Daily Journal
What have I been doing in recent days
Monday, 30 April 2001
Didn't get too much done today as I was sick. I must have eaten or drunk something yesterday that wasn't foreigner friendly. At the time I was ok I worked on the Mexpipe web site but for the rest of the time I made use of my bed and the hammock. At night the lovely Mia went and bought me some Pozole (chicken soup) and this helped in the recovery.
[ 11:20:02 PM ] +
Sunday, 29 April 2001
The surf has dropped off today and since it was also Sunday I stayed home and read a bit more of the Bible. Many of my friends didn't come to church today as the youth group went to another town to take the meeting. In Sunday school they continued the studying of the book of Jeremiah and then in the main service looked at Nehemiah sine they want to build a new church next year. After church I went to the beach to relax. Since all the other mates were away I went with a very nice girl named Luci who at times has been adding me in my language study.
Just as I arrived home a young drunk named Poncho was walking past El Refugio. He has been drinking for too many years and if he doesn't stop he will surely die. I chatted with him for a while and then on his request prayed with him. The alcohol has a strong grip and is ripping him away from his family. I walked him home to his house as he was scared of his wife. He is also a friend of mine and had locked the gate. I trust that soon this man can know the saving and changing power of Jesus Christ.
[ 8:56:46 AM ] +
Saturday, 28 April 2001
The surf had picked up in the night so I headed done to the beach break with Mia in her car. I surfed for a good amount of time chatted to Joe the owner of Mexpipe surf clothing about fixing his internet presence. I have gotten to know this young guy through doing the surf contest the other weekend. I want to assist so I'll see how my time goes.
After some breakfast in Aroma Divino I went to town to get the sound equipment fixed/sorted out for Aroma Divino. When I was done we went to Jesus' house were Luci lives and hung there for the rest of the day. Since there are no nationals living in El Refugio I liked to at least once a week go and spend time with a local family so that I can understand and learn the culture and the language better. While there they helped me get much of my pronunciation correct and gave me a few tips with sentence structures. It was a good time.
Luci and I then went off the youth group at the Baptist church and participated in the normal activities. They have a youth focused church meeting and this week before the message, had a quiz about the book of Acts. Many of the youth knew heaps of stuff and they put the western youth groups to shame with how diligent and focused on God they are. Maybe some of them will come to Australia to evangelise in the future.
[ 1:05:21 AM ] +
Friday, 27 April 2001
My friend Alejo was supposed to come today and we could work on the next monthly publication. Since he didn't show I did other work on the computer that had been postponed while the team was here. Early in the afternoon I was finished was went to town to meet up with Noe and then have lunch at his house. He wasn't there when I arrived so I caught another colectivo to his house and was provided with a huge lunch. There hospitality is great and they sure feed one well.
The temperature here in Puerto Escondido is hot now so for the arvo I just sat in the shade talking with various friends and helping most with their English. Many want to learn so it is a way for me too to learn Spanish. At night I went to church and was blessed by the message the visiting speaker had. I was able to understand the whole thing since he spoke slower than the normal pastor and must have used the smaller and regular words I know. After the service I was invited over to a friends place for a while prior to them dropping me home.
[ 1:04:56 AM ] +
Thursday, 26 April 2001
Since I hadn't been for a surf in quite a few days and the beach was very inviting, I grabbed a lift with Mia to the main beach break and went out for about an hour. I had heaps of fun and caught a few nice little barrels. Since we were already at the beach a few of us went and had breakfast at another of the morning coffee shops and then came home to do some more work.
After checking my emails I headed over to Ronne's to have a chat about some issues that had arisen recently. At times the conversation and friendship could have degenerated due to the issues being discussed, but thanks to God and how he helps us, we were able to sort everything out and now have an even healthier friendship and working arrangements. Even in difficulties God can be glorified.
