New to Me
First, glory be to the LORD of hosts. He is good and kind, gracious and faithful to His children in everything.Thursday, August 6th, has come to be, in my mind, the day for new experiences. First there's the sensation of waking up in a new place. You open your eyes expecting your normal, or should I say usual, surroundings; and instead of the familiar, you’re greeted with the unfamiliar. As the team met to eat, the breakfast of refried beans, tamales, and fresh fruit was much different from the sausage and eggs my mom made me the morning before. Throughout the rest of the day the one adjective I could use to describe most of the rest of our experiences, is new.The first night we spent in Mexico, we didn’t see much of the terrain due to the late hour of our arrival; so the 
scenery we were met with as we started out of the hotel was our first real glimpse of southern Mexico. After a quick stop at WalMart de Villahermosa, for some supplies we either hadn’t acquired yet, or lost on the way here (in a nut shell: bug spray, paper, and all my clothes) we set out driving for San Jose Maspac - a little town new to everyone on this trip except for Nathan.The terrain changed from flat to mountains almost instantly about half way through the drive. The roads at times made 180 degree turns up this 
slope, down the next. The beautiful mountains are a part of God’s creation none of us, again except for Nathan, have ever gotten a chance to praise the LORD for. They are breath taking. At about six thirty we pulled our trucks into Maspac, greeted by new faces, smells, and a way of living completely different than any of us have ever seen.The thing about everything being new is that you almost can’t rely on any of your past experiences to help you through any challenges or difficulties. All at once you're completely dependent on God, and His grace and faithfulness, which He supplies abundantly to those who trust Him for it. Trust is what we did. First by getting out of the car. Second introducing ourselves. Third… by playing soccer.As the night went on, we started getting a little more familiar with our hosts. Tomorrow morning we will commence our first program with the kid’s in this village, however the ministry has already begun. Thank you, Father God, for your grace.Ian, for Team Chiapas
The team's first taste of the jungle as we set out to explore a waterfall.
The team at the falls! The water felt wonderfully cool after the hot trek to get there.
Unloading all of our gear in the Zogue village where we will be staying for the next four days. Yes, it was pouring rain; this is a rain forest after all!
Joni getting to know the kids.
Trying to figure out the art of sleeping in a hammock!Step 1: A five minute wrestling matchStep 2: Give up and fall asleepStep 3: Almost fall outStep 4: Refer back to step one and repeat the process until morning arrives