Before leaving for Mexico I was extremely nervous about the culture there and the people I would meet. I explained to one of my friends that I was afraid once we got there I would go into culture shock and immediately want to return home. However, as we arrived at the church a group of kids were already outside playing a game of soccer, some of our team joined in. Then for dinner that night we had quesadillas which was a nice familiar meal for all of us; I realized quickly that all that worrying was for nothing. I felt God showing and telling me that I had nothing to worry about, that he's watching over all of us and we were there for Him and the people around us, not ourselves.
The children in Mexico were fearless and full of joy as they ran up to the doorsteps of people in run down neighborhoods handing out invitations to VBS. This fearless attitude they had reminded me that God wants us all to be this trusting of him. I immediately thought of the verse Matthew 18:3 where Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." It's amazing how much you can learn from children. As the week continued I overcame my fears and learned to trust in God.
- Kelsey Berglund
As I scroll though the hundreds of pictures that were taken on our trip, I can’t help but think “why me?” Why am I so fortunate to live in a nice town, with quality schools and to feel safe when I walk out my front door every morning? Why were kids like Adolfo and Brian chosen to live in such poverty compared to us in Maine? This question has baffled me for years, but now, more than ever, I find myself contemplating its answer. Why do we live in such luxury yet are not nearly as joyous as the people in Mexico who live in much worse conditions than we line in? In reality, I will never know the complete answer to any of these questions…all I can do is to try to have the happiness that I saw in the people in Mexico. I wonder what my life would be like if I grew up in Puebla…I wonder what the lives of Adolfo, Brian and Abel would be like if they grew up in Falmouth…
~ Michael Gardner
“No sky contains and no doubt restrains the greatness of our God”… these lyrics mean something more to me now. Down in Mexico we clearly saw and acknowledged the works of God. His hand held off the rain each day. His love joined our hearts with those we met and His joy was shown through those who we viewed as "less fortunate". The greatness of God is undeniable. My prayer is that God would continue to give me eyes to see more of who He is and that I would consciously worship Him. Worship is simply loving God with our lives… why else would He have given us breath?
Dear God,
You have brought me to this place of brokenness where who I am desires to fade away in an attempt to be captured by You. Draw me close, make me more like You. With a love that reaches beyond, with selflessness to serve whomever, whenever, however. May You use this humbled heart that has seen Your faithfulness to increase my faith. And Lord, may what I desire be further Your Kingdom, not further my pride. One whose desire is to be Your good and faithful servant and love You with her life, Rachel Miller
Feeling and knowing are two completely different things. Right now, I can’t exactly feel Mexico. It was like some surreal dream; I left in the silence of one night and returned in the quiet of another. I don’t feel as if God used me to impact people. I don’t feel like God has shaped me or helped me grow. I’m not even sure if I feel God at all. It has become my new blundering, panic-filled frustration where I find myself wondering if I’m doing something wrong or am just flat out missing the point. In the end, what I am forced to remember is that God is constant. Regardless of my up and down feelings He never changes. Hebrews 13: 8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” With that in mind, I pray that I can patiently wait for the time when I will understand with my heart, as well as my head, that God has done great things as a result of the week I spent in Puebla, Mexico. - Hannah Brown
On this missions trip to Puebla the most heartbreaking experience for me was when we went down to the mission to play with the kids and hand out VBS invitations. While my group was walking door-to-door to slide VBS invitations into a crack or hand them to someone in the yard, Abraham was talking to us about the lives of the children we had been playing with. First he told us that most of the children we saw no longer attended school, because it was either hard to get there or their parents simply didn’t care. Next he went on to tell us that many of the children’s parents had left them and gone to the United States, the lucky ones had been left with relatives and a few had simply been left on their own. As I watched the three little children in our group who were running from door to door eager to hand out invitations I began to wonder what their daily lives looked like and where they went at night or what they called