Youth Mission Update Tuesday night

Our group is hanging in there. Today they worked in 116° heat with no breeze.

One of the students, Sarah N. told me the crew drank more than 30 gallons of water just today (not including ice) but they did get the walls up. Sarah said they'd hoped to get the roof started, but didn't get that far.

Kelsey celebrated her birthday in Mexico. They had dirt pudding thanks to Julie B. and Jenn B. and the group sang Happy Birthday.

A few people weren't feeling great today, some had to take breaks because of the heat but everyone is still fine and healthy. After the long day of work, the hour plus drive back to camp, Jerry said a group from Dallas, Texas was playing around with a football and our kids joined in. Talk about energy!

Sarah said the family the house is for hasn't been around much like families in past years that were really involved and wanted to get to know the kids and connect with them. This family is a bit older than most and Jerry the said their level of poverty is just about as low as it could be, more so than others in the area. The couple's youngest son, Jose, is 13 and Sarah said he does hang out with them a bit and talks with them about random stuff, or laughs at the silly things they do. Yesterday, for instance, Jose helped them mix the cement by hand.

Sarah said the best part of the trip has been the group. She's been able to get to know everyone better and have one last trip with the graduated seniors. "A lot of them won't be coming back," Sarah said. But the best part she said about going to Mexico (this is her fourth trip) is the reminder that all she has is from God and He wants her to help others.

"It shows how strong you are and reconnects you with God," Sarah said. "We're privileged, and that's from God so we don't have to apologize for that, but we should be helping people who aren't. You can forget that when you're busy with school, so this helps bring it back to the front and makes me think about it."

Then there are the chickens.

Jerry said a lot of the Mexican families have chickens. The group wakes up to roosters near the campground. When they're working, there are chickens wandering around. Jerry said it was a common thing to be working on their hands and knees and then have a chicken run right by. Jerry said for the most part they are in cages, but not always. He said it makes for "smelly, interesting conditions."

"It's pretty rancid at times," Jerry said.

Jamie B. had posted a question to the group asking how they were enjoying the bucket showers, Jerry said you'd be surprised how refreshing a shower can be from a five gallon bucket after the work they'd done all day.

But the group is doing well, Jerry said they are eating great food thanks to Julie B. and Jenn B., and tonight the group was sitting around together with Chris B. and Colin H. who brought guitars and were singing worship songs.

All of today's posted messages were delivered. More tomorrow night.
LMF