Mazatlan Updates

2009-04-30T20:24:00.000-07:00

Since we are leaving for Destrito Federal on Sunday, we Stephen and I walked down to Wal-Mart today to look for masks but they were all sold out of masks, and they didn't have any thermometers either. The rest of the day we spent more time at the base painting and doing props for their summer VBS. Yesterday Stephen and I traced a palace onto a very large piece of felt(30' x 10') the palace of Nebachunezzer using an overhead projector. It took us about an hour to trace it all and then today the whole team got to paint it. It took close to 4 hours with 7 people painting with sponges today and we still have more to do. It was enjoyable but very very tedious work. As we were finishing, I was mixing some paint to make some green for the palm trees and I set my cup down on the felt and then the wind came and picked up the felt, spilling my green paint onto the canvas! Fortunately it wasn't on the palace itself but on the blank space above the palace wall. We then decided that that exact spot would be a GREAT and PERFECT place to put another palm tree. It ended up turning out really good but it was just one more thing we had to do. And the pastor's wife didn't seem too happy because that palm tree wasn't in the picture she had given us, but she liked it in the end. Then tonight we went back and worked with the youth group that we had worked with last week. It was a time of prayer and worship which went really well! I had a chance to talk to Alejandro some more and really encouraged him to do DTS. He says he's really interested and wants to grow in his faith and not be a hypocrite so hopefully he will do one in the future. Please pray for him that God will show him exactly what he needs to do and that God's love and acceptance are endless and unchangeable.

2009-04-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

Sunday~ We only had a small church service because of the flu but it was still very encouraging and uplifting. After the service, we had a big lunch with everyone out on the grass. Later in the afternoon, we had a team meeting and discussed our situation here in Mexico City. Stephen had talked to the leadership team in Mazatlan and they had brought up the option that maybe we should return to Mazatlan and see how this influenza situation developed and if it got better in a couple weeks then we could return. Our team spent some time in prayer to see what God wanted us to do and almost all of us received verses from God which told us to stay. We received Isaiah 52:12, Psalm 121, 1 Corinthians 15:55-58; 16:13, and 1 Peter 5:8-11. All of these verses confirmed that God wants us here for the time being but Stephen received Proverbs 24:5-6 which reminded us that those in Mazatlan are our authorities so if they feel it would be wise to come home at some point then we should submit to their will. It was really awesome to receive so much confirmation from God and we continue to receive words of confirmation.

Monday~ We were supposed to go to a high school today but since all the schools are closed in Mexico, that fell through. Instead, we were planning on going and doing some dramas at a retirement home but they called at the last minute and cancelled. We ended up painting props for the churches summer VBS. That didn't take too long so we spent the later part of the afternoon playing fubol/soccer with the youth from the church. It's frustrating having all the things we were planning on doing fall through but we are still getting to serve the church.

2009-04-25T20:40:00.000-07:00

Today we had a free day so we spent the day practicing our dramas and hanging out at David's house watching Forrest Gump and playing his Wii. The guy that I met on Thursday night came and hung out with us so I got to know him better and we went out asa a group and got DELICIOUS burritos!! We were hoping to go downtown but with this outbreak of the swine flu we were advised by our hosts to not go out into really public and crowded places. So instead we just hung out in the area. The swine scare down here is really bad, a lot of people are wearing protective masks and tomorrow's church service was even cancelled because of it. If you haven't heard of it, please check it out and pray against it with us. I was researching it today and it's some pretty crazy stuff. That is the biggest prayer request right now, not only for our protection but also that it would be safe enough for us to go out and do ministry and that public events would be reopened.

