Last month, I had the amazing opportunity to go to Mexico City on a missions trip with Victory Church. I wrote a little bit about each day and wanted to post it in case anyone was interested in my "Mexico diaries". I also made a short slide show (YouTube link at the end of post) with some pictures from the trip.
Tuesday 3/12/13
We met at my church today at 11:30am and finally arrived at our hotel in Mexico at 2:30am (the next day). It took 2 hours to check in with all our luggage and go through security. There were 8 of us who each were checking a piece of equipment (either sound equipment or an instrument). One of our crates was 92lbs and was going to be $400 (they charge double for heavy luggage on international flights). We were able to move things around and get it below 70lbs; costing only $200. Once we were at the plane, not all our carry on luggage fit and we had to gate check 2 guitars, a mini keyboard, and my suitcase.
The 8 of us from Victory Church arrived safely in L.A. to meet up with a girl from Oregon who is joining us to sing in our band (we have 3 other singers, but they aren't fluent in Spanish like Marisa is). Our 1.5 hour layover turned into a 3 hour flight delay due to mechanical problems. We actually had to wait for another plane to come from Houston to take us to Mexico City. We were given $10 vouchers to spend within 24 hours because of our delay. That got each of us a piece of cake and a glass of water at the airport.
On the plane, we had to fill out customs/immigration forms that were in Spanish. Luckily, we have 3 out of the 9 of us who know Spanish so they helped us through it. The first thing I learned is that the date is written day/month/year so it was 12/3/2013 for March 12th. My birthday was easy to write 04/04 but I kept messing up the date.
Once we landed, I learned that the temperature here is calculated in Celsius (it was 62*F). We arrived finally in Mexico at 1:00am, but it took awhile to go through immigration, customs and get a ride to the hotel. Someone from the church here picked us up. The 3rd difference that I learned is that red lights are more like yield signs. We went through every one of them, even right in front of police cars (who drove around with their lights constantly flashing for no reason - and there were a lot).
When we arrived at the hotel, we walked a few blocks but couldn't find anything open for us to get food at. We will just have to wait until breakfast at 9am in the hotel lobby (Mexico time is never rushed). It's almost 4am now... good night, Mexico!
We met at my church today at 11:30am and finally arrived at our hotel in Mexico at 2:30am (the next day). It took 2 hours to check in with all our luggage and go through security. There were 8 of us who each were checking a piece of equipment (either sound equipment or an instrument). One of our crates was 92lbs and was going to be $400 (they charge double for heavy luggage on international flights). We were able to move things around and get it below 70lbs; costing only $200. Once we were at the plane, not all our carry on luggage fit and we had to gate check 2 guitars, a mini keyboard, and my suitcase.
The 8 of us from Victory Church arrived safely in L.A. to meet up with a girl from Oregon who is joining us to sing in our band (we have 3 other singers, but they aren't fluent in Spanish like Marisa is). Our 1.5 hour layover turned into a 3 hour flight delay due to mechanical problems. We actually had to wait for another plane to come from Houston to take us to Mexico City. We were given $10 vouchers to spend within 24 hours because of our delay. That got each of us a piece of cake and a glass of water at the airport.
On the plane, we had to fill out customs/immigration forms that were in Spanish. Luckily, we have 3 out of the 9 of us who know Spanish so they helped us through it. The first thing I learned is that the date is written day/month/year so it was 12/3/2013 for March 12th. My birthday was easy to write 04/04 but I kept messing up the date.
Once we landed, I learned that the temperature here is calculated in Celsius (it was 62*F). We arrived finally in Mexico at 1:00am, but it took awhile to go through immigration, customs and get a ride to the hotel. Someone from the church here picked us up. The 3rd difference that I learned is that red lights are more like yield signs. We went through every one of them, even right in front of police cars (who drove around with their lights constantly flashing for no reason - and there were a lot).
When we arrived at the hotel, we walked a few blocks but couldn't find anything open for us to get food at. We will just have to wait until breakfast at 9am in the hotel lobby (Mexico time is never rushed). It's almost 4am now... good night, Mexico!
Wednesday 3/13/13
We had a nice, slow morning. The breakfast buffet was interesting because I wasn't familiar with any of the food except mini pancakes. I was able to order scrambled eggs, and they were cooked with onions, peppers and tomatoes (like an omelet). After breakfast, we headed out to see the city. We took a bus there and a taxi back. The driving behavior here is worse than any city I've seen (even worse than New York). I honestly don't know how people crossing the streets don't get killed!
