We had our most relaxing day yet. That means that nobody had to heft beams, that were designed to be carried by three people, over their heads. Nobody was responsible for making sure the lumber we cut was just the right length because there are no oops boards on the pile. The biggest challenge was that of sunburn from playing with the kids and running out of toilet paper in the very rustic bathrooms at the church site. Another big challenge was trying to figure out how to stuff large amounts of food into our bodies!
Anybody who wants to come to Agua Viva here in Mexico should plan ahead by losing weight now so they won't feel guilty by stuffing themselves here. I am trying to lose weight and get healthier...without boring you with all the details (you can read my other blog for that)....I'll just say that it was very difficult to continue to make smart food choices when there is so much good food being served. Sometimes just not going for seconds took incredible willpower. Today was no exception.
The day started as usual. Breakfast. Awesome! Hearty! Delicious! (I'm told...I am a seasoned pro here so I knew food was going to just keep coming...I passed on the good stuff.) We did our VBS and had our emotional 'hasta luego' (until we meet again) with the kids. Then the church pulled out all the stops and served us a thank you meal. The church members got together and fixed us a meal fit for a king...or hungry missionaries. We gobbled up tacos, beans, guacamole, and all the fixin's. When a plate was empty, they brought more. If we hesitated at all when asked if we wanted more, another taco hit our plates. After spending a great time eating and laughing we all waddled outside to see if there was something they'd like us to do for them. (we offered to pull weeds but their site is so nicely kept a weed wouldn't dare show its face around there. A couple of us moved a lot of water from a cistern to a barrel so they could use the water for flushing. We were just about done with that task when they figured out that we wouldn't really have enough things to do to keep us busy at all. They thanked us and we went back to camp for an hour and a half until church service. Ever heard that saying that with age comes wisdom? The wisest among us took a nap to get ready for another round of excitement. I got my first nap of the spring break. It was glorious.
We went back to the church where the worship team from our group worked out all the details for the service and practiced over and over to make the songs, which they were going to switch back and forth from English to Spanish, as seamless as possible. I have to say I was never present at a worship team meeting before. I assumed it was very simple: "You make with the LA LA LA while I make with the TWANG-A-TWANG. Ok great. Let's go get waffles." It was much more involved than that. Actually, speaking of food, during practice Agua Viva sent a lot of burritos to "hold us over til dinner after service." Most people ate them
During the practice I experienced a minor miracle. Today has been a really sketchy day for internet. It started out bad and got worse. I tried everything I knew to do to make it come back to the computer or my phone. Nothing worked. I'm not complaining. I know that this far from town being able to get internet at all is fairly amazing. I appreciate it, and if you are reading this, you should appreciate it too. The last times I was here I needed to go stand on a certain rock and hold the computer just so, while my blog posts got uploaded. This year has been nearly flawless in terms of easily accessed internet. If it didn't work in camp it would always work along the road into town. I got so I knew which curve would start the phones buzzing with text messages in the holding pattern. Today's ride had no buzzing. I tried again to connect at the church somehow...no luck. There was a message asking if I really wanted to do this since I was going to get charged extra if I didn't talk to my provider before I came to Mexico. I did talk to them...CHARGE AWAY! Click...annnnnnnnnnnd....nothing.
Oh well, I didn't need to upload anything. Sylvia knew I wasn't ignoring her....I hope. I'll let it go. Then out of the blue my pocket buzzed. Then again! All right! I looked at my phone and it was a text. Not from home but from one of the campers who was sitting about 10 feet from me...wait, where did he go...what's the text say? "HELP" Ok, you have my complete attention! I looked at the other text. Same person. "The doorknob broke and I am trapped in the bathroom." I hustled over there and got the door open only to see, sure enough, the doorknob had fallen off in his hands. Everything is ok. Crisis is averted...and apparently I have internet again! I'll just send Sylvia a greeting....nope. Same issue. No coverage. None. Like before. I cannot figure out how a text got to my phone with no cell service at all so I could help someone in need. I'll let you draw your own conclusions.
The service went great. The worship was more than smooth, it was interesting! People cried during the testimonies of the youth. People cried out in agreement during Seth's sermon. It was a great experience. The children from our VBS came to the front of the church and passed out lollipops to the workers as thank you gifts. Not "You didn't cry when you got a shot" lollipops, these are "Farrels, dad can I have one of those giant curled sugar bombs!?" lollipops. We said our "Hasta Luego's" to the members of the church and the pastor, and we went into town to eat tacos! Yes, more food.
If you are ever in Mexico, specifically in Ensenada, I would suggest that you stop at this taco stand. Even if you aren't hungry, you'll appreciate the artistry with how they make these tacos and tortas! And then you'll order a taco, or three, they're small.
