convivio 2014

Working together as one Body in Christ - this was the theme of our weekend. Ultimately, it was such a fitting theme, as we came together from many different churches, worked together, served together, and learned together about the Church of Christ, the Apostolic Christian Church body, and how we and our gifts and abilities fit into all of that.

We had a lot of extra people around, from churches in Magdalena, Barra Vieja, Morelia, Tecate, and San Jose, as well as several American brothers who are currently serving in World Relief, Mission Committee, or CVE Board positions and their wives. Many people stayed on campus, either at the Guest House, our house, Marshall & Jan's house, or in the school classrooms. Many others stayed with church families around town. We were blessed to host Endi & Alisha Ramirez and their two children, Juana and Timi. Endi and Alisha work at CVE, so they came from Magdalena. We loved getting to know them and Ivory thoroughly enjoyed having kids around to play with!

Overall, the weekend went wonderfully - the schedule was smooth, we ate very well, and were able to mostly stay clean, but even more importantly, people used their gifts, relationships were formed and renewed, and the church was edified. One of Grant's biggest responsibilities this weekend ended up being the water situation, but he also spent a lot of time on his originally-assigned task, which was transportation. My biggest responsibility was organizing a program and registration for Saturday, which, thanks to the help of others, ended up going very smoothly. I also helped take care of kids and helped with food some. All things considered, Ivory did a great job this weekend. She is becoming more and more ok with other people, which was so helpful when Grant and I were busy. Diane R. took care of her a lot, which we really appreciated! It is also nice to have our house so close to the church on weekends like this, because we could put her down for naps or for bed at night and then come back out and join the group. The weekend did wear her out, though. One evening I put her down for a nap at 5:30 p.m., thinking she'd wake up after about 45 minutes and be awake and eat for a while before going back down for the night. But, she never woke up - until 7:30 the next morning!

Everyone arrived on Thursday night. Friday was a Field Day up at the lot - it was a full day, but very enjoyable for all, with a kiddie pool, bags, volleyball, and soccer all happening simultaneously. And of course, lots of fellowshipping. Saturday was kind of like College Weekend, with speakers and break-out sessions. Our theme passages for the weekend were Romans 12 and Colossians 3:11. Saturday evening we had a singing and each church sang a special number. We also did a womens' song with the Ixtlan girls, which was fun. Sunday was a regular church day, followed by lunch all together. Then we came back in the evening and had a singing and Bro. Jose Cervantes shared some history about the churches in Tecate and Ixtlan and their connections. After that, everyone was invited to Gabriel & Adriana's for a bonfire and more singing.

A few pictures...

Working together to get ready for our company to come!

 Ivory enjoyed playing with Timi and Juana!

One of my favorite things about these two pictures is that three different churches are represented - people really enjoyed each others' company. 

Anywhere that is flat surface is a good place for coloring pictures!

Preparing meat for tacos - everything is bigger here! :)

 Singing with the guitar at Gabriel & Adriana's.

We enjoyed spending time with John and Bev Huber, and the other American couples that came. 

Betza and Ivory

It's hard to know how to conclude a post like this, because I could never put in writing or pictures the ways that we were all so blessed by this weekend. Thanks for your ongoing prayers for the growth of the Mexican church and the work of the Lord in peoples' hearts and lives.