Piles of Sand

8/5 – As we came down the mountains to Ocosingo, the lights of the bus would often come upon a pile of sand or gravel by the road. Road construction did not appear to be the purpose for these piles of sand, these appeared to be for more individual use.

After breakfast and a chance to get acquainted with our new home for a week, we got ready for our trip to church. Long pants for men and dresses for women are the custom for the Presbyterian Church in Ocosingo. Dressed and ready for our trip downtown we loaded up in our cab. Not the ordinary cab, a small Nissan or VW with worn out shocks and matching interior, but another popular mode of transportation. It was a pickup with a bar in the bed of the truck about nose high to hold on to as we stood and as the truck sped down the road to church. A brief shower helped cool us off and lay down our hair as we made our way to the church.

The Rock of Salvation Mission Church is located half way down a steep concrete road that reminds you of some steep hills in North Wilkesboro. Ridges across the concrete provided traction for us to walk down the road and kept us from sliding into the church. We later learned that worship centers in the area are designated by the number of members as churches, congregations or missions that are approved by the local Presbytery in the Chiapas region.

Concrete block construction and a concrete roof covered the front half of the church. The back half of the ceiling was covered by wood planks held up by 2 X 4’s strapped together with wire. No 2 X 4 was long enough to reach from dirt floor to ceiling so the boards were notched and wired and nailed together to make them long enough. In the back of the church more support posts were stored to be used as needed.

The windows of the church were simply openings in the concrete block wall and the front window revealed a beautiful view of the mountains in the distance.

Men sat on the left and women on the right except for the teenage members who bucked tradition and sat together at the front of the church.

After introducing ourselves to the Rock of Salvation members and singing three songs in Spanish, our group enjoyed a lunch of chicken and vegetable soup, corn tortillas and hot sauce, for those who dared. The meal was prepared and served by the members of the church who we are sure sacrificed for us to have this meal.

The group had some difficulty standing in the front of the church due to what was becoming a familiar site in Ocosingo, a pile of sand. The sand had most likely been shoveled by hand through the window opening in the front of the church and it covered a good portion of the altar.

While most churches would consider a large pile of sand in the sanctuary unacceptable, in the Rock of Salvation Mission and along the roads of Ocosingo, a pile of sand appeared to represent much more. In the case of this church it appeared to represent the hope of the people to continue to grow the mission and the ongoing progress toward this mission becoming a church. While still incomplete, it was definitely a house of God.

Geoff Pagett

Mission Team Bloggers

O.K. it is time to start wrapping up the Ocosingo Mission trip blog site. You may email me your text to bcauthen@yahoo.com and I will post it for you or you may send me a request for the password to the site. Don't let those wonderful memories slip away without sharing them with our family and friends.

Buck

How to organize your Photographs

Mission team members may copy their photographs on to a CD and drop them by the church for me to pick up this week or give the CD to me on Sunday after Worship Service. Or I will have my laptop with me and we can copy from your SD camera card to my hard drive. I plan to make a DVD of pictures for everyone so pick your best photographs.

Hmmmm... sounds like a project that the Senior High Sunday School Class could help with in the future.

On a side note, I was having a craving for the "Green Fire Sauce" and Melissa made it for me last night. It's still just as hot here in the USA...

I would be happy to share it... LOL

Buck

The Ocosingo Mission Team

Buck's Pictures

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=yhpvvog.111oreqo&Uy=w0wcvx&Ux=1

The Ocosingo Mission Team at the Mayan Ruins in Tonina

Click on the Picture to enlarge it

Anna's Pictures

Anna has shared her photographs through the Kodak photo center. Please click this link

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=4430c6xj.5gujb34n&Uy=-kh9w20&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&UV=703371589069_289282953111

The Blackberry, Lew, and the Lost Coin

Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?

Luke 15:8

It was great! We had just finished breakfast after a great night's sleep following the long, long journey into Ocosingo, and this was first opportunity I had to see whether my blackberry worked. And believe or not, it did! An electronic hand-held device that allows me to retrieve emails from work, make calls through the Cingular network and browse the Internet actually worked in Ocosingo. There are places on the Parkway where this thing will not work, but here in the rural areas on the most-southern state of Mexico, I was connected to work, the Internet, the world! What a world we live in! What wonderful technology we have.

