As you are looking at these pictures from Day Seven of the El Paso Mission Trip, we are on our way back to Levelland. We are looking forward to sharing our stories from this trip...stories of what we did, but more importantly, stories of what God did! We will have the chance to share with you on Sunday evening, July 20. Thanks for your prayers and support. See you Sunday.


Sports camp


Diego and a new friend


Showcasing some of Terri's awesome photography


Students on the sports camp team from Levelland, Hereford, Lubbock, and Scottsdale


Caleb


Drew


Some of the guys taking a well deserved break


Ricky on his t-square solo


That's right...the Wienerschnitzel truck


Construction crew, family, and friends


Kendall


Dedicating the new home


El Paso Mission Team '08

We have been busy preparing for tomorrow. I'm actually asleep as I type this (you learn to multi-task, adapt, and sleep when you can on a mission trip). We had 60 kids today at sports camp. Tomorrow we anticipate a bunch of kids to show up as we will be playing soccer--the local favorite sport--followed by a hot dog lunch for all the kids.

The construction crew is still working like crazy on the house. They got all the go-aheads from the proper inspection authorities today. So, the sheetrock is making its way onto the walls.

Tomorrow morning most of our youth will go to the construction site at 5:00 to roof the house before coming to sports camp. After sports camp, we will all go back to the construction site to finish the house and welcome the sweet family into their new home!


One of the sweet children at sports camp


Ellie and some of the preschool group


Ethan


Deagan and her group


Kendall


Our incredible students at supper during our night out


Hard at work painting


Way to use your head, Brian!


The Hill men


Taking shelter during a storm


Julie sharing Scripture with Antonia

It's been a long day. We had 53 kids at sports camp and had another great day. The construction crew had another productive day and is still ahead of schedule. If everything goes as planned, we will begin hanging drywall tomorrow! Keep praying...pray for energy as the days seem to be getting longer and the nights seem to be getting shorter. We love you and look forward to sharing our stories with you soon. Until then, enjoy the pics!


Joanna with some serious ups!


Diego gives some batting tips


Nick and Kendall


Caleb


Matthew shows the nail who's the boss


Ricky...and power tools


Kevin...just looks like he knows what he's doing


Bryson


Stan


Glen and Wanda


Terri enjoying a well deserved water break


Julie working that shovel


Ellie, Deagan, and Joanna painting the house


Brian, Jared, and Diego getting the shingles ready

We just got out of our devotional and prayer time...what an incredible time of reflection on who God is and what He is doing in El Paso this week! And what an awesome privilege we have to part a part!

Today was our first day of sports camp. We had 39 beautiful children! The weather was just perfect and everything went very smoothly. Pastor Medina said he knew about 50% of the children who were there...that means he had the chance to meet about 20 kids from the neighborhood for the first time!

The construction crew had a great day too. The construction is moving ahead of schedule and will be joined tomorrow afternoon by the sports camp team who will be roofing and painting among other things. You can see the progress they have made in the pics below. Thanks for your prayers!


Ethan demonstrating how to pass a football


Wanda and Julie hard at work


Matthew passing the ball


One of the beautiful smiles


And another...


...And another (couldn't resist sharing these pictures with you)


The preschool group


Jared and Diego


Nick and Ethan getting kids ready for the scrimmage


Pastor Medina


Trusses are up!


Glenn getting it all figured out


The house taking shape

Day three is coming to an end. We started the day worshipping with our brothers and sisters at El Sembrador. Their services are usually in Spanish only, but today they were gracious enough to lead us in a time of bilingual worship. The people are so incredibly genuine...I'm sure every member of the church greeted everybody in our group and told us "thank you for coming" over and over.

We returned to Grandview where Terri and the rest of our wonderful kitchen helpers prepared a great Sunday lunch--roast, carrots and potatoes, hot rolls, salad, and cobbler with ice cream. After lunch we managed to get ourselves up to our third floor meeting room for a time of planning and preparing for the sports camp. Afterwards we had a few minutes of rest before heading to Sparks for a time of worship with all the churches that came from out of town to serve with Kids Heart El Paso this week. We capped off the night with brownies and ice cream and a trip up the mountain to the scenic overlook where we saw the lights of El Paso and Juarez.

Tomorrow morning our construction crew will leave at 5:30 to get an early start on the house in Vado. Our sports camp team will leave at 7:30 to set up at the park and have a time of prayer before children arrive around 8:30. As you pray, please pray especially for Pastor Medina of El Sembrador that he would get to connect with many new families through the sports camp. Also pray for safety for our construction crew and for God's love to pour out of our sports camp team as we will get to build relationships with many children this week. Thanks, and enjoy the pics from today.


The service at El Sembrador this morning...we sang "Feliz Cumpleanos" (Happy Birthday) to Wanda and to Raul


Planning meeting for sports camp


The evening service at Sparks


Our incredible kids and me and the overlook

Another great day is coming to an end. Most of our group is sitting in a make-shift coffee shop at a Baptist publishing company in Northeast El Paso enjoy coffee drinks and live music. It's been (and still is even now) pretty incredible to see the faith of believers here lived out in their words and actions.

Today our construction crew of 4 got off to a great start on the house...all walls framed and ready for trusses to go up Monday morning. Our sports camp team handed out 300 flyers in 3 different low income apartment complexes within walking distance of El Sembrador.

This evening we all joined Pastor Medina and others from El Sembrador in throwing a neighborhood block party in the church parking lot. We had a lot of fun and met a lot of sweet people. Pastor Medina told me he got to meet and visit with 3 families from the neighborhood that he had never met before...one of those families told him they would be in church tomorrow morning!

Thanks for praying for us. Enjoy the pics from the day.


Construction site at beginning of day...


...Construction site at end of day


Our very own 4-man construction crew


We painted a lot of beautiful faces!


...And we cooked a lot of hot dogs!


...And we made even more snow cones!!


A few of the kids we met today


The neighborhood party


El Sembrador worship band


At the coffee shop

It is late on Friday night and our entire FBC team is getting settled in to the wonderful dorm facilities of Grandview Baptist Church in El Paso. It is actually a little cool outside right now as a small thunderstorm rolled through a few hours ago and left behind a nice cool breeze. (typical El Paso summer, right?)

We hit the ground running today as we met Pastor Medina of Iglesia Cristiana el Sembrador where we will be leading a sports camp for children beginning Monday. It was great to get to spend time with Pastor Medina and to get to see the area where we will be doing the sports camp!

Then we went to the site in Vado where our construction crew will be building a new home for a beautiful family. As you look at the pictures below you can see the need this family has for a new home.

Tomorrow (Saturday) the construction crew will leave bright and early to begin framing the house. The sports camp team will canvass the neighborhoods around el Sembrador with flyers advertising the sports camp. Then that group will prepare for a neighborhood block party we will have Saturday night at the church complete with bounce houses, free hot dogs, and snow cones! Should be a great day.

Thank you for your prayers. We can already tell God is at work--not only with the sports camp and the construction, but also in our own lives! It's gonna be a great week! Enjoy the pics.


Iglesia Cristiana el Sembrador


Pastor Medina


Our Sports Camp Site


Floor for new home (Old home behind)


Our students with Nancy and Baby Vincent...we're building the house for them!