Week 10~ Build with Bethel Lutheran Church (Last build!!!!) & Wrap up
Wow! It is already the end of the summer and the end of my time here. In this post I'm going to tell y'all about my last build from a couple weeks ago and a wrap-up from my time here.
As for my last build, I could not have asked for a better team to build with. This team only had 10 people (Casas recommend at least 15 for a build), so to say the least, I was a little nervous. However, when we started working, not a single person was slacking- everyone came to work their hardest and was so positive the whole build. This build was filled with laughs and celebrations! We all made so many good memories!
Something from this build that I thought was really cool was that anywhere from five to ten kids from the community each day would come out and help us build! No one asked them to and no one made them, but when they saw us building they got so excited and really wanted to be a part of the process. One of the team members that came down on the build was learning Spanish to become an English-as-a-second-language teacher. She was thrilled at the opportunity to speak with the kids and tell them what we were doing and teach them what to do.
This team also wanted to do a Vacation Bible School (VBS) day after they built the house. I have never had a team do this, so I was happy to be a part of the experience. We set up our activities in a church and the pastor of the church invited kids from the community to come and participate. We had three crafts to do with the kids and after that, we sang bible songs and played games. It was really heartwarming to get to create a relationship with the kids and plant a seed in the kids' lives.
No for the wrap up!! Some of you may be asking, what does the end of this summer mean or what is next? I had two goals coming on this trip. One is to grow as a person, both in my faith and individuality. Two, to see If I really wanted to go into missionary work.
A verse that has really spoken to me in the past few weeks as I decide where life is going t go next is Jeremiah 29:11-13.
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
Leaving this mission trip, I definitely feel like a different person with a whole new desire to chase God and love people. Over the summer, I have done a bible plan to read the new testament. This is the first time I have ever read any book of the bible all the way through. I feel more disciplined in my faith and I feel more close to God. I have found it easier to hear God since reading the bible and praying every day. Another thing that has also helped me grow is the community of believers I have been around here. It has been so uplifting and inspiring to have so many people and friends around me that have the same goals in mind for the summer- to love God and to love people. Now, I don't want to just leave all of this growth and a newfound love for God and serving others in Mexico. I want to replicate what I am doing here at home to continue down this path. I am going to start doing devotions every day to continue learning about and loving God. I also am going to find a place to consistently volunteer at. Lastly, I am going to work on creating strong relationships with some Christians my age. I think that I vastly underestimated the impact that community could have on my life.
One of my biggest goals this summer was to test the waters with missionary work. For the past two years, my lifelong plan has been to go into missionary work as a nurse. As these blog posts show, I have LOVED being a missionary for Casas! This internship reaffirmed my love to sever others. I know that whatever path I choose for my job I want it to be serving others and I want to involve God directly in my career. Something that I realized during my mission trip is that the part I loved the most was getting to interact with new teams and new people every week. Medical missions would not be the same way- doing medical stuff would be my job and I would work with the same people every week. For this reason, I am not sure what I want to do missionary-wise. I know I love God, people, the medical field, and missionary work. I am still working on building a future that incorporates all those things. Although I don't know what the future has for me, I know that God has great plans for me. I did not know what to expect when coming on this trip, but it has been the best experience and I am so excited to see what God has in store for me next!
Lastly, I want to share some fun facts from my trip!
- I ate dried shrimp from a gas station in Mexico... and survived!
- Probably not surprising, but I'm coming back with 2 new piercings and I have plans for a tattoo before I leave.
- I have gone cliff jumping a ton this summer and came close to hitting my head on a rock... almost no damage was done!
- I have made some amazing friends!!
- I have learned to crochet while being here
- I have built 7 houses over the summer :)
- I LOVE Mexican food now!!!
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