Check out the new space!!

 Hello! If you haven't received an update email from the new BLOG, please head over and check it out! 

http://www.godthegintersandyou.com

if you did sign up and haven't gotten an update on the new one pease let me know and I will see what is happening. Technology in this more advanced form is NOT my forte... so please bear with me. Until then pop over, have a read and a look around and if all else bookmark the page and check in from time to time! I have a goal to post weekly even while we are still here so I can get into a routine... I know there are a few good posts on the way. (trust me... God has been working in amazing and amusing ways!)

 We will keep this blog up for anyone who will be new to the new blog and this will be a way to see how our God Adventure began! 

blessings and love

Dennis & Jodi

New look at the new address!

 

So I have been working on a new blog site this summer and I finally asked for help and Pastor Brad was able to point me in the right direction! I haven’t really posted there yet as I am still tweaking it a bit, but please join us at GOD, THE GINTERS AND YOU ,  to follow us on our great God adventure! It is a new lay out so please have a look, our Instagram feed is on it and scroll to the bottom and subscribe — NO waiting for confirmation emails for subscribing. 

Let us know what you think!

Thank you for your prayers, phone calls, texts, emails and visits - we truly appreciate them all! We look forward to sharing in this all with you!

273 days!

So we are now home and have been for just over a month. we have been quite busy with things here on the ranch and in our personal life! Enjoy the video (please excuse our pauses and stammerings!) and please feel free to send us an email, text or call us if you have any questions or want to know more! If you are wanting to join our prayer team please leave a comment or email and I will add you to the group!

I will correct myself from in the video here and there are 273 days until we begin our Discipleship Training School in Mazatlan!! the countdown is on and we are so excited to see where our Father will take us on this adventure!


Blessings,
Dennis & Jodi

Some of our worship times!

Here is the video with clips from some of our worship times! The love that pours out from these awesome people is simply amazing! We are really going to miss our worship times here! 

If you’re brave enough, turn up the volume for full effect and imagine the walls, floors and windows literally shaking!

Week 4 update! YIKES!!!

It is so hard to believe that we are going into 5 weeks here and our time to head home is flying at us at a break neck speed! We are in awe each day of how God has put people in our day to day that spoke such truth and love into our lives, how the Holy Spirit moved through our lives and through others has been absolutely transformational! We are humbled by the generosity of the friends we have  made here and are now like family, we KNOW we are blessed to witness their love and wisdom! WE feel honoured that they have shared their testimonies and lives with us these last weeks and we look so forward to watching their continued growth and love!
We feel so loved by everyone here and man are we going to miss them all when we leave, but we still have 5 days and what 5 days they will be!!
Here is the past week update and a bit more...

Today we will begin resting physically (well Dennis will as I am still on kitchen duty today and have my rest day starting tomorrow!), lots of Carnaval testimonies will be heard and told and worship tonight out in the park!
Have a great day!

love & prayers,
Dennis & Jodi

Lala “issues”and a tour...

Anyone who knows us, knows that Dennis and I enjoy good coffee in the mornings and  since we have been here, we have really grown to love our coffee and our cream - which leads me to share a funny story. 

Dennis and I were shopping and buying some groceries when we first arrived, being avid coffee drinkers (with cream) we began our hunt of the Soriana store! We found many coffee cream like packages in the middle aisles (non refrigerated) and creamers, but no real cream. As we searched the store we figured we would be enjoying our Looney Bean coffee black for the month! But God knew we would enjoy our morning coffees SO much more if we had actual cream! (Isn’t he amazing to think of even the small, crazy, insignificant things?!)  As we searched we found the refrigeration area and low and behold CREAM! So we bought a small bottle and found it is so thick it is the same idea as Clotted Cream in the UK. It is the most delicious addition to our morning coffee... oh my!  So fast forward to the next week where at Ley’s (a smaller grocery chain - similar to an IGA) we found the same Lala brand but in a bigger bottle AND in a tub (since it’s so thick it would be easier to use in the mornings!) 

