Photos from Day 2

 

 

Tijuana: Day 2

Cornerstone team finishes a house for a family

 

So what does a typical day look like  in Tijuana? We usually stay in dormitories with another church or two. The morning consists of devotion time and breakfast, then we head up to the upper room for worship and a gospel message from Eddie Passmore (director of MCM). Eddie likes to challenge the teams to consider doing something more than coming to Tijuana. Several maps and resources of where unreached people groups are located paint the walls of Caravan. 

After church, we load the truck with supplies and head out to the work site. Our team worked alongside two interns from Caravan on building a 12′ x12′ shelter house for a family in need. It typically takes us about 5-6 hours to get the job done. The awesome part is at lunchtime, we get to partake in a meal provided by the family we are building for. Working together on a project like this really gives us a chance to bond together as a team and be the hands and feet of Christ to the family. 

When we get back, we load the truck for the next day and then relax in the dormitory. Some of the nighttime activities include fellowship with each other by playing games. We’ll then go out and have dinner with Eddie and some of the interns before getting some rest for our next work day. 

– Travis Timmons

Tijuana: Day 1

Day 1 is travel day. Twelve of us headed to Tijuana in two vans for a short but amazing weekend serving the hispanic community and bonding together as a team. Cornerstone typically does 2-3 of these trips a year. The purpose is to introduce someone to missions and give them an opportunity to learn about God’s heartbeat for the world. It is our prayer and hope that they would then consider visiting one of our focus countries (India, Peru, Kenya or Belize) on a short-term mission trip or begin to pray about possibly going on a long-term mission trip.

Mexico Caravan Ministries mission statement:

Mexico Caravan Ministries is a missions mobilization ministry. Our primary objective is the revelation of God’s heart for the world, the presentation of His plan for worldwide missions and the motivation of His people to take part in His global plan.  Groups come from all over North America and typically spend a few days to a week learning about world missions and build homes for local families in need.

Crossing the border

The food is awesome!

Dinner at Rene’s Tacos

Kenya – August Team – Update 1

The August team, 19 strong, arrived in Kenya and the trip is well underway. We’ve got plenty of work to do today, but, we just wanted to send a quick update to let you know that we’re here and about to have our lives forever changed.

Continue to pray for us today. Pray that we will continue to empty ourselves of expectations and our own desires. Pray that we will have the ability to remember names (this means the world to the kids). Pray that we will continue to have great team chemistry as we begin to work and love these children. So far this team has amazing chemistry. We’re an ecelectic group, but, we have great chemistry so far.

Here’s a quick video of our arrival to Kenya:

Second Saturday at Watkins Shelter

Sleeping area at the Watkins Homeless Shelter

Had an amazing Second Saturday yesterday. I normally take a team to Liberty House, but today I got to go to the Watkins Overflow Shelter. Twelve us headed out to Phoenix. Watkins is an emergency shelter that is currently housing a hundred women and about forty families. We spent the first part of the day sorting out clothing that was donated. Then we got to spend some time playing games like bingo and doing crafts with the kids. These women and families are really going through some tough stuff. Getting a chance to play a small part in bringing a little joy to their day was an amazing experience for all of us. 

Playing Bingo

Candace Cameron and her husband Val Bure were the guest speakers at Friend Day today. We got to go back to two of the homeless shelters that we visited yesterday and bring them to Friend Day. We filled up both vans and brought them to church. Then we fed them lunch after service. It was awesome to see the joy on their faces.

– T. Timmons

August team packing meeting

The second team to Kenya held their packing meeting Monday night. They leave Friday. There was all types of excitment as all of them know within a week they would be plugging into those amazing kids and be a part of what God is doing in Huruma. The team is being led by Joel England and Chris Haidet from Rock Eternal. Brian Wurzell will be joining as well to provide music. They will be joining Lisa Winters and the other three girls that are already there. Check back for updates from the team and keep them in prayer.

