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It was chilly and rainy this morning as we headed out from the base toward Anthony’s house in Gentilly. We had a laundry list of to-dos:

– Install soffit in the front porch roof – Caulk, caulk, caulk – Clean out the garage – Rearrange the contents of the monster dumpster – Install trim beneath the side door – Replace a damaged roof shingle – Prep the ceramic bathroom floor for sealing (we plain ran out of time to actually seal the floor) – Install a dryer vent – Touch up paint in the bedrooms

I took more notice of the neighborhood today. On many houses, you can see a water line a few feet below the roofline. I estimate that 15% of the houses have been demolished and another 40% have had no repairs made yet. Others are in various stages of repair. Some of the work that’s been done looks to be shoddy. Already, some of the houses that were raised several feet seem to be tilting to the side. Signs advertising demolition services are common. So are signs for delivering propane to FEMA trailers. Finally, it’s interesting to see the handmade street signs which replaced the signs that were lost in the hurricane. I hadn’t thought about that before, but this morning at breakfast, some of the volunteers were telling us about how they had wished for GPS navigation systems in the months following the hurricane, since so many street signs were missing. They now have 10 such units.

I’d really hoped that we would put the official finishing touches on Anthony’s house, but that joy will belong to some other lucky people. It’s been so rewarding to help Anthony. He’s always around chatting with us, proudly showing us photos he’s been sent of earlier work crews, and expressing his gratitude both in words and in other unspoken ways. Sometimes, he’d open the door of his FEMA trailer to share some of his beloved classical music, or the Neil Bortz radio program. He’s just so appreciative of everything.

His home of 50 years is being rebuilt and transformed in the matter of just a few months. Mercy Response has even helped him with some design and decorating ideas that he was nervous about at first (like the brightly-colored interior paints), but has come to truly love. He’s going to have conveniences has never had before, like a microwave and a thermostat that can run just the fan. These simple things are all very dazzling for him.

I think Anthony recognizes God’s hand in the work that’s been done on his house and I’m certain that the Lord is working in his heart as well.

Time to update you on a couple of fun things. Laron and I went to K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen for dinner last night. For those of you who remember the PBS cooking show, this is the restaurant owned by Paul Prudhomme. It’s a high-end Cajun restaurant that serves dolled-up local specialties like Crawfish Etouffee, Jambalaya, rabbit, and Chef Paul’s famous blackened fish, which he originated. The food was excellent, if a bit pricey.

Tonight, the church cook, Pam, treated the team to something very special—a crawfish boil. I hadn’t had crawfish before and the sight of the whole boiled red “mudbugs” is a little intimidating, but I’m here to tell you that crawfish are very, very delicious. They’re a bit of effort to eat, as there’s only a bite or so in each crawfish, but they’re worth it. They’re pretty cheap, too. Many places sell them cooked by the pound for $6.50. That’s a very large pile. Carryout is closer to $3.00 per pound. Apparently, they’re seasonal and we are now about 1 month into the season, which lasts until early summer.

A mess ‘o crawdads

Count Laron Crawdadula

A heap ‘o crawdads

THANK YOU!

This has been an absolutely great week. The work has been challenging, but rewarding, and like every mission experience I have had, I feel like I’ve gotten back more than I’ve given. It’s in many ways far more refreshing than any vacation. I’m grateful to Ed Rak for the work he has done to arrange the trip, to Trinity Vineyard for their support, to each and every person who prayed for a safe and successful trip, to each of the volunteers at Mercy Response, to the people we’ve helped who have been so friendly and appreciative, and to our Lord and Savior, who blesses me each day in new and unexpected ways. Again, Thank You all!

These last two days have been busy. The home we have been working on is in Gentilly, a section of town about 10 miles away that was one of the harder hit areas. Quite a number of lots are empty, except perhaps for an old sidewalk or driveway. Many other houses are quite obviously still abandoned. It is amazing that 3 years later some people have just given up. We were told that there are a fair amount of people that purposefully stopped paying mortgage payments. What a desperate situation to be in.

However, not so desperate is Anthony. Anthony is the home owner of the house we have been at for the last two days. He’s an 86 year old man living by himself. Anthony’s house is the first re-hab house that Mercy Response started to re-build. The earlier years were spent gutting homes, so for the staff down here it is exciting to see the first home come to completion. We have spent the two days completing final details inside and out. Cabinet knobs, toilet paper holder, closet curtain, Caulking, and the simple task of RE-SIDING THE ENTIRE FRONT OF THE HOUSE! We don’t know how this one fell on the final punch list, but the two of us (and later that day were were joined by two more) tightened our work belts and asked for direction. After a quick 30 minute class, things were under way. The day ended with all tasks being complete. We had a quick moment with Anthony to share our thoughts and he shared his appreciation. We felt as blessed as he did to have been able to work and help.

Here’s the team and Anthony in front of the newly resided house.

This is Anthony in his kitchen.

This photo, taken before the siding was replace, shows the rescue markings on the house. All the houses have a similar one. It indicates who checked the house, the date it was checked on, and the number of deceased people and pets found. Anthony had painted over his, which is why it is a little hard to see.

