PART ONE
PART TWO
PART THREE
PART FOUR
PART FIVE
Thursday, October 07, 2010
EL RETO 2010 FINAL VIDEO
This is the final video of EL RETO 2010. Because of the length, the video is divided into parts. Macedonio Diaz helped us out a lot this year including helping each team make a video of the Bible story of their team.
EL RETO TEAM VIDEOS
Here are the videos of each team. Aquí están los videos de cada equipo.
THE DETECTIVES
THE ANGELS
IN LOVE
THE DISCIPLES
THOSE WHO BELIEVE
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
EL RETO 2010 Sunday Debrief
Sunday we had a "RETO debrief" service. I shared a little of my testimony and my friend Macedonio Diaz shared about what God has been showing him through this time. Macedonio (Max) has been a huge help this year with Audio an Video. He spent many, many hours in front of the computer putting together the staff video, all six videos of the teams, he helped me with some of the videos I've posted on You Tube, and not to mention, the 40 minute final video of the whole RETO! God blessed us in a big way this year through Max.
I also had the captains come forward to share a little bit about their experiences. Some said they learned not to trust in others (other teams to help them), but to ultimately trust in the Lord. Some said it was hard to lead the team and sometimes it made them mad that they wouldn't follow. This is something that we can all learn from. Being a leader isn't easy. The two that said this, didn't give up, they kept going, they didn't quit the Challenge God had given them the opportunity to be apart of. That says a lot! It's not often you'll find 14 year olds leading people older than them, and sticking to it! I was very happy and blessed to hear that they were Overcomers! Finally, when I got to Alfredo, captain of The Explorers, the team that lost the FINAL CHALLENGE. He said he was confident they were going to win and "to our surprise, we didn't!" He said it with a smile! Who can do that? This 14 year old learned that winning wasn't everything. Actually, no one on the team was upset. They were content and accepted their loss. That takes maturity, to be able to say "we lossed" with a smile.
In the end, these captains will remember their experience as leaders and be able to use it when they become Student Leaders. They will not give up when it gets rough and difficult. It will help them in conflicts throughout their life...to trust in the Lord. In school, families, and even in their families when they get married. With a humble heart, they can trust in the Lord and not give up.
As for the rest of the students, they will continue to seek the Lord and learn from their experiences. It was an awesome opportunity to be able to plant seeds in so many students who don't know the Lord.
Also, Pastor Gollo and a few other adults came forward to share their experiences in EL RETO. One of the mothers was very grateful for what the Lord has been doing in the lives of her two sons who participated as well as in her own life. They were three of the 13 people who were baptized two weeks ago.
EL RETO is a means to unify the church; adults, youth, children...FAMILIES!
God says, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
Jeremiah 29:11-13
Thank you for your prayers and support for this ministry. If you would like to make a donation to EL RETO in Cofradía you can do so by clicking here.
EL RETO FINAL 2010
SEE EL RETO 2010 WEEK FIVE HERE.
October 2, 2010
More than two hundred people turned out on Saturday night to be part of EL RETO FINAL 2010! It started out just like any other week with role call and some announcements. About 15 of our youth friends from La Cruz de Elota, Sinaloa came to visit us and a few participated in the event, making the final total for this year 108 participants! It was great to have them with us, they are a real blessing to this ministry.
After Ruben and Alfredo shared their rap song with the theme "In Search Of", we continued with the reading of the votes for 200 points from last week. Five of the six teams received votes leaving one team with two votes...The Explorers.
As we finished with the announcements, we started with worship. It was a great opportunity for all of us to come together and worship the Lord. Many students who participated this year don't know Jesus and they've never had real encounter with God. I was encouraged to see some of them standing and participating in worship.
Our guest speaker this year was Pastor Samuel De La Rosa from San Vicente, Nayarit (about 1/2 hour from Cofradía). He has a daily radio show and many people around here listen to him. It was a privilege to have him with us as he brought about 20 people; mainly students from his congregation who participated in a drama while he spoke. What a message! He did an excellent job hitting the nail on the head with the theme and capturing the attention of the students. In the end, there were numerous students who came forward for prayer, many of which don't come to church. That pleases my heart!
