Dan Gould

Author: dgould77

  • Mexico Day 4.half – Simple Pleasures

    Guest blogger who doesn’t blog and i had to tie him down to the chair to put his thoughts here!  Didn’t really tie him down but here is his first ever post!

    Its amazing how something as concrete as language can become so dynamic and how after one experience a =my definition of a word can change so much. I have always thought of myself as someone that is content with the simple things. All that I really want is a hot shower, a bag of twizzlers, and my music, but tonight as i was taking my hot shower I started thinking about the families i met today and how what I think of as simple pleasures are something that most Mexican families will never have. One of the men working at the mission, Ethan, told us that many houses don’t have water and will go two or three days before they drink anything, and those with water only get cold water. So there goes my simple hot shower.

    After that we went into a house that was as big as or if not smaller than the vans that we are driving. The family that lived there was amazing the husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and given two years to live… nine years ago. Then in the last few months he found out that he had a brain tumor, however he told us as he struggled to control his own body about how he thanks God everyday for the things he has and the days that he is able to live. This man completely changed the definition I have of what is simple and what it is to be easily contented.

    I am excited to see what God has in store for tomorrow.  –Jason

  • Mexico Day 4 – It’s a Miracle

    Well we just got back from Mission 2 where we were able to reach out to kids and adults.  The miracle is that God used the message to speak to 4 adults that prayed to receive Christ as their Lord and Savior.  Then on top of that, we had about 30 kids pray to receive Christ also.  What an awesome night and a miracle that God used us (me) to reach others.

    During the service, I had one guy start talking back as I was teaching.  I have no idea what he was saying I could just tell that it made others feel uncomfortable.  He choose to leave and when he did, 2 other men got up and followed him out.  Later, as the service was ending, I noticed the guy was still there talking to some of our male adult leaders.  I joined them to learn that the man was a drug dealer, who was high and desiring to change but thought it was impossible to do so.  I shared the truth in love with him asking him if he wanted to change?  He never gave an answer but God is working in his heart.  Please pray for him, his name is Alberto.

    What a night, humbled by Gods grace and power and amazed that I was able to play a small part simply by being available!

  • Mexico Day 4 – Student Perspectives

    Day 4 in Mexico and day 2 working with kids.  We made pet rocks, played soccer and I pushed little kids Josiah’s age on swings for what seemed hours.  They smiled and laughed the whole time saying “mas, mas”, which if you are like me means “more, more”!  Really great!  Tonight, I speak for the first time with a translator since I am one of the only graduating high school students from the 90 that graduated without taking a forign language.  I will blog later and let you know how it went!  In the meantime, here are some pics and students perspectives:

    Today was day two of VBS. I am meeting alot of kids and even tho none of them speak english, language  is not as big of a barrier as one would think. every day we start off with worship and then the drama team preforms a skit. after the skit the group of kids split up into craft groups and and games groups. I’m not quite sure what the craft group does because i haven’t been with them, but the games time normally has alot of soccer and people getting wet. Every kid here loves soccer and playing it brings everyone together. no matter how good you are the kids wanted to play with you. Today a little boy came up and held my hands behind my back while 40 other kids soaked me with water bottles and sponges. even tho i cant understand a word any of the kids say i feel like I’m becoming close to a lot of them. the kids are also very fond of magic and juggling. i have a magic trick that the kids really enjoy and a friend of mine juggles. altogether i realy enjoyed working with the kids and i cant wait till tomorrow.  –Scott

    We had an experience today that i will never forget. We toured some of the area in Acuna (however you spell it) and we met an amazing man and an amazing family.  This man was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and was told that he had 2 years to live, nine years ago. Not only that, he has had a tumor in his brain with was thankfully removed. We prayed for him and his family while we were scrunched in his cardboard house. This man lives in a house of paper and wood and he thanks god for the blessings he has bestowed upon them. This man is one of the strongest men and one of the strongest Christians i will ever meet.  I will never again have the right to complain with what i have for i am truly blessed compared to these people. I envy them in their happiness in poverty. I continue to grow as our week continues in Mexico.  –James

    Oh my goodness. Mexico is amazing, and I am learning so much down here. Once i saw how people lived in Mexico my eyes were filled with tears. I absolutely couldn’t believe that we can have so much and still want more. These people don’t have anything, but they are the happiest people i have ever met. I’m having such a great time and i hope these people have the chance to get to know God.  –Kassidy

  • Luke 8:26-39

    “So Jesus returned to the boat and left, crossing back to the other side of the lake. The man who had been freed from the demons begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him home, saying, ‘No, go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you.’ So he went all through the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him.” v. 37-39

    Jesus, healed and changed this mans life from the inside out.  Everyone was amazed by what they had seen.  Naturally the man wanted to go with Jesus but Jesus had a different plan or him.  Instead of telling him to be quiet, Jesus sent him out to tell others about what God had done for him. The Bible says that he went proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him!