Tuesday morning was a little chilly. A cold front was moving in and severe storms expected for the late afternoon and evening, possibly with tornado activity. Today’s work will again be with Mitchell at the home of Joyce. This house was much closer to completion. I must say that I was very impressed with the work that The Vineyard is doing. They’re not doing things any old way. They’re doing it right and doing it professionally, even though many of the workers are unskilled. They make sure that enough skilled and trained people are along to ensure the job is done right. Jeff Hirshoff, who coordinates all the work, comes by periodically to check in and double-check the work that has been done not only by Vineyard workers, but also that done by other parties. In some cases, we’re fixing or completing work done by contractors.

The house is nearing completion. Most of the interior work is complete. The cabinets remain to be installed and there is still some trim and final paint work, but it’s a far cry from the bare studs in Colleen’s house. Colleen brought in a finish carpenter to do the trim, including crown molding around the entire house. Laron and I were set to work caulking every place a piece of trim touched a wall, ceiling, or another piece of trim. A single doorway is actually a fair amount of work. There are two seams along the edges of the casings on both sides of the door, plus all the mitres. And the crown molding added a ton of work. We even caulked the trim in the interior of the closets.

Here’s Joyce’s house

Here, Laron is caulking a closet door.

Time for a little lunch

Finally, we did some rearranging of the construction supplies which filled several of the rooms in order to free up space around the walls so that the final coats of paint could be applied.

We headed back to the base for dinner where we talked about plans in the event that the storm became severe. Jeff talked to us about how “The ‘thing’ is not ‘the thing’”. In other words, while the job is to fix the homes, we should allow ourselves to be led in other ways if the situation allows. We should be open to sharing the Gospel or offering to pray for people, or to just talk with them awhile. We haven’t had too much chance for that yet, however, since Colleen was around for only a short time yesterday, and we didn’t see Joyce today. We understand that several of the people who are being assisted by The Vineyard’s MercyResponse Team have started coming to various church events.

This Vineyard is quite a bit larger than our own congregation and the facility is impressive. They have about 1500 members. They have activities at the church most nights of the week, including several we’re already familiar with, like Alpha and Vineyard Leadership Institute, plus a few others like a guitar class, sound engineer class, and a faith-based financial management class.

While the winds did get quite strong, no damaging winds or tornadoes developed, so Laron and I stuck it out in the “tent” which is our home for the week.

Believe it or not, Laron and I are the ONLY volunteers this week. The other group canceled, so we’ve got the whole tent to ourselves. It’s big enough for 50 or so and divided down the middle between the Men’s and Ladies’ sections. Of course, THEY’VE got a couch and a rug and … But WE’VE got the thermostat! There is heat and air conditioning.

The day starts at 6:45 normally, but since there’s only two of us, we got an extra 15 minutes of shuteye. The whole team fits at one round table: me, Laron, Mitchell and Sarah Butler, their 7-month-old, Matthew, Jeff and Janell Hirschoff, and Karl Bontrager. We learn that Laron and I will be working all week to Matthew, who is a carpenter by trade from the West Coast. There will be more orientation tonight, but there’s work to do for now.

Today, we worked just a few blocks away at Colleen’s house. Her house still has a long ways to go. The interior is studded-out and some of the electrical is roughed in, but there is lots still to do, both inside and out. We worked on preparing the back of the house for siding. That included tearing off the old siding and tar paper, pulling out the old nails, cutting and nailing new OSB sheathing, and covering it all in housewrap. Colleen’s German Shepherd, Junior, kept us company all day. He was very “talkative” for the first couple of hours. We also helped with a little phone wiring. It was a very pleasant day—sunny and in the 70s. Great outdoor working weather.

This is Colleen’s house and the FEMA trailer she was provided for shelter.

Laron, Mitchell, and Jeff size up the job.

Here, we have removed a portion of the siding.

Laron hard at work nailing up the new sheathing.

The Vineyard MercyResponse tool trailer (one of several)

The finished siding prep work

Colleen’s neighborhood is mostly single story homes. As we drove past houses, I was struck by the fact that some houses were now sitting on extended foundations 4-5 feet high. One house still had the old concrete pad from the side door hanging 5 feet off the ground like a balcony. Another had the garage door 5 feet above ground with no ramp up. Other houses are as they were originally. Apparently, some people obtained building permits early after the storm when little scrutiny was given to the application, so they can just rebuild without jacking up the house. Every few blocks is a port-a-potty and FEMA trailers sit in the front lawns of a number of homes. There are fewer now than before, as the city is pushing to have them removed. Overall, the situation has clearly improved.

While most nights are free, Monday night includes an orientation session including some Katrina videos and some Q&A. The videos were amazing. One scene is of a boat going down the road past a WalMart. The water is up over the windows of the store and as the boat passes the stoplight, the occupants have to duck. We heard some other incredible stories including one about a couple who had fled to their roof and had to take turns sleeping at night while the other warded-off the snakes which tried to climb onto the house. You just don’t think about those kinds of things.

Well, early to bed, early to rise. Lights-out at 9 pm for Laron and me.

Our team consisted of Ed Rak, the organizer, Laron Hafenrichter, and me, Craig Hairrell. The plan was for Ed to pickup the rental van near O’Hare, buy some food for the 15-hour road trip, then drive to my house to stay the short night. Laron was to arrive at 4:30 AM for our departure.

