It's Monday!

Hello, everyone!

Today is the last day for most of us. Two families departed yesterday evening (Selkirk's and Armstrong's) to make sure they could catch early flights this morning. The Selkirk's, for example, had to catch a 6am flight this morning. The border can take up to 2 hours to cross back into America, so it was best that they cross last night.

It started raining yesterday after the festivities, which were a big hit! The younger kids (and some of the older ones) had a great time mixing it up with our kids. A few minor injuries and everyone survived!

We all made a trip to el mercado (the market) in downtown Reynosa. We were led by half a dozen of the older kids from the Home. We ended up walking about 12 city blocks up to the market place. Actually, the first market we visited was closing around 5pm, so after a couple of quick purchases we decided to continue on another 6 blocks to a second market area. These market areas were like condensed indoor mazes with shops on both sides. We had limited time there, but just enough to pick up an small item for each child as a souvenier.

We returned to the home and were greeted with a cooler full of Mexican push-pops... Most of us thought they were very good. I had a coconut/pina-colada one and it was very refreshing after the long walk through the city.

Today we enjoyed pancakes and eggs (juevos!) and Mexican chocolate de calor (hot chocolate) for breakfast.

Then we met as a team to recap all that was accomplished this week. It was quite a list! As much as we were able to bless those here at the Home, the Reynosa BIC church and the people at the colonia, each of us was also very blessed to have experienced this together.

Thank you for your prayers leading up to this trip, during the week and now as we travel home. We are curious to feel what it will feel like to step into 20+ degree weather at BWI after getting up to as much as 93 degrees here!

Many, many pictures were taken and lots of video footage, too. As great as pictures and videos are ("a picture speaks a thousand words")--and there are some great pics and clips--they will only tell a partial story. We hope to compile them all together and get them organized and edited soon. Hopefully we can share them via the web in the coming week or two. We encourage you to check back here for more later.

If you want to get a real taste of what it is like... COME! Like most unique experiences, it is difficult to adequately describe the experience until you've been through it. If you come, you will be blessed as much (if not more) than those to whom you extend God's love. It really is better to give than receive.

Well, Layne is up next. Adios! Can't wait to be home again.

-Mark