Monday, March 5, 2012

Spring is Here

Livin' in a moment to die for...I know I have said this before, but it just always hits me in the gut every time I think about it...am I constantly living in a moment I would die for???
Tomorrow in En Vivo, we are starting a three week series called "Dangerous", dangerous book, people, and faith. I think Saul that later becomes Paul always lived in a moment he would die for after his encounter with God. He lived dangerously for God and it eventually got him killed, just like Jesus lived in moments he would die for, serving people he did die for, and calls us to do the same.
This past weekend we went on our spring retreat to Ixmiquilpan, Hildalgo. The place we stayed was great for a retreat from Puebla and "normal, crazy, busy" life. We heard three great talks from our dear friend Juanita Del Angel on walking intimately with God and living out our faith, spent most of Saturday at a water park laughing, soaking up the sun, and swing off ropes, played flamingo soccer where the guys have to hop on one foot, baptized Rada, and hung out at night like a big family.

Juanita during first talk
water park
Rope swing
I landed sideways...it hurt
some people needed their rest
Flamingo soccer

the guys fell down a lot
but still were able to score and beat the girls in overtime
Tania, baptized a few weeks ago, Me, Kami, Rada and Juanita before the baptism


taking the plunge
Woohoo!!! I almost completely fell in as well
Group pic
 All in all it was a great weekend. Christian community lived out in a very real way. Moments you could die for...

I mentioned earlier in one of the captions about Tania being baptized a few weeks earlier. We actually baptized two people from the community that day. Tania and Carlos. After church one Sunday, over 30 of us piled in cars, drove 45 minutes to a nearby town where they sell trout at many restaurants that have a river flowing through them. We ate lunch together and then baptized Tania and Carlos right next to where we were eating. It was very cool and drew a crowd so much to where when students would go order quesadillas or something close but not at the restaurant, the people would say, "oh yeah, the tables where the baptisms are happening". It was a great way to celebrate the step of faith these two were taking.


There were rope swings at this place too!!!

Carlos getting baptized by Heath

Tania getting baptized

Sooo happy!!!
The really cool thing about this picture is that Beto got baptized last spring. Maybe some of you guys have heard me talk about him. I think I might have even done a blog post about him. When I first met him he told me to go invite his friends to the ministry because they needed God but he didn't want anything to do with that stuff...well not long later, he shows up with those friends he mentioned earlier and actually gets interested in God. Last spring he is baptized and this spring he is baptizing one of his friends he invited to the ministry. Tania and I started a bible study last semester, and then towards Christmas break she and this guy started going out. Some people in his family are Christians and some are even pastors, but it has not really meant much to him over the years. At Tania's baptism he asked if we could to a bible study too. Today the three of us had our first group bible study where we read some of Luke. It was the part of my day. You got to love how the river flows.
These are moments I would die for.