    Today, we have the opportunity to tell others what Jesus has done for us!

  • Mexico Day 3 – Student Perspectives

    Today we was the first day we interacted with the kids.  We had about 100 kids for VBS and 20 of them stayed for Soccer in the hottest part of the day.  It was a scorcher.  Here are some pics and story’s from students.

    Today we interacted with the children of Acuna for the first time. I’ve never seen so many happy people, that don’t have much more than the clothes on their back. Today i sat down to a little kid and helped tie his shoe, he than turned around and the kid next to him untied them, I made sure to make the next knots more complicated as they laughed and enjoyed this situation just like any kid back home. Later in the day i played soccer with a boy not much younger than me and he was very good, but i made sure to give him a challenge and by the end of the day we were laughing and throwing up high fives. During the bus ride home i started thinking about what happened, are we really any different from these people? I am really looking forward to the rest of the week and learning more about everyone in Acuna. Keep us in your prayers  –Camden

    Today we got to go out and do some interacting with the kids. It was one of the most fun things i have ever done. We all had so much fun. We got there and all the kids just started giving hugs and high fives. I have realized how much we are doing for them. They were all so nice and fun. I have also realized how different and how much better we have it. I am so happy that I am able to be here. I have to chance to have a real life experience to show kids how awesome God is. I am so excited for the rest of the week and I’m ready for my life and their life to change for the good.  –Kelly

    Today was such an amazing day. We did VBS for the first time today. It was so great to see all the kids so excited, and it was so good to see them so happy, i know that they are happy with the life they have now. Also today we saw the kids play soccer, they were so good! I hope the week goes as good as today did, god please bless us. –Brianne

    Well, today was a hot but (really hot) day. VBS for the first day. There were so many little ones. Lots of children. Think’n this was the future setting for “invasion of the little people.” They were well behaved and enjoyed each activity. They liked the soccer, too. The water fountain at the mission shoots 3 ft in the air. Too many people talk in their sleep.  –Kyle

    Andy also has a blog and is posting some studet perspectives there also. Click here to get there!

  • Luke 8:26-39

    “As soon as he saw Jesus, he shrieked and fell down in front of him. Then he screamed, ‘Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Please, I beg you, don’t torture me!’” v.28

    The demons knew exactly who Jesus was and were fearful of the power He had over them.  When He spoke they listened and were obedient.  It’s sounds kind of weird to say and even think about, “That demons would obey Christ”,  but it’s true, Jesus has the ultimate authority!  At His command, things happen.  In this passage, the demons left a man and went into a herd of pigs at the command of Christ.  He has the power to do amazing things, do you have the faith to see them happen?

    Today, may we go in His power and not our own.  May we listen to His voice and not our own.  May we see people the way He see’s them, not the way the world see’s them.  May we love others the way He loves us.  May we be people that are completely devoted and surrendered to Him.

  • Mexico Day 2 – Adult Leader Perspectives

    Since the leaders didn’t want to be outdone by Teenagers, here are some of the things they wanted to share:

    It was so awesome to see the teens getting out there with no fear to invite the kids to VBS.  We went door to door and even those who couldn’t speak any Spanish gave hugs and tried their best to communicate God’s love. The kids were Soooooo excited just to get out there and start making a difference in these people’s lives.  They were really touched by how content they were even though they didn’t have a lot of material possessions.  My husband, Shane, shared his testimony today and it was really touching seeing him up there even though he was very nervous.  I can’t wait to see what God has planned for us tomorrow! –Shawna Wheeler

