Boarding Passes
Hey folks,
I assume most everyone has stopped reading now that their kids are home BUT I will very soon update the final few days in Mexico City.
Stay tuned.
Larry
Read comments (0)WHAT IS A WORK TRIP?
It is surprises – pleasant and unpleasant
It is dealing with whatever we are dealt
It is doing things you’ve never done before
It is new foods – strange or unidentifiable
It is new friends – in the serving community and the wider community
It is hard work
It is fun and relaxation
It is sleep deprivation
It is, in the end, service
It is being there – showing up whether around the block or around the world
It is rain and mud, cold and heat, wind, bugs, spiders, creepy crawly things
It is paint on walls and people
It is doing work by hand, instead of using power tools
It is accomplishing tasks with tools too old and meant for some other use
It is the joy of completion
It is eating at irregular or strange times
It is taking cold showers, perhaps under water running off roofs in the rain
It is rough roads – or worse
It is taking a chance – to show others they are not forgotten
It is demonstrating we can live on this planet in fellowship and love and sharing
It may involve few people or many, either those traveling or those receiving us, but we bring hope for a brighter future – it is our privilege to have a small part in that
It is a concrete outward expression of our faith
It brings reality to what we read or hear or see on TV, and our common humanity is affirmed – forever
It is not for the fainthearted
It is a small slice of life on earth, an artifact that changes the directions, interpretations, hopes, and heart of those involved, even if only tangentially
It is addictive!
It is doing God’s work!
Hello all. Its Scott and Chris writing from Mexico. As this trip comes to a close it amazes us how fast the time has gone. We have all formed great relationships with the IPODERAC boys. We got especially close to a 18 year old name Evan. Communicating with him was not always easy, but with many hand motions, a lot of broken Spanish, and a few games of basketball it was always enjoyable. It was hard to say goodbye, but fortunately for us, Evan will be visiting Denver in two weeks, and we plan to show him life in the US. It was heart warming to see the impact of the gifts we all gave to the IPODERAC boys. Read the rest of this entry »
Kids Are Weird
Thats all, just kids are weird. Most of you parents know this…kids are just weird. Oh not bad weird…good weird….but definitely weird.
July 6, 2008 - IPODERAC - 1:30 am
Hi all,
First…Comments, comments, comments…the kids love them so if you’re a parent and you’re reading, leave a comment. The kids love them!
Now back the regulary scheduled posting….we made it to Mexico City. I did have the death seat but Beth switched cause I needed some MUCH needed sleep.
We arrived at the Presbyterian Seminary and were divided up into rooms. The Seminary is very much like a small college. All of our rooms are dormitory style. I’m bunking with Marshall. Currently the Seminary is on break so there are almost no students here (maybe two) and luckily so cause this group is not a quiet sort.
After getting our room assignments we returned to our travel groups to begin the journey to the zocalo, Cathedral, the Presidential Palace, and Templo Mayor (commonly known by this Spanish name, meaning “Great Temple” was the main temple of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan (modern day Mexico City…from Wikipedia.) We traveled by subway and much to my happiness (remember this is my first big MOB worktrip) the kids are awesome in their travel groups. 15 stops and one transfer we ended up on the edge of the gigantic square. One side of the square is made up of the presidential palace and another is made of the Cathedral. Read the rest of this entry »
I’m Old
I don’t get the pant sag. I don’t get the purpose of having half your underwear showing as you sag your shorts. I think this is a sure sign that I am getting old…I hate it when my pants are dropping. I may ask our boys what the deal is.
June 6, 2008 - 10:30 am - typing on the bus
The Panic Room
Another short dramatic play by Claire Zelenkov and Rachel Ackermann
Setting: July 3rd, approximately 9:30 pm (following dinner, before devotions, following a long, hard day of work)
Rachel: Katie (Robb), I’m going to go lay down for a couple minutes, will you wake me up before devotions?
Katie: Of course, I swear on my mother’s left toe I will wake you up.
****Meanwhile*****
Claire: WOW! I’m soooooooo dead tired. I think I need a nap.
Audrey: Yeah, me too. Straightening my hair really drains my energy, I think I’ll take a nap as well.
Laura: I’m gonna get ready for bed, so that I’m ready to go to sleep after devotions (lays down and falls into a deep sleep aka a coma)
****Simultaneously Upstairs****
Kelly: (to Jordan) I’m really tired, let’s go to bed
Jordan: Ok
****5 minutes before leaving for devotions****
Laura is sleeping and Katie and Sheri are heard faintly talking in the distance
Sheri: Should we wake them up?
Katie: We should let them sleep, my mother doesn’t need her left toe anyway, she has 9 others
Sheri: Ok. Let’s lock the door and skip on down to devotions because we have all 10 toes!
****10:05, approximately 5 minutes after the rest of the group has left for Santa Maria building for devotions, the innocent 6 wake up****
(Rachel wakes up and runs to the door only to find that it has been locked from the outside)
Rachel: Did everyone leave for devotions and seriously not wake us up?
Jordan: Yes
Kelly: Whatever. (To Jordan) Let’s go back to bed
Jordan: Ok
Laura: (from downstairs) Hey guys!
(Rachel walks downstairs, Kelly and Jordan return to bed, Claire wakes up)
Rachel: They locked us in!
Laura: Are you serious? I’m claustrophobic (begins to hyperventilate)
Read the rest of this entry »
Good morning! Just a quick note.
We are currently cleaning and packing because we leave for Mexico City in a couple of hours. We are going to have a brief blessing of the soccer field at 9:30 and then we are off. We are definitely going to miss IPODERAC.
We will be staying in the seminary. From my understanding there are no classes so we will probably be staying in another dorm style room. I know it’s a seminary and all, but I am not sure what kind of internet access we will have while there so if there is a big gap in the posts that is why.
More comments please.
Later from Mexico City (I hope I don’t get the “Death Seat” again.)
Hi!!! It’s Sheri…finally… I have been having such an amazing time with the youth..the Ipoderac boys and your youth that it is hard to find time to sit and JUST write…
Ipoderac is a place filled with life…spilling out everywhere and the days & nights are flying by at an incredible pace. It has me thinking about the Kingdom of God being like a mustard seed…that passage found in Mark 4…this whole idea that many of us have when we think all that we do has to be done in a BIG way. Riches and power and influence are not so much the tools our God uses to bring God’s kingdom to earth. We may at times get the idea that God too works in big dramatic ways but then Jesus had that passage that said the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed and I think here at Ipoderac we have experienced that….
I think the signs of God’s kingdom can be so small they almost go unnoticed. Almost. I have seen hard work, kind words, helping hands, incredibly funny events, disbelief, nervousness, compassion, annoyance, fabulous conversations, incredible amounts of food being consumed, angry internal organs, dancing in the rain, nervous goats (no worries, your offspring will not be going into professional goat milking any time soon) spanish being used, spanish improving, and cross cultural exchange like you have never seen! I know Christ is present here within us and among us planting seeds all over the place bringing God’s Kingdom to this place and adding up to what Scott M and Chris D have coined…Work Trip Magic!
Someone once said to me as I was preparing to come home from one of these mission trips, “Don’t think you were here for a vacation, Read the rest of this entry »