Adam just called and said that he was really tired! They had a full day!

This morning the group worked on projects around the camp. They worked on the bathrooms, and on the camp wall. He said the wall work was very hard. They had to clear out the area and paint it.

This afternoon was the first kids club. Your prayers were answered in a very encouraging way. Alex had told the group that the first day there are usually 30 kids that show up. Our group had 54 kids!!! How exciting! Adam said their program went really well and it accomplished its purpose.

Tonight at dinner there was a pinata and cake for Christi’s birthday! Adam said the locals showed them a dance they usually do with the pinata for birthdays. He said it was really fun and they had a good time. Everyone is feeling good now too! Michael is pretty much back to 100%.

Each night the team has a debrief time. They were about to have their one for tonight after Adam called me. He said the one last night went REALLY well. They talked about Isaiah being willing to go when God asked who would go for Him. Adam said that they talked about how lost people break God’s heart even more than it breaks our hearts. The students were challenged to answer God’s call like Isaiah did. He said there was a lot of good response and broken hearts for what breaks God’s heart. I was VERY excited to hear that! I hope you are too. I want more than anything for Matthew to use his life in mighty ways for God’s glory. I get SO excited when I see kids in our youth group, that are at a point where they are deciding what to do with their lives, choosing to dedicate it to the Lord! Pray for these kids hearts. Pray that what they experience on this trip won’t be just something they leave in Mexico, or leave in the summer of 2010, but that it is something that changes their lives forever!

Pray for good rest tonight for the team, and renewed energy tomorrow for all the work ahead of them. Pray for even more kids to come hear the good news of Jesus! God can do more than we can ask or imagine. So ask and imagine BIG!

Adam just called around 8:30. He said today has been good. Michael is feeling a lot better today. Michael said that if 1 were the best, he is feeling 3, so he is on his way to being better! Keep praying!

This morning the bus was supposed to pick them up for church at 8:30 but didn’t get there until 9. They were dropped off at the church, and the MTW leader Alex was not there yet so they went inside and found places to sit. While they were singing a man that worked at the church came and pulled Adam aside to his office. Adam said that in broken English the man was asking them what they were doing there. After a little while Adam got Loriell into the office to translate for him. Apparently the team had been dropped off at the wrong church. This man has a radio show and had gotten a call that 40 Americans were at their church and he needed to come check it out! They stayed for the rest of the service and Adam said it was very good. The church prayed for them before they left. Alex went to church on his own at the “right” church. I wonder what God has planned for them being at the “wrong” church this morning.

This afternoon the team went to the geographical center of Mexico, Christo Rey. They had a chance to break up into groups and pray around the area. Adam says the statue of Jesus is very much of an idol. It is so sad that the truth can be so distorted.

When the team got back to the camp the outreach team, along with Jeff Curry went into the local village to try to gather up some kids for the Kids Club tomorrow. Our team is the first team of the summer to go down to the camp, and the village is very un-churched. Adam said that they did not find many children. Please pray that our group will not be discouraged, and that God would draw those he has chosen to the camp to hear about His good news! I’m excited to see how the club goes tomorrow.

During the morning tomorrow the team will be doing construction around the camp since the children in the village are still in school. Pray that no one would be hurt, and that they would get a lot accomplished to help this camp grow. Our kids are hard workers! I’m excited to see the progress on the camp from the beginning of their time there, until the time they leave. Pray that they will not rely on their own strength which will be very tempting since it is the beginning of the trip, but that they will do everything through the power of the Holy Spirit working through them.

Adam sounded very excited about everything they had encountered today. Pray that our team will be used to develop good relationships with the people in the village that will assist the MTW camp in their outreach to these people in the future. I know the team wants to be Jesus in every single way to everyone they come in contact with. Pray that this would be true!

Here is a picture of the team at Christo Rey.

What a good looking team!

Adam texted me at 11:30 last night saying the second group had just gotten there and was safe. Happy Father’s Day everyone! This is our first Father’s Day, and Adam is gone. We are sad to not be with him, but we are so excited that He is gone for the reason of making Jesus’ kingdom greater. Nothing is more important than that!

Adam just called me, (Allison) and group 1 had made it to Mexico safe, and is settling into the camp. The local pastor and his wife cooked dinner for the group. It was chicken and vegetables, and Adam said it was good. Everyone is feeling fine except for Michael. Please be praying for his sore throat. Adam said he is going to call me again when the second group arrives around 10ish tonight. I will post something to let you know they are there safely. Tomorrow, Sunday, the group is going to be going to a local church in the morning. In the afternoon they will be going to a local tourist area that is very Catholic. Adam says it could make a big impact on the students. They will be praying for the area while they are walking around for the afternoon. Pray for the kids to see the needs of the people around them, and for them to learn how to pray for these people that need Jesus. Thanks for your prayers. I’ll update this as often as Adam calls. Hope you are doing okay on your first day without your kids. They will be back before you know it!