The first 2 days in Mexico!

August 19, 2009-Wednesday- Day 1

Hola everyone. So it’s the first day for my friend Chelsea and I in Mexico. It’s been kind of interesting. We flew throughout the morning and got to San Diego where Aaron of the guys who works for Baja Visions picked us up. He drove us down to Tijuana where we ate some tacos then headed over to the Orphanage. I really do love the kids. There is this two-year old little girl named Sinclaire who has really blessed me. We have made some other new friends but a lot of them are away until this next week when school starts. I am super excited to see Sergio this weekend. He is the guy we have worked with for the past two years.

This trip is so different it will really be just going with the flow. Hang out with the kids and try to get a ride to other places if we can. I believe this trip will be so different. I am a little scared in a way cause I don’t speak that much Spanish and there are only two people at the orphanage who speak some English. This shall be an interesting and challenging three months but I know God has me here for a reason and will change my life.

The Internet is not very good at the orphanage so I have no idea when I will be able to talk to people from home. I decided to type up everything and then transfer it over when I can. I guess we will see what happens. It has kind of set in that I am back here but honestly it feels so different than the last two times cause I’m not with a group, there is no schedule really, and I will kind of be on my own after Chelsea leaves in two weeks. My prayer is that I stay busy, really try to make a difference, not freak out about the language barrier, not get home sick, and allow God to transform me.

August 20, 2009- Thursday- Day 2

Today was a great day filled with laughter and children. I have gotten to know a lot of the kids by name and they are starting to love us. They truly bless me. I have found out about some of their pasts and why they are here. Some have been at the orphanage almost if not all of their lives. There is a group of four brothers whose mother couldn’t take care of them because she didn’t have a home and she is a drug addict. I guess their stepfather used to beat them too. It made me sad to realize that when those boys came in to the orphanage the youngest that is now 5 was two weeks old. Chelsea made bracelets for the kids which they loved and we watched SpongeBob in Spanish. That was interesting.

I was talking to this guy named Robert who works and lives at the orphanage. He was reading his bible and I decided to show him a few of my favorite passages. He hardly speaks any English and I struggle with Spanish so it took us a little bit but one passage I showed him was Isaiah 6. This passage is about what he saw when he got to see a glimpse of the Lord. Robert read through and pointed out verse 8. Which is “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, here am I. Send me!” Robert said this is you. You were sent to Tijuana. You came for God. I realized that even though we have a room that has a sheet for a curtain that can be seen through, cement dirty floors, bugs everywhere, a door to our room that won’t shut and bathroom stalls that can’t close because the toilets are to close to the door that I am here for Jesus. I am here to serve. SO what if I am not as comfortable as I would be if I were back at home? This feels like home and I love these people.

My Spanish is already getting better and tomorrow a group from America comes plus we get to see Sergio! I also found out from Israel (the man who runs the orphanage and is our leader) that he will help us see the people we have met before and go to places like the Hospice Center. I am excited.