Drama during message.
At the altar.
We finished with one more worship song and headed right into the presentation of the hidden treasures, announcing the winner of the Cents War, and finally the final score of all the teams.
This year we had three hidden treasures: "Christ" is better than "Gold" and "Silver." We even made a video that we gave to each team as they won in "Under The Scope" that explained a little about the treasures. I called up the captain of the team who found the "Silver" Treasure first. When someone found a treasure, they actually found a small rectangle box wrapped in a black bag. Inside the box was a magnifying glass with a message in the handle.
The Silver Treasure was found underneath a big cooking pot used for feeding cows in Hugo's field, it was found by Chuy Orozco, captain of The Detectives, the second week using a clue to a different treasure! This treasure gave them double the points they received in the Cents War. The message leaked out that he had found it and other teams made it a point that they would not benefit from that treasure. You will get negative 250 points if someone puts a 10 peso coin in your Cents War bottle. They got three 10 peso coins last week giving them a total of -286 points. Double that and they got a total of -572 points! Needless to say, with the -286 they were already in last place. There was a two-way tie for the winners of the Cents War between In Love and The Angels.
Chuy with Silver.
The Gold Treasure was found in the ruins near Arrayanes underneath a rock on top of the arches. This one was also found in the second week, but by Alfredo Garzon, captain of The Explorers. This treasure gave them all the points that were spent by all the teams in the RETO Auction for a total of 7,070 points! When I asked him how he found it, he said that the captain of The Angels, Mereida, had loaned him the DVD she won in "Under the Scope." Using clues that the DVD showed, he found it. So, since Mereida gave them points in the auction, I asked Alfredo if he'd like to give Mereida's team points for helping him find the treasure. He said..."one point." So, we added 7,069 points to The Explorers final score and one point to The Angels final score.
Alfredo with Gold.
The Christ Treasure was found the morning after the fifth Saturday. It was the hardest one for them to find. The clues would take them to Beto's field south of Cofradía headed towards Ruiz where they would find a clue buried in his field that would lead them to a field next to Pastor Luis' watermelon field out towards Santa Fe. They never found the clue buried in Beto's field, but with the final clue in the fifth week, many were able to determine where it was. Now, it was just a race to see who got there first. At 6am on Sunday morning, Chuy Orozco, captain of The Detectives, went out to look for the treasure and found it right away buried underneath a tire that was laying in the field. He didn't say anything to anyone and a couple hours later, another captain went out there but didn't find anything. Then, after church, two other teams went out to the field, but came up empty because Chuy had already found it!
Chuy with the Christ Treasure.
This treasure gave them the opportunity to challenge the first place team in one final challenge to determine the winner of EL RETO 2010!
The final score for EL RETO 2010 is as follows:
6th PLACE with 4,390 points...
The Angels (after receiving one extra point from The Explorers).
5th PLACE with 6,994 points...
Those Who Believe
4th PLACE with 7,693 points...
The Detectives
3rd PLACE with 9,480 points...
In Love
2nd PLACE with 11,408 points...
The Disciples
and in 1st PLACE with 14,854 points...
The Explorers (after winning 7,069 points with the Gold Treasure).
This year's RETO FINAL was between The Explorers (for First Place) and The Detectives (for finding Christ Treasure) and was divided into two parts.
The first part of the final challenge was a series of activities they had experienced throughout the month. The score started out with The Explorers leading 5-0 because of the 1st place position. Their first series of activities was to go up to people and ask for Chips. There were a total of 10 people who had chips, The Explorers found 5 and The Detectives found 6. So now the score was 10-6. Then they competed in a series of activities for individuals on the team. In order for it to be a "team" effort, they needed one participant for each activity.