About 9:30 pm Friday night and the phone rang. Ed. Bad news. His Mom, Jarmilla, began feeling poorly while he had left to pickup the rental van. After much discussion, Ed made the difficult decision to stay behind to care for his Mom. Due to some changes we needed to make in the truck rental, we left late, around 9:30 AM, saddened that Ed couldn’t join us, but we were finally on our way.

The driving went smoothly, but due to our late departure, we would have arrived too late at the Kenner, LA Vineyard Church where Vineyard Mercy Response is based, so we were told to find a room for the night, which we did in Jackson, Mississippi. We had a wonderful Southern (Southern India, that is) meal.

The following day, Sunday, was glorious. Warm and sunny. We arrived in downtown New Orleans around noon and kicked around the French Quarter eating and enjoying not only some great Zydeco, but also a free classical concert of Debussy, Saint Saens, and the premier of a new piece commissioned in remembrance of Hurricane Katrina.

Scenes from the French Quarter

We arrived at the Mercy Response base around 8:30, we given a short tour, then we unrolled our sleeping bags and headed off to bed.

Below is a photo of our sleeping quarters.

Tomorrow the work begins.

By the way, we understand that Mrs. Rak is feeling somewhat better and we’re feeling relieved. Praise God.

reflections on day 7, by Anne

We had alittle change in today´s schedule. We went to a colonia that La Vina had never been to before. It was decided that we would go after lunch and stay until evening. It was nice to have our routine switched up a bit and to have our morning freed up to go to the beach one last time. We began the day with devotions, followed by a walk to La Vina for breakfast. The church has a wonderful breakfast for the team and staff. After breakfast and a few phone calls to home we hurried back to get to the beach. A couple of summer interns met us there and we had a good time swimming and riding the waves. I especially enjoy watching the pelicans fly slightly above the waves and over the ocean. The water is so very warm. I will miss the ocean. Since I wake up earlier than anyone I´ve been going there every morning for a run. Ahhh, again I say I will miss it! We were happy that David and Ed joined us at the beach. David was feeling slightly better. It was nice to see him out and about. Next, it was time to shower, change, and get back to La Vina for lunch. After lunch we packed up the mobile kitchen and headed to Sam´s for supplies. I enjoy riding the cattle car all around. It was packed with people today. We all have alot of fun talking, laughing, and letting the youth entertain us. We arrived at the colonia. It did not seem as poor as some we have been to, but yet very poor. We were all excited to see how well recieved we would be since no one would recognize the bright yellow trucks. We divided up the work amongst us. Some went door to door to invite people to come on down and have a quesedilla meal and some entertainment ministry. Others stayed and started preparing the food. I helped with getting the stage and chairs set up for the puppet ministry and our very own drama team. This is a good time to tell all of you how very successful our youth have been with their drama skits. The drama is without a doubt having a strong impact on its audience. I an seeing alot in the faces of children, teens, as well as adults. This is truly a ministry making an impact. Today, after they performed all of their routines, Dan gave a quick sermon. At the end he asked that anyone wanting to know Jesus raise their hands. There were many people, children and adults! I believe the drama is a great lead into all of this. It´s been a priviledge to come to Mazatlan and be on the missions team. It´s been so wonderful to see and be a part of small beginnings. Well, we head home tomorrow. See you all on Sunday. Blessings

reflections by Sara, Angela, and Hannah on day 6

We started the day with devotions and breakfast, like any other day. After that we loaded the mobile kitchen with enough supplies to create 800 pancakes! We headed up to a nearby colonia, Urias, and arrived there around 10:30. Most of us went to the close houses and told them that we were distributing pancakes and would later have a service and activities for the children. The rest on our team stayed back and began to cook ourselves. Uh… I mean the pancakes. We waited until we had 500 pancakes ready to serve, and then started to hand them out to the kids hanging around. (A favorite game for them was to hang on Joshua and Mark until they got a ride.) After everyone had eaten two or three plates, we rolled down the road, passing out the few extra plates that we had to whoever we passed. Then we went back to the church for lunch, which tasted really good. During our afternoon off, we rested and played Scrabble in the hotel.
When we went back to Urias for the evening service, we also took the mobile Sunday School which was loaded for a puppet show and our own drama mimes. Everyone was eager to watch, and very attentive. After Dan was finished speaking, the kids wildly mobbed us for balloons and face-paints. We also handed out refreshing flavored popsicles, which the team finished upon arriving at the church.
On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at our favorite hangout, Jorge´s tile stand. Although he was in charge of the puppet ministry, and had been out with us all week, he found the time to finger paint a myriad of Mazatlan scenes on tiles. This is how he earns his living, seeing as he does not get a salary for all his work at the church. The team bought eleven tiles, then scurried back to the hotel so the kids could finish their Scrabble game. Which Mark won. By a lot.
Our favorite aspect of the ministries is playing with the kids, and serving in the mobile kitchen, as well as watching Jorge create breathtaking views of Mazatlan with his fingers, then proceeding to buy tiles every single night.
Now we´re off to the beach.
Adios, amigos!
En el nombre de Jesus,
Hannah, Sara, and Angela

Reflections by Joshua and Marcus on days 3, 4, and 5

Monday was our day of rest. We went to the ocean and marcus got stung by this crazy-big jellyfish. We went to the market and did some bargaining, then we ate at some local resturants and called it a day.

