post-mexico trip recap letter

Dear family and friends,

Thank you so much for your prayers and support of the Mexico City 2007 STM team! It was a real comfort and encouragement to know that you all were here praying for us and thinking about us. We are home safely after two incredible weeks, and it was truly a trip filled with lessons of faith and God’s sovereignty in every aspect. You can read some more detailed email updates on my blog: vase888.blogspot.com, and you may view pictures of our trip on this site: www.dropshots.com/vasey.

Before Mexico.
The story of the Mexico City team begins in January of this year, when God ordained all of the individual team members to be a part of the journey which entailed so much more than just two weeks in Mexico. Each member was hand-picked before the creation of the world, each with his or her own divine giftedness to be used completely and only for His glory. There were some veterans to the Mexico City team. Some of them spoke Spanish well and some did not. Some were gifted with music, others with the gifts of leadership, serving and teaching. All of them possessed a passion and a love for their Creator God and Savior Jesus Christ whom they would have the opportunity to share about with people in a country that is so ready to hear.

Prior to the trip, the team members were required to raise support for their team. They sent out letters and prayed unceasingly that the Lord would provide for their every need. The Lord was (and is) abundantly faithful. Before the team was slated to leave, they had reached and far surpassed their financial goals. With hearts of true gratitude and praise, they set about planning the two main aspects of their ministry: a week-long VBS (day) and a week-long youth conference (evenings). The team met frequently to discuss every detail: music, ice breakers/games/activities, crafts, lessons, snacks, efficiency and transitions, down time, etc. After much thought and preparation, the five days of VBS were broken down by the pages of the wordless book: gold, black, red, white and green. Each day would have an attribute of God highlighted, a Bible lesson pertaining to the theme and a memory verse. Overall, the entire Gospel message would be shared in an effective way. Plans for the youth conference were slightly different as they had to wait to hear from Josiah Grauman on his individual messages before they could proceed with planning which ultimately took place in Mexico.

The team departed for Mexico City on July 7th. Family and friends were on hand to send the team off at the church, the Van Nuys Flyaway and LAX. Upon arriving safely in Mexico City, the team was welcomed by Josiah and Crystal Grauman as well as members of the congregation at Iglesia Naucalpan who would be hosting them.

In Mexico.
Time in Mexico was filled with people, service, ministering and fellowship.
- Host Families (1-2 members per family): warmth, welcome and love; provision for physical, emotional and spiritual needs
- Missionaries: Contreras family, Rosie Martinez, Ellen Parker, Josiah and Crystal Grauman… the team was deeply encouraged by all of them and joyfully served them in any way possible
- Julio and Valeria: faithful brother and sister in the Lord that served with the team everyday
- Iglesia Naucalpan: place of worship on Sunday mornings, where Luis Contreras serves
- Iglesia Remanente: site of VBS and youth conference, where Josiah Grauman serves, location of the seminary
- VBS: 5 days, 30-40 kids per day… went very well overall and the Gospel was proclaimed; 2 kids (Omar and Milca) responded to an invitation
- Youth Conference: 5 nights, 75-80 attendees per evening (ages 13-60)… theme: An Eternal Perspective, speaker Josiah Grauman and Carlos Diaz (one night), Thursday night highlight: 4 non-believing girls came to the older women’s group and the leaders were able to share the Gospel with them in Spanish and English!

After Mexico.
The hearts of the team are still with those in Mexico. Many, Lord willing, desire to return in the future. There were many lessons to be learned and much to reflect upon as the Lord worked through us. He knew that this group of mostly strangers would come together and be able to work together according to His Word for His glory in a land that few members had traveled to before. It was extremely encouraging to see how the truth is being taught and proclaimed elsewhere in the world. In reality, God really does not need us to do His work at all, but He chooses to use us. Thusly, faith and genuine trust in Him were tested constantly. It was truly humbling to see how each member on the team was used in different ways to minister despite our individual inadequacies, weaknesses and the illnesses that afflicted the team (2 Cor. 12:9-10). 90% of the team got sick within the first week, but each person served evermore and without complaint. He knit our hearts closer together as a team and as brothers and sisters in Christ through these trials. Every moment of the trip was filled with His grace as flexibility and patience were needed at every turn. All in all, God, our sin, Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, repentance, the realities of heaven and hell and the necessity of the Gospel are much clearer than before.

Pray Unceasingly.
1. The missionaries there would continue to be strong, bold and encouraged, and the seminary would continue to send out truth-honoring teachers.
2. The seeds that were planted would continue to grow.
3. The team would apply all that was learned not be complacent.

Thank you again for your prayers and support!