Their first activity was to have one participant translate a message in Spanish to the Chinese font that I found in my computer. Then, another participant had to translate what was written in Chinese into Spanish. The Detectives won two points for finishing first. I have no idea what it says, but each letter had a different figure to it, so we used those figures in all of the clues to the treasures. Now, they needed it for EL RETO FINAL. The font is called, "Wubi Xing" and the phrase "EL RETO" looks like this "有国 的有和为". We gave away letters as they won them and bought them for points. For this event, they got the whole alphabet to use. Now, the score was 10-8 with The Explorers still leading.
Chuy Translating
While the translation was taking place, two members of each team had to chase chickens. The Detectives got the chicken first. Now, it was 10-9, The Explorers.
Catching the Chicken.
One member from each team had to try to make a penalty shot. The Detectives evened up the score 10-10 with making the first penalty shot.
Goal!
Then they had to search for verses. One member from each team had their bible and raced to search for a verse. Three verses were given; one of them neither participant could find. Again, The Detectives won here and got two more points and now were in the lead 12-10.
George and Alfredo getting ready to search for verses.
Also, they were to have three members participate in a quick rally that took more than a half an hour. They needed to start a fire with magnesium flint and make the flame grow until it broke the string and dropped a bucket with a message in 1.5 font that explained to them where they would find a tiny bottle using a compass.
One member would make fire, another would read the message with a magnifying glass, and final member would search for the bottle using the compass. The winning team would receive three points. Each member needed to do this themselves and not get help from other members of the team, otherwise it would be cheating--the other members had something else to participate in. Neither team could make fire, so we gave them matches which took one point away. The Explorers found the bottle, but unfortunately another member of the team was "helping" and resulted in The Detectives getting the two remaining points. Now, it was 14-10.
Finally, two members of each team had to eat a pig tongue, once they had a clean mouth, the whole team was to drink 10 liters (2 1/2 gallons) of orange juice. The Explorers won two points making the final score 14-12 at halftime!
At the break, we watched the videos the teams made for the team project. Here are the team videos.
The second part of EL RETO FINAL was the same activity we did two years ago for the final. Each team chose 10 squares in a 100 square grid. The score was 14-12 which gave each team that many shots at searching for the other team's chosen squares. We always let the team with the least amount go first. This year, The Explorers went first and with four shots left of their 12, they hit one of their own squares giving one point to The Detectives. With three shots left...nothing. With two shots left...nothing. They had one shot left, if they did not hit a square that The Detectives had chosen, The Detectives would be declared the winners with a score of 1-0. The final shot was taken and...nothing! The Detectives were declared the winners of EL RETO 2010!
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE DETECTIVES!!!
Here is a video of this final week.
After naming the Champions, we watched the final video. You can see it here.
Many say that this year was the best RETO so far. I believe that God has a plan in this and teaches each one of us to trust in him and realize that He is in control. He knows best. He sees us Under His Scope and loves us even though we have defects. He sees His children; His creation. He sent His Son in order for us to have fellowship with Him! He is AWESOME!
On Sunday, we had a RETO debrief service and a few people shared their experiences throughout the month. Click here to read about it.
Monday, September 27, 2010
EL RETO 2010 Week Five
SEE EL RETO 2010 WEEK ONE HERE.
WEEK FIVE: September 25, 2010
Three more students...104! In the past, the fifth week has always been "EL RETO FINAL". We have always finished on the fifth week. This year, in order to make the final with less activities, we added a sixth week. We'll see if it helps LOL!
For the first time, we were ready (students and staff) before the start time. That is very rare here in Mexico! After taking roll call, Mily set up the first activity..."The Cinderella Revolution". They had to find someone on the team that would fit into rollerblades and hang on to a rope behind a scooter that would take them around the auditorium. As they were being pulled, they had to grab a strip of the color of their team from various locations. The winning team was the team that grabbed the most (there were other colors with prizes as well). Geña set the example and made the first round...
From there, the last placed team started a final race. Each clue they would get was in a #2 font again that led them to their next activity and destination. In increments of two minutes, the teams left and went to the small lake in Las Pilas (the town we did the Banquet in) to do a water activity--filling up a bucket.
