Mexico '08 Trip - Teasers

me and Cristal, one of the children whose family got a new house





So I just got back to my house, just got back into Missoula less than an hour ago, and I'm really excited to sit down and let you all know about my trip. Wow. That's my first thought. So much to write. It was basically an amazing trip. It took two days of driving to get to San Luis, Mexico, a border town in the desert. Then it took two days to get back. In between I met lots of cool folks from Oregon, helped build three houses, camped in the desert, and made friends with some beautiful Mexican children. I'd like to write more ... but later, cause I'm pretty tired and I need to do some serious laundry - there is sand in everything. For now, here's a few pictures, teasers you could say. More - stories and pics - to come.


Yanco, Cristal, Kayla











view from the road of one of the new houses I helped build

Happy Spring!

Just wanted to wish all a happy first day of spring. And to celebrate - well, actually it has nothing to do with it, except that next week is Spring Break here at the U. of Montana, and on said break a few students are going down to Mexico for a missions trip. And I have the privilege of joining them. No, I don't remember where in Mexico. I am not leading the trip so I'm shunning all unnecessary responsibility. Just kidding. I just haven't made the effort to remember. Anyway, we will be building houses for some folks and running a Vacation Bible School for a few days. I'm looking forward to it. We start the drive down tonight, with stops in Idaho Falls and Las Vegas. I would appreciate your prayers for our travels and for our time sharing Jesus with little kids. In addition, some of the folks we'll be working with on the building part of the trip aren't yet Christians. They're high school kids, and I am praying that we, the group of college folks from Missoula, will have and take divine opportunities to share Christ. So that's all for now. I just spent a half hour trying to see if I could do the Mobile Blogging thing. I think my phone is just a tad bit too primitive to make it happen, or maybe my brain is... Anyway, I've decided ya'll will just have to wait 'til I get back for an update. :) Til then, many blessings and happy spring.

me skiing!

Me with Anna Barnett, getting ready to ski!

Hello to my dear friends and family. This past Sunday I wrote a post on the Chi Alpha Montana blog about our recent Ski Retreat in Darby, MT. Here it is for your reading pleasure. I've also added a video that Scott Barnett, my Chi Alpha boss, took of me "skiing" on the Bunny Slope.

One week ago at this time I was really, really sore from my first time skiing ever. In the past I've always told folks that I'd never ski cause I have bad knees. Then when it turned out that we would have an entire Chi Alpha retreat built around the opportunity to ski or board, and to do so in beautiful Western Montana powder on amazing Rocky Mountains, how could I resist?!? So I took the plunge and loved it. Somewhere in the middle of the 1.5 hours it took to "ski" down the easiest Green Dot trail, however, I realized (remembered?) that the main reason I've avoided skiing/boarding is fear. I don't even like going down a mountain on foot when it's really steep, never mind flying down it on little waxed pieces of plastic. So that was huge for me, learning to trust that if I did what Scott and Anna said I would not die! Mind you, I still have bad knees but they were not what hurt; every thing else did. :)



Songe and Scott

Songe and Ben were the other beginners on the slopes. [Songe is an international student from Zambia who first saw snow four years ago in his freshman year at the U. of Montana.] Ben was the Natural of the group, and with just a few times down the Bunny Slope he headed up the mountain. Scott and Anna were the patient teachers that stayed with Songe and I most of the day. I'm not sure how Songe felt by the end, but I was pretty excited since I was finally learning how to turn. Hooray!

Most of the folks experienced with the snow sports had their own snowboards. Amanda was the beginner of that group, and, similar to Songe and myself, she expressed super gratitude for her friends who stuck by her all day. Megan was their photographer and took lots of sweet shots, including ones of Ken, who is known to anyone who has done the Mini-Missions trip to Plains. He was our guest speaker Saturday night, and God really spoke through him to quite a few of us. Then we Chi Alphans got a chance to pray for him and his wife and daughter, and God really spoke through us to bless them. Then we all slept like babies. Most of us spent the night in the sanctuary (girls) or upstairs classroom (guys) of a local church let us use for the weekend. It was a good night, and a good weekend. God is good, yes?


Megan, Ken, Chris, and John










Megan and Annie














On the Ski Bus, from Darby to Lost Trail Powder Mountain.












The boarders having lunch in a yurt