Oh Happy Day!

Today was a very great one here in Reynosa, Mexico.........Kelly has become the owner of one piece of land in a neighbourhood very near Boystown! What we have been praying for, dreaming about and imagining has happened!! Although it's been a long process, we knew it would happen and it has! I went to pick Lucia up from Boystown on Friday to take her to see her grandaughter, Kelly couldn't come as she was at the lawyers office. When I told Lucia this, there was a nod of recognition as she said 'the final papers, good'. Last week we had some of the girls over for lunch and as we spoke about the land and how close it was to becoming a done deal we were all very excited. Yesterday I had my English class with Karina and as we were chatting I told her that Kelly would be signing the paper today..... she was so happy!

All our friends in Boystown are just as excited as we are about this and seem just as ready for it to happen too! When we're chatting with someone who doesn't know the plans for the land, someone else will tell Kelly to explain what will be happening there 'tell her Kelly, tell her what you're going to do!'.

Thank you so much for all your prayers.....there's a few final details to finish off with the paperwork, so we're keeping on praying that that all goes smoothly but our prayers have been answered and the deal is done! Let the building begin!

It's been a while.....

So it's August....I can't believe it! There's been quite a bit happening here since I last wrote in June. We had two teams come to see us and serve Boystown with us. One was from 24-7 and one from Mad City church in Madison. It was so great to have both of them here. It was amazing to me how before either of the teams had even seen Boystown, through prayer, God had given them such a heart for our friends there and those that we don't know and also for the neighbourhood where Kelly is buying the land. Kelly has written some great posts about what we got up to with the teams so if you would like to know, check out her blog at boystownreynosa.blogspot.com. I'll just say it was so great to have everyone here, God always has the best ideas and ways of doing things I think, and He's right when He says that when we live together in unity He commands a blessing.....well there was certainly blessings from heaven coming our way as the teams came and lived, prayed and served with us. It was so good to spend the evenings at the land and build even better friendships with the neighbours and have a lot of fun with the kids, although if I never play the hokey kokey again I'll be happy! The kids loved it too, so much in fact that when Kelly and I went back on our own one evening, every conversation went like this:
Kelly and I: Hi, great to see you!
One of the kids: Hi, is it just you two? Where's everyone else?

At the moment we're still waiting (desperately) for the land deal to go through. If you're praying for us then please pray that this will happen quickly. It's been amazing to be part of something from the very beginning and have that sense of God, as He did in Genesis before He created anything, 'hovering'. It's been wonderful to pray so much for somewhere, to dream with Him, to see what 'is' but also to see with different eyes 'what will be', to build community without a building, to grow in faith and hope. But it's also frustrating at times as we know the monastery/community house is God's idea and we want to see it happen soon! :) jo x

Round Here

Hi everyone.....this is a very long post...maybe too long for a blog....but here's a little taste of life 'round here' at the moment....

To be honest, it's been a tough couple of weeks in Boystown. Just before we left for Tulsa we rented an apartment for Lucia near our house. She seemed so happy to be there and had begun making it her home. Two days after we left however, she took herself right back to Boystown and has been there ever since. She seems to be glad to see us sometimes and annoyed at others. When we went into Boystown to give out flowers for Mother's Day .....she wouldn't even take a flower. When we had been in on Wednesday we also saw Blanca who has now also left Hector's place after being there for about 2 months. It's hard to see them there. It's hard to know what to do.

Kelly and I have talked about how we're not here to love people so they'll change. We're here to love people...only Jesus can change them.. We can't do it for them. But at the same time it's so hard to watch these ladies, people who've become my friends, make choices that aren't good for them, make choices that mean they don't walk in freedom but in oppression. I don't know what else to do but keep loving and keep praying. Lucia's been in Boystown for 31 years...I can't imagine how hard it must be to walk away from the place that has been home and family to her for most of her life. She's left at least twice, I don't think she wants to be in Boystown and I wonder why God wouldn't keep her from returning once she has left. I wonder why there isn't a place here she can go to to receive healing from addictions and help and friendship to navigate a new season of life? But I also know He loves Lucia more than I do and He longs for her freedom more than I do and so I try to pray more and trust more....but it can be hard at times!