2009-04-24T17:49:00.000-07:00

Well today was our first full day of outreach. We had breakfast at the church where we have all our meals and then we had a time of intercession with some of the members of the church. Some of the things that we prayed about and that you can keep in your prayers are the health of the city and protection for the church from spiritual attacks. Just recently, there has been an outbreak in the city of a virus that has already affected close to 800 people, 60 of whom have died from it. The government announced last night that all the schools, ranging from preschool through university, will be closed until further notice to help prevent the spread of this disease. No one knows what exactly it is or where it came from, just that they don't want it. It's been really weird seeing some people walking around with surgical masks on to protect themselves. It directly affects us because we were going to go to a high school on monday that has never had any church work done in it and as of now we will not be able to go there and do ministry. And in regards for protection for the church from spiritual attacks, there has been a lot of weird things going on in and around the church lately. Last week, the pastors car was stolen from right outside the church (the police found it today) and also two of the women in the church have had dreams and visions of serpents attacking the church. One lady had a dream that there was a giant snake in the doorway of the church blocking her from entering and in order to enter, she had to fight it off with a sword. So please keep these issues in your prayers.

Today we also picked up trash and had a prayer walk through the neighborhood. It was really good getting both to serve the community and see a little bit more of the area as we were praying. Tomorrow is a free day so we'll be hanging out with one of the guys that we met from one of the local youth groups, so it should be really good!

2009-04-23T16:05:00.000-07:00

I am now officially on outreach! We took the bus last night to Mexico City and now we're just outside the Federal District working with one of the local churches. YWAM Mazatlan does a lot of work with the family that runs this church and they always treat the teams really well. They set up us guys in a house of our own with queen size air mattresses and I'm even sleeping in a room by myself! Tonight we are going to a youth group to do a drama and give some testimonies. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we are getting settled in and also pray blessings over the family we are working with, their name is the Tercero family.

2009-04-22T10:54:00.000-07:00

Well I'm back. To all of you who were worried, I'm still alive. I leave for outreach to mexico city tonight at 7! We get into mexico city tomorrow morning at 10 and then from there we are planning on working with some of the local churches doing whatever they need to us to do. This may range from kids ministry to building projects to working in the prisons. There is going to be a wide variety of things they will have us doing so we will be very busy and the 7 weeks of outreach will go by very fast. We will be in Mexico City five weeks and then we will spend a couple days in Puerto Villarta for a YWAM staff conference and then we will be in Guadalajara for ten days and return to Mazatlan the 10th or 11th of June. I am super excited and can't wait to see what God is going to be doing. The members of my team are Tim, Remey, Amy, Me, and then our leaders are Stephen and Giselle. If you could pray for each of us for unity and a strong team spirit. This will probably be our biggest prayer request for the whole trip but I will update as much as possible with what God is doing and our prayer requests.

2009-02-24T08:38:00.000-08:00

I'm still not feeling very well so I decided to not go into Carnaval last night but to stay at Casa del Marino and be on the intercession team. It was still an amazing night of ministry but just not down inside the gates. We started out praying against family curses that some of the people on the intercession team had histories of in their family and broke those off from them and their children and the generations to come. After that we broke off into teams that were going to go into different areas of Mazatlan and pray. I stayed with the team that wasn't going out so I wouldn't have to walk very much. At first we prayed through the cafe and then went to some of the staff houses to pray for them. Once we got back I saw a boy that I had prayed for before that was mute and I really felt like I was supposed to stay and talk to him. He breaks my heart because he's so cool but he can't talk and is a little mentally retarded too. But I talked to him for awhile and shared the gospel with him using an "evangecube" which is a foldable cube with pictures of the gospel on it. I asked him if he wanted to accept Jesus and he nodded his head so I told him to think the prayer that I recited. After I prayed for him he seemed really excited and it sounded like he was trying to say Padre Christo and then I bought three packs of the gum he was selling and instead of three he gave me a handful. I waited with him while he waited to get his head shaved and had a chance to talk at him a little more. He stayed most of the night so that was pretty much all I did. But the evangelism team that went into Carnaval led 175 people to Christ! That was the most they have ever had in one night and they didn't even have that many on the team. There has definitely been an anointing on this Carnaval, it has been so cool to watch him moving. Please pray for all the people that accepted Christ this weekend that they will come tonight for the carne asada dinner tonight and get plugged in to the churches here.

