Day 4 of the Huejotzingo, Mexico, Teach Us to Pray VBS

Guest Blogger Pastor Ken Greenlee

I can’t believe that tomorrow is the last day of our 2015 Huejotzingo, Mexico, Teach Us to Pray VBS.  It looks like we will have directly affected the lives of around 50 individual kids.  We have had an attendance of around 40 each day, but some kids don’t come back every day and some new kids join each day.  This has been a very fruitful time of ministry impacting the lives of these children and their parents.

I help prepare handouts or whatever needs done to get things ready each day.  I’m the chief photographer, I set up the multimedia equipment each day and I handle most of the publicity.  I’ve been preparing the PowerPoint we will use at the graduation ceremony on Sunday when some of the parents of the kids come to watch their kids perform.  Rachel and Abraham will also use the PowerPoint to show at Dios es Amor, their home church that has done so much to support their ministry over the years.

Yesterday the batteries in my camera died just at the end of the day.  Off to the market to buy a new set of batteries.  Started taking pictures and shooting videos first thing this morning, only to have the new batteries fail at around 2 p.m.  I grabbed the camera I brought with me this trip for Rachel and Abraham and started using it, only to have the batteries run dry on it after about 3 minutes.  Fortunately I got most of the day covered.

Off early this evening to buy another three sets of batteries at a local store.  I trust I will get all the pictures I need tomorrow and Sunday without further difficulty, but don’t want to take any chances, hence the spares.  I thought batteries had a shelf life of some 12-15 years.  Wonder how long the ones I bought yesterday had been in inventory?

Please be in prayer for a great finale to our VBS tomorrow.  This has been a lot of effort to put on, especially on the part of Rachel and Abraham who have stayed up as late as 2 a.m. each day getting things together for the next day.  It is worth the effort to watch these kids enjoy themselves and learn about God and His love and faithfulness.

Now an old man, Abraham tells his story to the children.

God promised Abraham that his descendants would outnumber the stars

Photographer, blogger, and Power Point Maker

For snack, Rachel and Abraham cut Stars out of 22 large cucumbers to represent the number of descendants God promised Abraham.

The kids used star stickers to show the stars in the sky representing God's promise to Abraham.
Thanks and Blessings!

Day 3 of the Huejotzingo, Mexico, Teach Us to Pray VBS

Guest Writer Pastor Ken Greenlee

We discovered early this morning that the schools were registering students today.  That usually does not happen until August.  There were long lines in front of the schools as parents and kids waited their turn to complete the process.  Every student must register each year.  These are the same kids who should be coming to our VBS.  We didn’t know how that would affect attendance.  We need not have been concerned.  We had 38 kids, only 3 fewer than yesterday, and some of those who came were new.

It was another great day with a lot of fun games, food, memory verses and the story of Abraham being called to sacrifice Isaac.  He was a man of great faith who obeyed God without question.  The kids enjoyed the tale, as Rachel played the part of Rebecca talking about what Isaac had told her regarding what happened that day.  He was tied down on the wood and his father raised a knife to take his life when suddenly God called out and stopped the process, providing a ram as an offering instead.

I’ve always wondered what Isaac thought about all that happened that day.  Must have been quite traumatic.  What conversations he and Abraham must have had in the weeks and months afterwards, until Isaac finally understood what was in his father’s mind at the time.  Abraham knew God could raise Isaac from the dead, since God had promised it would be through Isaac that the promises would be fulfilled.

My grandson continues in perfect health, though he mentioned to his mom that he had seen something evil yesterday.  We prayed with him this morning after his mother and father explained that if anything like that appears to him again, he has the ability to tell it to go away in the Name of Jesus.  Another lesson in faith.

I’m beginning to assemble a PowerPoint presentation we will use during the graduation ceremony.  Rachel and Abraham will also show it at Dios es Amor, the church they are affiliated with here in Mexico.  Some of the volunteers that are coming each day are from that congregation, though there are two neighbors and volunteers from other churches who are helping as well.

Appreciate your prayers for ongoing health and stamina as we go into the 4th day tomorrow.

And the relay race is run!

Adding fleece to the ram. God provided a ram in Isaac's place.

Thank God for volunteers!

Thanks and Blessings!