When we went in to give out flowers for 'dia de la madre', it was quite an emotional day as a lot of people have children that they don't see anymore. Kelly and I had prayed before we went in that our flowers wouldn't just be flowers from us but that they would be received as a gift from heaven. That they would remind again that as women they are not forgotten. That we, and God celebrate them. I took Christina to the seven eleven and as we drove she was telling me about her children and a little bit about her life...I asked her if she has a dream for her life and she said 'not any more, it's too late'. As we drove back into Boystown I told her that with God it's never too late, that He always has more, that He has a hope and a future for her. Please pray that she will really come to know this.

The weekend was quite quiet as we waited for the men to come to fit my air conditioning which is now installed and I've woken up the past few nights freezing! I'm still getting the hang of it!

On Tuesday night we met some new friends...3 guys from YWAM came over for dinner to find out what we're doing and see how we can connect....well, we had dinner and stayed in our garden (I'm determined to call it a garden even thought what we really have is a concrete yard with one little strip of grass near the wall and Erin's very tiny tomato plants) chatting until 1am. Well, actually most of the time was spent listening to Wes.....he's one of those people who blows into your life like a whirlwind and leaves you spinning for days after. His stories of prayer, fasting, hitchhiking and faith have messed with my thoughts big time!

The next morning Wes and Nathan were back as we headed into Boystown together to celebrate Chino's birthday..armed with the flattest birthday cake ever as it just didn't rise at all! Chino is lovely, he was 54 years old and has been in Boystown for about 25 years. As he cut into his birthday cake later that day, he told us this was the first time he's ever celebrated his birthday. Well, we pulled up at Nora's boat in our truck and saw Nora, Lucia and Marie sitting on the wall using an old taco stand as their table as they ate their breakfast. Kelly and I snuggled in with them on the wall and Nathan got his guitar out.....I think it was one of my favourites church pews as we sang and worshipped together, the 7 of us round the rusty little taco stand. We found out that Chino wouldn't be back till the evening so after a couple of hours we departed ways as Kelly and I met up for lunch with Erin and her work team. After lunch Kelly met with John and Nono to discuss building plans for the monastery...it's so exciting...as I type they are sat here on the table in front of me (the plans, not John and Nono!)....it really is happening! We both trust God and His timing but at the same time we're so desperate to see this happen.

About 4ish we got together with Wes and Nathan again and headed back into Boystown for the repeat party....while we were waiting for Chino I saw Gabriella who invited to me have dinner with her in her room....as I was sat there eating my avacado and trying to converse in Spanish I wondered why she seemed so keen to invite me in and why the last few times we have seen she's lingered to chat longer than usual...I think she's lonely. After a while I got up to leave and as I did, she simply said in English 'thank you for the company'. It wasn't necessarily my company she was grateful for, I think she just wanted someone to have dinner with.

Last week I was a model! Karina had just started at beauty school with Joanna and Andrea and yesterday she asked me if I would be a model for her.....she must have seen a moment of panic flash across my face as she quickly assured me that she just needed to blow dry my hair! So today we all arrived at beauty school and for two and a half hours Karina washed, prined and primped my hair...it was a lot of fun, although I'm not sure I'm going to recreate the bouffant I was left with anytime in the near future! Definitely a morning I wish I had my camera. Karina and I are going to start going for coffee together each week so I'm looking forward to us becoming better friends as I help her learn English and she helps me with my Spanish.


Lots of love, thank you so much for your prayers for everyone in Boystown and Kelly and I, jo x

Hotcakes!

