107 - Welcome to the Sparta Advent Christian Church

Today was a very early start for about half us since we decided to go down to the beach and watch the sun come up. The results of that you will see below.

Then it was time to make sure the compound was cleaned up, our projects finished, and that we are packed and ready to go.

Tomorrow morning we leave the comfortable confines of 99+1 and head across the peninsula for morning worship with our Advent Christian brothers in Ensenada, a visit at the Advent Christian Mission and Seminary at Tecate, and then head north for evening worship at the Advent Christian Church in Tijuana. After this it is on to San Diego where we will spend two nights in the youth center of the Advent Christian Church there.

So today's page will be the last one for a couple days until we get back to central Ohio.

Until then we invite your prayer for safe travel and especially for each and every person reading this to prayerfully consider what specifically God has planned for you in the mission field. Whether it is a complete change of zip code and latitude, to short-term missions like this with 99+1 or another suitable sponsor, or if it is prayerfully and financially sending a missionary, we need to seek God's will for each of us. Jesus left us with this charge as the Great Commission - not as a "need to" but as a command to bring the Gospel to all nations and tongues. This can only be done through the Church's function in missions.

Felicia buried in the sand, but her mouth kept runnning.

Sunrise over the Sea of Cortez

Johnathan waiting for the tide to come back in.

None other than a great and glorious God could paint a picture such as this.

How is this for the most hillbilly looking computer operator you have ever seen? Pastor Terry doing his small part of updating the website.

Sitting around bossing these people all week can sure enough make a girl tired. Yup, you guessed it -- Jan not only sitting but napping.

Pastor Octavio and his wife Betty

Pastor Octavio, his wife Betty and his daughters invited us into his home this afternoon for a wonderful lunch of carne asada tacos with the freshest ingredients, Spanish rice, beans, and a drink that was totally new to us called Jamica. Jamica is the flower petals of a local cactus that is boiled down and then has a little sweeter added to it. It is supposed to be the Baja equivalent to cranberry juice for cleaning out your system. Whatever else it does it made enough of an impression on us we stopped at the local store to get enough to take home.

Pastor Octavio's family was very gracious for inviting us into their home and providing such a great meal. Of course Pastor Rob and Jan presented them with a tapestry and some Spanish language Bibles as our thanks to him for the meal and for conducting the VBS while we are down here. Pastor Octavio and Betty are just further proof that God's love transcends culture and language. We are blessed to have met these people and hope we can continue to bless their ministry.