When Interests Collide

This verse nicely sums up this chapter in my life:

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.- Eph. 2:10

I have always been captivated by the thought that one person can change the world if they only have the courage to stand up and make a difference. I had been praying for a mission opportunity for about a year and was hoping to find something that combined some of my interests along with missions, but nothing had presented itself.

In December Mike Nygren- who used to take my mom on mission trips when she was young- contacted my mom because he was going to be in our area and wanted to come meet all of us. I talked to him for maybe five minutes before I had to leave. That night he contacted me and told me he wanted me to come to Mexico with him! After having the dream of Martha’s farm and garden briefly explained to me, I knew it was exactly the opportunity I had been waiting for. Working with animals and sharing the joy they bring me, along with my knowledge of them with others, combined with missions. What more could I ask for!

In January I went with a team of seventeen people to Mexico on a scouting trip to the two mission campuses- one in Solar and the other in Rosarita- where we will be doing the building projects.
Our goal was to learn about the culture, define the projects we are going to build, become acquainted with where and who we will be working with, and to mesh as a team. It's safe to say we accomplished all our goals!

The trip was an adventure. With many firsts for myself- first time flying, traveling out of the states, being away from all of my family for five days, being in Mexico, experiencing another culture, time travel(dealing with the time change), being part of a team.... And the list goes on.
We had many adventures along the way, from hiking through the mud barefoot the last little ways to the mission in Rosarita, all the girls getting slap happy every night at bed time (from being up so late), eating dinner at two A.M. home time in an Italian restaurant where the waiters only spoke Spanish, attending a Spanish church service where a translator was supplied specifically for us, to listening to a bible study at the mission and enjoying the worship afterward despite the fact that I could not understand a word that was said!

I am very excited to be part of this dream and can’t wait to see how it impacts me, the others on the team, and the children at the missions!

I am going back for the first building project- Martha’s garden, which will be at the mission in Solar- at the end of March. I cannot wait to see what adventures this next trip will involve!