After our long support raising trip, we went on a missions trip to Tijuana, Mexico with the youth from our home church. Brian taught a mini missions course during the daily youth chapels while Bailey was there just to be an encouragement and an example to the girls on the team. It was a great setting for the group as they heard from Brian about the importance of teaching the Gospel in a way that is understood across cultures, and in a way that doesn’t distort its message for the sake of getting “decisions.” We are eager to see what God will do with the students who were on the trip.
Brian also worked on a video of the week to help communicate with our home church in California. We really wanted them to get “the next best thing” to going themselves and felt that a video of the week might be the best we could do. It was a lot of work, but we felt like it was a good tool to show what went on across the border.
The youth put on a Vacation Bible School for the kids during the day where they taught Bible stories, shared their testimonies, sang songs, did crafts, and played lots of games. In the evening the adults of the church in Mexico put on a program where we would go out into other neighborhoods and, with a loud microphone so all could hear, shared about who Christ is and what He’s done for us. It was a very neat time and, as usually happens, I think all of us came home from Mexico having learned more and been more encouraged by the church in Mexico than we felt we had taught and encouraged them.
The trip proved to be a challenge, yet fun and refreshing at the same time. We had two cold showers and one bathroom for the whole team and VERY close sleeping quarters! I’d like to say we were “suffering for Christ” however we didn’t feel much like we were suffering while we were eating the most amazing Mexican food we have ever had. It was homemade and prepared for us by the Mexican women who lived there. My mouth is watering even as I write!