In the arvo I went back to El Refugio and prepared for next weeks English class. I really look forward to this, although it might get harder as I run out of ideas. When the lesson was ready I wrote a preliminary report about the team that came last week so that we can assess and make any necessary for future teams. It would be so good to get this place full set up to cater for more short term workers or teams so I will get cracking on making a working paper on the options that are available here in Puerto Escondido.
As Andy never really left and moved back to El Refugio today, together we went in to Centro and had Tlyudas for dinner. They were as great as always although I put a bit to much chilli on the meal making my mouth feel like it was burning up. For the rest of the night I chatted to my Abarrotes amigos and the scored a lift home after they shut the shop.
[ 1:29:23 AM ] +
Wednesday, 25 April 2001
After the very busy last week and yesterday I made use of the quietness at El Refugio and had a sleep in. Although there wasn't anyone to make breakfast today I helped use up some of the left over food from the camp and made my self a nice little feast. My older friend Alejo came before I was finished and he shared how hard life had been since many of the vendors didn't want to advertise in the brochure again.
Since I didn't have the keys to the office we went to Ronne's to get them. There Alejo and Ronne chatted for about an hour about having faith in God. Since Alejo has emphysema he allowed us to pray for healing for him. We prayed 3 times and after each time it got a bit better. On the last time he really felt the power of God and his lungs and breathing improved dramatically. It seems that these occurrences are happening daily and I trust that they continue when I get home.
In the afternoon I did a little bit of preparation and then caught a colectivo to town where in the Baptist church I run an English class. Last week was the first and we had 4 come. This week 7 came and we had a great time. I wish I really knew how to teach but I am just making up the lessons as I go and trust that it will be beneficial.
[ 2:47:57 AM ] +
Tuesday, 24 April 2001
After nearly getting to bed early, I and the rest of the team awoke at around 4.30am and went to catch some waves at a great beach about 2 hours away. We took Ronne's ute with heaps of gear in the back and 6 of us squashed in the front. Andy didn't fit so he sat in the back and by the time we arrived he had thrown up all of his food of the past 24 hours.
The waves were no good at the first spot so we followed some Mexican acquaintances to a beach were the waves would be smaller. The trip was said to only be 45 minutes but actually took another 2 hours. We did get a few waves there but it wasn't worth the 4 hour drive.
On the way home we prayed for Andy and asked God to make him well by the time we got to the airport to drop off another friend. We drove into the airport and he still looked like death warmed up but with in ten minutes he was completely well. It was only God who could have and did do this and for that we thanked Him greatly.
We raced back to Puerto Escondido and setup for the Bible study that had been moved to Aroma Divino. The lead vocalist of a very famous non-Christian band [Control Machete] was in town and accepted the offer to sing a few songs and share his testimony. Many people came and were challenged by what this man of God had to say. He has a powerful testimony especially due to the fame that he and his band had. It was one of the best outreaches Aroma Divino and the ministry has had and we trust that it will be the start of many things to come.
[ 8:08:17 AM ] +
The Easter Weeks, 2001
The past two weeks have been very busy and I have been out of time to keep the journal up to date. I will therefore describe a few of the highlights that have happened over that time. For the main part the week leading up to Easter had me busy getting ready for the team from California. We had been informed that we would have 32 people but a few days prior that number was increased to 45.
The group that came were young high schoolers who had the week after Easter off to have a holiday. Most had not seemingly been out of the US so coming this far down into Mexico was a big cultural change. On the most part they did well and by the end of their time had adapted well to the different situations.
So that they would be busy and enjoy their time more, we (the El Refugio staff/team) gave them different jobs each day. They came already in teams so each day we moved the teams to new locations to do different things in the community. Some planted grass and painted walls at El Refugio; others went to the local orphanage and dug a large hole that will be used for the septic tank; others organised a Vacation Bible School that was held every afternoon; the fourth group helped with the food for the team and also at Aroma Divino.
