of sunburn, blisters and bruises

Tuesday's done! I'm sorry that these blog updates are a day behind, but maybe that's the culture of Mexico don't hurry or worry!
As far as our house things are progressing nicely today (Wednesday) we've got some shingling to do, a few more pieces of dry wall to hang, then lots and lots of drywall mud to do! I titled this sunburn, blisters and bruises because that's exactly what a lot of are. It comes with hard work and it comes with stretching ourselves to do and try new things that most of our students have never done. And it is all good.
Later today I'm hoping to upload pictures so stay tuned.

hmmmm update but no real title

Well its 6:21 Tuesday morning here in Mexico, if you are a parent reading this your kids are a live and well! San Diego was fun, We allowed the kids to eat at In&Out burger and I look them to Luigi's pizza. If you are a fan of the show "diners, dives and drive ins" you might have seen this place! Its a small pizza place in San Diego with some amazing pizza. Then we drove out to Mission beach for a while late Saturday evening. Sunday we attended church at "the rock" a super cool and growing church in San Diego. I think it was an amazing experience to see a couple of thousand people who are excited about worshiping and serving God. Later that day we drove down the coast to Ensenada to the YUGO camp.
Once we arrived here at camp we had supper with the family we are building for, its was pretty neat to get a chance to talk to them for a while. . . at least through our translator.
Monday started with heading our to our job site to start building. let's say things were slow and leave it at that! But at the end of the day we have four walls up and siding on them. Today we'll be working on the roof and running the electrical and hopefully catching up a bit!
Last couple of things I ask it you'll pray for our team as we work. One of the things we talked about in our team debriefing time is that we are the hand and feet of Jesus this week. Our desire it to build a house, but also verbally and non-verbally teach a lesson, that God loves them. Also pray for me! My plan was to use my laptop to write these updates and upload pictures but in San Diego some setting in my internet / computer changed so I can't. I've had several people down here look at it and no go! And for those who know me, know I hate it and stress when my plans become hmmm. . .changed is what I'll say. . With this computer change I'll be uploading less pictures because of the dinosaur of a computer I'm working on!
Out for now. . .more to come. . .

Questions I’ve always wanted to ask.

I'm really excited about the series we embarked on last week, "Questions I've always wanted to ask God," that gives the opportunity for you to ask some really cool questions that maybe you've never had a chance to ask.  Or maybe you were asked by someone else and didn't know the answer!  Either way, this series is all about questions! This past Sunday we tried to answer the question, "Why Bad Things Happen to Good People" . . .  why there is evil in the world!  We touched on the ideas that we live in a "fallen world," where man has "free will."  But as we explored the Book of Job, we saw that in all the suffering that Job endured, God never really gave him an answer to why. 

This week we'll be answering the question . . . If a person lives a good life helping others, giving of themselves for others, but doesn't consider themselves Christian, why would they not be welcome into heaven?  Is being good, good enough?  If you've ever wondered this, please make sure you're with us this Sunday!

I was also handed another question that intrigued me, the premise of the question is "Where did Adam's children get their wives?" If we are to believe that Adam and Eve were the first man and woman, where did their wives come from?   So I started doing some research and thought you might be interested in my conclusion.  A lot of this information comes from a book by Josh McDowell entitled "Answers to Tough Questions."

In the book of Genesis we read: Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch. Genesis 4:17 

First question is why does this matter where she came from?  Well if we believe in a literal translation of the Bible that the creation of the world happened just as the Book of Genesis' said, then we're faced with this question—where did this woman come from?   One idea is that there were "other" people living on the earth. But this is directly in conflict with scriptures like 1^st Corinthians 15:45 . . . So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being;" the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. Genesis 3:20 . . . And Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.

Genesis 5:4 says, After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters, so if we believe in a literal Genesis' (and I do); with the long lives led by the people of that day, it is quite possible that Cain married a sister, niece or grandniece.  Going further on with this thought process; McDowell says that in a conservative estimate that the population at the time could have been several million.  And from our Sunday school flannel boards we see Cain and Abel as young men, but hundreds of years could have passed.  

