My trip to Mexico
I’m back home from Mexico and back into the routine of the Life of Mark. Our church took a total of 6 people (including myself) from SouthView to Baja Mexico to build a house. We worked with Baja Christian Ministries. This trip was so amazing on so many levels that I decided to list my points to get them off my chest.
-I’ve never seen this extreme level of poverty before. And I’ve been to some big ghettos in the USA. Mexico was on another level.
-Bob Sanders, Hector, Ps Nikko, Juan, Ramon and all the other amazing people of BCM were both an inspiration to us as well as an extreme reminder that “the harvest is plenty but the workers are few“.
-Still can’t believe we built this house in a day and ½!
-Everyone of us got choked up when our family (that we built the house for) started talking about their father (husband) that died a few months earlier. He was dreaming and praying for this house but never got to see it built.
-Loved hanging and getting to know Ps Rob Taylor and his crew from Calvary Chapel Brentwood as well as Katherine from New Zealand. Amazing people!
-Strange to have dogs and a donkey as your security system at night.
-Ever drove by a sewer? Think of that smell and imagine it everyday and night. Now imagine living in it.
-These “roads”, and I use that word very loosely, were unbelievable. I’ve never seen things worse that them. Makes our potholes nothing in comparison.
-I’m very thankful we can throw our toilet paper in the toilet. You never know this pleasure until you are in a country where you can’t do that.
-I’ve never paid to go to the bathroom until this trip. Still a little upset about that.
-Not sure I laughed as much on any trip as I did on this one. I love that we can have fun doing God’s work. I love that our God has a sense of humor. I’m so thankful that even in the midst of extreme wear and being very tired, we were able to enjoy the moments serving God together.
-Hector, our friend that guided us in building our house, was so inspiring. He was never down or never complained (and he could have by how bad we hammered nails). He was a true example of “the joy of the Lord is your strength”. He has 5 kids, 5 grandkids, 5 dogs and worked almost everyday building houses with teams from all over the world….but he did it with joy unto the Lord. I was amazed and blessed by his love for God and people. Made me feel bad ever complaining again. Every mess up is an opportunity…
-I never witnessed one Mexican begging for money….although they had every reason to do so according to our standards. They found ways to provide a service (like charging you for a bathroom or selling wiper blades) or do a job (like filling in the huge dirt potholes) to make money. I really admire that and those people.
-You could tell that family meant the world to these people. They lived together and did most things together as a family. That’s all they truly had. I wish people in the USA felt that way.
-Witnessing and evangelizing was at a whole new level here. These people are hungry for love, truth and acceptance. On our first meeting we saw 75 people come to know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. On the second one, about 50 people did the prayer. All I can say is WOW!!!
-BCM gives everyone a Spanish Bible and a Spanish Purple Book (which is an amazing foundations book). They then give them a certificate upon finishing the book and have a local pastor follow up with them. I LOVE that they just don’t get people saved but they help walk it out with them. That’s the key, and Bob Sanders truly understands it.
-My heart and prayers go out to all the people involved in this life changing ministry. They need our prayers, support, encouragement and involvement. They have already build tens of thousands of houses and want to do so much more. Bob’s vision of reaching 1 million people for Jesus is both inspiring and challenging. I believe they can do it. We will definitely be back to help with that!
Here are some images from this great trip:
M
Posted: April 14th, 2010 under Check This Out, Culture/Society, Trips.
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