On the Saturday just gone we held a surfing competition at the point break for the under 18's in both stand-ups and boogers. The event went well and enough youth came to compete. The comp was organised by us on behalf of Aroma Divino and a local clothing company MexPipe. Heaps of prizes were supplied by the Californians so everyone who entered got more than their money back. At the presentation ceremony one of the team members gave a 10 minute message and had a local non-Christian surfer translate.
The food we had each day was great and not what I or the others would usually eat every day. At night we went to local restaurants and sampled the choice Mexican cooking. It was difficult for some of the kitchens to cook for 50 of us but they got by. Some of the teenagers did complain and tried to not eat the food but I strongly encouraged then to get the food down and ask God to keep it down!
For me it was also concerning how much they did waste. It reminded me how different us westerners are and how we take for granted so many things that others in the world really only dream about. There were times where people could share so I was able to give them all a bit of insight into the culture and comment as to how they might fit in that little bit better.
After they all left yesterday I was very tired as the amount of sleep I got each day had been getting less and less. I spent much of the afternoon asleep and caught up on more in the night. For dinner all the staff went out to farewell Andy who leaves tomorrow. He has been a great friend and an amazing workhorse. Things will be strange without him here but one will just have to cope.
I have been going well spiritually and have had the desire to get stuck into the scripture. I have been going through my Spanish/English Bible and making note of the key things that I find. It has been exciting to have the desire and the time to study and get my relationship right with God. The exciting thing is that many of the things I am rediscovering have been used each day as I come in contact with people.
This trip to Mexico has been especially impacting on my faith and understanding of God's power that he has given to us to use. I have lost count as to how many people have been completely healed from the small to the large problems. We would usually say that these sicknesses/problems need medical assistance but when we use the authority that Jesus gave to us his children we through him can do the same things.
All of the youth who came on the missions trip last week went home with the same understanding as they saw many of their friends get sick or hurt themselves and then after pray they were COMPLETELY healed. I wish that we who live in the West would take hold of God's word more often expect God to do the things He says he wants to do for us.
[ 8:18:09 AM ] +
Wednesday, 4 April 2001
The surf was picking up yesterday arvo so I got up for the early, rode my pushy to Aroma Divino and was getting into the water just on sunrise. There were only 2 other guys when we started but after 90 minutes the crowd had assembled. I got a few good waves but since the size was about double-overhead, I backed off. (I want to live a bit longer yet!).
While I was waiting for the sets, a guy from Brazil who had been to Bible study a few times asked me when I though Jesus was coming back. For the next while we talked about the different ideas and some possibilities. Thankfully the sets didn't come for a few more minutes so I was also able to explain a bit of the gospel and why he needed to get right with God before Jesus returns.
When I was finished my surf, I went and chatted for an hour to the local photographer. He is a man who needs Jesus but since he comes from a Jewish background, has some big hurdles to cross. He also had a run in with some friends a few weeks ago so I was able to talked with him and be a listening ear. I very much appreciated the opportunity and the way he opened up, and will be making more efforts to spending talking over the next few months.
Since last night I have had a sore throat. It has gotten a little bit worse today so I utilised a bit of spare time to have a siesta. When I woke I scored a lift to town with Mia and spent the rest of the day with my Abarrotes Amigos. I moved between the various stores and talked with whoever was available. Since I spent quite a bit of time in the bakery I ate quite a bit of pan (bread) too.
So that my Spanish goes from strength to strength, I am writing down alternate phrases in a new book I bought yesterday. I have plenty of verbs and can say all the normal things, but it is now time to start getting the tenses right. My mates are more than willing to help me with this, and for this I am very grateful. I am really feeling God's blessing on my time here at the moment.
[ 12:54:39 AM ] +
Tuesday, 3 April 2001
I decided to get out of the house early today and started off the day with a surf. Got a few waves but it really just wasn't my day so I'll try again tomorrow. After returning and having breakfast I rode in a colectivo into town to help a friend named Jaime (pronounced hi-me) learn some English. It wasn't too hard and also heaps of fun. Hi really only needs to say things that will help him in his job, so that is what I taught him.
