CHRISTMAS IN MEXICO
NAVIDAD EN MÉXICO

Mission Trip 2002

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On the 26th we drove to 7 of the soup kitchens and delivered the toys and clothes that we had brought. This first two pictures show one of the churches which operates a soup kitchen and the neighborhood in which it is located.







 This next shot shows the inside of the church itself:

 and this one is of the soup kitchen itself which is located outside in the back.







While the appearance of the kitchen may not meet U.S. 'franchise' standards, please keep in mind the situations in which they are located.
I believe that I should give you a little more information about the soup kitchens themselves. Virtually every one of the them operate at most 2 or 3 days a week. The reason for this is simple. It is not the Barnett's intention that the people who receive help from this outreach should become totally dependent upon this work. The kitchens are designed to help meet the needs of people who are making an effort to help themselves. They are a supplemental aid, not intended to be a sole source of sustinance.


Another church/kitchen was located in a pretty court yard area. The church is on the left and the open patio on the right is where the soup kitchen was located.







As was true at every kitchen we visited that day, we were greeted with warm smiles and heartfelt thanks.


















Here Evan is in the back of the truck just having unloaded the 2 large plastic totes filled with toys, and the plastic bags filled with really nice clothes. Altogether, we brought about 18 boxes that size with us. Alice is to the right in the blue denim jacket and Glen da is facing the camera. The man with the bat and the lady to his left are Humberto and Andrea. They not only pastor the church Evan and Terah visited where the outdoor Christmas party was going on, but they pastor the church located in the building in the background. Before becoming a Christian, Andrea was a practicing witch. When they first began praying for that church they lived in their car, and where the church is now located was a vacant slab of concrete.  I mention these things only to point out the level of dedication that these believers have for the work they are doing.

  


Alice, Evan & Terah are unloading the last of the toys at our final stop.
   




With our part of this outreach completed, Alice and I left for home the next day, December 27th.



                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
But Evan and Terah remained behind for several more days to minister in some of the local churches, including the church in the red light district. Here they are having an after Christmas party in the street. As you can see, the pinata is as big as the little boy who is trying to hit it. In addition to playing with the children who were always present, since they are both fluent in Spanish, they were able to lead praise and worship and share what God has done in their lives.






    In addition to more formal times of ministry Terah had an opportunity to become reacquainted with one of the Barnett's neighbors who she had met several years before when she and Angie first came to Marin. Here Evan and Terah are with Andriana and her boyfriend, Caesareo.  They also had an opportunity to spend several evenings visiting with Andriana's family.

But just as we had to return north several days before, soon it was time for Evan and Terah to say 'good bye' to the Barnetts and return home.

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