April… oh boy, where do I start? I suppose the most significant part of this month was our trip to Mexico. This trip was during April 2-10, and we did a ton of awesome stuff there, like service, evangelism, and a little tourism. Some of the places we ministered to included small outdoor churches, the streets outside the hospital, a drug rehab, and small kids ministries! If I’m somehow forgetting something, I’m sure the other guys will cover it haha! The outdoor church was a really cool experience, and everyone got to pray for each other in a big throng of people on fire for God… and then we got tacos that made me appreciate his creation of food. The Saturday before that, we also got to visit a small church of women and children in the most desolate part of the city, where people are scraping together whatever they can to survive. We gave to them what we could, and some of us ministered to the women and others to the children. I was with the group that talked to the kids, and it was awesome how much of an impact we made and it was cool to see how thankful they were to have us there.
There were 2 other kids ministries we got to serve at, and one was at another small local church. At the beginning of the day we did some grunt work for them doing simple concrete work, which was kind of fun and another great opportunity to serve. Later, we had lunch and then talked to people out on the streets around the area, talking to them about God and asking if they or their children wanted to come to the service that evening. We did a couple songs and danced with them, and then us guys performed a skit for them (costumes and everything) about Elijah, Ahab, and the rainclouds. Then, Justin brought it to a close with a short message, and then a craft! We had them make little necklaces with beads and a small corked vial they first filled with mustard seeds, referencing Luke 17:6: “And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” Finally, we sent them off, but not before feeding them first. That one was also a pretty dang cool day. The last kids ministry we did was out near the country, where we gave a short lesson and did the same craft with them, but mostly… played soccer with them the whole day (which was a blast!).
Outside the hospital was pretty interesting. There were a lot of people who were either homeless or desperate in the area outside the hospital, where they waited for their family who were inside and probably couldn’t afford or find a good place to stay nearby. We gathered many of them for the night and gave out some clothes, bottled water, sandwiches, and Bibles to anyone who wanted them after we did some worship with them, gave a sermon, and prayed over a lot of them. Many of the guys that helped us with this were some of the guys from the rehab center.
Smooooth transition into probably my favorite part of the trip. That would probably be the men’s rehab center. We actually visited there twice, but the second time was my favorite. The first time we went, we met a bunch of guys and listened to a sermon (translated from Spanish haha), some of them gave their testimonies, and then prayed with them in a big group, which was super cool. The second time we came around was a few days later, and after we served with them around the hospital. That time we started it off with a quick lesson and then a lengthy worship session haha. A few more people stood up to speak, most notably of which was the last one: Aidan, sharing a powerful message of faith and perseverance after witnessing a miracle at one of the outdoor churches by his very own back being healed by a kind old lady! Right after this was yet more worship. It started simple, and the songs got progressively more quick-tempoed as we went on, until in the end everyone was dancing! There was a circle of guys getting hype in the center (I was one of them for a while), and it was just an incredible experience where the joy of the Lord was so incredibly tangible in fellowship with a bunch of strangers who happened to be my family in Christ. It was certainly a night to remember, and I saw it as a little taste of what heaven will be like (I think). The only other thing we did on the Mexico trip was a bit of tourism, like the nearby canal area, a very nice view of the city from a hill in the center with a massive Mexican flag on it, and a market area where I scored a poncho and a nice throw blanket! But yeah, it was an excellent trip that I think I’ll remember for a while, and it certainly got me fired up for what’s yet to come in my next few years of life! I’m ready for whatever- bring it on!
Anyways, that kind of makes the rest of the month’s events sound pretty uninteresting. I’ve started working with Nick and Sam again in the mechanic shop, learning some more good basics like changing the oil on certain car models. Or going to get Dutch Bros because we really need to test drive this car. I’ve got six weeks with him rather than four because the original plan for the year was to have our domestic mission trip during that time, but we instead went to Georgia earlier in the year, as I mentioned in a previous newsletter. But this final month will bring this trip to a close, and my my… what a ride it’s been. So much has changed, for better or worse (mostly better haha), and last year feels like another lifetime entirely. It’s been a great experience, and I’ve loved being here… I’m gonna miss it here. But on the brighter side, I think I’ve got a solid plan for what’s coming next (will be detailed in my next and final Equip Newsletter), and I’m excited to jump into the future! Thanks again to everyone who’s made it possible for me to be here, and have a great month!
-Till next time,
Logan