2009-02-23T14:52:00.000-08:00

Last night was the best night yet! We saw the most conversions that we have seen in a night yet but I had the chance to share the gospel with a man without using a translator and he accepted Christ! I went out with a spanish speaker and another lady that doesn't speak spanish and we started talking with a guy that was sitting by himself. I started the conversation but then he started to ask a lot of questions so I let our spanish speaker, Alma, take over. While I was sitting there, another guy came up and started talking to the girl that doesn't speak spanish. She asked me to translate for her while she shared with him. She started to share and I was translating but then she blanked out and forgot what to say in english so I took over. I shared with him using one of our tracks and he was really receptive. He said that even before we got there he would think about God while he worked and when we came and talked to him it answered a lot of his questions. After he had accepted Christ we had a lot of time to talk to him because Alma was still talking to the other guy. We were able to invite him to worship and the new believers carne asada dinner that we are having on Tuesday and he seemed really receptive so hopefully he follows through. It was really encouraging for me because I was able to talk to him so much and really use my Spanish. As we were leaving I went to the bread stand where the guy I led to Christ works for a snack and to see how he was doing. When I had talked to him Thursday he didn't seem all that excited about Jesus but when I stopped by last night he was talking to a customer and he had his Bible in his hand! I asked if he had been reading it and he said he had been reading the new believers book I had given him. It was really cool for me to see that his commitment had been real to him and that he was trying to learn more. I'm not sure I'm going to be going out tonight because I'm still sick and really don't want to get any worse while I'm walking around outside. So please keep that in your prayers! Thank you everyone for taking interest in what I'm doing and keeping up to date on what God is doing here in Mazatlan.

2009-02-22T15:41:00.000-08:00

Last night I went into Plaza Machado, which is a small plaza close to the street that Carnaval is on. There were a lot of youth there and it was much harder to share in than in Carnaval. The actual plaza was so busy and loud that we had to stay on the side streets. We talked to 11 people and had 4 accept Christ. Everyone in my group was so tired though that we went back an hour early and hung out for awhile. I went to bed at 2:30 and woke up at 8:45, I'm really tired. I'm excited for tonight again though. I'm hoping to take a nap before going out so I should have more energy. Keep me in your prayers please, especially for energy and a willing and open Spirit tonight.

2009-02-21T11:14:00.000-08:00

Last night we went into Carnaval again and this time there was a lot more people. There weren't as many as I thought there would be still but there's supposed to be more tonight. I don't think I'm going to go into the gates tonight though. I think I'm going to go to a Plaza that is a little way from the actual Carnaval. It's where a lot of the youth hang out so I want to check it out and see what it's like. Last night the small group that I was in was able to lead almost 20 people to the Lord and the main group that we were a part of was able to lead 120 people to Christ and were able to minister to 220! God has really opened the heavens for this Carnaval because they have never seen numbers like this in the years past. So far since Carnaval has started close to 570 people have come to Christ. This includes one of the ministry groups from Texas who have gone out into one of the nearby colonials. They go out everyday and do dramas, pass out beans and rice, and have an altar call after they share the gospel. It has been cool to see how much God has blessed this Carnaval so far and we've only had two days! Please keep all the groups in your prayers tonight as we go out again. i'm also going out right now to share with one of the beer vendors that I wasn't able to share with last night because he was so busy selling last night that he didn't have time. He seemed really receptive with the stuff I did share with him so I'm excited to get to finish sharing! I also feel like I'm getting sick so please keep that in your prayers as well.

