Idaho/Montana

We are continuing our travels back to Edmonton. We have drove in 3 states today. We had to contend with a bit of a Thundershower on our way to Butte, Montana. The “Van Life” continues to be a special time for everyone to still connect with each other. However, it is starting to become more apparent that many of us are missing our solitude time. Some are maxed out, drained, and spent in terms of socializing. Some on the other hand just flat out cannot contain their excitement to come home and to apply what God has spoken to them through their time at Caravan. Even though some are not so energetic and some are still fighting colds, everyone still continues to encourage and pick each other up. Fellowship at its Finest.

Funny what 6+ days of driving does for everyone. It has made current friendships even stronger. I personally feel like I have adopted 20 brothers/sisters in one week. These last remaining hours almost feels bittersweet for the team. We do not want this time to end, but we are excited to see where God directs us now. Some members are already making personal plans to live their faith out more real than ever before. Some are looking into Bible College. Some are looking into leading small groups. Some are looking into accountability groups. Some are looking into Mission Work full-time. Some are looking into returning to Caravan. Some just flat out want to cut out the burdens of business by turning to Prayer & The Bible.

I cannot fully speak on behalf of the other Leaders and/or Adults, but I personally have never experienced a Youth Group like this ever before in my entire life. Never before have I had such faith in this Youth group to the point that I firmly believe that God will be using some of them to change the World & even the course of history in such radical ways. The future for this group is full of such promise & potential. The kind of promise where the most smallest actions are done out of great love for a God that has constantly defied the impossible; The kind of potential where God turns the most simple actions into revolutionary results. Look out parents, some of these kids may be yours that I am talking about.

We have a debrief tonight. Tomorrow, we have one more day of driving to go, before Team Mexico's Mission Trip is officially completed. Thank You once again to all the friends, family, & staff at ERBC for the constant prayers and support. If possible, please pray that the process of crossing the US/Canada Border tomorrow with go smoothly. Parents, phone calls will most likely be made when we arrive in Red Deer. Stay in touch.

Random Pictures

Here are a few random pictures from past days. Enjoy.

Random Video (Day 4 of Building)

Here is another quick video of some fun we had as a group on one of the work sites during Day 4 of Building. Some of the Youth decided to race and see who could hammer in their nails the fastest on the roof.

Random Video (Day 3 of Building)

Here is another quick video of the blankets given to the familes we have been building houses for. This was from one of our work sites on Day 3.

Anaheim Day 2

We have lost a couple of Young Adult Leaders as Brian & Heather left for the airport Sunday morning to fly home. Emma has been battling a terrible illness that has been throwing off her sense of balance. Many of us has been praying for her. Thankfully we managed to get her a seat to fly her home. She should hopefully be home by now. Almost half the team has been battling colds and viruses that have been passed around throughout the trip.

Our 2nd day in Anaheim began with a group of us going to Saddleback Church on Sunday morning. Everyone else either went to Disneyland or stayed back at the Best Western. Our group never witnessed a Church like this one ever before. I wished I would have taken my camera with me, but I had to leave it behind as all my batteries needed to be re-charged. The office building alone was incredibly huge in size. There were stop lights in the parking lot. Once you parked your vehicle, you could take this 5 minute trolley ride all the way up to the Church. Once you got off the trolley, there were all these walk ways surrounded by trees & gardens. There was a prayer garden you could go to for a time of solitude. There was a bridge where you would cross over this little river to go to the main sanctuary. There were some fountains. There were fields of grass. There were coffee & donut stands you could have for free. There was a large book store. The whole atmosphere felt like you were sort of on a rich college campus. There were so many people walking around and going to where there needed to be. Apparently this Church had a congregation size of 20,000 approx. The surroundings also had a bit of a YC feel to it. One of our group members felt like they were in some sort of carnival. There were several large tents where you could choose the style of worship you wanted to sing to. We chose this Youth tent which had a Hard Rock style to it. Inside our tent, the set-up on the stage reminded me of Ignite at Ellerslie or The Project at Millwoods Pentacostal Assembly. It had many lights flashing around like a mini rock concert. They had a large plasma screen playing some really cool video footage behind the lyrics as they dissolved in & out for the songs. One of their songs had clever lyrics for the Queen cover of their song “We Will Rock You”. Other than that, none of the songs were recognizable from the traditional songs most Churches use, but the lyrics were still very God honoring. There were a few that were actually really amazing and very enjoyable to listen to. After worship & announcements, the screen would tune into the satellite feed for the sermon. All the tents would get this feed.

