by Grace WildeThanksgiving in General Cepeda is fun. We invited everyone we met in General Cepeda to a gigantic feast that we serve. The feast was delicious. But, afterwards I was very tired. To prepare for the feast, they put 5 turkeys in the pila to defrost. (The pila is an empty fountain where we brush our teeth.) On Thanksgiving, we worked all morning on cooking and setting up. We worked on the decorations. We set up little bobble head turkeys at each of the tables. We also wrapped up silverware in napkins. We made a poster that said all the things we are thankful for in Spanish. We also helped peel potatoes - enough to fill a bag that was bigger than Chi Yu! When the people arrived there were two shifts, so once you were done eating you took over someone else’s job. There was a greeter who greeted people and counted how many people came. By the end, around 250 people had been fed. Then they were seaters. That was our job. We were supposed to lead people to empty seats in the mission house. Then there were people who served drink, food, and dessert. When it was time for us to eat, the food was delicious. But, my favorite food was the desserts. There were chocolate cake and brownies. There were also pumpkin muffins!!! I had a pumpkin muffin and it was delicious. It had chocolate chips and raisins in it!! Thanksgiving was really fun and General Cepeda was awesome. I was very sad when we had to leave, but, I look forward to Costa Rica.
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By Alex WildeIn General Cepeda ( M E X I C O), we have a mission post. It is a wonderful place. We have a room by the kitchen. We have made a lot of friends: Gabriel, Drew, Jeremiah, Aaron, Nathaniel, Anthony, Benji, and Elijah. There is also a very big concrete slide. One slide has one bump. The other has two bumps. If you slide down with card board, it makes it go slow. With a jacket, it slides fast and makes you fly a little bit. But with a bottle, you fly. I once made a jumpsuit out of a jacket it worked well. I also made a jet. It is awesome. Sometimes instead of landing on your butt, you land on your feet. At the beginning, I thought it was scary. Now I say it isn't scary. One of my friends, Aaron, sat down opposite me. We linked arms and then we went down the slide together. We spun. One time we went hiking with my friend Jeremiah. When we went down the mountain, we slipped and fell and there was a small rock slide. We fell on many cactuses. We had snacks. We ate Rice Krispies and granola bars. There were also grasshoppers. We tried to catch the grasshoppers but it was very hard. The grasshoppers jumped near the chapel at the beginning of the mountain. The chapel and the mountain were very beautiful. Ms. Allison pulled out some of the cactus spikes but not all of them.
Another time, my Mom and Dad had a date with me. We bought food, cantaloupe, chips and more for a rancho visit later that night. We walked to a table. They bought me a 99 calories Coke. And we talked a lot. The missionaries stopped by to talk to us. The date made me feel happy, special, and loved. by Brecklyn WildeAt the mission post in General Cepada, Mexico we helped with home visits. Home visits are when you visit someone’s house, talk with them, read from the Bible, pray with them and give them food and medicine. During our first home visit, all we knew about where the person lived was that it was green and by the market. It was easy to find houses near the market, but the problem was that all of them were green! We knocked on two people’s houses and they both said to go further. So we went around the corner, and there was the one green house amongst the red and orange houses. We came in and a nice lady greeted us. Her husband has Parkinson’s disease, but the missionaries knew that beforehand, so they had bought him some medicine for it. One of the single ladies that went with us on our home visits name is Shayna. She ties her rosary around her arm. I do too! When we walk to the different houses, we hold hands and carry each other’s crosses. We pretend to ‘help carry each other’s crosses’ along the way. Another time, we met a lady who owned a candy store. She had two girls. One of the singles that was in our group was talking in Spanish to the youngest girl. Then she saw the girl’s sister get some candy, so the younger girl started crying. Then the mom gave the girl a big big marshmallow in the shape of a flower. Then she offered it to all of us. We took it and ate it. It was so good! I wish we could have them again. Another house we went to there was a man who had a wheel chair. His house was full of flies. Grace, Alex, and a couple of the other kids with us had to go to the bathroom. I didn’t have to go then, so I stayed in the house. When I came out, I found out that all the kids had climbed on top of the man’s roof. There was a big barrel. They used that to climb down. I found out that Alex had fallen into the barrel and couldn’t get out! And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said: by The Wilde FamilyOne of the themes that we’ve frequently discussed during our missionary formation was how in Ireland, the Holy Spirit is referred not as a dove, but as a wild goose. In many ways, this is a much better representation of how God’s plans are not of this world and usually appear pretty crazy to man. When He sent His son to evangelize the world, he didn’t come to Rome as an emperor, but instead to a poor unmarried girl in an obscure village. He didn’t come to dine with the rich and powerful, but instead sat with sinners, prostitutes, and the poorest of the land. He didn’t ask to be served, but instead washed His friends’ feet as a sign of servitude. No one would have understood why He allowed Himself to be humiliated and executed in a way that we would most closely associate with an electric