HungryForLifeInternational

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