We Made it!!

Well - we made it home and what a wonderful homecoming it was. The kids were so excited by the time we started to head up Washington-Church Road ! We have had an amazing week of which this blog site captured only a slice of the many events and miracles of this week. The biggest miracles are yet to unfold - those whereby the events of this week have touched hearts - both of our kids and the young Mexican children we formed or renewed relatiohships with this week. The changes in and of those hearts reflect the Great Commandment that Christ gave us as told in Mark 12:29 - 31 "To love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your strength and all your soul and with all your mind and to love your neighbor as yourself" (paraphrased) They have sought God all week and in their seeking, they have found Him and found themselves. We are grateful to all the parents and staff leaders at Southbrook and Back 2 Back who were instrumental in making this week happen. Lives will never be the same as we go out to continue on now to.....

LOVE ONE ANOTHER!

We have always had a group picture and although a little late in getting to it (like right before we got on the bus to head home) , this year is no different. To all you who were present or who helped make Epic Mexico 2008 a reality this year, we love you and ask God's continued presence and blessings for you.

Last Night

OH... MY GOD!
That phrase has been so overused and denigrated over the last several years that it has lost much of it's awe - except in a Monterrey Mexico tonight where God was in the House! After some praise worship we undertook a ceremony in washing each other's feet - to say thanks, to say sorry, to say I love you as a brother/sister in Christ. Symbolic of Jesus washing the disciples feet-as told in John 13- to show that He came to serve and as his followers, so too are we. It was hugely emotional as these kids have poured out their hearts and souls all week to the kids we've served and to each other.

That followed by 7 (SEVEN) Baptisms that went on into the wee hours of the morning at our pool here at LDM. Turning their allegiance and lives over to Jesus Christ tonight were:






















Cody Shivener
Nick Crockett
Oliver Jay
Brook Collins
Amanda Corbett
Emily Jennings
Rebecca Nunnery


Each of our kids got a celebration by their friends similar to this one!!


WHAT A NIGHT...WHAT A WEEK.... WHAT A GROUP OF KIDS...

WHAT A GOD WE SERVE!

We are Northbound in now only a few hours so pray for a safe return as we look forward to heading home!

Thursday 6/26 - Daytime and dinner

Another great day with the two groups splitting again today - Group one going to a National Forest/Park named Estanzuela with the kids from El Retiro to do some hiking and have a birthday party for some of their children.




Group 2 flip flopped and got to hook up with the kids out at Imperial De Amor where group one had been the last few days. A lot of discussions going on about checking in with "my kid(s) " from group one to group two prior to us heading over there. Group 2 did a little work - painting and cleaning- prior to playing with the kids. Possibly the best part of the day was being sung to with such love and enthusiasm by the whole group of kids and caregivers. We couldn't help but to cheer wildly.





We got back to LDM in time to do a little shopping at the local "market" and even get a little bit dressed up before heading into town to eat the most wonderful concoction of food ever invented called "Taco Fede's" . Rumor has it that this place is still on Ryan Massey's speed dial - even at home! Some great eating and a great time had with everyone. THEN - it was back to LDM for worship and baptisms!! Yea God!!

Group 2 - Wed. 6/25

Group 2 started the day up at Casa Hogar Doughlas again with nearly all hands on deck working on making and pouring cement to build additional bathrooms alongside the current palapa. We had the drill down to a science that was up there with any modern assembly line. We got a lot done in a half a day. Others helped finish building and staining a wonderful looking picnic table while others worked in cleaning up the palapa and the dining hall. After lunch we came back to LDM (our main site) and had 30 or so of the kids over for a pool party here. We then cooked hot dogs and served them before having to say goodbye. As with the other group, it was hard for a number of us to let go and wave goodbye as their bus pulled out of our driveway and down the road. How is it that we create such strong attachments in just a few days? Just 3 days ago we were strangers from a different country, most of us unable to even speak their language and words we could mutually understand. Of course, the answer lies in Love - and the love that Jesus showed for us all. Some of our lessons this week have been about Love, Encouragement, Forgiveness & Submission. As we've seen and experienced these things here in Mexico, we talked tonight about how it will all work when we get back home. Will we go back to our old ways or will be renewed and truly be made new creations in Christ through this? There are a number of kids who have expressed an interest in being baptized here tomorrow night and it should be a fantastic finish to a fantastic week! Stay tuned....

