TECATE Day 4, Morning.

Everyone is in good spirits are we get ready for our third day of being with our families, working on the house, and our second day of VBS. We had a great evening session again last night where we shared God sightings, worship and reflected on God’s word together.

Last night in the session we thought about what it means to be God’s name bearers.


Mistaken identity is a big problem and can really get you in trouble... In the same way, many people who are looking for God, mistakenly think that all people who call themselves Christian’s are acting on HIS behalf. They bear HIS name
(“CHRISTian”...) so they must be acting in the way that he wants them too... like the pop-star who thanks Jesus for giving his album, full of songs about sex, murder, drugs and gangs, a grammy, many Christians need to think about whether it really is God who they are serving with their lives... The way they live is really given people of case of mistaken identity about God..

As we talked about this, we reflected on how awesome it is that God trusts us so much. He trusts us to be the ones who will make his reputation for him in the eyes of the world. People will discover who God is by what we do.

In Mexico building houses the application of this truth is easy... we are helping people here see that God is their provider and that he cares for them and all of their problems...

It is much harder to do at home... but even more important.

We talked a lot about how all of life is a mission trip, where God has sent us into the world to show people who he is by how we live.

AMAZING how much faith he has in us.

Please pray that we would bear his name well today!

COLOSSIANS 3:17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

(All 736 pictures from yesterday are now online... check them out by clicking here)

TECATE day 3: Starting VBS and continuing to build the houses

Day three went awesome, thanks in part to your prayers.

We have continued to build relationships with the families that we are building houses for. They are the highlight of the trip as we learn about their situation, their hopes, their children, their struggles. It is so awesome to be the hand of God’s provision in this way, but to be learning so much about him from the people at the same time.

In the afternoon we gathered some of our students and many of the children from the neighborhoods we are building in and set off to start VBS. It was so cool to watch students arrive riding in the backs of pickups as the all gathered at Nuevo Creation Church for an afternoon of games, singing, testimonies, crafts, snacks, and an all in all great time. Two of our students, Maddie and Maggie shared their stories with the children, and Dean S. translated for them. Becka and Taylor led them in some songs, and the rest of the students filled in the gaps!

It was awesome to watch.

The students are doing great. They are cooperative and have servants hearts. It is cool to watch them serve even though they are hot and tired. You would be really proud of them.

At the same time, please continue to pray for our team’s unity, especially among the leaders. Leading a group together is tough and requires intense levels of mutual submission and grace. While we are doing great, the hot weather and close proximity, as well as different leadership styles can always be a struggle as the week rolls on... Please pray we would be able to model humility and unity to our students as we work together to help them build a house.

Thanks so much for your prayers and support!

(I am in the process of uploading over 700 pictures from today... keep checking for pictures here:)

Tecate 08: Morning day three.

We had a great time last night meeting as a group, worship God, and learning from his word. Today, we will be starting our VBS program, continuing to build our houses and trying to stay hydrated in all the heat. Please pray for these things for us. I will try to post about our day at some point tonight, however, I have been having computer and internet issues, and I am not sure I will be able to keep updating the blog and flickr sight as regularly.

Thanks for your prayers!

(Check out all 355 of yesterdays pictures here:)

Summer Nexus: Service Night & Penny Wars

While our friends are serving the people of Tecate, Mexico, we have the opportunity to serve the people of Uganda through the organization Invisible Children at Nexus this week!  Come join us at our usual time and place (6:45, outside the gym) to learn more about the Invisible Children of Africa from a special guest speaker.  Or, if you can't wait, check out the Invisible Children website.  

Also, tomorrow night is our last night for Round 1 of the Summer Nexus Penny Wars.  All the donations for Round 1 will be going to Invisible Children.  So far, we've raised $117.98.  Current scores are:

6th Grade: +38

7th Grade: -689

8th Grade: -332

And dead last, Leaders: -759

Bring in your pennies, $5's and $20's to support your own team, and your silver coins and $1's and $10's to knock out the other teams!

Next week, we'll start with Round 2 to benefit the Milwaukee Rescue Mission.  Details later!

TECATE day 2: Meeting the families and starting the work.

Our first day on the worksites if over, and it went great. I was personally only able to spend time at three of the sites, but I have heard good reports from all of them...

On the first day, perhaps the most important thing is to establish a good relationship with the family and their neighbors. This is important both so they trust us to take their kids to VBS, and because this trip is more than simply charity. The relationship with the family and community is one of the the main sources of blessing for us on this trip. We can learn much from them about God, and about life and values. I am always amazed at how they seem to have so little, and yet have so much time for each other. Their pockets may be empty, but their lives are full and rich.

Our groups had a great time meeting our new friends today. One of the young guys showed me a snake he had caught in a bottle. All of the young children were following him around amazed wanting him to pull the snake out so they could touch it. Another family had a young girl, who drew a hopscotch court in the dust and then played with two of our students. Their are many more stories to tell, and hopefully I can add some later.


