Firstly a huge thank you must be said for the support of the church, the farewell we received and the warm reception on our return was a real blessing. The fact that we knew that TLC held the team up in Prayer everyday made us all feel safe in the knowledge that although we were far away the hands and hearts of our brothers and sisters were right with us. THANK YOU!Anyone writing about a trip to distant lands knows that the first hurdle to get over is the hours and hours of travel, whether it is by air, sea or land it is both tiring and at times life-sapping. Happily however the team spirits were very high and this buzz of excitement was like a wave which we rode out all the way to sunny Irapuato, Mexico. I must briefly mention the awesome view from Newark airport of the New York skyline, and the rather incredible donut breakfast that was shared (mostly between Johnny & Nathan) at Houston airport. After a rejuvenating stay at the Sheraton Hotel in Houston on we went to our destination, taking in the wonderful scenery of the Texas coast and the mountains of North Eastern Mexico.
Upon our arrival at Guanajuato International Airport we met our hosts Bill & Lydia Allshouse, along with their son Luke and daughter Ariel. The first test was in getting everyone through customs past a very suspicious official, fortunately Bill was able to intervene when two of the party were held up and their bags searched, twenty minutes later ‘honest’ Merv and Olwyn made it through, unfortunately after surrendering any medical equipment without a best before date on it. However we were soon on the road to Irapuato and all gazed excitedly out of the window at the sights and sounds of the real Mexico, which for the lads was the number of ‘cool’ trucks and automobiles unique to this part of the Americas.Our first look at the Lazaro church was on the first Sunday when we arrived for the service. Initial impressions were that their worship band was amazing! Nathan immediately felt humbled by the outstanding quality of drumming, although he later discovered that the guy had been specially drafted in for our arrival. The whole team enjoyed listening (and playing along for Catherine) to the Spanish songs and the welcome we received really made us feel like we were at a home from home. Paul and Hannah shared their testimonies and the congregation listened intently.
The following day we began our work at Lazaro, which was mostly varied apart from the first two days which were spent solidly chiselling away at walls in order to prepare them for the wooden infrastructure needed to lay the concrete floor. Although it was very hot and tough work the mood among the workers was kept high by the trusty iPod blasting out the best worship hits! Much fun was had over the 7 days we worked on the site, and to see all the work that was carried out and the appreciation shown by people from the church really gave us a sense that we were making a difference.
Late on in the first week, Bill decided that we should see the area where the children came from for the kids club, and the community that the church had to reach out to. It affected everybody in the Van that day. Dusty streets, wild goats, one room homes and old men sat as children played football in the street. For many it was an eye opener and certainly spurred us all on to do our very best, during the time we had, to make a difference in these people’s lives. It was amazing to think that the wonderful 70 or 80 children that we had met at the Kids club in the first week had come from such poor homes as they were polite, respectful, well presented and very loving.
Over the middle weekend we ventured south of Irapuato into the state of Michoacán, the volcanic region of Mexico, taking in the beautiful scenery and the traditional industries of guitar making and copper production. Mervyn and Chris were especially excited about the possibility of picking up a handmade guitar and a lasting memory will be Bill escorting Mervyn from one shop to another trying to find ‘the one’, which he eventually did and proudly displayed it on the bonnet of the Van to whistles and coos from the rest of the team. Rachel also convinced her dad to buy her a violin so take note Melissa!! The trip was a great opportunity to recharge the batteries, one which Nathan gladly took by sleeping for twelve hours straight!
Our next Church visit was to the first church plant by the mission; Transformación in Irapuato. Again the service was very enjoyable, we had become well practiced at singing well known songs, but in Spanish and once again we felt a very warm and friendly welcome. We had the chance to sing for the congregation and Jim preached a message which one church member described as like a dagger to his heart, such is the descriptive passion of the Mexican people. The youth at Transformacion very quickly embraced the young people within our team and gained a lot from sharing their experiences of living as a Christian in a different culture from our own. Stewart and Paul especially were warmly welcomed by the ladies!
Finishing off at the project church at Lazaro brought mixed emotions; relief that the work was done, sadness that we wouldn’t be back to see the finished job and joy that we had managed to do so much, in such little time, that none of us had done before. It must be said that the Mexican master architect and his two assistants were absolutely amazing! They would have started before we arrived in the morning and worked all through the day, only stopping for food at around 2pm and then carrying on after we had left. If it wasn’t for their hard work and guidance then our efforts would have been useless, I hope that we remember them in our prayers and that God used the time we had alongside them to open their hearts to him.
I must give a paragraph to the great experience we all had at the Orphanage in Irapuato. We were welcomed by the manager of the organisation who was very pleased that we could spare some time to play with the children, but as it turned out nowhere near as excited as the children themselves! These kids were amazing; at first quiet and shy, within about 30 seconds they had us running all over the place to swings, slides and strangely enough several requests to just pick them up and let them hang from the gazebo bars. It really was an uplifting experience being able to have a manic two hours with some of the happiest and lively children many of us had ever met. The harsh reality however was that these children had little to look forward to and each of us felt a tinge of sadness at that thought. I’m sure if given the chance we’d have happily brought one or two home with us!
The last night of our adventure was, culinarily, the best; a huge BBQ at Raymondo the butcher’s house with 30+ people in attendance, birthday cakes for Stu and Johnny and good craic had by all! Keep er lit!
TLC Mexico Team 2009
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