2009-02-20T11:38:00.000-08:00

Last night was amazing!! We started out with worship which was SOO good. There are so many people here that when everyone worships together it's so cool. We were only planning on worshipping for an hour but it ended up being almost two hours because it was going so good. Everyone was jumping up and down and we even had a mosh pit going. God doesn't care what kind of dancing we do as long as we're worshipping Him. haha I got pushed into it and ended up losing my sandal and had to hop around on my good foot in the middle of the mosh pit. Then after worship they told us that there weren't many people going into Carnaval tonight because they were all on the other side of town for the crowning of Carnaval's king. Because there weren't many people out they told us to come back at 12 instead of 2. We went into the gates anyways but pretty much the only people that were there were the vendors and a few stragglers here and there. I was paired with a lady from Texas who spoke pretty good spanish. As we were walking I felt like we should talk to a guy at a beer booth. Becky, my partner, did all the talking and she talked to him for about 15 minutes and he ended up accepting Christ! From there we kept walking and a little later I felt like we were supposed to talk to a young man that was selling bread. It was my turn to share so I walked up and gave him one of the tracts we had with us and started to talk to him in spanish. Becky helped me a little bit with some translations but I was able to share most of the gospel with him on my own! He had never heard the gospel message before and when I was done sharing after about 10 minutes he also accepted Christ! It was so cool being able to share with someone about Jesus in spanish. It was very encouraging. Once we met with the other people on the evangelism team we had shared with 121 people and 44 had accepted Christ! It was a very good turn out for not even having that many people in Carnaval. We go out again tonight and there's supposed to be A LOT more people so I'll finally get to see what it's going to be like.

2009-02-18T11:45:00.000-08:00

Carnaval starts tomorrow! I'm so excited and can't wait to see what things God has in store for us and this city. Last week we had evangelism classes and went out Thursday night to practice and I was able to help lead 2 people to Christ! It was really cool, nerve-wracking, but exciting. I can't wait to do the same thing for Carnaval on a bigger scale! This week we as a base and with all the extra teams that are here have been focussing on the start of Carnaval and getting all our ministry prep done. Yesterday both DTS, the Sept. school and ours, moved out of the base across the street to an abandoned port-masters/custom house. The building is where we are going to have our cafe and beauty salon ministries. I slept on the floor because I didn't have a sleeping mat and I had security duty from 4 to 6 am. It's safe to say that I slept horribly. But it'll get better, someone is letting me use their extra pad so that'll help. I'll try and update everyday during Carnaval so you all know what's going on and how things are going. Please really keep all of Carnaval in your prayers. The slogan for our outreach is "Changing Mazatlan one party at a time". The goal is that in a few years it'll be a party worshipping God and not the flesh!

2009-02-10T14:27:00.000-08:00

This morning we had the opportunity to commit to which ministry we wanted to be a part of for Carnaval and I felt like I should do evangelism. So when Carnaval comes around next week, I will be on the street evangelism team in the middle of Carnaval. Not only will I be evangelizing, which is something I haven't done too much, but I will be doing it in Spanish. God is really going to be stretching me during Carnaval!! Please pray that my heart will be burdened like God's heart is burdened for the lost and that I am able to be an effective evangelist is Spanish.

2009-02-09T18:54:00.000-08:00

This week for classes we have "Evangelism" which is perfect since next week is Carnaval. I'm really excited about this week. The speaker seems really cool and fun and really has a heart for the lost. It's going to be really good for me since I've always been kinda timid with sharing my faith to strangers. Well we have class right now but I'll update again soon.

2009-02-08T09:07:00.000-08:00

I really enjoyed this week's classes on spiritual warfare! We learned all about principalities, strongholds, forces or darkness, and how spiritual warfare is not specific events or battles but how it is a lifestyle and how we are coming out of victory and for that reason have nothing to fear. It was a really good week and really helped last night at the zone. I was in a group with Tim, Amy, and Keaton and we did a prayer walk for the neighborhood and the evangelism teams that were there. We walked around the same rectangular section of the neighborhood praying for spirtiual walls to be brought down and felt like God told us to do it seven times. It was an amazing time of praying for hope, freedom, and against the enemy. On our last lap, we felt like God was telling us to talk to a group of people that we had passed on ever lap. We were a little nervous since none of us really speak spanish but in the end we overcame our spirit of timidity and I went up to them and started sharing a little bit about Jesus. It was a really cool and encouraging experience for me to be able to share in Spanish and then Amy prayed for them and I was able to translate. God was definitely moving last night and using us!