Tuesday was our outreach to the dump. We met at the church and prepared the Mobile Kithchen. The Moblie Kitchen is a kitchen on wheels that we can take to different, poor areas to distribute fresh food. Anyway, we then purchased items, to give to the workers at the dump, at Sams Club. After that we made our way to the dump, which is about 20 minutes from the church, outside the nicer sections of Mazatlan. We first set up the kitchen at the top of the dump, and started handing out fresh water to the workers there. They were very thankful for fresh water. About an hour later we cooked cheese and ham quesadillas on site and told the workers to come and eat. We cooked around 250 meals in the “upper dump”, which consisted of quesadillas, frijoles, and oreos. After everyone had had their fill, we took the kitchen down to the “lower dump”. We distributed the remaining meals amongst the people, who by a large majority were young childeren. After distributing food there, we did a couple of our dramas for the kids, which they enjoyed, and we made balloons. Jorge, a fellow from the Vineyard, brought the Mobile Sunday School. It is a large truck that he takes to different colonias, full of entertainment for the young ones. He put on a puppet show, played some worship music, and had other games for the kids. Dan also did some preaching for the poeple in the lower dump, while we were entertaining the kids with balloons. Anyway the dump was a realy good experience to minister to these people in a physical way, to supply them with food and water for their bodies, and spiritual food for their souls. It is absolultly amazing how humble and welcoming these people are, and I am glad that we could be there to help them. Well, we got back around 5 pm and had a little extra time to relax and reflect on the day. We took a quick swim and called it a night.

Wednesday was another trip to a colonia. The day started with Sams Club yet again, but this time we bought basic foods such as flour, oil, etc. to assemble food bags with. We then drove to the colonia and passed out the food tickets to the residents. Soon after that, we gave food bags to those who had recieved tickets. We returned to the Vineyard for a good lunch, and then to our hotel. Later, in the evening, we went back to the same colonia and attended the church service in the local Vineyard building. We performed our dramas to the congregation, and left with the kids as they were dissmissed. With them, we played games, handed out balloons, and painted their faces. It was very nice to see the kids having such a good time when many of them come from hurt or broken families.

-Josue´ y Marcos out

Reflections on day 1 and 2, by Ed Rak.

It is Monday morning, and I wanted to start by letting everyone know about what has happened so far. (Monday is our off day.)

Our trip to O´Hare was smooth, thanks to Bruce Duncan and Ken Harrell. Many people were a little snoozy, since our meeting time was 3:30am. Our flight from Houston to Mazatlan was just a bit late, but we had a good rendezvous with our good friend from the Mazatlan Vineyard, Dave.

Hannah was missing her luggage, but it arrived by Sunday evening.

For the rest of Saturday we did some things that will help the rest of our stay. Dave briefed us on local customs and on what we should do to stay healthy. He also gave us our itinerary for the week. We picked up breakfast and snack supplies for the week at Sam´s Club, and ate at a restaurant. We had a little rehearsal for our mime dramas, but found out that the CD with the accompanying music had been somewhat damaged in flight. (It has been a bit of a challenge dealing with that, but as of Monday morning it looks like we should be able to resolve the problem.)

On Sunday we attended the Mazatlan Vineyard English service. We also attended the Spanish service, and we did one of our mime dramas for a Sunday school class. The kids loved it.

In the afternoon we did some more rehearsing and went to the beach for almost an hour.

In the evening we went to the Vineyard branch in an area known as Madero. There we did 2 dramas for the main service and 3 more for the Sunday school class. Dan preached in the main service while we worked with the Sunday school class.

Our kids did an excellent job of interacting with the kids of the church. Many parents don´t go to the church, but they send their kids to church, knowing that they will be loved there. We get to show them a little love, as we got to play with them for a while in various ways. Our kids were pretty tired after that.

My prayer is that we can show more love to the little ones (and big ones) while we are out here. We pray that God shows up, so that people are healed and changed. Wer pray that God uses our dramas, preaching, and our play time with the local kids. It will also be our privlege to minister to the poor with some food and prayer, but that is still to come.

It´s nice to be a part of something that can have lasting positive effects in the lives of others. Pray that God will help us to do just that.

Sometimes it’s difficult to determine who gets the greater benefit from a short-term missions trip like this one to Mazatlan. Certainly the poor receiving ministry are blessed. They received physical provision from groceries, meals and water filters; and also spiritual provision from prayer, preaching, and other ministry. But the imact on the ministry team is also significant.

“Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him.” (Psalm 41:1)

“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” (Proverbs 19:17)

These and other Biblical passages indicate that God takes note of people helping the poor. Indeed, a person’s own conscience can testify that this is a good thing. Sometimes it’s a life-changing experience. The presence of the poor present an opportunity to us.

So who gets the greater benefit when ministering to the poor? Good question!

Dan

This was my fifth short term mission trip—still a newbie compared to Ed Rak. I have previously had the privilege of serving Yanamamo Indians the jungles of Venezuela, sick children in the slums of Port-au-Prince Haiti, and last year with Trinity VCF, hungry people in a rural village in the Dominican Republic. Although these trips have often involved hard, hot work and long days, the physical fatigue has always been overcome by a kind of refreshment that no vacation could ever provide. As Dan pointed out to me as he watched workers pick through a mountain of trash in the hot sun, it truly is a privilege to serve.

