The Big Powell Adventure

Barnabas and Black Widows

2009-10-23T19:58:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-10T21:17:00.000-07:00

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!!

2009-09-28T20:38:00.000-07:00

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!!!!!

2009-09-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-21T07:04:00.001-07:00

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!

2009-09-18T13:09:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-05T12:38:00.000-07:00

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

Where we are up to!!!

2009-03-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

So travels to Mexico get ever sooner - and there are so many things to tell you. First up one of our major prayer points has been answered. We have a nanny - a wonderful young lady called Ama! How we met Ama is a long story (ask us sometime), but essentially God sent her from America to London to meet us, and eat porridge, and offer her services as a nanny. Thanks to everyone who prayed - Ama is perfect for the task, please continue to pray for her, her ministry in Southampton and her relationship with us - particularly Zeke.

We've booked our flights (thanks Naomi!) and got appointments to get our US visas. Whoop! Fundraising is also going well. Thanks to everyone who's been supporting us financially, we really appreciate it. We've had a load of unexpected gifts, which has been a real blessing, and put our mind at ease somewhat.

We've also started off something called 'vanishing dinners', with a night of fun and fajitas at our house - check out the photo gallery! Everyone at our dinner party will then host their own, the people at those will then do the same, and so the chain continues. If you have been involved in a vanishing dinner, please send us your photos and we'll post them up.

A date for the diary - 9th May - Art auction @ The Aquarium bar, Brockley
It's going to be amazing. There is some stunning art available, so come on down.

Much Love

Ruth, Tim and Zeke

where we are up to in our plans so far...feb 09.

2009-02-08T01:50:00.000-08:00

The big powell adventure is well and truly under way. We're really excited that it's only 8 months until we go to Mexico, and we hope that you'll be on this journey with us through prayer,support and tacos (they'll be lots of these to come!)

Since deciding to go to Ensenada (a place we had never even heard of before!) we have meet several people either from or who have visited Ensenada. This has been amazing, as we've been able to ask loads of questions about the area and culture. It's really put our minds at ease.

So far God has provided us with the money to cover the cost of our visas and flights.....so in faith we will be booking those later this month and we will continue to pray that God will provide the rest of the money we need to go to Mexico.

We have started the US visa process which is fun! We would appreciate your prayers that our application goes through without any problems.

We'd also really appreciate your prayers as we are in the process of looking for someone to come with us to Mexico to help look after Zeke during the more intense study period of the DTS.

We're also not that great at spanish yet!

Adios

Ruth, Tim & Zeke