Called to Serve: The WWVP-NQR Partnership

This blog shares the excitement of mutual mission projects between members of Northern Quintana Roo Presbytery (Mexico) and Whitewater Valley Presbytery (Indiana), along with friends from Southern Indiana, Western Ohio and Northeast Iowa.

Friday, August 10, 2007

Adult Team from TAB in Cozumel

21 members of TAB (Tabernacle Presbyterian Church of Indianapolis), ranging in age from 16 to 65, spent July 21-28 in Cozumel. We worked on the home for Jose Luis Cupul, Pastor of Puerta de Esperanza.



On Sunday, July 22, we joined the congregation for Sunday School in the morning and Worship in the evening at the lot they own, under tarps.

Many of the church members sat together but Patty and her son Haciel sat with us at Sunday School, Worship and at the Fiesta on Friday evening. Patty's English is much better than my Spanish. Haciel is a typical active boy with an infectious smile.



On Sunday Patty shared her music book and moved her finger along so that I could sing the hymns. Even though I do not know the language, I was able to praise the Lord in Spanish and Mayan in the morning and in the evening. What a wonderful way to be welcomed and included.

The Church Leaders would like to build a Palapa like this one which we saw at an archeological site--a traditional protection from weather--as their first permanent structure on the church lot.



Monday through Friday at the work site, down the road from the church lot, we moved cement blocks, carried cement, formed a bucket brigade of cement, stacked cement blocks, cemented the cement blocks together, shoveled sand and gravel, carried buckets of sand, gravel and water, shared gloves, bandaids, nuprin, sun screen, sunburn gel, eye drops and Skin-so-Soft (the Avon bath oil that is an effective bug repellant but smells better than Deet). We encouraged each other to get some shade when anyone had been in the sun a long time. Since Cozumel is an island, we worked in HUMID 90 degree-plus weather—much more than what we experienced in Indianapolis in the weeks after our return.



Friday as we were working a car stopped and Pastor Ramon Celis from NQR got out and walked up to our group. We appreciated his encouragement and presence as he visited our work site. Our Team Leader, Dan Schroeder, is standing behind him.





Every day the ladies of the church sent over fruit for a mid morning snack and then fed us lunch at the home Pastor Jose Luis and his family are renting. We had time to interact with the children and parisoners there.





Some nights we ate dinner as a Team and other nights in groups of our own choosing. Friday the church members held a Fiesta where they fed us dinner and gave us gifts of thanks. We left gifts for them.

The people of Cozumel and the Yucatan are proud of their Mayan heritage. That was seen in the naming of businesses, recipes of the food made for us, and their physical features. As one of our team members said "Here we see ancient faces." Pastor Jose Luis could have been the model for carvings of the ancient kings.


Jan Easterly, Indianapolis

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Fun at Bethesda