Within days of my accepting Christ into my life, I was presented with the opportunity to serve in the Amazon jungle for three weeks. A week earlier, I wouldn’t dreamed of doing such a thing, but God put it on my heart that I should go. Yes, I had many worries, but I had a newfound confidence in God’s protection and His plans for my life. So with God’s help, I put my fears behind me and plunged in.

I am SO glad He pushed me to go. It was the beginning of a series of trips that have been life-changing. I’m sure that my friends and family are absolutely sick to death of my mission trip stories. I just can’t contain myself, though. Unless you have some time on your hands, I suggest you don’t start talking to me about these trips.

Our Mission

On our first Sunday morning, we attended two services at La Vina in Mazatlan. In the English-language service, the speaker spoke on the parable of the sower. He said that many people mistakenly believe that the parable’s point is that we shouldn’t waste seed by sowing it in poor soil; and that the real point of the parable is that the sower’s job is simply to sow seeds, many of which will not sprout, as some will inevitably fall on poor soil. As missionaries, we should be like Johnny Appleseed, sowing seeds everywhere. Some will grow and bear fruit, while others will not.

This message was encouraging, really, because as short-term missionaries who are contributing to long-term work, we often do not see the fruit of our labors. It could be discouraging to travel long distances, work very hard, yet see no one commit their lives to Christ. We can be certain, however, that we sowed seeds. We can see the ear-to-ear smile of a child who comes running at the sight of the mobile kitchen. We can see the gratitude in the eyes of the mother who sets aside her pride to accept a bag of much-needed food for her family. We can see the tears of the woman for whom we have just prayed. We will rarely, however, see the fruit borne by the tree which sprouts from those seeds. It was good to be reminded that this is in God’s hands.

As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3 (NCV), “Each one of us did the work God gave us to do. I planted the seed, and Apollos watered it. But God is the One who made it grow. So the one who plants is not important, and the one who waters is not important. Only God, who makes things grow, is important. The one who plants and the one who waters have the same purpose, and each will be rewarded for his own work. We are God’s workers, working together; you are like God’s farm, God’s house”

The Mazatlán Mission

Let me first say how impressed I was with the team we sent. I don’t really need to say anything about Dan, Joshua, Angela, Gloria, and Ed Rak, nor Ed Jones. I’m sure that most of you already know how wonderful each of these people are and how committed they are to furthering God’s Kingdom on Earth. It was an absolute joy to spend a week with this group serving others. God also provided the team with the right people to help at the right time. We always had just enough Spanish speakers.

Once again, I was struck by the friendliness and dignity of the people we served, despite their level of poverty. I remember one man who offered me shade. It was a simple gift, but one that showed he cared for me. And this was before I offered him a bag of groceries. It was a reminder of the many ways we can demonstrate God’s love.

Although I’m sure it wasn’t planned this way, each day we encountered deeper levels of poverty. On Friday, our trip to the dump was almost beyond belief. Men and women would pounce upon each fresh load of trash, searching for any saleable item. One concentrated on cardboard. Another on plastic bottles. We saw a couple of young men carrying a decrepit couch down the road to their house. The only shade from the hot sun was an old refrigerator. It was gratifying to give them the simple gift of a glass of cold water. Most were too busy with their work to stop and chat. They stopped only briefly to grab a plate of hot dogs, chips, and pickled jalapeno peppers for lunch. One man heard voices in his head. Another felt the presence of demons outside his house. We prayed for them and several others.

Below the dump was a shantytown where their families lived. We had a few plates of food left and as the mobile kitchen rolled down the road, people came running toward us. It was indeed painful to have to tell the last few that we had no more food to give them. As Dan asked the following Sunday morning at church, “Why them and not us?”

I was absolutely amazed as well at how much joy the balloons and face painting brought to kids of all ages. It was such a small thing, yet brought such joy and excitement. What a privilege it was to serve.

Finally, I want to thank all of the hard-working folks at LaVina who treated us like family and all the people at home who prayed for us.

Craig Hairrell

The trip to Mazatlan was very satisfying. It was a time to advance the Kingdom of God in conjunction with the faithful members of La Vina in Mazatlan. I count times like that as a privilege.

Our group made an effective team. We worked well together. We worked well with the people from other places who also came to help in the mission.

I liked the breadth of ministry that we experienced. Here are the activities I can think of: sharing food supplies with extremely poor people, making and serving meals to very poor people, dramas, testimony, praying with people, preaching, and working on the water filtration project. I really like how we ministered both to physical and spiritual needs.

Working among the poor in Mazatlan reminded me again about how blessed we are. I also marvel at how these really poor people are making the best of their circumstances. They were so welcoming and appreciative. The work among the poor also reminded me that to those that have much, much will be required.

Also, he who gives to the poor lends to the Lord. How God’s heart is with the poor! I pray that our hearts would always remain soft with respect to ministry to the poor.

We worked most of the time under Dave’s leadership. I really appreciate how tireless he was. He’d be hot and busy most of the day, always with a great attitude, always uplifting, friendly and helpful. The interns and translators we worked with were really good, especially Luis and Sarah. They all made up a very fine support team.

Besides ministry and work, I thought we had a great time sampling tasty Mexican food at many different restaurants. Swimming in the beach and the pool was very enjoyable. (Craig and Joshua could swim 2 widths of the pool underwater, very impressive.) And remember Marco Polo. We also had some good boogie boarding waves (and no jellyfish stings). We really had nice comfortable rooms, and I really appreciate how they loaned us a van.

