(the house with the blue trim is the finished product)

First of all, we’re all alive and we’re all safe – I imagine that that’s the most pressing question you have.

We’ve been in Mexico since Monday afternoon in an area known as ‘The Kilometers’ (probably because it’s way out in the middle of nowhere and stretches on for miles). I didn’t think I was going to be able to catch a wifi signal in Mexico, but when we got there I knew I wasn’t; I apologize for any stress this may have caused you, but it came with the nature of the trip.  

So, in short, it’s all good. I promise.

Backtrack with me a little, if you will. The last posts I wrote were literally put up as we crossed the border; we got in without any trouble, drove to the Casas Por Cristo compound and made camp. It would be easy to say that our trip really began at that point, but it didn’t — it started when we settled down to pray in the Guys’ House … it just got better there.

We built four houses in roughly two days, working in groups of 14 to 15 per house. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with the way this thing works, but when we get to the worksite, we’re greeted by a sectioned lot of land that has some sort of shelter constructed from scrap and scavenged material on it. There’s an empty space. There are usually at least two dogs. There is always a decent amount of garbage. There is definitely a family and they are absolutely in need. We make a rectangle with wooden beams, lay a foundation of concrete that we mix ourselves and we build them a house.

We build them a stinkin’ house and we pray as we do it.

We show them God’s unchanging love and we rejoice as we do it.

The first day of building was slightly slowed by what I will humbly refer to as a ‘sand hurricane.’ ‘Hurricane’ may be too strong of a word, but that’s what I’ll liken it to for the sake of getting this post up. Lucky for us, your kid didn’t whine once (shocking, eh?) and pushed through the work like a champ. The next day’s weather was much more construction-friendly and we were all able to finish our houses.

At night, we’d hang out in the SHOC – there were epic games of Ninja – amazing (and well-portioned) food made by an amazing woman – heartfelt worship led by a Spirit-filled man – and conversations. There was plenty of good conversation.

The dedication ceremonies – at which we present the finished home, two sets of keys, a Bible and blankets to the family – consisted of intentional prayer. This is an experience that I struggle to describe in words. If you’re reading this, it’s probably because you have a loved one who built this week – I’ll leave giving the description of this part of the trip to them. …I think they’ll do a better job.

We’re ‘States-side now and back at the Casas Por Cristo headquarters in El Paso, TX. Traditionally, Ferris groups stay an extra day (which is today for us) and help the Casas group clean the compound we stayed at in Mexico and with any projects they have at their main base. When we’re done, we’re going to give the El Paso natives a heart attack again by eating dinner as one big group, camp out at the church overnight, wake up and head home.  

I really don’t have words for this trip – it was so different from what I’d expected. I can say that it was purposeful. It was good. We were careful. We are safe. We grew as individuals. We were changed as a group. And God did work.

Amen, eh?

Thanks again for your prayers and your support – both of those were incredibly important to us.

We love you and we’ll be home soon.  

The El Paso sunrise that saw us off.

Our view of the foot of the Rocky Mountains from the church we camped in. (El Paso, TX)

(The toll before the border.)

Hey guys – so updating nightly didn’t work out as well as I planned; the last two days have been running together, so bear with me as I try to sort it all out in my mind.

After we got into Texas, we met up with some Yoopers who’d relocated there and needed to see some faces from home – there are sixty of us and no matter how early we call ahead to restaurants, they still manage to be surprised by how many of us there actually are. It makes me smile; their patience with us makes me smile more.

After dinner, we got back on the road and eventually landed in Roswell, New Mexico, home of the brave … home of the free … home of unidentified flying objects. We camped out at a motel like true truckies, and had church service the next day. Scott Austin (of Michigan Tech) paralleled the level of trust Pip (of Dicken’s Great Expectations) placed in his inheritance – Scott explained that as transformed children of God, we, too, can live with great expectations – and even more so because the source of our expectations is mighty to save, passionate about saving, and powerful enough to consistently and unwaveringly follow through on His promises.

