Mission Oaxaca's August team was made up of three lovely ladies.  We began our journey on the ninth of August at two different times in the morning.  This included Lis Saunders, my mom, and Winnie Callough, our neighbor, who left on the first plane and me, Mixie McConnell, who left just a little later.  We met up in the Mexico City airport with a fourth companion, Clay Dyer.  We arrived in Oaxaca that afternoon and got settled in and took time to unwind.  The next morning was Sunday and we all went to the three churches run by the Cruz family.  At the last service we met the churches' youth pastor, Rafael.  He was going to help us pour pisos, which would be happening later that week.  Our work would wait to start for another two days because first we—the team of lovely ladies, Benny, and Gloria (Benny's mom), would be traveling to Juchitan and Espinal. 

It was actually the very next day we took this five and a half hour drive, which was very windy and hot.  While in Juchitan and Espinal we met up with several friends that we know through our work with other organizations including Center for Sharing and Friends of Pimpollo: Cheryl Broetje, Glenn Cross, Kristin Leitz, Clay Dyer, Brea Cohen, and Jorge.  We visited over dinner and at the two different homes that Center for Sharing has built for girls ranging in ages from 14 to 22 -- Casa Isabel and Casa Angel.  We even had the treat of exploring the new plot of land and future home of Casa Isabel that Kristin was purchasing.  It was very spacious and shady, quite the delight in such a hot climate like Espinal.  In addition to spending time with all our friends, we were able to meet some of the girls and women involved in these programs including Luci, a lovely girl who would join our group later in the week!   She traveled back to Oaxaca with us to help with our piso making.

Wednesday the 13th of August we began our work.  The first piso was poured in the kitchen of the youth pastor's house, Rafael.  We all had lots of fun clearing out the space, leveling the ground,  meeting his three adorable children, and doing all that heavy lifting!  Oh, and of course taking pictures of the work being done.  For the rest of the time we completed five more pisos, six in total; two per day.  These six pisos include Rafael's kitchen, the double roomed house of two brothers, the new kitchen for one of the churches, and two rooms for the large family of one of the pastors.  With each project we spent time with the families.  We prayed for them and ate a yummy meal they had prepared, and took the kids to the nearby store for cookies and sweets. To help with the work we were joined by Ismirnah (a missionary living with the Cruz family), Jerardo Cruz, Yanni Cruz, Gloria Cruz, Rafael, Ravi (an owner of a new piso), Emanuel (an owner of a new piso and also Ravi's brother), and others in the community.

All too soon we found ourselves waking up to our last morning together in Oaxaca. Luci was heading back to Espinal with Kristin, and Lis and Winnie were heading back to Oregon.  I, however, was staying another week with the Cruz family.  Their home was already packed, but in Mexico it seems like you can always squeeze in one more person.  The household included Felix and Gloria, the parents, Benny, Jerardo, and Yanni, the siblings, Ismirnah, a missionary friend studying in Oaxaca, Carina, a cousin of the Cruz's, and now myself.  Leo, a cousin of the Cruz's, and his mom Gloria were frequent visitors!

My first day in their home was overwhelming, but exciting all the same.  Benny, Gloria, Brea, and I went to Vicente Guerrero to see how the haircutting volunteer day was going.  One of the sisters of the church worked at a beauty school and brought her students to one of the churches to give out free haircuts.  I was impressed with their work.  That night there was a youth conference, which really included anyone who wanted to come.  There was worshiping that included singing, dancing, and lots of jumping.  Benny shared from the Bible and several people were prayed for.  It was nothing I had ever seen in all my church events.  God's presence was felt and it was an intensity that my camera couldn't quite capture, but my heart did.

Sunday was our day at the churches and at one of the services Benny had me share just a little about what God had taught me while I had been there.  That night the whole group of us including the kids of the Cruz family household, Brea, and myself all went and danced around Oaxaca.  We had quite a lot of fun and were able to enjoy one another's company just like me and my friends do in Vancouver, Washington.  I was so amazed and pleased to see God at work in friendships here just as he was in the U.S.

For the rest of the week we'd wake up at five in the morning to pray for an hour and our days would start soon after that.  Yanni, Jerardo, and Leo were all getting ready for school in between household duties such as doing the laundry and cleaning the house, and church duties including the Bible studies held on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  We also spent quite a bit of time visiting families around Tule, which is where the Cruz family lives, and in Vicente Guerrero.  It was one of the most comical experiences listening to the stories some of the elderly women of Tule told about the town, the church, and specifically the Cruz family.  A lot of wisdom was shared from their life stories.  Three of our days were also spent at the church in Vicente Guerrero cleaning up the surrounding grounds.  We took machetes to the grass, added tin walls to the new kitchen, and wired up the fences.  Each day was fun and we were blessed to spend time with Lupita and her family sharing a fresh meal.  She and her husband are both blind and live with their five year old son and four nieces.

My time there was precious and I am very excited to let you all know that I will be in returning to Oaxaca and the Cruz family for three months at the end of December.  It was a great learning experience to be there on my own without the comforts of any English speaking friends or family!  One of my great lessons that you should all take heart in is that the medicine does work down there.  My last day I got very sick, but I was well cared for and given great antibiotics that worked immediately! Simple but true. 

I hope you enjoyed reading about our August team and the fun we had serving in Mexico.  Hope to see you down there with us soon!

Mixie