The last 15 days have been amazing...I don't think that there are even words to explain it!! Going back to Salem to spend a extra couple of days with everyone before we headed to Mexico! It was great to see everyone again for at least for a couple of days...good thing I am going back on Sunday :-) The week was filled with hanging out with Melody and Sarah, going to National Night Out at the church, playing Ultimate (being plowed over by Cameron), swimming at Jack and Ben's house, and running around town with Hannah. The week by all too fast, but the fun wasn't over yet. On the 8th, we loaded the van with 24 suitcases, at least 20 carry-on's, and 13 people. Our mission trip was starting with a 13 hour trip to Guadalajara and then a 3 hour car trip to Autlan. The team was full of energy and couldn't wait to see the Bruggeman
family. It seemed like we were never going to get there, but after many hours we made it!! After traveling for like 13 hours, we still had to go through customs...that line was really long...I have gone through customs many of times, but this was the worst time ever!!! After making sure that we had all 24 suitcases and all 13 of us, we headed out the doors to find Rick and Jess! After embracing each other for a couple of minutes we headed out to get our rental cars, so that we could head to the Bruggeman's to rest! After waiting about 3 hours (give or take) for the cars, we finally loaded into the cars and headed to their house:-) While most everyone rested, some of us headed out of the house to hang out. There is this mountain behind the Burggeman's house, that we decided we wanted to climb it. Word to the wise, don't climb in flip flops!!
Going up the mountain was not the problem, the problem was coming down the mountain...Brent and I had an amazing talk as went slowly made our way down the mountain. After spending a couple more hours in Guadalajara, we loaded back into the cars for about 3 hour car trip to Autlan. once we got there we settled into our rooms and took some showers:-)
Sunday marked the first "real" day that we were in Autlan and the start of our ministry. We headed to La Roca for church...one of the other missionaries started this coffee house when they have church and teach English classes and then that evening we went to another church where we would be doing VBS all week!! Monday we started the morning by walking up and down the streets inviting the kids to come...most of the kids that we talked to did come to VBS!! The rest of the afternoon was spent getting ready for VBS and playing Rook (the game choice for the trip)! Tuesday through Friday were pretty much the same...VBS in the morning and then a work project in the afternoon.
The work projects ranged from cleaning up the center to fixing up the Clark's house (another missionary family down in Autlan) to doing projects at the church. There are some great memories from those work days...picking up a bag of poop, the million of fire ants under the bushes, almost using up all our showering water, paint fight with Sarah, skinny man, the car rides to and from the Clark's!
VBS was pretty much awesome...the kids didn't care that most of us couldn't speak Spanish, but loved that we were playing with them!! One little boy, Pedro, attached himself to me...that would be boyfriend number 22...haha! He is learning English, so
all the words that he did know he told them to me...it was great! It was really hard saying good bye to Pedro on Friday, but I know that I will get to see him again someday. VBS was full of crafts, songs, puppet shows, the Wordless Book, snacks, and of course futbol!
After an amazing week in Autlan, we loaded back into the cars and headed back to Guadalajara. Before we go to Guadalajara, we got to spend the day at the Augua Caliente, a water park. It was very nice to relax and have some fun after a full week! The water park gave most of us a few scrapes and bruises, but besides that the day was great! On Sunday we went to the church, went shopping, and had a car tour of downtown Guadalajara. The time in Guadalajara went by all too fast, but many memories were made...like about a hour of taking pictures while
waiting for the rest of the group shopped, the talks on the hammock, the walks at night and just being together!
The trip went by all too fast, and when it was time to go I didn't want to leave! I learned so much on this trip...during the week we were reminded that God knows us better than we know ourselves. That sometimes we just need to sit down and listen to what God is telling us. And that if God is calling you to missions than you need to obey. Besides learning those things during morning worship, I learned a lot from the kids that came to VBS. It didn't matter that we couldn't understand each other, they did understand we were there to love on them.
Our last devotional hit me really hard, and it changed my heart! Here is what it said... "Many years ago, Brother Lester Roloff confronted people with this challenge: 'Either start a children's home or support mine.' So it is with missions; there are those who will read these few pages and see a vision of prayerfully and financially helping in the missions programs. There will be others who will see the need in an entirely different light and say with Isaiah, 'Here am I; send me.'" The scripture was Isaiah 6:5-8...verse 8 says "Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying 'Whom shall I send and who will go for Us?' Then I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'" Before this trip, missions was just one of my passions, and I thought that it was always going to be one of my passions. But throughout this trip, I now know that God is calling me into missions. My studies, which in 2 years will give me a degree in youth and family ministry, and I can use that any where that God calls me. This trip changed my life and now I am saying, "Lord, here am I; send me!"
