Monday

The excitement is definitely building (just before the ACTUAL build) here in Tijuana. You could tell based on the energy of the students this morning as we met in the Onion after breakfast and got started with a rousing rendition of Captain's Coming (there are some video clips below). The sun was peeking out, despite a call for rain, and three of the five teams headed out to minister to the community.

The Blue Team made their way to help in the initial stages of building a community centre. This included digging, hauling gravel and more.

The Red Team headed to Forjadores de la Patria, a nearby K-9 Christian private school (sound familiar?) that is attended by some of the YWAM base children. The Red Team then proceeded to take on the Grade 8 & 9 students in games of volleyball and basketball (it was an impressive match), before spending time getting to know each other over homemade bean burritos. They ended their time with the Grade 6s playing competitive games. At the end, the school graced them with certificates for a job well done.

The Purple Team visited a men's rehabilitation centre. A couple of the residents shared their testimonies, as did a couple of our students. After that, the boys and Pastor Josh helped to paint some rooms in a new area of the centre, while the girls and Pastor Viviana headed to the kitchen to help clean and prepare a hamburger lunch for everyone. It was said that the ride back was quite the adventurous roller coaster ride - in a fun way.

While the Orange and Green Teams were unable to get to their ministries outside of the base due to the weather, that didn't stop them from being productive. Instead, they took to work here at the YWAM base, helping to clean the dining and front desk areas.

The rain increased in the afternoon, so plans shifted to have the teams remain at the base and partake in more games in the dining room. The session ended with the students writing letters to themselves that they would then open on their last day of school.

After dinner, we took to a new area to share testimonials and sit with their teams to discuss the events for tomorrow - the first build day! Students have shared their anticipation for the build, with some commenting on how they have been waiting on this event since they learned about it in Kindergarten.

Please pray for cooperative weather, for the safety of everyone building these next few days, and as always, for the Holy Spirit to be with us as we work to bless these five families!