We buy both, take them home and the next morning I open the tub and taste it... this is NOT cream... it is sour cream! which I had enjoyed a few days before with my tostados at breakfast... at the base. Good thing I had tasted it first... but if you look at the picture you can see why we would be confused ... lol to say the least the kitchen staff got a good giggle from my sour cream/coffee cream story... and yet no one could explain the labeling to me! So long story short, when in Mexico and wanting to really enjoy your coffee, always buy the BOTTLE of crema fresca. 

Tonight is our last night of Carnaval and we will be out until 1am, then back to the base and I have to dump my photos for media, Dennis will be bringing back the cafe things (because they tear it all down each night), so it will be a very late night for us again! Tomorrow we hope to get some basic house needs done, a bit of time in the sun and gearing up for packing for home! 

So this morning I did a quick video of the base, and I need to apologize to Sebastian! I introduced him as Chino (insert eye roll here)... not sure why I did that! Lol can I beg late night, little sleep and early mornings?! lo siento, Sebastian! I am still working on my video-ing skills but you’ll get the idea of it all and see where we have spent our last month! There have been some big changes in the last year and it is still changing daily! Enjoy  the tour! 

Carnaval begins!

Can’t believe we only have a week left here! We are trying to remember and enjoy every minute of work, worship & intercession and time with friends (who are more like family now!) 

But here is a quick update on our first night going into carnaval! Can’t flip my phone around during taping so there will benTWO videos again!  We will try to get a week update tonight (if we can get time)! Photos will get posted as well... again time allowing! Have a wonderful weekend and stay warm! 

and that a wrap on week three!

It is hard in imagine we have been here for as long as we have!  That means soon we will be heading home! Not something we are really getting too excited about (except to see family and friends!) 

We have made such beautiful friends here and made a home for ourselves  in our room and community, we have learned the art of getting around; calling uber or polmonia to get  home places when we are tired and bogged down with groceries  (and other purchases). It is going to be a hard internal fight to get on that plane to head home, but we know we have so much to share  with everyone, that makes it exciting too!

 So here is a movie about the last week, and photos will follow possibly tomorrow or Monday! Enjoy!

love & prayers, 

Dennis & Jodi

Photos of our first two weeks!

Sorry this is later than I had said, but I have had issues uploading this and I am not feeling so great the last two days, but here it is! These are photos from when we left home until last week! I promise I will try to do a better job on the photo movies as I learn iMovie! 

When you watch the video, there is a body surfer during a worship session! That is Phil and he has been coming down to Mazatlan for a long time and is 78 I believe! God does some crazy, amazing and FUN things here! If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask - I am on my way now to work on a better photo movie for this week! lol

Happy Thurday!

love and prayers, 

Denis & Jodi

Week Two...

Hola! Here is our week two video (recorded yesterday - Sunday)! We have been pretty busy with our work shifts and ministries but we have been so content and at peace here! 

I am dealing with a sunburn from yesterday, but I am not to terribly uncomfortable. We had such a wonderful day to rejuvenate and rest for this coming week! God is good and knew just what we needed! This morning we have worship time and then work, with a break this afternoon for an hour, then back to work. I will try to post some photos with the stories behind them today/tonight.

Both Dennis and I have been having some clarifications on some things we had been praying about and all we can say is God is good! We will continue praying and we definitely want to thank y’all for your prayers! They mean so much to us! Again if you have any questions drop a comment or an email and we will get back to you as soon as we can! Have a blessed week!

Love and prayers,
Dennis and Jodi

Week ONE!!

HOLA! here we are almost a whole week into our mission trip and have so much to share, but we will try to contain it in this video! Keep your eyes on the INSTAGRAM act for more frequent updates with photos as we are finding our days are quite busy! We have weekends off and this weekend we toured around trying to get our bearings straight and finding out what shops are where and how to get there! WE walked to the lighthouse this morning (the walk was 7.53km+ ... I forgot to turn on my tracker sooner) and it was like walking up 43 flights of stairs! Yesterday we also walked over 4km (according to google maps) to go to the grocery store (Soriana's) ... so much walking lately! LOVE IT!

