Chihuahua Diary

Chihuahua was great! Here is a condensed daily report:

Sunday, July 27 – We left our house around 4 a.m. to pick up other team members and meet at the church. After loading all our bags in and on top of the vehicles, we headed to Mexicali, a three-hour drive from Ensenada. Most of the drive went uneventfully, with most people sleeping (except the drivers, of course!)

After unloading the vehicles, we received instructions from the head pastor of the Mexicali church and reloaded everything onto the two tour buses. Then, we headed out for the 17-hour drive. We spent all day on the bus, with only occasional stops for gas, bathroom (one bus didn’t have a bathroom), and food. After spending the night attempting to sleep, we arrived in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, at about 3 a.m. Monday morning.

Monday, July 28 – We continued our journey by train. The first several hours were uneventful, allowing us time to rest. (Finally!) Then, the sights began! It was beautiful! About 4 p.m., we made a stop and were allowed to get off the train. We had a strict 15 minutes to take pictures and order gorditas (thick tortillas stuffed with beans and shredded beef) made with black corn flour, before taking off again. The rest of the trip passed quickly and we arrived in Creel, Chihuahua at about 7 p.m. We enjoyed a shower and sit-down meal for the first time in two days.

Tuesday, July 29 – In the morning, we met together to form groups to invite people to the evening rally & children’s program. We had a good response; the people were very open and many showed interest in attending. After lunch, our group (from Ensenada) had a short time to rest or see the town before we had to head to the church for the children’s program. This was the first children’s program to be held (by any of the churches), so we weren’t sure what kind of response we would get. We were surprised, pleased, and excited to have close to 70 kids show up! Many mothers came with their children and several were asking about the church and its services. The pastors were very encouraged, as well. Praise God!

Wednesday, July 30 – Tuesday evening, after the service, the local pastor, Gonzalo, asked that a group of us go with him in the morning to pray over the city at several of the highest locations. So, early Wednesday, Daniel and a large number of the team, went with the pastor to pray. A while later, as I was getting ready in our hotel room, I heard many voices yelling and the words “Glory to God!”. Shortly after, the group returned, and I asked Daniel if they had yelled from one of the locations. He said that yes, they had yelled “Glory to God” several times, with the women echoing “Hallelujah”. I told him that I heard them and we rejoiced that the sound was heard by many. What a witness to the town!

Thursday, July 31 – Once again, we packed our things early and loaded them on two large buses, for the two hour ride to Napuchis, Chihuahua. After arriving, Daniel & I found out that we were the only church that had come prepared with a complete program! Two other churches offered their help and the few resources that they had – puppets, candy, and clowns. So, we found ourselves in charge of almost 200 kids for the next day and a half!

Friday, August 1 – Our classes with the kids went well. We did not have enough materials, but divided up the kids by ages, so we managed to make it stretch and everyone had something to do. We divided the older kids into four teams for games (It’s impossible to play one game with 150 kids) and the younger kids were playing with a large parachute. We were having fun running and playing when, all of a sudden, it started to rain! We didn’t have an indoor site (everywhere was occupied by a class), so we sent the kids back to the big tent with their parents. So much for that class!

Saturday, August 2 – This was the final day of the festival. We had one last class with the kids, which was more of a party than anything. We played, ate candy, and colored.

After lunch, we headed out again to return to Creel.

Sunday, August 3 – The train was scheduled to leave from Creel at 11:15 a.m., but we arrived at the station by 9:00. Since we were such a large group (close to 80 people), we wanted to make sure that our place together on the train was secure. We enjoyed the train ride, visiting with friends, old & new, playing games, and sleeping. Once again, we had our quick, 15 minute stop, but this time we knew what we wanted. We jumped off, bought our gorditas, ate, and were back on the train with time to spare.

Monday, August 4 – Another day of uneventful traveling. We stopped more often at various military checkpoints (very common here in Mexico), restaurants, and gas stations. Although the breaks were nice, it made our arrival in Mexicali at about 9 p.m. We quickly unloaded the buses, loaded the vehicles, and headed toward Ensenada. Because we had to drop several people off, it was almost 1:00 Tuesday morning before we finally made it home. How good it was to sleep in our own bed again! Praise God for the new friends made, the lives saved, and the experiences we will never forget. Thanks for reading our adventure! Please see the pictures to enjoy more of our story.