Mexico On My Mind

Mexico is on my mind today because my mom is going to Tijuana, Mexico on a mission trip. This will be her fourth trip to Tijuana. She is going with a group and they will be working with Spectrum Ministries. Mexico was my first mission trip and it changed my life. That was the first time that I saw the poor. Sure, I saw a homeless person on the street back home, but I didn't really SEE them. God really opened my eyes on that trip. If you have been to a place where people have nothing, you know exactly what I'm talking about. I saw families who lived among the trash. I saw dirty children running around with hungry bellies.

I have had the privilege of working with the amazing men and women on staff with Spectrum Ministries. The Spectrum staff are radical because they live out their faith daily by following what God has called them to do. They took that step of faith. They love on the people around them by providing basic needs, food and clothing. Providing those basic needs opened the door to build relationships with people in the community and many came to Christ. This ministry has been around for the last 30 years, all because one man said "YES" and took a step of faith. It was an honor to work alongside the staff for three summers.

Mexico was the beginning of a radical transformation that God did in my heart and life. I came home and tried to tell people about it but they just didn't get it. God had opened my eyes to the suffering around me. The thing that blew me away was that those children had nothing, and they were some of the happiest kids I have ever seen. There was an inner joy that flowed from them.

I went to Camp Daniel for the first time a couple of summers after Mexico. That week among people with disabilities changed my life forever. That week in Mexico prepared me to recognize special things among people with disabilities. They have experienced a lot of suffering and pain and yet they choose joy. Whether you have been to Camp Daniel or not, if there is a person with a disability in your life, things are different. Life can get really hard sometimes, but they are the best gift God can give you. They will teach you about daily service and sacrifice, by serving them. God working through weakness like that changes your life. And if you try to tell someone about how people with disabilities have changed your life, they don't get it unless they have experienced it for themselves. I pray that more people will open themselves up to catch onto the vision that has become my life. Embrace weakness because God will speak to you in ways you never thought were possible.