.raindrops on roses....

these are a few of my favorite things [of the past few days at least...]

~ sunny gorgeous weather! Today was actually too hot (high of 37C)
~ talks with Ana
~ dutch blitz madness
~ afternoons at the beach, eating savechi, and rescuing lady bugs
~ surprise visitors
~ quiet days in the office - working on the new webpage (yup. ima geek...)
~ enchiladas at Lakipackis
~ being silly with Stephanie
~ freezies that make your tongue blue...

what a great weekend it twas!

.rescued.

i admit my approach to easter and holy week was far from holy. with having our biggest week of the year hit easter, good friday only meant 'it was a good friday because the teams were leaving and i get to sleep!'. i hardly thought about what it really meant.
but i am thankful for moments when God rescued me from my business to open my eyes to see his glory. his resurrection. his beauty. and isn't that what easter is really about?

things i had perhaps seen or heard many times before, touched my heart in new ways this week.
...talking to a single mother of 5 kids. whose husband left her for another women two streets over, who still returns to her house when he's drunk and beats the kids. my heart ached. that motivating ache.
...driving through the lush green hills and mountains... which that day seemed brighter and clearer
... hearing the excitement of our first mexican 'intern', Sandra, be empowered and passionate about serving her fellow Mexican brother and sisters in need. in hearing her desire to stir up the youth in her church to step outside the church and change their country.
... listening to youth talk about changing the world. and having their heart changed in the process.
... being encouraged. supported. prayed for. and hugged by friends and teammates.
... driving around with Marvin (our video guy) and a new friend Billy (a talented and passionate photographer) talking about their perspective of the world behind their lens.
simple things that reminded me of God's presence in this world. today. now. in my life.

and last night a few friends gathered together to share in communion. Good Friday was always one of my favorite services at my church, and knew I needed to take some time to stop. think. reflect. so we gathered in scott & ana's living room, candles lit, a guitar, some wine & bread... reading scriptures... remembering Jesus's words... listening... worshiping.

God has rescued us. And he is still in the process of rescuing us from the mess of this world. And he wants us to help.
And I am so glad He rescued me this week from allowing business and 'ministry' to rob me of His beauty.

Happy Easter.
Christ has risen. He has risen indeed.

.fullness.

Im learning a bit about fullness these days. We have over 215 campers here this week, plus our staff and extra staff we've called in just for this week puts us at about 250 people on site! We have people sleeping in tight quarters, we have two dining halls, we have buses and vans, we have a full camp.

Amidst the busyness of a week of a week like this, amidst the running around, organizing, and answering questions...there's an excitement in having so many people here. full chapels. full worship. full community.

We are building 11 houses this week and 8 other ministries including a cement project, children's ministries, women's ministry, and clothing distribution. It's amazing how much work 215 people can do in only 4 days! Hundreds of lives are being touched this week... hundreds....

In these weeks of business I too am reminded in the need to be filled with his love, perseverance, patience, and Spirit. I need the fullness of God to be dwelling in me as I strive to serve and care for these teams and people. When i try to do it on my own strength, i run dry. i fall short. i mess up. and i don't see the fullness of God in what's happening around me. I end up missing those moments when a little bit of heaven crashes down to the earth. And i don't want to.

May you be filled with the fullness of God today...

.i suck.

Sooooorrrrry. i hate blogs who aren't updated and now i am one of them. Its been too long since i updated you all. I thought it was time I got on top of it again.

I suppose it's because now we are having teams in more regularly again, I am getting back into a more 'predictable' rhythm of things. We've had two weeks of teams, and two more ahead of us. Lots of Canadian teams which is always fun - in particular a team from St. Andrew's United Church in Niagara Falls is down this week. This is a sister church to my home church at Wellington and was the first church our youth group partnered with some 6 years ago when I took my first team down here. It's just neat some familiar faces and be encouraged by folks who have seen me grow and serve over the years. It does make me excited to head home in a few weeks for a holiday and visit with friends and family back home. Ill be heading back to Ontario end of April, beginning of May for a couple weeks. I hope to hook up with many of you friends!!

Im writing this blog the night before the busiest week of the year around here. Next week we will have 250 campers & staff here at the camp. INSANE! We don't really have capacity for all those people but have just enough room to squeeze everyone in (with the help of a nearby hotel). The past week has had its stressful moments but Im sure will be fantastic week. These big weeks can be exciting and keep us on our toes.

