A few pictures from Mexico... =)

Pozole at the Goldoy's!

At the youth conference!

Vanessa, Crystal, and Abby!

At the cathedral!

Youth Conference day 1!

Gigo, Vanessa, Olivia, Ana Gabriela, and Robin!

Me and Ana Gabriela!!

At the Museo de Antropologia

the team!

at church!

I'm home!!!

Hello everyone!! I'm so sorry about not being able to update the blog for almost a week!! The laptop broke.... which was a bummer, but the second week brought a totally different schedule for us, which would have meant less time to use the computer anyways... So God knew, and we were so blessed to be able to use the laptop at all the first week!!

Where do I even begin?? The second week was our Youth Conference every night and during the day we had painting/cleaning/organizing projects at the Contreras home and on Thursday we painted at Pastor Goldoy's house before we had our 2nd annual pozole lunch!! :)

The youth conference was so great-- over 100 people came each night! Josiah taught through Colossians and our music team plus some other musicians from churches in the area joined them-- they sounded great!

It was a very busy week, but God allowed us all to have the rest we needed! Friday night after the conference ended (sad! :( ) we all went to a really nice taco place Luis recommended to have dinner (it was around 11 PM) and we all got to celebrate another week of God's goodness to us!

Saturday was a really fun day-- but bittersweet because it was our last full day in Mexico.. :( Our whole team plus our families went to downtown D.F. (distrito federal) and went to a place to get a quick bite to eat called Cafete Tacuba.... Then we headed out to go to a huge Cathedral and walk through it, then to the Palacio Nacional to walk around! Then we went to our friend Omega's house for pozole (this time green pozole!) and spending time with eachother! And after that (yes we like to stay busy! :)) we went to the infamous Haagen Daz that we went to last year... We had to relive the experience :) It was a wonderful day of spending time together as a team and with our host families and the Graumans too!!

Then came Sunday (yesterday!), Robin Contreras' birthday, our last day at church with everyone, and the day we had to leave... After church we hurried to the airport to check in all of our luggage, and get a quick bite to eat before the hard part--saying goodbye!!

We got to LA around 7 PM, and were all already missing Mexico so much!
God was so good to us with blessing us yet again with smooth and safe travel, and with no lost luggage or issues with customs!!

Its good to be home, but I'm not going to lie, I miss Mexico! :) I can't wait to go back-- and in the meantime I'll be practicing my Spanish! :)

THANK YOU ALL for your prayers and support and encouragement over these last two weeks! There is a ton of detail I left out of this blog just for time's sake, but I would love to fill you in whenever!

Now comes the good part..... the pictures!! :)

We interrupt this blog to bring you an important announcement!

From Chris & Ann: Hey, everyone -- you who have been faithfully praying for Katie and her team, checking this blog for updates and leaving comments have been a wonderful encouragement to our daughter while she has been in Mexico City. Thank you all very much!

We were as curious as the rest of you as to why the updates stopped coming after Sunday night. We suspected computer problems, and found out yesterday we were correct: The computer belonging to Katie's dear hosts, Robin and Luis Contreras, broke earlier this week. The computer Katie brought with her from home isn't cooperating, either, so there will be no more updates for the rest of the trip. The team returns home this Sunday night, so soon after that you can check back again for "the rest of the story," plus many of the photos Katie has been taking over the past two weeks.

Thank you, thank you and thank you again for your love and support for Katie and the whole Mexico City Short-Term Ministries Team!

"...grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen" --2 Peter 3:18

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting!" Psalm 118:1

"Praise the Kord, all nations; Laud Him, all peoples! For His lovingkindness is great toward us, and the truth of the Lord is everlasting, Praise the Lord!" Psalm 117


Can you believe we only have 6 more days here in Mexico City? I can't!! Today, our second Sunday here was a day filled with fellowship and blessings from the Lord! We woke up this morning and got ready for church, and once there went to Rosie's kids class which Luisa led this week... Then came fellowship time (and a tamale shared by some of us on the team!) before Luis' sermon and worship time in song!