So the question is "Did they practice incest?"  According to the Law of Moses, isn't that scripturally forbidden!  First one of the commands that God gave to the earth was what? –"be fruitful and multiply," but this time is "pre-Moses." Also, McDowell says in his book, "Since Adam and Eve were created directly by God, and perfect, it can be presumed that their genes were perfect.  When sin entered the world at the time of the fall, bringing with it death, disease and destruction, the gene pool would gradually become corrupted.  Incest was prohibited in Moses' time, from a biological standpoint, because it now was dangerous and resulted in deformed or otherwise defected offspring.  At the initial formation of the family structure in Cain's day, it is difficult to presume what happened with intermarriage. Thus, we cannot be sure to what extent incest occurred.  One thing is certain: after God's ordained family structure stabilized, incest was sin.

I hope that answers the question that I was asked and I hope that you, the reader, will either agree or disagree! But don't just take it on my word, get your Bible out and read it!  Remember, we've got a few more weeks of this series, and if you have a question, please send an e-mail to mitch.caton@gmail.com.  

Have a great week, and bring someone to church Sunday . . . you could save their life!

 
 

Mitch

 
 

Day 8

Wow, I can't believe that this week is over I am so ready to be home and in my own bed! But also I'm not ready to leave here yet. I'm certainly not ready to sit on an airplane for 5 hours. My flight leaves San Diego at 12:35 PM and I get back to Norfolk at 11:30 PM. I guess to continue to stretch my faith, Scott said that the fastest way for us to get over the board is for me to walk! Actually what we are doing, because he travels to the States so much has a "sentry pass" meaning that he's been investigated by the government so he can pass quicker though the lines. So he'll drop me off at the walking line in Tijuana and I'll walk over the border then he'll pick me up. this should take about 1 to 2 hours depending on the wait. It actually sounds interesting and something I've never done before.
Let me share a little of my day, Thursday is "finish the house day" and that's what we did, we had finished the drywall mud yesterday and today we sanded it for about a hour, then moved to painting, hanging the door, trimming window and soforth . For lunch we had Pozole, which is a chicken soup with hominy corn and spices served with fresh made tortillas. After lunch we finished all the left over jobs, I made the sweetest table ever! It was square and level it was for them to use as a kitchen counter I guess. . .I'll post pictures later. And I might be taking orders for holidays!
My time is to write this is running out, I need to get to bed so I can get up. But let me just in this last post from Mexico share with you confirmation why this place (EOC) these people (the poorest of the poor) consume me. And for you NBCC people why I ask for you and your kids to take this adventure with me every year. Today as we gather to give the keys to this family, the mother said a few words but then Diego the local pastor who we were working with spoke for her. He said for 23 years this woman has been praying for a house . . . and today she has one. I'm not sure how or why but God allowed me to be part of an answered prayer. And I believe that God has answered my prayers and hopefully some of yours, God has taught me a lot and he's spiritually recharged me. I made a great new friend and reconnected with old ones. And maybe just maybe my Spanish got just a little bit better.
My plan is to blog again tomorrow night (or early Saturday morning) and post a ton of pictures so if you've been keeping up with me this week there is one more left!

Mitch

day 7

Well gang tomorrow should finish the house completely, Yadi and Chris did an amazing job on the roof! I'm not sure what I did today, but I'm sore from it! Not only did we get tons of work done, but it was really great to see the kids from Mechanicsville interacting with the kids. Even with a language barrier you can tell that the kids know that they are loved and that these Americans care about them. Really isn't that exactly what God has called us to do, love people no matter if they are in Mexico or you share a fence right in your own backyard. We are called to love!
Just some random interesting things I've learned today:
Sometimes, if your lucky... when a window falls out it doesn't break
Its only funny when someone else hits their finger with a hammer!
Nearly losing your balance on a ladder is scary ...
Turkeys are good at thanksgiving, but don't like to be chased!
There are bad tacos in Ensenada -(I learned this from Rob and Josh)
Gravity, a hammer, and the human skull aren't a good combination (I learned this from Yadi)
The middle finger has universal appeal (I learn this from one of the kids at the job site) !

