Mexico - Almost there

It been a day of celebrations as we celebrated 2 student's birthdays, a speedy border crossing and now we are only a hour away from home. Most of us have conceded that it is still winter at home and switched out our flip flops and tshirts for shoes and hoodies. We will see you at 3:45, weather permitting, at Lacombe Composite High School.

Mexico - Leftbridge

We have made it into Canada!!! And making good time! Stopping for a quick bite in Leftbridge for lunch and then for the last stretch! 

Everbody is excited to get home and off the Bus!! 

Mexico - Back in Dillon!!!

It was a long day on the road, but the roads were clear so we were able to make good time. Stopped for lunch at Idaho Falls, Idaho:

Arrived in Dillon, MT just after 4 and settled into the Church once again, it was nice to join together as a group for a final time on the trip. You can't fully grasp the difference in the students this time around as friendships have strengthened, people that were strangers are now enjoying ones company; Jake said it the best tonight, "We have become a family."

So far it has been an evening of reflection as we shared as a group some of the most defining moments from the last couple of days! Remember to ask each one of your sons or daughters what this moment was for them. It is amazing to see how God worked in each one of their lives this week and we don't want it to end in Mexico. We want your students to continue learning as this trip was just a fraction of how Amazing our God really is. 

Homeward bound

So our day started at 3:30 this morning and included a lengthy boarder wait and over 1000 Km's. We are all tired but awesome!  The students enjoyed our hotel pool tonight and were very thankful to be out of the bus. Off to Dillen MT tomorrow and it gets colder with every :(

Vancouver: What a great trip!

Happy to be home but sad to say goodbyes. This truly was an amazing group of students to get to know, to serve with and to have crazy good times together. Looking forward to reuniting soon!

Thanks to all who prayed and thought of us. We were truly blessed as your shared this journey with us.

Mary & Jerel

Vancouver: Making good time

After one last stop in Airdrie, we've hit road for our last trek to Central Alberta. We're hoping to make it back by 7 (Lacombe) praying 7:30 (Ponoka). Kids will be calling when we reach Red Deer or Lacombe.

Ooh yeah, and Katie M. and Jamey are awesome. See you soon!

Vancouver: Ohhh we're (more than) halfway there!

We stopped for a late breakfast in Salmon Arm and are now about half an hour away from Golden. The ride comes in waves of sleep or explosions of energy. The roads are pretty good and it is just barely snowing.

We'll keep you updated!

Vancouver: On the road again...

5am the kids were up and maybe not so at em. We packed, ate breakfast, said our goodbyes and hit the road by 6am B.C. time.

Last night was a late one as we spent some time in Granville island, had dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory, shared our pictures and memories of the week, and experienced the amazing goodness of our God. He has opened our eyes to His heart for His people, including ourselves.

It was a sad morning as we had to say goodbye to the Lifeteamers but they will forever be cherished in our hearts, even if we are a province away.

As the sunrise just peeks over the mountains as we are heading back, we are reminded of God's faithfulness. He is with us no matter what the road ahead holds. God is with us on our journey back and arrival at home to our loved ones. We are all looking forward to reuniting with family and friends!

Clowning around

Today we got to have some fun at a local orphanage 

After...

After...

Before...

And done....

Mexico - More Pictures...

Mexico - First day on the house

It was an awesome first day on the house build. All three houses are very close to each other and a healthy competition has started. (My team is winning). It was

wonderful to see your kids working hard, and taking time to play with each other and the Mexican families we are helping. Our students are being impacted as they make an incredible difference in the lives of these families 

Vancouver: Meeting New Friends

The awesome part about staying at the same mission throughout the week is that we develop relationships with clients who come back on a regular basis. Today, many of our students were asked, "Are you here all week?" or "Will you be here tomorrow?"

Students are becoming more comfortable with meeting new people and hearing stories from new friends. We are seeing the beauty in every individual, no matter what they've been through or what they struggle with.

Some comments from students:
"The people we have met are very hurt but still full of joy"- Katie M

"I met this guy named John and he taught me how to play chess. He basically played for me the whole game, so I beat him, haha!" - Katie T

"I met Larry, he's really cool and made me laugh the whole time on Monday" - Shanique

"Our group is really positive and we get along really great" - Tommy

"I met this guy from Ontario, we talked about Twilight and Hunger Games" - Jamey

"I met a guy named Randy, he is awesome and he played me a song on his guitar that he wrote, it was so beautiful. He also told me that beauty is on the inside and the he knows so many beautiful people."    - Melissa

Thanks for sharing in our journey with us. We look forward to another two more full days in Vancouver.

