Of Escalators and Local Eateries

Today marked the second part of the Purity Conference. Pastor Mike gave a very insightful and practical presentation the first evening which focused on the scripture verse in Mark 12:29. “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one, and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all of your mind, and with all your strength.” He likened purity to a direction-- not simply a line you either touch or come close to touching or not but rather a direction in which you are heading. The word picture that he shared was one of an escalator – are you trying to walk against it? Is it taking you backwards? or are you moving in the right direction? Our students then broke out into small groups for a time for Q & A. Today the focus of the message was on Heart, Soul, Mind and Strength. Our students performed a variety of skits to bring home the message and then facilitated group discussions by breaking into even smaller groups of girls and separate groups for guys. It will be interesting to hear their downloads when they get back home about the challenges they faced with communication and sharing cross culturally.

Last night the team had a late evening dinner at a local and very authentic Mexico restaurant. You could see the meat roasting on the grill in an open fire pit and they brought platters “family style” to the tables. We had the full experience from the first course of appetizers with nachos, baked potatoes and roasted whole onions to share, red bean soup, tortillas, to plates of roasted chicken and skirt steak. Needless to say our guys were especially happy and completely enjoyed this cultural eating experience. Today the church family brought out the grills and prepared true hamburgers for the group complete with beef patties and cheese and a piece of ham…thus the “hamburger”! (Please note: students with special diet needs are being accommodated!) A “futbol” game is scheduled for later this afternoon and then another trip to an authentic Mexican restaurant this evening.

Most of our meals have been catered by a local Yucatan catering service so every meal has had a real authentic flavor. Our lunches and dinners have been brought into the church and served buffet style. The last two days, the students have been able to expand this experience by actually eating outside of the church fellowship hall. There is also an ice cream store right across the street from our hotel that serves delicious gelato type ice cream and I have been able to find the local equivalent to Starbucks and my new drink of choice these days is a Lechero! Just so you know. The team will debrief this evening and tomorrow we will attend the Calvary Chapel Church service. Please continue to pray for good health and strength and continued positive hearts. The plan is to be able to fellowship with several families from the church in their homes on Sunday afternoon. There is a special sightseeing day planned for Monday. Stay tuned. I am passing on all the “shout outs” to your students.