So far :)

So far many events have happened here in Marfa! It's amazing to think how far we've come from the first moments entering this small town until now. Days have flown by even though it feels as if we just go here. I have various favorite parts, but one moment that stood out in particular was when we started handing out surveys about Christianity. This was done in order to gather information about the community so we could figure out solutions on how to fix problems and also to figure out what's going on with Church involvement.
Well anyways, I walked into the only thrift store in town not sure if I would bump into anyone or what to expect. I went around the store and when I looked around, I saw a Rachel Ray 30 minute quick meal book. I heard on Food Network that it was a good show, so I decided why not go ahead and buy it.
As I was walking around, I noticed that one of the ladies working was filling out a survey for work already so as she was finishing I walked up to the counter and asked, "Do you mind if you fill out a survey for my youth group?" She said sure so we went to the back of the store. Much to my surprise the lady I asked was a strong believer in Christ. It was refreshing to talk about God and have a good conversation with her. She had previously lived in a big city and escaped here to Marfa.
I can understand exactly where she is coming from because sometimes I like to escape the hustle and bustle of living in San Antonio. Over here there is a nice, slow pace to the town. From my observations everyone takes their time and is relaxed; they actually take time to stop and "smell the roses" so to speak. It's something I have had more time for as well. Lately, this week I have been reflecting how wonderful it is to spend time with God and be still. Sometimes I make time for it back in San Antonio, but other times I don't. After this week, it shows me just how I definitely need to make God more of a priority in my life no matter how busy it gets.

It's a great, peaceful feeling to be in tune with God and see what He has planned for everyone here on the mission trip. Every day I'm not sure what will happen and the spontaneousness of it all is the so interesting...such a great adventure. Plus it's great to fellowship and grow in Christ together. I'm so happy that I was blessed with the chance to come to Marfa. All the things I have learned so far I hope to carry with me back to San Antonio. In short, I'm having a blast :).

--Beverly Gonzalez

Infiltrate

We are here. We are heading into our second full day in Marfa. We arrived on Sunday night just in time for church after we took a detour around the fires. It was the most beautiful detour I've ever taken. The skies are so clear and blue and huge.

Monday we arrived at the church and Ed and Blanca did a small orientation with us, they shared their heart to reach this community and their gratefulness for our being here to intentionally infiltrate into this community with the sole intention of getting to know these people and to love on them. Then a girl that had just started coming to the church brought her stepson to eat lunch with us. We enjoyed getting to know her and her little boy was lots of fun to play with. He kept telling April and I that he was a zombie but he was not a cute zombie.

In the afternoon we scraped glue off the cement floor from some tiles that had previously covered the floor. I was so proud of the kids, they did not complain and worked so hard on something that may seem like its not a big deal but Ed and his wife were so grateful. Then half of the group went to the laundromat/coffee shop to hang out and meet people. We went to the grocery store in Alpine and were shocked to see miles of burned pasture and then up on the hills we saw fires still burning.

Today we dropped off two groups of four students to get bikes and they will ride around the city and intentionally look for people to begin forming relationships with and then the other two groups will walk and do the same thing. It is a scary thing for some of these kids but we have prayed and are trusting that God will use this experience to teach us to lean on Him. Thank you all for your prayers and we continue to ask you to lift us up as we are stretched and taken way out of our comfort zones. May He be glorified!

[Hopefully we will be able to put up some pictures soon]

--Katie

The Fire on the Mountain

It wasn’t until I saw the fire on the mountain that I really started to get a feel for the situation happening in Marfa. It all of a sudden became real- something I could smell, something I could see. As we drove on 118 N toward Ft. Davis, our detour from Alpine into Marfa, we caught a glimpse of hurried firefighters, fatigued, needing rest, that were working diligently on putting out the fire. Those men are the heroes of this region, flying above in helicopters, responding to calls that put them at risk and throw them into the face of danger; putting the needs of the community above their own. Those men are to be honored. We can learn a lot from them.

We just finished our training with Ed and Blanca Jennings at Nueva Vida Baptist Church.

I heard about Marfa before. In fact, the first time I heard about Marfa was 5 years ago from a friend. Undoubtedly, the conversation centered around the infamous ‘Marfa Lights’. Recently, I heard about the need in Marfa. The need to reach the community was in the back of my mind, but never really something that had become real to me – until now. Demographics and personal stories made the situation more real.

There are people in Marfa - real people, with real stories, with real problems, passions and dreams just like me that need to encounter the life-giving love of Christ. There is a lot of work to be done here. The work is hard however not impossible. So pray. Pray for Ed and Blanca. Pray for our group.

Like the firefighters relentlessly extinguishing the flames, we too must work relentlessly to see the urgency in sharing the gospel. We must become vulnerable people that they can trust, putting the needs of the community above our own.

In other words, we need to be more like Jesus. Pray that this happens.

Emmanuel Caleb Roldan

Headed West

Dear praying friends,
Thank you for your interest in our students and this opportunity that we have to go to Marfa to work with Nueva Vida Baptist Church and the community of Marfa. We are blessed to have this opportunity to get to know some of the residents there and to invest in their lives for a week while sharing the love of Christ with them. Please continue praying for our students as they are preparing for the trip but also are bogged down in finals this week. We think that God has called a great group of kids to go and we look forward to what He has for us.
We leave on Sunday, May 7th and return the following Sunday. We will post throughout the week so you all know how to pray.

Katie