Mission in Review--Presentation This Sunday

Hey Friends and Family,

Well, two weeks after such a great adventure, I still have students telling me that they wish they were back in Oaxaca with the kids and with each other. It was such an incredible time together and God did so many amazing things. He used us to touch the people of Oaxaca, through the feeding program and VBS we ran, the 6 concrete slabs we poured for houses through Mission Increase, and the worship services and food boxes we delivered to families in need in Oaxaca. What was amazing and evident throughout the trip to me, was the way in which the joy of Christ shone through each of our students and their lives during that week. God allowed us to experience the deep and meaningful joy that comes when we serve Him and serve others. I know that God spoke to each student in a very personal and special way and that He is continuing to shape and form their lives.

This Sunday, July 27th, our team is going to share at the Evangelical Church in Salem at 5:30 in the main sanctuary. We'll share a short slideshow of pictures and students will share about the great things God did in Oaxaca. Anyone and everyone is welcome to come and here the amazing way God uses those that are sold out to Him.


All For Jesus,
Oaxaca Mission Team

Great Things He Has Done

Hey Friends and Family,

We've had a little difficulty with internet access the past twenty four hours, so hopefully none of you have worried. Everything is still going great! We just arrived back from our tourist destination at the Zipoltec ruins of Monte Alban. The students had a great time exploring. We are back at the hotel resting before our last dinner here in Oaxaca.

The past two days have been exciting and rewarding. It was difficult to say goodbye to the kids yesterday morning during our last time with the feeding program, so many of our students had connected with kids here at the church. After hard goodbyes, we walked around the area of the church, delivering buckets and sacks with food to some of the poorest families in the neighborhood. It was an eye opener to each of us to visit these homes and a blessing to be able to share food from money God has blessed us with, and be able to pray for and encourage those in the homes that we visited. We visited an old man who, the previous year when Pastor Randy was here, refused to accept Christ. As we returned to his house yesterday to deliver food, Pastor Gilberte told us that the man had received Christ in the past year, and that he never misses a church service, despite the fact that he is always on crutches and is in his nineties. We were able to encourage him in Christ and look forward to the time we will spend in heaven together.

We spent time yesterday afternoon in the Oaxaca downtown area, exploring more shops and some beautiful catholic churches, most built in the 1500's. The students and staff were having a great time exploring the area, the people and the festive activities going on this weekend.

Around nine o'clock pm we were scheduled to start our nightly devotional together in our hotel lobby, but there was a group of about six students not there in the lobby. So Randy and I started looking around the Zocolo area so we could bring them in for our devotional. We were having a hard time finding them and we saw a large crowd of people in suits. In the middle of the group, with papparazzi snapping pictures, was Eddy, Dusty and others in our group taking pictures with the President of the state of Oaxaca! They were shaking his hand and patting his back like they had been pals forever. It was a great moment!

Today we went to an American breakfast in the Zocolo and tried to order eggs, pancakes and bacon. We did okay. It was nice to have a large meal for breakfast. We then embarked to Monte Alban and explored the ruins for a few hours. It is up in the mountains of Oaxaca, so we were able to see the whole valley of Oaxaca, get a little Oaxacan culture, and a workout in from climbing all the stairs.

As our trip winds down, our students our beginning to reflect on the week and the things God has shown them. He has used each of them in such a mighty way, everyone has grown closer together, basically, this trip has been perfect. Now God is challenging us to take what He has shown us this week and use it in our next mission trip: Salem, Oregon. Please pray that God would speak to our students today as they reflect and we discuss how God will change our lives when we return.

Tomorrow we will be leaving early for two church services at a large church in Oaxaca, then heading straight to the airport for the flights home. Pray that we will be at the airport on time, and that we will get home safely. We will return to Portland at approximately 12:00am on Sunday night/Monday morning, but most likely won't be through customs until closer to 1 AM. So...if you are meeting your students at the airport, 1 AM is a good time to shoot for. Our return flight is coming from Mexico City and is scheduled to arrive at 12:10 AM. The flight number is MX 944.

We will see you all soon, thank you for your prayers and support. God has given us joy and peace beyond anything we could have hoped or prayed for. He has been glorified and our students have been changed. God is doing great things.

In Christ,
Oaxaca Mission Team

Changing Hearts and Minds

Hey Friends and Family,

Here's a few short thoughts and insights from the students about our time in Oaxaca so far this week...

The nationals here in Oaxaca are amazing, beautiful people. They are so hospitable and kind to us crazy gringos. We have tried to befriend them and love them, and as the days have gone by, they have began to trust us and return that love. That is priceless. In one "simple" wednesday night service, numerous people made decisions to follow the Holy Spirit. This was in a church with about 100 people... we DO NOT see this big of a response ever in the States. I have been blessed and they are not the ones building a house for me.