2009-02-02T13:08:00.000-08:00

This weekend I was a judge for a surf contest that one of the local judges was putting on so I spent the whole weekend at the beach. What a great way to spend the weekend! Between Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I spent 19 hours at the beach, and many of those on top of some scaffolding judging the surfing. It was really fun being a judge, even though I had no idea of what I was judging since I've never surfed in my life. But since I'm from California and look like a surfer, no one ever questioned my ability to judge. Keaton, who is from Texas, and Aaron, who is from Manitoba, Canada, were also judges, even though they haven't ever really surfed either. It was quite the weekend.

Friday night after judging some of us guys went out to churros (which were stuffed with caramel and SOOO good) and then went to his house to watch a guy movie and watch people die and things blow up. It was nice to have a little of that again, it had been awhile. Saturday after the comp I stayed on my bed and watched a movie and did some reading which was very nice and relaxing! And then yesterday a bunch of us went to Isaac's house to watch the Super Bowl. I'm glad they were showing it here but it wasn't the same. All the announcing was in Spanish and they showed local, old commercials instead of all the good ones. That was very disappointing! And also we got a new guy here on base. He's here on outreach from a DTS in Las Vegas and staying downstairs in our room. He seems like an interesting guy and hopefully he'll be able to fit in with everyone here without too much trouble.

This week we're studying spiritual warfare so it should be a very interesting week!

2009-01-29T12:01:00.000-08:00

This week has been pretty crazy and I haven't really had time to get on and update unfortunately, but I can now! The staff have a prayer conference this week in the mornings so instead of having classes in the morning, we have class in the afternoons and evenings. I've really enjoyed the afternoon and evening classes because it's easier for me to stay awake than the morning classes but it has taken away a lot of my time.

Classes have been amazing this week! This week's topic is "Identity in Christ" so we've been learning about how as christians, we are Christ's spirit with a soul in a fleshly body. It has been very interesting and has really opened my eyes to a lot of new concepts. The verse for the week is 2 Corinthians 5:17 and how in Christ we are no longer caterpillars but we have become BUTTERFLIES! It has been a powerful week of freedom for me. She taught us that how in Greek, the word "all" means ALL, including past and future sins and that once we make that one time commitment, all our sins are forgiven and there is no need for guilt. Last night Jodie, our teacher, gave each of us a piece of paper with all the sins that are mentioned in the bible written on it and we went on a "date with Jesus". On that date, I went through the list and marked each sin that I had committed and let Jesus work in my heart and show me how He forgiven me for each of them. Then we went as a team and one by one nailed that paper on a cross and poured red paint over our piece of paper. Afterwards, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders and I felt free! Today is our last day of classes this week and I'm excited to see what more Jodie and Jesus have in store for me.

This weekend should be very exciting because the church that I go to here is sponsoring and holding a surf contest and so most of us here at YWAM are planning on helping. And even though I know NOTHING about surfing, I was asked to be one of the judges! I'm really excited about it and honestly, I'm a little nervous too. But even though I don't know how to judge a surf comp, it should be really fun!

During prayer this morning, a bunch of people prayed that healing would be released on my ankle and it's feeling a lot better but please keep that in your prayers. And also pray for the surf comp this weekend that it would be an effective platform for sharing the gospel to the surfers who come and participate.

2009-01-25T08:49:00.000-08:00

Last night we went to "the zone" which was very interesting. The Zone is kinda like Mazatlan's red-light district where there is a lot of drugs, prostitutes and night clubs. It's not a very big area, just a neighborhood but it was amazing the amount of longing and hurt that was present there. We had the opportunity to talk to a few people, one of whom was a lady that came up to us and asked us if we wanted a party but once we started talking to her she broke down and started crying and is going to church with one of the groups this morning! It was really cool to see God work like that and touch her. We also prayed for a little church that was there and for a family that has always been a big help in that district. Shiloh, the staff that is in charge, told us that the atmosphere there has really improved since YWAM first started coming and is a lot less dark and depressing. It was encouraging to hear that and know that by me being there, I'm playing a part in that change and am helping usher in God's work in that area. Please just keep that area in your prayers and for Juan and Arrelio, two guys we met there and talked to and prayed for.