Well that's all for tonight. . .I will say this . . I love my wife. . who has done some editing to my blog!

Mitch

Day 6

First let me just say. . .I am tired! It has been a super long day, but progress on the house is muy bueno, the team that I'm leading did a fantastic job working together. Tomorrow we'll be finishing the dry wall and shingling the roof, that only leaves paint and trim for Thursday.
When we arrived back at camp Pablano's (the best Taco shop in Ensenada) was here cooking for us, I had two "tacos de Scott", (inside joke!) they were loaded with avocado, beans, onions, cilantro cheese and salsa. The meat is cooked over an little grill heated by wood I might just have another one tonight!
Every evening we have chapel, I'll attach some pictures of the worship team, but let me tell you these two ladies can sing! Tonight Abram will be speaking, he'll be preaching in Spanish with the help of a translator, its funny, but I recognize about every 10th word. . but as I tried to remember what they mean he's moved on so its doesn't matter!. Abram works for YUGO, he's serving and coordinates the contact between YUGO and the local churches. Good stuff, God is really moving here. Yady showed me today where her father and his church ministers to the poor and the building they use.
Today I woke up at about 4:30 again, I was laying on my bed, well its not really a bed, its two mattresses stacked on the floor! Since I was awake, I grabbed my IPOD and started listening to some music, one of my current favorite songs came on, its titled "God of Justice" we've sang it at NBCC a few times, one of the lines that really kicks my butt is "keep us from just singing" my impression of that is ever changing, but today I feel that God is calling me to do more than just sing. . . I believe that God calls all Christians to do more than Sing on Sundays. . . so the question I'll ask myself before bed tonight is this. . am I doing more than just singing. . .and if anyone actually reads this. . .are you doing more than singing?

Keep praying for me. . because I'm praying for you anyway!
From the Taco stands of Mexico
Mitch

Day 5

Today the weather her was quite amazing, sort of cool to start but warmed up nicely. Started out early on our job site. The family lives in and area called "the migrant camp" it is south of the camp and Ensenada, the houses are way down in a valley surrounded by mountains. Most of us would love to have this view! The family we are building has about 13 members you can see the picture of where they currently are living. Progress on the house just a little above average which is all I'd hope for, the ceiling joists and the roof rafters are up, the big question will be making sure everything (dry wall & roofing material) lines up tomorrow.
I met a very impressive young lady today her name is Yady, her dad is the pastor of one of the churches that is doing work in the migrant camp. She speaks better English than I do! It was really intresting to talk to her about the news coverage of the unrest in Mexico. She talked about how it breaks her heart because it effect people coming to help those in need. Just to keep you informed I still feel totally safe here, as a matter of fact its almost 10:00 PM and I'm hoping for a quick taco run! Safety may be an issue for Rob and Josh the two guys who I'm sharing a VERY small room with!
Durning worship tonight a group of local college aged kids led, they were fantastic their energy and their love for God really showed through.
As for me, it was a long day! I did run a red light on the main road and Yady said I was going to draw attention to myself for stopping completely at the stop signs! But running the red light helps me look like an authentic Mexican driver and with my cool hat . . . .
Good night for now. . .enjoy the read. . .