On a side note, do not try to get into a fight with a cement mixer. It will win every time. Why do I know this? The mixer dropped on my big toe today and I have ice on it as I write to stop the swelling. Good times. The end. -Lee Clarkson


My turn!! First of all, I want to say thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers. We are having an amazing trip, and we know that much of that has to do with the prayers that surround us. That being said, including today's work day, we have now poured cement at 5 different houses. This is more than any group has accomplished in such a short amount of time. Our team is incredible, and our unity came in handy when forming numerous assembly lines and getting the job done quickly. Our enthusiasm for the work was contagious, and before long, many local girls came to help us out. It was tiring, but incredibly satisfying. Thanks again for all of your prayers. Thus far, most of the team has remained relatively healthy and no serious injuries have occurred, praise the Lord! See you all in a few days! -Melissa Kazemier


Tammy's turn: Well, all you parents should be so proud of your kids. They are amazing with the children here. Loving them. Hugging them. Holding hands. Teaching them the Hokey Pokey and Duck Duck Goose. It is wonderful to see and brings tears to my eyes time and time again. I can't stop taking pictures. I have a month of fodder for my own blog when I return. It has been a pleasure getting reacquainted with some of the kids that I had in Kids Choir so many years ago, as well as meeting a new group. Their love for the Lord is evident in their actions over and over again. Their work ethic is admirable. I tell you, that Daniel Lee is one strong man!!! All the boys do hard hard work with the cement, while the girls do the next hardest with shoveling sand and rocks. I am getting quite a work out each day. Many of the local kids have started joining in the assembly line to return buckets for a refill of cement too. And praise the Lord for Mission Increase renting the port-a-potty. Otherwise the side of the road and a towel would have been it. No kidding. Next time, I am going to take an offering before I come to buy bags and bags and bags of dog food for the hundreds of super skinny scrawny dogs running around. A lot of them are heart breaking to see. The children here need so much love, and all of these fantastic college students are pouring it out in buckets. Praise God for this SEC College Group! Blessings to you all, Tammy or as they say here in Mexico, Tamarrrrra. (Dan is really good at rolling those R's!)


Megan Adams here! As I write to you all, I can hear the laughter of other group members coming from one of the hotel rooms. Not only have I been blessed by the beautiful people of Oaxcaca, but I have been blessed by the incredible young people in this group. Today was a long day for all of us, and to take a moment during that work to see the people that God brought together to serve His kingdom truly took my breath away. I have never seen a group of people serving with such love and compassion. To see the smiles on all of our faces and the reactions of the nationals who were with us was quite a blessing and an important reminder of how God wants us to live our lives each day; serving Him, loving others, and spreading His word. Thank you for your prayers and support for our group. We can hardly wait to come home and share with you (although I know it will be difficult for many of us to say goodbye to our new brothers and sisters in Christ).


As you can see, God is challenging us and speaking to us in many different ways. It is a joy to be a part of this ministry and this mission trip. Tomorrow we will spend our last day at the church doing the feeding program, finish up construction on a roof, and visit eight homes and deliver food baskets. With money that we raised for our trip, we have bought main ingredients and foods for eight families, and the Pastor of the church in the area where we've been doing the feeding program is going to take us to the eight families who have the greatest need tomorrow. Please pray that they would see the love of Christ through what we say and do and pray for our students, as they say goodbye to kids that they have so quickly fell in love with. Tomorrow afternoon and evening will be a fun time together in the Zocolos and surrounding area of the city, shopping and enjoying the local churches, dancing and food! Thank you for your prayers.

In Christ,
Oaxaca Mission Team

Turistas de Oaxaca!

Tourists at the pottery factory



Taking advantage of the wholesale prices:


Down goes a Grasshopper!!!



Can you guess who's behind the mask?


Personalized Puppets:


A new friend:


Pastor Randy shares a message of hope:


Pastor Randy and Pastor Miguel transcend language barriers through God's Spirit:

Oaxaca Mission '08-Day Three--Blossoming Fruit

Hey Friends and Family,

God did incredible things today!!! We are all on a spiritual and joyful high after a day of seeing God work in our lives and in the lives of the kids and adults He is bringing us together with. Our second and final day of VBS today, complete with new songs and hand motions, a puppet show that had students glued to their seats, great crafts of puppets and wordless bracelets and a great response from kids who were asked if they wanted Jesus to come into their hearts today. Our students have been incredible in the way that they have loved different kids, picking them up and hugging them, playing games with them, feeding them and trying to speak both Spanish and English with them. God has worked beyond language barriers through His Spirit and we are building great relationships with kids here. It has been hard to get our students to move onto the next event because they don't want to stop playing and hanging out with the kids.

