Where´s Waldo?

      Man….do you remember those books? I used to love to search for Waldo. I can remember holding those giant pages with my little hands as a kid on a family trip somewhere fun and exciting. It was a good challenge to see who out of my siblings and I would find Waldo first. Well, about two weeks into the World Race, I think I have found, or God has shown me, my first “Waldo.” 

      Before leaving to go on the World Race, I was going over a few of the goals Adventures In Missions has for us during the World Race. A few of the goals are to find who we are in Christ, to strive for greatness in ourselves, to have an impact on our friends and family at home, to do God’s will by seeking to save the lost, healing the suffering, feeding the hungry, sharing the gospel, and being an example of Christ. However, there is one more that wasn’t mentioned above and it is the goal of making disciples.  

                                                           Matthew 28:19

      So with all that said, I needed to find someone to disciple. I began the search, but what was I searching for? I didn’t know what to look for or where to turn. I would see and walk past a lot of people and wonder if they would be the one I could disciple here in Mexico. I still wasn’t sure what exactly this discipleship would look like and I didn’t see anyone holding a sign asking to be a disciple. So you can see how I thought I was looking for “Waldo.” Then I realized, as with most everything, give it up to God and He will provide.

      In this case, “Waldo” is only about 5 feet tall, has dark hair and dark skin, he loves to play soccer, or should I say futbol. His name is Ontoniel Francisco and he has a very kind heart. We meet a few nights ago in the small town of Trinidad, Mexico during a service we held at the church. He immediately mentioned that he wanted to learn more English and also learn how to write it. This was great for me since he could also help me with my Spanish.

      Yesterday a handful of people showed up at the church around 4 o’clock in the afternoon to do some maintenance. The men stayed outside to cut the grass. Now when I say cut the grass, I don’t mean fire up the tractor and take a few swaths over the yard and its done. To cut the grass in Mexico means to pull the machete out from under your bed, sharpen it, bend real low, and start whacking. I gave it a try and I must say it was a little difficult at first but not to bad once you get the hang of it.

      Meanwhile, the girls and children were inside the church sweeping and dusting mostly. With enough hands willing to pitch in, it wasn’t too long before the work was complete. By the time we had finished, there was about and hour and a half left before that night’s service would begin. Senora Adelina, the pastor of the church, needed to go home, shower, and change so I offered to stay back at the church to make sure no one took anything. There was no point in all of team B.O.L.D. sticking around so the rest of them went back to the house and made supper which consisted of rice, beans, hot-dogs, bread, some chips and salsa.

      Therefore, at the church it was Ontoniel, me, and a few of the little ones running around. Ontoniel and I decided to make the best of the time and we sat together on a bench in the very back of the unfinished, light-blue church. It was such a great experience. Over that hour and a half, we sat there together and I taught Ontoniel how to say and write different words in English. We talked about God, sports, and girls; all the typical guy stuff. I was sure to get his address so we can keep in touch and he is borrowing my Spanish/English dictionary for the next few days. I am excited to see where God takes us and I will keep you all posted as to how it’s going!