Barnabas and Black Widows

So I met a couple who I can honestly say are two of the most inspirational people that I've ever met. The are called Barnabas and Cotty, and have three kids.

On thursday we took a team up into the colonias (the area in the hills around Ensenada). The roads are dust, the housing is questionable and the view is incredible! We were going to help at a project that feeds kids in the colonia, a kind of informal afterschool programme. Barnabas and Cotty have been running this project for several years. Every weekday about 20-35 kids decend on their house and the breezeblock shed they have built out back (No roof, just a tarp). They play with them, engage them and feed them - every day! At the weekend they drive 4 hours to Mexicali to help in their friends childrens home, as well as volunteering in Ensenada in a children's home and women's rehab centre.

But here's the crazy thing - they don't get paid a penny! Barnabas felt God ask him to quit his job a few years ago, so he did. They live by faith. Barnabas said that his job was pretty good, but only just put enough food on the table for his family - and sometimes not. He said that since he quit his job, he's always had enough to feed his family and 35 extra!!! They have little support, no recognition, but the most loving and humble hearts I think I've ever encountered.

While we were there we were moving a heap of rocks, as they are hoping to extend the breezeblock playroom. We quickly realized that these rock's were home to not one but many Black Widow spiders. That was freaky! It added a bit of spice to the activity though!

Love you all, peace

Tim, Ruth and Zeke

Boats, Bahio, Books and Building

So it feels like we pack a lot into a day here, and still we barely make it past 10pm without falling asleep! Our week has been pretty packed, with lectures starting in earnest. This week we were learning about the father heart of God. It has been striking how much of our faith is head knowledge rather than a deep rooted belief. I could give you a good answer, probably theologically sound, and not really believe it. This week has challenged a lot of those thoughts in me (Tim). The guy running the training sessions paid for us all to go on a boat ride around Ensenada seafront/port. It was beautiful - there is a good sea lion population in the port, and a pile of pelicans. Also 'the black pearl', as in the ship from Pirates of the Carribean is in Ensenada dock!

So it was my (Ruth) turn to go to Bahio (the red light area) this week - it was amazing. It felt so right to be there. At first it was a bit daunting as there were alot of older drunk guys who I didnt feel comfortable to approch, but I manged to find some beautiful ladies to talk with and Ama was great at translating as always!! One of the ladies had a 8mth baby with here who was really adorable and she could speak some english so we chatted for ages. I am hoping to see her next Friday to chat more and take some stuff for her baby - It really felt like the perfect place for me to be at that moment!!

While Ruth was out I (Tim again) put Zeke to bed and set about reading the next book that we have set for our course. It's called 'Blue Like Jazz'. I'm seven chapters in and it is potentially the best book I've ever read. You should all read it!

Today was more excitement as all of us went to help the homes of hope team on a house build. They build houses for families in need; today we were building for the Lopez family - a couple and 4 kids. The house is a wooden pre-fab structure and they put it up, decorate and kit it out in 2 days. It was a little crazy being on a building site with a 2 year old, though Zeke did pretty well at painting the walls, less well with a hammer, and by the end of the day was zinged up on sugar from a lolly that someone had given him. Tim was painting and hammering on drywall and skirting boards and Ruth was helping host the team (a company who had travelled from Indianapolis for the build.) It was an honour and pleasure to help with the build, and there were many tears from all parties when the keys were handed over. The family had been living in a house cobbled together from pieces of wood and corrugated iron, most of the roof was made of fabric etc. As the house was officially handed over, filled with presents for the kids, new beds, a cooker and some furniture, it did feel like handing over more than just a house but some hope for the future as well. It was a beautiful time. Homes of Hope has built well over 2000 homes to date and in this weekend alone another 7 have gone up. I'm sure you'll here more about it from us!

Anyway, adios, we love you all

Tim, Ruth and Zeke

Everyone has arrived!!

hey....well everyone arrived on Saturday and on Sunday we had a fiesta it was amazing with a live Mexican mariachi band (video coming soon!) and pinatas!!! We have met some really lovely people - the other couple are from Texas and they are great!! and the other family are really nice too and they have 4 sweet girls.