a home. Shortly after wondering this, I was giving one of the little girls a piggy back and talking to her in Spanish. After telling her about my family and how all of them were here except Josh who was in the United States, she told me that her parents were in the United States too. My heart broke as I saw the sadness in her eyes as she went on to tell me that they were working there, but she missed them very much. After asking her more questions I found out that she and her baby brother lived with their aunt, uncle and four cousins in what was probably only a couple rooms worth of space. Finally, when I asked her if she went to school she told me she did sometimes, but I’m not sure if she was just one of very few lucky ones or if she had just learned that the “gringo” visitors didn’t like hearing she didn’t go to school and so she was just telling me what I wanted to hear. This memory of mine, although like I earlier said was heartbreaking, was also one of the most eye-opening experiences as well. Except for the short couple of minutes I described above where I saw sadness and hurting, for the rest of the time we were there, I only saw beaming smiles and joyful expressions on all the children. Those children I met there undoubtedly had the least of any person I’ve met and yet these same children likely expressed the most joy I’ve ever seen, because they had learned to be content in any circumstance. Although she was only five, I learned a lot from the little girl I carried, as well as all the children around us and I don’t ever think I’ll be able to forget them and the joy they showed. - Shara Linscott
I’ve been back in Maine for just over 67 hours now. See? I’ve already started to revert to my pre-occupation with the clock! I’ve been overwhelmed with multiple project deadlines at work, preparing to go on a family camping trip this weekend, routine vehicle maintenance, and college shopping for Michael. It’s been hard to find time to process all that God was teaching me last week in Mexico. I miss Manuel, Ruth, Abraham, Rachel, Mario, Silvestre, Oscar, and Lazaro. I miss Librada and the rest of the kitchen staff. I miss the fresh tortillas with every meal. I miss making balloon animals (perro/perrito, espada, and sombrero). I miss all the ‘regular’ kids. I miss working with the team. God has shown me that he is at work throughout the world, and that I am a part of the body of Christ which has other parts in Puebla, Mexico. And I think God is challenging me to use all that he has given me for his work throughout the world. There is joy in serving and there is joy in having just what you need. - Bob Gardner
Since I've been back from Mexico I have been making many comparisons between the life I live here, and the life I lived there. Monday morning, when I woke up, the first thing I did was turn on my cell phone. Next, I got on my laptop and checked Facebook. After this, I played Wii and then lounged around watching TV. It was not until that evening that I realized that my different forms of entertainment throughout the day were pure luxuries that the people of Puebla would most likely never be able to experience. I felt guilty, and I missed our team and the people we got to know so well from Dios es Amour. I don't find it fair that God blessed me with all these luxuries, while the people of Mexico can't even drink their tap water. I don't think I will ever understand why or how God makes these difficult decisions, but I will be forever greatful to God for what He has given me. The people we encountered are able to do this naturally in everything they do, which makes me wonder why I find it so difficult? I thank God for such an amazing week, and for the group of people who shared the experience with me. - Rebecca Howell
I've taken groups on a lot of mission trips over the past 25 years. Each has been unique but each has had unifying elements. My favorite part of mission trips, on the whole, is the worship and processing times. This was the first trip I've taken where we had little time for team times and sharing. There was just so much work to do that most of our team times got squeezed out. Even our final night was taken up by administrative stuff. Normally we spend a lot of time sharing, praying, singing and connecting. Laughs and tears flow freely. But this trip had us jockeying for showers and falling into bed to begin it all again the next day. Our devotoional times came individually whenever team members had a moment or two of downtime. I'm a pastor. I spend my life teaching and helping people discover strength in the Bible, but this trip had me mostly quiet. Instead of group times, I found myself working to help students connect with God's lessons while they worked on a roof, rode in a van or walked Aztec ruins. It was different but good. It was natural and seamless. We talked about the things of God as we lived life. I learned through it. Instead of being a mouthpiece, I had to weave faith into daily living. We didn't "go to church" much. Instead we were the church. Instead of me teaching, I had to rely on the Holy Spirit to communicate the Truth. I think the Lord gave me some wisdom for following Him completely. - Scott Linscott
