back into the routine...

well we are back from our two-week mission trip to Culiacan. It was an intense time. Each day we visited a different camp where indigenous people working on huge farms lived to go door-to-door and "diagnose" - figure out, via tape recorder which Indian dialect they spoke - and then to hand out evangelical cassettes and cds in their language. After that we showed a Jesus movie, and then gave an invitation to accept Christ. During this time, a few of us were also playing, singing and doing crafts with the kids... Throughout most of the trip, most of us as white people felt a bit useless and lost, as the missionaries we worked with spoke mostly all Spanish. With our 2 real translators, and then myself, Liz and Jerry filling in when possible, communication was a struggle sometimes. However, the people were beautiful. The Christians we met were admirable, strong people who had surrendered their lives completely for the furthering of God's message. They were passionate, charismatic, expressive ~ when they prayed and sang their faces shown with the evidence of their belief that God was right there, listening and accepting and loving and forgiving.

It's good to be back home, too. The first two nights I fell asleep early, and woke up at 6:30 or 7 the following morning, fully awake. [this is VERY unlike me] I would also wake up 5 or 6 times throughout the night, and usually at least once at 4am. My sleeping seems to have evened out now, and I am just adjusting to getting back in the swing of things here.

I'll write more later. For now, I have to clean up the huge mess of crafting supplies spread out on my floor. I am excited to someday have a little room that I can turn into an art studio.