We had breakfast around 7:30 and then Angela shared her testimony. She has a great story. I think it really helps us grow closer as we share our testimonies. We learn how much God has done for each one of us. We sang a few songs and then headed to the Nelsons. Our goal was to head to Juarez, Mexico by 9am. The Missouri team went with us. About 14 of us packed into the Nelson’s van. I got to know the Missouri team a little better. They had high school and college kids on their team. They had a few older leaders with them as well. Tim and John (from Missouri) shared their testimony.
We got through the border pretty easily. I don’t think they even checked our passports. It took about a half hour to get there. The orphanage was right off the main highway. It’s called Casa Hogar Bethel. A couple kids came to meet us. They weren’t a lot of kids there that day. Some of the kids had gone to see friends and family for Spring Break. We went to the gym to watch them play soccer. It was a dusty indoor court but the kids loved it. We set up a 4-square area for them.
This is Raul flying his paper airplane.
I headed to the cafeteria. The kids were coloring and drawing there. The first kid I connected with was Raul. I made him a paper airplane. He thought was pretty cool. I assembled a kite that we brought and then Raul helped me fly it. It kept getting tangled and we had a tough time getting it to fly. It we still had fun though. I tried again a little later with a boy named Abraham. It broke somehow and flew away to a field. We found it in a nearby field and then headed back. I was really struggling to communicate in Spanish. It was a little frustrating. I communicated with gestures.
This is Abraham flying a kite.
We ate lunch then I helped John, Jason, Tom, Steve and Mike mop the soccer court. It looked a lot better when we had finished. Then the kids ate lunch. After lunch the Missouri team did a puppet show. They shareda story about Jesus with them. It was all in Spanish. The kids really loved it. They sang some fun songs at the end.
The puppet show put on by the Missouri team.
Then it came time for us to leave. We gave the kids some hugs and some toys. It was hard to leave, but I had a feeling I might be back. I knew the kids were in good hands there. It was pretty clean and they had some great teachers there. We headed back to the U.S. I don’t think they checked our passports this time either. If they did they did really quickly.
We then went swimming at the Nelsons. It was a lot warmer this time. We played Marco Polo with the kids. It was a lot of fun. Mike and Jason made chili for dinner and root beer floats. We then headed to a park to play ultimate frisbee and soccer. The El Paso and Missouri teams met us there. It was a perfect night to play. We had a good time.
We had a little meeting at the Nelsons afterwards. We talked about our plan for Thursday. We had a lot we still wanted to do. We wanted to make the most of our time there. Half of the team went to sing Karaoke that night. Angela has a goal to sing Karaoke in all 50 states. She marked 2 more states off her list—New Mexico and Texas. I headed back to the mission house. I was pretty tired. Chris had a chance to pray with the 80-year-old neighbor woman. She was having some health problems and Chris offered to pray with her. He was gone for a long time. We got a little worried about him. John went to check on him and he was fine. He got a tour of the house and prayed with the lady.
John and I had a good talk. We both reflected on what we’ve learned so far. I shared the main things I’ve learned:
• I’ve learned so much from the love and spirit of the Nelsons. I want to follow their example of serving others.
• God has used our gifts on this trip.
• God works in different ways, especially on mission trips. We may not see immediate fruit from this trip, but I believe there will be fruit. God will work in El Paso and in the Rio church. I really do believe that.
I thought about what I can do when I get back. What ways can I minister to and love my brothers and sisters in Christ? What ways can I bring others to the Rock? What can I do to be a better witness? How can I keep this fire burning bright?
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