Kids Chile Trip 2017

I wanted to say THANKS for all the prayers and financial support for the Kids Chile Team. Your prayers and support made a difference! The trip was amazing! This is my 4th trip to Chile. The kids (9 boys and 9 girls) and leaders (3 women and 5 men) will never forget this trip and the experiences. The 8 days in Chile were packed with ministry opportunities as we supported the churches and schools that are all a part of IAM (Ibero-America Ministires). Here is a link to the ministry - http://www.iamweb.org/. We were also able to make new relationships and continue the deep friendships with the Chileans. We have been bringing kids teams to Chile for the past 18 years. I’ve put together this picture blog to give you a quick snap shot of the trip. Thanks again!!!
Alex or Alejandro
“ ‘Go, therefore, and MAKE DISCIPLES of ALL NATIONS, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” 
Matthew‬ ‭28:19-20‬

Bus and Walk - Throughout the week, we traveled as a team in this bus.
We also walked a lot!!! (averaged 4 miles a day!) In Chile, a lot of people walk to work and school each day.

Worshiping with Our Brothers & Sisters in Christ - Our team had an opportunity to worship with the Chileans at Oriente Church on two different Sundays. This was the 1st year I was able to understand most of the worship songs
and the sermons! What a joy to worship with fellow believers in another language. 

Serving Side by Side - Throughout the week, we had a handful of Chilean Youth and IAM (Ibero-American Ministries) Interns. They were a huge blessing to serve alongside. Our kids built some great relationships with them!

Outreach in a Preschool - While serving at House of Hope (ministry to kids living in difficult situations), a local preschool allowed us to come in and do a service (song, drama, teaching) and play with the kids. Pastor David told us that some of these kids had probably never heard the Gospel before! Praise God for this opportunity and the seeds that were planted. 

Futbol in the Park - We participated in a Futbol (AKA soccer) Clinic/Training that happens every Tuesday and Thursday. This is a strategic outreach for Pastor Herman and Carmen-Gloria at La Farfana Church. Before each training, they pray with the kids! Later in the week, some of these kids would visit the church.  

Building Relationships - A major value of the trip is our kids building relationships with the Chilean kids. Here are some of our kids out at recess with the Chilean kids at Oriente School. Look at how much fun they are having!

Outreach in the Plaza - The Chileans and Gringos dressing up as clowns to bring in the kids and be a part of the service. The kids in the community loved seeing the clowns!

Visiting Classes - After performing a song and a drama a the schools, we were allowed to come into the classes and do a craft with the kids. This was lot of fun getting to know the kids in the classes and laughing together!

"Levantate" Drama - The kids performed this drama 9x over the span of 8 days in Chile. They did it in churches, schools, and plazas (parks). They did an awesome job. "Levantate" means "get up." This is referring to Jesus rising from the dead. 

Touring Santiago - We spent part of a day touring the capital city of Santiago. We loved learning more about the culture and the people of Chile. 

From the Park to the Church - We did an outreach at La Farfana Church. The Chilean kids from the futbol clinic were invited to the church to play games and enjoy some food. These were the same kids we played futbol with during the week. Love seeing these kids getting connected to the church!

Outreach at Oriente Church - The church did a big party/outreach at the church with inflatables, clowns and other fun games. What a blessing to be a part of and to see people in the community get connected to the church. 

Host Family - One of the highlights for our kids is staying with a family from Oriente Church. Each family group consists of 3 students and 1 leader. This is a picture of the boys in my group and the host family we stayed with - Marcello, Ninoska (not pictured), and Sebastian (son). We also bring a small gifts to say "Thank You." Sebastian loved getting the kit-kats. 

I can't let the kids have all the fun! 

India Trip 2016

For the last 5 or 6 years, God has laid it on my heart to travel to India. I was praying and asking God when the right time would be. God opened the door for this trip and we left on February 2, 2016 for 2 weeks in India.

To say this trip was great would be an understatement. There is so much that I have learned about God and His work around the world that it will take months for me to process it all. But, while it is fresh in my mind, I wanted to share some of the highlights of our trip through pictures. Enjoy!

Time with a Friend - He left for India in the middle of January for 6 months to help in a physical therapy clinic for young children and to learn about the culture of India. Needless to say, we were excited to spend almost a week with him. When we saw Daniel, he had only been in India for 3 weeks. He is a good friend who has an amazing heart for the Lord and others! Keep him in your thoughts and prayers. 

More Chai Please - A couple times a day we would enjoy a delicious cup of chai (sometimes up to 5 times!). It's so tasty! We also spent a ton of time in worship, prayer, and reading/discussing/proclaiming God's Word. This was such a sweet time that I will never forget. I did bring some a chai mix home so I can keep enjoying India.  

Mosque in Ahmadabad - The first half of our trip was spent in the western city of Ahmadabad. This was a Mosque we visited a couple days into the trip. Every time we entered a Mosque, we always spent time prayer walking and asking our Father for opportunities and openings for conversations. When we didn't know what to say, we would sing worship songs.

Country of Color - India is a country full of beautiful and vibrant colors. They are known for colorful clothes, spices, and much more! This picture was taken at an a market. I had to bring some of the spices home. Looking forward to cooking with them.

My First Drive and Passenger - That's right...I got to drive an auto rickshaw for about 100 meters. It's harder than it looks but a ton of fun. This is the most popular way that people get around the city if they don't have a car. These were everywhere. Also, India is a city of sounds including the "horn." People honk their horns just to say, "I'm coming through." 

Time to Teach - I received an opportunity to teach a group of college students. This was one of the highlights of the trip. The students were so gracious to me. So thankful for the opportunity God opened up!