2009-01-23T19:21:00.000-08:00

As you all know, we had to decide on our outreach location by wednesday of this week and I hadn't received any word from God yet as to where He wanted me to go. I spent many hours seeking an answer and tried NUMEROUS ways to hear his voice and receive signs with no avail. Josh, the school leader, said I needed to let him know today where I was planning on going and I didn't know at class this morning, and then didn't know at lunch, and didn't decided finally until this afternoon. Because I hadn't received any clear word from him where he wanted me to leave to, I felt that I should stay here in Mexico. I know that it's his will for me to be here and I don't want to leave that will unless I'm certain I'm being called somewhere else. I'm a little bummed that I won't be going overseas but at the same time I'm really excited to see how God is going to continue to use me here in Mexico. Thank you all for your prayers and I'll make sure to keep everyone updated on who goes and what happens with it.

2009-01-21T18:37:00.000-08:00

Today has been a really good day for me and God but it was still challenging for me and is continuing to push my faith. During class this morning Harmony, the speaker, had some very encouraging and powerful prophecies for my life and who I am in Christ. Through these words I really felt God speaking into my life and strengthened my desire to do great things for His kingdom in the future. Then later in class, students had the opportunity to have the other students prophecy over them and once again, the Lord shared some very encouraging and much needed words with me. One of them was about how I would be like Hezekiah and it was later confirmed during my quiet time when I turned to the story of Hezekiah twice, once in 2 Chronicles and once in Isaiah. It was a really cool way to confirm what God had spoken to me earlier. The challenging part came because today was the day that our outreach locations were due and I spent a lot of time with God and He didn't reveal to me where he wanted me to go. Josh told me that I can let him know tomorrow. So keep praying that I find out where He wants me to go on outreach. Thanks!

2009-01-19T13:35:00.000-08:00

This morning we started lectures on hearing the voice of God and I am so excited for this week! Our speaker, Harmony (she's staff here) seems like an amazing woman of God and really in tune with his will and heart. Already she has spoken specifically to several students in class about God's heart for them and what they will be marked by in their faith. She said that one student will prophesy about nations and to leaders of nations, one of the guys will be an authority on intimacy with God and another will do the impossible through fasting. It was a really encouraging time and I am SO excited to see where this week will lead us as a school and me individually. She also made the comment that all the staff see something special in our school and believe that God has marked our school for great things. I'm excited to see how this will all play out and how I will fit into this special plan of His. And that was all in only the first class!

2009-01-18T11:24:00.000-08:00

On thursday night our school leader announced our outreach options and we have the option of Mexico, Brazil, or China. We have to decide by Wednesday so this weekend and early next week I will be praying about where God wants me to go for my outreach. We split the team into the three locations so we won't be going as a whole team to one location. Please pray that I am open to God's guiding where he wants me to go and not where I want to go.

On Friday night some of us guys went camping on the beach! It was so much fun! We BBQ'd some meat for quesadillas for dinner and slept under the stars. It was such an amazing trip. The sunset was so beautiful as was the sunrise the next morning. We had a great time of bonding as guys as we fished, swam, and went nighttime skinny dipping. I really feel like we all got closer as a team and as brothers during this trip. And on top of that it was a great time of relaxation and enjoying God's creation.

This next week we're having lectures on hearing the voice of God which couldn't come at a better time since we have to decide out outreach choices this week. I've been praying about it so far and haven't had any direction yet so I'm excited to see how God is going to speak to me.

2009-01-15T16:35:00.000-08:00

This morning we had a video conference with YWAM bases from all over the Americas and listened to the YWAM president give a short encouraging message. It was cool to be connected like that to all the other bases from different areas in the States and the Pacific and Mexico. Then we had class again and Brent talked about the prodigal son and how God will always seek us out and welcome us back because he loves us so much. Then after lunch I met with Stephen (one of the staff) for my one on one and we talked about how things are going so far for me and how I'm getting along with my roommates. And right now I'm going to a "Treasure Island" themed engagement party for Isaac Vargas and his fiance Arey. Everyone is dressing up and the patio is all decorated, it should be fun!!!