After church, the team headed out to a restaurant in a nearby hotel-- buffet style!! :) We ate (and ate and ate-- that's just how things are in Mexico :) ) and someone brought up a team outing to go see Wall-E... So we did! :) It was so fun to see that movie with the Contreras' and some of the team and their "families"-- we all enjoyed the time together and the movie too! :)

We got home about 2 hours ago, and had some dinner Robin made for us (as Sarah says-- "She's amazing!") and played with the kids before heading off to bed!

Praise the Lord for his goodness and kindness to us-- (as those Psalms say)-- He has blessed us and provided for us in more ways than I could possibly write here...To be able to be here is an incredible gift- but more than that, to be able to know the perfectly sinless Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, who died as payment for my sin (I deserve that penalty!) and rose again in victory over death and over sin itself, is a gift that can not be compared to any other!

Tomorrow starts another busy week-- of painting and other projects here at the Contreras home, and the Youth Conference this week every night from 6:30-9:30 PM! Pray for our continued health (and Wendy's restored health--she has a cold! :( ) and for the energy and strength and wisdom we need for the conference ahead!

Have a great night/day/whenever you read this! I hope all is well in the states :)

Que Dios les bendiga

Are we allowed to have this much fun in a museum?

It has already been a week! I can't believe it! So much has happened in the past two days, but I will try and keep it short! :)

Thursday was a great day-- we had our second to last day of VBS which went well-- our groups craft was a trial and error but the kids had a ton of fun and all of us did too!! After the VBS ended, our team was pretty hungry, so we headed to an Argentinian restaurant around the corner that Luis had recommended-- which was DELICIOUS!! :) Then the music team had practice so we walked back to the church and the rest of us organized for the last day for VBS and painted upstairs!! Then around 5... or was it 6? :) Luis picked us up and we all went over to Antonio and Gaby's house for Armida's famous papusas-- which were incredible! =) It was a great time of fellowship with our team and the host families... we played games from "tijeras" to a cup game that i still don't get (which is really frustrating...my brain hurts!) to "sculptures" to "bang bang bang"... I don't think I've laughed that hard in a very long time!!! Robin came to pick us up and we left the party to get some rest for last day with the kids for VBS...

Friday (yesterday) was the last day of VBS, which was sad, but with all of the fun of finishing up crafts, and taking pictures with the kids, there wasn't much time to realize that it was the last day until all the kids had left! I am going to miss all of those kids so much! Thankfully, some of them go to Luis' church, so I'll get to see them the next 2 Sundays! We cleaned up after the VBS ended, and ordered some pizza for all of us to eat for lunch while we had some time to fellowship and play some games together (movie charades is a lot of fun with this group!) :) before heading off to paint some more... then came a huge treat-- we got to go have dinner at the Graumans!! It was such a blessing to get to be there again this year and have dinner with them as a team-- and we got to meet the Dowdy's too!! We had yummy lasagna and salad and bread, and cupcakes Mrs. Dowdy made for dessert (they live right next door to the Grauman's!!)-- and I got to hold baby Abby again!! She is so precious!! I got to catch up some more with Crystal, and Sarah, Vanessa, Crystal, and I had some fun girl talk time while Armida and the rest of the gang went crazy being hyper :)

Today we got to sleep in a bit, and we all went to the Museum of Anthropology for a few hours-- which was a blast (and it was a beautiful sunny day!!)... Then we headed to lunch at an outdoor restaurant we went to last year-- which was so fun to go back to! Vanessa, Sarah, Luis, and Luis and I sat at a table and talked until it was time to go.... Then Vanessa, Luis, and I got churros (my 1st Mexican churros!!)

Then we came home, and Robin, Vanessa, and I had a fun time talking in our room while Robin drank her hot chocolate... And now we are gettting ready to sleep!! :)

I wish I could write more-- there's so much to tell! Maybe tomorrow! :)

Have a great night!