From Roswell, we drove back into Texas (which is shaped all kinds of funky), made a few stops, admired the mountains and enjoyed each other’s company. At this point in the trip, the time we’ve been able to spend with one another has been the best part – even if our conversations are just silly or awkward at times. God is infused in our conversations and when we aren’t talking about Him or trying to figure out something He’s done, we’re reveling in the joy He’s given.

We eventually got to our final destination for the day (mind you, it’s still Sunday), which was a church in El Paso.  We settled in and made camp, flooded Cici’s Pizza for dinner and bought way too much food from the local Walmart.

It’s Monday now and we’re at the main Casas Por Cristo base that’s ‘States-side. Here, we’re taking time to do last minute preparations and to get rid of some of our energy. Soon, we’ll head towards the border and into Juarez. Our group is excited about going over and at the same time, I know that many of us are reserved, preparing our hearts for what we’re about to see and do. It’s nothing small.

Thank you for your prayers – we’re saying our own but are grateful for yours and ask that they keep coming. I don’t know when I’ll be able to update again because after we get across the border, we stay there and build for four days. I’ll try though – and I’ll ask you to try not to worry. When you can’t fight the urge, pray and send us your love; it’s the best thing you could do.

We love you dearly. We will see you soon.    

So, it’s Saturday and we’ve been on the road for approximately … a long time. Jess says 24 hrs, and because she’s pretty reliable, I’m going to take her word for it. We’re on US-Highway 40 somewhere in Oklahoma and the sun is amazing. Bright. Brilliant. Beautiful.

Before we got to “The South,” we spent about a half an hour praying as a group in Michigan, acknowledging the opportunity that we’ve been given and asking to have the hearts of servants among other things. Afterwards, we broke up into groups of 15 and piled into our vans; we didn’t exactly welcome the rain-soaked roads, but careful driving and intentional co-pilots saw us through Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and into Missouri, which is where we stopped for breakfast. (And may I confirm that Missouri is indeed a strange, strange land … but they make amazing hash browns there.)  

Between Michigan and Oklahoma, we’ve had numerous restroom breaks, one breakfast break and one lunch break in different highway towns where people are thrown off by how large our group is but still manage to be friendly nonetheless. Everyone is okay; we’re all still getting along; no one has been left at any truck stops (including your kid, much to our surprise).

At this point, we’ve got about 3 hours before we stop again for food and as we continue to get closer and closer to our final destination, I think we’ve all settled into a place of peace. And joy. Leanne read aloud to some of the girls in my van from the book of Acts today, and I think we have the confidence that Paul describes in it – we know that our God is good and we know that our God provides.

Thanks again for your continued prayers and support; we’re in Texas now and we’ll update again tomorrow. Love you guys.

Missions. That’s what got us to Ferris State University: a wish, a goal, a dream. We all wanted to get somewhere.

We all wanted to become “someone.” We all wanted to find something — and, by one route or another, we all did … we found God and his goodness. We found his love. We found his mercy. We finally found something worth holding on to, and, in the process, we found our true selves.   

It’s been seven months since Ferris opened for the Fall 2010/2011 semester, and we’ve been counting the days ever since. As of today, that’s seven months of class. Seven months of studying. Seven months of stress. Seven months of work.

Seven months of waiting for spring break - a time that’s supposed to be full of rest and relaxation on warm beaches; good times with friends and epic moments in places we go out of our way to find. Our spring break will be a lot like that … but without the rest … or the relaxation … or the water. We will have a beach, though, and a new mission: to spend a little more than seven days serving others and sharing Christ.

He is good.

He is love (and so much more).

And we are His. 

We leave tomorrow night, Friday, March 4th, around 7p. Please pray for us and our goal, and please frequent this blog for updates and pictures.

We need you to know that we love you and that we’re grateful for your support. 

See you soon. 

Mexico Mission Trips (via CasasporCristo)