2009-01-14T19:16:00.000-08:00

Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve left a new post, I guess that just means that I’ve got a lot more stuff that I can now post! And sorry for the long length, I promise it’s all interesting!

Sunday I went to a “surfer church”. It was a very casual church where we sat on couches and drank coffee, things that I’m not used to in a church setting. The service was good but unfortunately I couldn’t understand most of the sermon because it was in Spanish but I was able to catch the jist of it so it wasn’t too bad. Later that afternoon I was finally able to get some needed necessities, like a towel, pillow, blanket and shampoo of my own. Nothing too exciting but they made me happy. Haha You know I’m living the simple life when a towel makes me happy (at least it was orange!). Then after that exciting trip, we watched the Little Rascals which was surprisingly a lot of fun. I forgot how good that movie is!

Monday we had another amazing worship session in the morning and then it was the first official day for classes. However, the Holy Spirit had different plans for us and we didn’t get much class time in. At first we were going around the circle sharing about our families and what brought us to the DTS but as we shared, our speaker, who is the base director, would as us questions that the Holy Spirit laid on his heart. This led to some intense sharing times and as a result we didn’t get to this weeks subject, which is the father heart of God, till that nights class. That night Brent talked about how God’s love for us as a father and how he desires to help us unload all the hurts and worries that we carry around everyday. He is a really good speaker and uses excellent illustrations to communicate his message.

Yesterday we had intercession in the morning, which once again, was a new and amazing experience. Until Carnaval, we are praying for certain themes that God has laid on hearts of the staff and this last week was “Doors”. My team was specifically praying the door of selfishness would be broken down and replaced with a spirit of generosity. We felt like God was telling us to pray outside and once we were outside, he led us to a number of locations which we prayed over. We prayed for a couple churches that they would join YWAM’s vision for Carnaval and prayed against a tarot card-reading house. I have never really depended so much for direction from the Holy Spirit which was really cool! Then we had another Spirit led time of sharing with the team and lots of people shared about people they need to forgive which led to more healing and intense sharing. God had been doing a lot of work in our team already!!

2009-01-09T21:45:00.000-08:00

Well I'm done with my first official week here in Mazatlan. At first it was hard but now I love it here! The people are amazing and the city is beautiful. So far so good.

Today we had a beach day and the whole base took the vans to a really nice beach just outside of the city. We played some games and swam (in water that is warmer than Monterey's) which was very nice. And then this evening I went to Isaac Vargas' house tonight and watched a movie and I was the only one who didn't speak spanish. Let's just say it was a good cultural experience. haha I listened to a lot of spanish and learned that mexicans talk a lot and make quite a few comments about the movie. I'm used to people being quiet during movies so it was an ethnic experience. Mr. Pacheco, if you're reading this, you should be proud. You taught me well about respecting different cultures.

Yesterday we learned about the carnaval that is here in Mazatlan in February and I'm so excited! The carnaval is the third largest in the world, after the one in rio and mardi gras. It has close to a million people walk through it and is a huge outreach opportunity. The YWAM base sets up a coffee shop and hair salon and also does street ministry and lots and LOTS of prayer. We started praying over it yesterday and it's forty days from tomorrow. I really feel like God is going to use me and all of us for big things. I can't wait for it to come. It starts February 17th so please keep that in your prayers.

2009-01-06T14:42:00.000-08:00

This morning we had an amazing time of intercession prayer, something that we will be doing every tuesday morning. We split into small groups and then listened to what God would have us pray for and then we prayed for those things in our groups. This afternoon we are going to continue with orientation and they are going to tell us all about our duties on base. And thank you to everyone who helped with my finances! In our meeting last night I learned that I have plenty for the DTS and that I have more coming form El Paso for the Outreach. Please pray for my health, I feel like I'm getting sick and my nose has been stuffed and running since last night. Thank you!

