Those who traveled by van/pickup enroute to Juarez encountered rain along the way. We didn’t remember rain in prior years. (We also had rain on Monday evening.)

One vehicle in our caravan got an undeserved speeding ticket enroute to our destination in Juarez Sunday evening. Note that the three other vehicles had sped ahead, and the ticketed vehicle was the last in line! (We all agreed that the patrol officer apparently was looking for his quota to be completed, or more likely, he was looking for a bribe!) Pastor Felipe demonstrated the Christian way, and served as a good example for all of us.

We experienced a harsh dust/wind storm while working near Pastor Jesus’ area on Monday. The construction crew took cover in one of the maestro’s vans, and the VBS group weathered the storm, thanks to God’s hand calming the VBS area, allowing our little squares of craft tissue paper to not blow away! Amazing!

One day, while the VBS team was driving over to the VBS site near Pastor Jesus’ community, we stopped to pick up some passengers. Fourteen additional people (mostly kids, but several moms) piled into our van and rode with us! Talk about cozy!!! But fun!

All week we experienced amazingly cool temperatures, requiring jackets and blankets for some in the evenings! You might recall that last year we had record heat! Each year is different.

It was Debbie von Strohe’s first time on a mission trip, and she didn’t miss a beat. Daughter Sterling was a pro, and prepared her mother well. We agreed that Debbie got the prize for most neatly made bed! (Admittedly, she is an experienced camper!!)

Rosemary Kinman suffered the wrath of a guard dog when she mistook the dog’s owner’s house for our "bathroom" destination. Three of her fingers were injured, but she believes she is on the mend. (The roll of bathroom tissue she was carrying absorbed some major dog tooth pressure, as evidenced by some of our photos! Praise God for His protection!)

Melinda Smith suffered severe allergies and was recognizable only because of the Kleenex box she carried around with her.

We actually got to bed EARLY some nights! Between our fatigue and the relative efficiency of the Rosemary’s VBS preparations, some of us actually hit the hay as early as 7:30 or 8:30-9:00 some evenings. (We won’t comment on the younger generation who enjoyed some later evenings - and hoped to get to sleep in a little longer!!!)

We actually could have survived without making an additional grocery run after our initial purchases at El Paso Sams – but Mike Sechrist did bring back a couple extra appreciated loaves of bread from the local Del Rio – to supplement our sandwich making during the two days we made our own lunch.

Dylan Frye was quiet and capable, but we could always count on him approaching the breakfast table with bare feet and a fork to stab a couple of the cinnamon rolls for his "awakening process." He was good natured when we asked to capture this image for our photo gallery!

Each morning and evening, we had a time of special devotions, led by Gary Kinman. This turned out to be a special time for us as we shared a new "word" for our fish keychain each session, and had Bible teaching and discussion on how that word played out in our lives and our mission work during the week. Great job, Gary.

Rather than buying snacks in the U.S. and carrying them with us, we chose to patronize the local shops, and found that the children enjoyed the Mexican snacks more, and we also saved some money! Live and learn!!

We enjoyed the entertainment of a special clown that Pastor Jesus and Junior acquired for our VBS sessions at Pastor Jesus’ community. He really got the children ready for a fun time of Bible study.

Greg Kinman was one of our "official" Spanish translators, helping out with the 400-500 eager kids who all wanted to ask us questions or comment at the same time. When he was busy with construction duties, Rosemary, Mike, Pat, and others helped as best we could.

We introduced the idea of clear plastic sacks for the VBS snacks and candy this year. The kids seemed to enjoy seeing the goodies they were about to receive, and we found it convenient to see what we were doing when packing the snacks also.

Pat Jones did construction for the first time ever! She had had no idea how she might contribute to our half-day of total commitment to construction – but she quickly advanced to accomplished status as a grout technician in one of the classrooms at Pastor Luis’ community school (the Socorro School). Can we call this a special gifting of the Holy Spirit?

Our youth took the opportunity to give a proper burial for one of the dogs at the Socorro school that had just been killed by a car. It was a sad occasion, but a loving gesture.

Pastor Dale was a trooper, working hard with the construction crew each day – but suffering the oncoming of a nasty cold our last day. He had promised Pat that he would get to the Mercado for a special souvenir, so he bucked up for our Thursday afternoon adventure. We were sad that he had to spend the last days not feeling up to par – but it was great fun being with him. (Though he tried hard to "annoy" us, he was never successful!!! J )

Our Capps rental van experienced a cracked windshield, apparently from the sun. This required contacting the Mexican insurance agency, who promised to dispatch an appraiser within 30 minutes. He arrived a couple hours later, as we were about to go to bed! He recommended that we take a chance on the repairs costing less that our deductible – which they did!

The Sechrist pickup encountered transmission trouble on the way back, delaying their return a bit. Joan was hoping to get back early to be rested and ready for her exam on Saturday, but sometimes our plans don’t work out like we hope.

Our camera person (Celesta) took 484 photos which became the basis for a power point review prepared by Gary Kinman for viewing at the Sunday services after we returned. Overflowing to a second CD made the distribution process a little tricky, but again, we "live and learn."