The thing that was hardest for me was the heat. I like cool more than hot. That’s because I am sort of cool. And remember Proverbs 17.27: “He who restrains his words has knowledge, And he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.”

Let’s do it again!

Ed Rak

I am not completely sure what I thought this trip would be like, but most things (but not all) were similar to what I expected. The weather was very hot and the work was hard. it was an eye opening experience to see how poor some of the people were and the harsh conditions that they live in.

I was amazed to see how open and friendly the people were…(On our first day to a colonia I remember an old man who beckoned for us to come out of the sun and join him by a small tree by his house. He was proud to show that his yound granddaughter knew some english.) The kids were especially happy to see us. They loved the face painting and balloons—especially the balloons and couldn’t get enough of them.

The ministry of La Vina is well thought out and well planned. They have alot of dedicated people who include of course the boss Fred Collom and also David Newton with whom we worked very closely. Although I am personally not aware of anyone who went from not being save to being saved, I think that many people were touched and saw Christs love in action. The food we ate (especially at La Vina) was excellent and the accomodations were excellent. With the exception of a couple of problems at the airports, everything went pretty smoothly.

It is easy to overlook the effect of the work that we did on the water filters because we do not see it directly effecting people, but I believe the sifting and cleaning of sand and gravel and painting of filters will greatly bless alot of people. I am glad that I made this trip and it has opened my eyes as to how poorly many people live, and I am sure that our presence made a difference in alot of people.

Ed Jones

Our final day

The Team was tired, but encouraged by the long, hot days of ministry. Due to a relatively late afternoon departure time, we planned to enjoy a couple of hours on the beach or in the pool before the intense midday sun and its quick-burning rays made its daily appearance. We awakened to a steady, but gentle rain. While I was worried that we might get quite wet wandering around Mazatlán after our 11 am checkout time, it was a blessing that the rain held off until this final day. During the work week, we really appreciated every single cloud and the shade they provided, but rain would have presented a problem in many of the areas where we worked, which lacked paved roads or sidewalks. The rain didn’t stop Joshua, Gloria, and Angela from hopping on the boogey-boards, though. Uncle Ed took a dip as well.

One of the rooms had a small kitchen area which we had used throughout the week for quick, inexpensive meals and snacks. Most days began and ended there, so it was appropriate that we gathered there for one last breakfast of yogurt, ham sandwiches, fruit drink, and cookies. Basically, we were eating anything that was leftover.

Since we had a few hours to kill before leaving for the airport, we decided to just store our luggage in the van and head for La Viña, which is centrally located and has parking for the church-owned vehicles. There, we ran into Luis, a 28-year-old Mexican who assisted us much of the week with translation. He is a wonderful fellow with a true servant’s heart. It was good to be able to say goodbye one more time.

We exchanged some pesos, bought a few last minute souvenirs, and ate one last restaurant meal at “Restaurante Panamá”. This is a very modern restaurant with air conditioning and an extensive menu of good food and low prices.

After lunch, Fred Collom, the founder of the La Viña ministry in Mazatlán, drove us in a nice, cool van. While lashing our luggage to a homemade rack, he was expressing confidence that the luggage wouldn’t fall of this time. He was right. The luggage arrived safely with us at the Mazatlán airport where the check-in was effortless and quick.

The flight to Mexico City was pleasant and on time. Our transfer in Mexico City was much smoother on this time, but the flight to Chicago left late. Again, the flight to Chicago was pleasant, but seemed to lose more time. We arrived in Chicago at about 1:20 am—almost an hour late. About then I began to have second thoughts about making it to Sunday worship service at 10 am. Those second thoughts grew more intense as we waited, and waited, and waited for our bags to arrive. Then the baggage conveyor stopped for good.

None of our bags had arrived. Now it was around 2:00 and we began searching for a Mexicana Airlines employee. Eventually we found one and began the process of completing missing baggage claims for each of our bags. Everyone had a missing bag, except Ed Rak, who travels with a carry-on which is only a bit bigger than my lunchbox.

My wife Lori, and daughter Erin, had driven to the airport earlier in the day and left our van for us in the long term parking. Eager to begin the final leg of our journey home, we headed to the people mover (train) which would transport us to the parking lot. We waited. And waited. And waited. We must have just missed the only train running at that time. We waited nearly 20 minutes in total. Finally, blissfully, the train arrived. We found the van exactly where Lori said it would be and made our way to La Casa de la famila Rak in Geneva. By now, it was 3:30 am and the birds were already beginning to chirp. I dropped of Ed Jones and made it back to my home in Big Rock around 4:15.

Boy, oh boy, what a BLESSING that all these transporation problems occurred at the end of our trip and not the beginning. Please say a prayer that Angela’s bag is returned to her before she leaves on her next mission trip this Tuesday, the 5th of July.

Thanks to everyone who supported us with their encouragement, financial support, and prayer. Please check back here in a week or so. I hope to have posted some thoughts from the Team members about their perspectives on the trip and the impact it had.

Thanks for following this weblog. I hope you have found it interesting, useful, and encouraging.