2009-01-05T20:17:00.000-08:00

Well I'm here in Mazatlan now and just got my internet working tonight.

Things have been good so far, kinda rough with the base here but i'm getting used to them. We don't have hot water here on base till next week and the toilet in our bathroom doesn't flush all the way. Besides those minor details things are really good! I love the people here and we're already all so close that it's made being away from home a lot easier, still hard but easier.

The people here are so cool and i love the international feeling that we have here. Here are some short descriptions of some of the team members.

Remey~ we call him frenchy because he's from...well france! and he wears a fanny pack and is really cool and a lot of fun and funny! and he was an extra in Australia and Band of Brothers!! And he has a wallet with a marijuana leaf on it because his mom got in Canada and thought it was a maple leaf. Everything he does is hilarious.
Keaton~ he just graduated from high school in texas and was ranked #2 in the world a few years ago in disc golf!
Tim~ he's 24 and flies helicopters in canada and says "eh" all the time.
There are 4 girls from the netherlands and their english is really funny! they keep getting things wrong
Amy~she is from england and has the cooles accent!
there are also a lot fo people here with australian accents too. they're not on my team but they're here on base.

It's been great getting to know them all and I can't wait to see how God uses us as a team and how our relationships with everyone.

We started orientation today and will continue for the rest of this week and start classes next week. I'm excited to start classes and can't wait to see what they're going to be like.

Please keep praying for my ankle (i sprained it last week before leaving) and that it wouldn't be too hard being away from home. and that relationships here keep developing. Thank you so much for your prayers so far and I'll try and update more often.

2009-01-03T11:07:00.000-08:00

Well the first leg of my trip down to Mazatlan is over. I am sitting in the Phoenix airport waiting for my flight to board. All my good-bye's have been said and it's finally starting to hit me how long six months really is and that I'm really doing this. I'm so excited to see what God has in store for me but at the same time I'm going to miss the people of home, not home itself exactly, just the people. haha

2008-12-20T17:55:00.001-08:00

I leave in exactly two weeks!! It's so weird to think that in 14 days I will be embarking on the biggest adventure of my life!

2008-12-16T11:10:00.000-08:00

Not much has been happening recently with my travel plans except that I'm getting really excited! In less than 3 weeks I will be leaving! I did however want to update everyone on the faithfulness and power of God that has been demonstrated in some of my team members. Amy, who is coming from England, is originally from S. Africa was not sure if she was going to be able to go because she did not have her letter of citizenship that she needed for her passport. The process of getting her letter was taking forever and then she still had to apply for her passport. She received her letter a few weeks ago but because the passport process is so long she was going to have to wait till the 3rd week of January before she would be able to join us in Maz. But through our prayers God intervened and turned what is normally a 2 month process into a few week process and now she is coming at the start of the school! Another way that God has provided in prep for this trip is for Angela who is from MN. She was having trouble raising the necessary funds for her trip and asked the whole team to pray for her that she would be able to raise the $1800 she still needed. And God answered our prayers in only a way that He can. She was sweeping at the restaurant where she works and these two guys from New York, whom she's never met, walked up to her and offered to pay her full balance! Now she has all the money! God is so good!

Please continue to pray for finances for the entire team. Thank you!

2008-12-04T15:34:00.000-08:00

I just bought my plane ticket! I fly out January 3rd at 9 am from San Jose on US Airways with a layover in Phoenix. I then arrive in Mazatlan that afternoon at 3. Please pray for safe travel and that there wouldn't be any problems with the planes.

2008-11-19T16:15:00.000-08:00

Well this is my first post! I've never done a blog before, so I just want to say thank you before I even start. If you're reading this then you probably received one of my support letters. Thank you so much for checking this out. I won't be posting too much stuff between now and January besides updates on my travel plans and final preparations but please continue to check back to see how things are working out and how God is preparing me for this adventure.