesus is in the middle of every circumstance in our lives.  Barabbas could have actually said that Jesus died for him first.  Many were saved again and we had great prayer around the altar with all of the people that came forward.

 

Tonight we will be at the same church (Christian Auditorium - Pastor Fetherico Perez).  We expect to see about 11 churches represented tonight.  Pastor will be preaching on generational blessings, how we need to work at passing things on to the next generation so that they are blessed.  They are going to make dinner for us after the church service in the church social hall upstairs.

 

Last night and again tonight, we took candy and toys for the children and it was a joy to see how they responded.  It does not take much to bless the people.

 

Well, we pray that all is well and the snow is melting and we will come home to 90-degree weather like the weather we are having here (sorry!  But it is wonderful!).

Sunday, January 23

The Team had free time on Saturday and then had a service again last night.  Many, many individuals were saved, healed, delivered, and baptized in the Holy Spirit. There was a sweet presence of the Holy Spirit in that church.

 

Tonight and tomorrow should be great opportunities in ministry in both the evening services.  Eleven churches may be represented Monday night.  It will be great for all of the pastors to come together.  You know Pastor Ruddy, he will have an awesome message that will certainly provoke a response.

 

Everyone is doing great.  Those who were not feeling well are beginning to come around and feel a bit better.

 

Tell everyone we say hello but we are enjoying the sun!

Saturday, January 22

On Saturday some of the team (12 men) went fishing with Missionary David Smith at 7.00 a.m. morning.  The remainder of the team is going to meet this morning at 9.30 a.m. for breakfast and then will have some free time until we head to church at 4.00 p.m. for dinner.  The church is having a cookout for the Team before service. Service begins at 7.00 p.m.  

 

The weather has been beautiful. It has been in the mid-eighties but the sun seems to hide behind the clouds just when it seems to be sweltering on the job site. God has been so good and continues to pour out His love, joy, grace, and mercy on the Team.

 

On Monday, January 24th the inside walls will be laid. There will be 7 inside walls and that will be about 800 block. It looks like the job may be totally complete on Monday. There may be some small things to do on Tuesday, but it looks like Monday may top it off.

Friday, January 21

On Friday the  Team finished up pouring concrete down through the block and putting the rebar down through the concrete. They prepared the floor for the concrete that was to arrive at noon (it was originally supposed to come at 10.00 a.m. but that changed).  The pump truck was cancelled because it was decided that with such a big team everyone could wheel the concrete in with wheel barrows!  What fun that was!  At 12.30 p.m. the first truck of 5 arrived.  The work began. 

 

There were about 7 wheelbarrows lined up and the men lined up and when one man had a load the next stepped up and off he went and then the next and the next......it was amazing but boy, it was hard work and the sun was blazing and it was hot!  After the first truck was unloaded, it took one hour for the 2nd to arrive.  That tested their patience but they passed that test with flying colors!  They basically wheeled concrete from 12.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. with minor breaks between the other loads, maybe 10 - 15 minutes.  The Team left the job site at approximately 6.00 p.m. to travel back to the hotel. They met for dinner at 7.00 p.m.  

Thursday, January 20

By noon today there was a total of 3,000 block laid, all of the windows and doors are roughed in, all 4 outside walls were complete, the center bearing wall inside was done, and before they leave the jobsite today at 4.30 p.m. they will prepare the floor for 35 cubic yards of concrete which is coming Friday morning at 10.30. 

On Monday the Team will be putting up the inside walls and finishing things up.  There will be 4 classrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 office (or kitchen - this is still up for discussion), and one conference room.

Wednesday Night, January 19

The Team split up into two groups (Bethel went one way and State College went the other) and ministered in two different churches.  Pastor Ruddy and the Bethel Team went to Pastor Feterico Perez’s church (Christian Auditorium).  This is the pastor who the Team is building the Bible School for.  It was an awesome service and the power of God fell in a mighty way.  Pastor Ruddy shared how important it is for parents to speak blessings over their children and what an impact that can make in their lives.

 

People were saved, healed, delivered, and set free by the Power of God.  The team began to pray for a few people and when they opened their eyes they realized that the entire church came for prayer.  Mothers and their children were seeking the face of God, fathers were crying out in repentance, and teenagers were laying on their faces on the concrete crying out for more of God.  It was overwhelming and life-changing.

 

The State College team went to Pastor Gabriel's church and Jim McDonald preached and they said that the power of God fell on that service as well.  Continue to pray for our other services – Friday night, Saturday night, Sunday night, and the Pastors of the area churches and their congregations are all coming together for a service on Monday night.

 

Wednesday, January 19

The Team gathered for breakfast at 7:00 a.m. at a local diner and then headed to the job site.  They began the day with a time of praise and worship unto the Lord and a time of prayer and then the work began.

By 1:00 p.m. the Team had assembled 21 sets of scaffolding and was WELL ahead of schedule with laying the block.  It is expected that at the end of today (4:30 p.m.) that they will have approximately 1,500 blocks laid.  They have most of the windows and doors already roughed-in.

In addition to the great team of 18 men from Bethel and the 10 men from State College, there are also 2 Mexicans helping to lay block and 2 helping with the labor.  We have also met a couple from Canada, Daniel and Kerry MacPherson, who are in Mazatlan celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. They also jumped in and are helping at the job site.

Tuesday, January 18

The Team had another great flight and landed in Mazatlan, Mexico at approximately 12:15 p.m.  The Team had dinner and went to go check out the job site where they had a time of devotion and prayer.

Monday, January 17

The team got off to a great start. See the picture above? They look ready don't they? That's Pastor Ruddy hiding in the back. The Team stayed in Denver overnight and had a 9:20 a.m. flight out on Tuesday morning.