This Time 3 Weeks Ago

[Tuesday, June 22, 2010]

Today was the first day of ministry on the trip. We went to a home for abused mothers and their children called 'Casa de Esperanza' (meaning House of Hope). We got there expecting to do some yard work, but as soon as we got there we all just jumped in and hung out with the kids. Walt (the co-directer of Casa de Esperanza) told us, "I would have my weeds grow 10 feet tall if it meant that my kids would be played with." So we played and played and played. We also brought the kids pizza from Costco, which they were very enthusiastic about. :) I made a friend there. Her name was Gabriella. She didn't speak any English, but through God's grace, we communicated with each other fairly well. I found out that she was just about to graduate to the 6th grade, she loves Volleyball and wants to play when she gets to High school and eventually, in the University. She likes Jalapenos on her pizza and apple soda to go with it and she likes to dance to the Macarena and has a beautiful voice when she chooses to sing along.

It was really hard to say goodbye when our group headed back to the church after lunch time. Everyone fell in love with the kids at Casa De Esperanza. We were all so blessed and couldn't believe that it was only the first day.

That night, we had our first debrief and everyone was just overwhelmed. The worship we had led by Dzack was awesome. We all poured our hearts out to God in song, and then headed to bed.

This Time 2 Weeks Ago

[Monday, June 21st 2010]

I was headed to Mexico with my youth group for a missions trip.

I woke up at around 5:30, took a shower, packed the car, and headed to San Jose airport with my friends, Meredith, Danielle, Stephanie, and Chelsea, along with my mom, Victoria, and Abi.

Yeah, the car was packed!

When we arrived at the airport, our group was there waiting in front of the Southwest Airlines terminal with all their luggage. All we did was add to he chaos. :) It was about an hour wait before everyone arrived and we checked our luggage. In the meantime, we were all cracking jokes and making bracelets.

The flight was short (about an hour long) from San Jose to San Diego, and the drive was no biggie (about 4 hours) from San Diego to Ensenada, Mexico. Getting through the border is an adventure in itself.

Nothing bad happened, nothing really scary. (Unless you consider the vicious driving of people trying to cut in lines... but other than that...)

When we made it through the border into Mexico, it was the reality of nonAmerica for me all over again and I loved it. The first things we saw were ads of Chile and Lime in a boxing ring, a humongous Mexican flag, the wall used as the border between the U.S. and Mexico, and Tijuana as we went around it. The whole entrance into Mexico was just an awesome experience of being overwhelmed.

After we settled and unpacked at the church we were staying at, we went to this amazing taco stand across the street. God's will for most of our dinners on the trip led us to the taco stand. Everything was hand prepared right in front of us, from the carne asada to the tortillas to the guacamole. Oh, so good!

That night, we went to sleep anxious for the work to be done in the morning, not knowing what to expect, but we knew we would be totally rocked.

Thanks for you prayers for travel mercies, we made it to Mexico safe and sound!

-Caitlin-