Where you "go" I'll "go".... I will follow You!

 First and foremost, thank you all for your prayers for the missions team that went down to Mexico at the end of June. It was definitely 10 days full of many blessings, and it is amazing how God turns it around and blesses us... when our heart is going down there to bless others.

10 of us from Oak Park Christian Church joined 13 other churches (I think it was 13) through Amor Ministries and Go, Inc. Relationships between the 10 of us were strengthened as we served a long side one another, and also new relationships were formed with other churches and the people  in Mexico. The danger and crime did not affect us down there, and the people we came into contact with were very hospitable and nice and very different from what people think of the people down in Mexico. The first Saturday we were there teams were formed to do day projects. A few teams the day before had started a couple two-day builds, but I was on a Saturday team to pour slab so that another team could come in and do the framing. The family we were serving were the nicest people you can think of, and they try so hard to communicate with us... when really I am  in their country and am trying my hardest to communicate with the Spanish I do know (which is a lot more than I thought I knew). The kids of the family were so nice with their hospitality, and were even wanting to help in mixing the cement and also digging sand to make the cement.

That Sunday all of us with our site teams went to church... my site team stayed together and we went to El Arca in Tijuana, and it was such an awesome experience to be worshiping God. They knew we were coming and had a translator as well for us, but every single person we met were so loving and welcoming, and the joy these people had worshiping God was so amazing and really impacting to me. The churches we all went to (there were 3, and we all went to one of the three) were in the communities of where we would be serving that coming week, and it was just awesome (and that just describes a lot of this trip).


Monday morning we were up bright and early... 5:30am, and for anyone who knows me.... I am not a morning person... so waking up THAT early... well the first half hour I don't speak because my brain has not realized I am up and moving. We would leave for our sites by 6:15am each morning so we would get to the sites as close to 7:am as possible to work each day til 5:00pm. Amor requires all site teams to be cleaning up and off site by 5:00pm and on the way back to camp. 12 of us were on a team and some of the teams were solo on single build sites, some had doubles for a double site, and then one team had a  split  level duplex.  My team was a double, so there were 24 of us.

We had a slow start getting our slabs down, but at the end of the day the slabs were done, and it all came with lots of digging and mixing, and shoveling. My arms were burning by the end of the day, but not in a bad way at all.

Day 2 we were building the frame, and we were finally catching up from the day before, including getting ahead by starting the tar paper and getting part of the roof up (which usually doesn't happen until Day 3).

Day 3 was full of chicken wire and our first coat of stucco.... lots of cement... and I mean lots. We got done with our first coat in time to go help another team finish their first coat.



Day 4, was the finale of our build getting the second coat of stucco on and presenting the keys and gifts we had for the Vasquez Family. They are such a sweet and amazing family. They were so appreciative of the home, and even with the language barrier... the feeling  was mutual of being so overwhelmed by what God had done. I think even with the family not knowing who Jesus was... they understood we loved them and were serving them because of the love we have for and in Christ. Words do no describe those moments with the families. When grown men, and very Godly and strong men cry... you know it is big. Sometimes words are not needed, and God really showed that.

What impacted me so much was how appreciative these people were of our being there, and their desire to help. One of the girls on the team was in tears because one of the girls of the family had given her a bracelet, and the girl on the team pretty much recited the story in Luke 21 "I have given only one week of my time and this little girl gave me everything she had without hesitation.  Just a smile and a hug." And it really struck me how these kids just got it. And I was reminded with that how insignificant it may seem to us, and how much these people touch us...  when we are just giving them a speck of ours. It was just amazing. I am so blessed for the team I was put on, because God orchestrates so perfectly. The relationships that I made with  new dear friends, and strengthened ones within the 10 of us who went together.

 I am so blessed. I definitely have  moments where I miss Mexico and it is weird how you can meet people and know them for a week and have this bond with them. Jesus really does bring people together, especially when they love the same God and have the same love for others.

Please pray for the Vasquez Family for any seeds planted that they would come to know Jesus. They were given two bibles when we presented them the keys to their home. Pray that it would minister to them, and that they saw God's love in us through their home.  Hope you have enjoyed some of the pictures, and thank you for all the prayers. I have done other mission trips in the past, and each one has left a print on my heart where words sometimes are not enough; this was  no different.