Police guarded every corner it seemed, and some even had guns. We went in a few Cathedrals to see the beautiful buildings and even saw part of a service. Before that, we went to the top of Latin American Tower, 44 floors high, to see and pray over the whole city. For lunch, we ate at a hole in the wall place for tacos. It was really good, but much past my spicy level.
Tonight we went to a daughter church of where the church conference is (that starts tomorrow). We traveled an hour outside of Mexico City so the scenery was a lot different. People were selling things (gum, fruit, etc) at busy intersection as if it was the flee market. There were also a ton of dogs roaming around.
This church seated 75 people downstairs and one row of chairs for the kids upstairs. There wasn't a piano or another hook up for electric guitar, so Mike and I "sat out". He filmed and took pictures and I sat with the kids upstairs to catch some little smiles as the night went on. Our worship band sounded so good and the people sang so loudly, clapped and jumped. They really go into it!
Pastor Ryan (our missions pastor) spoke in Spanish, then there was an alter call. In a second, all the chairs were moved and stacked up because everyone had responded to the alter call. After service, the church had dinner for all of us and their pastors. We were told to finish everything on our plate, if we could, even if we didn't like it. I'm glad it was salad, a flat, breaded chicken, mashed potatoes and bread. So far on the trip, we have gotten bottled water or soda, but nothing is cold.
When we left the first church, the pastors drove us to the big church where the conference will be held. Their worship team was there practicing at 10pm! It was fun to watch, check out the sound system, and explore the building. They are so welcoming and excited we are here.
We had a nice, slow morning. The breakfast buffet was interesting because I wasn't familiar with any of the food except mini pancakes. I was able to order scrambled eggs, and they were cooked with onions, peppers and tomatoes (like an omelet). After breakfast, we headed out to see the city. We took a bus there and a taxi back. The driving behavior here is worse than any city I've seen (even worse than New York). I honestly don't know how people crossing the streets don't get killed!
Police guarded every corner it seemed, and some even had guns. We went in a few Cathedrals to see the beautiful buildings and even saw part of a service. Before that, we went to the top of Latin American Tower, 44 floors high, to see and pray over the whole city. For lunch, we ate at a hole in the wall place for tacos. It was really good, but much past my spicy level.
Tonight we went to a daughter church of where the church conference is (that starts tomorrow). We traveled an hour outside of Mexico City so the scenery was a lot different. People were selling things (gum, fruit, etc) at busy intersection as if it was the flee market. There were also a ton of dogs roaming around.
This church seated 75 people downstairs and one row of chairs for the kids upstairs. There wasn't a piano or another hook up for electric guitar, so Mike and I "sat out". He filmed and took pictures and I sat with the kids upstairs to catch some little smiles as the night went on. Our worship band sounded so good and the people sang so loudly, clapped and jumped. They really go into it!
Pastor Ryan (our missions pastor) spoke in Spanish, then there was an alter call. In a second, all the chairs were moved and stacked up because everyone had responded to the alter call. After service, the church had dinner for all of us and their pastors. We were told to finish everything on our plate, if we could, even if we didn't like it. I'm glad it was salad, a flat, breaded chicken, mashed potatoes and bread. So far on the trip, we have gotten bottled water or soda, but nothing is cold.
When we left the first church, the pastors drove us to the big church where the conference will be held. Their worship team was there practicing at 10pm! It was fun to watch, check out the sound system, and explore the building. They are so welcoming and excited we are here.
Thursday 3/14/13
It was a lot cooler today. I'm glad a brought a jacket and a variety of clothes. Fun fact: There is a serious Mexico smell that doesn't seem to change with temperature.
We went to breakfast at a place that reminded me of a Denny's. It seems pretty popular here since there was an identical one across the street. There was a guard at the front door with a shot gun! I ordered pancakes because I could read "hot cakes" on the menu.
Mexico City is like Washington D.C. in a sense of it being Mexico City, F.D. which means Federal District. We had a safety talk about the subway system and strategically put the girls in the middle for the guys to surround us. We rode two stops down to Museo Nacional de Historia (Museum of National History - basically a castle). There were a lot of school groups there and the kids looked at us like we were famous. People randomly take our picture just like we are taking pictures of then.
