Man, oh man...

Well, I'm back from my adventure south of the border. And now that I've had a full 24 hours to take a breath, take a shower and catch up on some sleep, it's time to give an initial report. There was WAAAAAAY too much that happened to give in one blog post, so I'll be breaking it up into various categories over the next week or so, but for now I'll just make a few statements.

- I have never before lead a trip that was entirely guys. I may never be allowed to again. We had the requisite mustache growing challenge (pics to come later), we have a number of stories that will probably never be shared with anyone else (for good reason), and since beans are a main staple of mexican cuisine I think they just might have to burn down our cabin. But all that said, I saw a group of 12 individuals become a strong team of brothers, and I couldn't be more proud of them.

- I saw a basketball team compete against teams that were bigger and stronger. I saw them win by playing as a team and supporting each other. I saw them get attacked (literally) and keep their heads and represent Christ in a situation that was not easy. I also saw Steven get a bear hug from a large angry black man for his birthday, which we all know is what he really wanted anyway.

- We helped improve two schools in Angahuan. As hard as those guys played, they worked even harder. Have I mentioned how proud I am of them?

- We got to spend time with some of my dear friends, the Stefflers and an Allen. Having met them previously I knew I'd enjoy my time with them, a real blessing for me was seeing the team click with them so well.

- And being the good sports we were, while we were able to defeat the villagers in basketball fairly easily, we were happy to get our butts whipped by them in soccer. Final them 6, us 3. However, it should have been 6-4, we are pretty sure they cheated us out of one goal, trust me. :D

- Ultimately, my favorite part of the trip was seeing God move in the team as a whole, and in each individual member. I got to know 11 young men in a way that can only be described as a God event. They each have my utmost respect and I consider them brothers. I have been blessed to spend a week with them.

Like I said, this is just the beginning. There will be much more to come later. God bless.