The device I have is about 3 to 4 years old, and because of its full keypad and the lack of other features, I'm told it is now considered obsolete and thus scheduled for repayment within the next 5 or 6 months. That's the nature of technology – short-lived, rapidly declining value, and frequently replaced by the latest and always greatest new device.

While I am enjoying my discovery in the room I am sharing with 5 others, however, Lew is something less than marveled. In the background I notice that several other roommates have joined Lew in a search for his wallet, so I decided I'd join the search too. He explained how he was dressing for Church and simply laid it on his bed, and now it was no where to be seen. Geoff Pagett confirmed the placement on the bed as John Eikenberry and I picked up other items on the bed to check if the wallet had slid between a fold in a shirt or a pair of pants or underneath a shaving kit. At some point Erin Musson joined the search. With 5 of us walking around the room and lifting items, I padded down a pair of pants that Erin had just put back down on the bed to make sure she might not have missed something in her check of the area. The search continued for what must have been 10 minutes, all the while Lew recounting every step and move he could recall making.

Suddenly, Geoff opened the same pair of pants that just minutes before Erin and I had checked and inside one of the rear pockets was the outline of a wallet. We all laughed, and Lew was in disbelief because he swore he had checked those same pants himself. The quick pick ups, the light pads were not enough, only Geoff had bothered to open them to check the pockets.

I was immediately reminded of how the old widow in Luke 15 responds, “When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have the coin that I had lost.'” (Luke 15:9) Our laughter, along with Lew's, was indeed our form of rejoicing.

But at that moment I was always reminded of a much larger truth, the fact that despite the thousand of years since its original recording, indeed not a single word of God's truth has been diminished or become obsolete. No need for upgrades or enhancements, God's word is as real, as fresh, as relevant today as when it was first recorded or spoken. My blackberry (a 4-year old device) has become “obsolete” by today's standards within the last year, but yes indeed, as Jesus stated over 2,000 years ago, in Luke 21: 33, the Word of God endures forever.

This event was just the first of many, many others during our week in Mexico in which the Holy Spirit showed me and others that God is still working in the world.

Jeff Gray

Day Six: Good to Hear From the Folks at Home

Dear Loved Ones at Home--this has been a very special trip, as we have felt your presence and prayers through emails, calls, instant message conversations, and responses to the blog. Here at Left, Carolyn Young has a brief chat with daughter Marty Franklin.

Mission Team

Day Six: A Grateful Traveler

I consider myself a seasoned traveler, but as a first time mission traveler, the experience surely exceeded my expectations. I have felt stretched in many ways (the least of which was my back from carrying cement blocks) and have thoroughly enjoyed getting much deeper into the local culture than possible in any of my previous tourist travels. I even learned to enjoy the Mexican food.

The Mexican people are wonderful and their needs are great. My great thanks to the church for making this unforgettable experience possible.

John Eikenberry

Day six: The Mayan Ruins in Tonina

Day six: Last Night in Ocosingo

After returning from our visit to the Mayan ruins at Tonina we had a devotional service outside in the courtyard with the pastors and their families. The weather had turned cool and we witnessed a beautiful sunset. We brought benches out and set them up in a semi circle. We had about 100 in attendance. At the end of the service one of the pastors asked us to come up in front of the group where they thanked us for coming. He emphasized that we are all God's children and that we all belong to the same church and we should all work together to spread God's word.

After the service we were fed "tacos on a stick" which was really a very large slab of stacked pork being roasted in front of us Greek style. We all went through the line several times because they were so delicious. It was a wonderful climax to a wonderful stay in Ocosingo.

Day Six: Ocosingo Food Critics

Good afternoon! We’re here in Ocosingo with our group gourmands/chow hounds, Gerald Lankford and Buck Cauthen. Let’s hear a few words from these gents about their favorite foods here. Quote number one—Buck says, “You can’t move an army on an empty stomach.” Well, no empty stomachs here!

We’re well fed. Gerald reports that black beans are a fixture at nearly every meal. We LOVE em! Two thumbs up from both critics, except for breakfast. They’re a little shaky on the black beans for breakfast. The beans are cooked in an out-shed over an open fire, in a big pot. Gerald says we’ll put in a cookshed behind the church—we’re working on the recipe, but it’s a family secret!

There is a green chili sauce/salsa that will burn you many times. We refer to it as “Fuego Verde” or the green fire. The proper method to ingest it is to put it on a tortilla, lift it to your mouth, yell “Fire in the hole!” and pop it in!

A regular meal consists of a clear broth with vegetables and some kind of meat. Often there is a small piece of corn or a kind of squash that is similar to a potato. Surprisingly, there are not a lot of vegetables served. This broth is served with tortillas and Fuego Verde. We do get some chicken and some beef in the stew.

Breakfast has been somewhat Americanized in that we have cereal, eggs, French toast, Pancakes, or oatmeal. A more traditional Mexican breakfast would include black beans and we don’t need those three times a day. The boiled bananas were a favorite, and the fresh pineapple is a must. Definitely better than back home. Three thumbs up on the pineapple and the mangos!

The milk is “Not good” (per Gerald). Just not up to par. Two thumbs down.

Two thumbs up on the “Sangria” soda pop, however—it is a cherry cola like drink, a lot like Cheerwine. As a snack, Buck favors the chocolate “Cremax de Nieve” a type of cream filled sugar wafer. Buck says the chocolate is different here. “Must be closer to the cocoa fields.” Gerald prefers the Strawberry Cremax de Nieve wafers. So the critics differ.

One critic’s observation is that the local chickens don’t quite measure up to Tyson standards—they raise some lean, mean pollos here. Definitely free range birds. The critics speculate that the chickens stay trim by running from the dogs. Buck and Gerald have set a date for chicken and dumplings at Hadley’s at the first opportunity.

The most frightening food encounter of the trip was Gerald’s “cookies,” purchased at a late night stop at a roadside stand on the way in. After much deliberation Gerald purchased a plastic bag of what appeared to be cookies. But it was a cross between a dry biscuit, a croissant, and a cookie (and a hockey puck). Gerald ate one. Buck tried but foundered. Two thumbs down. But that was only one bad experience among a world of good ones.

In summary, the food here is good and plentiful. Gerald says he last ate a bad meal in 1952, and the string is unbroken! Our critics urge future travelers to travel without fear and enjoy all the delights that Mexico has to offer.

Day 6 - What we have been doing

First off, I would like to thank the Church for funding our trip down here. We had an uneventful trip until we got to Tuxtla when we discovered that 5 ladies and I had no luggage. Which in my case didn't really bother me because I had left enough clothes left behind from the last trip.

Fortunately there was an available air mattress, blankets, sheets, towels and work clothes for Monday. After site preparation was finished Monday, we began our first concrete mixing and as usual, I appointed myself "Chief Water Boy". Mary Lew and I carried water for the pouring that day and we had a very nice conversation and I got to know Mary Lew. She is a nice person and a very hard worker.

On Tuesday, we had Bible School and as usual the kids were very well mannered and enthusiastic at play time. We all enjoyed watching the kids play with beach balls over a volley ball net. The Bible school is the highlight for me because I get to see all the kids having fun, singing and making crafts.

Wednesday was an adventure at Bible School as the wind began to blow and cause beach balls to travel great distances to the top of the roof and the other side of the building into the construction area. I was worn out trying to keep the children out of the construction area and retrieving the balls. The children still had a great time and it was worth all the trouble.

This morning we carried water for the block layers and carried blocks to the scaffolding for them to lay. They have completed the block work this morning and we are basiclly done working for today. It is 11:29 a.m. here as I update you on our progress.

Thanks again for the opportunity to travel to Mexico.

Jim Bouchelle

Day Six -I have wanted to come to Mexico...

