The Fun Begins!

As the day began, Jim, Tim, and myself awoke to find Master Chef Adriane preparing his finest gourmet cuisine. He is a personal chef hired by the people who we are staying with.

Ha ha, just kidding. This dude is named Adriane but he is a missionary from Honduras who was making some bacon, toast, and eggs for us. Cool dude. Everyone here basically steps up and does whatever is needed. They all wear a bunch of different hats and serve however is needed.

This is Jim talking about how much he has ate already. I tell you what.... I've realized that Jim is the ultimate Man's man. That guy can put away food like it's his job. If all the men on the earth had to pick a representative to speak for them concerning man issues.... like why all toilet seats should be left up at all times and why it isn't so bad to pee in drinking fountains.... they would do well to pick Jim.

Why did you pick that guy up? Because he had Bud Light! (Ha ha, sorry Tim. Love you man)

This is our team outside the church building. If I heard the story right, last year they met in a hotel but things got a little dicey when they wanted to turn the place into a casino. Because of that they had to move to...

That's right! Know of any other churches that started in a Holiday Inn? I think the reason why I am drawn to Monterrey so much is that it reminds me so much of the early days of the Creek. Everyone is so focused on Great Commission and no one is bunged up about titles. They just do whatever it takes to see the church grow and to help people who are struggles to find God.

This is the service at the Holiday Inn. It's a little strange singing worshsip songs in Spanish when your brain is plugging in the english words. It seems a little empty here because like 20 people walked in 15-20 minutes late. From talking to the missionaries, they think part of the problem is just a cultural difference in regards to time. The people here do not really value being on time and are much more apt to just going with the flow. The churched tried doing coffee and donuts 15 minutes early but then people were just showing up a half hour late.

That's one thing I had not thought too much about. Just because the Hondurans speak Spanish does not mean that they are without some culture clash with the Mexicans. They are still trying to feel out the customs and norms of the people they are trying to reach.

This is a headphone we used to hear the service in English. Also, this is the program from the service which is a take off of Spiderman. The church is trying to reach people where they are at and find ways to be relevant to what people are interested in without compromising the word of God. Once again... sound familiar?

Isaac is a cool dude. This the mic he was using to translate the service for us. The guy is amazing... english is his third language, his second being french. He studied at a French school and still speaks almost perfect english. He is the administrator/communications director/missions guide for the church. He also just had a son 3 months ago. Last year he asked us to pray for him and his wife to become pregnant. I'd say God answered his request. His wife Jennifer wants 6 kids so he better keep praying or else get busy!

Lauri consumed in message bliss. Ha ha. You can also see the service filling in.

Dress casual? You bet!

This is Oscar and I. His dad, Oscar Sr., is the #2 of the church. He plays the drums because... well... they needed a drummer. Last year he was really nervous but this year he was a pro.

Did Kyle Gray jump into someone's suitcase? I see that finger circling...

On the right is Sergio, the lead pastor of the church. The guy's faith and vision is amazing. He was a little concerned because they have not been growing during the summer. I got a chance to tell him about CedarCreek's slumping growth every summer. Vacations, nice weather, and sporadic schedules make it tough to keep consistency.

No comment.

Here are the soccer fields we got to hang out at after lunch. They do a weekly soccer game on Sundays with a bunch of local guys they are building relationships with. It blows me away to see all the empty soccer fields at home when these guys are more than willing to dish out $40 an hour (American) in order to play.

Jim... being amazing again. How annoying.

Not a bad crowd.

Here is what our traveling arrangements look like. The white guy who looks plastered (besides me) is Eric, a missionary from Chicago who is spending a year with the church. His parents donated the van and he is currently leading the youth group. He is also giving some english lessons to the missionaries who want to learn. The toddler here is Allan III... one of the most good natured babies I've ever met. Despite teething, this kid is always smiling and laughing. I hope we win the happy baby roulette someday Sara!

Did you just say, "Awwww?" I knew it!

And finally we have "Team Mom," Lauri who is helping scrape gum off my bookbag. What an awesome woman! This lady has been serving me for 10 years and she still isn't sick of me! Or at least she hides it well!

That's all folks! Tomorrow we begin evangelizing at the Tech School. Pray for us if you think about it. Night!