We will try to update with videos on Saturdays if possible, but we will have to see how things are going once we are in full swing with our work details! Enjoy the video and the photos that are on the left in our IG acct! Drop us a comment if you have any questions and the PRAYER REQUEST list has been updated!! Thank you and until next week!

love & prayers,
Dennis & Jodi

a week to go!

goodness time sure is weird... speeding along at break neck paces some days and slower than molasses in January on others! My days are snails pace it seems and yet I can't believe we are here at this time already!

We've read so many books and learned so many things n our walk with God in preparation for this journey, we have a basic knowledge of Spanish (which we will get to try out in Mexico City for 13 hours on a layover before we have our final flight to Mazatlan! I think we are as ready as we will ever be!
SO...
We are one week away from leaving for Mazatlan (we should be in Toronto waiting for our connecting flight this time next Monday!) and we are ready and yet there is still so much for us to do! (packing being the biggest I think!)There are still some appointments we need to go to, a bit of shopping still to do, a fridge to clean out (meaning meals), laundry, house cleaning and I know there is still farm stuff to get done by Friday!  I know it will all get done and that there is no sense worrying about it (not that I am worrying per se...) just typical travel concerns of forgetting something or not packing or overpacking. Until this afternoon we had a few concerns over the finalities of things with YWAM but they were all sorted today ... see not worrying!
All in Gods time, right!?

Here are a few prayer requests for this coming week:

~ Protection  (not just for our travels and time in Mazatlan but for family at home) of our minds and hearts

~ To see what God is putting on our hearts when meeting with the people of Mazatlan and those at YWAM

~ Open hearts (ourselves and others) to the leading of the Holy Spirit as he sees fit

~ Prayers for the unknown as we embark on this God adventure

These are pretty general prayers it seems, but the power of prayer is amazing and we know how important fervent prayers are! 

I have a feeling this next week (and beyond) Philippians 4:6-7 will be not only on my arm (it is a tattoo) but on my heart:  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

With this said, please know that we truly thank you for your prayers and concerns and it does give such peace to be going to Mexico with your prayers before us! 

Please drop a line (comment box or email) if you have any questions! 

Until next week our friends!!

Blessings to you!

30 days and counting!

We are only 30 days away from leaving for Mazatlan (THIRTY DAYS!), there is a pile of things still to do before we leave and Dennis has a very bad chest and head cold! I am asking for prayer for his health to be restored! 

Coming up we have our second round of TwinRex to do in the next week or two (he needs to be healthy for this!), we are having issues with some water lines, the sewage pump is acting up in the house, there is other farm work that needs to be set up for while we are away,  health insurance to purchase, organizing for time with family before we go and then there is just day to day stuff! 

Please hold Dennis up in prayer for healing (and also that I don’t get what he has!)

Hola a nuestros queridos amigos!!

Welcome and Hello! 

Bienvenido y Hola

We are so excited to be only 116 days (ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTEEN!!!!) away from our mission trip to Mazatlan, Mexico to volunteer at YWAM, serving and loving on the staff, students and people of the city -- wherever God takes us we are ready!

So YES, this is us right now:

quietly,
patiently,
expectantly,
WAITING!

We have our tickets booked, arrangements made with YWAM, in the process of making farm plans for while we are away(where will cattle be, who will look after cats and dogs, chickens, etc) ...


... and waiting... and waiting.

We both feel like we want to leave RIGHT NOW! But we also know that in this time of waiting, we are preparing and learning so much through our personal studies, church services, reading books, talking to friends who have been on missions. This time is so precious as well, we are learning and growing in relationship with our Father; to me it is time that is very much like when your babes are small and your midnight feedings ... there is no one else - just you and the baby BONDING, growing in love and understanding - Precious and so needed! as we wait we are resting in this knowledge that He is with us and helping us to grow in so many ways!