Day 4

I can't believe Sunday is almost over, actually it isn't we still have chapel services tonight and who knows what else. Tonight was an amazing night, one of the things that the camp has started is the camp host the families that will have houses built for them so we can meet them and they can meet the people building their house. I'll attach a few photos here and on facebook for you to see. In a quiet few seconds that Scott (camp director), Rhonda (does everything else) and I sat in his office, Scott prayed and one of the things he said was so humbling, he said, "you can see in the faces dreams coming true" Think about that in just 4 short days 11 families will have their prayer for a house of their very own answered. God is really good! It's so humbling to know that God uses such imperfect people to do such an amazing thing.
So I'll ask you to continue to pray for me and I pray for you! Tomorrow is a big day when all the teams head out into the villages and the real work begins.
More to come. . .
Mitch

Day 3

First let me apologize for the misspelled words or incomplete sentences! The computer I'm working on isn't the greatest nor am I!
Saturday was a pretty uneventful day, sort of the calm before the storm, I got to spend a little time alone reading and praying. I'm asking myself what is God teaching me this week, I'm not totally sure I'm afraid it has to do with patience and trusting him. I think, I've said this but I'll be leading a house, my hope was that one of the Mexican nationals would be building right next door. But apparently Ricardo (okaye dokaye artichokie inside joke from last summer)will be in the same valley as me but not too close. He said, you'll do fine. So I guess in Roger Casey's words, "It's just wood" So I'm trusting God (and praying for a real builder on the team I lead) that's about it, I did post a picture of the camp pre-chaos just a simple look down the street.
Last thing for today, I want to thank the leadership of NBCC for allowing me to be here and I want to thank the staff,elders and everyone who are getting everything ready for the Easter Celebration.

Mitch

Day 2

Well today is day two of my adventure, the weather here is amazing a little cool last night but that made for amazing sleeping weather, that and being totally exhausted for being up for 20 some hours straight. I woke up at my typical 7:30 AM except it was really 3:30 here. When the U.S. moved daylight savings time last year Mexico didn’t which, means there is a 4 hour difference here but this weekend Mexico will “spring forward” which means I’ll lose an hour of sleep this Saturday night, so I’ve sprung forward twice!
Today was spent helping unload the vans and trucks of tools and leftover building materials then organizing them and reloading them for Monday. This week we’ll (I get to talk like staff!) be building 11 house, doing 2 Vacation bible schools, 1 sports ministry clinic as well as a distributing clothing.
For those reading this that have been to YUGO and Ensenada I did make my first run down to Poblano’s for Tacos!yummy yum!
Tomorrow looks like it will be filled with continuing to get ready for the 250 people that will be coming in Saturday and Sunday!

In Ensenada Mexico

This is going to start out confusing first of all right now its 3:20 PM in Ensenada, in San Diego its 4:20 PM in Virginia its 7:20 PM. My body is thinks it 7:20 (4:00 AM came really early, that’s VA time) needless to say I’m hungry but I did have a nice juicy in&out burger for lunch or breakfast or something. . . .
Anyway, my flights were good I lucked out and had empty seats next to me for both flights, apparently the fight from Norfolk to Houston took longer due to weather and when I arrived I had to rush two terminals over (via train) to get my next flight. . . that was due to leave in 15 minutes! I almost completely read the book by Jim Cymbala “you were made for more”
The drive down to Ensenada was excellent as far as any “safety concerns” I saw nothing out of the normal but I notice that we drove in the actual city of Tijuana for about 5 minutes and at about 110 kms (60 miles per hour) There we lots of other people driving around, lots of kids playing, one thing that was different it was green, were normally in the summer the fields are brown and dry, its actually spring here too! (duh) and everything is in green and lots of wildflowers (probably weeds) blooming.
We’ll that’s enough for today I think. . .maybe supper will happen soon! Or a run to the taco stand!
Check back tomorrow
Mitch

Heading out

My flight leaves Norfolk tomorrow morning at 5:45 which means I'll be there at 5:00 AM! Things are already "interesting" after almost 100,000 miles today my truck decides that the alternator needs to go out while I'm out on the church property. Thanks to good friends who (I hope) are taking care of it! Satan got a few blows in but I think I resisted the "oh, crap" moment pretty well! So I'm off not to sleep until 4:15 AM. Just a note, the news has been full of information regarding the situation in Mexico. I'll be visiting Ensenada Mexico and helping the guys down there build houses this coming week, if you are interested or a concerned parent check out the safety information at http://www.yugo.org/Safety2009.htm

God is Good

Mitch

Easter is almost here!