Good evening everyone! I apoligize for not giving an update yesterday but we got back late and were very tired-- it was a long day! Yesterday was day 2 of the VBS and went a lot smoother than day 1 detail-wise, and our kids are so much fun! Sergio did a great job teaching the lesson, and we kept our kids busy with clay after we had our Brazilian snack (I didn't tell you this I don't think, but each day we are "traveling" to a different country as part of our theme)... After the VBS our team sat down to recap the day, and exhuastion hit! We cleaned up and then came the afternoon of band practice for Vanessa, Sarah, Henry, Carlos, y Luisa-- for 4 HOURS!!! Luis D. and I were the only other team members who stayed that whole time because the rest of the team got picked up-- so we entertained ourselves by playing games on Sarah's laptop, ordering pizza, and listening to the band practice! After that (around 7 PM), Sarah, Vanessa and I left with Luis C. to go trade in our van that we had rented for the week for a new one that wasn't falling apart :). Luis, being the kind and always thoughtful person he is, wanted to appease us having to run this errand by taking us for ice cream before dropping Sarah off at her home. So we went to the beautiful sky mall and to our dismay, ben&jerry's had closed-- so we went for the next best thing-- Starbucks! :) Vanessa was the only smart one out of the four of us because she got a hot chocolate to drink, while the three of us got cold frappucinos-- which on a sunny and warm day would have been great, but it was raining and cloudy and cold! Oh well! :)

By 10 PM Vanessa and I were home, and ready to sleep!
We woke up to our alarm this morning at 5:30, and realized we didn't have to leave until 7:15 (as opposed to 7 AM the past few mornings) so Vanessa pressed the snooze button until 5:45... It was definitely the hardest morning yet to wake up, but God provided strength and energy to get going! We had a quick and yummy breakfast, and headed out to pick up the others in our carpool! Traffic was heavier this morning (by the way, have I mentioned yet how amazingly fun it is to drive in Mexico City? I love it! Luis offered for Vanessa or Sarah or I to try it for a little bit... who knows maybe I'll take him up on it? :)) but we got to church in plenty of time to set up., have our devotional time (led by Sarah today--on humility before the Lord-- so convicting!)..and take a quick nap! :)

At 10:30 the kids poured in (we were up to 63 today!!) and day 3 began!! Our team was definitely more tired today, but just as God provided the energy to wake up, He allowed us all to fulfill our responsibilities for today! This is just one of the many ways He has shown Himself faithful!! Sergio, again, did a great job teaching our little kids, and we made foam crowns today with fun stickers the kids got to decorate them with.. All of our kids got to be un rey for a day! :)

After the VBS, the music team had practice again-- this time until 5 PM-- and the rest of us left who didn't get picked up, painted upstairs, and organized our supplies for tomorrow. Luis then picked us up and took us to our homes, and Vanessa and I had a delicious dinner with Robin and the kids-- wow we are so spoiled!!

So tonight Vanessa and I are going to try and get a bit more sleep, because tomorrow will be another busy day of VBS, and then afterwards we get to eat Armida's papusas at her family's house!!

I hope everything back in the states is going well :)
Thank you for your prayers! God is stretching me and teaching me in ways I didn't know possible, and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be here to learn!

I will write again soon!

Que Dios les bendiga!

Sorry to disappoint.... :(

Hi all! I'm so sorry but for now I'm not able to put pictures up-- I know it all must be confusing/boring to read my essays about Mexico, but my laptop is not working so I won't be able to get pictures up until the 20th when I get back! So sorry!

Have a great night!

VBS Day 1!

3:30 PM

We're done with day 1 of the VBS! It was a great day from start to finish-- Vanessa and I woke up to clousdy skies and rain at 5:30 AM to get showers and eat some breakfast before leaving with Luis to meet up with Carlos, Luis D., and Armida to help transport supplies to Remanente. We arrived at the church around 8:30 and had a team meeting to prioritize what needed to get done before the VS started at 10:30...Well it was supposed to start at 10:30 but with all the kids coming in and our last minute set up, we didn't get started for a little bit--which was totally fine because we all resolved ourselves to be flexible! :)

It was SO FUN to see all the kids again (and some new faces--but mostly ones from last year!) They have all grown up so much! Ooh and I got to see my friend Luis from last year that I bonded with :). He didn't seem to remember me at first but when I asked him if he remembered me he said "Si!" and his little sister told me she still hasa picture of the three of us from last year! They are so cute!!

