Mexico Newsletter
April 1-9, 2025
Hi Everyone!
In April, I had the privilege of joining Equip on their mission trip to Monterrey, Mexico, and I am so excited to share with you all that God did!
The morning that we left set the tone for the trip. Our flight, scheduled for 7AM, was changed at midnight and then canceled entirely due to storms in Atlanta. We learned this as we were driving to Newark. Half our group had been reassigned to fly out of Newark, and the other half from JFK in New York. After much finagling, Nolan & Jenny were able to get everyone onto one flight, from New York. Problem: we were at Newark, and the flight was supposed to depart in 2 hours…
We had 2 hours to get to JFK, check our bags, get through security, and make it onto our flight. It seemed impossible, especially with traffic. Everyone was praying and watching to see how God was going to work this out. Honestly, it shouldn’t have happened. We should not have arrived in Mexico on April 1. But God, Who was not surprised by this turn of events, made a way! What a way to start the trip!
At JFK, they almost didn’t let us check our bags (of hygiene supplies and other items we were going to hand out) because we were so close to take off time. In security, Aidan got separated from the group after a TSA agent took us to a security checkpoint that she assured us would be faster. Justin & Nolan, who had parked the car, got through security and made it to the gate before Aidan even did.
And praise God, we made it! I genuinely have no idea how. The time on Google Maps was telling us that we were only supposed to be parking when we were actually boarding the plane. God seriously moved in an amazing way!
Day 2
“How great are Your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep!” Ps 92:5
Because of reasons (scheduling, the house build, and a conference), our first day in Mexico was our tour day. After prayer & intercession with the base, we visited Santiago, the same city we went to the first Equip year, and attempted to go to the flag pole overlooking the city. Turns out, it was closed, which was a bummer as I have not been there.
We saw God move that morning which was so encouraging! My checked bag of hygiene items had been either lost or held back in customs; the bag check agents were unsure at the time. There were three possibilities: we would either never get the bag, have to pay taxes on the bag, or the airport would find themselves at fault and would deliver it to us. As we unpacked and assessed our supplies and what we would need to buy, I thought, “Maybe we should pause & pray that God would bring the bag to us.” Half an hour later as we waited to load in the van, I got a call from a Mexico number, and I knew who it was from!
They had lost the bag, and a man was on the way with it! Praise God, He answered so quickly!!
Day 3
We spent the morning at Pastor Adrian’s men’s rehab. Sam had prepared something to share, which flowed into Justin speaking, then Nolan, Jenny, and finally Nathan. After lunch with Pastor Adrian and walking around the canal area we made plans to do hospital outreach in the evening. Side note, on the last page, you’ll see a fantastic photo of us at the canal, when Jenny captured Isaac’s excitement from watching a piece of paper he’d thrown away accidentally do a trick shot. There’s so many great pics from these guys!
At the hospital, we split into groups to divide and conquer. Pastor Adrian & his people were setting up a table with the supplies we had brought and some food to hand out. We got to walk around and pray for the people and tell them to go to the table where there was a gospel presentation and opportunity for more prayer.
Justin, Nathan, and I walked around and prayed for the people waiting for their loved ones. In Mexico, they don’t allow you to go in and visit your loved one, so people will sit outside for days, waiting to hear any news. We prayed for and, hopefully, encouraged so many people that night. Something I have learned in the past year is that praying for people is so simple, yet so powerful. When I did the evangelism class in October, I remember being so fired up to go out and pray for people and see how God encounters them. We got to do that a lot in Mexico and I feel blessed even thinking about and remembering it.
We were blessed to have our amazing translator Oby become like part of the family. Her story of how she came to be able to speak English is an amazing testimony of God’s power! We also got to have Gyezi join us for a couple things like the hospital outreach and house build! That was a nice surprise because we did not expect him to be there since he was not on staff last year!
Day 4
We had packed 75 Bibles to hand out, and we spent a day going door to door, praying for people and offering them these Bibles. YWAM MTY has a goal of handing out 10,000 Bibles, and we got to include our 75 in that number!
During our street outreach, my group walked past a house where a man was singing what sounded like a Spanish hymn. Of course, this piqued Caleb’s interest (turns out they were Mexican baptists), and after Nolan greeted him by asking if an angel was singing, he and his wife invited us in. We sat with them for an hour and a half as they shared songs, testimonies, and gratitude that we were out sharing about Jesus!
That evening, we joined the last night of the conference for worship. This is one of my favorite memories. When we entered the room, it was like walking into a bottle of soda someone had just shaken. Hearing people praying, singing, worshipping God in their own language is a beautiful experience. Worship in other countries looks so different from the US. There’s a song called “I Will Be Undignified” by Rend Collective that embodies the style of worship that night. They were focused on God, not on the people around them or their opinions. What an example!