Day 2 of the Huejotzingo, Mexico, Teach Us to Pray VBS

Guest Writer Ken Greenlee

Our second day of VBS started very early. My grandson had a very high fever and a lot of pain in his side, so my daughter woke me up at 7 a.m. to pray for him. We anointed him with oil and did an hour of soaking prayer. By 8 a.m. his temperature was normal and he was soundly and peacefully asleep. He remained in excellent health all day with no further meds or doctor visit required.

We had 41 youngsters at our second day of VBS. Some of the kids were ones who had never been to the TUtP center before. That’s just awesome. I mentioned yesterday that several moms brought their kids to registration. This is great, as it shows both trust and interest in what Rachel and Abraham are doing here in Huejotzingo, Mexico. They have lived here for 4 years, but working in the area together for 7 years. Before they were married, Abraham had been working for another 5 years. We have purchased land to build a new center to take the place of the property we now rent. Hope to begin building sometime soon, depending upon funding.

Just like yesterday, the kids had a fantastic time playing games, eating, singing, listening to Bible stories and memorizing the Bible verse of the day. So many of the kids we work with come from difficult situations at home. They really enjoy the one-on-one contact with loving, concerned, safe adults who so obviously care for them.

Craft time

Hula hoop racing

The adult volunteers join the fun

Frozen treats

jello 

Storytime with Lot and Sarah

Day 1 of the Huejotzingo, Mexico, Teach Us to Pray VBS

Guest writer Ken Greenlee Day 1 of the Huejotzingo, Mexico, Teach Us to Pray VBS is in the books. It was a great day. We had 31 kids, which for day 1 is the best ever. Usually the attendance builds, with some kids not returning but with more new ones coming each day than those that don’t return. We have 13 helpers, some from the neighborhood and some from Dios Es Amor, the church Rachel and Abraham are affiliated with. The church also provides equipment and some funds. I was interested to see how many mothers brought their kids to register. Most often the kids come by themselves. I think the interest of the parents is an encouragement. They know Rachel and Abraham and greet them as their kids get their name tags and are assigned to their age group for various activities. And a number of parents came to the closing ceremonies as well.

The snack: The lamb is made of a giant marshmallow with a gummy blackberry for a head

Lining up to register

Racing through the hoops

Lot tells his story

Illness

I can count on my fingers, it seems, the number of days this year when no one in our family has been ill.  None of the illness, so far, has been particularly bad, but it feels like we´ve had a steady stream of coughs, colds, and unidentified fevers.  It all started on New Year´s Eve with Abish throwing up a few times.  On Jan.1, he was droopy and nauseated, so we took him to the doctor, and he started

a throat and mouth infection

antibiotics.  As I write, he is recovering from a throat infection, complete with open sores.  For that, he had to suffer through three shots, because the doctor said many of the throat infections are resistant to a variety of antibiotics.  Although the shots are over, he still has to take an expectorant and swish baking soda water around his mouth several times daily.

Leilani hasn´t escaped illness either.  After recovering in June, with the help of ampicilin, from a month-long cough, last night, for no apparent reason, she came down with a fever.  We gave her medicine to bring her temperature down, and during the night, she seemed better.  In the morning she had a fever again, but after more paracetamol, she has been mostly okay all day.  We´re keeping an eye on her to see if her immune system can handle the infection or if she will need antibiotics yet again.

Abraham and the kids have had different colds, too.

Please pray for us.  Pray for health, and pray for protection from curses.  Huejotzingo is steeped in witch craft,and there are quite a few people who are not happy we´re teaching the Gospel here.  We don´t know for sure if anyone has tried to put a curse on us, but it is a strong possibility.  Pray too as we prepare for our VBS which is July 20 - 24, with the closing July 26.

Growing Up and Learning

running, running, Abish is always running

listening to the Bible story

Two posts ago, I talked about how our two babies are growing so fast.  Now our little guy is not little at all!  He turned three at the beginning of this month and he continues to amaze with all that he is learning as he grows.  He absolutely loves reading, and can now recognize the letter "A" although we never specifically taught it to him.  He also knows most of the colors in both English and Spanish and can count from 1 to 10 pretty well in the two languages.  He bursts with energy and only has two volumes - loud or louder.

blowing out the candle

We celebrated his birthday the Sunday before the actual date so that other kids could participate, too.  Everyone had a good time with simple games, a Bible story, and then sugar chocolate cake (decorated with a Spiderman face) and soda.  Abish enjoyed himself thoroughly.