I have wanted to come to Mexico ever since I can remember. I have always been fascinated by and amorous of the culture, the people, the food (ahhhh, the food), the music, and really just about everything Mexican. I can't explain why, it's just always been this way. So, I finally am here in Ocosingo. I have to tell you that I absolutely love being here. This is how I imagined it would be. The culture really agrees with me. The people of Ocosingo that I have met so far are kind, extremely hard-working, witty, and not concerned with unimportant details, like whose time zone we are going to follow (we're in Central, but are using Mountain time due to visiting pastors from a few hours west of here ignoring the time change). Surprisingly, the food really agrees with me as well. I apologize for the downfall of decorum, but "regularity" is a common and acceptable topic of conversation here, and I am happy to report that I have not had Montezuma's Revenge exacted upon my person.

Moving right along, here's a typical day for you. Most of us rise around 5:30 (in the AM), sometimes to the sound of fireworks announcing someone's birthday. Climbing out of bed and untangling myself from the mosquito net (mine is pink, by the way), I go to the bathroom. Luckily, the ladies' room is connected to our rooms. The men are not so fortunate. They cross the road to powder their noses. Okay, back to business (yes, pun intended). You can't flush TP, and flushing is only when necessary. You can wash your hands in the sink as long as the faucets work, but you must use sanitizing lotion afterward because you got The Water on your hands and particles of The Water might get into your mouth and/or eyes otherwise. You brush your teeth with bottled water because, well, see previous sentence. After getting dressed, you go to devotional and breakfast at 6:15. "Wait a minute," you're saying, "you didn't mention anything about a shower!" We've got showers, but you're just going to get dirty anyway, so we save that for later, because cold showers feel better when you're really ready for one.
When you walk out of the ladies' dormitory, your first sight, every morning, is a guy cranking up a lawnmower to mow the same patch of grass, every morning. After a delicious breakfast, we head to the worksite which is right around the corner. There are probably two main obstacles I have had to overcome on this trip. The first is standing around while other people work, waiting for something to do. This is very frustrating for me. I have always been of the ilk that if someone near you is working, you'd better help or find something to do, then take a break together later on. Not so here. Because of the language barrier, you can't just start doing something because you might do it wrong or mess up someone's plan. So you have to find a translator who is usually busy translating for someone else, and then the man in charge says to wait for another load of rocks or bricks or sand. So you spend a few minutes brushing up on your spanish, talking with another mission member, or getting out of the way of the multitude of dogs on the site. There's also the occasional random horse that wanders through the worksite. Working with the Mexicans is great, because they are exceptionally patient, they try their very best to communicate the job to you, they don't get mad when you mess it up, and they like to have fun, too. While I'm on the subject, I would like to take this moment to commend our group for being some fine workers. We have really accomplished much in the way of working together on very physically demanding tasks, without complaint or reluctance to help one another. Being with my church family in this way has certainly reminded me of why I chose N. Wilkesboro Presbyterian as my church home. I love you all!
After work, we get our showers (there is hot water in the annex showers, but it's just easier to tough out the cold ones right in your dorm). Another delicious meal is graciously provided for us by the wives of the pastors on retreat here as mentioned earlier. The afternoons are pretty relaxed, giving us time for fellowship with our Mexican brothers and sisters as well as each other. This brings to mind my other major obstacle faced on this trip: my security blanket I lovingly call "Personal Space" got left in the van at the airport. People get really cozy around here. I must admit, this really tried my patience for probably the first couple of days. After realizing I had no choice in the matter, I am happy to say that I can rub elbows with the best of 'em now (well, it's a work in progress, anyway). Isn't this part of the trip, after all, leaving our security blankets at home?
The evenings are varied, with bible school on some afternoons. Okay, this reminds me that there are kids everywhere here. They are some of the most precious children I have ever been around! Really. They love to have their picture taken, so I would wager that everybody else's pictures, like mine, consist mostly of children. They are so sweet; we've made friends with many of them.
I should wrap this up as we were told to keep these blogs short. Considering the trip that I am on, I think it is OK to tell you this next thought that I am now reminded of. One of my former neighbors was known as being long-winded, and another neighbor once diagnosed him as having "diarrhea of the mouth." Well, I suffer from "diarrhea of the fingers." Once I get typing, it is hard for me to condense my thoughts. Thank you for your patience if you have read this far!
I'll close with saying again what a wonderful trip this has been for me, and I thank you so much for all of your continued prayers and kind thoughts. I look forward to coming home and seeing everyone, but I have a strong feeling that I will see this beautiful place again. At least I hope so, if it is in God's plan for me.

