Visiting the Churches

Since arriving in Chiapas, Chuck Shawver and I have visited a number of churches and communities.

Some of the highlights.

Guaquitepec

• Getsemani Iglesia is a thriving congregation near Ocosingo. Four brothers make up their leadership team with Pastor Alonzo serving as the teaching pastor.
• They are trying to purchase land for a youth activity center/area.

Tacuba Nueva

• Tacuba was heavily damaged by floods a number of years ago. OGHS (One Great Hour of Sharing) helped rebuild many of the homes that were destroyed by the flood.
• The church is trying to finish a new building. They tore down their old structure in order to build the new one so they are worshiping in an open air structure.
• One of the great moments was the girls of the church singing a song they learned from a Mission Team from Illinois. 

Yajalon

• Yajalon is a good size city  near Ocosingo. Their streets would be comparable to San Francisco, just not as wide.
• The Alfa and Omega church has started a number of churches in the area.
• They are currently working with two missions and are planning to build a retreat center just outside the city.
  
  
  
  

The Vehicle Travails Continue

Chuck Shawver and I continue to travel the mountain roads of Chiapas.

I am amazed at how bad the roads are right now. It is always difficult to maintain dirt roads in mountainous areas. The water naturally flows down the road, washing out many areas. This year the roads seem to be worse than I have seen them in the four years I have been coming to Chiapas. At one point yesterday, we had to creep along at less than 5 mph.

It doesn't help that we feel like we are nursing the vehicles along. Chuck is still not confident enough in the repairs to his pickup to take it out on these journeys. Therefore, we are taking the Seminary pickup which is a Chevrolet Colorado. They just had the engine rebuilt in it before I came to Mexico and it from near Puebla to San Cristobal. We had the oil changed on Monday, but today, the mechanic said that it was 2 quarts low. (Ok. He said it was a liter low.) It was also low on transmission fluid. Ugh. But, as soon as it gets back from the mechanic, we will be off to the Ocosingo region again.

One funny story about the roads. Their is one section of the road that had experienced a mud slide at some time. There is still mud coming down the hill and across the road, but not as much. Normally, this section has trouble with water, but not mud. We asked in La Ceiba about this section. The locals believe that their is a hog at the top of the hill who is rooting around in all the mud and sending it down the hill. I almost ask Chuck to stop so that I could hike up and see this amazing hog.

The church in La Ceiba is doing well. They have done quite a bit of work since we left in June. Right  now they are on hold. The cannot get supplies into the work site because the roads are so bad. They would love for us to bring another group down. The options now are April, early June, and late July.

Well I need to get ready to hop back in the Chevy for another day of driving.

By the way, I heard from Chris this morning. In Falcon, it is two degrees and they have a couple inches of snow on the ground. Suddenly, San Cristobal doesn't seem so cold.

One Tired Preacher

It is late, and I am tired, but I feel I should update you.

This has been a busy weekend. After the travails with Chuck's pickup, we managed to make it out of San Cristobal de Las Casas.

Saturday morning we left in the SIM pickup, Chuck's is still not "right." We drove to Ocosingo and visited with a family. Following that we drove to Chilon. In Chilon, we attended the wedding of Victor and Elena. (I am really getting old. They seemed like children getting married.) It was a beautiful wedding in the Pentecostal church that she attended. Following the wedding, the whole wedding party and guests walked from the church to the municipal hall accompanied by a Mariachi band. It was great to see about 100 people walking down the main street with a Mercedes Benz dump truck at the end of the line patiently waiting for us to walk the five or six blocks to get out of his way.

Victor is the grandson of Pastor Manuel. His church is Emmanuel Baptist.

After the wedding, we drove 11 people back home (about 45 minutes). In my efforts to become a part of God's family, I was blessed with a ride in the back of the pickup.

That evening we stayed with Juan and Elivia. Juan is the local Cicim representative and a member of the Maranatha church in Chilon.

Sunday morning, we drove to Yajalon. Pastor Jose of Alfa and Omega  Baptist was the first pastor Chuck worked with in Chiapas. On the way to church, Chuck asked if I would share a word with the church. (What he meant was, would I share THE word with the church. I was thinking five minutes, he was thinking the sermon.) After church, we drove pastor and his family back up the same mountain as the previous night, but we let the kids sit in the back.

After a short visit with the pastor we drove back to Chilon. We stopped to visit with Pedro, a member of Emmanuel, and then back to church. Again, I was asked to share a word. (I really have to work with Chuck to clarify those prepositions.)

After church, we drove back to San Cris. Tomorrow, we will travel to La Ceiba.

Back in Chiapas

Many of you know that I am back in Chiapas. I flew in to Mexico City yesterday and spent the night with Chuck and Ramona Shawver in Puebla. I was able to have dinner with them and with Keith Myers.

I will be in Chiapas until the 24^th of November.

