Mexican trip...

Once again I am amazed at the speed of time.  How is it possible that something I was looking so forward to is now already in the past?  It felt like I was there forever, but now as I sit back at home, it feels like just a moment in time!
Here is the story of my month...

On June 28th I met up with about eleven interns in Monterrey, Mexico.  Monterrey is the capital of the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon and has a population of 4 million people.  It is one of the most developed and richest cities in Mexico, but with a great disparity between the wealthy and the impoverished.
Back2Back Ministries has been working in this city for the past 15 years.  During that time they have sought out children's homes (casa hogars) in and around Monterrey.  They have sought to meet the physical and educational needs of the children living in these homes.  In the recent years they have created a child development model to direct their work.  This model seeks to meet the physical and educational needs, but also the spiritual, emotional, and social growth of the child.  The hope is that these children are equipped and supported to change their family lines.  This a HUGE obstacle to surmount and these kids need every bit of help they can receive!  The primary purpose of my role at Back2Back this summer was to support the staff living and working there full-time.  This ranged from hauling waters and coolers of ice, to preparing meals, to working with kids.
My day would start at 6:30 with a shower and a cup of coffee.  The sunrise was beautiful each morning and I used this time to be still and spend some time with Jesus each morning.  At 8am we would have a meeting with our staff member of the day and find out what the plan was and receive directions.  After that we had some down time until 10am when we would depart the campus with a group of Americans.  We would head to either a children's home or to a squatter's village. (Squatter's villages were neighborhoods where residents created homes out of whatever they could find, some were cardboard and paper, others were cinder-blocks- none of these homes had plumbing, air conditioning, but a few were able to get electricity).  Depending on the length of Back2Back's relationship with the homes or villages determined the amount of physical labor we completed each day.  For places where Back2Back has worked for a while, the physical needs were less and groups focused on spiritual, social, emotional needs of the children through Play with a Purpose.  This was a Bible study and activity as well as games designed to promote growth and positive interactions.  During our day we would break for lunch with the homes (usually eating some kind of chicken, rice, beans, and tortillas).  Once a week the groups were taken out to eat at Pollo Loco (Crazy Chicken).  This was a massive meal of chicken, chips, and tortillas and is quite the anticipated event of the week for group members.  We arrived back on campus each evening by 6:30pm.  For groups who did not go to Pollo Loco they ate some some delicious home-cooked Mexican fare prepared by the wonderful staff member, Vida.  Each evening we would gather for a worship service before the groups broke up and talked about their day.  On Fridays when groups would leave we would head out for different activities.  The first week we hiked up to a waterfall and then ate dinner at a local stand... guess what we had- Chicken, beans, rice, and tortillas!  :)  It was beautiful.  The second week we went on a crazy hike called Matacanes.  We got up at 4am and bused up to the top of a mountain where we hiked to a river then repelled, jumped off cliffs, and clambered over rocks for the next 8 hours.  For dinner that night we had another round of chicken, beans, rice, and tortillas at a roadside stand.  The third week we got a break and went to a very nice movie theater and watched Spiderman (it was in English with Spanish subtitles).  The last week we went bowling and then to a Mexican restaurant for some more food... I got a baked potato with lots of cheese and crema.

My favorite part of the trip was connecting with others who are passionate and working in the field of orphan care.  It did wonders to fan the flame of love I have for this field and these kids.  It reminded me of why I do this. Even though the month wore me out physically, it filled my soul up.  It also opened my eyes to how much I enjoy working at Boys and Girls Country.  Every ministry has it's weaknesses and it is easy to lose sight of the positives of such a place when you are focused on its failings. I am thankful for that lesson!

What is the point of going to another country and serving for a week or month, if it does not somehow change my life when I return home?  So many times I see others return from short-term trips in which they served, only to check it off their list as if it is something we only do for a week or month out of the year.  I do not want that to be me.  I want my life changed as a result of spending time in Mexico.  But what does that look like?  What are my goals for the next weeks, months, years?

1. I often complained that we were not doing enough to meet the spiritual growth of our kids.  In all honesty, that is where transformation is going to come from, GOD has the power to transform lives... it's his business- yet it is often overlooked in this field.  I want to really develop that in my life and in the lives of the children I work with. I want to bring them to the foot of the cross, over and over again!  That is my biggest goal of the next months.
2. I want to develop deeper relationships with those serving in Mexico.  I want to explore the possibility of serving there sometime in the future.
3. When I was in college I dreamed of opening a children's home.  Over the past four years that has dimmed considerably in the face of daily trials of working in care.  While I was in Mexico and meeting individuals who opened children's homes that dream grew a little brighter.  One day I want to be used by God to open a children's home.  I don't know where, I don't know when, but someday!   The next step towards that is getting my master's and that process starts in less than 20 days when I start school at Liberty online for my Master's in Human Services.  I am nervous and excited about that phase of life, but God is good and faithful to those he has called.

well... that is it for now.  Thanks for reading... it was quite a long post this time.  Please hold me accountable to these goals, ask me about them, and pray over them and me.
much love,
me