Of course Leilani is also changing every day.  Her energy level is on par with Abish´s, and she chases after him in her walker or bounces enthusiastically in the jumper.  We have to keep a close eye on her when she´s on the bed, because she rolls all over the place.  Soon she´ll be crawling.

Speaking of learning, not all that long ago, five children begin attending tutoring at our house four days a week.  The girls are sisters, and the boys are their nephews, although they are about the same age.  None of them attend school, although three of them went for a short while some years ago.  The two oldest have a rudimentary understanding of reading, addition, and subtraction and work very hard at learning more.  They ask me for more work,

certificate for finishing book 1

more homework, and are so pleased when they can read through two paragraphs in the Mas Luz book that I use for their classes.  The younger boy (8 years old) can´t read

yet, but he likes the leveled readers that have pictures with one or two words.  He can do a bit of addition, although he is only just learning the names of numbers past eight.  The six and seven year old girls are at zero.  They have no academic knowledge at all, so my job at present is to try to teach them how to learn.  The youngest didn´t come to tutoring at all last week.

Aside from academics, we also teach Bible stories to the kids.  Abraham uses The Action Bible´s pictures as he tells the story in Spanish.  He follows the story with comprehension questions and then with prayer.

The situation in both families is difficult.  The fathers are completely out of the picture, and the mothers are alcoholic. The seven year old girl´s face is paralyzed on one side from a dog bite years ago, and there is a baby sister whose knees are backwards.  Please pray for us to be light to the families and for God´s intervention in their lives.

Día del Niño Celebration

the kids gather around the clowns

Mexico celebrates Día del Niño on April 30. Thanks to help from our church Dios es Amor, we were able to provide the children in the neighborhood a true celebration and a reminder that God celebrates them every day. The church provided a piñata (always popular), ice cream, and toys. Volunteers from 2T2 Internacional put on a puppet and clown show.  We ran several games and a simple craft as well.

Abraham ends a water balloon game

Swinging mightily at the pinata

At last! It's broken--hurrying for candy.

There is still more candy to gather.

Time for popcorn!

babies

writing a list of baby items from A-Z

Two Mondays ago was the first baby shower we have done for people we know in Huejotzingo.  It was for the daughter of the neighbor who collects rent on the house where we live. She is the same neighbor we started Bible studies with in November. Monday was a busy day of preparing for the shower for Abraham, my mother-in-law Six, and I.  At about 5, some neighbor ladies showed up, and around a half-hour later, a group of ladies came from our church, Dios es Amor.  Six gave a meditation, we sang a hymn, and then whoever wanted to prayed for the young mother-to-be.  After that, we played some games, and then snacked while various women wrote verses and/or advice for the mom-to-be.  At about 7;30, the baby shower ended.

This coming Monday we have another baby shower for the daughter of the couple who live in front.  This baby will be her second.  Again, we expect a group of ladies from the church, as well as some from the neighborhood.

Speaking of babies, ours are growing up amazingly fast. Abishael speaks a funny mixture of Spanish and English, although he is beginning to take note that there are two different languages.  When he's not too busy playing to notice her, he loves his sister Leilani.  She is becoming more coordinated and now can grab the toys her big brother offers her.  She grins happily at Abishael's antics and loves his attention.

retreat photo booth

Just last weekend, Leilani and I went to the annual ladies' retreat. She was doted on, and I enjoyed the time to catch up with friends I only see at the retreat.  Although I am now basically bilingual, it was also refreshing to worship in English.
 Leaving the retreat center on Sunday afternoon, I felt I was re-entering Mexico after a brief time away.

We're coming up on Easter and are planning how to teach the events of Holy week and Easter Sunday.  As soon as Lent began, different families started hosting the 30 altars representing different manifestations of Christ (Lord of Pardon, Lord of Comfort, etc.).  People visit the altars and participate in the masses there.  The host families provide food, flowers, and much more, spending around $20,000 pesos during the time the altar is at their house.  Our prayer is that we can show that Holy Week is not about out-spending the neighbors but that Jesus' suffering, death, and resurrection are the reason we live.

Ministry Transition

Here we are, already halfway through the second month of 2015.  Incredible!

