CML August 2-8

Members of this team were from various parts of Texas and one from Atlanta. The team was led by Mike McAdams, director of Center for Missional Leadership.

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On Monday the group traveled to the village of Titaltetic and built and painted 22 benches for the local church. This is the same church that was built by last weeks team. On Tuesday the group visited the orphanage Casa Hogar Alegre in Tuxtla which approximately 120 children call home. The group toured the facility and played sports with the kids. Lunch was in Chiapa de Corzo followed by the canyon boat ride down the Sumidero River.

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On Wednesday and Thursday, the group traveled to the village of Tzajalehen and helped the local congregation pour cement for the floor of their new church. This was a continuation of the work to help Pastor Maria and the outreach she and her husband had begun a couple of years earlier. All the cement was mixed on the ground and hauled in buckets to the concrete finishers. On Friday the group visited San Cristobal for shopping and lunch.

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Each evening the group would gather for a time of singing, devotion and testimonies. Everyone had a wonderful time. On Saturday the group had lunch at Las Jardines de San Cristobal with an afternoon flight returning to the US.

Construction/Medical Team July 25-31

This group consisted of First Baptist Church of Denison, TX, Georgetown Baptist Church of Pottsboro, TX, Dr. Jim Nichols and his family from Lafayette, LA and 2 father daughter teams - Lana and her father Doyle Bowers of North Houston and Krysten and her father, Pastor Joel Faulk of Lake Charles, LA. This was a large team totaling 33 Americans in all. The week was filled with multiple work options with the main emphasis being on medical, construction and Vacation Bible School (VBS).

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The group attended Sunday morning services in Chenalho. Pastor Alejandro asked Joel to preach the morning message. His daughter Krysten interpreted from English to Spanish. Then the message was translated into the Tzotzil dialect by Pastor Alex. It was a great message all 3 times. After the Sunday morning service, the team enjoyed the Sunday buffet luncheon at the restaurant Las Jardines de San Cristobal. The afternoon continued with shopping at the open air markets. Krysten had the honor of preaching for the Wednesday night service. Since she preached in Spanish, there only had to be one interpretation into the dialect spoken in Chenalho.

Medical - Dr. Nichols led this portion of the team each day which provided dental and medical care to the villages of Tzajalehen, Majumpepentic, Cruzton, Chicmitantic. Dr. Joe Barns and Dr. Carlos worked along side our local physician, Dr. Lulu, in treating several hundred patients that week. Several nurses, a couple of physical therapist, a dental assistant and 2 EMT’s were also part of this week’s team.

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Construction - First Baptist Church of Denison provided the funds to build a church in the village of Titaltetic. This is a fairly large building due to the fact that the congregation is running about 350 members. The first 2 days of construction were needed to weld the roof and secure the metal roofing. Also, the building was completely painted interior and exterior. Later in the week, the team helped the local men of the village to pour the cement slab for their new church.

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VBS - While back in Chenalho, another portion of the group remained to help assist Olga and the other leaders of children’s ministries with VBS. Bible classes, crafts, refreshments and recreation were all a part of each mornings activities. Some of the crafts brought in by the American team consisted of materials to decorate a frame for each child’s personal photograph. Also, the children colored rainbows on a T-shirt with the saying “Dios siempre cumple Sus promesas” (God always keeps His promises). At the end of the week, the children celebrated with hot dogs and pinatas full of candy. Many thanks to Sonja and Wilma who have worked all year long in putting together ideas and materials for VBS.

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The week concluded with a joint celebration of all team members and the congregation of Titaltetic in dedication of their new building. Pastor Mark Mitchell addressed those present with words of appreciation for all the hard work and concluded with a prayer of dedication. Following the service the group distributed gifts of new Tzotzil Bibles and blankets to 50 households.

Special appreciation to Mickey and Al Brown for all their work in putting together such a great team!

Youth Conference 2009

This year’s conference was held July 17,18 and 19 in Tuxtla and one day in San Fernando. Our guest speaker for the conference was Beau Thomas accompanied by his wife, Jessica and their 3 children. The schedule consisted of 2 morning sessions on Saturday and Sunday and 3 night services. Also attending from the US was Krysten Faulk. She and Pastor Carlos‘ wife, Barbara, did all the interpreting from English to Spanish for the conference. Krysten also ministered in Spanish to the youth each morning during one of the sessions.

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Services were filled with worship and praise, youthful excitement, preaching of the Word of God and great alter services. God met the needs of many of our young people. Much emphasis was placed on integrity, purity and responsibility.

Groups from various churches in the area were in attendance as well as 26 Tzotziles from Chenalho. Everyone seemed to have a great time and enjoyed the services.

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On the days that followed, the Thomas Family was able to visit with dear friends in Chenalho before returning to the US.

Great job Beau, Barbara and Krysten!