Craig, on behalf of the Team

The Dump

Today once again we started the day with a bountiful breakfast at the church. From there we headed off to Sam’s Club to load up with supplies that would feed the people at the Mazatlan dump. We were packed like cattle in the back of our usual open air truck along with another small group and took off up the hill towards the dump. Once we arrived, we handed out water and prayed with some of the workers before giving out the meal of two hot dogs, jalepenos, and chips prepared in the new and improved (from 5 years ago) mobile kitchen. After everyone there had their fill, we fed the dump guards (you know, keep the officials happy). We then distributed the excess meals to the impoverished families living just down the hill from the dump.

We all jammed into the truck once again to head back to the church for a lunch of hamburgers, fries, and our usual dessert of vanilla ice cream with chocalate syrup and oreos. Delicioso!

Next, we all rode the van to the feeding center in Estero after a quick stop at Sam’s Club for supplies. After arriving late in Estero, we quickly made up the time by forming world record assembly lines to whip off quesadilla meals for 70-80 kids. Let me tell ya, that stove was hot! After everyone was served dinner and our signature dessert, the kids formed something resembling a line to get to balloon creations. This time we wised up and blew up the balloons beforehand. After balloon sword fighting with some warriors there, we returned to headquarters. And that, my friend, brings us back here to the computer to tell you what we have been doing.

Tomorrow, we plan to relax a bit, maybe do a little boogie boarding, and fly.

Gloria and Angela

The Mobile Kitchen. Preparing a hot dog lunch at the dump.

An even poorer colonia

In terms of the day’s agenda, today was similar to Tuesday: Sam’s for food, distribute tickets for 100 food bags, hand out the food bags, and return later in the day for ministry. It is located about five blocks from a planned Vineyard church, and next to the poorest colonia we have been to so far.

The houses were made of scrap metal and scrap wood on dusty, dirt roads, yet the people were surprisingly polite and upbeat. Almost everybody that we met gladly received tickets as well as prayer when they received the bags of food a bit later. Almost every house had children, some of whom constructed homemade kites.

That evening, we brought along the mobile kitchen and served 432 hot dogs and Cheetos, which we purchased at Sam’s. We also performed evangelistic mimes and a play in front of the largest crowd we’ve had the whole trip—about 300. This was under the mango trees in otherwise empty and garbage-strewn lot.

During the preaching, balloon sculptures were handed out to the eager kids of all ages. We made swords, dogs, sombreros, and flowers. We made over 250 balloon masterpieces this evening, and did numerous face paintings as well.

I had a short time for boogey-boarding in the afternoon, as the girls watched from the shade.

Joshua (Josue) and the Team

Balloon Ministry

Assembling Food Bags in the parking lot at Sam´s

Water Filter Day

We met again at 8:15 am and headed for the church, where we had a breakfast of pancakes, Mexican scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, fruit, yogurt, cereal, and juice. At 9:20, we headed to the colonias to work on the water filters. We had various jobs, such as sifting and washing gravel and sand for use in the filters, cleaning and painting the filters, and finally delivering 19 of these 300 pound concrete filters to a church which will decorate them with encouraging messages.

It was very hot work and they served us a hot lunch at 1:30 including burritos, chips, corn, and ice cream. Everyone at the church was very friendly. We ended at about 4:30. About this time, many were gathering for an evening service. Probably the hardest thing here is that there are still no bathrooms. The church is selling bottles of pop for about $.60 to raise money to build them. They have raised almost $1500 so far.

It was a very tiring day, but we accomplished a lot.

Ed Jones and the Team

NOTE: Click here for details regarding the water filter ministry in Mexico, or here for details about the filters themselves.

Ed Rak puts some finishing touches on the biosand water filters.

Nineteen water filters are delivered.

Our first full work day.

We began the day by meeting other teams at breakfast at the church, which was quite hearty and delicious. Each team had their own assignments. Ours was to be a food distribution ministry.

We all piled in the “hayrack”. This was a small flatbed truck with benches in the back. Actually, it was much more comfortable than riding in the hot van. We went to Sam’s Warehouse Club to buy supplies. We bought enough rice, oil, corn flour, tomato paste, and boxed milk to fill 100 sacks, which we assembled in the parking lot. Then we went onto the poor colonia, where we split into three teams, each with at least one Spanish speaker, distributing tickets to adults, which could be redeemed for a sack of food. Most people were glad to accept. Some were absolutely dirt poor. It is difficult to describe the extent of the poverty. Many lived in shacks with a dirt floor. It will be hard to take for granted our many blessings in the future. We thank God for the privilege to deliver this small gift to these people. As they picked up their food at the truck, we invited them back for the evening meeting which was scheduled for 5 pm.

By this time, it was already 1:30. We returned to the church for a spaghetti lunch, then rehearsed some of our dramas. More rehearsals continued in the “hayrack” all the way to the La Vina church in the area near the colonia. There, we loaded 60 chairs into the miniscule space between the benches. It was a wee bit tight, but we managed OK.

We had planned to meet another team in the colonia, but some signals got crossed and we ended up at separate ministry sites. No problem, though, as the Word was simply spread a bit farther, albeit thinner.

First we went back through the neighborhood to announce that the activities were about to begin. Josh, Angela, and Gloria were like Pied Pipers, fashioning balloon animals to the delight of the swarms of children.