We have also both been doing some bible studies (Dennis has just completed James and I am into Galatians!). We are waiting on actual Spanish lessons to begin on Oct 22 - so we continue to use the Duo Lingo app for Spanish;

Estamos aprendiendo más y más palabras y podemos formar oraciones pequeñas! (este no era uno de ellos) (still using a translator for some... ok many!)

{TRANSLATION: We are learning more and more words and can form small sentences! (this was not one of them) haha}

...And we try to use what words and phrases we know as often as possible!


We have also been reading a few books and a have few books that are on our TO READ lists:

Dennis:

Strategic Compassion By Barry Slauenwhite

Kingdom Man By Tony Evans

The Invisible War By Chip Ingram

Now is the Time By Angus Buchan



Jodi:

Fervent - A Woman's Battle Plan for Serious, Specific and Strategic Prayer By Priscilla Shirer

Discerning the voice of God By Priscilla Shirer

Is that really You, God? By Loren Cunningham

Love Does By Bob Goff

ROOTED- The Hidden Places Where God Develops You By Banning Liebscher



TO READ LIST:

Everybody always By Bob Goff

We died before we came here By Emily Foreman

The Book that Transforms Nations By Loren Cunningham

Tortured for Christ By Richard Wurmbrand

Kingdom Woman By Tony Evans & Chrystal Evans Hurst


Some of these books were suggested by staff at YWAM Mazatlán and others are reading for personal growth and interest! Is there any books you think would be a good read for either interest sake or a good read for those thinking about (or already on) Mission?

There is not too much else to share right now, except to finish up with prayers:

We know that your prayers are so important for us as we prepare our selves, body, mind and spirit for this trip and we THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts and praise God for y'all!
We asking for prayers (have a look at the prayer request list on the top right of the page) for us but we also would like to know how  we can pray for you as well! If there are any requests of prayer that we can intercede on your behalf, please DO NOT hesitate to ask!

So until next time, our friends!

Que el señor te bendiga y te guarde!

Dennis & Jodi

SOLD!!

YEP! You read that right!! SOLD!!!

HOW AMAZING IS OUR GOD!!! (no question just a full out LOUD PRAISE and HALLELUJAH!! Great are you Lord!!

Our land is sold and in such a time that our heads are still reeling from the faithfulness of God! 

A quick break down of the whole land God story:

~ for a few weeks (possibly months)we decide to list the land after prayerfully time reflecting, waiting and listening

~ Tuesday,  we go to town to speak to real estate agent about listing

~ Thursday, she comes out and we finalize paper work and take photos of land

~ Saturday/Sunday, she comes out and puts up FOR SALE signs

~ Monday, a call with news of interested people with offers

~ Tuesday, comes out with THREE offers - we accept one 

~ as offer sits 'pending' 10 people inquire about land

~ following Tuesday sale is FINAL!!

It was all such an amazing (I know I've used the word already but WOW!) journey! 

Now we will pray about where He wants us to use this money and how we are to use it (once all the "official farm stuff" is out of the way). 

So continued pray  in this area would be wonderful - and that we BOTH hear the same thing from Him. (A side note on this was that we had the sale final on the day before our 26th wedding anniversary! So a double reason to celebrate His faithfulness!)

So yes, we are now working on 27years of marriage and I know I could NOT imagine the travels we have been on in those years. If you were to have told us that we would sell land to working on going to do mission work (even a year ago) we would have thought you were crazy! But here we are! 

Home Sweet Home for 2 nights! 

Dennis and I took time away (as we usually try to do each year around the time of our anniversary) to spend it with each other, reminiscing, looking forward to another year - either hiking, camping or doing something out in Gods creation. Rest and recovery is what we call it in our farming practice and we do the same with our marriage! This year we took 2 nights and stayed in  an Otentik at Lake Audy (in Riding Mountain National Park) and this year we did something different - we took only our bibles and a couple of study books we are each reading and a relaxing read and my camera -no canoe, no kayak, no hikes ... just us and God. That time was spent reading, talking, praying and enjoying the majestic wonder that our Father created! It was beautifully scenic with the lake, flowers, grasses, webs, birds and best of all NO CELL OR INTERNET service!!!