Just before we left for Tulsa we took Chrystal for her doctors appointment (Chrystal is pregant and expecting her baby girl in July). We were a funny little bunch, Chrystal, Kelly, Lucia, Coco and myself...after the doctor had opened his surgery for us he ushered all of us into his room.. Sensing that this wasn't such a good idea, Lucia and I went and sat in the waiting room, followed quickly by the doctor who hurried around putting the TV on for us and making sure we were ok...it was a surreal moment! Afterwards we all went for breakfast on Taco street, everyone ordered their tacos but I ordered pancakes, or hotcakes as they are known here (pronounced without the 'h'). I was telling Chrystal how much I love pancakes and for some reason she thought this was really funny and it became quite a joke for us over breakfast...it was nice to laugh about something together. When we went back into Boystown in the afternoon we saw Chrystal and Christina. After dancing with Cubana in the empty bar, Christina offered us a drink of Coke to which Chrystal laughed and replied 'she doesn't want coke she wants 'otcakes' and told the breakfast story to everyone which again we had a laugh about!

I didn't think anymore of it until we were back in Boystown the next day and a guy who we don't really know walked past, chuckling, as he said 'otcakes!' No hello, nothing, just a laugh and 'otcakes!'. Then when we were in Boystown yesterday he saw us coming and anounced in his best English accent 'pancakes with butter'. I didn't think my choice of breakfast could be so entertaining but it's made a lot of us laugh! x

April Resolutions

Hi everyone!

Judging by the comments I've had from you in my emails I need to start blogging more...thanks everyone and thanks for reading! That is one of my 'halfway through the year' resolutions though so hopefully it will continue. I don't normally make New Year resolutions but a few weeks ago I was thinking about some things I would like to resolve to do in my life....I'll share a few of them with you:

• Discover new musicians that I like....I have got off to a great start here thanks to Miss Kelly K Greene who has introduced me to Ray Lamontagne and Sufjan Stevens, I have also 'discovered' Angelique Kidjo...I really like them all!
• Be a 'well read' person, so to start I have bought Dostoevsky's 'The Brother's Karamanov' and am reading 'National Geographic' each month
• Be more aware of current affairs
• Be a better reader...I have always loved reading but my sister (our Lyns...who is tremendous!) has often commented to me about how I read so quickly and how can I possibly take everything in. I always assured her that i did but lately I have been thinking about how I want to and need to slow down and think about what I read, to savour it, digest it, discuss it, question it. Since Easter I have read 5 books ('Your God is too Safe' by Mark Buchanan, 'Sex God' by Rob Bell, 'The Irresistible Revolution' by Shane Claiborne, 'Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood' by Rebecca Wells and 'The Narrow Road' by Brother Andrew) and dipped in and our of a few others. They are all amazing books and I have chatted about them a little and journalled about them a bit but I want to stop and think about how they apply to my life and the lives of people around me, to ask what God is saying through them and open my heart to all that means. This came to me today as I started a new book.

I was thinking about how this compares to my life in some ways.....I don't want a good book to finish but I want to get to the end. When I do get to the end I want to start all over again, it's hard for me to get into a new book. Sometimes I spend so much time daydreaming about the future or remembering the past I am not living fully in today. I want to be present where I am. To be a bit stiller. I also thought about how this is not about numbers ....I'll discover 1 new musician a week, I'll read 7 books this year, I'll read 1 psalm a day....I have read 1 psalm a day for the past 10 days but if I need to camp at one verse for a week and read one psalm this month but really read it and allow it to live in me I will be wiser and richer I think. Without going overboard with this little thought I don't want my life to be about numbers. Rather than 'how many' I want to ask 'how'.

So, anyway, if you know any good musicians or books please let me know!

This was going to be a post about what is happening here in Reynosa and then I got carried away, I didn't mean to write all of this....I guess that's what happens when you start blogging! I'll post this now and then write another, jo x

Tulsa OK!

I'm sat here in a very hot and humid Reynosa....and I know it's only going to get worse! I'm missing spring at home.

Kelly and I have just got back from a great 10 days away in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We set off on the 21st for what I think was officially my longest car journey in one go, after leaving Texas at 5am we arrived in Tulsa at almost 8pm. We were staying in an amazing house which belongs to a family who have moved to Kazakstan for a while. It was so lovely to be there, we were about a 20 minute walk from a park with a creek and a lake so I made a few trips there. It felt great!