Zeke is enjoying his time with Ama which is an answer to prayer - however Ama has been feeling a little sick and has also been bitten alot so she is super itchy - so please keep praying for her because she is blessing us sooooo much!!

At the moment we feel like God is reminding us why we are here and we are remembering all the amazing things He did to confirm this was the right step as our minds have been a little clouded by tiredness and culture shock! - we are really excited to see what happens next.

We love and miss you all lots the powells!!!!!

So we're slowly getting over our jet lag! Body clocks are still a few hours out. Ensenada is a really lovely place to be. It's generally always warm, the people are great and the food is awesome.

Food of the day is most definitely fish tacos (tacos pascada) from a little place in the middle of town. They are amazing - like battered fish, cabbage, salsa and sauce in a small tortilla. So so so tasty!!! Also a rice milk/nutmeggy drink called horchata. Very nice. Like a non-guinessy guiness punch. Ruth has also fallen in love 'Chips Ahoy' cookies!

To our great excitement when we got back from taco eating a swarm of bees had decided to decend on the courtyard of the base. I'm told this is not a regular occurance. After a few failed attempts to smoke the bees out the fire brigade (bombero) were called and happily destroyed the bees with two large buckets of soapy water!

Both of us have realized quite how rubbish our spanish is - but we did manage to buy some gummy bears and mango on the beach- all by ourselves! Needless to say we feel thoroughly stupid when trying to speak it. It may be made slightly harder for Ruth as she looks Mexican, so people are alraedy starting conversations with her in spanish.

Blog soon, much love

Tim, Ruth and Zeke

Biscuits and Gravy

So we made it to Mexico... Woohoo! In all the journey from heathrow to Ensenada took the best part of a day-the flight was great (though 11 hours long) but BA were good, and Zeke didn't freak out. Ama met us at LAX and drove us down San Diegowhere we were met by some of the YWAM dudes and driven about 90 minutes over the border to Ensenada.

California was a lot less glamorous than I thought it would be, and a lot more spread out. They do good burgers though.. and root beer! There are tons of palm trees and eucalyptus trees as you drive down the coast road which made it feel a little more tropical.

We arrived in Ensenada at about 10.30pm Mexico time (about 6.30am UK time) and were greeted at the base by lots enthusiastic, lovely and not-as-tired-as us people. Needless to say, we were knackered. I had gone into a slightly over hyped talking mode and Ruth was very quiet! All three of us are not quite un-jetlaggedyet. We all woke at about 3.30 on the first morning and giggled a lot!

Ensenada is a nice little town, maybe about 200,000 - 300,000 people. It's a fishing and tourist port, with a long sandy beach which is lovely. We are about 100 metres from the sea, which is an amazing view from our window (will put up some snaps soon.) The port is to our right, and regularly enormous ships pass by looking like they should be grounding on the sand.

Things we have learnt so far:

1.) Don't put toilet roll down the toilet, thats what the bin next to the toilet is for!
2.) How to use a plunger!

Cool things we have eaten so far:
1.) Breakfast - biscuits and gravy! Not like uk biscuits and gravy though as that would be wierd. It was like a sweet scone with thick bacon-porridge
2.) Pina con Chili - Dried pinapple covered in chili

Wildlife spotted so far:
1.) Pelican
2.) Wierd dead fish (maybe a ray) on the beach
3.) lots of sparrows
4.) 1 lizard
5.) Plover type wading birds

Anyway we'll put some more photos and info up soon, and maybe a video if your lucky!

Much love
Tim, Ruth and Zeke

Here we go!

Well it's the eve of the big move, we fly to LA and then drive to Mexico tommorow. It's almost a full 24 hours of travelling, and Zeke is notoriously fidgety so we have stocked up with toys and things to entertain him!

The bags are almost packed, the arrangements for getting picked up are made... so we're actually going! We'll keep in touch as much as possible and keep you all updated on our travels. Thanks to all of you who have been on this journey with us so far - we couldn't have done it without you.

Keep thinking and praying for us.
Much love, Tim, Ruth and Zeke

Hey Just a quick one to correct the post below and avoid any confusion the art auction is not at the Aquarium but at St Peters Church Brockley......Please pray for us this weekend for the auction and our visa interviwes !!! Thank you TRZ