We found that even though we were both reading different books with different authors, different writing styles, He was speaking to us about the same things! It was fascinating to we talking about what we were read and be able to respond with a similar  view but from a different perspective on quite a few topics over the few days! we were able to take this time to also speak about our own journey and what we see and hope to see coming in our future. Overall it was a fantastic time away and oh the growth we see and experience as a couple as we talk, dream and share! God is so 

As we were packing up to come home,  our phones beeped and we both received our "daily text from God" - which is what we call the daily verse from the YOU Verse app:

We always find that the daily verse is exactly what we need when we receive it and that Friday morning did not fail us! (can I get an AMEN!?) How awesome is this!?! Does anyone else find this!?

Thank you again for being a part of or prayer team! We feel your prayers and are so excited to share more of our journey as we go! And again, if you haven't signed up for emails, please check out the top left corner and subscribe to the email to get updates!! (you will be sent a link almost immediately to click on to verify and then your set!) 

Thank you (we can't seem to say that enough and doesn't seem to be enough!)!!! I have some of my favourite photos below from our time away! Please stop to scroll through to enjoy!

Enjoying the evening with a fire, loon calls and each other!

Baby birds that were living under the roof!

Our books we have been reading and studying...
like I said different but so much the same!

Beautiful morning fog  that left perfect droplets on the webs
 in the grasses behind and beside us!

Our Lords handiwork cannot be matched!

His creativity is astounding!

Unmatched true beauty
that is found in simplicity!

Beauty is found everywhere!
Even in a "single" flower!

The beginning of the beginning...

Dennis and I know the power of prayer and how important it is for all walks of life! We have had many, many times in our years together, where we have gone to our church family for prayers and have prayed for others who have asked (and even when they aren't asked!).  So that is why we knew we had to start this journey with prayers not only from ourselves but from YOU - our family and friends! The bible says:

Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Matthew 21:22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

And so this is where we begin with our beginning -  with prayer requests:

1. The finalizing of the sale of a parcel of land we feel that God was asking us to sell and use the money to pay off some farming debt and use the rest for possible future missions and/ or for other missions that He puts on our hearts! The ability to farm again was a gift from God and we have been trying to use it for His glory from the beginning and we want to make sure to continue to do so. We have already had such an amazing journey in this area!! We put our land up for sale and within DAYS, we had 3 offers and we accepted one of them. Now we wait to see that the sale goes through!











2. How are we getting to Mazatlan? Do we drive? Do we fly? Whatever the plans will be, we pray we BOTH hear the same thing.










3. Pray for our farm - the logistics of it day to day operating (feeding, weaning, vaccinating, etc.) while we are away and the future for the rest of our farm, when we return.










4.  Dennis and I also are working on learning Latino Spanish. We have an app we have been using and our prayer is that with all the other things going on with planning for our trip, the farm (and planning for next years grazing, feeding etc), our family, bible studies that we are investing in ... that we will not only find time for learning the new language but that the basic lessons will "stick".

5. Prayers for Dennis and I to keep handing things to God, to not hold onto what we need to let go of and to not pick up baggage we don't need to pick up. And that as we are on this new God adventure we both hear the same things from our Father.





We want to take this time to thank you, sincerely we thank you. We pray for each of you and love you!


Just a quick note: if you haven't yet signed up for emails when we update the blog (this will be the easiest way to keep up to date), please see the email sign up at the top of the blog! (You will receive an email that you have signed up and will need to click on the link that is sent you - then you are set and good to go to receive updates!!)

a note from Dennis!