I'd like to talk about how God worked through our mission trip. First off, he always held the rain when we needed to get work done. Secondly, he answered many of our prayers to allow team members to get better when so many of them were dropping like flies. Thirdly, God gave us a significant amount of oppurtunities to reach out to the people of Puebla. All these blessings seemed to happen regularly through the mission trip, which makes me think how hard it would have been to have done it all by ourselves. This trip has given me more wisdom and insight into putting our dependencies on God. - David Criscione II
The biggest difference I noticed between Mexico and home was the joy and happiness of the people. The people were amazingly welcoming to us, the people at the church and people everywhere we went. The children were so much fun to play with, they had the biggest smiles I had ever seen. Often times in the United States we are unhappy. But, when we stop and think, the issues that bring us unhappiness are nothing compared to the issues of people in other countries. We have so many things, those many things can bring us unhappiness. The people of Mexico do not have a lot, many of them live in complete poverty. Yet, they still have a positive attitude and will spend the time and energy to greet you with a big smile of God's love. I hope that God will give me the ability to continue this happiness and love the people of Mexico showed me and bring it back to Maine - Annie Criscione
I continue to reflect on Mexico on so many levels.
- The people were just wonderful. So friendly and hospitable. With so little "stuff" (cars, houses, electronics, entertainment, etc.), they really do seem to enjoy life and each other more than those of us who have so much more from a stuff perspective.
- We saw so much physical need in Mexico, that at times I wondered whether we could even make an impact. I guess the point it that we were able to focus on one small corner of need and hopefully lighten the load and provide encouragement for some fellow Christians at Dios Es Amor.
- From a family perspective, it was fabulous for all 4 of us make this trip. I imagine this is something we will reflect upon for many years to come.
- While we saw a fair amount of poverty in Mexico, we never felt unsafe.
Most folks just want to lead peaceful and ordinary lives. It is unfortunate that a small group on criminals and drug dealers can cause so much havoc and bad PR for a country. We should also remember that illegal drug use in the U.S. also gives a reason for these drug lords to exist.
- Personally, I am trying not to sweat the small stuff and be more patient but that has always been a struggle for me.
- From a spiritual perspective, I continue to reflect on the power of "faith in action", and how action that glorifies the Lord and trusting the Lord are linked. - David E. Criscione
When I think back to our mission trip to Mexico, I will remember the warm, friendly, hard-working, joyful people we met. I'll especially remember 3 women I befriended, Librada, Wendy and Carmen. In spite of the language difference we were able to communicate through broken English, broken Spanish, warm smiles and hugs.
I will also remember a devotional we all studied one day. Using the story of Joseph from the Bible, we were encouraged to be available to serve God as He calls us. The four ways we were encouraged to serve were whatever, whomever, whenever and wherever. Quoting from the study..."These four "evers" are played out in our lives every day; we just don't always look for them." I was humbled by this study realizing that my service to God is usually governed by when I'm available. With this in mind, I realized that I can serve God by serving others daily as I go about my l life. On the mission trip, I was able to serve other leaders, our student group, our hosts and people of the community. I was able to serve others through simple tasks such as helping to carry groceries or taking some else's turn at dishwashing when they weren't feeling well or were needed for another task. The bottom line is that I'm called to be available to God all the time -- I just need to have my heart attuned with His and willing hands and feet to serve -- whatever, whomever, whenever and wherever. - Joan Drake
I heard of people saying how dangerous Mexico was. Our team didn't experience any danger whatsoever. The only wounds sustained while we were there were to Gnome when he broke his legs. We stayed with very kind people and God kept us safe. I also want to mention how the kids have no language barrier. They can play with you even thought they speak a totally different language! It was cool. Thank you to all who prayed for us and our safety. - Collin Bowie