The Slums

 

After church service, we all took about a mile walk to Ngong. It was nice because it gave us some last minute quality time with the kids. We were headed to the slum area of Ngong. It is a very poor and desperate area. The kid’s situation at Huruma didn’t even compare to what the kids were experiencing there. Mama Zipporah actually started her ministry out of the area. This personally was an eye-opening experience for me. I was blown away seeing first-hand the poverty situation of these people. Mama, Joseph and Linn spoke some words to the people. The Huruma gospel dancers and the acrobat team performed for them. One by one people came. A little girl walked up to me and wanted me to hold her. Seeing this part of Kenya was a very humbling way to end this trip.

We then handed out bread and milk to the kids. For most of these kids, it will be the only meal they will get today. As I was helping, a gentleman came up to me and ask me if I would pray for him. I asked him what he would want me to pray for. He ask me that I would pray that he would receive salvation. I put my arm around him and prayed. I spent the trip back to Huruma in silence. I couldn’t put into words what I had experienced.

– T. Timmons

Maasai Village

Travis, Micah & Derek being made part of the Maasai Tribe

We got a chance to visit the the Maasai today. They were very warm and friendly. The Maasai are a warrior tribe that still upholds ancient customs. They may have multiple wives. The men can trade cows or their sister for a wife or have a jumping contest. The wives then make a home out of cow dung. There are no windows, just a little small hole. Men are circumcised in a public ceremony at age 16 and are not allowed to show pain or they are disgraced.

Maasai men like to jump

Pastor Linn stands in the center of the village

 

Weekend Safari

Cornerstone crew on a safari

For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.

– Isaiah 45:18

This weekend we got a chance to reflect on God’s creation. We took a long trek out to the Maasai Mara. It was amazing seeing the animals in their natural habitat. Lions, elephants & giraffes were only yards away.

Hanging out on the Maasai Mara

Trip to the Clinic

Today a few of us had the opportunity to take the children with HIV to the clinic to receive their monthly checkups.  We piled 26 of us into the school van; each child with their medications in hand.  We drove about 45 minutes to the slums of Kibera.  We were serenaded by the children on the way there with songs such as Amazing Grace My Chains Are Gone, Mighty to Save, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, and some Swahili songs that were absolutely beautiful!  We arrived at the clinic around 9:45 am after driving through the largest slum in Nairobi.  We pulled up to the clinic which was hidden in what we would consider an alley-way.  The clinic was hidden behind tin gates.  The children carried their medications to the clinic and the check-up process began.  Each child was called by name to get weighed, measured, and checked out by the nurse before they headed to the pharmacist for their new medication.  Everything was very organized and we could tell the children had been here multiple times.  Some of the older children had a much more grim look on their faces, as if they knew what was in their future.  We were all impressed by their courage.  They appear to be very healthy and will continue to be as long as they continue with their medications.  The entire process continued until around 12:00 noon. 

From the outside the clinic’s appearance worried us, but as we walked inside it appeared very welcoming and clean.  Their were animals painted on the walls and the doctors worked very well with the kids.  There was a lot of compassion.   As the children waited their turn, some of them were using their new knitting skills to knit scarves, while others gathered a piece of a trash bag and filled it with grass to create a ball.  They played volleyball over a clothesline for hours.  Life is so simple. 

Around 12:00 we gathered everyone into the van and headed back to Ngong for lunch.  What a treat!  We made a stop at the Bonapet Cafe for chicken and chips!  YUM!  Each child had a soda of their choice with their chicken and chips.  Thank you Mama Kathy!  They were so thrilled by their special treat.  They got Big Bom suckers with bubble gum for dessert.  They definitely deserved it after a long morning.  I think we all had a very eye-opening experience today as we saw God’s work in many ways today.  He has provided for these children in so many ways and they have blessed each and everyone of us with their smiles, their voices and their hugs. 

– Stephanie Daale and Greer Evans

Kids waiting outside the clinic

 

Tired girls at the clinic