Tijuana

Okay. So you are all probably wondering what has taken so long for an update. If the updates are slow, I apologize, as access to Internet has been tough and our team has been on the road a lot. So I have a lot of catching up to do.

We all arrived safely to Tijuana Saturday evening. We drove through Las Vegas, and California. Our team was absolutely silent once we crossed the border and took in all the differences of Mexico compared to Canada. We arrived at our Dorms at Caravan Ministries at around 9pm. We had a quick tutorial with the staff as they explained the rules and procedures.

On Sunday, we went to a local Church. The congregation was very friendly and very passionate in worship, Even through the service was rarely translated, the congregation displayed a strong sense of community. During the afternoon, many groups walked around and checked out the various markets. The land has many hills, that drivers constantly have to contend with, The roads can be bumpy at times, and it seems many drivers make up their own rules of the road. Since there is really no waste management system in Tijuana, there is frequently a lot of garbage lying around. There are many dogs randomly walking around in the village. We were told not to pet them because many are diseased. During the afternoon we went to a very nice restaurant to eat. I sometimes feel bad when 30 people are all ordering at once when there is only a staff of 6 trying to make food for our orders, but I also understand it really helps them as a business. Many of us quickly realized how very hard-working Mexicans are. For snacks, we have been going to local vendors that may not get very much business.Later on, we visited The Baja school where Jay Acuna has been for the past month. It was a great opportunity to learn what this ministry does and the tour they gave us. When we arrived back at the dorms, we had extra visitors from California living with us. It has been a great time bonding with the Americans. Alyssa arrived safely from her flight and she is now with us thankfully.

On Monday we finally began our work day. Everyday we begin with a half hour of devotion time. Before we began to work, we did worship, prayer, and heard a very passionate message from Eddie (Head staff member) about serving and being humble. It was a very inspiring way to start the work day. All of us in the Dorm split up into various groups to go to the local families and do our building projects. I couldn't believe how fast it was to put up a tiny house. The kids from the families we are building a house once again steal your heart. What is amazing, is they actually want to hammer and saw and help you build the house. It was very rewarding to play with the kids. The families were very hospitable and their food was very very good. It was a blessing to see how much family means to those in Tijuana as a Mexican culture. We ended our evening with our first debrief as a team in Mexico. So far, everyone is seeing God in so many unique ways. Our team is very excited tomorrow to serve, learn more about Tijuana, and to see God more in the mysterious ways he moves. Well I hope to add more updates, soon, it is very difficult sometimes with all the people we are constantly bonding with. Just know we are safe, and their is no question some of the Youth will be radically changed after this trip.