Much love to you,

Mary Lew

Day Six - From Rebar to Recess to Rocks

I was truly looking forward to returning to Mexico where I had traveled a lot as a teen. I was a bit apprehensive about my physical contributions to this mission trip, but knew that my limited knowledge of the language would be of some help. I wandered around the construction site the first day wishing that I had been blessed with stronger back genes. I tried straightening nails for reusing, but soon had a giant blood blister on my left index finger. I was afraid to try shoveling gravel, in fear that a sprain would render me totally useless for the week. The next day was a bit better as I discovered rebar-tying. Just as I was getting into a rhythm, a request was made for babysitters for the children of the pastors here. My heart was not in this at first, but I soon became very attached to these beautiful and exuberant children. The translating part of my brain was fried and I was physically beat after three hours, but I was happy to have done my part. I really wanted to return to the group effort the next day, but struggled with where God wanted to use me. I awoke early with time to pray and read my Bible...it fell open to Romans 12:1 "Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to His service and pleasing to Him. This is the true worship that you should offer." So, trying to be in His will and not mine, I embraced the idea of a full morning again with the children. The amazing part was that there were no children out early and I was blessed with another hour of more rebar and then even tried an hour of shoveling gravel which left me with sore muscles,but the joy of teamwork. Then I found the children and we had a great time of coloring and playing ball. What I have taken away from this experience is that, when we are willing to be used by God in God's way, he supplies us with even greater satisfaction and more joyful experiences than we can ever imagine.
A special thanks to all of you who have been in prayer and supported us from afar. We feel your love and your prayers and pass these along to all we meet, Nancy

Day Six: The Lankford Legend

When we think of Gerald, we think of the tall, swaggering, amiable owner of Wilkesboro Hardware. He loves people, and loves events which draw people together, especially when food is involved. Gerald has been mucho macho, moving wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of cement from the mixer to the pouring place. However, on this particular trip, we have seen a softer side of Gerald. See photo at left.

I would like to go back to Sunday, August 5, when we attended a service at the Rock of Salvation Church. It was a lovely experience with truly humble, sweet people. Our mission team was warmly greeted by a handshake from each of the elders and many of the children. We participated in the service by singing three songs in Spanish.
Children squealed with delight and played among us as the service progressed. When we asked to take their pictures, they clung together with happy faces in a perfect pose, then ran to see their images on the camera screen. It delighted them, and heartened us.
I was so proud of Ben Trawick as he represented our mission team and NWPC in talking to the congregation. He pulled together three seemingly unrelated readings which he heard for the first time with us and molded them into a sound sermon. It was something to witness.

Day Five: Still More Photographs

Day five - More Pictures

Day Five: The baseball caps

(Buck Cauthen writes)

To Melissa and all my sons:

I miss you all very much and I thought that I would let you know that Pablo passed out the baseball caps that you sent for the children today. It brought back memories of out teams over the last 8 or so years. Thank you Will, Sam, Jack, Casey and Riley for sharing your baseball hats , shirts and baseball equipment with the kids. The kids were so excited to have the caps!

As I say as an introduction to the people we introduce ourselves to in Church - "Tengo cinco hijos".... I bet you know what it means and I am very proud that all of you would share your things!

Pictures to come soon

Dad

Day Five: God's world here in mexico

Cindy Pardue, day 5
Hello to our church family. Your prayers are being answered. Thanks to my prayer partner Vicki Gray. My body hurts all over but my heart and soul sing and cry with joy. Our prayers are answered here also: just last night I said I missed having a chair to sit in, they are short on chairs. Guess what we are making today? Sixteen chairs and maybe some benches tomorrow. God works miracles.

