Mexico Summer Mission Trip 2018

Here's my post-trip update from the 2018 YWAM Mexico mission trip that I went on with our church youth. I had gone to Ensenada before, but it was a long time ago and pretty different, so this year felt like year 1 in many ways.

I could almost say that this trip was life-changing, in some ways. It was my first missions trip in a long time, after I had decided to start going on mission trips (from wanting to make the most of my youth/this season). And it sparked a growing excitement and joy in being and growing with our church youth. This trip was an awakening for many of us spiritually. To me, it will always be the start of something... though I will say, year 2 did not disappoint :) Hopefully I'll write a post about that one sometime as well...

Enjoy the read :)
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First off, wanted to thank everyone who prayed for our trip! God definitely worked powerfully, and the trip was amazing. Our team enjoyed witnessing the good work that God is doing in Mexico and was blessed that He could use even the short time we were there to bless those that we met. 



Outreach this year: 

I loved the outreach opportunities that we had this year--we roofed a house; visited an orphanage, a rehab center for young men, and a local church; and did street evangelism. Here's a bit about some of them:

Consuelo's orphanage

Consuelo’s orphanage was my favorite place out of those that we visited, partially because it touched my heart the most. Shortly after we arrived, the owner of the orphanage, Consuelo, told us its history. The orphanage had started out as childcare for a women’s rehab center, but the center closed, and some of the children were left there. It then became a children’s home, and more women who were unable to raise their children brought them here to live. They now have about 40 kids, and though they have room for more, they are short on staff because all their staff is unpaid. Many of the children have been sexually assaulted and deal with having to recover from their past.

Consuelo asked us to pray for someone to come work there who has a heart for the children. She pointed out how we could tell that these children need love, even in the way that they would run up to us to be held, even though we were strangers. She told us that she has faith in God, that He would provide, as He has done throughout the history of the orphanage.

She also asked that we pray for the teenage girls there who struggle with feeling unloved. Some are depressed and resort to cutting, or distract themselves with their studies or sports, but in their hearts, they long to know that they are loved and wanted. Hearing all this made my heart ache, and I hope that we will continue to pray for these children... 



Roofing the house 

We put a roof on the house of Ana Laura and her daughter, Carlota Yumileth, who is two (see photo below! Carlota is the cutest). She is separated from her four other kids, who live with her parents, who are not Christian. She and her husband had wanted to cross the border, but were unsuccessful and instead, ended up living here in Ensenada. She is the secretary of the church she goes to, and her husband leads worship there. Talking to her and interacting with her, I could tell that she had the joy of the Lord, even though she had so little. Her house was basically one room--it was a humble house and reminded me that we don't need much to be content.

When I thought about Ana Laura's life, quietly taking care of her daughter by herself each day in this humble house, somewhat isolated from others around her, I realized that what constitutes a meaningful life is so different than what we may think. Living in the Silicon Valley, a lot of times we think we need so much materially (x amount in savings in our bank account, save up to buy a house, etc.). We try to do so much and maximize our lives; we think we need successful careers or to make some big difference in the world, and yet God can be pleased with such a quiet life as hers that is content in Him and humbly serves Him. 





Guys' Rehab

We visited a guys' rehab center for youth/young men ages thirteen to twenty five (though some were even older) where we played games with them and shared our testimonies. They, in turn, volunteered to share their testimonies with us, which was very encouraging for us to hear. Some of their lives have been so difficult, spending time on the streets or being involved in various crimes, but it was so awesome to see God working in their lives and how their lives have been transformed for Him. After our formal sharing, we spent half the day with them. Some played sports, and I was in the circle that played music (some of us guitar amateurs tried strumming some random songs, like Como La Flor, La Bamba, and Just a Dream).

Three of us had a very long conversation with one man who shared with us his story of how he turned from a life of crime to wanting to be a pastor. (He was supposedly 25, the same age as me!  which is crazy to me because he has gone through so much.) You could tell he really enjoyed having us there to talk to, and he even gave me a book called, El Esclavo (The Slave) and signed it for me. He shared with us the three times in his life where God reached out to him until he finally turned to Christ. He even encouraged us to read the Bible, saying that at first he would fall asleep reading it, but now he studies it thoroughly, and he shared some Bible passages with us in Spanish as we followed along in English.