Mazatlan mission trip December 29 2018 to Jan5 2019

God is good all the time……… I truly believed before we left for Mazatlan that the Lord was asking me to go on this trip. I was not sure why as I have never had the desire to go on a mission trip, and no desire to go to Mexico. While in Mexico I found out what Jesus meant when He said that He came so that we could have life more abundantly. It is such an amazing feeling to know that you are right where God wants you to be doing exactly what He wants you to do. We built a home for a wonderful woman, gave out bibles to people excited to receive the word of God, helped feed underprivileged children, and fellowshipped with the wonderful staff at YWAM. We heard so many amazing God stories as we went about our trip, from a guy that literally search the world for truth only to find it was the word of God then dedicating his life to spreading the word, another fellow who was addicted to drugs went to Mexico to work in a coffee shop found Jesus and now is living his life with his wife and family spreading the gospel , a young couple who invited people into their home in an attempt to be able to get up earlier in the morning before work which has turned into a wonderful ministry where people can come into their home and spend time worshipping our Lord and diving into His word early in the morning.

I  have a God story to tell:

 After leaving a young couples house before breakfast where Jodi and I had just spent time worshiping and reading God’s word, I felt I should go out to the beach to watch the waves for a bit before breakfast. It was there that I met a man searching for Jesus, he came up to me and asked if I was a Christian. I said that I was and he started asking questions. He spoke enough English that we were able to communicate and I was able to share Jesus with him for about a half hour and then I was able to pray for him before we parted ways. He had come to Mazatlan to celebrate New Years and lived in Mexico  on the border between Mexico and Texas. The fact that God brought me all the way from Manitoba to Mexico to share the love of Jesus and what He did for us on the cross with someone on a beach who was searching for Jesus just blows my mind. GOD IS SO AMAZING!!!

I also met a man named Joshua, while at YWAM, who has a heart for the rural people outside Mazatlan in the farming/ranching areas. This interested me greatly and hoping that God will open doors for him and us to reach these areas with the gospel through agriculture. Since we have been home both Jodi and I feel that God will call us back to Mexico in some form to continue His work there. We are busy learning Spanish so as to better communicate, diving into God’s word so that He can teach us what we need to know to go back and do His work, and praying that He will open the doors for us to go back.

I am so thankful for everyone who supported us both in prayer and financially, thank you so much for obeying our Lord and making it possible for us to go on this trip. It is amazing what can be accomplished for His kingdom when His people just say yes Lord and obey His command.

And all the time God is good.

God bless

Dennis 

Mazatlan Mission Trip!!

Well, we have been back for about 3 weeks now (and we yearn to be back in Mazatlan doing Gods work!) .... and to say the least... the trip was amazing!!

We built a home, we distributed 154 bibles, we fed children supper one night! We walked around Mazatlan, taking in the sights, the foods and the people!

It was most definitely a God journey... no better way to describe it! I was waiting to post photos of the trip until we had shared the trip with our church and a few other people ( and we still have any people to share with!!) but I thought I would get this quick (5 minute) video of the highlights on our trip up for y'all to see!

A few highlights I will tell you about:

The lady we built the home for!! She was the loveliest lady you would ever want to meet! She was not only kind but extremely generous! She made us meals and every morning she would serve us cafe leche... mmmmmm cafe leche... she helped us with whatever and whenever she could - she worked many, many hours after her regular day job to pay for these treats for us! Her favourite colour is purple, so that  is why it is purple! (houses in Mazatlan are so beautifully colourful!)

We met many wonderful people while distributing bibles in a poorer colonia (neighbourhood). The people were so welcoming to not only talk with us and allow us to pray for them, but we were told they have been   waiting for the bibles we had. These bibles were PDT (La Biblia: La Palabra de Dios para Todos- which translates; The Word of God for all) and the versions they had were too complicated to read! it was so amazing to take the time to talk with people and pray over them! I will admit it was a bit scary at first and praying through a translator took a bit of getting used too, but it was a definite highlight for me!