Over the past few weeks I keep seeing these two young boys of about 10 years hanging around the bus terminal. I guess they have a job there but this morning they weren't working. When I walked past they were each sleeping on a piece of cardboard on the footpath. Maybe they do or don't have parents but they obviously don't have accommodation. It would be good to help them out in some way.
After the brief English lesson, I went over with Andy to Ronne's and together made the timetable for the Oceanhills Church team. They will be here for 7 days so we have got them pretty busy doing all types of cool stuff. Some will do construction and painting; others helping at Aroma Divino; some on the streets witnessing and others running kids programs. They will get some time off to cruise but it will be a busy holiday.
Before Bible Study tonight I reread my sermon and made sure I knew it pretty good. I good number of people came this week, including one of the very good body boarders who I found out is a Christian. The sermon went well (and for a while due to the need for translation). After the meeting we again prayed for a few people who had ailments. GOD HEALED THEM ALL! I was stocked to be apart of it again and am really starting to wonder why we don't ask God to do this type of stuff more often.
[ 1:52:23 PM ] +
Monday, 2 April 2001
After a good past week and weekend I thought I had better sit down and write my journal. Because I type a bit slow and get sidetracked too easily, I didn't finish until about 2pm. It was good to get it done as then I could get onto other projects that I had been procrastinating on too.
Tomorrow night I have to preach at El Refugio again. I had prepared much of the content but just needed to read through it and make any necessary changes. The subject is being salt and light and uses the text from Matthew 5. By the time I added and reworked the talk, a couple of hours had passed. I printed it out and will reread it tomorrow.
Also today I made up some signs for the facilities here at El Refugio. We have a team/group of 32 coming for the week after Easter and to assist then in being able to do the right things, we will install a few signs in the bathrooms etc.
At night I scored a lift from Mia into Centro to do some grocery shopping. I got enough supplies for the week or so and walked by the street vendor and chomped down 5 very tasty tacos. For the rest of the night I chilled at the Abarrotes (corner store) and talked to the locals. For the last hour a local drunk guy sat on the corner drinking straight alcohol and saying some weird stuff. It was very sad to see as it is and will kill him eventually. Surely something can be done to help people like this.
[ 1:51:52 PM ] +
Sunday, 1 April 2001
As per the usual for the past few years, I have done an April fools joke. Last night Andy and I found some rope and then before Mia woke up, I tied the rope to the handle of her door and then to the balcony railing. I went back to sleep and when I got up she had worked her way out of the room and tried to do the same to our doors. The rope she tied wasn't at the right angle so it didn't work, but the one on her door delayed her for a goog 30 minutes. She took the whole thing well which was good to see.
The youth meeting before the main church service had us finish the studies on Philippians. The old guy who teaches was great again. He doesn't seam to have many notes but has lots of good content. About 40 or more youth come to this time. Next week we will be inviting them all over for lunch the service as Andy will be leaving in soon after.
The people here make us really welcome and can't seem to do enough to help. We inturn want to help them in however we can. Today in a more formal way one of the guys I just meet asked me to tech him and a group of 10-15 of his friends English. I will look even harder for resources so that I can do this for them. I am keen and they are too. In this touristy town it is beneficial for them to know and speak English so I will aim to help them in this small way.
This afternoon we went with Saul and other members of his family to a place with a pool and restaurant. I didn't have the best time as we had to wait 1 hour for the food and never got to go for a swim. One of the guys did pay for the expensive meal but he would have spent at least half his weekly wage, which for me is not too common.
After church tonight Andy and I were invited to Isaiah's' house for a dinner. We were treated to these huge home made pizza type things called cliudas. They tasted so great and filled me up (which is not common). A good time of fellowship followed and I was again stocked to see how Andy has taken hold of the little Spanish he knows and uses it to participate. He just needed some encouragement and help to get going.
[ 5:37:17 PM ] +