Sergio did an incredibly good job teaching the kids this morning-- we have the 4 through 6 year olds in our group so they are pretty antsy already, but Sergio (with help from our friends Carlos and Diana from the Naucalpan church) kept all the kids' attention and gave them opportunities to interact with the story of Ruth and Naomi. Then we moved on to our craft, which was super fun for the kids but super messy-- that always makes things more fun though! :)

Armida and Wendy made lunch for everyone-- mini hamburgers and chips! They worked so hard to make food for all 50 of us!

I got to see the Grauman's today too!!! All 3 of them! :) It was so exciting to see Crystal and Josiah and baby Abby (who is absolutely beautiful-- and so content and happy!!). I got to hold Abby and catch up with Crystal which was such a blessing- and Josiah helped me with my computer to get my wireless working! :)

After the VBS ended, our team sat down to re-cap the day and oh my did the exhaustion hit! :) But we were all so thankful for such a great first day, and for all the kids that got to come!

We left around 4 PM and headed back home to have some dinner Robin made, and to put the kids to bed! And now we are getting ready to sleep for ourselves! :) (Its almost 8 PM...)

Thank you all again for your prayers and encouragement to me and the team! The Lord is so good to us and is giving us the energy and ability to do the work set before us!

Until tomorrow then!
Que Dios les bendiga!

"I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. For your lovingkindness is great to the heavens and Your truth to the clouds. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; Let Your glory be above all the earth." Psalm 57:8-11





Hey everyone!! How are you?? Our first full day in Mexico City has been wonderful-- Vanessa and I woke up around 7:15 to get showers and have some quiet time and eat some breakfast (cereal, bananas, yougurt, and pastries!) before heading to church with Luis around 8:40-- it was so good to be back at that church!! I recognized so many people and got to talk to all the kids I met last year-- its like we never left!! :) Some of us on the team went to Rosie Martinez's class for the kids at 9 AM where we sang worship songs and talked about what our purpose in life is (Nuestro proposito es alabar a Dios y gozar en El para siempre) and what it means to glorify God ("Que es glorificar a Dios?"). After that we had some time to fellowship with friends that we haven't seen in a while and then we had worship time and Luis preached from Matthew 7:15-20 (which he will continue over the next two Sundays we are here) about the danger of false prophets-- he challenged us to sit under teaching that confronts (not avoids, or condones) our sin-- we need (I need!) faithful teaching from God's word that points out my sin and draws me to repentance!



After the sermon, the Contreras family, Vanessa and I, Carlos, Armida, Sergio, and Luis D. and his host "parents" went to an absolutely delicious taco place called El Asadero-- my first tacos in Mexico!! They were incredibly tasty... I have pictures I will put up soon! :) We were serenaded by a man playing his guitar and singing, which was fun, and when lunch was over, we piled back into the car and headed for home! Vanessa and I are sitting in our room in our pjs talking (I got to hear her engagement story! She's getting married in November! Aaah its so exciting!!) and relaxing and reading.... Its so nice!!

5:45
We just got back from the market with Robin--we had to run over there quickly to pick up some things-- I saw the Mexican hot chocolate that I love (and don't worry Mollie, I will stock up next week some time and bring you some home!! :))... The view from the market is incredible-- Vanessa got some pictures of it!

Now we are going to get back to our reading and chatting and have some dinner in a little while, and then get some rest before our big day tomorrow-- VBS begins!!

The Contreras family is so kind and thoughtful and hospitible to us-- I am so humbled by Luis and Robin's selfless love and care for us and their constant concern for our comfort-- Luis is hilarious-- he checks up on me and Vanessa often and before we left for the store he said "You girls can do whatever you want. I can take you to coffee or wherever you want and pick you up later or you can read... Just because the kids are being quiet and resting doesn't mean you have to. Its not the contreras military academy or something!" :)

Well Im going to let Vanessa use the computer now-- hopefully tomorrow my laptop will be up and running!! In the mean time I'm going to read and spend time with the Contreras kids :)

Have a great night!

