Christmas in Mexico: Our Hosts

When you're going to another country with your family who has never been outside the United States before, there are lots of things you're unsure of.

Since I've been to other countries before, I kind of knew what to expect, but for my family it was a totally new experience.

I was not sure how my family would handle the possible difficulties we would face in Mexico. I didn't know about the food, the housing or our hosts.

I've worked at Nappanee Missionary Church for three years and so I've heard a lot about our partners in the Juarez, Mexico, area. Francisco and Rosa are pretty much household names for anyone who attends NMC regularly. I knew they were loved by the leadership at NMC but you never truly know somebody until you spend time with them.

When we landed in El Paso, we were greeted by Lucio (third from left), Rosita (second from left) and their baby girl, Ruby (middle). Rosita is Francisco and Rosa's daughter and Lucio is her husband. Lucio speaks very little English but Rosita is fluent in English and Spanish.

It was dark when we got to Texas so there wasn't much to see outside our van, but I listened intently as Rosita and our team leader, Jack Lengacher, caught each other up on things. I didn't realize I was doing it, but I learned a lot about what was going to happen while we were in Mexico simply by listening to that conversation.

When we got to the dorm that night, we were warmly greeted by Francisco (left) and Rosa (right) Ramirez, as well as their son, Ruben (aka Carter) and Othon, a church member. They quickly made us feel comfortable and like we were at home.

As our time in Mexico went on, we were able to spend lots of time with the Ramirez family (including Carter, Rosita, Lucio and Ruby) and got to know them pretty well. Every night after dark we got to play games together and with our hosts. Mexican Uno was the main game, but we also introduced some of our games.

One game that my wife, Katie, and Katie Lengacher introduced was Telephone Charades. It's a lot like regular Charades except that a team of four has to pass on the act to each other until the fourth person finally has to make a guess.


In the picture above, Carter and Francisco are doing their renditions of a rapper. Carter started, and did a great job, then Francisco had to copy Carter's act to Rosa. Something got mixed up in the transition and Rosa thought she was supposed to act like a dishwasher. It was hilarious and they eventually got it right.

While the game was a lot of fun, the best part of it was being able to laugh together and get more comfortable with each other. It created a lot of chemistry within our team, but also with our hosts.

One of the highlights of the trip, for me, was getting to know Carter. He speaks English and Spanish so he helped with a lot of translating. But he was also willing to share his story. On the first day, he took a few minutes to tell me about his life. His story is captivating and encouraging. I am so happy that he is taking steps to strengthen his relationship with Christ.

Also, Carter taught us a lot of phrases in Spanish, including what the Beck song Que Onda Guero? means.

One of the first things I did when I got home was to look up the blog Rosita keeps and find Rosa and Rosita on Facebook.

I don't feel like they are just people I know who happen to live in Mexico. In the words of Katie Lengacher, "I have family in Mexico."

Christmas in Mexico: The Children

Our main mission in Mexico was to pack and distribute food bags as well as Christmas gifts. What I like to think of as our secondary mission was to simply spend time with the people.

During our free time Sunday night we sat around in a circle and sort of debriefed. One of the observations made by several people was how much fun it was to spend time with the children in the neighborhood.


One of our first tasks was to make breakfast for the kids Saturday morning. We woke up to no electricity in the dorm, which wasn't that big of a deal. We just had to improvise (like Todd making sausage on the grill). Somewhere around 8 a.m. the kids from the neighborhood started rolling into the dorm. The table was soon filled and they started singing songs together. Then we got to bring each of them a plate of pancakes and sausage (see Katie and Brant serving above).

Following breakfast, we had some free time to get to know the kids a little bit. We learned a lot of names and played with them out in the street and at the park.


The park was made up of a huge baseball field (that's where David is playing soccer with some girls above), a basketball court and some playground equipment. There's dirt, glass and trash everywhere but it appears the people appreciate it because the paint applied by a NMC Student Impact team two years ago is still in good shape.

Whether it was football or soccer, the kids from the neighborhood couldn't get enough of just playing with us and our kids.