The night at the Feeding Distribution Centre  (soup kitchen) was great too! We fed about 60 kids (there is usually 70!) This program is run by a local man (Roman) and his wife and 2 volunteers. Roman works in an autonomy shop and felt that God was telling him to feed the hungry. So two evenings a week and one breakfast he feeds the children of the local Colonia (neighbourhood) with food that is mostly donated by a local lady who runs a bakery or a restaurant. The kids there were so excited to. have some newcomers and soccer balls (and Dennis' beard lol)!! After they ate, the soccer balls came out and it was outside to play with them and to play a piggyback game!

There is so much to say about our trip, and although the Inuit have 150 words for snow, I can't seem to find the right words to convey this trip. We loved it so much and are praying that we will have the opportunity to go back again but hopefully for a bit longer, doing Gods work!

Please take a few minutes to check out the video and the photos to catch a glimpse into our week in the beautiful city!  If you are any questions, don't hesitate to ask or if you want to get together to here more of the mission trip, just drop me a comment or even a phone call!!

Thank you all so much for your prayers, messages, texts, calls, donations! You made our trip that much better by being involved!!

El amor de Dios nunca falla!!! 💕🤗💕

Hopefully, we will have another God adventure to share again soon!!



Blessings,



Dennis, Jodi & Hannah

Dennis' message!

The count down is on for us to leave on our mission trip to build a home for a family in Mexico. The excitement is building each day and has been ever since I felt that God was asking me to go on this trip. I am not sure why He is asking me to do this as I have never had the desire to go on mission before this. I truly believe that my Heavenly Father is asking this of me and I feel completely at peace with the decision to go. 

The mission to spread the gospel has started long before we get to Mexico as we have been able to share our faith in Jesus Christ with friends, family and total strangers as we have been fund raising and searching out prayer support. Some (businesses and individuals)have excitedly accepted opportunity to share in the mission that our Lord has set before us, while others have outright rejected this opportunity.

 The Lord has asked me to step way out of my comfort zone and has been teaching me so many truths about Himself. This has encouraged me to dig deeper into scripture to learn more and has greatly improved my prayer life and time spent with Him. Through this process I have also learned somethings about myself, some of which are ugly and others which are not so much, either way it has began some  much needed healing in my life. 

I am so excited and blessed that our Lord has trusted me to go to the ends of the earth (Mexico) to share the good news of what He has done on the cross for us all if we choose to accept His free gift of salvation. I am looking forward to working  side by side with the others in our team that He has chosen to spread His word. I cant wait to meet the family God is blessing with a house as well as whom ever He asks us to love while on this trip.

A note from Hannah!

Some of you may know that last year I did my DTS with YWAM in Mazatlán Mexico. For me that was a life changing experience. That was where I started a more intimate relationship with Jesus, I made lifelong friends, where I found myself, impacted others life, and had my own life impacted as well. Now, I have the amazing opportunity to lead a team of 15 people (from the Grace Baptist Church) back to that place. 

During our time there, we will be working with a team called Homes of Hope. We will be building a house for a family in need down there. That will take us about three days to build, and then we will be doing other ministries around the city. As a leader for this team I do have many responsibilities, but I am very excited about this. I get to lead a team back to a place that I am pleased to call home to go back and do God’s work. I am excited to see how God will use me in every way that he can, for Him to use us as a team, and as individuals. I know that God can do amazing things, and has amazing things planned for this team. Each member of the team has a special gift, and I am excited to see how God will use them during our days there. 

I have always had a huge heart to help and serve people and have always wanted to go on a mission’s trip to love on people and help those in need. When I got back from Mexico I just had a strong feeling to go back and take a team with me, to serve a family there in need. At first, I did not know if this was just a feeling I had, because I had always wanted to do a mission’s trip, or if it was God putting this desire on my heart. I brought it before my youth pastor and we started planning a little bit of it, organizing a few things, and seeing who all would be interested in going. Once things started to fall into place I knew that it wasn’t just a desire in my heart, that it was God who has leading me to lead a team. After many months of planning and prepping for this trip, I am excited to see what God has in store during the time down in Mexico.

Mazatlan, Mexico... YWAM (where we will be staying)
 is about a 5 minute walk from this beach