Scavenger Hunt and David's Touchdown!

Yesterday was our last day downtown for orientation, and after a devos time and book study at the hotel, Tiffany and Tina organized a photo scavenger hunt for the rest of us.  We divided into two teams, and had to take pictures of all sorts of random images in the area surrounding the zócalo, Mexico City's historical center.  Fun time, but HOT, the sun was intense yesterday.

Then...tacos at a taco stand (nothing weird this time, all standard fare, like pork and beef), and back to Ixtapaluca.  Most of the group took public transportation, and actually beat those of us who drove home, as we encountered some crazy traffic on the way back.

I was in the process of dropping off everyone at their homes when Mayra called.  David's football game was on the other side of the city.  I arrived home, told Joe (who is staying with us) not to let Teddy outside, and walked out to meet Mayra.  That began Part 2 of my day.  We traveled in caravan with the coach and others from the team up to Atzcapotzalco, way up in northern Mexico City.  No one had ever been to this particular field before, and we drove around...and around...and around for the better part of an hour before we found it!

By the time we got there, it was raining pretty hard.  I managed to find umbrellas at a local store, and bought all four of them.  David was put in as a running back several times, and scored a touchdown!  He also fumbled the ball once, but it happily bounced right back into his hands, and he ran for a first down.  It was muddy!  But our team, the Broncos, ended up winning 37-0.  The mercy rule goes into effect after a 35 point deficit, and we piled our wet, muddy selves back into the Journey.

On the way to the game we picked up two kids, so after the game we had to drop them off, which added a good 30 minutes to our return trip.  The traffic was absolutely horrendous.  We finally managed to arrive at home at around 11:30 p.m.  Joe Nixon, our guest, was already asleep on the sofa.  Some pics below of the mud bowl!

Quote of the Day: Stephen Rhodes says: The most important virtue any church can embody is the virtue of hospitality. Because God has welcomed us, we are called to welcome others-and not because it is the nice and polite thing to do, but because it is the holy and just thing to do. Scripture warns that our unwillingness to be hospitable may cause us to miss out on a divine encounter. As the letter to the Hebrews advises: "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it" (Heb 13:2). Simply put, we have to welcome and be gracious to everybody, because we can't be sure who the angels are.
Duane Elmer. Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility