The Journey-Part 1

I’m back.

Its hard for me to believe that a mere four days ago I was in Mexico. I think I am currently experiencing the let down that happens after you complete a trip that you have spent months planning.

We arrived (without too much incident) in Cancun on July 5. The we I am referring to includes, Dean and a friend from church, Darin DeYoung. The three of us traveled to Cancun 4 days before the rest of our ‘team’ so that we could spend those first few days traveling to some places outside of Cancun with the idea that perhaps in the future we could have service project teams go to those areas. We were very tired upon our arrival–we had after all never gone to bed, leaving home at 1 am to travel to Seattle and catch a 5:15 am flight. Oh, to top it off on both legs of our flight Dean and I were in seats where the seat backs would NOT recline...yup, that’s right. Oh, but you can be assured that we gave Darin a sufficient amount of crap when on our Phoenix to Cancun flight he had an entire row to himself where he promptly stretched out and slept. Our row, directly ACROSS from his empty row was full.

We passed thru Immigration without any trouble, the next step was Customs. We had two large suitcases filled with gifts and supplies. As soon as our bags went thru the x-ray we immediately drew some unwanted attention. Darin kept his distance and exited quickly, leaving us to haul our bags to the special table where 3 very attentive Customs employees searched and questioned us. It seems that bringing a boxed communion set (a gift to give the Mission) isn’t the best thing to take thru. Finally we were able to convince them that the set was well below the $10,000 goods limit and that we weren’t planning on opening up a store to sell the cases of donated toothpaste we had brought with us.

Outside we were greeted by our new friends John and Shirley Wind. John and Shirley have been missionaries in Honduras and Mexico for many years. We later discovered they were old enough to be our parents, but they put US to shame with their abundant energy. We could not have asked for better hosts/tour guides for those few days. There is something about traveling together that brings about an immediate bond.

That night we killed a couple of cockroaches for good measure, silly me I prefer to NOT shower with those little cucarachas! Then the rain started. Not just rain, but the definition of a torrential downpour. The next morning we ate a quick breakfast and set out for Felipe Carillo Puerto. We drove thru a lot of standing water that day, and the rain kept coming! It was slow driving, but we made it to our destination in one place and without our car stalling after we hit several walls of water!

We were greeted by Abraham and Silvia Sanchez and their children David and Becky. Dean and I first met Abram and Silvia two years ago when they still lived in Cancun and were our host family. Their greeting was warm and we immediately felt at home. That night we were able to attend David’s 8th grade graduation and we sat outside under the stars and shared an amazing meal with their family and several friends who came and went thru-out the night. There is something about a culture where you are greeted by everyone with a hug and a kiss that nourishes my soul.

The Sanchez Family Home

That afternoon, the five of us were blessed to have time with Abram and Silvia where they shared with us their frustrations and discouragement in their current ministry in Carillo Puerto. The blessing for me came in that as we listened and cried and prayed with them, Abram told us that he had prayed 2 nights before for God to encourage him in his ministry. He looked at us and told us that he never dreamed God would answer so quickly by sending us to listen and encourage him. Immediately, I knew that all the hurdles I had encountered the last several months on our journey to get to that very point and place were all worth it. I was reassured that I was EXACTLY where God wanted me that day. Considering that as recent as the week before I had told Dean I didn’t think I could/should go, it was I who was encouraged. I was again reminded that God is good, ALL the time.