For lunch, I had an enchilada with cheese inside and beans on top. The sour cream looked like milk and is called cream (real Mexican food doesn't use sour cream). The team seems to like the food, but one did say 24 hours in that they missed Chipotle.
We were able to eat with the church pastors and two other men who flew in from North Carolina to speak at the conference that started tonight. When it was time to head to the church, the pastors picked us up in 2 different cars than what we used yesterday. Apparently, there is a law where you can't drive your cars on certain days (the day is determined by your license plate) because of the smog.
We showed up to the church around 3:45pm to set up all our gear and run a sound check. The conference started at 6:00pm. We lead worship, of course, then one of the guys from North Carolina spoke while Pastor Ryan interpreted into Spanish. After, I think our band played for another hour during the alter call. Many people received healing, and I didn't see a dry eye in the entire place! Even kids were being ministered to and receiving like I had never seen before.
I had people thanking me and hugging me after we played. One teenage boy wanted me to teach him how to play the piano right then. That was hard to communicate to him even with a translator because he wasn't understanding what I meant (even in Spanish), but I showed him what I could.
We hadn't eaten dinner yet, so when we stopped playing at 9:30pm, the church had grilled ham and cheese sandwiches for us. We are guessing they wanted us to feel at home. Even after one of the guys had 7, we weren't really full.
While we ate, I enjoyed "talking" (Marisa, who's with us from Oregon, translated) with some of the pastors' kids. All of them want to know my name and show me their tricks. One boy did a split, a little girl did a swan stretch, and a couple others did a little break dance. When I tried to guess their ages, Sophia (the only name I recognized/remembered) was disappointed in me when I said 6 and she was 7. Even with that "mistake", the kids are so patient because they are enjoying learning about us.
Before crashing for the night after being dropped off at our hotel, we walked across the street to the same place we ate breakfast. Most of us ended up ordering dessert, though, including myself. It was midnight before we got in our rooms for the night. I'm looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow since breakfast will be at 10am. More tomorrow... Buenas noches! (Good night)
It was a lot cooler today. I'm glad a brought a jacket and a variety of clothes. Fun fact: There is a serious Mexico smell that doesn't seem to change with temperature.
We went to breakfast at a place that reminded me of a Denny's. It seems pretty popular here since there was an identical one across the street. There was a guard at the front door with a shot gun! I ordered pancakes because I could read "hot cakes" on the menu.
Mexico City is like Washington D.C. in a sense of it being Mexico City, F.D. which means Federal District. We had a safety talk about the subway system and strategically put the girls in the middle for the guys to surround us. We rode two stops down to Museo Nacional de Historia (Museum of National History - basically a castle). There were a lot of school groups there and the kids looked at us like we were famous. People randomly take our picture just like we are taking pictures of then.
For lunch, I had an enchilada with cheese inside and beans on top. The sour cream looked like milk and is called cream (real Mexican food doesn't use sour cream). The team seems to like the food, but one did say 24 hours in that they missed Chipotle.
We were able to eat with the church pastors and two other men who flew in from North Carolina to speak at the conference that started tonight. When it was time to head to the church, the pastors picked us up in 2 different cars than what we used yesterday. Apparently, there is a law where you can't drive your cars on certain days (the day is determined by your license plate) because of the smog.
We showed up to the church around 3:45pm to set up all our gear and run a sound check. The conference started at 6:00pm. We lead worship, of course, then one of the guys from North Carolina spoke while Pastor Ryan interpreted into Spanish. After, I think our band played for another hour during the alter call. Many people received healing, and I didn't see a dry eye in the entire place! Even kids were being ministered to and receiving like I had never seen before.
I had people thanking me and hugging me after we played. One teenage boy wanted me to teach him how to play the piano right then. That was hard to communicate to him even with a translator because he wasn't understanding what I meant (even in Spanish), but I showed him what I could.
We hadn't eaten dinner yet, so when we stopped playing at 9:30pm, the church had grilled ham and cheese sandwiches for us. We are guessing they wanted us to feel at home. Even after one of the guys had 7, we weren't really full.
While we ate, I enjoyed "talking" (Marisa, who's with us from Oregon, translated) with some of the pastors' kids. All of them want to know my name and show me their tricks. One boy did a split, a little girl did a swan stretch, and a couple others did a little break dance. When I tried to guess their ages, Sophia (the only name I recognized/remembered) was disappointed in me when I said 6 and she was 7. Even with that "mistake", the kids are so patient because they are enjoying learning about us.
