Reflections on Mexico, Part I

I'll try to just post the highlights of our amazing experience in Mexico. It's always difficult to describe and I'm still rather emotional, so I'll be brief....maybe.

Sat. 2/14

• up at 3:30 a.m., pick up Carol Bogle in Sapulpa at 4:30


• arrive at Ft. Gibson 5:30 a.m., load up and leave at 6:00 (we have a very prompt group)


• drive to Tyler, TX and pick up a plate compacter that Rick Owen has secured


• arrive at destination in San Antonio for the night

Fort Gibson & Sand Springs Missions Workers

Barrett Vanlandingham, Everett Laney, Glenn & Robin Elliott, Dan Rouse, Carol Bogle,
Neal & Lita Blevins, Jerri Collins, Kenny Lashley

Sun. 2/15

• after breakfast and a devotional, start out on drive to Colombia (less busy, "easier" to cross border than Nuevo Laredo)


• Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha..........it's NEVER easy to enter Mexico.....one of the members of our team doesn't realize his Visa from last summer is still tucked inside his passport...agent quickly snatches it up and says that since he didn't "check himself out of the country" in June, he'll have to wait 24 hrs to cross over


• we try everything, including a bribe....I mean offering to pay a "fee"...to let him in--but he won't budge


• plan B is to try to enter at Nuevo Laredo


• since there's no line for a vehicle permit, we decide to go ahead and get it while we're here, but the agent has trouble understanding the paperwork (no habla ingles) ....anyway...long story short, some bilingual tourists finally help us and we manage to get the permit and head over to Nuevo Laredo


• after another long wait we get our 10th Visa


• while waiting at the border, Neal spots an amigo! What are the chances? Francisco (worked for Neal at BP) is there trying to get his work visa, but is short on cash (about US$240)


• our kind, compassionate group chips in and "lends" him the money, which he promises to pay back the next day (he's staying in Monterrey and knows where our hotel is)

Mon. 2/16

• we are all amazed at the progress that has been made on the church bldg. in Santa Monica


• devo with Rick before starting the labor...Rick brings us up to date on the political unrest in Mexico

• it's cool and misty, so there's LOTS of mud, but a great day temperature-wise to work


• busy all day building forms for the columns/pillars

Arriving Monday morning.





Progress!

• lunch was fantastico! delicious tamales (which I don't even like in the U.S.) and spicy beans....yum yum!

Everyone is pretty tired and dirty after a long but rewarding day.

• Eunice (daughter of Ladie, the preacher) and Sergio (one of our Mexican brothers) accompanied us back to our hotel and took us to a great hamburger joint for supper ... the biggest hamburger I've ever eaten...but we still wanted ice cream to cool down our digestive system from all the hot & spicy food (or something like that)

sorry, Barrett, but this is one of my favorite pics--so much for the diet

• oh yeah, I can't forget--while we were hanging out in the hotel lobby, waiting for everyone to go eat supper, guess who shows up? Right! Francisco! Not only did he repay us all our money, but he came bearing gifts of assorted cookies.
  

Okay, so it looks like I can't be brief, after all. So I'll split this up a bit so that I don't have such a long post.