Easter is just around the corner! Yesterday the staff and I spent some time talking about what NBCC would be doing. I want to share these plans with you. First, you’ve probably heard that we are planning to rent a tent and have our worship service (10:00am) on the Battlefield property. Following the worship service we’ll be having “lunch on the grounds” (hopefully it will be lunch in your lap . . . on a plate!) The church will be providing the main dish and drinks. We are asking everyone to bring side dishes and desserts. After lunch our kids will be hunting eggs (1:00 PM).
That’s the “what” we will be doing now let me share with you the “why” I believe with all my heart that NBCC is an amazing church and our potential is limitless, because God is without limit. I believe that when people come and see what NBCC really is; “A place to love, and a place to be loved;” that we are a place where they can come in contact with people who love and serve God with their whole heart and are willing to love them. Easter is traditionally a time when people turn a little focus on “Godly things.” Many people will attend church out of some guilt or sense of duty. I think that if some of these people were to attend a service at NBCC and see what God really offers; love and a changed life, that their lives and our community can be impacted. That’s why we are choosing to spend the money and the effort to do this.
Now here’s the “how!” First, I’m asking you to pray. In the book of 1st Thessalonians 5:17 says “pray continually,” so I’m asking for you to pray continually for Easter. Pray for the weather, for me as I speak, for Steve and the worship team, for our teachers’. Pray that people will attend and that our invitation cards, signs and banners are seen and read. Pray that our people will come. After you pray the next thing is to “Do.” In the next few weeks we will be asking for people to help set-up, breakdown, decorate, hide eggs, move tables, chairs, and sound equipment, and direct parking to name a few! Last two things in the “how” to make this day amazing is “commit” to working, praying, and just being there! The last thing is “invite!” We will have invitation/information cards available to take and pass out to friends, family and strangers!
We have huge dreams for this day, but like I said earlier, we serve a huge God who created the universe by speaking it. I am confident that with His help this day will be amazing . . . are you in? Yes or no?

Mitch

Stunned . . .

This morning I was reading Christianity Today there was this quote:

"How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate someone to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?" Said by Penn Jillette, atheist comedian, magician, and filmmaker, recounting someone giving him a bible

This quote literally shook me normally when we think about NOT sharing our faith we make excuses about being afraid, or unable due to the lack of knowledge. Sometimes we cling to the "I don't want to force my view on others". But how true is Penn's statement if we aren't sharing the message of Christ we must really hate others. When I read this I was ashamed of my actions in my past Then I asked God not only to forgive me but like Paul's words to Timothy "God doesn't want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible". 2 Timothy 1:7 (the message) So the question is what will I do today with Jesus? Dumb huh?

I hope that if anyone reads this they'll be shaken just a little!

I want to be faster!

I watched at basketball game last night (UNC verse Clemson) I couldn't help notice one of the Carolina players, as you should know I'm a huge UNC fan. The guy I noticed was Bobby Frasor he doesn't score a lot of points nor really play a ton of time. . . but what I noticed that he was fast, when he came in the game his sole purpose was to guard the other teams "hot" scorer and that's what he did. I was so impressed by just his speed of coming around screens and defending their shooter when he didn't have the ball. I guess in sports terms he's what you'd call a "role player" he rarely gets his named called by the announcers there are other guys who get those accolades he's just a gritty guy who for the time that he's in the game running and dogging the others team player

I think that sometimes we all want the accolades of being "the man" but in true I think we need to be satisfied being a "role player" a guy that's going to get knocked around a little, not getting the praise they want or many even deserve but in the end there is great reward. . . .so today my plan is to play the "role" God has given me. . . and maybe I'll score a few points along the way.

Mitch