After the service, our group generally had mixed feelings afterwards. It was great that Saddleback was making its Church relevant to today's generation. However, we were not sure if this approach was compromising or sacrificing the integrity, tradition, and value of Jesus and what he did for us on the cross. I personally enjoyed the service, but I walked out scratching my head wondering what Jesus would have thought of it all if He walked into that Church. It was definitely an experience we will never forget.

Afterwards, everyone just did their own thing for the day. It was cool to walk down Downtown Disney to hear and see the different types of music and attractions. There was this mall called “The Block” that had a lot of stores we have never seen before. It was unique in the fact that it was pretty much a mall with no roof. After coming out of Tijuana, not many of us really had to urge to buy any material things. I think the Youth is starting to have a better understanding of what is a “want” & what is a “need”.

We are now in Utah again. We are staying at the same place as before (America's Best Motel). There is really not much more at this point to update about as we are journeying back home. I do want to say the prayer life of the Youth has been so prevalent and passionate these past few days. It has been a blessing to see them all pray for each other. We have 2 more solid days of driving ahead of us. Our last day will be the longest day as we will be crossing the border and driving through Lethbridge. If everything goes smoothly, it seems like our team will arrive in Edmonton very late in the evening on August 11. I am sure in the next couple days parents will be getting phone calls from their kids to give a more accurate update. On behalf of our Mexico Team, I would like to Thank You so very much for your constant prayers throughout this Mission Trip. We have answered God's call and completed this mission out of obedience & love.

Anaheim

One of the 3 vans left the Dorm at 6am this Saturday morning to drop off 2 of our Doctors & Mark Dixon at LA-X airport. The other 2 vans left at 7am. Crossing the Mexico-US border took a fair amount of time to accomplish. It is known as the most crossed border in the World, and are a lot more strict on granting access to cross. It is mind-boggling the amount of change there is from one country to another. It is almost like teleporting to another World. All 3 vans eventually met up at Westminster for a swim and a lunch before hitting the road again. Our team is now in Anaheim. It is a lot hotter here now than it has been during most of our stay in Tijuana. We are at a Best Western right across the street from Disney Land. We will be staying here for 2 nights. A fair amount of Youth are still battling their respective colds, most being the girls. This time is a chance for everyone & our drivers to rest before the long 30+ hour trek back home. On Sunday, everyone is given the opportunity to do whatever they want. Some will be going to the theme parks at Disney Land. Others will be checking out this Saddleback Church nearby. Overall it should be a relaxing fun day on Sunday for everyone. I will try and keep updating wherever Internet is available. It seems like we are still on schedule to be in Edmonton on August 12. To the parents, your kids will have plenty to share when they return. This has been a tremendous trip for them.

Day 5 Of Building

We began once again our final day of building with a morning devotional time. It was our last moments with the Americans before they all had to leave today. It seems like each day the worship gets more and more passionate with everyone, Eddie spoke one last time with us all about applying what we have learned. He reminded the Youth how much opportunity they have ahead of them in their lives, and that nothing is impossible with God. Eddie also taught us all about the 8 things we should take & leave behind. This all varied from the people we associate, to the media we are exposed to, and the way we use our time/money/resources.

Our final day of building was not of houses this time. We all as a group, went back to the local Church to replace a portion of the roof, that was rotting away. Once again, it was not very hot out that day, which for many was greatly appreciated. A portion of us spent some of the day scraping off the cement from one of the brick walls of the Church. This was a very dirty job, as brick shavings would constantly fall on us. There was another group pulling out nails & screws from the old wooden frame of the roof so the Church can re-use the wood. This was actually a bit more fun, as it was like trying to solve a constant puzzle. God has been so protective of us this whole trip. Aside from a few deep cuts, everyone has been injury free. I find it ironic that the only 2 injuries sustained on the trip were from 2 of our doctors. Thankfully they both fixed themselves up. After 5 days of working, our team finally was able to have our first shower. Many of the girls were very joyful and ecstatic about this.

For this trip, our team has made it a habit to head off for ice-cream after work. We did not go out for supper this time. We went back to the Church for a Fiesta (Party) to celebrate Micheal's (Matt Hornbrook's son) 6th birthday. Behind the Church, there is this little soccer arena with wooden boards were many of us and the kids played. The ground was pure dirt, and someone would frequently come with a bucket of water to sprinkle the playing area, to make it less dusty. The kids were so amazing. Even the kids in net made some of the most outrageous saves. Everyone got very dirty, but it was so fun. We ended the night with us hanging out at the Dorm. We all spent some time packing our bags to start heading home tomorrow morning.