Waking up to a sunny morning and walking up a mountain that God has made is how we started our morning! With a few too many cactus incidents, we made it up and took in the view. Each finding a special spot to do our daily devotions and just praising God for all he’s done. Then we sat together and began to worship in song. And you can’t forget the millions of pictures everyone took together afterwards! Back at Brenda’s was breakfast which included eggs, refried beans and a tortilla casserole.
After splitting into two groups, either painting or housekeeping/yardwork, we began to serve. The three of us were in the painting group and all I can say is that we did not come back clean! Seeing the upgrades at the church from two years ago is so encouraging! We were so happy to be a part of this work God gave us! We painted the outside walls of the church and the house on the property for a few hours, until we were almost out of paint and had accomplished more than we had expected. We went back to Brenda’s and met up with the rest of our group there for lunch. We had a delicious lunch which consisted of chicken, boiled potatoes, tortillas, and two different salads. We were stuffed full of delicious food and relaxed for an hour by playing games and chatting before leaving for our next mission.
We all loaded into a bus and drove to North-Guaymas to put together a kids club. When we arrived at the park where the afternoon would take place, we split into groups and went door to door, inviting kids of all ages to come and join us. After this, some of the kids came to the park and we got to know some of them by playing basketball, jumping rope, volleyball, and drawing chalk on the sidewalk with some of the little girls. After doing this for a while and waiting for more kids to arrive, we all sat down under a hut in the park. We started by teaching them two songs, one of them taught by our translators, and one of them taught by the teaching group, and teaching them the actions to go with it. They began to all get engaged and interested, especially when Matthew did his magic show. One of his “tricks” showed how God takes the sin out of our lives, and the kids were so engaged.
After the magic show and some other talking, we did crafts with the kids. The little ones coloured and made caterpillars, while the older ones made friendship bracelets. I think that this is the point where most of us made really great bonds with these children and we found that the language barrier didn’t really matter all that much. We could still communicate with these children and make them giggle and laugh. After a while of crafts, we gathered everyone together to play some games with a big parachute that we brought. Most of us stuck beside our new little friends and we all had a blast playing these games getting to know the kids. After taking some pictures and saying our goodbyes, we got on the bus to leave. The kids enjoyed their time learning about God and getting to know us so well, that they blocked our path on the road because they didn’t want us to leave. It was so great and incredible to see. We then headed back to Brenda’s for a delicious supper.
After eating supper, which was chicken or shrimp, rice and salad, with a homemade apple crisp for dessert, we spent the next hour or so looking around the market! From ponchos to bracelets and everything in between. But what’s even better is that God gave those sales people the gift to serve by making these items for people to buy. The talent God has given then is truly remarkable!! After everyone had finished buying all the things they wanted, the guys were kind enough to make a fire for us girls and bring out wood and chairs so we could have a great evening together! During this time we shared our testimonies and prayed and the presence of a God was HUGE! Hearing everyone’s stories was an amazing way to grow our relationships with not only each other but with God as well. While we were getting all emotional and bonding, the guys were doing the same except scrap the emotional part! They all loaded into the back of a truck and took a trip to town where they got cokes and just spent the evening “chilling out” and praying for each other as well! It was a great day!
I had a really incredible day. I did not go on the trip two years ago and I was able to experience things during this day that I have never experienced before. I loved seeing the amazing view from the top of the mountain and seeing the beauty that God has created. I also really enjoyed painting the church because I know that God gave our group this job so that we could serve him and help those in the community. My favourite part of the day though, and the part that I felt very called to, was the Kids Club that we held. I loved seeing all of the happy and curious expressions on the children’s faces and seeing how intrigued they were when we were teaching them. When I was colouring with some of the little girls, I made two incredible friends that I will always remember. Their names were Romina and Miah and they gave me their pictures they coloured, played the parachute game by sticking by my side, and giving me hugs and holding my hands. They were truly amazing and I felt so called to be there. I was sad to leave them, but glad that we had all made an impact on them. The last part of the day was our girls night and I really was able to grow closer and get to know all of the girls, and I feel as though this trip will and has been an incredible and growthful experience for me.
- FAITH
Being able to wake up and not be sick is already very encouraging!! Walking up the mountain is always something I have enjoyed even if heights aren’t my thing. Being able to see the creation and view that God has created is amazing. But the highlight of my day was definitely spending the afternoon with Courtney painting the railings at the church. Being able to share some stuff with her was great because I needed to get some things off my heart. This was a great afternoon and filled with Gods presence. In the evening, I was able to share my testimony and be so open with the girls in this group. I have felt God calling me to share my testimony this week and I finally got the chance to! I feel so much more vulnerable with this group and it’s totally God working in my life. So overall my day was great and I’m excited to see where the rest of the week takes me!!
-ZOEE
