HungryForLifeInternational

The team has just arrived back in Juarez. This trip consisted of a lot of driving and the group is happy to have their feet back on the ground, even though it is hot ground, for a couple more days.

Wednesday morning around 11:30 the team arrived in Babicora. They unloaded the food truck of bulk food items and started to package the supplies into separate bags for individual families living in and around Babicora. On Wednesday the team distributed food packages to families that live higher and in more remote areas of the mountains. On Thursday they packaged more bags and distributed it to the 84 families living in Babicora. There were some left over supplies which were left with a Christian teacher that teaches at the local school to give to families that live even higher in the mountains.

Something very significant happened when the team arrived in Babicora. Not more than 2 years ago this community was violently closed to outside influence. By the spirit of God softening their hearts and the persistence of Pastor Tomas's ministry the people have really changed and opened up. Pastor Tomas is still at the initial stages of being involved in this community. Anyway, upon arrival Pastor Tomas took some of the team around the village to meet some of the families. During this time he met with the Chief who in turn invited the team to stay the night at the school. This is a hugely significant turning point in the openness of the Pima people. Pastor Tomas and the team accepted and spent Wednesday night in the valley of Babicora, between two mountain peaks. The group felt very welcomed and had a great time getting to know some of the local children and adults. On Thursday morning some of the youth and about 50 of the local kids got together and played games and sang songs.

It was a very busy two weeks but extremely rewarding spiritually and emotionally. The group had a blast together and deep friendships were made. Thank you so much for your prayers of safety and health. It has been a fantastic trip!

Here is an update from Pastor Duane, Nathan and the team:

After a week spent working with the people in Pena Blanca and the Rio Chico area of Mexico the team wrapped up their time with a Sunday church service in Pena Blanca at Pastor Gonzalos's church. Sharon Langer preached a fantastic message, the team got to hang out with the kids one more time playing in the rain and then said their final goodbyes to them.

On Tuesday they headed out on what was supposed to be an 8hr drive to Babicora but due to heavy rain and muddy roads the group decided not to try and risk crossing the river in the dark. Instead the team camped out in a nearbye field on the outskirts of town Mexican cowboy style. Nathan said it was one of the best sleeps the team has had yet. The team has two locals cooking for them, Raoul and his friend...both big time cowboys. Tuesday night Raoul cooked tortillas over an open fire with a cast iron griddle and this morning they had scrambled eggs in tortillas. One team member said we are really roughing it but having a blast at the same time.

Fortunately it stopped raining long enough for the river to recede and the team to get across the river. The afternoon was spent packing up food packages for the Pima Indian families living in Babicora. Pastor Tomas hopes to get the food distribution done today so that they don't have to worry about the river rising again.

The roads are still muddy which is really slowing the travel progress. The team is doing well with great unity and morale but they could really use our prayers that there would be no more rain. They are planning on being back in Juarez by Friday.

Blessings from the team!

Duane Jukema:
Hello everyone, the team has been in fantastic spirits and remained very flexible working in hot dry conditions; even when hiking 40 minutes up a ravine in a torrential downpour (with a thunderstorm approaching) to get back to the vans from the historical site "40 casas = many houses".
They have been marvellous in playing and working with the children in Pena Blanca and Pastor Gonzales has used their service and testimonies to present a gospel call, where over the last two days 10 children accepted Christ each day. We are tired, but enthusiastic and excited to go to Babicora Tuesday and Wednesday for the food distribution. Friday we beginning the journey home. Looking forward to updating you more soon, -D-

Jonathan Livingstone:
Hello everyone, thank you so much for your prayers over the past week it has been amazing to see God do so much in such a small amount of time. Where do I start? The team has been working so hard at the jobs that have been given to us despite the intense heat. They have been diligently doing God's work and the results have been amazing. We have also had opportunities to spend some time in one of the local villages with a pastor from that village. It has been so amazing and beautiful to watch our team step out and love these people, especially the kids. We have played sports with them and done crafts and some of the team has even had the chance to share their testimonies with the people... which has led to a bunch of these kids giving their lives to Christ. That has to be one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Faith like a child.
Though it has only been a week, we have already learned so much and been challenged in so many ways... God is so good and faithful and we are excited to see what He has in store for us in the next days. Please continue to pray for us... for our health and protection from sickness and spiders and bugs and from Duane's driving! haha. We love you all and miss you.
God bless, Jonathan Livingstone

Katrina Kwan:
Hola!!!!
Hey Ma, Dad, Ev and Em (and Hi Kristel!)

