A new week in Mexico

Hola! It is Monday in Mexico and our group is working hard to finish the siding on the church. Today is our last day of work. Tomorrow morning we pack up and head back to San Diego to relax and get acclimated to life in the good old United States.

This week our primary job at the church has involved applying he exterior to the church building. It involved putting a wire mesh on the wood and then applying a coat of cement. It has been a dangerous job in that the wire has very sharp edges and it bites. Pastor Michelle volunteered to be the medic before we left and little did she know that her job would be almost as important as mine. She has bandaged everyone on the team at least once and most people have needed to visit her several times. (My job, in case you were wondering, involved driving around Mexicali to get pastries for morning break and any other supplies the team needed. ) We didn't have any major casualties but it was comforting to know that Michelle was there.

Each night we did crafts and games for Vacation Bible School. Our folks enjoyed working with the kids. You will see a few photos in the slide show. On Saturday we worked in the morning ad took the afternoon off to go to the park. The park included a zoo with lions, tigers and bears (oh my!). It also had a crocodile and the fastest turtle we have ever seen.

On Sunday we went to church at Sion, where we worked last year. Mercy preached the message and Pastor Gregorio was given a photo album with pictures from last year's trip. It was nice to be there but the whole experience was in Spanish with just a little translation thrown in here and there. That was hard for most of the group. The lunch was great though. We went to an authentic Mexican Restaurant. It was a Chinese place. With a population of 2 million in Mexicali, the chines population ranks as the largest minority with over 100,000 people. They also have the best restaurants.

In the evening we went to Buen Samaritano where we have been working this year. I preached a message to the adult class and Michelle delivered a message to the children. Our whole group also got a chance to sing Por Tu Amor, a song we learned for the occasion.

IT has been a great week but I think everyone is looking forward to getting home. I'll make one more entry tomorrow from San Diego, but here are a few pictures for you to enjoy. They will give you a taste of our experience.

Cal