Mexico Mission Trip: Day 2

Our second day in Mexico has zoomed by at super speeds and been a very effective day of ministry. We awoke in our rental home and enjoyed a delicious breakfast of biscuits and gravy. With loaded tummies we hit the road to a local community called Vista Marina. This is a neighborhood that Hope Chapel Rosarito has been ministering in for over two years. Each year of our Jr. High trips our teams have been privileged to serve in this community too. In fact during last year's trip a family in the Vista Marina community got connected with Don and Sandy and it sparked a relationship that has flourished ever since. Before our visit to the community in 2010, this family had heard lies and gossip about HCR and its pastors, but after our time ministering and getting to meet Don and Sandy they realized how ridiculous this speculation was to begin with. Now that same family has been hosting there Spanish speaking service in their home since September and the service has grown to so many people they're busting at the seams. It is awesome to see what God can do to bring new life in a community. This afternoon we had the privilege of serving with some of these families in their churches and the pastors of HCR. We cooked and distributed a free lunch, passed out nearly 100 balloon animals, performed 2 children's skits and puppet shows, and had our drama team perform their pantomime. We ended the time with a short message about God's love. It was incredible to see our students dive right in and serve wherever needed. Whether it was picking up garbage, serving a hot dog, or making a balloon dog they had smiles on their faces and were showing the unconditional love of God to the people of the Vista Marina community. Following our time in Vista Marina we made our way to the new HCR campus and prepped the building for service tomorrow morning. God is really uniting this team together as they get their hands dirty, stretch their comfort zones, and make themselves available for God's work.

Prayer Request:

-be praying for us as we have two church services at two different churches on Sunday, we really want the Holy Spirit to use us to encourage these two congregations however most needed

-pray for energy and health, no big issues have come up, but we want to be rested and ready to give our best effort

Mexico Mission Trip: Day 1

Friday, April 1st was the first day of Uturn Jr. High's Mexico Mission trip for 2011. It all started at 9am as we met at the airport for check-in, team photos, prayer, and security checks. After enjoying some tasty airport cuisine we boarded the plane and made our way to San Diego. When we arrived at San Diego we met up with Hope Chapel Rosarito's pastors, Don and Sandy Godwin. Before we crossed the border into Mexico we stopped by In-n-Out for a quick and yummy dinner. After getting into Mexico we made our way to our rental home and settled in for the week of ministry. Later that evening we joined the Godwins in attending a game of futbol rapido (indoor soccer). It was awesome to find out that Hope Chapel Rosarito has been sponsoring one team and attending their weekly games. They not only show up and enjoy the game, but they bring bottled waters for halftime and offer conversation and prayer after the game with the players. Over the three years that they've been supporting and loving this team they've seen some of the players dedicate their lives to Christ. Their futbol ministry is a prime example to our team of spreading the gospel of Christ through building friendships and showing the unconditional love of God. It is hard to believe that our team is finally here in Mexico already. After months of preparation and hard work, God has safely brought us here to do His work and expand His Kingdom; and we are just thankful for the opportunities He's giving us.

Please Keep us in your Prayers:

-for boldness as we go into a community to do an outreach on Saturday

-for physical healing for some of our teammates feeling a bit sick

Uturn JH 2011 Mexico Team

Each year Uturn Jr. High sends a team of JH students and adults down to Rosarito, Mexico to partner with Hope Chapel Rosarito. During our time down there we will be performing a pantomime drama, putting on a puppet show and interactive story, we'll be participating in maintenance projects around the church, and ultimately sharing our faith in Jesus with the community. Mother Teresa once said, "its not how much you do, but how much love you put in the doing." This quote truly captures our heart for this trip. Our goal is so much more than completely tasks, our purpose for this trip is to make the unconditional love of God visible. This team has been diligently preparing, praying, and saving money since January and they are ready to hit the ground running when we arrive Friday afternoon. Thank you to everyone who has helped support this trip financially and prayfully. Throughout the trip you can check back on this site and read updates and see pictures of everything we're doing.