Our Team - We had an amazing group and had a lot of fun together! The people we stayed with were very gracious, encouraging, and inspiring to us as a team. Each person we were able to meet and interact with on this trip was gift from God. 

Visit to the Taj Mahal - We managed to get to the Taj before sunrise. What a sight! But as we walked around the beautiful man-made structure, I couldn't help but think that this will pale in comparison to heaven - a place where the streets are paved with gold and the gates are made of pearl.

My New Ride - That's right, I got to ride this beauty for about $1.50 in Delhi at a "fair." Not bad! It was a lot of fun and I kept imagining myself out in the sands of the Sahara.

Relationships are a Blessing - Throughout the trip, it was the people that we met and spent time with that we're the greatest gift from God to our team. For example, this is my friend. He kept telling us that he will never forget the four days we got to spend together. I hope one day we will get to see him again, but I know we will be praying for him.

Delicious Food - A trip to India would not be complete without trying some of the amazing and oftentimes spicy food. Our favorite was the butter chicken masala with rice and naan (a bread). So good! I'm already planning to take my Steph and Xander out for Indian sooner than later and start making weekly trips to the YMCA (gotta burn off those delicious carbs). 

This is just the tip of the iceberg. But, I pray it gives you a little glimpse into our trip. THANK YOU for your prayers! We knew that we were being covered in prayer every step of the trip. Prayer is a very very powerful weapon! Keep praying for India. Keep praying for the un-reachead. Keep praying for God's people in the United States and around the world!

Blessed to be a blessing to the Nations! 

In Him, 

Alex 

Kids Chile Trip 2015

I wanted to say THANKS for all of the prayers and support for the Kids Chile Team trip. The trip was amazing! For me, it was a reminder of my personal passion to support and provide outreach experiences for the next generation both locally and around the world. Maybe some of these students will be missionaries one day? Only God knows! All I know is that God is going to use them to tell others about Jesus wherever they go.  I wanted to show you the highlights of the trip through 13 pictures and short captions. I hope you enjoy!

Alex

“Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.”
1 Chronicles 16:24

DAILY TEAM MEETINGS
Every morning Pastor Larry led a team meeting in which he would share about the details of the day. Then, he would share about a missionary and some lessons we could learn from their experiences. This meeting helped us focus and prepare for what God had in store for the day. 

SUNDAY SERVICE @ ORIENTE
We were able to attend two Sunday Services at Oriente Church. What a great time to worship with our Chilean brothers and sisters in Christ. Our students sang along in Spanish as much as they could and then went to a Sunday School class.

INVITATIONS TO THE OUTREACH
Two times during the trip we went into the local communities with the Chilean youth to invite people (kids and adults) to the outreach happening that evening.  One person from the group would yell "HEY OH" until someone came out. People were very friendly and kind to us. 

OUTREACH IN THE PLAZA
This was one of the three outreaches we were a part of in the plazas (parks). Our students were a part of the program (games, puppets, 5 color Gospel presentation) led by the Chilean youth. The Chilean youth were using this as their training for their outreach trip to Ecuador in 2016! What a great partnership!!!  

SERVICE PROJECT
There were several service projects our students helped out with on the trip. In this picture. some of our boys were chipping away at pieces of the mural at the Oriente School / Church so that it could be updated. It was hard work, but they had great attitudes and big smiles! 

ENJOYING DINNER WITH OUR HOST FAMILY
Each family group (1 adult leader and 3-4 students) stayed with a host family. Being able to stay with a host family is always one of the highlights for our students. This is my family group and our host family! Every evening we gathered around the table to eat a late night meal, practice our Spanish, and laugh a lot together! The boys really connected with Leti's two sons, Andres and Tomas.
(picture left to right)
Andres (age 15 - host brother), Me, Gage (12), James (12), Matt (12), Jackson (11), Leticia (host mom), Tomas (11 - host brother)

PROGRAM IN SCHOOLS
We did our program at various locations (San Luis School, Oriente School, School near House of Hope) about seven different times. The program included the students introducing themselves in Spanish, an upbeat Spanish song (see above picture), a drama ("Praise You in the Storm), the five color Gospel presentation from Pastor Larry, and a craft in the classrooms. The students did an awesome job! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMAS!
This is our host brother, Tomas. He turns 12 on December 26. He bonded a lot with our boys (who are close in age), so he told his mom that he wanted to celebrate his birthday early while the "gringos" were at his house. We threw him a surprise birthday party with some gifts, and he could not believe it! This picture captures some of his excitement! 

SERVING THE COMMUNITY
One of the churches, La Farfana, started a new outreach in this plaza three weeks prior to our arrival. The church asked us to paint the fence around the soccer field to cover some of the graffiti and wear. As we were painting, a man came up from the community and asked us what we were doing.  When we explained we were from La Farfana church and wanted to help improve the community, he was surprised. He had not seen something like that in his community. As we finished talking, he told me that he planned on visiting the church. I'm praying he gets connected to the La Farfana!

SOCCER, SOCCER & MORE SOCCER
After painting the fence around the soccer court, we had the opportunity to play in a mini-tournament. Our students were on six different teams playing with Chilean kids and students. The students were from the community and most were not Christians. This was great time of bonding. We had so much fun playing together! Our team, Azul (blue in Spanish), ended up winning the tournament. We were pretty excited! 

SERVING AT EL MONTE CHURCH
For over ten years, we have been going to this church and serving in whatever ways they need. One of the projects we do each year is varnishing the outside of the church which is built of wood. This protects the building so it will last longer. Going to and serving at El Monte was one of the highlights for many of our students. 

GOOFY FAMILY PICTURE
Let's just say we had a lot of fun with our host family! #selfiestick

NICE FAMILY PICTURE
This is our family group and host family not being goofy!