Two Weeks down and what an adventure.

So I have been gone for two weeks now. The first week I was gone was spent in the states at a college doing pre-field orientation. There are ten of us Nexus. Six guys and 4 girls from all over the country. From Alaska to Virgina, Arizona to Washington. It was a fun week. We spent time getting to know each other, taking personality tests, and just sitting and getting bombarded with info. It was a good week though. Then we headed out to Mexico on Saturday. WE set up camp at the main camp just outside Tijuana. We all have our own tents and coats. We got to go to a Mexican Church on Sunday which was really cool. It was in all Spanish so i didn't get much of it but it was so good. The passion and love the pastor spoke with went beyond being able to understand the language. The songs were fun to sing with. Then at the end of the service the pastor called us all up and lead the congregation in prayer for us and our summer. then the whole church got up and hugged and thanked and shook hands with us. It was so cool so different from the US. We were truly welcomed and felt it. After church they had lunch for the whole congregation where you pay and get a sandwich we tried to pay but someone from the church had already paid for all 10 of us. It is crazy how giving these people are with their money. From church we headed to the Laundromat. Another good experience in pointing and understanding each other with out speaking the same language. Then we headed back to camp to rest. On Monday we started our work week. We were to build an Amor house so we know the ropes and can learn the tricks of the trade. We were given one of the harder job sites. This Job site was literally cut out of the side of a hill. It was just minutes from the boarder. We saw the cars and helicopters all week patrolling. Anyway the hill. It was very big and all the sand and rocks that we needed were of course at the top. So we had to send then down by the bucket. and this hill was one that was so steep that it had a tire stair way made in it. I will show pictures later maybe. We had to pick ax some of te hill to make the site big enough and then leveled it out a bit and got to work on the cement mixing. I didn't mix any cement I was doing the everything else roll. I was pouring water, sand cement mix, and then placing and evening out the rest. so I was the do it all person. At the end of the day we only had a little over half the cement poured. This was a big bummer because the one goal of the first day is to get that done was we felt that we were behind. Howy our field staff said that for our group we were doing good. we only had 10 which is a small group and we had a hard site so not to worry. he also enlightened us to the fact that was we were going through out the day the ground had be come more compast and we were now pouring 7 inches of cement instead of the 3 that needed to be done. so we filled that in with some rock before we left. You see this week was all about us figuring things out and howy sitting at the top of the hill taking notes and then at the end of the day telling us what would have been better. how nice right?
So on to Tuesday...
We decide to get an early start and get the cement finished before lunch and then we should be back on track. SO we get out of camp at a good hour and are taking a different way to camp a little longer but more paved roads. We are doing this because Howy wants us to know our way around. So we have two cars for the Nexus a white minivan and a Green Conversion van. So the way there the white van hits a pot hole with an already low tire and bends their rim. So we stop to get the spare on. Then we are now on the dirt roads close to the site and the green van is going down a hill then Nick (the driver) informs the car that we have no brakes. so we down shift and hit the brakes as hard as we can get to the bottom of the hill to find we can't get the car to start. Well after some inspection we find the oil is gone and the car as a safety feature will not turn on. Great start to the day we were going to get there early on right. So I take Howys truck and Brian takes the white van and we go get started with most the group. We get started right away with the cement still carrying the buckets down the stairs and mixing down below. this be come hard due to limited space we have to drop down to just one cement bucket mixing at a time. Needless to say we do not finish before lunch. We finish around 4 and head out after a long day. Howy lets us take the toll road back because it is faster.
Wed...
We head out early today for real cause now we need to build the walls and get them up today if we want any chance of finishing on time. So Howy tells us to get our selves to the site we should know our way by now. so we are going along the road and the dirt road we turn on sneaks up on us and the white van gets over in time but the green van doesn't. Nick in the green van slams on the brakes without thinking on the highway basically. Well a semi was behind us and I guess there was all sorts of smoke and the trailer actually started to slide sideways. (side note: I am usually in the green van and I am also one of the drivers) Well we live. Ali, Anna, and I are all completely unaware of everything that just happened behind us and are very calm and just telling Nick how to get there another way. Mean while we are stopped on the side of the road and Matt and Nick in the front are trying to collect themselves. So we get to the site and we started on the walls. We do manage to get all the walls and bailing wire up. So get back on track not quite where we want to be but close. We head back to camp. on the was back the white van thinks they know a short cut and goes off only to get rear ended and have to go thorough all those issues. No one was hurt and it worked out ok just a hassle.
Thursday...
We head to the site with out any troubles. Thankfully. We get started and we get to the house finished. it was a good day.

Other Good stuff.
I eat goat. So on Tuesday the family is carrying this goat down the side of the hill and it looked dead. Well half way down it starts to bleat. and then they tie it up to a post and leave it for a few days. Well they had already told us they were going to make us lunch ion Thursday so guessed that was it. So all day on Wed. went it made noise we wold just go luuuunch. Wed as we were leaving we saw the butcher coming and sharpening his knifes. Good times. And there it was in a pot on Thursday i got good meat but lets just say some were not so lucky. there was stomach and intestine too.

The family.
Was amazing to see. The father worked so hard with out a break mixing cement. non stop we asked if he need a break and he laughed. The whole neighbor hood was amazing the kids from all over worked with us all week this one boy named Daniel worked with us and he work so hard we thought he lived there and this was his house but we found out it was not. But man that kid worked hard. Then other kids that just want to be held and played with and given attention worked so hard too. On the last day stucco day they all worked really hard. Every time you turned around to get More they were standing right there holding more for you it was awesome. The way they all helped and got excited. The mother was so happy when we handed her the keys she cried and she had her little baby there it was a cool moment.

Then on Friday we headed out to a new camp for the week and set up. We get our first groups next week. Well most of us. I am setting up camp with 3 others nexus. so I will have to wait a week.
Over all it has been a great two weeks I feel like it has been so much longer then that. I am still super excited and loving it. We are back the states day to show groups down to camp. and a working toilet might be my new favorite thing. Kidding but really.

I will give you the names of the other Nexus to you kind of know who I am talking about.
We have:
Sam (radio)
Matt (rocket)
Ali
Anna
Sarah (piddles)
Nick
Alex (Moose)
Bryan (Fender)
Jacob
the names in ( ) are radio handles. Sam is radio cause it is his job to handle and charge the radios, Matt is rocket because he has the hardest fastest throw, Sarah is piddles b/c in the car waiting to cross the boarder she had to pee really bad and went a little crazy mad, Alex is moose cause he is from Alaska showed us a cool video of a moose and is ripped (really strong), and Bryan fender cause he was driving when he got rear ended.
We all get along so far which is really good. I am really excited for the summer will be really fun I am so lucky to be here with these people. They are all so good and help to hold me to a higher standard. the constant reliance and thought about God is truly amazing.

Devos..
Howy has been on devo duty this past week teaching us about prayer. It has been good he is so wise. he was a monk for 11 years. crazy! but just good thing like don't forget to listen, and maybe prayer is not just sitting and throwing everything at God cause you can't always find that time way can't you make it it prayer in the middle of a crying baby or a rough time. Just the act of wanting to pray and having that desire means something too. Just trying to get us thinking out side the box we put prayer into.

Prayers...
Pray for healing as we have had a few sick team member this week. (Anna, Sarah, Matt, Jacob)
Pray for good first weeks for those with groups that that goes well and they have fun.
Pray for strength as we are all tried and will only get more tired as the weeks go on
Pray for a servant attitude as that is what we are here to do serve the groups and each other in the name of Christ.

So I guess that is about it. I will update again next week. Hope all is well with all of you back home. Can't wait to share more and show pictures!