From there, they went to Paso Real (the first town from the highway on your way to Cofradía). In Paso Real, the team had to walk on boards for 10 meters (30+ feet) in sink.
Once they were done, they had to run to the center of town where they were to run back and for down the speed soccer court in a very strange way.
The team to finish the race first, won. After that, we had our traditional RETO AUCTION!
We had thirteen items up for bid and each team had the opportunity to bid whatever they wanted, as long as it wasn't more points than they had. They did not know what any of the items were, we always keep that a secret. Once they're done bidding and a team buys the item, we bring out another box with the next item in it for them to choose which one they'd like. This year, the items were:
1. All the clues to the hidden treasure "SILVER"--along with a cucumber snack (The Angels).
2. All the clues to the hidden treasure "GOLD"--along with some coffee candies snack (The Disciples).
3. A big tub of Ice Cream (The Explorers).
4. A small box of Tic Tacs (The Detectives).
5. 3 Liter bottle of Pepsi (The Angels).
6. 1000 points (The Angels).
7. All the clues to the hidden treasure "CHRIST"--along with some Milky Way candy bars (The Explorers).
8. Chores-washing trucks (The Angels).
9. A big box of cookies (The Detectives).
10. Divide 1000 points between two teams (The Angels-they included themselves in this one).
11. A sorted box of chips (The Angels).
12. Tacos! (The Explorers).
13. A more detailed clue to the hidden treasure "CHRIST"--the one that everyone is saying hasn't been found yet (The Angels).
Here are some auction expressions...
220 points!
This year's Auction was a lot of fun and the teams spent a total of 7,070 points all together. When we finished, we sang a Praise song and I shared with Paso Real the reason for EL RETO and the theme verse, Jeremiah 29:13 "You will seek me and you will find me when you seek me with all your heart." It was a great time! The students went around and handed out tracts and as soon as we finished, it started to rain.
Worship in the center of town.
We returned to Cofradía for "Under The Scope." We had the teams come in and vote right away for another team to receive 200 points. After that, we had our Under the Scope final with the "Filipos" and "Punishments." Then, we shared a little of the Word with them and encouraged them to keep seeking the Lord.
Finally, they came in to vote again, this time for a team to do chores along with the team who bought Chores in the Auction, The Angels. They would be immune of the vote since they were already going to be washing trucks.
After they were done voting, we read the votes and gave a prize to In Love who received four votes!
This week, Jazmin and I had a staring contest...she's been the one who really makes it hard to keep a straight face. She is always cracking up!
Next week is EL RETO FINAL! We'll have worship, a message, music, videos, games, and a lot of fun! Please keep this event in your prayers as we see many students and adults this Saturday attend who don't come to church. It is going to be great!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
EL RETO 2010 Week Four
SEE EL RETO 2010 WEEK ONE HERE
WEEK FOUR: September 18, 2010
101 STUDENTS!!! If you would have told me a month ago that we would have over one hundred students this year participate in EL RETO, I would not have believed you. This is something that excites me, not that we have "high" numbers, but that more and more students are being exposed to the Truth! Each week we talk about Biblical Principals that can help us in our life. Most of these students have never been to church, in fact, I more than likely will not be able to recognize them in a month. God recognizes them, he knows their heart and what they are receiving. My prayer is that their hearts would be open to the gospel and they would make the most important decision in their life...decide to live for Jesus! WOW!! This is exciting! The next day during the Sunday service we had baptisms. Along with the 5 adults that were baptized, 8 youth were baptized!! Some of them are fruit of EL RETO! Please continue to pray that the students participating would have open hearts to hear God speak to them about their lives. And, for a strong faith in the 13 people baptized on Sunday.
The activities for week four started with searching for Bible verses (which we used in "Under the Scope" for our message). The first team to find the verse got 50 points.
Diana Garzon
From there, the students had to make a penalty shot. They would start in the order their final verse mentioned, "the last shall be first". So, the first team to kick a penalty shot was The Angels. If you're interested, the order continued with Those Who Believe, The Explorers, In Love, The Detectives, and finally The Disciples.