Before crashing for the night after being dropped off at our hotel, we walked across the street to the same place we ate breakfast. Most of us ended up ordering dessert, though, including myself. It was midnight before we got in our rooms for the night. I'm looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow since breakfast will be at 10am. More tomorrow... Buenas noches! (Good night)
Friday 3/15/13
It was rainy all day. We walked to breakfast around 10am, and we were finally offered an English menu! I was thrilled to find an omelet that sounded good, but still had to order it in Spanish.
We took a taxi to the Basilica (important Cathedral) because it wasn't safe to take the subway to that part of town. Pope Juan Paul spoke at this Cathedral one time. We also went into the most visited shrine in Latin America where some people are found crawling on their hands and knees until they are bleeding during the day of the virgin (in December). Pictures and statues of Jesus on the cross are everywhere because that's where they think the story stops. The way the virgin is worshiped is idolatry.
After being out in the rain for awhile, we took a long taxi ride back to lunch. We had family style tacos with just meat and beans (no regular toppings like lettuce, tomato, etc). I had a bite of cactus!! I thought I would try it since it was the only "vegetable" in sight, but the slimy, thick texture couldn't get me to eat more than one bite.
We had 15min to change for the church service and clean up from being out in the rain. I pulled my hair up and threw on my dress. We then were in the car almost an hour and a half driving to the church because of traffic. I wish I could time laps a video of how people drive here. Basically, stop signs/lights, the lines on the road and which way traffic is going is all optional. Four way stops don't have stop signs, just speed bumps, so you'll have all these cars jumbled up and everyone is honking even though there's nowhere to go.
When we arrived at the church, the kids were standing right by the curb to wave like we had just arrived to the red carpet. Since traffic was so bad, we didn't even have time to do a sound check tonight before the conference started. We at least had everything still set up from last night. After worship, Pastor Ryan shared a message in Spanish, then another alter call that lasted until 9pm.
More and more kids wanted to take pictures with us and gave lots of hugs and kisses. A few older kids were learning some English at their school and could ask things like "how old are you?" "you're married?" "can I touch your hair?" One boy told me he could understand us if we spoke slowly. However, there are a few words that mean different things so when someone was taking a picture with an iPad, I tried to be helpful and said "I can take it." He moved that iPad away from me so fast! I had to have Marissa explain in Spanish that I was offering to take the picture, not that I wanted to take the iPad from him.
The church fed us a late dinner again. It was called soape, but it was basically like an open taco with a thicker corn shell. It was good, and I was happy about real sour cream being on the table. I've noticed that they always offer coffee at breakfast and dinner, but it's black with sugar on the table (no creamer).
We rode back to the hotel in the same vehicle that brought us to the church today, but there's often a different pastor/leader driving us so I'm not even sure what car belongs to whom. Two of the pastors have cranked the music (sometime even in English even though they only speak Spanish) so much to where we ask if they could turn it down so we can talk. Somehow, it often gets turned back up again. We want to say 'just because we are in a band doesn't mean we like loud music' but we just laugh about it.
Since there was traffic again at 10pm, we didn't get back to the hotel until an hour later. We wanted to a store where I got M&Ms and a milk (packaged like a juice box). I was still hungry, but the snacks are different, so I went with dessert.
It was rainy all day. We walked to breakfast around 10am, and we were finally offered an English menu! I was thrilled to find an omelet that sounded good, but still had to order it in Spanish.
We took a taxi to the Basilica (important Cathedral) because it wasn't safe to take the subway to that part of town. Pope Juan Paul spoke at this Cathedral one time. We also went into the most visited shrine in Latin America where some people are found crawling on their hands and knees until they are bleeding during the day of the virgin (in December). Pictures and statues of Jesus on the cross are everywhere because that's where they think the story stops. The way the virgin is worshiped is idolatry.
After being out in the rain for awhile, we took a long taxi ride back to lunch. We had family style tacos with just meat and beans (no regular toppings like lettuce, tomato, etc). I had a bite of cactus!! I thought I would try it since it was the only "vegetable" in sight, but the slimy, thick texture couldn't get me to eat more than one bite.
