In Mexico!!!

After sitting on the runway at JFK for 2 hours we finally got off of the ground at around 7:30pm. The flight went well, and everyone did a good job on the plane. During our flight I personally got a chance to have an hour-long conversation in Spanish with a lady in her mid-fifties named Patricia. I really enjoyed the practice, and my wife was close by when I needed her to give me a word that I didn’t know, but for the most part I held my own. We arrived into Mexico City around 11:30 pm Mexico time (an hour behind EST). We all got through customs fine, and all of our bags arrived safely. After going through security we met up with Emilio and another man. This is when one of our girls realized that she had left her backpack in the bathroom. I thought for sure that it would be gone, but Adriana was able to go back into the airport and miraculously it was still there. I will leave it to you parents to decide which of your daughters it was. After waiting for a shuttle for about a half an hour, it finally came to take us to our two vans. Here’s a good taste of life in Mexico … There were 7 people on this shuttle that seats perhaps 15-20 people. We crammed in our 28 people plus our luggage, meaning that we had 35 people in the shuttle plus luggage for 28 people. We were all sitting on top of one another and standing on luggage. Emilio and two other men rode on the steps of the shuttle with the door open. What a perfect welcome to Mexico! We then crammed into our two vans and drove another 20 minutes to the ministry headquarters where Emilio’s children and wife had prepared hot food and coffee for us. After eating and a quick time of instruction, the kids headed off to their rooms. They are all staying on one floor and have to share one community bathroom and shower, so we established some boundaries and a rotation schedule for bathroom and shower use. This is all a part of missions. How fun! More significantly, however, is the sacrifice that the people here have made to allow us to stay in such a nice place. The children gave up their beds, their toilets, and their showers, and are staying in a storage unit so our team can stay in their rooms! That reality really quickly silenced any grumblings that the team may have had, and made us wonder whom was really sacrificing, serving, and showing Jesus to whom. We finally got to bed around 3:30am local time, and they graciously allowed us to sleep in until nine and served us breakfast at 10am. I shared some thoughts and important reminders with the group after breakfast, and then Emilio gave us an orientation. Most of the team was crying as he shared the vision of the ministry and introduced us to some of the children and people who have come through the ministry. They have 700 people that they are directly ministering to in over 70 locations around the world. Their name Adulam means a place of refuge, and is the name of the cave at which the outcasts of society and others gathered to David in the Old Testament. They work with the abandoned, the abused, and the addicted that many, including the Church, have ignored and written off as not worth investing in. There is way more that I could write, but the teams have just headed off – 4 groups went to work in the storage unit, and 2 other groups have gone out to the street to help raise awareness about the ministry, to collect funds to support it, and to see the people the ministry is called to reach. I am heading out to the bank to convert some money and to the store to get some needed supplies. More to come later. Thanks for your love, support, and prayers!
- PK

In Mexico!!!