This morning Felix arrived with Kevin & Matteo to clown at Castillo. As the team loaded the van to leave for Castillo, Uncle Andy gathered a small group of us together. Dave, Aunt Sharon, Uncle Andy, Felix, Jorge and myself stood in a small corner as Uncle Andy explained what we were leaving for the Mazatlan clowns. Through Dave, Uncle Andy explained that we saw the ability and annointing in Felix and we wanted to give her additional resources to help her ministry launch. Jorge has an established children’s ministry that he has been building over the past years and we asked him to pray over Felix as we commissioned her out.

After we prayed, Felix and I looked at each other with tears in our eyes. I am immeasurably proud of her and I am excited to see her ministry continue to grow.

To get to Stone Island, one has to pile into small boats that ferry you across the water. Half of the area is affluent and being developed into a resort community.

The other half is in poverty. The colonial is in the center of the poverty half. This is also the colonial that Vineyard Community Church has invested and helped to build up over the past several years.

When we arrived at the building, there were already people lined up in anticipation for the medical team to arrive. Unfortunately, there were not a lot of kids yet and the medical team asked for us to go outside to ensure that we did not draw kids into the building as they were setting up. So, Paco and Isabella helped to canvass the area as Felix worked on painting her face.

Over the past several days, Felix would take her daughters to school at 8 am, ride the bus 45 minutes to the church with her 2 year-old and 10 year-old sons to La Vina Mazatlan, clown the full 8-10 hour day, before riding the bus back home. During that time she had perfected her make-up and had run out of some of the paint. So, we had to improvise and she did not have the opportunity to put it on until we arrived at the colonial.

When Paco and Isabella arrived back at the church, we found Felix already in the designated clown area surrounded by kids. I was surprised to see that our clown had jumped straight into character. I was exceedingly proud of how far she had come in a short amount of time. She has a God-given natural talent to clown and to spread joy.

We did two clown programs at Stone Island. The first program was for a small group of children in the morning. Part of the idea was to show Felix the skits and then incorporate her during the second program.

Our last skit of the show is one that Lolli & Pop used to perform where a clown has a giant hole in paper heart they hold up. They try to fill it with various things but nothing can fill the heart until they open a Bible and find the missing piece with the word Jesus or “Cristo” printed across it. In the first show, the cd player randomly stopped but Felix jumped in and began to help narrate and got the kids involved in what we were doing. As I would hold up a medal, the kids would shout how it would not fill the heart just as I dropped it through the hole.

The second show was scheduled to occur right after the rest of the local children were released from school and after the medical team was packed up. The goal was to complete the clown show, distribute donated new shoes to the children, and feed the community all before 6 pm. By this time, Jorge had arrived and helped to translate the clown show as well.

Jorge started the clown show and it was amazing to see him get the kids and adults fully engaged in what was occurring onstage. By the time he had finished, everyone was fully drawn in to what the clowns were about to do. We began the skit and Jorge narrated each idea that Paco brought to attempt to fill the heart. All the while, Felix sat reading the prop Bible and watching. When Paco had exhausted his ideas, Felix opened the Bible and gave Isabella the missing heart piece. She did an amazing job helping get the kids involved all day and carried out her part beautifully.

Afterwards the shoe and meal distribution began and Felix pulled me aside to ask me a question. She wanted to know when we would go to her colonial, Dona Chonita. I had to tell her that I was leaving the following day but that was why we had come. To teach and to equip her to perform it at her church and to move the ministry forward even after we left.

Being that it is a holiday today, Three King's Day, we distributed hot chocolate

and cakes.

However, before service began we assisted with cooking the hot chocolate. Making hot chocolate at Dona Chicita meant that we needed to cook milk and chocolates over a hot stovetop. Due to the heat of the stove, our team took turns stirring in the chocolates as they slowly melted into the milk.

Before the service started the pastor, Kyle, mentioned that one of his members was an attendee of the class. Felix was so excited about her clown training that she went straight to the colonial. Kyle was conducting Alpha training at the time. She excitedly told the group about her experience and then began to make balloons for all of the local children. She loves being a clown so much that she is already out of balloons.

Our class consisted of three clowns, which was our original request 3-5 clowns. While we had the opportunity for more clowns, my grandmother and I wanted to have fewer clowns to enable us to ensure a better quality of training in the short amount of time that we had. Our clowns consisted of Lydia, Felix, and Jorge. Jorge was an individual that Grandma was really hoping would appear for the training. Six years ago, he saw Loli and Pop (Grandma Kay and Grandpa T) clown and it inspired him to put together his own costume and clown at the colonials for La Vina church. When Grandpa T passed away last year, Grandma Kay began to pray about giving Pop’s designer clown costume to Jorge to help Jorge continue his ministry. So, we were really excited to see him arrive for the training.

We dove into painting their faces immediately and the end result surprised us. All three of our clowns looked amazing. Once their faces were complete, Dave translated our surprise that the make-up, wigs, and costumes we brought would be theirs to keep. Each clown’s faces shown with sheer delight with the announcement.