All together at the Puebla zocalo

This year, because we didn´t want to travel internationally with our newborn baby Leilani, we stayed in Huejotzingo for Christmas and New Year rather than visit family in the States.  My dad came for a week the
same week that Leilani was born, and then my sister Joy came for two weeks just after Christmas.  We had a fun time, although Abishael brought in the New Year throwing up.  We are pretty sure the stomach upset was because of his molars coming in.

Valentine´s Day game Sunday

From the time that this mission of Dios es Amor started in Huejotzingo, the primary participants have been children.  It was rare for adults to attend the Sunday afternoon activities, although they were always welcome.  During the week, once we moved to Huejotzingo, we have had tutoring and a Tuesday afternoon craft time for girls.  Within the last few months, however, there has been a change.  Several of the kids that used to come to our house moved away.  There are still a number of children in the neighborhood, but they are not interested in attending, are working, or are not permitted to come.

There is a family which lives right across the street from us, and a varying number of adults from there come over on Sunday afternoons.  The teen boys also have a Bible study with Abraham on the Friday or Saturday evenings that they are not working.  Those members of the family who wish to be there also have a Bible study with Abraham and Six on Tuesday evenings.  There are significant problems, including alcoholism, in that family.  The mother is the only one who professes Christ as her Savior, but other family members do seem to be interested in learning more.

writing Bible verses about love on salt dough hearts

Abraham and I also began a Bible study in November with another neighbor.  She too has many difficulties in her life.  She is very welcoming and enjoys the conversation and Bible stories.

Another new Bible study we have is Wednesdays in the next nearest city, San Martin, with Abraham´s sister and various people who live in the same house.  Our niece has said she is a Christian, but she does not really live like it, and most of the rest of the people at that house do not claim to have a relationship with Christ.

So now we have an alteration in the ministry.  There are still a few kids who come on Sunday afternoon, but it has become rare for them to come for tutoring or craft time.  We still have English class on Saturdays which brings a mix of children and adults.

Please pray that we have wisdom in this new season.  Pray that doors will continue to open for adults and children to know the Good News and pray for help for our neighbors and family members who are oppressed by destructive habits, health problems, and other significant problems.  Pray also for our health.  Abishael and Leilani recently finished a course of antibiotics for a nasty cough, and it looks like Abraham is sick with a new cold now.

To life!

caterpillars

The days of the dead are observed in Mexico for a week, starting end of October and ending November 2.  During the week, families put together altars, strew trails of marigold petals leading up to their houses, and hold services to remember their dead and invite the spirits to return.

gluing eyes on the butterfly

Our desire is to focus on life and show the light of our living God to the people around us.  Each
year, we choose a project for the Sunday afternoon kids´ club that specifically emphasizes the abundant life that God has given us and the victory of Jesus over death.

This year we had the children create caterpillars with nylons filled with soil and grass seed.  One week they made the caterpillars.  The following week, they used clothespins, ribbon, and googly eyes to make butterflies. 

decorating the trays

 On the final week, they decorated the stryofoam trays that would hold the now-sprouted caterpillars, the butterflies, and the verse.  The verse we chose was 2 Corinthians 15:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

 Abraham spoke of new life in Christ and of how God is life.  He also talked of how people´s spirits do not return to earth - that the Bible is clear that there are only two places where spirits go after death: heaven or hell.

the finished project

 Speaking of life, our newest family member has finally joined us on the outside.  Although her due date was November 6, Leilani decided to wait six more days to be born.  She came into the world at 8:05 a.m. in the same hospital where her big brother Abishael was born and with the same doctor attending.  Labor with her was much faster than with Abish, which made a great deal of difference in my recovery.  By 6 in the evening on the same day she was born, we headed home.  

She is a calm, sweet girl who smiles often and still sleeps a great deal.  Her big brother would love for her to play with him and periodically offers her toys.  He also snuggles up to her and whispers, "Te amo," and strokes her hair sometimes.  He has mostly adjusted to her being around, although there have been some more tears from him than before. 

Thank you for your prayers for us.  Please continue to pray that we can be light here in Huejotzingo and in Puebla Christian School where Abraham teaches PE.  Pray for continued health and safety as well.  Pray also for the logistics of trying to sell my mother-in-law´s house in order to have the funds to finish paying for land and to build a house here.