SummerScope

SUMMERSCOPE

Let me start with what SummerScope is: Every year we pick one week during the summer and invite everyone we know (churches, individuals, youth groups, etc…) to come down to help out at El Pozo and in the community for a week. It’s a great time for lots of work to be done and for others to gain a better understanding of what we do down here in Puebla, Mexico.



Last week we hosted 22 people from 4 different churches and it was INCREDIBLE.

It was incredible to watch the 11 youth and 11 adults work on projects together.

It was incredible to see all the different people from different backgrounds and churches build friendships with one another.

It was incredible to watch our Mexican students work side by side with ‘the gringos’ and to give up their entire week to help improve their ministry.

It was incredible to see the love and thankfulness pour out of one of our students after we installed a much needed bathroom door on their house.

It was incredible to watch 28 people get on an already overcrowded bus and truly experience public transportation.

It was incredible to look at the end result of the week and see the sense of accomplishment in everyone’s eyes.

It was incredible to watch the rain pour down and see our brand new drainage system actual work. (no puddles were formed in the walkway or yard… hurray)

It was incredible to baptized 2 of our Mexican students at the end of week and for everyone down here to experience and participate in such a joyous occasion with us.

It was incredible to see lives changed by people giving up one week of their summer to help others.

It was incredible to see a 65 year old woman shoveling gravel all week.

It was incredible to hear everyone at the end of the week singing a praise song in Spanish that they knew by heart.

It was incredible to see the tears of joy for what had been accomplished and the tears of sadness of having to leave what became so comfortable.

It was incredible see the joy that came at reaching the top of the pyramid and the various reactions to eating the traditional grasshoppers at the top.

It was incredible to see the reactions from people experiencing their first cathedral.

It was incredible to watch our summer interns (who are only here for a month) work so hard.

It was incredible to see God work in and through everyone who participated in SummerScope… it was a truly INCREDIBLE experience for all involved.

Here are some pics of our 4th of July Party at Grapevine in Bangkok Thailand. We had lots of fun singing patriotic songs, eating funnel cake, spitting watermelon seeds and, of course, shooting off fireworks. Milk bought these fireworks in Chinatown. And it's totally legal to set these off in residential areas.

Globalscope Germany Video

It's Summer!!

So I know that it has been a while since GS Puebla has updated everyone, but here is the scoop on what's been going the past 2 months...

END OF THE YEAR

We finished another great semester with our annual End of the Year Banquet.  It was  night full of great food, remembrance, laughter, superlatives, a visit by spandex man and good-byes!  

We had 10 students graduate moving on to bigger adventures. 

We said good-bye and thank you to our amazing intern Harold who gave so much of his time and heart to the ministry of El Pozo.  

We also said good-bye to our dear teammate Sarah who is going back to school to finish her seminary degree.

And we temporarily said good-bye to our team leaders Nathan and Erin McDade who are now officially on furlough until December!

It was so wonderful to see all these students gather together in fellowship.  It's amazing to see God's love pour through them as they interact, support, comfort, laugh, and cry with one another.  

MONTH OF MAY

Celebration : 

Our semester ended a bit earlier than usual because all the staff headed back to the US (except the Stryker's who were very pregnant) for the annual GloabalScope Celebration in Tybee Island, Georgia.  Celebration is a week where all the GS ministries come together for a week to share, brainstorm, and relax.  This was my first Celebration and it was a truly amazing time.  I am still astonished everyday how similar ALL college students are no matter where you live.  They truly are struggling and dealing with the same stuff.  I also got to meet and hang out with lots of really cool people who I have heard about for years!  I was able to learn so much through this one week spent at the beach in Georgia.

Golf Tournament: 

This year we had our annual El Pozo Golf Tournament at the end of May and it was one of the biggest we have ever had.  We even had one team dress in costume/uniform this year.  Our tournament is growing more and more each year and I think is becoming more fun.  It is even great for those who may not be the greatest golfers because yes there is a prize for last place.  And you better bring some strong competition for this prize because Heath and I pretty much have it sealed up each year.  Heath has won this prize for the last 3 years!!  All in all it was a great day of golf, food, fellowship, and praise for God and His amazing love and provision.

SUMER HAS BEGUN...

This year we decided that since we are now 3 years old and have a solid presence on the campus of UDLA that we would actually have events.  So every Tuesday we have dinner and a time of fun just hanging out.  We've done things from going to a movie to playing Rock Band to having a ping pong tournament.  We even have a few small groups going on this summer.  I've only been back in Mexico for 3 weeks, but it's cool to see the campus house filled with people each Tuesday when the town is essentially empty.

Stayed tune for more happenings of the summer...

Thanks for all your support and prayers.

Much Love, 

Karen

Casas por Cristo

Casas por Cristo: Juarez, Mexico

So I've been on Juarez trips lots of times before, having experienced four with Georgia Tech CCF, one with Southwest Christian Church, and then an entire summer of Casas when I interned there in 2006 (I'm returning this summer and for the future to work there as well). But to lead a trip from El Pozo...that's never been done before...across Mexico...this was going to be an adventure.