Prayer requests:

• ·         Chuck Shawver. His pickup seems to be on its last leg. The week before I arrived, he put it in the shop to have a head gasket replaced. We picked it up last night at about 8:00 p.m. We left for Chiapas this morning at 4:00 a.m. We had to stop along the way and have the radiator flushed and a new thermostat put in. That did not help. It still overheated. We made it to Tuxtla-Gtz. We left his truck in TG and drove in the Seminary pickup to San Cris. (I drove from about 2 hours outside of MX City to San Cris, 14.5 hours of driving.) Chuck needs to know what to do replace the engine or try to find a new vehicle for his last year in MX.

• ·         Chris, my lovely bride. She always says that something happens every time I leave town, and when I am out of the country . . .  Well, this morning, on her way to work she was rear ended. She is OK, but her car is pretty heavily damaged. She is pretty shaken up about everything. She said that she had not been in an accident in 30 years.

• ·         Eleazar and Dahlia. They were in an accident this summer. Dahlia had to have surgery. She is recovering slowly, but is not back in San Cris yet. Eleazar had severe whip lash and is still not recovered completely.

• ·         The churches we will be visiting in Chiapas. Chuck was supposed to be at a regional meeting tomorrow, but because of the pickup, he will not make it.

• ·       The people of Chiapas. Their bean crop was washed away with flooding. The corn crop was destroyed by drought this summer. And the coffee crop was damaged. This will increase the pressure to immigrate.

Grace and Peace,

Mike

hard day at work

It is hard to put into words what this trip a been like. I do know this it is a trip that is not for the faint of heart. No matter what job you got to do it was harkd work and what made it even harder was we spoke 3 different languages. From digging a ditch where there was  an inch or two of dirt then rock, breaking and moving the rocks that were as big as a car to emptying a bobtail truck of sand by hand, mixing cement on the ground by hand, bending metal with homemade tools, moving a bunch of smaller rocks out of the way then moveing them to another spot to fill in behind the walls that had been made of more rock and cement to the kitchen where the ladies made two large meals and drinks and snacks everyday for all the workers. The kitchen was an area around 8x12 ft. out side under a tin roof and the stove was an open fire. They were in there all day. I am sure they made hundreds of tortillas each day. Some of them do this with a baby on their backs. When I helped in the kitchen they kept pointing to a chair for  me to sit down, they were worried about me. Even some of the children had jobs.            

No doubt about it the people we met and worked with  in La Ceiba are hard working  and very caring people. It has been a great adventure.                                    

Decompressing....Literally! (Rogelio aka Reg lives)

I never would have imagined being blessed with the opportunity to be able to have an experience like I am having on this trip.   It is truly an emotional roller coaster and for those of us who were courageous enough to trade in the luxury of pave roads for a ride on the Chuck Express will probably never ever ever take for granted the beautiful asphalt of the I-25 corridor.

After spending several days being disconnected from technology and completely immersed in trying to build authentic relationships through the ministry of presence I am left with more thoughts about what it means to build community than expected.   It is definitely going to take me weeks if not longer to unpack all that I have experienced.   From watching children play in the streets, climbing mango trees 25 feet high with no support or in my wandering moments stumbling upon a house with very limited furnishing except for a big screen television where a whole cul-de-sac was gathered around watching the World Cup in Brazil.

Today, I know without a doubt that mountains can be moved.   You just need Faith, a pair of shovels, a digging stick, a couple of people who have not been conditioned by the impossible and one Big Mike who believes that he is the Incredible Hulk.  

Eileens experiences

Chiapas has changed my life. The people of La Ceiba were so kind and welcoming while we stayed with them, I cant believe it is already over. I connected with one family in particular, their 4 year old daughter Ramona latched onto me during the first day and our connection grew throughout the week. Although there was already the language barrier, I found out that Ramona had a hearing impairment so her language development was stunted, which made things harder too. Even with all of those obstacles, we were still able to communicate and it made our connection that much stronger. It truly gave a new meaning to the phrase actions speak louder than words. As we were leaving her mother cried and hugged me, she thanked me for playing with her child all week and told me that she loved me. I will never forget the love I felt from her, Ramona and the rest of her family. They made me feel so loved and worthy. I cant wait to share what I have learned when I get home.

Heathers thoughts

I am now in San Cristobal staying at a beautiful hotel.   We stayed in La Ceiba for about 6 days.  Over the last 6 days it was an experience that was life changing for me.  Words will not be able to describe what I experienced.  I bonded with the children, mothers, and fathers in that community.  It was a culture shock for me and there was nothing I could of done to prepare myself.  We all worked so hard with the men and women to start building a new temple (church).  Those men work so hard and for the tools that we have in the states these guys would kill for them.  I often think it would be so nice if we could bring them some other tools rather than just a shovel and a pick but after my 6th day I realized they are happy with what they have and wouldnt change anything.  To see people so content and happy and making the best out of life with what they have has put so much in perspective for me.  The children do not have technology and often times do not get to go to school.  We brought coloring books and crayons for them and to see how happy and greatful they were to color brought tears to my eyes.  How lucky our kids have it in the states and how we have failed to show them that life is not about material things .  The kids play outside all day and have very creative ideas.  As i took a walk i was able to observe kids using a CD to play frisbee.  Could you imagine our kids doing that?  I was touched by a kid name Hoover.  I miss him and wish I could go  back and see his smile.  I will post photos when I get a chance to you could see the joy and happiness in their eyes.