Check this out!

Tiara Parker (who was supposed to come with us but got sick :( ... we're praying for you Tiara!...) has a blog going for our trip too so I thought I would post the link so you can check that out!!

http://mexicocitystm2008.blogspot.com/

We're here!! =)

I can't believe its been a year since I've been here in Mexico!! I'm sitting on my bed right now at the Contreras' home listening to the rain and thunder right outside the window-- I've forgotten what a real thunderstorm is like!! It has been such a great day- God has blessed us so much with safe travel and no issues with immigration or customs!!

I'll start from the beginning... :)

The day started out at 5 AM at the flyaway where our team met and organized our luggage, said our goodbyes, and jumped on the shuttle to take us to LAX... Once we were at LAX (which was ridiculously crowded!) it took just a few hours to get through checking our luggage and going through security... I grabbed some starbucks for breakfast and got to sit and talk with Sarah (one of my teammates) for a long time before we met up with the rest of the team waiting to board... We boarded around 10 AM and took off right on time at 10:30!I have to say I absolutely love flying and the takeoff this morning was very fun for me :). I took a nap for a few hours to rest up and spent the rest of the time listening to music and getting really excited to see the Contreras family, until we arived right on time at 4 PM (Mexico time). As we were landing, looking out at the city all you can see for miles and miles is colorful buildings and lights--it is so pretty! The landing was smooth (I give the pilot a 10 out of 10 on that one! haha :) ) and as soon as we got off the plane we went through immigration (and a very friendly immigration officer (?) wanted to talk with me for a while! Y si, estoy usando mi espanol con todos! :)) and customs and an hour later met up with our host families to drive home!

It was SO GREAT to see Luis Contreras again and talk with him on the way to his house-- Vanessa and I are so blessed to get to spend the next two weeks with him and his family!! We ordered pizza for dinner on the way home and a half hour later amidst pouring rain and thunder got home to see Robin and the kids!! Olivia (6 years old--just graduated from kindergarten!! :) ), Rodrigo (5 years old- starting kindergarten this year!) and Ana Gabriela were squealing (we could hear it before we even got in the door) when we arrived-- I was so excited to see them I could have been the one squealing!! They had just gotten their baths and were hungry for pizza so we ate and caught up with Robin, and now we are getting ready for bed and unpacking!! We leave for church tomorrow around 8:40!

Lord willing I will be able to put pictures up within the next few days-- Im using Luis' computer right now because my wireless isn't working but Josiah should be able to help fix that at the VBS on Monday!! :)

Until then, keep us in your prayers and thank you for all the love and support you have shown me in the preparation for this trip! It is SO good to be back! I had forgotten how much I love it here-- God is so good in allowing me to come back!

I hope you are all doing well!
<3 Katie (your mexican friend :) )

And so it begins....

Well I'm off! Its 4:30 AM and we're planning on leaving here to head to the flyaway in 15 minutes or so... I think I have everything packed... we'll see :)

Hello!!

Hey everyone!! Well tomorrow morning at 5 AM our team will be meeting at the VanNuys flyaway to head off to LAX for our 10:30 AM flight to Mexico City!! I can't believe its been a year since I've been there-- and I'm so excited to be going back!!

God has provided our team with all of our necessary funds, and has allowed all of us the opportunity to spend 15 days in the heart of Mexico to serve our missionaries there- the Graumans, Ellen Parker, Rosie Martinez, the Contreras Family (my host family! :) ), and the Dowdys!

I am looking forward to this trip and Lord willing will be able to update this blog with what is happening down there, with pictures too!! :)

Thank you all for your prayers and your support-- please keep us in your prayers over the next 2 weeks as we are involved in this exciting and challenging opportunity to serve the Lord in Mexico!