The streets were the main area where we interacted with the kids. Traffic was very light and the dirt roads made for a perfect playground. In the picture above you can see David playing with Kenya (and an empty Tecate can) in a sandy area near our dorm. For them it was just like a huge sandbox.



On Monday we prepared a dinner for many of the volunteers at the churches in the area. Part of the preparation was handmade placemats that you can see the girls working on above. They were so eager to help and do whatever they could just to be with us. It was really fun.

My kids have talked a lot about the kids they met in Mexico - especially Hanah. She really wants to go back next year so she can see her friend Alondra (the one farthest to the right in the picture above).

Christmas in Mexico: The Team

Our team was made up of 16 people from Nappanee Missionary Church and two from New Life Fellowship. We had only two meetings before leaving for Mexico and neither meeting included every member of the team. So, we needed to get to know each other on the fly. It turns out that wasn't a problem. We had good team chemistry the whole time. Everyone was flexible and willing to do whatever it took to accomplish our mission.

I was especially impacted by two members of the team:



Jack Lengacher, and his wife Shelly, were our team leaders. I knew Jack before this trip, but not well. He lives near us in the summers and I had worked with him on some projects at church, but that's about it.

During the process of getting ready for the trip, I was feeling pretty unsure about how our kids were going to handle everything. I was also concerned about how the adults on the team would feel about our two young children.

My concerns were put to rest before we even left the ground. Jack, one other member and my family had to leave on Thursday. The rest of the team didn't come until Friday - just one of the realities of traveling during the holidays. So, we arrived at O'Hare with plenty of time to spare before our flight. We had already eaten dinner and had about an hour before we could start boarding. We had packed the kids' backpacks full of stuff to keep them busy during times just like this and so they started spreading toys and coloring books all over the airport floor.

Then something happened that let me know my children were not going to be considered an annoyance by anybody: My son, David, asked Jack to color with him. Without hesitation, Jack got down on the floor and started coloring with David (see picture above). I'm sure for Jack it was no big deal, but for me it meant a great deal.

After spending four days in the same room at the dorm (and giving him the nickname Pastor Skunk) David felt very comfortable with Jack. He even spent much of the bus ride home from the airport on Jack's lap planning a sleepover next summer!

Beyond the way they welcomed us and our children, Jack and Shelly provided our entire team with great leadership. They made sure we knew what to expect, what the schedule was and what was expected of us. They led by example through cooking, cleaning, serving and never acting like any question was a bother. It was great to get to know them (and their daughter, Katie, who was also on the trip) better and know that we've got some new friends to hang out with next summer!




Brant Nine was the other team member who left with us on Friday. I knew who Brant was from going to Senior High Camp last summer and working with Sr. High this school year, but I didn't know him personally. Brant was the starting quarterback for NorthWood this past football season and it's easy to tell he's considered a leader among the students at our church.

That's what I knew about Brant before this trip.

It didn't take me long to learn that there's much more to this kid. Yes, he's a leader - without question. And, yes, he was his team's quarterback. But those two things don't define him, at least in my mind.

Here's what impacted me most about Brant: His love for other people - all people - and his willingness to endure uncomfortable situations and pain to achieve something great.

It didn't take our kids long to realize what an awesome guy Brant is either. They were quickly comfortable with him. There's another picture from the airport where my daughter, Hanah, is sharing a set of headphones with Brant while he plays the only kids' songs he has on his iPod. During our first day in Mexico, while we were waiting for the rest of the team to arrive, Brant went with my kids and me to the park and showed us around. He bought us bottles of Coke and spent time entertaining the kids.

Throughout the trip, it became clear to me that Brant is a very compassionate guy. He absolutely loves the people in Mexico, but he also loves the people he's with everyday at home. He wants the best for everyone and he doesn't mind sharing what's on his mind and in his heart - even when it causes him to be vulnerable.

I'm excited for Brant to finish out his senior year at NorthWood and then go on to Bethel College, where he's majoring in Elementary Education and minoring in Youth Ministry. Both of those fields seem perfect for him!

Mexico slideshow

Here's a slideshow of my photos from our trip to Mexico. In the coming days, I'm going to pull several of these photos out and share a story or something special about each one. Enjoy!