Then we began the activities. We presented four mimes, a drama written by our own Ed Rak, which was a version of The Prodigal Son, Ed Jones presented his testimony, and Dan gave a message which built upon The Prodigal Son drama. During Dan’s message, which was for the adults, the multitudes of kids followed balloon-pumper Craig and balloon-sculpters Angela, Gloria, Joshua, and Sara. The line seemed to never end. The kids absolutely loved it. In addition, the girls did face painting, which the children liked as well. The remaining adults, were privileged to pray for individuals following Dan’s message. Translators assisted with these prayers.

We wrapped up at about 8 pm and headed back to the church, arriving at about 9 pm. We learned today that our plans have changed for tomorrow. The original plan was for a day much like today, but instead we will work to complete 19 biosand water filters to place in each of 19 cell blocks in a local prison. While this will be hot, difficult work, this is all about ministering to the prisoner. That is just another part of furthering God’s Kingdom. Father, let your Kingdom come.

Ed Rak, Craig and the Team

More on Day 4 from Ed Jones

....The kids really enjoyed the experience. This was the poorest area that I personally have seen. I was amazed how friendly and polite the people were. It seemed like several people came forward to receive prayer . It was a long day but I believe that lives were blessed in this community.

Ed Jones

First, let us apologize for the lateness of these postings. Our days have been so full, it has been difficult to find time to post the updates during a period when the church office has been open AND the internet connection has actually worked. Thanks for understanding. We are also experiencing some difficulty posting photos at the moment, but hope to remedy this, perhaps on Thursday. Onto Day 3…

This was our off day, as the church offices are closed on Mondays and the church staff, including those assisting us have their day off as well. We had lots of fun. First scouted the beach to see if the jellyfish had subsided. We got the bad news yesterday that during the hot summer months, jellyfish invade the beaches making it hard to find a time to swim safely. Jellyfish stings, although not deadly for most, hurt a great deal and the pain lasts for up to a week, which could ruin someone’s mission trip. The number seemed diminished though, so Gloria, Angela, and Joshua all decided to give it a try. Dan supervised, but waited on the beach. Those less brave, but perhaps a bit wiser with age chose to enjoy the hotel’s beautiful swimming pool. Ahhhhhh…. The sun is quite intense, though, and despite what seemed to be quarts of sunblock, a couple of us got a bit burnt. Dan, in particular, suffered a burn on the tops of his feet, but it doesn’t seem to be too serious.

We spent much of the rest of the day shopping in the area around the hotel and church, which Angela and Gloria seemed to particularly enjoy. Josh seemed to enjoy the bargaining even more than the shopping. We enjoyed a great taco lunch at an outdoor restaurant. Most of us tried horchata for the first time and loved it.

After shopping came the relaxing time in the pool for an extended swim, complete with a game of Marco Polo. Joshua and Craig also dazzled us with their underwater swimming talents, both crossing the pool twice underwater in a single breath. Even at the pool, we were able to share the Gospel.

Finally, we capped our evening with a nice meal at El Capitano, which is on the seashore. Delicious snapper, shrimp, and lobster were shared among us. A Mariachi band surrounded us an played La Cucaracha at our request. The sound was amazing. Another band came by later and played La Bomba for us, but demanded payment before they would leave.

We were all exhausted. Back to the hotel for some sleep.

Ed Rak, Craig and the Team

Cooling Off

Our first full day in Mazatlan. It was a wonderful day here in sunny, steamy Mazatlan. Being the Sabbath, we enjoyed three full worship services—one in English and two in Spanish. Services were much like our own, complete with familiar Vineyard music.

The evening service was at La Comunidad Christiana La Vina de Madero, in a poorer section of Mazalan. We performed our “Mask” mime for them, which demonstrates how Jesus loves us for who we are. The highlight of the day was the prayer time following the service. Many came forward for prayer of all sorts, many leaving in tears despite having little of no understanding of our prayers, which were lifted to God in English.

This prayer time revealed that Ed Jones has been overly humble regarding his understanding of Spanish. He was able to understand people’s prayer requests and confirm his understanding before we prayed. We also had the help of Sarah, a girl from Washington State who is volunteering at the La Vina this summer.

We were also introduced today to one of La Vina’s newer ministries—the biological water purifier. They make these units and sell them at for cost, about $40. Although this is still a substantial amount of money for many families, it is still a major cost savings compared to buying bottled water. Clean drinking water remains the number one health problem through much of the world, so ministries such as this are extremely important.

Craig

La Vina´s main church in the Golden Zone of Mazatlan

Praying for a successful service.

We’ve been blessed by a successful trip from Chicago to Mazatlan today. Although I must say that the connection in Mexico City was the worst connection I’ve ever had in an airport. We had to pass through customs there and nobody seemed to be able to tell us how to do that, even when asking at an “Information” booth. But, we had plenty of time and eventually bumbled through the process. We are looking forward to attending both the English- and Spanish-language services at the church and then ministering in the evening at another church with a team from Oxnard, California.

Blessings to you all,

Dan and the team

A team of seven people from Trinity VCF will be traveling to Mazatlan, Mexico to assist Vineyard Ministries of Central Mexico with their mobile kitchen and dump ministries. Check back here regularly from June 25th through July 2nd for updates and perspectives from our team.

Dump Ministry: Handing out food bags	Mobile Kitchen Ministry: Serving Hamburguesas

Please pray for a safe and successful mission.

Thanks,

The Trinity VCF Mission Team:

Dan Rak
Gloria Rak
Angela Rak
Joshua Rak
Ed Rak
Ed Jones
Craig Hairrell