We Have Seen His Glory

A wise Pooh Bear once said, “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” I don't know if I could sum up my missions trip to Mexico better than that. When God promises in John 10:10 that he has come to give us life, and life to the full, he was not joking!
The start of our adventure was driving down to Seattle and flying down to San Diego with a layover in Salt Lake City, Utah. From San Diego, a missionary to Mexico, Dwight Hires and his wife Sarah drove us down across the border into Mexico, about a six hour drive. The minute we crossed over the border, I fell in love with Mexico! The countryside and the houses, cemeteries and shops were a totally different world, but one that I longed to get to know. Sitting up near the front, I was able to listen to Dwight talk about the culture, history and people of this area of Mexico, the Baja California. We finally arrived at the church in El Papalote later that night and after almost 24 hrs of traveling, there was nothing else we wanted to do more than crash in our beds. Over the next two weeks, getting to know the community, the churches and the surrounding area, we had the opportunity of serving God in so many ways! Our team was involved in different building projects including filling in potholes on the public dirt roads, leveling out a parking lot at a church in Nueva Era, dry walling and forming the foundation for some new apartments for future missionary teams and finished a brick wall (fence) for the church. We were also involved in leading and planning three different events, a youth event at the beach, a family event after church with a dinner and a children's event at a local church. Our group had the privilege of visiting a child daycare sound for children whose parents work in the fields during the day. Years ago, parents had to go to work and they had no way of taking care of their children while they were out, so they left their children at home. Toddlers were caring for babies and children ran rampant in the streets. Due to the huge mortality rate of children in this part of Mexico, daycare centers were put in place to protect the next generation. Three of my teammates and I also were able to visit a local elementary school for indigenous children and bring them lunch. Most of these children come from poorer families and don't bring any lunch to school. This was a really practical way to be serving. We were also given the extreme privilege of visiting the town's dump. The special situation with this dump was that people lived, worked and made a living there. These were the lowest of the low, usually homeless, unemployed and drug addicts who did not have a livelihood anywhere else. We were able to visit them, bring them garbage we had collected and bring them some food so that they didn't have to dig through the garbage for food. The practical ways we outreached to the community was being able to perform our DRIME skit in a public park and do a prayer walk in a community very resistant to the gospel. Through that we saw some local pastors bring a man to faith in the Lord and establish relationships with some gang members that were watching!
One of the funniest things that happened to me while on the trip was probably the most embarrassing moment I have ever had...I was playing kickball with a neighbourhood boy, Poncho, and his siblings, having the greatest time bonding with them. The ball flew up towards me in outfield and I slid dove to grab it and...I heard a ripping sound. Immediately, just to be safe I sat down and examined the damage. To my horror, I realized that I had indeed ripped my pants completely on the crotch. Oh yes, and I was sitting in the middle of the parking lot of the church with a new pair of pants up in my room while Poncho and his siblings were staring at me. I explained to Poncho that my pants were good-bye, "adios" and he almost fell over he was laughing so hard. I managed to plead with him to go get my leader Ashley and she came out and once she realized what happened, she started laughing too. I couldn't move because that would just be awkward, but I manage to grab a sweater of mine to tie around my front, and borrowed Poncho's sweater to tie behind me. Once I hobbled to my room and examined my pants, I saw that they had split directly up the front and around the back as well. So long, pantalones! I came out in a new pair of shorts to play kickball again and Poncho just kept saying..."You ripped your pants...ahahahah!" The only thing to do in a situation like that is to laugh at yourself, too.
What was really hard for me being in Mexico was not the poverty, per say. The standard of living there was different, yes, but I actually embraced their culture, realizing that they valued so many things that North America is missing. The thing that was hard for me was being helpless in very broken situations. When we went to the garbage dump for the second time, I started reaching out and showing people that they had value and that I cared. I shook hands that had sifted through trash, asked names and smiled to raise them up with dignity. What really broke me was when I met Carlos. He was eight years old. I was handing out food and he asked me for a bag of food, but I had already handed three bags to his sister and mother. He asked for food and I said to him, "Isn't that your mom? I just gave some to her..." He told me that that wasn't his mom. He didn't have any family in the dump and he only had an orange that he was eating. My heart shattered into a thousand pieces; we didn't have any food left for him. Eight-year-olds are not supposed to be living in the garbage dump, they are supposed to be with a family who loves and cares for them. They are supposed to be in school, playing soccer with their friends. They are not supposed to be hungry. I rubbed his head and then I had to go. It was the worst truck ride heading down away from the dump...I could do nothing but pray.
Despite heartbreaking situations, I also saw God doing incredible work around me! The boy, Poncho, who I was playing kickball with really impacted me during my time there. He was fourteen years old, but had such a joy for life, for soccer and for God. I heard him singing worship songs as he was running around the bases in kickball, and later a few guys from my team were able to teach him How Great is Our God "Cuan Grande es Dios" on guitar! Throughout the week, I learned his story. He started attending the church when he was little and kept asking his parents to come. They refused, but finally his mom did, and she accepted the Lord. Bit by bit, they got his dad to come to church, and now every week I saw his entire family there, praising God together. On the last night before our team left, we wanted to give rice, beans, flour and a card to families who had blessed us during our time in El Papalote. We told Poncho, who was hanging out at the church with us that we wanted to give something to him and his family, so he took us back to his house and let us in. Fourteen of us squished into their 2 bedroom cardboard house, feeling like we were largely intruding. We were able to thank his mother and say hi to Poncho's four siblings, including Lupe, the six year old girl who was sick in her bed. As I looked around at this tiny shack of a house, and at the seven people who lived there, I was filled with such conviction. This family literally has nothing, but yet they have so much! They have such a strong love for God despite having little and they take joy in being together as a family. This blessed me so much to see God working in them.
God was also working in me during our two-week stay in Mexico. Despite being in a different culture, I was actually having the time of my life because I remembered almost all of my high school Spanish. I was basically the only one on the team who spoke enough Spanish to have conversations with people and I found that I was primarily the one translating, bridging the gaps between Mexican and Canadian culture and developing relationships with the locals, especially with the Mexican Bible School students who were staying in the dorms with us. One morning I was spending time with God outside in the sun and I just felt him telling me to be still and know that He was God. That whole day I saw him working not through me, but around me. That was quite a wake-up call for me, seeing that God didn't need me to accomplish his purposes. I realized that I had become proud with being able to speak so much Spanish, but really, just like God told Moses in Exodus, who makes mouths? Is it not I, the Lord? God used me during my time in Mexico, but only by his grace and providence, and I was forever at his mercy. Praise be to him that he used me in this way and was also able to point out my pride.
Saying good-bye was the hardest thing to do that last morning, surrounded by all the Mexican students, pastors and families that had been a huge part of our time and service there. I saw him being worshiped, served and praised in Spanish, and it was amazing seeing that there is One God in many different cultures. We came there to bless them and reveal God's glory, but he revealed his glory to us by blessing us with our Mexican brothers and sisters. I know that if I never see them again in this lifetime, I will praising our God together in heaven.
"Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care." -Psalm 95:6-7
"At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." - Philippians 2:10-11