Group 1 update - 6/25

Group 1 is alive is well! We have had two busy, but fun-filled, God filled days! Tuesday was awesome as we worked extremely hard on campus, painting a new Hope Home for teens, and many brave souls spent hours in a sand bucket brigade hauled tons of cement to the roof of the final Hope Home. I have never seen a group of people work so hard so long! Their muscles were on fire! After a great morning of hard work for everyone, we were rewared when the bus pulled up and 50 screaming children jumped off ready to party! The kids we have so deeply connected with the past several days were so excited to play in our larger pool! They had a wonderful afternoon surrounded by sheer love on the Back 2 Back campus-then the sad moment was upon us. Many rushed to grab their sunglasses so the children would not see us crying as they loaded up to head home. Worship last night was very emotional as kids and leaders were brought to their knees by the sadness of saying goodbye to our beautiful young friends. We will all go home with our hearts just a little bit broken-0k-, maybe more than just a little bit. But today-new hope, new home and new kids! We were so excited to go to El Retiro, the home in which Ryan worked the most when he was here. We worked extremely hard, moving dirt, shoveling gravel and mixing cement to pour a sidewalk around the new bodega. Extremely dirty, hard labor! Our kids had great attitudes and worked so hard! We also had a little time to make some cool connections with awesome new kids. This is great because tomorrow we get to take our new friends hiking in a gorgeous park!
Bottom line on day 4-Group 1 is sore, sunburned, exhausted, heartbroken, confused, joyous and GOD BLESSED!

Tina Rogal

Love.....6/24

Out at Casa Hogar Douglas, it's been another great day and we continue to see God's hand in all that is going on here....and plenty is going on. Our kids (and your kids) continue to do great things here and God is doing great things in them. We continue to see how God is using a 33 year old young lady with Downes Syndrome - not to break hearts, but to light them on fire. This started last year (see "Looking through their Eyes" song on posting earlier) and has blossomed to new heights this year. Our kids have sat and played, painted her nails, and simply loved her like Jesus since we've been here. How does God come up with plans like this? We can definitely see hearts changing and lives being transformed.




That love continues to carry on with the relationships being formed with all the other kids at the Children's Homes. It's come in times like quiet walks up a hill talking all the way in 2 different langueages, understanding nothing of the words, but understanding each other's hearts. Or it comes in manic game time or in a simple game of dancing together. Watch for the changes in your kids....God's amazing power and the ability to move hearts in the most unassuming of people and circumstances continues on!

I like mountains.

the mountains were freaking amazing this morning. there were clouds all around them and it was beautiful. like, for real. anyway... we worked at LDM today (where we live) instead of going to the children's homes. Julian and I got the task to paint the exterior of casa 5 and it was awesome. we were on the roof for most of the afternoon. the most beautiful thing ever. they should get an award. mhmm. later in the afternoon, kids from the children's home, "Imperio de Amor" (empire of love) came to LDM to have a swimming party! (high five!) p.s. i'm eating sweet tarts right now. aaaaanywaaaaayyy, the kids came and it was our last day with them so a lot of people cried and all that jazz. i had kids on my shoulders and we were playing chicken. i got punched in the face for the first time in my life...by a 10 year old. in the nose. 3 times. hard. it was worth it. :) i said goodbye to the kids and played soccer against all the mexican teens here. we won. then we worshiped and it was windy. goodbye.

bye: Matthew Miller :)

More Miracles - 6/23

One more day, many more miracles in Mexico! On Monday, Group 1 returns to Imperio de Amor. In tow, two huge jugs of chlorine and many prayers that this will be the miracle needed to provide clean water to our children we have now fallen in love with. We gather round the pool as Ryan pours the chlorine in and the "Father" in the children's home fires up the filter. Then off to work for our kids. Several hours later, after painting, staining and several intense games of soccer in the searing sun...shouts of joy come from the pool! We all run to the patio to witness clean, brilliant blue water in a pool that just hours ago was green, dirty and contaminated. WHAT JOY! It was POOL PARTY TIME! All 50 of the children from Imperio de Amor, plus all 25 of us jump in! It was a magical, spiritual, FUN moment for everyone. We have never witnessed such sheer joy in a pool before. The kids from the home were laughing, shouting, cheering, playing, loving while our kids were in awe that two simple jugs of chlorine could work miracles in a pool. This water will now be used for the kids to shower and other uses around the home. No more worries about the kids getting sick from contaminated water. God provided once again to our urgent prayers for clean water. DIOS DE AMOR-God is love! After the pool party, the children thanked us by singing at the top of their lungs with songs of praise! Their faces were shining like bright lights, they know they are children of the most high God! Our time at Imperio de Amor ended with quiet prayer time in small groups. Our kids prayed over their newfound friends. More joy, more tears, more love. As the bus pulled away, the children shouted to us that they can not wait for our next pool party here at Back2Back on Tuesday. We will count the moments until they arrive.

Ocean Wide - and sharing Jesus

Please click on the link below for viewing "Ocean Wide" by The Afters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RYuZyIpS-0
(Note from Bob: This is powerful as a number of us sat around this morning in tears watching this at it hits at the heart of our theme this week of "Love One Another") Thanks to Brock for sharing it!!

Well A week ago I was browsing youtube and I came across this video. It broke my heart to see this and I knew it would be something like the pictures in Mexico. Yesterday as I was playing with the kids I noticed a little boy sitting in the dirt with his head down and all alone. I walked over to him and started talking to him. I asked him If he was alright and he said no. I asked whats wrong and he said this, "No attach. You leaving." I felt so sad because of that. So I picked him up and gave him the biggest hug I could give but as I held him in my arms and I looked around it reminded me of this video. I just have to share it with you... It reminded me that God never leaves his Children and I told the little boy that and he said, "yes. He has purpose for me." and smiled. These kids know God is with thim and he has a purpose for them. It was so amazing to be there.