After the feeding program and VBS today, we stopped by the famous black pottery factory and spent an hour or so shopping for family and friends and enjoying the tourist side of our trip. The Black Pottery is unique to Oaxaca and we each grabbed our straw baskets and filled them up with wholesale, handmade items. It was fun to see our students have fun shopping and enjoying the culture.

We continued shopping when we arrived back at the Zocolos, the tourist market near our hotel. We stepped into a full block of flea markets, full of leather bags, jewelry, clothes, trinkets, wrestling masks and of course, pig hooves, cow livers and chicken intestines! Eddy, Nathan, Dusty, Ryan, Daniel, Andrew, Megan and Melissa (okay, maybe not Melissa) even tried some salt covered grasshoppers!!!

This afternoon we returned to the church where we have been doing the feeding program and VBS for a wednesday service. We were welcomed into the church by smiling men and women, and a choir of kids that performed three spanish songs for us, with tambourines and blocks. It was the cutest thing we've seen so far. Pastor Randy was empowered by God's Spirit and his translator Pastor Miguel shared a message of hope and a commitment to 'knowing' Christ and allowing His Spirit to lead our lives. The Pastor of the church gave an invitation to the congregation and many responded to the Spirit's leading. The man hired to help us pour concrete yesterday and tomorrow, was at the church service, and he came forward today and gave His life to Christ! Our students put their arms around those that had come forward and prayed with them. Even though the nationals could not understand what our students were praying for them, the Spirit transcended the language barrier again and both the nationals and our students were encouraged deeply in Spirit. Liz prayed for a mother of four kids whose husband didn't want her to come to church that day. It was a powerful experience, Liz says, praying for her and embracing her even though they had just met. The women went away with tears of joy, encouraged because her 'hermana en Cristo' (sister in Christ) prayed for her.

We returned to dinner at the same restaurant we've ate at each night. We thought we would continue to stick with a restaurant where no one has gotten sick, and we are all trying meals that others have tried the night before. Why change a good thing?

The last two evenings we have all spent time together, studying God's word, encouraging each other and reflecting on what God has shown us during the day. Pastor Randy reminded us today about who we are serving during this week. In Matthew 25, Jesus tells us that, 'whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me'. We are seeing Jesus in the smiles and eyes of the kids and nationals we have interacted with. So many of their hearts are so full of joy, even though they have so little, and they live out their faith in Christ each day, as they seek to find food and shelter for their families.

God has been so gracious in giving us peace and blessing us with the areas we were anxious about before we left. Praise God...No one has gotten sick so far, and, through God's Spirit, He has allowed us to transcend language barriers and show genuine love and care for the kids and adults here. He has given us a Spirit of unity and even as I write this blog, there are 13 of us in a hotel room, hanging out, talking about the day, and enjoying being with each other.

Tomorrow we will pour four concrete floors. They're running out of work for us, we're that good! (Lee made me say that). We will continue the feeding program and enjoy the kids again. Pray for strength and safety as we work, dry weather so we can make progress and stay healthy, and that God would continue to challenge us and speak to us. God is doing incredible things and we are blessed to be His hands and feet. Thank you for your prayers.

In Christ,
Oaxaca Mission Team

Faces of Oaxaca

Hey Family and Friends,

Here's some additional pictures from our first full day in Oaxaca:












In Christ,
Oaxaca Mission Team

Oaxaca Mission--Day Two--A Wet Work Day

Hey Friends and Family,

Thank you for your continued prayers. Today was a great first day with the kids in the feeding program and our work day. We got up early and arrived at the church where we are doing the feeding program for the week at about 8:30 AM. We helped serve the kids, approximately 100 of them. I was so impressed with our students and the way the jumped in to serve and began to interact with the young kids. They would say hello, ask them their name and give them hugs. Some of the Mexican kids were shy at first, while others wanted to be held and hugged by everyone! Eddy Hooper taught the kids how to greet each other by pounding their fist together.

After we helped feed the kids, we began our short VBS. We sang some songs which they really enjoyed. They were dancing and clapping and singing loud, followed by a puppet show that made them laugh, despite our poor spanish skills. After the show was our time with the students doing a craft. We pre-made a bookmark for each student with the words "Cristo Te Ama" (Jesus Loves You) on each bookmark, and then brought decorations for them to decorate their own bookmark with. Our students got the kids into groups and worked with five or six students each, showing them how to decorate the bookmarks and hanging out with them. It was beautiful to watch the sea of kids and our students jumping in and loving them and hanging out with them.

