Oaxaca 2008

The Last Day

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 19:53:58 -0700

Today was our tour and travel day. We had breakfast at the mission, cleaned up our rooms to get them ready for the next group of visitors, then got the vans packed. Many of us spent some time saying good bye to staff who we got to know through out the week and then there’s always a few tearful good-byes with the kids. We try to remember that they are so well cared for here and truly have all their physical needs being met. The joy that they have shown us this week is certainly proof of that. The Lord is taking great care of these little ones.

Our first stop was the ruins in Mitla, just 15 minutes from the mission. It’s believed that Mitla was occupied from about 200 AD to 1500 A.D. by the Zapotecs and Mixtecs. The Spaniards then destroyed or dismantled the building to use the foundation and bricks from the original city to build a cathedral. The contrast of the ruins lying beneath this 16th century church is an interesting one.

We also had a chance to see a traditional wedding parade and enjoy some shopping at the open market in Mitla. There were many bargains to be had and others enjoyed soaking in the culture and sites.

We loaded in the vans to head to Oaxaca for lunch before our late afternoon flight. The town center (zocalo) of Oaxaca is a bustling one! It appears that any Oaxacan made item can be purchased here. There was local and also American music in the square. The team enjoyed an outdoor lunch and watching a typical day go by in Oaxaca City. Then we had to dash off off to the airport! Given that the Oaxaca airport has all of two terminals, we didn’t have far to go once getting there! Thankfully, our flights were uneventful, we connected fine in Mexico City (with a few adventures that maybe we’ll tell you about in person one day soon!) and arrived in SFO healthy and in one piece.

We need to thank Lynnea and Fairlight from the mission for being our tour guides this week. What a blessing to have locals show us around and keep us safe. It’s my first trip to Mexico without at least one wrong turn. No comments needed from those who have been on one of those past trips :-)

We hope to get the team together again soon to share about what the Lord has done with these experiences back in SF. So much of what we learn impacts us more on our return that during our week. It is always exciting to see!

Thank you for sharing in this experience with us. Please keep the FFHM and Cornerstone missions in your prayers.

Friday @ The Mission

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 19:53:42 -0700

One of the traditions at FFHM is to have the visiting groups lead Sala on Fridays. Manny led the group in worship (and translation) and several of us shared about our experience this week. The general theme of our message was one of thanks and praise for these servants who have chosen to make such sacrifices for the Lord. We thanked the mission staff, said a blessing over them and prayed for them.

It was our last day and a busy one! We tried to get as much done as possible before departing. The guys were very excited about pressure washing the sidewalks on the mission grounds. There were plenty of other jobs to go around!

After work assignments, lunch, finishing up our jobs and getting packed, we went to a local restaurant for an early dinner. They had a traditional mill stone just like in Old Testament time with a donkey pushing it to grind the agave cactus for making mezcal. Getting off the mission grounds gives us a chance to connect as a team and talk about our experiences. God has been working in so many ways.

We returned to the mission to babysit the kids who live at the mission. The staff rarely gets a chance to refresh and rejuvenate. We were happy to give them the time and it was a great excuse for us to bless them. Of course, we enjoyed the being with the kids! It’s always so hard to say good bye as our last day approaches.

Thursday @ The Mission

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:07:00 -0700

As the week comes to a close, it doesn’t seem possible that we leave in just a couple of days. We will miss the beauty of this place and the hospitality of their people. It has been a very different experience from previous trips to the FFHM mission in Baja, Mexico. The Oaxaca mission is not quite 10 years old and is still getting many areas of ministry established. It turns out that we were the very first visiting group that joined the mission staff for local outreach. We are honored to be part of something that we pray will continue to bear fruit.

After breakfast today, we were waiting for Sala to begin. The children were outside waiting for the school bus and one of the house moms began leading them in worship. Watching them sing “Jesus Loves Me” will be one of my many memories of this trip.

The mission chooses to send some of the kids to private school. Of course, it’s costly but allows them to get a good, consistent education. The strikes are so common here that last year, some of the schools were closed for the entire season! Of course, kids have to repeat that year of school. If you have any desire to inquire about sponsoring one the children at the mission, visit the Children’s Sponsorship page at www.ffhm.org. FFHM is 100% supported by private donations, contributions and time.

Today the entire team completed the extreme tree trimming. In the afternoon, some also finished organizing the donations in the clothing rooms and there was some general maintenance of the mission. Now we can drive on the road without the trees attacking the vans!

Our day ended with worship around the bonfire - with smores, of course. Doesn’t get better than that!

Wednesday @ The Mission

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:06:52 -0700

Today started as all days do here with Sala at 8:00am, (living room in Spanish). It is our daily church service. It is always so wonderful to start the day with God in this community. Today’s message was on Psalm 23. Edgar, the director of outreach gave the message and reminded us of what is means to be ambassadors of Christ. It made me think about our our community in San Francisco and the responsibility we have to share God’s love and hold one another accountable to living a life that reflects His heart. It was also a very appropriate start to our day here.

The first half of the day was spent with with a variety of projects for the mission. There was organizing donations, some extreme tree trimming (involving 2 foot shears and a machete), fixing computers and printers, and taking care of the children in the cuna (nursery).

We had two outreach activities today. Half the group went to the Oaxaca Prison and the other half went to one of the villages near by.

The group that did prison outreach had some time of worship, shared testimonies, and prayed over about 20 men and women prisoners. It was a very powerful experience. Some of the prisoners approached the group and shared their own Bible versus with those who shared testimonies. They were truly touched by the Holy Spirit and some accepted Christ into their hearts. The Lord really used our team to deliver encouraging words to these people and share God’s love. Praise God!

The other group went to a small village about 30 minutes from the mission and we arrived just after dark. While the mission outreach team set up the movie “Facing the Giants”, we had some time to play with the children and talk with the adults. The movie was shown in their church building. Some greeted us with “Dios de bendiga” - God bless you. About 80 people watched the movie, with a mixture of children and adults. We had a short intermission and served hot chocolate (a Oaxacan speciality, served with a bit of cinnamon here) and fresh rolls. After the movie, Edgar shared the Gospel with these people. We also brought vegetables to give to the families and small toys for each child.
What was surprising about this community was that they were within just a few miles from many available resources. We looked down from their mountain at a city full of lights. Yet this place had no electricity or running water. Their homes and the church were built of metal shingles and had dirt floors. Yet they were such humble, modest and gracious people. We had to insist that they take all the food and leave nothing for us to bring back.

For each community that we have visited in the past, I try to remember the face and name of at least one child. Tonight it was Jorge. He was a precious 3 year old boy, one of seven siblings.

Please keep the prisoners at Oaxaca prison, this community near Oaxaca, and Jorge and his family in your prayers.

Tuesday @ The Mission

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:12:21 -0700

Today was Independence Day in Mexico so staff here had the day off. We started with a casual breakfast at a local restaurant and it was a great time for the team to connect.

Some of the team spent the rest of the day helping with general maintenance of the mission grounds. They did get a ton done and are honored to serve the mission and staff in the small and big ways. Debi gave haircuts to the teenage girls at the mission. She’s added outer beauty to their already existing inner beauty! Kim and Maria sorted all the donations we brought to get them ready to be distributed to the mission and community. My day was spent with some of the children here. I’ve been tremendously touched by their generosity. They flock to Amelia, immediately giving kisses, hugs and picking her up to meet their friends. One girl went back to her home to bring her back a piece of candy from their pinata last night. I watched her share the little she had without a second thought. Amelia gladly took it without realizing the the gift she’d received. What an example of Christ we can see in these little children.