We had 15min to change for the church service and clean up from being out in the rain. I pulled my hair up and threw on my dress. We then were in the car almost an hour and a half driving to the church because of traffic. I wish I could time laps a video of how people drive here. Basically, stop signs/lights, the lines on the road and which way traffic is going is all optional. Four way stops don't have stop signs, just speed bumps, so you'll have all these cars jumbled up and everyone is honking even though there's nowhere to go.
When we arrived at the church, the kids were standing right by the curb to wave like we had just arrived to the red carpet. Since traffic was so bad, we didn't even have time to do a sound check tonight before the conference started. We at least had everything still set up from last night. After worship, Pastor Ryan shared a message in Spanish, then another alter call that lasted until 9pm.
More and more kids wanted to take pictures with us and gave lots of hugs and kisses. A few older kids were learning some English at their school and could ask things like "how old are you?" "you're married?" "can I touch your hair?" One boy told me he could understand us if we spoke slowly. However, there are a few words that mean different things so when someone was taking a picture with an iPad, I tried to be helpful and said "I can take it." He moved that iPad away from me so fast! I had to have Marissa explain in Spanish that I was offering to take the picture, not that I wanted to take the iPad from him.
The church fed us a late dinner again. It was called soape, but it was basically like an open taco with a thicker corn shell. It was good, and I was happy about real sour cream being on the table. I've noticed that they always offer coffee at breakfast and dinner, but it's black with sugar on the table (no creamer).
We rode back to the hotel in the same vehicle that brought us to the church today, but there's often a different pastor/leader driving us so I'm not even sure what car belongs to whom. Two of the pastors have cranked the music (sometime even in English even though they only speak Spanish) so much to where we ask if they could turn it down so we can talk. Somehow, it often gets turned back up again. We want to say 'just because we are in a band doesn't mean we like loud music' but we just laugh about it.
Since there was traffic again at 10pm, we didn't get back to the hotel until an hour later. We wanted to a store where I got M&Ms and a milk (packaged like a juice box). I was still hungry, but the snacks are different, so I went with dessert.
Saturday 3/16/13
After about 5 hours of sleep, I was up getting ready for our long Saturday at the church. The breakfast buffet at the hotel wasn't open yet, so we walked to the restaurant we've been eating at a lot. They had just opened when we showed up at 7am and no one else was there. Mornings are really slow here, especially on Saturdays. I wanted something lighter today, so I had cantaloupe with yogurt and granola.
We arrived at the church at 9am to pray. We prayed that people today would not see us so "famously" but instead be moved by God as they worshiped. We also had a chance to pray over each other in the band. We've really been able to get to know each other and want to build each other up. It's so nice to be in a laid back setting where planning and structure is out the window and has been replaced with a go with the flow mindset.
For example, after we were done with worship at the 10am session, the pastor motioned for us to keep going with one more song and we did very smoothly. Another guest speaker gave a message in Spanish that went until about 1pm. We had a 10min break then went right into the next session with worship and a message. Abnar (from North Carolina) spoke again with Pastor Ryan interpreting.
After that service, a little girl ran up on the stage and gave Matt (our worship pastor) a note that had a snowman drawing on it. The note, written in Spanish, was basically telling him how great we were and that she'll always remember him. She even wrote his name (Mateo is Spanish) in her Bible so she would never forget him.
We finally were able to leave the church for lunch during a short break in the conference at 4pm! We drove to another church where they had some kind of meat and spaghetti on the same plate with taco shells on the table as "bread"... 3 things I wouldn't ever think about putting together.
That church didn't have any running water so guys were bringing buckets of water in for you to dump in toilet to "flush" itself when you were done. Before we left, they gave us gifts of hand painted vases for Matt and Ryan (our leaders) and homemade Mexico treats/snacks for everyone in our group.
We got back to the conference church at 5pm and it had already started again! These people just want to be in church all day. For the night service, their church band played instead of us. They played for over an hour and 15min. It was so fun to see their style of worship. Their pastor also spoke for the final session of the conference.
We were bombarded with people wanting to take our picture tonight after the conference. I think every single person who attended gave us a hug, too. We ate dinner at 9pm (actually early), and of course had tacos again. Over dinner, we discussed our day and opinions on the sessions. After and ice cream run at the corner store again, we made a video announcement/update to send for Victory Church to play tomorrow morning at church.
We are all still healthy, but tired. The conference is now over, and we just play one more time leading worship tomorrow at the church. We then will explore the city more.