About that time, Grandma brought out Pop’s costume. There were tears in both their eyes as she gave it to Jorge and explained that Grandpa T would have wanted to give it to Jorge to help further his ministry. Jorge could not say a word through Grandma’s explanation. Later that evening, Jorge gave Grandma a big hug and said that he was incredibly honored to receive Pop’s costume.

We then helped the girls put together their costumes and select their wigs. The girls “oooed” and “ahhed” over the costumes and from outside you could hear their giggles of excitement. They all loved being clowns so much that none of them took off their make-up when it came time to leave after the balloon training.

My understanding of Renato Vega is that it serves as a local classroom for kids. Our team cut hair, provided lunch, and offered free clinical services. As the team began to set up their individual stations inside the classroom area, the clowns approached Renato Vega. However, when we first walked through the gate, the kids began to riot. They were rushing up to the teachers and trying to push their way out to see the clowns. The head teacher had to ask the clowns to leave until class was over.

So, Paco went with one group and I went with another to canvass the area and ensure people were aware of the free clinical services available. I went with Tim Marsh, team leader, and another teammate. It was humorous to see numerous people be disinterested in two guys but became enthusiastic when the clown came into view. I handed out over 60 silly clown face stickers to people as we walked around. It was a lot of fun to make kids mothers passing by smile. Even women furiously sweeping front porches would grin from ear-to-ear when they would receive a sticker.

Once we returned to Renato Vega, I handed out the rest of the stickers and made a lot of balloons waiting for Uncle Andy. He was a huge help handing out candy to everyone. The staff at Renato Vega were so appreciative that they made us all sandwiches. As the medical team completed with the last couple families, I was able to sit with the kids and use my limited Spanish to make them laugh. One mom came up to get candy for her 3 small boys, just to say that this was the most open and happy one of her sons had been around a clown.

Aunt Sharon was great, not only at keeping people in line for balloons, but seeing little guys who were sad because they were pushed out of line. She would see them and ask me to make something so that she could give them to the small boy. It was great to not only have a shield or order but also a second set of eyes to make sure the kids did not feel too disheartened or sad by the madness.

Paco found his face!

9 am – Uncle Andy’s one-on-one clown training began.

Considering Uncle Andy had never put on make-up before he did extremely well. His finished clown face really did look exceptional and I was surprised it was his first time. When we completed working on his face, Paco (aka Uncle Andy) put on his wig and new red nose. We then went downstairs to get Grandma Kay’s approval, who was sitting by the beach waiting for the clown training to end.

As soon as we entered the pool area, people started looking at Paco and began smiling. It is always amazing how much people smile when a clown walks into the room. It is an experience that I enjoy seeing and loved standing next to Paco as he took in the smiles around him for the first time. A little girl excitedly began to shout “Payaso! Payaso!” Translated, she was shouting, “Clown! Clown!” It was adorable. She shyly ran up to him and gave him a big hug before rejoining her parents.

After Grandma’s enthusiastic approval, Paco and I went back upstairs to learn how to “declown.” As we got into the elevator, Paco looked at me and said seeing that little girl brighten up as he walked into the room made it all worth it. I smiled and said, “Yes. It makes becoming a clown worth it. Just one smile makes all of the training, preparation, and work worth it.”

12:30 am – Fall Asleep
1:30 am – Awake to ensure that I don’t miss the 2:30 am shuttle for my 5:15 am flight.

Leading up to this trip, people have asked me if I was excited about this trip. Until today, I just felt numb. It felt like if I let myself get excited, it would be taken away from me. But walking up to the Mazatlan gate in Phoenix airport and seeing Grandma Kay dressed in coral with a big smile made it become somehow real. Suddenly all of the preparation was over and I was actually boarding the plane, filling out Visa information, and walking through Mexican customs. It suddenly was no longer a dream.

Uncle Andy & Aunt Sharon met us outside customs and we piled all of our baggage into Dave’s yellow truck before driving to our hotel, the Royal Villas. Dave is our contact and a pastor for the Vineyard churches in Mazatlan. On the way, we talked about how little sleep everyone obtained, how excited we were, and Dave discussed local foods. Just outside of The Golden Zone, we stopped for local Mexican food and coffee.

We enjoyed fish tacos and walked down to The Point. We could look out at the sea and enjoy the beautiful sun that I have so missed in Seattle. We also found the most unusual rubber chicken (it was much more adorable than any chicken I have found in US). After lunch, we were able to enjoy coffee from Looney Bean. They have coffee grown just outside the shop, cooked by owner, and given to clients. It smelled absolutely amazing. After watching the owner cook a bag of coffee, we enjoyed lattes due to Dave’s claim that it is better than Starbucks. I have to say their Soy Chi was better than ANY I have ever tried at Starbucks.

We finally arrived at Royal Villas and we were able to enjoy the beautiful view of the beach before ending the day. Grandma rested while I was able to separate all of the clown supplies necessary for Saturday’s upcoming training. One would never realize how much it takes to create a good looking clown until you lay it all out and take in how each item is necessary.