At home with the Mackinnons

This last week we have been looking after the Mackinnon kids, and it has been a wonderful experience! This was Monday, and we were up at 6:30am to get Maddie and Josh ready for school. Kids were washed, breakfast made, lunches packed and teeth brushed. The next step was to go to school. Maddie starts at 7:30am and we drove over to drop her off, and a man came to the door and told us school wasn't to start until Tuesday. I think Maddie was more than excited, as was Josh when we told him. The most excited was Ethan who said he was glad Maddie and Josh were off school so he could play with his best friends!!

We have really enjoyed playing with the kids, including Mark who has been itching to draw with chalk on the pavement (photos to follow!)

My wonderful wife.....

I sneeked onto the blogpage to put a little post on about my wife. Julie has been a real blessing to me since we came here and she never fails to make me laugh with little "looks" like this one!

Acapulco.....

Last Thursday we went with Mark, Rachel and Gary to Acapulco. We spent a night in a hotel and also met up with the youth of our church who were having a retreat there. It was a fantastic experience and the view from our hotel was amazing as you can see from the picture.

It was also good to hang about with Gary. Gary has been an invaluable part of the team and we have work alongside him with teams in the last while and to be honest we couldn't do it without him. Gary will be leaving soon after the Washbasin team and we will really miss him on the field.

MOPS First Aid Training....it works!

Two weeks ago we did a course for the mothers in the Campanario church, and it was amazing to be a part of this really God glorifying ministry. We shared with the mums about burns in the home, cuts and scrapes and also choking. These were the things that happen most with young children.

Well last week we heard that one of the mother's children began to choke and she jumped in and follwed what we shared and the child was fine. This was amazing, and teaching people is only a small bit and she acted on what she learned and it may have saved her child from further harm.

We praise God for giving us the ability to do things like this as it is so good to use our gifts to serve Him.

Easter Service.....with Marcos & Raquel!

We had our first Easter service on Mexico and the service began at 7am! It was a fantastic day, and our pastor's message about the doubts that Christian's have, and how we need to trust God without the need to see everything.

It was also our first full day with Mark & Rachel (or Marcos & Raquel) and the church really welcomed them in and everyone wanted to chat to them and shake hands. We found our church so warm and family-like and it's good that they welcome our friends in too.

Great Weather.....Shame about the water!

This last few days (which have fantastically coincided with our time with Mark and Rachel) we have had no water! Well at times we do and at times we don't! We have been able to shower etc which has been nice, and now we think we have sorted the problem, but time will tell! These things happen at times here in Mexico, and it is great that other people can see that it isn't always plain sailing!

Easter Meal.....

This past Sunday we had a meal with all the missionaries, the Asbury team and also a few friends of the missionaries. We also had Mark & Rachel invited, and they joined in on serving with us, including Mark who has found some chef skills!

Now I know.....

.....how to work my camera!

A guy from the Asbury team gave me a few pointers on how to work my camera and how to change a few things to take better pics. So hopefully I'll have some better photos on for the next few months!!

Wii Olympics.....

A lot of cool things were brought to Mexico by Mark & Rachel (did we mention the chocolate?!) Also included in our aid package was this little game for our Wii. I have never played such a cool game before, and it includes the arm-hurting 100m sprint!

This little computer has really crossed the language barrier here in Mexico, as no matter what language you speak, there is something about trying to throw a javelin while in your front room.....

Friends.....and Chocolate!

On Friday night, actually early Saturday morning, our friends Mark and Rachel arrived with us in Mexico. When we came here it was like ages until they were coming and now they are here.

It's really strange to have them sitting on our sofa and chatting! They also brought with them an extraordinary amount of gifts and plenty of chocolate, so prepare to see us weigh about 30kilos more at the end of this week!!!

A Long Awaited Visit.....

This next week is pretty busy for us with a team arriving from the States, but next Friday sees the arrival of our best friends Mark & Rachel.



When we came here last August it was 16 weeks until Julie's parents visit (Julie counted them!) and a further 16 weeks until Mark and Rachel came. How time flies when we are sitting here with less than a week to go.



Mark and Rachel are our two of our biggest supporters, not only financially, but more importantly in prayer support and keeping in touch with us since we've been here. It is amazing to have a Christian couple who are there for us and we can share how we are getting on in Mexico.



At the minute Rachel is working in radiography, and Mark is at Bible College studying for his masters. Please pray for them, in safe travel, and in their time here.



The next time they will return is to lead a team from our church in July.....we can't wait!!

Apologies.....

Sorry that we haven't blogged in a while, we have had such a hectic week. This next weeks brings a team from the States down on a vision tour and we are involved in the planning of that team. We will try to post on later today about our last week, and keep you all up-to-date!

Benjamin, Gretel & Yohani.....

We have seen only a little of Benjamin & Gretel since we moved to Tultitlan to be involved in the church there, however on Sunday they came to visit us in our new church and it was fantastic to see them again, and catch up on what we've all been upto.

Yohani is now walking and saying a few words, and has a full little personality coming through. It was so good to meet up and we feel so blessed to have Mexican friends here, it makes us feel at home when we spend time with them!

MEXIKIDS Tultitlan

On Saturday we had the first of our MEXIKIDS Breakfast Clubs in our new church. It was amazing and refreshing to see the organization and preparation really paying off and children coming under the sound of the gospel. We had around 50 children, which was amazing as no real advertising, apart from a sign, had been put up. The children were split up into age groups and had workshops in music, games, crafts, and Bible teaching along with a bit of breakfast!

The day was extra special as the mother of one of the children gave her life to the Lord. We praise God that He is moving amongst the people in our church and also in the community as well. Please pray that He will continue to bless in the weeks ahead!