“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” [Matthew 16:24]
Matamoros, Mexico is about 30 min’s from the Brownsville, TX airport. Yesterday we were greeted by Serena (AIM staff) at the airport. Kim, Sarah, and Chad arrived in Brownsville around noon, while Tauna and Ali arrived at 3. Unfortunately, Continental lost Tauna’s backpack. Yikes! The guy she spoke to sheepishly said that bags were frequently misplaced, but usually show up at some point. Optimistic and seemingly indifferent, Tauna said little about it to the group. Luckily her backpack had been found when she returned to the airport around 8:30 last night.
Our “camp” is located at the end of a very bumpy dirt road (nothing like the United States). The men’s sleeping quarters are the first stop on the road, lucky for them. Further down the road about a half mile, a hop, skip and a jump is a church in progress where the ladies are sleeping. Everything is concrete which creates a slightly cold but clean climate.
The area is a bit dusty and sometimes smells like burnt trash. The roosters begin alerting us to the day around midnight for Tauna, 2 am for Sarah, 3:55 for Kim, 6 am for Ali, and Chad just says early. Although it was loud, we all enjoyed sleeping comfortably on beds. We know not to get too used to that. To all of us, it still feels like Christmas morning. The anticipation of what lies ahead is heavily placed on our hearts and minds.
This morning we had an hour to read and spend time with the Lord on the roof of the half built church, Libertad (Liberty). The sun graced the land and warmed our faces as we took in the sights of the village. There are many small, unstable looking houses very close to one another, outhouses, clothes hanging, and malnourished animals wandering the property.
With Gods desire to minister and meet the people of Matamoros dwelling in our hearts, we stand in awe of what God has in store for us this coming year.
