I have returned from a week in Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico. It was an excellent week filled with challenge, joy, love, suffering and victory. Our team in Tepic is doing an amazing job of re-imagining what the church could look like. Instead of hosting long services, they challenge their members to get out of their seats and into the community. They are working ecumenically to bring the love of Jesus to so many. During my time there we visited a nursing home and spent time just listening and loving the people living there. We gave them juice and listened to poetry and heard stories from Tepic’s past. I spoke with one 94 year old woman who just held my hand for an hour, telling me that all of her family was dead and that no one visited her any more and how special that moment was for her, that we were there to visit. It’s so amazing how something so minuscule can be such an incredible blessing to people.
In addition to visiting people at the home, we took food to people waiting at a local hospital. We served more than 70 sandwiches to people who had been waiting, some for days without food, just to see a doctor. We hosted a free hugs campaign in the city center. This was just a time to use the language of touch to bless people. It was amazing to watch so many families run forward to receive a hug from a group of strange gringos and Mexican citizens. God is amazing!
During my time there I was able to shoot more than 6 hours of video and my friend Stuart, (www.eyes2see.com) who is one of the greatest photographers I have ever met, took more than 5000 images. In the upcoming weeks I will post some of those images, but for now they are being professionaly edited by the hand of an expert. Thank you Stu for all of your hard work!
And thanks to each of your for your prayers and messages of support. I was able to accomplish all that I had set out to do during this trip. Our team in Tepic is ready for their inaugural short term team season this June. I am excited to see students mobilized this summer in Tepic, serving a community they don’t even know and being challenged to return home and continue serving those around the. This will be an exciting year for our burgeoning ministry in Tepic. Continue to pray for workers and constant creativity as we search for more ways to love our neighbors.
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