Gollo Hernández
Once they made their penalty shot, they got a message telling them to go to the small lake in Cofradía where José Luís was waiting for them in the middle on a boogy board. One of their team members had to swim out to him to get their next clue. They got their #2 font message in a small bottle; the message said: "At the bottom of the river, there is a treasure. Under the bridge where the people swim. Tied to a rock in a Holy (Santa) place. Search with Faith (Fe) and we'll see what happens." In Spanish it was cool because the whole thing rhymed really well. With the words "Santa" and "Fe", they knew exactly where to go!
Jesús Orozco
One of the team members dove in for the treasure that contained the message for their next activity. They needed to go around town (Santa Fe), asking for chips just like they did last week. Finally, when they were done, they arrived at the Soccer field where they played a series of Capture the Flag.
Julio Hernández
They had five minutes to capture their flag or the game ended in a tie. When there was a four-way tie for second, we had them run down the field and back...the first complete team to cross the line won second place. The finals were between The Angels and The Disciples, and the winners...
The Disciples!
From there, the teams went back to Cofradía for small group time and debrief the activities of the day while we prepared for "Under the Scope."
Candles in "Under the Scope"
The past couple of weeks, I've been trying to be goofy as they come into the solemn room to vote. It's so serious and I've heard that some of the students really think I'm upset! So, last week I wore a baseball cap sideways and this week I wore a full-face knitted cap with my cowboy hat. Every once in a while when I catch the eye of someone, we'll pull them aside and not tell them why until the team leaves. Then, that person and I have a staring competition (I tell him we're playing before hand). It's fun and creates a connection with the students. We shake hands in the end and we let them go.
Here's a clip...
Finally, there was a tie for most votes...Those Who Believe and The Explorers
Here's a quick video of the activities in week #4...
Thank you so much for your prayers! I believe that God is working in the hearts of these young students. He is also teaching us a number of things!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
EL RETO 2010 Week Three
SEE EL RETO 2010 WEEK ONE HERE.
We had 11 more students arrive for week three making the new record total 98! This year has been very interesting as it includes pretty intense competition.
Last week we left off in Arrayanes after the Gladiator game. So, this week we started in Arrayanes. They were off to another race making fire and searching for 12 foamy chips located in homes and remote places in Arrayanes and Cofradía, asking the homeowners or staff for "Chip Please". Finally, they had to capture a loose chicken and take it to it's owner where in exchange they were given their menu for the famous EL RETO Banquet!
In order to get the map and instructions for searching for the foamy chips, they needed to start a fire scraping magnesium and striking the flint to get sparks. Once the fire started, the flame needed to reach a string attached to a bucket which contained the information they needed. Once the fire burned through the string, the bucket fell and they were off...
There were 6 locations in Arrayanes, 2 along side the road between Arrayanes and Cofradía, and 4 more locations in Cofradía where they had to find chips. When they were done with searching for chips, they had to catch a chicken. The clue said "Guess what! Hugo and Norma's chickens got loose and they are at the church praising God, but it's time for them to go home. Find the chicken with the tag of the color of your team tied to it's foot. Then, your driver will take you to it's home."
When they captured the chicken, they took it to Norma at her house and in exchange, she gave them a menu of the RETO BANQUET!!
The first team to arrive at the Banquet were The Detectives, followed by The Disciples and In Love. All three teams showed up at about the same time.
This year we had 10 items for the banquet and an eleventh one for all participants...
1. "Rebecka's Specialty" This year we let Rebecka choose an item and she chose dog food!
2. "Lemonade" Lemonade with a lot of garlic and salt.
3. "Big Foot" Baby octopus--between two people.
4. "Waterlogged Nemos" A live fish from the river.
5. "RETO Special #1" Chile Jalapeño.
6. "Surprise #1" Tacos--real tacos from Pilas (for those of you who have experienced them!!).
7. "Chocolate Milkshake" (Chocolate Milkshake with onion).