We have arrived safe and well and have had a great first week in Mexico. It was a really long 2 days of travelling, but it wasn't too bad. Driving from Juarez to Rio Chico was really long and super hot, but an amazing drive. We drove past deserts, farmlands, mountains, dirt devils, a beautiful sunset and crazy lightning storms. It is a CRAZY drive into Rio Chico...you go up the mountain and down the mountain and up the mountain and it seems to be never-ending....the roads are so swervy and sketchy, but team Burrito and guests survived in our "trusty van" we named EL SANTO.

In Rio Chico our project is painting the buildings. The team has been working really hard and has been very productive. This team is awesome...no one complains and everyone works really well together. One night we hiked up to this cross that is at the top of a cliff. From there we could see what an impact all our hard work has produced.

For the past three days we did work projects for half the day and then spent the afternoon doing ministry in Pena Blanca. It was so cool playing with the kids. It was a really awesome challenge to try to break language barriers and figure out ways to communicate with each other. The younger kids often expected you to be able to understand what they were saying.

Jon Liv. encouraged me to share my testimony with the kids on the second day. I was really hesitant at first, but I am sooo glad that he encouraged me to share. I was really nervous, but it went well. After I spoke, Pastor Gonzales was able to launch off my testimony and invite children to accept Jesus into their hearts....it was so beautiful...I couldn't help but bawl my eyes out.
Anyway, those have been some highlights for me over the past week. We have a more relaxed weekend and are currently in Madera to do some shopping. We hiked to Las 40 Casas this morning and it started raining....it was a REALLY good hike! Great work out.

Anyway, I miss you all lots and I am looking forward to telling you more about the trip when I get back.
Love you TONS!!!! xoxoxox Katrina


Jocelyne McCordic:
Hi everyone! Wow, we´ve been here for almost a week, I can´t believe it. I´ve had so much fun so far, my expectations were very low compared to what we´ve seen here.
The travel here was long. Our planes all got delayed, and at the Fort Worth airport in Texas, they were having lots of technical problems so we ended up having to wait in the plane on the tarmac for about one hour because there were no available terminals. Getting to Juarez wasn´t that bad because we didn´t have to pass the Mexican border yet, even though we were officially in Mexico. From Juarez we had a brutal seven-hour drive in the heat in vans that don´t have the best air conditioning. The border crossing went well though, and we arrived in Rio Chico at night.
The base camp in Rio Chico is much nicer than I expected. We have separate rooms, four or five people to a room, and the rooms all have individual showers and toilets, sinks and mirrors. Here I thought we were going to be going to the bathroom in the bush! Mostly the work we´ve been doing around the base camp is painting, and then in the afternoons we go to a nearby village called Pena Blanca, and we play with kids in the park, doing crafts and sports with them, and sharing our testimonies. Pastor Gonzales came to the park with us all three times, and twice he had an altar call. We had over twenty children give their hearts to the Lord and it was an amazing thing to see.
This morning, we went for a hike to see historic caves, and they were amazing. During the hike, we got stuck in a downpour. Let me tell you, it sure can rain in Mexico, even worse than in Vancouver. The hike back up was pretty hard, it was all uphill a bit like the Grouse Grind, but it felt really good to exercise and push our bodies, and the rain felt really nice and cool. I ask for continued prayers, especially for health and rest as we prepare ourselves to go into the tribe on Monday.
Thanks, and blessings to all! Love, Jocelyne