    What an awesome first day! I was so proud not to only see the kids step outside their comfort zone by handing out flyers to people in the neighborhood, but to actually see my own daughter, Alyssa, do it, was something that I will treasure for the rest of my life. I know that it is not easy to go to another country and to do something that you know that God wants you to do, and to do it with excitement, but at the same time, fear. This is truly an experience that I am so excited to share with the fusion group and cannot wait to see what God has in store for me. –Maria Yarrow

    I can’t add too much to what has been said by the previous folks.   I will say that I was put on the spot today and I had to give my testimony today…in Spanish.  Until today, I had never given my testimony in English, let alone in my second language.  I hadn’t been that nervous in quite a while.  In fact, I am not totally sure what I said.  I looked out into the small congregation and all eyes were fixed on me…a “gringo” who happened to know Spanish.  I just spoke from my heart and hopefully it came out right.  It felt good to do that.  I definitely was pushed out of my “comfort zone”. –Shane Wheeler

    God is moving in our group, may He continue to grow and stretch us as we share His love with the kids and families tomorrow!

  • Mexico Day 2 – Student Perspectives

    We started the day off with worship. Josh led our group and then Pat, challenged us with one question . . . Do you see people? Here are the scriptures he challenged us with:

    Matthew 9:36-38
    Matthew 14:14
    Matthew 25:34
    Luke 10:25-37

    After our time together we went into Mexico to scope out where we will be serving. We went to Mission 1 and Mission 2. We will be teaching VBS and playing Soccer at Mission 1 and then Tuesday night we will be teaching in a church where I will share a message and our students will lead worship and play and minister to the children. It was a good day, here are some pics that we have taken so far!

    Here’s what some of the students are saying about today:

    Wow! Talk about an experience. We thought it would take at least 3 days to get to me. But, we went there one time and we were touched. We saw the way these people lived daily, and we could barely survive one day there. Walking around the neighborhood and seeing all these people, and animals barely surviving but yet, they had to live their entire life there. We are excited to be able to interact with these kids and families. It is gonna be great. We are stoked for the rest of the week.SOO (:
    -Alyssa and Annie

    Today was the first day in Mexico. We got to see the Church at witch we will be holding VBS at. We met the pastor and other people there. Most of the people that we met did not speak English, and it was really hard to communicate with them. After we were done we walked around Acuna handing out flyers to people that we saw to try and get them to come to the VBS program this week. The living conditions there are way different from what we are used to at home. From houses with missing roofs and/or walls to people sitting out on the street things are very different from what we are used to. Tomorrow will be the first day of actual VBS and im extremely exited to be able to work with the children of acuna.
    -Scott

    Let me tell you just a little bit about my thoughts right now. In Plano we complain about not having enough to do. In Acuna kids play with sticks and recycled toys. I just got a brand new car and I saw a family of 5 living in a house with no windows or doors and a roof made of cardboard. God has the possibility to do some amazing things this week in Mexico as well as our lives. We’re all spoiled out of our minds and we don’t even know it. Pray for God to humble the rest of us this week.

    -Josh

  • This Should Keep Us All Thinking

    Just had a student Show me this video!!! WOW!!! What are your thoughts?

  • Mexico Day 1 – We are Here!!!

    Well we got here safely!  The trip from Plano to Del Rio wasn’t toooooo bad.  Luckily we realized we had forgotten to load the sound equipment before we got on the Highway, I wont mention that it was Andy’s responsibility to make sure it got loaded, so we were able to send one van back for it.

    We arrived at Faith Mission at 5:05pm got unloaded, ate some spaghetti, corn and garlic bread.  Afterwards, we talked about general safety, rules while here and we were challenged by Pat, the Missionary here, to leave what we were used too back home back home, and give ourselves completely to God this week so we would have a better opportunity to impact one, two, or even several people!
    We will go tomorrow to scope out where we will do VBS and hold our Soccer camp!  The two locations are supposed to only be 5 blocks apart.  We were also told today, in our leaders meeting, that we should expect 150-300 kids for VBS, if not more.

    Sunday, we will tell our students how many kids we have the potential to impact this week and how important it is for them to be flexible and available for God to do big things.  This totally excites me, but at the same time scares me to death.  It has the potential to be incredible or chaotic.  It will be chaotic, if we try to do this in our own power . . . it will be incredible, if we step out of the way and let God have control using us to be instruments in His hands.  I am praying for option two.

    Will you please join with us, as we pray for the families and children of Acuna.  May God move in the hearts of His children this week.  Those serving and those participating!