8. "RETO Special #2" Cow Eyeball.
9. "Curd" A 5 inch long piece of greasy cow intestine.
10. "Surprise #2" Raw egg with straw and coke.
11. "Dessert" For the whole team to enjoy...a three liter bottle of coke!
Here's the video...
After the banquet, everyone returned to Cofradía to have their small group time outside the church while we prepared for "Under The Scope."
This week we focused on how dedication to your team will help you win. The banquet was incredibly gross, but most didn't give up and continued to fight for their team. Sometimes, we need to fight for our team of brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to cheer them on as they cheer us on as well! Some may have to experience a situation a little more "gross" than others, but we should be united in helping each other. We should show love and respect towards each other just as we should to our captains, the staff, our pastors and leaders, even our parents. Conflict is resolvable if we are willing to humble ourselves and admit when we're wrong. The biggest problem is when both parties think they're right--most of the time, their "rightness" is made on assumptions and misinterpretations...unfortunately.
We had a really good talk and the evening ended on a very positive note! I was happy to hear later that there were parents outside waiting and got to hear what we were teaching.
Rebecka accompanied me while the teams came in to vote.
Then, when they were all done voting, Rebecka carried the clay pot to where we were to read the votes.
The two teams that tied for most votes were...
Those Who Believe whom The Explorers voted for...
Each time a team gets voted for, they get to choose between "Christ, Gold, or Silver." Those are the names of the three hidden treasures. Depending on which one they ask for, is what clue they get. If they get chosen twice, they get to have two of the three. If they win most votes, they get all three plus a video of me talking about treasures...ones the people have found around here from years ago, ones that are mentioned in the Bible, ones that we've hidden in the past, and the ones that are hidden this year. I give them a better clue of each one...but subtitled in the chinese font and chinese gibberish. If they get most votes a second week, they'll get a map to help them determine where to look using the compass. Right now there are three teams who have won most votes two times and one other team that has won once.
Monday, September 06, 2010
EL RETO 2010 Week Two
We used #2 font for the clues throughout the race which forced most of them to use the magnifying glass inside the compass we gave them.
They first needed to go outside the church where their chauffeur was waiting for them and tell them where to take them.
In Love is in the truck and ready!
The message led them to the Cofradía baseball field where they were to find their next clue using their compass. That message led them on a journey through the woods and muddy roads to pick up accessories they would need in order to make a shield for the game they were to play once they got to Arrayanes. They crossed through mud, a wooded hill, a field of tall grass, and two rivers...
Once they got to Arrayanes, they began to work on their shields and received points for the first ones finished. Then we started a traditional RETO game called Gladiators. One team is placed in one corner of the speed soccer court while all the other teams run through a path to reach the goal. Along the path were tables for them to hide behind, but they still needed to get through the goal, otherwise their team would lose 50 points per person left behind before the music stopped.
All three barrels were full.
The Disciples were the first in the corral to throw water balloons.
Those Who Believe getting ready to leave the gate.
The Angels start running.
The Explorers made use of their shield.
In Love dodging and racing for the goal.
The Detectives passing the goal.
This year, one of the funnest things was to have the staff run through the course and the students throwing water balloons at us! Everyone loved it!!
Here's a video...
When we were done with this, teams met together for small group time to debrief what we learned while the staff cleaned up and prepared for "Under the Scope" in Cofradía.
This week, the discourse was focused on using the shield to fight off the fiery darts of the enemy just as they were using the shield in Gladiators to fight off the water balloons. Satan will try to convince us to believing a lie about Truth or even about someone else. We need to fight off those deceiving thoughts that lead to death.
The teams once again voted for another team that they thought did really well and had a good attitude...
The Detectives voted for...
In Love voted for...
The Detectives.
The Explorers voted for...
Those Who Believe voted for...
The Angels voted for...
The Disciples voted for...
The Angels.
It had begun to rain so we read the votes fast and the two teams (In Love, and The Angels) that tied for the win came up to get their prizes.
A great week and a big challenge for some!
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