Presbyterian Dubuquers at Bethesda in Cancun

We arrived from Dubuque, Iowa, to Cancun, Mexico, late Saturday night. Sunday we attended the 1st Presbyterian Church at 9am, the Bethesda Church at 11 am, and the 1st Presbyterian Church at 6:30 pm. The services were in Spanish and the churches were full of people praising God for Himself and for His goodness to them. Dinner was at 8pm and “devotional time” at 9pm.

We (Gavin, Gilda, Lueann, Laura, Alicia, Sharon, Tom and Mark) spent five days at the Bethesda church moving supplies, helping tile floors, chopping some vegetables, and making friends. We also did a day trip to Chichen Itza to see how the Mayan culture used to be.

We mixed the “goop” for tiling the floors with a bucket and a stick. We were shown how to make a straight line with a long string and two nails. Then we were shown how to lay the tile in straight lines, making sure to use just the right amount of “goop” to keep all the tiles flat and even. We did two and a half rooms and a hallway.

During Evangelism Explosion Classes we helped chop vegetables for the noon meal and learned a little of the Mayan language. The chicken was chopped first and cooked in a large pot that covered four burners. Then various vegetables and spices were added to the chicken. It was very good.

At the end of Friday we enjoyed a party where the students of Evangelism Explosion practiced their skills with small groups of children. They made the memorization of scripture fun for the children. We also enjoyed games, clowns a piñata, and gave out toys that had been sent from Dubuque to Bethesda.

Pastor Felipe, wife Susi, and boys Esdras and Felipe were very warm and friendly. They made our stay with them very pleasant. Ramón Celis coordinated the visit, making sure that we had good food, accommodations, and transportation. We enjoyed our work and visit very much and are looking forward to returning next summer.

Gilda from Dubuque

Wrapping up at Cozumel

By Felipe Martinez

A short ferry ride from Playa del Carmen is the beautiful island of Cozumel, where members of Tabernacle Presbyterian Church have been all week helping with construcion and VBS at the "Puerta de Esperanza" mission church, led by Pastor José Luis Cupul.

On Friday, the group used a skit to share the story of when Jesus told the disciples to throw their nets over to one side of the boat (after they had fished all night and caught nothing)... and to their amazement a large number of fish get caught in the nets!

During their time for games, the group organized a pick-up game of soccer,

and they also played "Pato, Pato, Ganso" (translation: Duck, Duck, Goose). You have no idea how fun that can be...

This group from Tab had a great week of work and VBS and they return to Indy tomorrow. By the way, another group from Tab arrives tomorrow to go to Cozumel and concentrate on construction work at the church's future site.

Nicte Ha VBS Update

by Felipe Martinez

As the Thursday VBS class drew to a close, the over 130 kids participating in VBS could be heard singing their hearts out and could be seen waving the craft of the day (the colorful butterfly). They really looked like they were having fun!

The crew from Second Presbyterian Church Indianapolis has been doing a terrific job all week on two fronts. First there are 20 youth working on construction (they've helped lay block for the church's second story and will hopefully lay the concrete for the second story ceiling/roof (it will be a 3 story building). (A second group of 20 arrives Saturday to do another week of construction)

The second group from Second here this week, about 15 people strong, has been working with the overflowing VBS crowds. Everyone I talked to seemed to be having a blast!

I spoke with Pastor Manases, who informed me that he's been invited by Second to visit Indy in during Thanksgiving. He just got his visa and is really looking forward to it. I believe this visit will continue to strengthen what already is a remarkable relationship between these two sister churches.

Puerto Morelos Team- Eastern Group

Hola from the team in Puerto Morelos. We have had a good week building the spiritual foundation for the church in Puerto Morelos. Our numbers have remained steady all week. We have averaged in the low 20´s every night.Ramon and Felipe showed up Thursday to see how things were going at the VBS. We talked with the pastor today and he is firmly committed to building the church here. We are preparing for the final night. We went to the pastor´s house this morning-Friday and filled up the pinatas. I am sure it will not take as long to empty as it took to fill. We fly out Sat morning with divided hearts. We are happy that there seems to be a solid foundation that we in the Easter Group can work with but we also leave with sad hearts because of the new and old friends we leave behind in Puerto Morleos. There is one little girl that goes around to all of us when she leaves and gives us a hug and lets us give her a little kiss on the cheek. God is working here and we are blessed that He let us take part in what is going on in the town. Thank you all for you prayers. God bless- see you soon.
Puerto Morelos-Eastern Group/JR.

Puerto Morelos-Eastern Group

>Hello from the Eastern Group that is in Puerto Morelos. The VBS is going well. We have averaged in the low 20´s for kids. We have a group of 6 from Cancun that is helping with the lesson and the music. Tuesday night we had a minor scare with our craft. We put the suitcase with the material in the trunk of the cab but forgot to take it out before the cab left our site. Megan was able to call the cab company and about 10 minutes the cab came back with a surprised customer and our bag of material. We are working at the home of the pastor. It is a tight fit but we are getting along well. We went to church Sunday night at the pastors house. There is about 20 in the congregation. We went to Cancun Tuesday with the pastor to buy pinatas and the candy to go in them for a big closing night Friday. That is it for now, I will blog again in a day or two. Take care, God bless.
Eastern Group-Puerto Morelos/ JR