First week

Well, I've been here almost a week now and it's time to give you folks the first update.


The weather when I left Denver

The weather when I arrived in Hidalgo

















First off, I want to thank everyone for the prayers. The Lord made all of the traveling go very smoothly and I didn't lose any bags. Training at The Owl has gone very well and I am about ready to do everything on my own. Later I'll tell a funny story about when we were being trained.

The first day I was here we went to the church that Andrew and Gena attend which was a surprising experience; surprising in how normal it felt. I definitely felt a huge unity with my Christian brothers here in Mexico. It was amazing to see the Lord confirming much of the same convictions and truths in their lives that I have felt and seen in my church. It's also very exciting that many churches in this area are starting to become "sending churches" instead only receiving missionary support. Believers from this town have gone to India and Nicaragua a few times with plans to go to New York and China. Not to mention all of the missions that people are going on throughout Mexico. Another exciting part of it is these aren't only the adults that are doing this. It is primarily people my age that are recieving the vision and carrying it out. This is all with significantly less resources at their disposal than most of our churches have in the U.S.. Pretty inspiring, right?

As far as El Buho goes, it has definitely been an interesting week. The espresso machine stopped working the first day the other volunteer, Hamilton, and myself were left to work on our own (wasn't me!). With plans to throw a party for the locals and the climbers that are starting to come into town, this has been a big worry for us. We have found what the problem is and that it is out of our skills to fix. We have been praying for a couple of days to find out if the Lord is going to get us a new machine, fix ours, or if we need to cancel the party. Only a few hours ago, a friend of Andrew's that volunteers here pretty often, said he has a spare machine and will bring it down here with him. He is driving from Louisiana and is hoping to get here just before the party on Saturday.

So now for that story about when Andrew was training Hamilton and I. Since Andrew is a bit of a coffee guru, things have to be done perfectly. How specifically coffee can be made came as a bit of a shock to a guy who has never progressed from cowboy coffee made in a tea kettle. To get everything dialed (correct pressure when pressing the grounds, correct size grounds, time between grinding and making the espresso, etc.) took making an insane amount of shots of espresso. Then we had to try them all so that we knew the difference between bad, good, and great shots of espresso. By lunch time I was so buzzed on caffeine that I could barely see straight. Then we went to get lunch in the weekly market in town. A buzz from seven to ten shots of espresso + hungry + traveling market in Mexico = I probably tripped over 5 little kids. As if everyone doesn't stare at the gringos enough!



Hamilton following me up Cactus Piles (5.10d 300ft)

And now for the climbing... It's unbelievable! I've only been to Potrero Chico once so far but every line I climbed, whether is was a 5.8 (easy) or a 5.10d (hard), would have been rated 5 stars at any crag I've been to in Colorado. Even though I had planned to only single pitch (climbing the length of one rope) my first day out, the amazing size of Potrero Chico just begged to be climbed so I hopped on a 3 pitch route at the end of the day. One thing that was really funny about the experience was that I already knew many of the people at the crag (climbing area), even though I had never been there before. This is because almost all of the climbers that stay for the entire season, frequent The Owl almost daily.

Spending time with the climbers has been a very rich experience. It has been raining for the last few days so there is hardly a time that there isn't a climber in The Owl. I have been hearing some amazing travel stories and met people from all over the world. I definitely feel like I am more effective in ministry to them since I can relate to them in climbing. Which happens to be a majority of the reason that many of them have made it their lives to travel the entire world. Another thing that I learned from spending time with them is that there is nothing funnier than an actual dirtbag climber calling another dirtbag climber a "dirtbag" while playing board games, especially when all of them have hilarious accents.

Other little updates.
-My spanish is doing really well. My favorite customers are the middle school guys because they are like most guys at that age and just use really simple, one word answers. But I can understand most people and can get them to understand me with a little effort.
-My roommate and I get along really well and feel really capable of living in community with Andrew and Gena for as long as the Lord keeps us here.
-I will not have an update on fundraising until the end of the month but last time I heard I was more than halfway to my goal for the entire trip. Thank you guys so much for being so agile for the Lord and getting me down here so quickly.

Things to pray for!
-Pray that my relationships with the long term climbers are led by God, for His glory
-That John makes it here on time with the new espresso machine
-For the local church, that the Lord would use me to encourage the people in the amazing things that they are doing for Him

Also, I took a video tour so that you could get an idea of the layout of The Owl (I will work on embedding it in this page)
 http://youtu.be/6pWl3ZmsPa8

Heading out

This is the big day everyone! Since November 1st (ten days ago), you guys made it possible for me to sell my car, pack and store my stuff, raise funds, get a plane ticket, find a sending ministry, and cancel my: lease, inernet, phone, and insurance. I can't even remember how many of you guys met with me in the last week and encouraged me. I told the story of how God made all of this line up so many times that I'm probably telling it in my sleep. I just want to thank you all for making it happen. With all of that done, I'm off!