Also our construction is off to a great start. One group already has three walls up and painted, while others are still making progress, even if a little slower. All of the students are doing great though, learning to paint, and hammer nails, and they are building a house. Its an amazing thought, that 60 some students from middle school will impact Tecate in such a major way... they will leave 5 houses behind for families that did not have them before.

Thanks for your prayers, and please check out the pictures from the first two days here!

Travel & Arrival. (Tecate Mexico 2008)

Our trip started off great. We had a direct flight to San Diego with very little turbulence, and some yummy inflight service (I had coffee, diet coke, and some generic cookies, in case you wondered). If you have never flown with 60+ middle school students, I highly recommend it. It is somewhat humorous to watch them deal with the boredom of flying... It is also funny to watch the other passengers deal with 60+ middle schoolers dealing with a 4 hour flight... fun stuff

Once we landed, all of our luggage showed up perfectly, which is a small miracle. Then we jumped on 2 charter busses, and after a brief stop for a very healthy lunch (McDonald's) we headed for the border. Interestingly it is easier to get out of the US than it is to get back in. We crossed with no problems at the Tijuana crossing, and then headed for Tecate.

Our bus drivers got a little lost, but still about an hour later we arrived, unpacked and got settles. It felt like about 100 when we got off the bus. Our kids were soon in the pool, and dinner and evening session all went great. As leaders we spent some time ironing out all of the things that surprise you on a mission trip when you actually get their. As US citizens we think we can plan everything, but it seems like trips like these remind us that even the best plans are always just one surprise away from needed to be adapted on the fly. It is cool to see how the Holy Spirit helps us to make good decisions as we are more aware of our need to trust in him for guidance.

This morning we are going to head to our worksites, and meet our families. Please pray for us as we try to establish relationships with our Families and as we try to do some local marketing for our Vacation Bible School that starts tomorrow. Please also pray that God blesses our team with unity and a common focus. We all want to meet God in a new way as we serve him!

I will try to post everyday, so watch for updates!

(click here for more pictures)

Invasion Summer CAMP WAS AWESOME!!!

Hey friends,

sorry for the blogging drought... I just have been all over for the last few weeks and unable to write much... When I get back from Mexico on the 12th, I intend to make it up to you... I am thinking about doing a post a day for the rest of the summer at that point... but we will see...


About Invasion... it was awesome... I am hoping to post all the pictures and videos tomorrow before I go to mexico, but it depends on how much time I have between that and packing.

Hope you are having a great summer...

PS... summer nexus has been awesome this summer... we are experiencing record summer attendance, and students have been having a great time! Hope you can make it out tuesday, July 8th!

Movie Time!!! HERO: the story of Middle School students changing the world...

Deep in the suburban sprawl Wimpy Wimperson had a very large problem.  A mutant 8th  grade giant who Bullies him everyday.  Much too small to resolve the situation himself, Wimpy endured his large problem alone.  Why wouldn't anyone help him?


Hero is a feature length movie that is being produced by the Mosaic Middle School Ministry (a part of Elmbrook Church).  Through the eyes of actual Christian students caught up in the everyday life of Middle school.   The movie will explore themes of peer pressure, bullying, popularity, gossip, justice, and what in the world it means to follow Christ in middle school.

Here is what you need to know if you want to be involved!

There will be an informational meeting Tuesday (June 10th) night @ 6:00 for all who are involved and desire more info. (This is recommended for all participants, but not required. At this meeting we will have copies of the final script available for people who want to see them, and we will answer any questions that parents or students involved may have. We will also spend a little time praying for our efforts.)


1. Please be at West Suburban Middle School from 8am – 6pm June 16 – 18. If you are only able to be there for some of the time, please notify us immediately so we can plan accordingly.

2. Bring something to do with you, as there will be some downtime between shots as well as some shots that do not require all of the cast. Feel free to bring cell phones, iPods, games, etc.

3. We will provide lunch, but if you want lots of candy and other snacks, you might want to bring your own stash.

4. Also, please bring with you two outfits. The movie covers a 24 hour period of time that will require each cast member to have a “Monday” / “Tuesday” outfit... These outfits should be just whatever you would normally wear to school... It might be helpful to bring a few extra options the first day just in case we want to modify your look a bit. Also, it will be really important that you accurately remember your two outfits, so they are consistent throughout the days of shooting. Often shots are out of sequence from real time so that you may have to change back and forth a few times each day.

5. BRING your backpack, and some folders / books to make it look authentic.

6. You must fill out a HERO release form to participate.

7. YOU MUST NOTIFY JNG immediately if you have not already told us you are participating!

SUMMER NEXUS!!!

Hey everyone, don't forget that we are meeting every tuesday this summer to party like rock stars!

See you tuesday!


Nexus in the summer is a chill time of hanging with friends, learning about God, and playing in the sun on the new Grassy goodness at Elmbrook Church.

6:30ish - 8:35 every tuesday!

Invasion 08: Not to late to sign up!

Hey friends... just in case you have not had the opportunity to do so yet... You can still register for Invasion, or super fun summer camp!

Learn more about it here:


Download a registration form here: