It has been ten days since I arrived on the base in Tijuana Mexico. The base is beautiful!! I am just outside of the city ten minutes from the beach. There will be pictures soon I don’t think I can justify the view that I am blessed with each day. The base is quiet, enclosed by a fence to help keep the base and its occupants secure. I already feel comfortable in my new surroundings; Mexico is much more familiar then the east coast. There have been a few adjustments though. I live with three other guys in a double wide trailer. The base has newer accommodations, but because of the duration of our stay they decided to give us the trailer because it has more space, and a kitchen. I am hoping to find a place soon where I can get fresh tortillas so I can make breakfast for myself!
There are eight people in my school right now. My team consists of four students from United States, two from Canada, one from Switzerland, and one from Cambodia. Unfortunately I speak the most Spanish in the school, but there are other Spanish speakers on the base staff and when we leave the base Spanish is the language I get to use. I have had a chance to translate on a few occasions and cannot wait to use my Spanish on a more consistent basis.
Classes started this past Monday! We are going to go through the whole bible in the next nine months. There have been rumors that we are going to read through the bible 5 times by the time we get done. I am not sure if this will actually happen, but do know that for the next nine months my life will be dedicated to study. The school is used as a tool for its students to study the bible. We will not be receiving commentary on the bible, but in the next nine months we will be making our own commentary.
The base has a big outreach ministry called Homes for Hope. This ministry provides housing for those in need. It seems to be a well-oiled machine. In the time that I have been here I have already seen a volunteer group come down from Canada and build three houses for families in the area. They also do work with a local orphanage. In the nine months that I am here I hope to become more involved with both of these ministries, but because of the amount of studying my mission field seems to be serving the base. I will be helping with meals and clean up, doing some maintenance around the base and hopefully getting to play in the worship band.
I hope to be able to talk with many of you soon to share more stories about my time here and hear about things back home. I have to get back to work! There are a few students still trying to make the school, but they are having problems entering the country, one from India and one from the Fiji. Please pray for them and pray for our school. I am excited about the school and the nine months I have ahead of me. Please pray for wisdom and guidance for me and for the staff guiding us. God bless