Things to pray for:
-For a safe flight/drive to Hidalgo (I'll be getting into Monterrey pretty late then it's a quick drive to Hidalgo)
-Please pray that I don't lose my bag, I'm a little worried about that
-That I'm able to be a quick study at the coffee shop and that we are able to open by Andrew's planned date

One last picture and lots of prayer before heading out

How it began

This is the support letter that I sent out that hopefully all of you received. 

Hey there friends and family!

                Boy, do I have a story for you! As some of you may know, I have been preparing to go to Ecuador for a climbing trip in January. The goal was to go down with my climbing partner, climb a couple of peaks, then we were going to go our separate ways and explore South America. The Lord had been hinting to me that I may be down there for a while, possibly doing ministry, and that I should start lightening my load here. We had almost everything ready to go: climbing equipment, special skills training and practice, and logistics for when we are over there. The only thing that I didn’t have ready was a plane ticket. I had the money for the ticket in my pocket many times but when I rang up the ticket, I could never click “buy”. I didn’t know what was stopping me but I would always exit the window at the last second.

Well a few days ago, on October 30, my climbing partner and I decided, even though we were very excited and prepared, we needed to call the trip off for a few reasons. The next day, I was cruising the Solid Rock Climbers for Christ website and I saw a help wanted ad for volunteers at a Christian coffee shop. Turns out this coffee shop is located almost within walking distance of a world famous climbing area and ministers to climbers… and it’s in ­­­­­­­­Hidalgo, Mexico. So I emailed Andrew who runs the ministry about maybe helping him out. A few hours later he called me, told me he needed my help, and said he could really use me ASAP, sometime between November 6 and November 13 and he would need me to stay through May and potentially longer.

                I realized that this is what the Lord has been building me up to over the last few months. So… I’m going to Mexico! It’s so amazing how many things the Lord has been doing to prepare me for this trip without me even knowing about it. Let me tell you a little more about what I will be doing down there. El Buho (The Owl) is a Christian coffee shop that is for international climbers, locals, and any other travelers to come and relax. They can check their email, play board games, and enjoy a cup of joe. Andrew told me that it has also become like the local Starbucks and it’s where the local boys bring their dates now. The Owl will also host weekly movie nights during climbing season as well as Bible studies. My job will be to serve coffee to all that come, and try to pour into their lives in whatever way the Spirit leads me. In my spare time I will be out climbing at El Potrero Chico, trying to connect and minister to the climbers while on the rock. Another big part of what Andrew and his wife are doing down there is in the local community. As of right now, the local kids stop their education after 5^th grade because they can’t afford the bus fare to get to the middle school in the neighboring town. That is why thirty percent of all of the proceeds from The Owl go directly into an account that will eventually build a middle school in Hidalgo so that they can continue their education. To learn more, check out Andrew’s website at www.notquiteripe.com.  So now I need a few things from my friends and family to make all of this happen:

                First, I need prayer warriors. I need people that want to receive email updates about what needs to be covered in prayer while I’m there, and I need them to commit to actually praying about it. This will include things like safety while on the rock, specific relationships that are being formed, and special projects that I may take on.

               

Second, I need financial support. My total expenses while I’m there will be $350 a month[MTN: $350 x 7 months = $2,450 plus about $1,000 travel expenses, total = $3,450]. This includes room and board, gas money, personal expenses and spending.

               

Third, I need accountability. These are people that are willing to call me up or email me and check how things are going. These need to be people that will encourage me, advise me, and convict me if need be.

If you want to commit to one, two, or all three of these things, I need to know NOW! The thing about this trip that is different from any other mission trip that I’ve been on is that I don’t have half a year or even a few months to get ready. I have ONE WEEK. I beg you to pray about this and to see what you can commit to. I’m very excited that God has called me to serve Him by serving the international climbers and the local Mexican community. Who knows what the impact could be? Please be a part of this with me.

Thank you so much and God bless,

Kevin Nicastro

720-227-4568

kevin@nicastro.us

To Donate to Kevin’s Mission Trip:

1.       Go to:  https://secure.etransfer.com/ecomm/donation/donation1.cfm?d2org=SolidRock&d2tool=donate

2.       Fill out the donation form online.

3.       For Apply my gift to: select “Designated (specify in memo)” from the drop down list.

4.       For Additional comments or questions related to this donation: enter “Kevin Nicastro- Potrero Chico” in the text box.

5.       You will receive a confirmation by email and a donation receipt early next year for you taxes.