After about 5 hours of sleep, I was up getting ready for our long Saturday at the church. The breakfast buffet at the hotel wasn't open yet, so we walked to the restaurant we've been eating at a lot. They had just opened when we showed up at 7am and no one else was there. Mornings are really slow here, especially on Saturdays. I wanted something lighter today, so I had cantaloupe with yogurt and granola.
We arrived at the church at 9am to pray. We prayed that people today would not see us so "famously" but instead be moved by God as they worshiped. We also had a chance to pray over each other in the band. We've really been able to get to know each other and want to build each other up. It's so nice to be in a laid back setting where planning and structure is out the window and has been replaced with a go with the flow mindset.
For example, after we were done with worship at the 10am session, the pastor motioned for us to keep going with one more song and we did very smoothly. Another guest speaker gave a message in Spanish that went until about 1pm. We had a 10min break then went right into the next session with worship and a message. Abnar (from North Carolina) spoke again with Pastor Ryan interpreting.
After that service, a little girl ran up on the stage and gave Matt (our worship pastor) a note that had a snowman drawing on it. The note, written in Spanish, was basically telling him how great we were and that she'll always remember him. She even wrote his name (Mateo is Spanish) in her Bible so she would never forget him.
We finally were able to leave the church for lunch during a short break in the conference at 4pm! We drove to another church where they had some kind of meat and spaghetti on the same plate with taco shells on the table as "bread"... 3 things I wouldn't ever think about putting together.
That church didn't have any running water so guys were bringing buckets of water in for you to dump in toilet to "flush" itself when you were done. Before we left, they gave us gifts of hand painted vases for Matt and Ryan (our leaders) and homemade Mexico treats/snacks for everyone in our group.
We got back to the conference church at 5pm and it had already started again! These people just want to be in church all day. For the night service, their church band played instead of us. They played for over an hour and 15min. It was so fun to see their style of worship. Their pastor also spoke for the final session of the conference.
We were bombarded with people wanting to take our picture tonight after the conference. I think every single person who attended gave us a hug, too. We ate dinner at 9pm (actually early), and of course had tacos again. Over dinner, we discussed our day and opinions on the sessions. After and ice cream run at the corner store again, we made a video announcement/update to send for Victory Church to play tomorrow morning at church.
We are all still healthy, but tired. The conference is now over, and we just play one more time leading worship tomorrow at the church. We then will explore the city more.
Sunday 3/17/13
Today was the first morning since Wednesday that we saw blue skies and sunshine. On the way to church, we spotted smoke coming out of the volcano - that was cool. The church service started at 10am with a band of little kids from the church. It was adorable! We followed them with a 5 song worship set, then the church's worship band lead another 5 songs. A couple of the songs had both Spanish and English words on the screen for us. They then had 2 special songs prepared in English (Amazing Grace and Worthy is the Lamb). They said they were nervous but wanted to bless us because we've been such a blessing to Mexico. It actually made me tear up because we have been here all week singing in another language for them and they wanted to return the favor (it was clear it was difficult for them).
English doesn't just translate to Spanish word for word and vise versa. Sometimes there's different phrase order or words. Mexican culture also claps off beat. We were clapping double time to not look like we were weird, but it was very funny to me because being musical, it doesn't make sense to me to not clap on the beat.
After all the songs and worship, Pastor Ryan preached and their pastor joked that he was going to translate in English. The message began at 11:50 (usually when American churches are ending). Their church band played during the alter call so that we could pray for the people. That was an amazing experience, then they prayed for all of us. We ate lunch at the church around 1:30, then packed up all our gear and said goodbye.
After a nap back at the hotel, we took a bus downtown. We had a buffet dinner on the roof of a nice hotel overlooking the Square in the historical district of Mexico City. We explored a little more during our 5 mile walk back to the hotel.
Today was the first morning since Wednesday that we saw blue skies and sunshine. On the way to church, we spotted smoke coming out of the volcano - that was cool. The church service started at 10am with a band of little kids from the church. It was adorable! We followed them with a 5 song worship set, then the church's worship band lead another 5 songs. A couple of the songs had both Spanish and English words on the screen for us. They then had 2 special songs prepared in English (Amazing Grace and Worthy is the Lamb). They said they were nervous but wanted to bless us because we've been such a blessing to Mexico. It actually made me tear up because we have been here all week singing in another language for them and they wanted to return the favor (it was clear it was difficult for them).