I havent been feeling to great today but really wanted to share a few thoughts.  I never imagined how thankful I would be too have a warm shower.  To be continued.....Thank you Lord for this opportunity and lessons you have taught me.

Children of LA Ceiba coloring during children's time

Morning in San Cristobal De Las Casas

I think the team had a bit of a culture shock. La Ceiba seems to be a million miles from anything we experience: bucket flush toilets, sleeping on mats on concrete floors, roosters crowing at 4 am 10 feet feom our sleeping area, trying to shower with a garden hose, community meals (pasta for breakfast), digging trenches in rock, kids that hang on you and imitate everything you do. For five days this was the norm. I know the team was exhausted, but they were in a routine.

Then after a four hour bus ride, two nausea stops, wearrived in San Cristobal: narrow streets, thousands of people, nightlife, and Burger King (no we did not eat there). It is just such a shock to the system, the senses, and the heart.

As we left La Ceiba, there were many tears shed by both the team and the people of Iglasia Bautista Maranatha.

I will try to get some of the team members to add to the blog over the next couple days, so keep checking back.

Back to San Christobal

We had a wonderful time in La Ceiba. 

Everyone thrived in the heat and with the people. A little tummy bug and some car sickness, but all is well.

We San Crisobal at 8:00 PM. Off for showers and a bite to eat. More later.

AM Photos

A couple pics before we load.

Arrived in San Cristobal de Las Casas

We had a great day of travel: no delays, no missed flights, no problemsw with customs. We left Colorado Springs at 6:20 and we were having dinner at Salsa Verde in San Cris by 8:00 pm.

On a sad note, Senora Carmelita, the hotel propriortis, is ill. She has been in the hospital, but is home now. I will miss seeing her. We will also miss having her pancakes for breakfast the day we return from the village.

What a great group we have.  did not get a picture of the team to post, but will post some pictures later in the week.

In addition to our nine team members, we are joied by Chuck Shawver and Keith Myers. Keith and Debbie Myers are newly appointed missionaries from West Virginia.

Tomorrow, we have coffee and pastries at 7:30. We will then load up and head for La Ceiba. I think it is about a 4 hour drive. We will be out of touch until Thursday evening.

Last Minute Details

We are slowly working through our ToDo lists, packing the last bit of laundry, and double checking that we have our passports.

We will meet at the airport tomorrow morning and will be in San Cristobal about this time tomorrow evening (Friday).

I am excited to see Chuck Shawver and wish that we could see Ramona.

I am looking forward to watching the impact of this trip on those who have not been. Seven of the nine on the trip are "mission trip" newbies. I know that I am getting to be "old hat" at this because I did not start packing until 3:30 p.m. the afternoon before we leave.

For those who did not see it, we put together a Youtube video from last year. Who knows, I might actually get it after this trip.

We will try to keep you posted as often as possible. I will post tomorrow evening when we get to San Cristobal. Once we head into La Ceiba, we will probably be out of contact until Thursday. I have invited everyone to post somethings, so on Thursday, there will probably be several posts, including a few pictures.

Thank you for your prayers.

Mike Oldham

Returning to Chiapas

The reservations are made. Chuck and Ramona Shawver are in Chiapas now preparing for our Short Term Mission Trip. We will leave June 13.

We have nine people going with this summer.  Three college students, one high school student, one "twenty-something" (who happens to be a police officer in Pueblo), a thirty something, and three of us with a few too many birthday to be told publicly. For several, this is the first international mission trip. For others, it is the first trip out of the country.

• Austin Shelman (Ecumenical Church, Pueblo West)
• Paige Van Ostran (FBC Laramie)
• Ben Prather (American Baptist, Fort Collins)
• Eileen Simon (American Baptist, Fort Collins)
• Heather Goodman (FBC Fowler CO)
• Reginald Fletcher (Ecumenical Church, Pueblo West)
• Tammy Smith (FBC Fowler, CO)
• Chris Oldham (Highland Park, Colorado Springs)
• Mike Oldham (FBC, Colorado Springs)

I am excited about this team.

We will be working in the village of La Ceiba which is in the mountains of the State of Chiapas in Southern Mexico. We will be working to expand the church building in La Ceiba, we will do some kids programs with the children, and Chris (RN) will do some basic first aid and health care with the women of the village.

We will continue to post on this blog before and after the trip. We hope you will pray for us as we go to serve

Below is the slideshow from our trip to Chiapas last February.