I hope that amidst all the business I wont miss the simple moments. This week there was this dear grandmother who was receiving a home for herself, her husband, and her grandchild. This lady was so full of joy and life. When she received her house she wept. When the team presented her with a cross with the lord's prayer in spanish on it, she wept even more. And after entering the house and discovering the gift basket and other gifts for their family - she was lost for words! I have never seen someone so excited about curtains and clothespins before! It was like watching a child at Christmas! Such pure joy! A simple moment... Im glad i got to witness.

So this week i pray for simple moments of joy even in a full week of [organized] chaos!

.who woulda thunk.

I can't believe its already March 1st. Time is flying by! Who woulda thunk I'd be here, living in Ensenada, making it a real home. This time last year I was planning for another team from Wellington Square Church (there church where I was the youth pastor before moving to Mexico),. It was one of my favorite weeks down here and enjoyed it with some of my favorite youth! But a year has now passed, and now look...who woulda thunk.
It's a BEAUTIFUL day here in Ensenada, about 29degrees out today, a quiet Sunday afternoon, and my heart is full. I just returned from a women's retreat up at an incredible ranch, in the mountains, about an hour from Ensenada. I know, some of you may be thinking... Rhonda, a women's retreat... i know. i know. i sometimes dread these sorts of things - specially knowing Id be one of the only single gals there as well. But God usually surpsises me and tells me to get over myself. My friend Ana was attending, and I was ready to get away from the camp for awhile, and thought I'd give it a shot.
Im back home and my heart is refreshed. Not necessarily from the teaching times or retreat (although some great moments and nuggets to chew on came out as well!) But more from the community times and getting to know some incredible women. The retreat had a mix of about 30 women from mexico and california - different ages, spaces, places - a mishmash of sorts. I found myself pulled toward my fellow 'ensenadians' and realized again how I am so blessed to have the opportunity to be here. to meet these women. to laugh. to test wine and go for ice cream. to sip on sangrias and talk about life. to enjoy incredible mexican comida. to find like-minded sisters. to learn from women who are far wiser than me. to not have to lead the program. to receive. to not always understand everything they are saying but to simply savor the joy of life with these women i look forward to getting to know.
it was one of those weekends that made me realize again, this is where I'm supposed to be right now.
it feels a bit more like home today here in ensenada.
my heart is full.

.oh facebook.

Being away from my family and friends, I love using facebook to keep in touch (aka lurk). Whose kidding who, even when i was in Canada, I was a facebook addict!  Anyways, I did find this video quite hilarious...

.new rhythms.

i know. i know. i suck. its been over a month since i last posted. I am usually the one around here who harasses other bloggers and tells them that they need to keep their blog updated or people will stop reading and checking. and now look at me.
well with the new year (which i cannot believe its already a month into it!) comes new rhythms, new goals, new schedules. and apparently i haven't included keeping my blog updated... so i shall work on doing better again!

but with the new year came a reemergence of one of my favorite phrases.
being intentional.
being that im not a naturally disciplined person i need to be intentional with things.
whether it be staying on top of bills and correspondence, reading the word, or working out, just to name a few
... i need to be intentional...
im often content to chill, waste time, lurk on facebook for countless hours, let that to do list lay dormant. but i also find myself desiring change and productive days.

i realize that one of the reasons i am supposed to be here is b/c God knows me. He knows i needed a new start, some new rhythms, in order to change. grow. be more the person Jesus wants me to be... the person i want to be.

it's been about 9 months now since i moved down here "semi-permanently". the honeymoon phase is over. it's real, raw, normal, everyday life. its funny tho b/c now the things I am learning and wrestling with aren't necessarily directly related to the fact that i am living in mexico... or "serving the poor"... or in a different culture. it's normal everyday stuff. its trying to figure out how to live like a follower of Jesus in the simple stuff too. in taking care of myself. in filing my mind and time with useful things. in not rushing around too much. in listening to people. in asking good questions. wrestling with answers and not just settling.
its about being intentional to put these things into action.
im really good about thinking. reflecting. and pondering my desires for change... but suck at doing anything about it.

so here's to new rhythms. learnings. attempts. and failures too.
so far 2009 is turning out to be a good one....