chair. Even His disciples couldn’t understand when their primary persecutor (Saul) became their greatest ally (Paul). I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God. No one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given us by God. Now the natural person does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God, for to him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it, because it is judged spiritually. The spiritual person, however, can judge everything but is not subject to judgment by anyone. (From 1 Cor 2) We began this journey with no particular destination in mind, expecting to be placed in a mission post that we least expected or desired. We still came with full zeal and excitement. But slowly over time, we started thinking again as man does. We knew which country we least wanted to be placed, and we knew where we’d like to be (somewhere in Asia). It was logical and well planned, as if we had any control over our own journey. As if. But the Holy Spirit is funny and wild and crazy, and in the end it all makes sense. God knows what we most need and knows how to use our weaknesses to glorify Him. During our desert day in Northern Mexico we were given our permanent mission post assignment in a letter. With great anticipation, we opened it… The Wildes are headed to Coopevega, Costa Rica! We will be joining two existing families, the Geerlings and the Brupbachers. At this time, we don’t know much more than this, but we have trust in God that we will be cared for. We do know we’ll be serving the poorest of the world in a small community near the Nicaraguan border. And we really need to learn conversational Spanish now. For a deeper well of knowledge about this FMC post, please check out the Brupbacher’s blog posts at http://brucrewmission.blogspot.com By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go. By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country. (Heb 11:8-9) By: Jason and Jessica Wilde They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common. (Acts 2:42-44) One of the critical ministries of a missionary is to visit communities that are underserved by a priest or deacon. This can take many forms depending on the community and available facilities. In the region surrounding General Cepeda there are dozens of smaller communities or villages called ‘ranchos’ which are served by FMC. Some are small communities with a small chapel, while others are little more than a building or two hidden away in the mountains. Most ranchos will only be visited by a priest monthly, while some may go a year or longer without pastoral care. During our first week, we visited San Isidro, a rancho located about 45 minutes away from General Cepeda. Each night we were joined by the local community in a small chapel for our ministry. The first night one lady praised God that we had come to visit and pray with them. She said the missionaries hadn’t been there in a year and that she thought they had been forgotten. On the second night, Jason and I each gave a small personal testimony on God’s work in our lives. I was so nervous. I had practiced my testimony several times throughout the day but I still couldn’t shake the jittery feeling that gripped my stomach. Right before we loaded up the van to head to San Isidro, I ran back into our little room and grabbed a white rosary out of my bag. Many of the FMC missionaries tie their rosary to their arm so they can hold the crucifix in their hand - I wanted too see if this would help calm my nerves. Nathaniel, one of my fellow missionaries, once told us that when we hold the rosary we are holding our mother Mary’s hand. We arrived at the rancho and after a couple of praise and worship songs, it was time for my testimony. I held Chi Yu in one arm and was palming the crucifix in my other hand. In the end, I was not at all nervous and I totally rocked my testimony. Afterwards, I sat down next to this sweet old lady bundled up in her winter coat while Jason got up to give his testimony. Her name was Margarita. About a minute into his talk, Margarita reached over and held my hand. She held my hand for his entire testimony. A little later, she leaned over, pointed to my rosary and whispered “Bonita.” Until this moment, my Spanish had been practically non-existent and the little I had used came out raw. But with the power and confidence not of my own, but of the Holy Spirit, I untied my rosary, handed it to her and whispered “Para tu”. She smiled a beautiful toothless grin that absolutely stole my heart. Later that night as we were saying adios to our new friends, she told me that she was going to use the rosary to pray for me...FOR ME! Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you. (Luke 6:38) My jitters had a purpose. If I wasn’t nervous, I wouldn’t have grabbed my rosary and blessed Margarita with it. The jittery feeling also humbled me and brought me closer to our lady so I could lean on her and hold her hand for support. And while it may appear that I had been sent to serve Margarita, she really gave me far more. She graced me with her love, her smile and her prayers. The last night at San Isidro, we prayed over each other and had Con Vida, a celebration of life. Each family brought a dish to share - gorditas, tostadas, lots of corn on the cob (San Isidro is a farming community), and various homemade tacos. The generosity and love of the families at San Isidro was certainly given out to us in the largest measures possible! |
On a MissionTwo passionate parents and their four children are excited to bring His Word to everyone in need while living a life of Gospel poverty as missionaries. They invite you to join them on a journey to encounter our global neighbors that Jesus commands us to love through works of charity and service. Archives
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