Here are a few pictures from today's experience at the Women's Shelter. We are not allowed to take pictures with clients so this was before they came:

Mexico: Monday

Good morning! Sorry for not blogging yesterday but we just we're having so fun out here! Let me fill you in on what we did; our day started off with a visit to a local field. While that may sound boring let me tell you it was amazing. We went around to the community children and invite them to come play with us, communication was a huge challenge. We had around 12-15 kids play football (soccer) and just play simple games with us. All of the students did great at connecting with the local kids and I think by the end of it both the students and the locals were extremely blessed. After lunch we went swimming in the ocean. There's not much to say other than it was amazing, God really has created an amazing world for us to experience and live in. 

In the evening us leaders wanted to bless and serve the students so we washed their feet. Now this may seem awkward or weird to some it was extremely cool. We did as Jesus did to his disciples, showing them how much he loved them. Our students are amazing and it was an honor to serve them, thank you for sending them on this amazing journey with us! 

Today we build, we'll share how that goes with you this evening! Stay tuned!! 

Vancouver: Plaacements

We just got back to the lifehouse after serving at our placements. Our groups went to three locations in Greater Vancouver area ... Union Gospel Mission, Belkin House (Salvation Army), and a Women's shelter. Each group will go back to the same mission every day this week. The van ride home was full of stories as kids talked through the exciting and the uncomfortable parts of their experience. Pictures coming soon! :)

Mexico - Day 2

Sunday was church day!!!

We got the chance to join Doug and Dianna Fullerton at the church they have been involved with for several years. They have been a part of building the church from the ground up, physically and spiritually. 

Our afternoon was spent at the Bufadora (shopping) where the student got everything from a shark head to ponchos to churos. Lots of fun. 

Our evening service was very impactfull with great music, the passion play. This was great for the students and for me!  Why are we here?  What do I value?  How can I make an impact? These are questions that we are taking head on. 

Our day ended with foot races on the beach... Awesome! 

Jake 

Mexico: We arrived!

After much anticipation and plenty of kilometers we finally arrived in Ensenada safe and sound!

Thank you to everyone that has been praying, it was a wonderful trip with no incidents at all. 

Things kick into high gear as far as work goes tomorrow morning but we're ready for anything Mexico has to throw at us!

Here are a couple views from our students about the trip so far:

-Joshua's favorite part of the trip down was "seeing all the great views on the down on the bus"

-Cassandra had this to say when we arrive "we met all these new people from all around North America and other places; they're so wonderful!"

Vancouver: Life at the Lifehouse

We made it!! Just connecting with the Lifeteams students and unwinding after the long drive. 

Mexico - New Bus and on to Mexico

We made it to the San Diego YWAM Base with only a few u-turns along our drive. :) We are just waiting for Jake to park the bus and we are off to Mexico!!!! The kids are excited to finally get into Mexico but have been well behave along the whole route. One more short ride and we will be there!!

Vancouver: Over halfway there!

We have just made it past Salmon Arm. No injuries to report other than Desi being hit in by a fruit snack package!

Mexico: Good nights mean good mornings!

After a great rest, in a nice hotel, everyone is much happier then they've ever been at 4:30 am. Our hotel was great and said they'd prepare a breakfast earlier than normal so we feel supremely blessed today. God has been so good the past couple days, even though we're been driving for over 24 hrs total so far it hasn't felt nearly that long. As we cross into Arizona this morning please pray for continued safety and for our bus and its drivers to continue operating amazingly.

Mexico - St. George, UT

We have arrived safe at our destination for the evening to any exciting 21 C, many students jumped into the pool to cool off and get clean from our increasingly growing of a smell on the bus. We were treated for a supper out at the Golden Corral an all you can eat buffet; popular were the steaks and Cotten candy! 

Mexico - On the Road

Mexico: Day 2, sleep still alludes us.

After a great night of games and getting to know each other we're up and ready to go! We are a little tired but excited to start the second day of driving! 

Mexico - Dillon, MT

After the smooth border crossing and 2 quick stops we arrived in Dillon just after 5 safely, graciously met by 'Grandma' a loyal member of Beaverhead Baptist Church where we spent the remainder of the evening. Kicking it back and stretching our legs by eating some supper, playing football, ultimate frisbee and various other group games.

It's just after 10:00 and the top floor is quiet with the girls almost asleep and the boys playing some sort of game down stairs that involves lots of moving as it sounds like a heard of elephants from up here. It's a bright and early morning so I'm off and we will share more tomorrow. Hope you are not too snowed in at home. :)

Mexico: New Record

It's official ... Team Mexico has crossed the USA border in just 16 minutes! That must be some kind of a record.

Mexico - Leftbridge

Everybody's awake, with food in their belly and ready to head to the border! Joke of the morning, "Whats white and can't climb trees? ..... A Fridge" provided by Hailey. 

Mexico: And we're off! 42 students & Youth Unlimited staff officially have started the journey to Mexico. May God keep us and protect us on this amazing journey!