We have arrived in Mexico!! After a long trip, we were happy to see the church where we'll be staying. We were welcomed by two other groups and felt very comfortable as soon as we got here. Our evening was filled with dinner, fellowship, and worship. We were blessed at the worship service by a mini concert from our Trip Leader, Burton Brooks. Our new friends from Playa del Carmen enjoyed it too. We spent the rest of the evening meeting people and setting up our sleeping quarters. Can't wait to see what God has for us this week!

Today was our first full day in Mexico. This morning, we began our service work at the church where we're staying. We cleaned toys that are exposed to the weather, moved gravel and wood from the courtyard area, and painted a room a bright peach color. We painted ourselves a bit too! After lunch and our first Mexican siesta, we headed over to a sports complex to play and minister with some local children. Some of us played soccer with local kids, and talked with them. Others in our group were on the playground, chatting and climbing with children. God is showing us that even with a language barrier, we can communicate his love and acceptance. We had so much fun, we can't wait to go play with more kids tomorrow!

Our dinner was a wonderful Mexican beef dish, with onions, peppers, and rice. We all enjoyed it so much, some of us had a second plate! During and after dinner, the Lord cooled us off with a terrific rain shower. Some of us decided to make it a real shower, and we broke out the shampoo. The rain was coming down so hard that it was fun to shower in it. That was a new and different experience for the kids in our group. Many of us waited for a real shower in a bathroom later, but enjoyed watching the kids play in the rain.

Please pray for Pastor Jose and his wife Vashty. They have been so kind and accommodating, and we love them already. We are expecting God to do great things through them in this community. We have seen many new things since we arrived. We are out of our comfort zone, and serving for His glory. God is faithful, and He has great plans for our week here. Another terrific day of ministry is ahead.

Richard and Tom with one of our new friends from Minnesota. Mark and his team are working and staying with us at the church.

Tuesday was a great day in Mexico. It was sunny and hotter than we are used to. We praise God for the opportunity to get some service projects completed in the morning. We painted a large wall in the courtyard, sanitized and reorganized the kitchen, cleaned out storage areas, and finished various other projects. We were surprised with the opportunity to do a skit or a song in the park later, so in less than a half hour, we got one ready. We chose a song, had it translated, learned the motions, and practiced to perform it all in that short time! So proud of our whole group for jumping in and getting it done!

After lunch and a rest, we walked to a local park to played soccer and basketball with locals. One of the church members came with us and preached in the park for a few minutes as well. We were very impressed with his courage and love for the lost. Then we performed our song, and painted some pictures that Miss Karen brought with the kids.

Then we returned to the church to fellowship with our friends from Minnesota. We got to know them better while we sat on the church roof/balcony. We always enjoy our worship time with them, and sharing highs and lows for the day. Our most common answer for "low points" is "THE HEAT". We are so appreciative of all of our family and friends who are praying for us even now. We know that your prayers are helping us to have the trip of a lifetime!

Yelling "JESUS" at the end of our song in Spanish. We had so much fun learning and performing it in another language!

Wednesday we had a recreation day at the beach. We loaded city buses after breakfast and headed down to the center of town. There, we split up into smaller groups and shopped, swam and rested. The sun was hot. We enjoyed lunch at Mexican restaurants, right on the beach, and took pictures with sombreros. We have one day left to work and minister to the people of Playa Del Carmen. Can't wait to share our experiences with you all in person.