Marissa Ismay:
Hola! I just wanted to fill everyone in on how great this trip has been so far. First, I would like you all to know that your children and friends are amazing workers! For many days they have been priming and painting the buildings in Rio Chico, and scrubbing paint off the ground (since we forgot drop-cloths). They have worked hard and diligently, and they have encouraged one another, making this team a family. Friendships have been formed and strengthened through this work. Another experience that has changed us all has been the day camps that we have run with the children and youth of Peña Blanca. These children have been so loving towards this group, and they have made us more than welcome into their community. We have had the opportunity to witness several children offer their lives to the Lord, and this has made the trip so worthwhile.
I hope everything is going well at home. Love, Marissa

Cody Funston:
Hey everyone, we have had a very intense first week here in the very "big" town of Rio Chico. We spent the first couple of days doing work and painting the buildings. We had a couple of hikes and just got back from 40 casas, cave homes in the mountains. Unfortunately it rained a lot today as we were hiking in the canyon to get to the caves and we all got soaked. For the first days it was hot and sunny, today was our only wet one. We all have survived this first week and hope to survive the next one as well. We all miss everyone back home but we are kept busy with all the work that needs to be done. The language barrier has gotten a lot smaller over this first week and we hope that by the end of this trip it will be even smaller.
-Cody

Meredith Vanderkooy:
So far, this trip has been an absolutely incredible experience. I love everything about everything, and my expectations have been exceeded in a way that I never expected. We are so thankful to have REAL beds and a shower in our rooms, providing a very comfortable place to come home to after a hard days work. AND we have been working hard! The entire compound is being painted and we spent 3 days in Pena Blanca working with the children, engaging them in crafts and sports. I have been so touched by the hospitality extended to us while we are here, and I have received so much love from the team and from the locals. I have made many strong bonds with the children here, and I am in love with the way they open their hearts to strangers like us. I cannot believe we have already been here a week, it is going by way too fast.
God bless.Meredith

The team is doing well and making amazing progress painting at the base camp of Rio Chico; so much so that a few us made a trip to a local town (Madera) to purchase more paint and supplies so that we can continue our paintin tomorrow.

Yesterday, we spent our afternoon in Pena Blanca handing out invivations door to door for kids and youth to join us in the park for sports and crafts. It was a great afternoon as we had close to 50 kids/youth join us. David shared his testimony to the kids with the help of an interpreter. As he shared, one of our 3 teams spent time praying for both David and the kids listening. We will be continuing with this type of ministry in Pena Blanca both today (Thursday) and Friday with a Sunday Evening service to conclude.

Aside from some minor exhaustion the team's health has been outstanding. We have had great meals and a full supply of water at all times! Please continue to pray for health and safe travel to and from the local towns. God is good and we are thankful for how He is using us!

In His grip,

Nathan - HFL Team Leader

The Church Commissioning

Saying Goodbye

Packing up and heading off

To make up for the late night our wonderful hosts let us sleep in and currently the team is with the group from Coquitlam Alliance loading up the trucks and vans for the six hour journey south west to Rio Chico. From there the teams will separate as the Coquitlam group is going a further six hour south into the Copper Canyon and our team will be staying at the Base Camp in Rio Chico to help with some building projects and doing childrens ministries in a near by town called Pena Blanca.

Although quite tired the group is very excited about their next two weeks. Please pray that this would be a time where we can make an impact for Christ on the community around us as well as be changed ourselves.

Until next time, blessings from the North Shore Alliance Team

We are almost on our way to Rio Chico, final preparations are being taken care of and then we will on our way.

Here is a glimpse of what we are doing while we are there; we will be doing painting & maintenance at a base camp, kids programs in a near by town (Pena Blanca)as well as feeding program in the Copper Canyon in a community called Babicora with the Pima Indians.

We will be partnering with the Alliance church in Juarez, working with Pastor Thomas Bencomo. Pastor Thomas has commited his life to helping the First Nations people in the Copper Canyon region. We are excited to be apart of his ministry!