We Are Family!

 

We Are Family - Sister Sledge

We are family

I got all my sisters with me

We are family

Get up ev'rybody and sing

Ev'ryone can see we're together

As we walk on by

(FLY!) and we fly just like birds of a feather

I won't tell no lie

(ALL!) all of the people around us they say

Can they be that close

Just let me state for the record

We're giving love in a family dose

Living life is fun and we've just begun

To get our share of the world's delights

(HIGH!) high hopes we have for the future

And our goal's in sight

(WE!) no we don't get depressed

Here's what we call our golden rule

Have faith in you and the things you do

You won't go wrong

This is our family Jewel

Sung to the tune of the Gilligan's Island theme music:

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale

A tale of a mission trip

That started in ole Detroit

The morning of June 20th

The team was made of all sorts of saints

Their leaders brave and sure

Ready to minister to everyone

Any time, any place any where!

Any time, any place, anywhere!

Bam!

They started in San Cayetano

Moving dirt, cement, and sand

Then moved down the road to Pantanal

To give Pastor Lenon's church a hand

At Casa de Nino's with the kids

The women toiled and fared

To clean the rooms and repair broken stuff

They showed the kids they cared

They showed the kids they cared!

Bam!

Then off to San Blas the team did go

With expectations running high

Through heat, bugs, rain, and dangerous roads

 The bus did have to drive

Once in San Blas, we prepared ourselves

Through prayer and encouragements

To minister to God with all our might

 And then to the plaza we went

And to the plaza we went!

Bam!

The weather started getting rough

And the team felt really down

But Pastor Don shouted, "Get ready to go,

The ministry MUST go on!"

Into the downpour the team did go

Smiling and working hard through all the rain

They ministered to all in the plaza park

And clearly thought Pastor Don was insane!

They thought Pastor Don was insane!

Bam!

The next day brought them no relief

The sun was scalding hot

 They started dropping just like flies

From Mexico stomach rot!

The trip back to Tepic was even worse

With sickness taking its toll

They drove through a tropical hurricane

Hitting everything on the road!

Hitting everything on the road!

Bam!

On Sunday the team was at half strength

So what were they to do?

Remember, the ministry MUST go on!

But who's teaching Sunday School?

While at the church more problems came

Alma was the first to go

Then Bobby Guzman's stomach started to growl

LOOK OUT! He's gonna blow!

LOOK OUT! He's gonna blow!

Bam (Ech)!

On Monday things got even worse

Nine of us were all that were left

To minister in Los Blancos and some tiny town

Not even on a map!

The temperature was a million degrees

With all our water now gone

No toilet for a bathroom break 

Remember, the ministry MUST go on!

The ministry must go on!

Bam!

We finished Monday tired and worn

So back to the camp we went

Tired from long hot day

And all our strength now spent

The trip was finally over now

All that remained to do was to go home

We thanked the Lord for all he did

Recognizing he's still on the throne

He's still on the throne!

Bam!

I tell this tale in poetic form

The truth has been stretched a bit

To make you laugh and think about

Joining us on our next mission trip

So if the Lord lays on your heart

To join us in Tepic

Make sure you hydrate really well

Two weeks before the trip!

Two weeks before the trip!

Bam!

The team thanks you for all your support

Through your prayers and offerings

The seed we laid will bring a harvest

Of praise to our Lord and King!

Our mission trip to Tepic, Mexico was once again very successful and fulfilling with stories of God's amazing work too numerous to be told! Please read all the team members blogs for first-hand accounts of our adventures, challenges, and victories!

I am once again indebted to many people who helped make this trip the success it was. 

• Thank you to Candace Hodge and Wes Fritz who scouted out the land one week prior to our arrival and had all our supplies ready for the team's arrival and ministry.
• Thank you to Sarah Callahan for all your research, patience, and insight in preparing the logistics for the team's travel.
• Thank you to Pastor John for your continued support, financial assistance, and patience with me in the midst of this year's preparation. 
• Thank you to Carol Russell and Mark Hogan whose assistance with leading the team allowed me to address other matters while in Mexico.
• Thank you to ALL the team members who went this year. I will NEVER forget your enthusiasm, your dedication to the Lord, and your ministry in behalf of his glory! I can never thank you enough or with words that would really reflect how much I appreciate your sacrifice and  dedication.
• Finally, I want to thank ALL the Downriver Christian Community Church family and friends whose prayers, words of encouragement, and generosity in financial support helped make this trip the success it was. May God richly bless everyone and return back to you a hundredfold increase!

I think the highlight for me this year were the daily devotionals that each team member gave. I was utterly amazed at the preparation and insight each team member had with applying the scripture to our daily situations and at the seriousness in which each member presented their devotion to the rest of us. The following is a list of each member's devotional topic. PLEASE ask them about the devotionals - you will really be surprised at the depth of understanding and insight their teachings brought forth!    

Team Members and their Devotional Topics:

Mark Hogan: Preparation

Ashley Haring: Prepared for Good Works

Kim Mott: Psalm 150

Candace Browning: Work

Cynthia DeLeon: Inadequacy

Candace Hodge: From the Pit to the Mountain

Renee DeMaggio: The Master Craftsman

Barb Kanalos: Left out, Relax and Let Go, Holy Spirit

Toni Bugeja: The Love Letter

Wes Fritz: Being a Servant

Samii Ismail: David and Goliath

Ed Lindlbauer: From the Valley to the Mountain Top

Mayra DeLeon: Included and Developed Friends

Bobby Ramirez: True Worship!

Tyler Mott: Perseverance, Stand in the Gap, Strong Leadership!

Josh O'Rourke: Beautiful Feet!

Miguel Peguero: Building Strong Relationships with Each Other, Iron Sharpening Iron!

Alma Villarreal: The Hurricane!

Codey Haring: The Road to Persevering!

Bobby Guzman: Take the Land!

Jacob Walls: God's Will and Plan is the Best Will and Plan Cause God's an Awesome Man

Mark Hogan: The End 

Stay Holy, My Friends!

Pastor Don