The week was filled with meeting up with Kelly's friends as we lurched from one coffee shop to another. Quite ideal! We also had a free hair cut and one of the ladies from Kelly's church had also set us up for a free body massage and facial which was amazing! I don't know what happened but as my massage finished I couldn't stop crying for about 15 minutes and then was quite teary for the rest of the day. It felt like such a blessing to receive the gift of massage and I don't know what was released but it involved a lot of tears! It was actually quite an experience as the lady who was giving me a massage said some stuff to me that I had been told in a prophecy a couple of years ago. As she worked out a couple of tough knots she also talked about how I need to carry joy on my shoulders. I've just been reading today about the discipline of joy and the gift that it is from God. That we're asked to carry each others burdens but not forever....we carry them together to Him. I'm really fascinated by massage. I would like to learn how to do it.

We went to Mary Arnt's wedding on Saturday night, I was only invited through Kelly but it was great to be there! I met Mary in February in snowy Wisconsin where we gathered for the USA 24-7 communities get together. It was such a beautiful wedding....outside by a lake on a perfect evening as the sun set. The ceremony was followed by much dancing.....lots of fun! There was a few months pent up dancing that needed to be released! Our car dancing has done the trick in some ways but can ony go so far.

Kelly spoke on Sunday at Believers church, if you want to hear her you can go to www.bctulsa.com.

We arrived back last night after a wonderful week of fun, laughter, reading, good conversations, walking, writing, great coffee in proper mugs, prayer and lovely people.

This week I'm thinking a lot about community.

Too many words

This is a post to apologise firstly for being a naughty blogger and not having posted anything for a while, I had written a couple of things which I've posted but I was waiting for photos to go alongside which leads to my second apology for there being no photos.....my computer doesn't seem to like posting photos, hopefully I'll get it sorted soon and things on this little site will be a lot more interesting.

Love jo x

Happy Easter

I've just got back from a beatiful communion service. Kelly and I have spent the weekend in San Antonio with her friends and my new friends Roland and Carolyn. They build houses in the colonia near Boystown......We've had so much fun with them, talking about what we think Jesus is asking of us, what He's teaching us and laughing until we're crying. We had our own church this morning as we read the easter story and Romans 12 together and then shared communion with each other. We then headed out for a late lunch to Carolyn's sister's and then we drove over to Austin to hear Shane Claiborne speak. Hmmmm there's a lot I could say about this, those of you who've read 'The Irresistible Revolution' will probably know what I'm feeling! As he finished speaking he spoke of a homeless shelter he's visited this morning and said that as he was speaking with the people there the thing they said they needed most were shoes. So, we were invited to share communion with each other and as we did so, to take off our shoes and socks and leave them at the communion table for them to be taken later to the people at the shelter. It was so beautiful and just felt like such a normal thing to do in one way. As we recieved Jesus sacrifice for us we made a very small and insignificant gift for those who have no shoes. And yet as Mother Theresa said, 'we can do no great things only small things with great love' and so as I came back and sat down and prayed for the lady who would receive my shoes I asked God that she would know the power of His love, that as she walked around in shoes given to her by a church, by Jesus' body and bride, that she would encounter not just a pair of new shoes but the kindness of a Father who loves her, who sees her, who knows her name and who longs for her.

It's been a great Easter.....I went out onto the balcony to read this morning and there were deer wandering around in the garden! Also, if you don't know about it already check out wavelit.com and click on Africa, they have rigged a hidden camera at a watering hole so you can see animals coming to it all day....when I got up this morning there was an elephant there...it's great.

BOB

On Saturday night we said goodbye to the BOB team from Tulsa who had been with us for a week. They were such an amazing group of young people and students it was really great to have them around. They arrived Monday March 18th and spent the week working very hard!

The highlights for me were:

• Asking Hector if some of the team could build bunk beds for the women´s room and hearing him tell us they have been praying for bunk beds!
• Seeing the bunk beds designed and built so lovingly by the team and seeing the gratefulness of the women and men at Hector´s......being part of the answer to other peoples prayers is amazing!
• Sharing lunch and worshipping in the courtyard behind one of the bars in Boystown....I was reminded as were sat there about the 24-7 phrase ´operate in darkness´ and thought about how we were doing just that...in a small courtyard behind a bar where men would come for reasons I don´t need to tell you, only to discover 30+ people worshipping and praising God. He is wild.
• Clearing that same courtyard and creating a garden that became the talk of Boystown!
• Clearing the rubbish from the property (including a dead dog, countless old dolls, part of a hen, a catheter, a chanel bag and much twigs and bricks). The team worked with such servant hearts amidst much laughter and moments of panic as the fire we had lit to burn the rubbish started to rise quite high....pictures of burning down the neighbourhood began to flash through all our minds. Thankfully all was fine and we will still be able to live there.
• Singing and worshipping outside Senor Corona´s house opposite the property as he told us how much he loved it and had made him cry.
• Spending time with the team and seeing how much they loved God and each other
• Praying together everyday to Stop the traffik.

One thing I wasn´t thrilled with (although not surprised by, as those of you who know me well won´t be either) was the fact that we finally left them at the hotel at 1.30am Saturday morning feeling filthy, only to get home and discover we had no water, our washing machine was broken and I had to pack and leave the house again at 4am to fly to Guatemala. Ha ha ha life would be boring if everything went smoothly.

La Antigua Guatemala

So here I am in Guatemala! I've come here for two weeks to go to Spanish school. I'm having five hours teaching a day with my own personal teacher so I'm hoping to return to Reynosa with at least a little more understanding and an ability to have a conversation! Antigua is beautiful....surrounded by mountains, paved with cobbled streets, filled with countless gorgeous coffee shops and restaurants. It really is a blessing to be here, there are so many friendly people around, I'm just smiling and saying hello all day! I arrived on March 25th and have been here for two weeks. I think my Spanish has improved, although Boystown will be my real test! I didn't realise it before I booked but the final week before Easter is HUGE over here. And it seems that during Semana Santa, Antigua is the place to be. Every Sunday during Lent there is a procession from different churches, then during Semana Santa there are processions everyday and in different churches on different days there are velacciones These are like huge murals that people in each church make and display at the front of the church, they depict different times in Jesus' life. The processions are unlike anything I have seen, the men are dressed in purple robes with hoods and carry huge almost like statues but they're more like 3D scenes from Jesus' life, particularly His final days on earth. There is a lot of incense also and bands that play music especially for this time of year. Although the processions wouldn't normally be my style it's been really interesting to see them. I was thinking aswell about how the church is such a hub of activity here, everynight this week people are at the different churches making flower displays, murals etc and also eating and drinking together. It's been lovely to be part of it. On Maundy Thursday there are people out in the streets from morning until about 4am Good Friday morning making alfombres which are 'carpets' on the streets that the processions will come down, they are amazing, so bright, colourful and real works of art. After going to church at the YWAM coffee house just down our road, then for a meal that I had won in an auction at our favourite restaurant on my first day here we wandered the streets till about 2am admiring the carpets and soaking up the atmosphere. It was wonderful.

AND one procession that I did love was on Palm Sunday. I had decided not to church but to go for a coffee and a read instead. I was just wandering up one of the streets by the main square when I heard lots of shouting and saw palm branches waving in the air. I was curious as it seemed to be different to the other processions. As the shouting got louder I could see about 30 people heading towards me all dressed like they were living in biblical times, they were dancing, waving palms, shouting hallelujah. I was drawn in, I didn't know where they were going but I wanted to follow them. I started to walk behind them as others did the same, we wound our way down to the main square and everynow and then as walked around, the 'procession' would stop and act out different times from Jesus' life and the Gospels. This wasn't a procession with cordoned off streets or big organisation like it needs to be at home though, this was just people walking through town, drawing a crowd, just like I imagine it was in the Bible....by the time we had reached the main square there was hundreds of us! As we were walking someone from the crowd would shout 'Jesu, Jesu' and it was the man with a sick daughter, another lady touched Jesus' cloak and everyone stopped, then we saw a mad man running towards us but Jesus healed him.....it was amazing, I couldn't help but follow these people, the words that I had read that morning from the Gospel of matthew were coming alive in the streets of Antigua. I started wondering who I would have been if I was a girl when Jesus was alive, would I have been amongst those who welcomed Him one week and crucified Him the next? Or would I have given my heart to Him and been amongst the women who went to anoint His body with oil. I wish I would have been the latter but I guess I'll never know, I do know that it got me thinking about all the times I have welcomed Jesus into my heart or areas of my life with shouts of hallelujah and then days or hours later I have stolen them back from Him and crucified Him all over again. It also got me thinking about how I don't want to be someone who believes God only when He has proved Himself I want to trust Him for who He says He is not just what He does. I want to be someone who never takes back my welcome to Him.

I'm really looking forward to getting back to Reynosa but I'll be sad to leave Antigua too, a few highlights have been:

• Wandering around (not driving!), having coffee in lots of lovely coffee shops with courtyards full of flowers and friendly people reading and writing in my journal.






• Staying in the same house as a girl called Jenni from Dallas....we got on really well and had a lot of fun together!






• Going to 'Pena de sol latino' a cafe/restaurant I went to on my first night with other people in my house, they were so welcoming, had live music every night and great cakes!






• Meeting an English guy who lives in New York now and told me that there was one word American's don't understand when he says it......do I need to tell you?!






• Going swimming three or four times....it felt great.






• Sitting on the balcony of our house overlooking the volcanoes that surround Antigua. Almost felt like I was in Wales.....almost! Ah.

Feliz Cumpleanos Karina!

Friday night was party night! When we found out last week that it was Karina's birthday we all decided it was time for a fiesta! We went to pick her up at 9pm and she was so excited she said her heart was going crazy! Kelly and I were excited too although also a little unsure about how the night was going to go. No need to worry though, Erin had invited a few of her friends along, including two who play the guitar and sing beautifully and I mean beautifully! It was such a great night, eating, drinking, singing and listening to Mexican music. It was even greater knowing that it is just a taste of things to come, a glimpse into the future of community life here in Reynosa. I may or not be part of that future but it's wonderful to be part of the beginning of it now. To pray into, and dream about a place that doesn't exist physically yet but at the same time is very real and alive in so many people's hearts and in the heart of God.

Walter

Since arriving here in Mexico/USA there has been a few, very funny, moments regarding my English accent and the way I say things. For example, when we were in Madison, sitting around the house one night, we were in the middle of conversation when Rebecca (our host) turned to me and said, totally out of the blue 'would you say Cadbury's eggs?'....so say it I did, much to her satisfaction and our amusement!
The funniest however was last night when we were at the building Erin works at welcoming a new team that had just arrived. I got chatting to one of the girl's mum's who was very sweet with her silver hair tied back in a bun. She had a little difficulty understanding some of what I was saying and was apologising but I laughed and said 'don't worry that's happened a lot since I've been here. In fact one of the most difficult words for American's to understand has been 'water'' (I have to put on an American accent everytime I ask for it in Texas). She looked a little confused so I said again 'water' as slowly and clearly as I could, to which she replied with a smile and a pat on my arm 'well, don't worry dear I'm sure there's not many people called Walter round here'.

I've cracked this blog thing

At last I hear you cry! Those who know me well will not be surprised to hear that my blogging absence has been because first of all I couldn't work out how to use it and secondly because I forgot my password....hence the new address. But now Jo Jo Wells is here and ready to blog her socks off.

I was going to write about the whirlwind of a 3 weeks my life has been since I left home but I think I've emailed you all to let you know what's been happening, the people I've met, the wonderful gals I'm living with and the rythym my life is beginning to take on here in Mexico (tacos, prayer and sun cream playing a large part) so this is just a wee post to say hello and send you lots of love.

I'll try and get some photos on here as soon as poss....although that could take another 3 weeks, I may try and borrow some from people who've been to the same places I have. oo here goes. Yes! These are some photos of snowy Madison......a beautiful place and a fun time x