Day Five: Notes from Lena Lovette

Hello friends and fellow Presbyterians. This entry is from Lena Lovette. Things are going great down here for me. So far so good! I am experiencing a true spiritual awakening. Adjustments have been fine, no problemo. Nancy Ricketts and I have become the queens of rebar, recess and rock shovelling. Many special bonds are forming. All of your prayers have been felt. Special thanks to my prayer partner, Trish Sturdivant, for praying for me. Love to all...Lena

Day Five: Update from Libby Gygax

Greetings good Saints in NWPC from Libby. I am just going to write from my journal. It is rough. Please excuse the bad spelling and stream of consciousness prose. No time to clean it up this week. No matter how early I get up, there is never enough time to do everything. Today at 5 a.m. I found Buck in the small dining hall uploading pictures to the Blog. He had been at it since 4. Tom Bowman came in to the dining hall with me and we both starting helping Jan with breakfast preparations, setting tables. She also had been up since 4 a.m. The team started gathering for early 6:15 devotions soon after. Karolen and Tom led our devotions on the theme of fire as we sat around the 4 tables we had made since Monday. The tables were just boards leaning up against the wood shed when we came here. Sitting beside Buck enjoying the pictures he was choosing to upload, I was able to read to the team the list (sent by Richard Collier) of powerful prayer warriors who are committed to praying for each and every one of us. Thank you, thank you so much for your prayers. We are feeling the blessings each and every day. Our weather could not be more ideal with cloud cover, moderate temperatures, rain in the evening or after we retire. Spirits are high, joy abounds. God's work is being done. We are blessed. But please pray for Penny Musson and her teaching of the pastors this week: a work she did not know she would be called on to do until Monday or Tuesday. We don't get much warning before we are asked to do the impossible. Pray also for our second day of V.B.S. First day went very well with about 50 children whom we divided into 4 flocks. 4 shepherds led them around the rotation of 4 activities of Bible story, crafts, singing, and play. The stuff we had to work with was awesome. Can't believe what has come out of suitcases to meet needs. Last night Cindy Pardue stayed up very late making lovely mustard seed necklaces for the children (today's Bible story is on the parable of the Mustard seed).
Today is our 3rd work day and our 3rd "pouring" which means pouring cement for the floors of buildings that will go up in are work area. Monday was a 23 x 33 foot floor, Tuesday was about 23 x 16. and today a 15 x 30 ft. floor. To pour we make cement in a small mixer - an upgrade from doing by hand in a hole in the ground. Each mixer full requires 8 buckets of sand/gravel, 2 buckets of water and 1 100-pound bag of cement. It takes 10 shovel fulls to fill 1 bucket of sand. Can't begin to count the number of mixers-full it took. But 1 mixer-full could fill 4 or 5 wheelbarrows. So we had a water brigade,a a sand bucket brigade, and a wheelbarrow brigade. There is no wasted time! We 'coolies' shovel sand. Going on at the same time was the master block layer (a local mason)building the walls for the floor we laid Monday. Tom Bowman was his assistant handing up each cinder block. Our master carpenters were also hard at work assembling the parts for 18 chairs to go with the 4 tables we made on Monday & Tuesday.
I say "we" with humility. For every hour we work our Mexican hosts put in 10! They start about 6 a.m. and are still going strong at 9 p.m. They do much more than we do each and every day; day in and day out; week in and week out; year in and year out. And are they strong! They will shovel a dump truck full of gravel sand and haul it over. They will sift the gravel sand to get the finer sand for mortar and haul that over. If we need more cinder block, they go over to the clinic site and haul that over. They lift over 100-pound bags of cement and throw then on their backs like it was nothing. The more skilled craftsmen are always training the younger men on the job. Delightful to witness them work together - and always smiling.
It is the Mexican ingenuity that impresses me the most. Bob Thompson, you would be impressed. Buckets with the original handles are used to haul water. When the handle breaks, they take a short piece of rebar wrapped in rubber hose stuck through 2 holes at one side of the bucket and wired secure. These handles are great for the sand and mortar buckets. Then there are the rebar tying tools for tying wire reinforcements together. Nothing is wasted here. I saw a length of rebar used as a counter weight to keep the dining room door shut. Pictures will show all. We are looking forward to talking with you tonight. And don't forget, there will be an early 'show and tell' on the Friday after we get back - 2 o'clock in the afternoon in the library. Now back to sanding chairs. After all, it is only 10:00 a.m.!

Grace and Peace, Libby

Day Five: Picture Gallery