-Brock Slaughter

My team just arrived back from our second full day of work. Today we headed to the largest casa hogar, Casa Hogar Douglas, which is a .5 mile walk down the road from the Back2Back "compound" where we stay. Our day was filled with scrubbing down walls, windows, tables and chairs in the kitchen's eating area, building picnic tables, bleaching mattresses in the little boys room and putting clean plastic covers on them, digging trenches, wheelbarrowing dirt up a hill, and all sorts of hard work in the intense heat of this afternoon. Although exhasusting, the work was followed by a few hours of intense loving and playing with the children, from soccer, to rounds of Bingo, to making necklaces in the girl's room, and simply holding one another and communicating love through our actions that words couldn't translate. It was altogether beautiful. I just sit in awe of our team daily and how God is uniquely working in each individual's life. Our theme this week is "one another" and all the ways the Bible tells us to treat one another.. be it loving, serving, encouraging, submitting to... etc. Moment to moment of every day I see our group living this out. Last night God surprised us with a beautiful rainbow during our worship time (which meant it was raining SOMEWHERE in Monterrey - praise God for that!). Then last night a few gathered for an impromptu worship time under the stars. Today we saw a shadow cast in the shape of a heart on the side of the mountain as we left Casa Hogar Douglas.. and overall I just feel God celebrating and smiling down on us in various ways. I'm impressed with the positive attitudes of everyone here. I'm encouraged by the vulnerability and conversations being had each night. These students are filled with JOY and enthusiasm and dreaming big for their lives, after only two days outside their comfort zones. But what a beautiful place it is to be. Parents, you should be proud!! Thanks for your prayers and rest assured that God is doing an amazing work here in Mexico and in the hearts of each student and leader!
Leslie Savage

When we woke up in the morning and we stepped outside, we realized where we were. We were in a place that was less fortunate than what we are used to. We realized that we really do have an impact on these kids and what we do and what we say really means alot to them. We had the privelege of going to Rio 3 and we were digging in a six foot hole to make the foundation for the doctors office, dentist office, and pharmacy. And also, at the same time, another group of Southbrookers working on the giant water tank (and when we say giant, we are talking HUGE!!!) on top of a six foot concrete table. After we ripped off all the metal bands holding the water tank in place, we all pulled together as one to shove the enormous water tank off the cement ledge and into the dark abyss. After the water tank was on the ground, we rolled it all over campus to try and find an appropriate place to store it. We were unsuccessful so we put it on the roof!!! Then some of us decided to jump in on the kids craft making fun. We made a lot of bracelets and gave them piggyback rides. It was one of the most amazing experiences of our lives.

Nick Crockett, Becca Nunery, and Brooke Collins

We were witness to one of God's great miracles today! When we arrived on Saturday evening, we were told about the severe drought in Monterrey. But we were not prepared for what we found when we arrived at Imperio de Amor, a new children's home being operated by Back 2 Back. What we found was a dusty piece of land that had not seen rain in more than a year! We were told the wells were completely dry and the children were using unclean water to bathe, flush toilets and other uses on the property and the precious little water they had left was being used for drinking and cooking. In an emotional teaching, our leader Rudolfo told us if it did not rain very, very soon, they may be forced to send the 50+ children back out into the streets with very dangerous consequences. We all spent time praying for rain and our hearts truly felt the urgency in our tearful pleas to God to send relief and send it soon! Two hours later the storm clouds rolled in over the mountains and in moments the skies opened and significant rain fell for 20 minutes! What joy! The children who live at the home were dancing in the streets, splashing in the rain, celebrating God's great gift to them! Our students dropped their paint brushes and ran to the roof and the courtyard shouting thanks to God! It was the most wonderful, joyful celebration I had ever witnessed! Thanks be to God!

Cinderella dancing with her prince...

(aka Justin Swogger)

Matt and Pablo - hanging out!

Baptism font at Rio 3 Church that serves as a place to cool down for the local kids.They didn't seem to be having enough fun!!

One half of our group went to a new outreach called Rio 3 that Back 2 Back is reaching out to. This is a very poor community that B2B is just starting to work with and an eye opener for a lot of our kids. We worked really, really hard today digging out the foundation and pouring cement footers for the addition to the back of the small local church there. We also moved a huge water tank that had some of our girls mastering the fine art of using a jackhammer. Best part was, again, the love and bonding that occurred with our kids and theirs. We were sang to and we in turn served them a meal that may have been the first in a while for some. A pretty hard work day topped off with a great dinner and worship then .


Digging & pouring cement footers at Rio 3.

Our way of life for nearly 36 hours! No sweat!!!













Part of our Welcome Committee!!

Made it!

Just a quick post to let you know we made it! All are well and we are off to Worship. Just ate dinner and our kids jumped right in making new friends with some of the little ones! Will post more later but God is good and we are thankful for being here and ready to serve!

An original recording inspired by EPIC 2007 trip!

Click on arrow to play... Click on comments for Lyrics!