English doesn't just translate to Spanish word for word and vise versa. Sometimes there's different phrase order or words. Mexican culture also claps off beat. We were clapping double time to not look like we were weird, but it was very funny to me because being musical, it doesn't make sense to me to not clap on the beat.
After all the songs and worship, Pastor Ryan preached and their pastor joked that he was going to translate in English. The message began at 11:50 (usually when American churches are ending). Their church band played during the alter call so that we could pray for the people. That was an amazing experience, then they prayed for all of us. We ate lunch at the church around 1:30, then packed up all our gear and said goodbye.
After a nap back at the hotel, we took a bus downtown. We had a buffet dinner on the roof of a nice hotel overlooking the Square in the historical district of Mexico City. We explored a little more during our 5 mile walk back to the hotel.
Monday 3/18/13
Today was our "free day" so after breakfast, we headed to the market. We only had 1 hour and that went by so fast. I'm the type of shopper who likes to look at everything, then decide on my purchases, but today I experienced impulse buying as I was trying to get rid of my Mexican money. You lose a percent when you exchange, and the prices were really good, so I enjoyed getting some souvenirs since I had the money.
We took the bus back to the hotel to drop off our shopping bags, then 10 of us (Mike was sick today and stayed behind) crammed into 2 taxis to head to the floating gardens. One of the guys on the team liked repeating some Spanish that he would hear either for the fun of it or to learn it. He repeated one of the words our taxi driver said and Pastor Ryan said "you just said the F-word." It was too funny!
When we were trying to get on a boat for the floating gardens, the owner told Ryan a price that was 4x as much as it should have been. He was so annoyed because he grew up in Mexico City and knows the rates, but felt like he was trying to walk all over us because we were Americans. We all walked away and another boat owner ran up and quoted a good price.
The lake was crowded because it was a Mexican holiday, but it was a better experience with how crowded it was. My pictures show the type of boat we were on, then there were smaller boats like vendors - food, music, plants, candy, drinks, etc. We had quasadeas and rice from one of the food boats.
After the floating gardens, a few of us had to use the bathroom before we met up with the pastors and their families at another market. The public porter-potty type restroom cost 5 pacos each! Later that evening, we all went out to dinner at a taco place down the street from the hotel. It was kind of sad to say our goodbyes.
I packed up my bags before going to bed, then tried to get some sleep. We left the hotel at 5:15am Tuesday morning. It was an amazing trip! It was a great team to work with, and we all grew so much together with our challenging conversations about what we believe. My heart grew, too, with love for children, a passion for worship, and a deeper desire to discover God's truth. Thank you for all your love, prayers and support!
Today was our "free day" so after breakfast, we headed to the market. We only had 1 hour and that went by so fast. I'm the type of shopper who likes to look at everything, then decide on my purchases, but today I experienced impulse buying as I was trying to get rid of my Mexican money. You lose a percent when you exchange, and the prices were really good, so I enjoyed getting some souvenirs since I had the money.
We took the bus back to the hotel to drop off our shopping bags, then 10 of us (Mike was sick today and stayed behind) crammed into 2 taxis to head to the floating gardens. One of the guys on the team liked repeating some Spanish that he would hear either for the fun of it or to learn it. He repeated one of the words our taxi driver said and Pastor Ryan said "you just said the F-word." It was too funny!
When we were trying to get on a boat for the floating gardens, the owner told Ryan a price that was 4x as much as it should have been. He was so annoyed because he grew up in Mexico City and knows the rates, but felt like he was trying to walk all over us because we were Americans. We all walked away and another boat owner ran up and quoted a good price.
The lake was crowded because it was a Mexican holiday, but it was a better experience with how crowded it was. My pictures show the type of boat we were on, then there were smaller boats like vendors - food, music, plants, candy, drinks, etc. We had quasadeas and rice from one of the food boats.
After the floating gardens, a few of us had to use the bathroom before we met up with the pastors and their families at another market. The public porter-potty type restroom cost 5 pacos each! Later that evening, we all went out to dinner at a taco place down the street from the hotel. It was kind of sad to say our goodbyes.
I packed up my bags before going to bed, then tried to get some sleep. We left the hotel at 5:15am Tuesday morning. It was an amazing trip! It was a great team to work with, and we all grew so much together with our challenging conversations about what we believe. My heart grew, too, with love for children, a passion for worship, and a deeper desire to discover God's truth. Thank you for all your love, prayers and support!
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