Kirstie's Kinship

 Hi friends! This is Kirstie.

A week has passed by so fast; I can't believe tomorrow's our last day of outreach. We've been incredibly blessed as a team to get to interact with different people: first, a community of kids, second, a pastor, his family, and his community, and today, a tri-generational family and the kids around them. 

We've been tired, working extremely hard on tasks that we're not accustomed to. And yet we have had so much fun serving together and getting to know each other as one body! 

The YWAM team has also made this week so much about equipping the youth with the Word, cultural awareness, and a missional heart. The night sessions have been so powerful for all of us to end the day with. The Mexican culture here is awesome too-- the tacos are amazing haha. 

The thing that I have been extremely blessed to see and am so amazed at is the youth's heart! I love love love hearing them pray for the people we are serving and learning from, and I love seeing how much God is growing each and every one of them away from home, out of their comfort zones. 

My prayer for them is that this week is not just a trip during a summer, but is really truly an experience that they have to allow God to speak to them. One more day left! May God continue to break our hearts for what breaks His. 

Day 6-Justin's Justice

Hey I'm Justin. 

We're having a blast on our sixth day of our mission trip. Something that really stuck out from Pastor Jason's message was about "Saving a Life." He shared that in order to do so, we have 4 difficulties that we would have to overcome. The one that stood out to me was that, you would have to go through Discomfort. 

    Honestly, we have gone through several discomforts. As a church, a lot of us have been bitten by bugs many times. Personally, I've had by far the worst bug bites in both numbers and size. I've got plenty of kisses from the mosquitos all over my body. 

Also, today we had to overcome extreme heat, sore knees and sitting on a hot roof.  In other words, some of us had "hot buns" while we replaced a roof for a family. In general, we had to go through a big language barrier in our outreaches. 

     However, it is the result that matters. Knowing we gave a needy family a new roof feels awesome. In each of our outreaches, the happiness of the people we impacted which puts a smile on our faces. 

Lastly, even if we speak two different languages, we have something in common. We are all beautifully created and no matter our living situations, God has a purpose for each one of us. 

Jerilyn's Journey

Hi, I'm Jerilyn! 

Today, we went back to the church to finish painting and doing other things. 

Back at base camp, we listened to the guest speaker, Pastor Jason, about how to save a life. We also split up into 2 groups and talked about labor trafficking and other things.

I have seen God today when we were at the local church and prayed for Pastor Carlos's family. Also, when we were dancing with the kids, I think that we got out of our comfort zones to serve God.

Adios!

Hope's Happy Hugs

Hi I'm Hope,

I got my nails painted at the VBS 

program. 

I give hugs to everyone.

I helped get our dorm room more points when I colored an Olaf picture for the "Cleaning Fairies" for the cleanest room. 

Hugs to everyone!

Day 5-Grace's Gratitude

Buenos Dias,

This is Auntie Grace. It's been both exhilarating & exhausting all at the same time. I'm loving the fact that our family is serving together.

I'm very grateful that God is teaching our girls compassion in such a fun & inspiring way. 

Today, we completed the painting at Peunta Del Cielo Church. We had a spontaneous VBS short program where our students came through with a few Spanish songs, a fun skit & re-enactment of Jonah & the Whale. 

(Pastor Carlos' daughter Alma & I painting the walls together)

What I saw today was our team using their God-given gifts in serving our Lord.

Truly a very memorable sight to experience. 

Gene's Gerentology Report

Years ago, Sandy Patty had a song called "Love in Any Language".  My biggest apprehension in coming to Ensenada was my inability to communicate in Spanish and not being effective.  God once again put my fears to bed as He reminded me that when our actions come from the heart, people will understand your intentions and what you're trying to communicate. As I sat next to an older gentleman in service today, I did my best to introduce myself to him and greet him with a smile and a hand shake.  We smiled at each other during service and I even had an opportunity to pray for him as the worship service concluded.  We worship the God who created the nations and He can certainly make Himself known through inadequate people such as myself when we rely on Him.  As the eldest member of the team, I can attest that even old dogs can always learn new lessons.  -  Gene

Day 4-Eric's Epic

Hi, I am Eric. 

Our team has experienced God in many ways throughout our trip so far.

Last night, they surprised us with a drama about Jesus' crucifixion which impacted all of us deeply. The drama was so in depth and it even had fake blood. 

Today, we got the opportunity to hold a service at a local church. The moment that impacted me the most was when everybody went to the front and prayed on their knees. Most of them were crying and it was very sad to watch yet so powerful. Today was a good day. :)