You can find Part 1 of the Mexico Mission here!

Cebollin

On a Saturday afternoon, our team piled into a rickety old truck and began the treacherous drive out of Guacayvo and up to Cebollin for church. We were particularly excited to meet Pastor Domingo Ortega – the pastor whose salary is paid by Ethos Young Adults. The church is normally overflowing (so much so that they’re building a bigger church – see the later images), but that day it was not as busy because there was a doctor in a nearby village. You’ll notice that in Tarahumaran culture, when you enter a room you greet everybody (hence the handshakes). After worshipping through music the children were dismissed for VBS with Lindsey. Back in the service Alessandro graciously translated for our team as Sandra preached. The presence of God was strong and I was moved to tears.

I experienced allergies for the first time while in Cebollin (now I understand how much it sucks!), but truly it served as a good cover for the emotion I felt as I interacted with the beautiful Tarahumaran people. The woman in the photo below has chosen not to abandon her daughter (the following photo), a little girl in need of surgery. My heart broke for her and her family. I quickly joined in when a team member asked if he could pray for them and if someone could translate. This little girl and her family are still in my prayers.

After church we did a food and clothing distribution. We also had beautiful scarves for the women to use to carry everything.

Below: Getting to tell Emilio’s mother (left) that I would like to start sponsoring Emilio. She is the mother of twelve.

Below: Our team with Pastor Domingo Ortega.

Below: The new church under construction.

Below: The windy (and sometimes dangerous) road into Guacayvo.

Nabochique

The next day our team drove partway up the canyon, where we began hiking to the village of Nabochique. The scenery was breathtaking and it was the least difficult of all the hikes. Sandra preached once again (this woman amazes me… she preached 3 different sermons that weekend, and she runs the orphanage/boarding school!); later our team was given the opportunity to pray for those who came forward. It was a highlight for our team. In some way our struggles are very different from theirs, yet some of them are so much the same. But whatever circumstances we face, we come before the same almighty and all-powerful God.

Below: Pastor Chris doing his first baby dedication!

After the service we did food and clothing distribution.

Below: Sloths!

Below: These 4 women were the ones who first approached Sandra and asked if she could start coming to Nabochique so their village could learn about God.

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