Libby Palmer doing crafts with kids:


The students mix with the kids:


Megan Adams did a wonderful job sharing with the students at the end the message that 'God loves them and wants to be with them' I was so impressed with the way that each of our students loved the kids, whether they spoke Spanish or not, and the incredible attitude they have had today. Your prayers for our strength and good health have been felt and we are all still doing well.

Daniel Lee blowing bubbles for some kids:


After VBS and a short lunch, we broke off into two groups and began the manual service part of our day. Our first mission was to mix and pour concrete for small 10 x 10 brick houses for the floor of the house. We didn't have a bus or van for our stuff that we had brought for the day, so we took everything with us to our work sites. One site had the concrete mixer, and a lot of strong and energetic guys and girls and they finished their concrete floor in no time and with style! The other group mixed their own concrete by hand, and poured it. After the first group finished, they came with the mixer and helped finish the job. Everyone was willing to job in and it made the work light. We finished WAY faster than they had planned so they gave us two more work sites. After a lunch of oranges, bread with cheese and gatorade, we dispersed to two different sites again and began preparing to pour more concrete. The houses we worked on at the first sites were both roofed, the second sites were not...and it was time for the afternoon rain. We came back to the hotel quite muddy, but excited and with a sense of accomplishment. The markets are alive and their is music and shops. We are preparing to go to the bank to exchange our currency, then back to dinner at the same restaurant we ate at last night, since no one got sick.

The neighborhood where we are doing our work:


Taking a rest after some hard work:



Please pray for our students as they continue to experience a new culture, that God would continue to use us to show His love to these kids that so desperately need it, and of course, for strength and good health. Tomorrow will be our final day of VBS, we will give an invitation to the kids to ask Jesus into their life, do a little shopping in the afternoon, then return to the church for a worship service. God is continuing to work in our hearts and granting us a spirit of unity and love. Thank you so much for your prayers, they are effective and encouraging.

In Christ,
Oaxaca Mission Team

Oaxaca Mission '08--Day One of The Adventure--Arrival

Hey Friends and Family,

We have safely arrived in Oaxaca, Mexico tonight, at 11:35 PM as I write this post with students still hanging out, not wanting to go to bed because of the excitement and fun that we are having now that we are FINALLY here in Oaxaca. It was quite the day of traveling, from leaving the church at 3:30 AM this morning, all the way through our five hour flight to Mexico City, crazy layover in the aiport and our final arrival in Oaxaca at 8:30 PM local time through customs, we are so thankful that God has brought us all safely and in good health through this day. Our first time flyers did great and enjoyed the experience. Both of our flights were cushy, we had plenty of room and most took naps to sleep off the ware of traveling all day.

Once arriving in Mexico City and having NO LINE at Immigracion, which is a miracle in itself, we had what we thought was a three hour layover in the Mexico City airport. Some of us got McDonalds, Subway (without lettuce) and other food for lunch and we hung out waiting for Mexicana Airlines to choose a gate for our flight. After waiting until 30 minutes before our flight was scheduled to leave, we were told it would be delayed an hour and a half. We were able to cope with the news, as many were sleeping or playing card games with each other and little kids in the airport, but our resolve was tested when they told us a second time that it would be delayed for another hour. We started to disperse for more food, but thought we would check with the airline one last time, at which time they told us that our plane was leaving from Gate 20 in FIVE MINUTES!!! We rushed down to the gate and Pastor Randy was breathing hard when we arrived at the gate and they hadn't even started boarding yet! We waited another half an hour and finally boarded our short 1 hour flight to Oaxaca. The Oaxaca airport would have easily fit inside Salem Evangelical Church, but we were greeted by Miguel, Mario and Iban from Mission Increase and they brought a brand new 24 seat Mercededes Bus for us to take us to our hotel.

Oh Man, A Delayed Flight?


Dusty playing cards with some kids:



We fell in love with our hotel the moment we saw it. It is a block from the main tourist square (the zocolos) and it is clean and big. Some rooms are bigger than others, but we're all close anyways! Everyone was hungry so we walked up the street for our first Mexican Meal. Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, but we had incredible fajitas, rice and beans, quesedillas and some even ordered pizza. Bellies full we are back at the hotel, ready for a good night's rest. We will wake up tomorrow at 6:30 and leave for the Breakfast feeding program, a two hour VBS and a day of work, if the weather is good.