I thought that overall, the experience was so encouraging, that they could share with us their faith, and we could bless them with our presence. It reminded me that something as simple as just being there and talking with them could be a blessing.

Reopening our eyes to the world: persecution and human trafficking

YWAM had sessions for us during the morning and at night when we weren't on outreach. We watched Voice of Martyr clips about the persecution that Christians were going through all over the world, but also particularly from ISIS. I had previously heard about persecution but watching the clips this time around made me realize to a deeper extent the suffering that the Christians go through in other parts of the world: being driven from their houses and running for their lives, and even women being raped.

The night session we had about human trafficking opened my eyes to just how terrible it is for someone caught up in it and yet how prevalent it is, even in the Bay area, so close to home. Would we continue to pray about human trafficking and those affected...

God working, in my own life

One of the most intense night sessions was the Passion Play, which portrayed Jesus being beaten by those under Satan, culminating with his crucifixion on the cross. I was moved and reminded of Isaiah 53:7, "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth, like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth," as Jesus stood there, being insulted and beaten, for what I knew was my sake. Yet in the worship that followed, there was conflict in my heart--wanting to believe God's love for me and yet resistance and doubt.

And just at that time, one of the youth sat down next to me and asked me why I believed in God and about my journey of faith. So, I shared with him... and as I shared, I was reminded of the ways that God has met me in the past. After the talk, I thanked him because sharing my testimony was exactly what I needed at that moment, and it was Providential that he had asked. (Fortunately, he said he benefited from my sharing as well.) The next night, he referred another youth to me since he thought my sharing was relevant, and I got to share my testimony again and my struggle with faith and doubt. I enjoyed experiencing how God was able to use the exact struggles that I had gone through to speak into someone else's life.

I realize that I've missed those types of spiritual conversations so much, sharing my testimony, talking about faith and doubt, and those conversations sparked something inside of me. Hope I'll continue to have these conversations with others in the future as well! :)

The Youth

Our team bonded well, inside jokes and all, and it was such a beautiful picture of what community looks like. My heart for each person grew as I got to know each of them more, and it was great that we were all able to love each other like a family.

God worked in many of our team members' lives, if not one way then another. Some of them really experienced Him during the trip, whether it was in worship, or the kindness of the locals we interacted with, or the earnestness of those who led us in serving their community.

I was really encouraged by the three youth who stepped up to give their testimonies Sunday morning at the Mexican church that we visited. Two of them shared about how they saw God working before the trip, through generous financial support from others, and from the people we interacted with throughout the trip. One girl even shared that she was once unsure whether she wanted to get baptized, but after the trip, after seeing God move, she now wanted to be baptized! I was overjoyed to hear that.

That was definitely an answered prayer... seeing God work in our team members' lives and draw their hearts to Him. 

Now what? 

I want to continue praying for (and you can join me in praying for):

- Consuelo's orphanage--that they would find a worker who would care for the children and for the teenage girls there, that they would be rooted in their identity as beloved daughters of God
- Guys' rehab center, also those in general under the bondage of drugs--that they would find Christ and experience His life-transforming power
- Mexico, for the lost, for the church there, for those that are living in poverty and  those under the bondage of drugs
- those involved in human trafficking
- persecuted Christians all over the world
- our Mexico team/youth--that we would not forget what we experienced and that we would continue growing in our faith 




My own reflections/takeaways:

What really matters... 

is the lives that we live for God, not success in the world’s eyes or worldly riches.

What I want to continue growing in...(words from the speaker on the trip)

knowing and receiving the love of God
learning to be a child/daughter of God, not just a servant

I want to keep thinking about...

What does it look like to keep the fire burning? To live all out for God?

How does my everyday life change, knowing about the world outside? the Christian being persecuted, the girl trapped in human trafficking, the child without parents, the one recovering from addiction, those suffering in poverty?
(It’s humbling how easy I forget and just live in my own bubble...)

Thanks for reading, guys!

in Him,
tammy

p.s. For those of you who enjoy listening to worship songs: 

"Jesucristo Basta" (Jesus Christ is Enough), the song that the children at Consuelo's orphanage sang, as their faces lit up. Was one of the most touching moments of outreach. 

Recibe Toda La Gloria (Receive All the Glory), one of the songs we sang at the Mexican church service, also one that I listened to often after the trip. May He receive all the glory. 

Sept 11, 2018

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