Ok, we leave here tomorrow....(Today actually. I've been writing a while.) I'll try to add more if I can. For tonight...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Anybody who wants to come to Agua Viva here in Mexico should plan ahead by losing weight now so they won't feel guilty by stuffing themselves here. I am trying to lose weight and get healthier...without boring you with all the details (you can read my other blog for that)....I'll just say that it was very difficult to continue to make smart food choices when there is so much good food being served. Sometimes just not going for seconds took incredible willpower. Today was no exception.
The day started as usual. Breakfast. Awesome! Hearty! Delicious! (I'm told...I am a seasoned pro here so I knew food was going to just keep coming...I passed on the good stuff.) We did our VBS and had our emotional 'hasta luego' (until we meet again) with the kids. Then the church pulled out all the stops and served us a thank you meal. The church members got together and fixed us a meal fit for a king...or hungry missionaries. We gobbled up tacos, beans, guacamole, and all the fixin's. When a plate was empty, they brought more. If we hesitated at all when asked if we wanted more, another taco hit our plates. After spending a great time eating and laughing we all waddled outside to see if there was something they'd like us to do for them. (we offered to pull weeds but their site is so nicely kept a weed wouldn't dare show its face around there. A couple of us moved a lot of water from a cistern to a barrel so they could use the water for flushing. We were just about done with that task when they figured out that we wouldn't really have enough things to do to keep us busy at all. They thanked us and we went back to camp for an hour and a half until church service. Ever heard that saying that with age comes wisdom? The wisest among us took a nap to get ready for another round of excitement. I got my first nap of the spring break. It was glorious.
We went back to the church where the worship team from our group worked out all the details for the service and practiced over and over to make the songs, which they were going to switch back and forth from English to Spanish, as seamless as possible. I have to say I was never present at a worship team meeting before. I assumed it was very simple: "You make with the LA LA LA while I make with the TWANG-A-TWANG. Ok great. Let's go get waffles." It was much more involved than that. Actually, speaking of food, during practice Agua Viva sent a lot of burritos to "hold us over til dinner after service." Most people ate them
During the practice I experienced a minor miracle. Today has been a really sketchy day for internet. It started out bad and got worse. I tried everything I knew to do to make it come back to the computer or my phone. Nothing worked. I'm not complaining. I know that this far from town being able to get internet at all is fairly amazing. I appreciate it, and if you are reading this, you should appreciate it too. The last times I was here I needed to go stand on a certain rock and hold the computer just so, while my blog posts got uploaded. This year has been nearly flawless in terms of easily accessed internet. If it didn't work in camp it would always work along the road into town. I got so I knew which curve would start the phones buzzing with text messages in the holding pattern. Today's ride had no buzzing. I tried again to connect at the church somehow...no luck. There was a message asking if I really wanted to do this since I was going to get charged extra if I didn't talk to my provider before I came to Mexico. I did talk to them...CHARGE AWAY! Click...annnnnnnnnnnd....nothing.
Oh well, I didn't need to upload anything. Sylvia knew I wasn't ignoring her....I hope. I'll let it go. Then out of the blue my pocket buzzed. Then again! All right! I looked at my phone and it was a text. Not from home but from one of the campers who was sitting about 10 feet from me...wait, where did he go...what's the text say? "HELP" Ok, you have my complete attention! I looked at the other text. Same person. "The doorknob broke and I am trapped in the bathroom." I hustled over there and got the door open only to see, sure enough, the doorknob had fallen off in his hands. Everything is ok. Crisis is averted...and apparently I have internet again! I'll just send Sylvia a greeting....nope. Same issue. No coverage. None. Like before. I cannot figure out how a text got to my phone with no cell service at all so I could help someone in need. I'll let you draw your own conclusions.
The service went great. The worship was more than smooth, it was interesting! People cried during the testimonies of the youth. People cried out in agreement during Seth's sermon. It was a great experience. The children from our VBS came to the front of the church and passed out lollipops to the workers as thank you gifts. Not "You didn't cry when you got a shot" lollipops, these are "Farrels, dad can I have one of those giant curled sugar bombs!?" lollipops. We said our "Hasta Luego's" to the members of the church and the pastor, and we went into town to eat tacos! Yes, more food.
If you are ever in Mexico, specifically in Ensenada, I would suggest that you stop at this taco stand. Even if you aren't hungry, you'll appreciate the artistry with how they make these tacos and tortas! And then you'll order a taco, or three, they're small.
Ok, we leave here tomorrow....(Today actually. I've been writing a while.) I'll try to add more if I can. For tonight...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
God is so good!! Thanks for sharing all that He is doing for you, with you and through you in Mexico.
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