We left Sat. March 15th, the first day of Spring Break here, and return Easter Sunday, the 23rd. After taking off in our 11 passenger van that treated us very nicely, we made it up to Juarez from Puebla in two days, stopping in Torreon along the way. Once in Juarez, we met up that Monday with our friends from GTCCF in Atlanta and built two houses for a couple of families that really needed them. I led the construction of one of the two, and Michael West, a Georgia Southern alum and former El Pozo and Casas intern, led the other. By Wednesday, two more houses stood in Juarez (along with 27 more, actually, a Casas single-week record), and the students at El Pozo had gotten a taste of humbling yourself for others, getting multiple days of good hard work, and roughing it for a bit by sleeping on the hard floor in a church in inner city Juarez and eating foreign food, including the first peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for some of them, if you'd believe it!

On the way back from Juarez, we stopped by the beautiful city of Chihuahua for two days, the magnificent Copper Canyons in the SW corner of Chihuahua state, and the gorgeous city of San Luis Potosi. Some amazing stories came out of the trip, students talking about how this changed their perspective of how the view "necessities" in life, how others live - even in their own country - and even one person, Malena, decided to apply to intern at Casas this summer! THANK YOU SO MUCH to those of you who helped to support the trip; the students already can't wait to go on next year's trip...and that's exactly what we needed, was to get a group of students at El Pozo motivated about it to make it a yearly tradition.

Make sure to check out the video from the trip (in Spanish) online at YouTube! Here's the link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLg4o8ruf1U. Harold

Beach Retreat

Let me tell you what I love about retreats, especially beach retreats to Veracruz.

I love that we crammed 55 people onto a bus to travel 5 hours together.  It is such a great time of bonding and fellowship.

I love that the weather was perfect and we stayed literally right on the beach.

I love that the speakers shared personal stories that our students could relate to and learn from.

I love that college students are crazy and stay up all night long playing games, hanging out, and talking.

I love that we were able to play a game of flamingo football where the girls scored two goals for the boys resulting in the boys winning 4-2.  

I love that the sand castle contest theme was inspired by Jack Stryker!

I love that there was a song competition between the girls and guys at the campfire Saturday night.  It was so much fun to watch songs being sung between the two groups both in English and Spanish and the competition that arose from it.  (the girls did win this!!)

I love that the first student ever baptized at El Pozo was able to baptize another student in the ocean at night... what a joyous occasion.  

I love that we didn't have to cook our own food; thank you hotel!

I love that if you walked too close to the pool you would definitely get pushed in!

I love that students who barely knew El Pozo have now found a home and friends.

I love that one student that came with us had no idea what would be going on at the retreat and at first really wasn't that into it.  But when given the option he choose to stay with us, make friends, and see what he could learn. (and has come to weekly activities at the campus house)

I love that a student, who is Jewish, now wants to read the bible with one of our exchange students.

I love that we stopped at Costco to eat with 55 people on the way back home.  Talk about fun chaos!

I love retreats: the bonding, the fellowship, the way God works in lives of the students, and what they learn about themselves, others, and God.  Retreats are great!

Events, Events, Events

We are only at the beginning of week 2 of February and El Pozo has already had lots of events which means lots of great student hang-out time!


SUPER BOWL...

We held our first ever "Courtney Wilson Knee Memorial Super Bowl Party" this year. (Since Courtney is still back in the states recovering from her knee surgery, she didn't get to join us for one of her favorite forms of outreach: football!) So instead of having the fiesta at the campus house, we packed about 30 people into Becky and Courtney's house for a great night of food, fellowship, and football.


POKER...
This year we are also sending our first group of students to Juarez, Mexico during spring break to work with Casas por Cristo building houses. Harold, our wonderful intern, planned a great night of Poker at a local bar to raise funds for this trip. The tournament had a great turnout, with wonderful prizes, excellent food, and we were able to rasie some money for Casa por Cristo. Our final four players even consited of three ladies and only one guy... with Sarah Cruz winning the big event! We have another tournament planned for next month, so all you guys better bring your 'A' game if you want a shot at winning.


JAZZERCIZE...

Last weekend we had 20 ladies attend our Women's Health and Fitness Day. The afternoon consisted of two great talks about our bodies and how we are uniquely made, a professional fitness instructor led our afternoon in none other than 'Jazzercise', and ended with a very yummy and healthy lunch! The day was fun, fun, fun with lots of great female bonding. (If you've never done Jazzercise before I highly recommend it. It will also bring a good laugh!) We had several ladies really interested in learning more about taking care of their bodies for themselves and focusing on God's great plan for them.


There is lots more going on down here with en vivos, devo lunches, Valentine's Party, and the Beach retreat coming soon. More to come soon with the great things God is doing in Puebla, Mexico. (and hopefully more pictures too, assuming it will allow me to upload them!)


Much Love,
Karen