Day 5
Since we would be spending our last 3 days doing the Homes of Hope house build and miss the Sunday morning church service, we went to a house church in Pesquería with Pastor Adrian. This was near the old CMTS Mexico building, and Justin got to share his testimony with the people who attended the church. Most of them were women, since it was during the day and the men were either not around or working. The students handed out some bags with food and house supplies for the families, and we got to pray for people.
In my notes from each day, I wrote, “Yesterday, the car ride was fraught with the peril of the Punch Buggy game.” I learned that there are many, many more VW bugs in Monterrey than I see in PA. That game has continued, with the most recent sighting on the way to church, at which point I received dual punches from Donny & Caleb…
That afternoon/evening, Pastor Adrian hung around and talked with some of the group. Before he left, he prayed over everyone and even gave an impromptu lesson on the gifts of the Spirit.
Days 6-8
Homes of Hope House Build
Building a house with Homes of Hope was a huge privilege, and I would highly recommend everyone do this if we have a CMTS trip with this as the goal.
The family we were building a house for was a mom, her twin preteen daughters, 3 year old son, 1 year old son, and the dad who is not always around. They had been sleeping on the dirt floor of her mom’s kitchen. They were not Christians, but they heard the gospel, and saw the gospel in action through us. This group of Americans came from Pennsylvania to build a house for them, because God asked them to.
Throughout the three days, Anna Karen watched as we lived out the gospel. Nathan got to sit with her at lunch one day and tell her how much Jesus loves her and wants to know her. He said she was moved to tears, and we saw that the day we gave her the keys to her new house.
Homes of Hope does what they call a Key Ceremony. When the house is finished, everyone in the group gathers around to pray and bless the house with the family. We each take turns holding the keys and say something to the family. Everyone shared at some point about Jesus and how much He cares for them. A lot of us thanked her for making food for us each day when she did not need to! She was deeply moved and in tears, especially at the mention of Jesus’ name. It was a really beautiful moment for everyone!
They did not know that the house would be furnished, so it was a surprise for them. We were able to raise enough money to not only build the house but buy a table & chairs, fridge, stove & range, and bunk beds, and even a grocery shopping trip. Jenny said that the older of the 2 boys got to pick a box of cereal, and he would not let it go; it was almost as big as he was, but he was holding tight to it!
After the Key Ceremony, the family enters the house alone. They get to experience walking into their new home without having a bunch of people watching their reaction. I really appreciate this because it gives them dignity! They were supposed to lock the front door, and after a minute or two, we would knock and be their first guests!
The sound of those girls seeing their new room with a bed for each of them is something I will never forget. Just thinking about it makes me emotional. Anna Karen didn’t even wait for us to knock, she opened the door to thank us too quickly!
They have a home now. A place to sleep and eat and call their own. Something Homes of Hope tells their house recipients is that when they follow Christ, they get a home in heaven too. We continue to pray for their salvation, because their house is nice, but their souls are infinitely more important!
Some of my highlights from the house build/trip altogether are getting to work right alongside Jenny, asking Justin questions, getting to know Nathan, seeing Nolan lead us, and watching the students live out their faith.
Reflections
I had prayed for so long about this trip. For a month, I fasted certain things and prayed that we would experience God in amazing ways and see Him move. I had mostly been praying for the students to see God, to grow deeper in their faith, and to have their lives changed. While I didn’t see a “big, crazy miracle” with my own eyes, I did see 5 lives be changed forever. Anna Karen and her family will never be the same. My heart’s desire is that they come to Christ and see their souls saved and lives made new, and I will pray in faith, believing that I will see them again as we worship God all together in heaven.
God moved in small ways during this trip, but I believe that there will be ripples. Some I will see here, some in eternity. And until then, I will keep looking out for where He is moving and how I can join him as a fellow worker in Christ.
Satan tried so hard all week to drag us down. Back home, hard things just kept happening. From smaller problems like the side of the Warehouse falling off, to Johnny going home to be with Jesus the morning we traveled home.
These problems are temporary and at the end of it all, my goal is to glorify God in all that I do, seeking Him before anything or anyone else. He’ll keep me.
This was so much longer than I wanted it to be, and I didn’t even talk about half the things I could have, but a picture speaks a thousand words. I hope you enjoy looking at a few of the thousands of photos we got.
Thank you for supporting me and providing the opportunity for me to join Equip for this. You have blessed me, and I believe God will bless you by allowing you to share in the rewards one day.