Hanging at the Hotel Gala:


Our First Mexican Meal:



There has already been a tremendous sense of peace and unity on our trip so far. Students have been patient and loving of each other, even when tired or when plans changed. Please pray for our energy and strength tomorrow, and that students will be willing to step out of comfort zones and love kids and people they encounter tomorrow, regardless of a language barrier. Thank you for praying for us and we will covet your prayers tomorrow during our first full day in Oaxaca.

In Christ,
Oaxaca Mission Team

Look Out Oaxaca...Here We Come!

Hey Everybody,

Well, six hours from now and we'll be heading off to the airport for an amazing adventure! I know we're each going to have a hard time sleeping tonight! It was a wonderful time being able to pray with one another tonight and be prayed for and get excited to go. Hopefully you are all packed and ready. We will have internet access and computers on the trip, so we will be able to post pictures and blogs daily so that we can chronicle the experience.

Have confidence in knowing that God has gone before us and has already created opportunities for us to minister in His name. He has incredible plans for each of us that are going and, with the love, prayer and support of those of you reading this blog, thinking of us while we are gone and lifting us up before the Lord, I am reminded of an incredible verse: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" The answer is no one! Its going to be a great week...

In Christ,
Ryan Thorson

Oaxaca Bound...2 days and counting

Hey Everybody!

Well, if you haven't started to pack yet, today is the day! In less than 48 hours our adventure will begin. I am already having a hard time getting to sleep at night, excited about our trip and what God is going to do, and I still have two more nights to get through. I am most excited about the anticipation that I feel that God is going to do something great through us and for us while we are in Oaxaca. This is an amazing team that God has put together and, His word says that He goes before us and is our rear guard, meaning that we are completely protect by God on our trip and He has created opportunities for us to display His love and grace to each other and to the world.

As you prepare and pack, I would encourage you to continue to be in God's word and begin to start journaling, what you are looking forward to, what you are expecting. Your journal is your 'external hard drive' where you can store processed information. Because each of us will be overloaded with images, thoughts, emotions, challenges, and a journal or notebook helps us process and save each thought or challenge that God speaks to us.

To those of you that are part of this trip in Spirit but not in body, we covet and need your prayer and support during these next ten days. Our ministry is a family, the Church is a family and families take an active part in the lives of those they love. Pray for us earnestly, that God would protect and unite us. That His love would radiate through our actions in the way we treat each other and those we encounter and that His name, His hope and His glory will be lifted up and on the mind and heart of every one of us during this next week.

We will be consistently keeping up on this blog while we are in Oaxaca, so it will give each of you at home a chance to stay in touch and pray more effectively for us, and we may even be able to put pictures up as well.

My thoughts and prayers are with each of you today, as you continue to prepare for this adventure. God is going to do great things and He is going to be glorified. It is in that you will find an incredible excitement, joy and meaning. Until Oaxaca...

In Christ,
Ryan Thorson

God...You're Awesome: by Rachel Dougall

Lord, I’m so excited for this trip! You have blessed me so much! I knew You wanted me to go on this trip, even though I didn’t know how I was going to pay for it. But now I see You’ve provided more than enough money, from places I didn’t expect. My heart is so glad and at peace. Also I’m so thankful for how you’ve put our team together. I’m gaining so many new friends because of it, and we haven’t even left yet. I pray that you continue to grow us closer to each other and You. I’m also thankful for how you planned my niece to be born when she was so that I was able to be there, even though she was due the first day in Oaxaca. :O) I know You’re working in this whole trip! It’s fun to see how everything has worked out. I pray You continue to give us all peace about the different aspects that scare us. Lastly God, I want to thank You for everyone who is backing us up; praying for us and helping us with expenses. Again, You have blessed me and the team so much! We love You and are so excited to serve You!

Your servant,
Rachel Dougall

Planting The Seed...by Liz Neifert

WOW! Someone’s vision has come to fruition! We have come to the threshold of an Oaxacaian Journey. My body, mind, and soul are filled with the excitement and anticipation that comes with looking to see where God’s hand is at work, and then joining Him. The Spirit tells me in my heart that we have each been chosen specifically and not by chance for this journey. I’m excited for the seeds of Christ’s love to be planted, but just as excited for the seeds of faith that He has planned to grow in me because of this trip.

I’m grateful for the faithful support of friends and family who have prayed and provided the means for me to go on this trip. The trip is paid for, the vaccines received; passports and tickets are in order, and medication regiment begun. God is so good! His provision is faithful at every turn. Pray for our team that this last week of preparation would find us emptying ourselves in a way that would allow the Spirit to completely fill us and overwhelm us for the purpose of being earthen vessels used for the Glory of God.

Continue to pray for us, and that the fields would be ripe unto harvest as the master sends us out.

Love in Christ,

Elizabeth Neifert