Missions Adventures: Mexico.... Just the beginning.

Wow, here I am, writing my last missions blog. I have been putting this one off. Partly because I don't want to ever stop writing about my missions adventures and partly because God is still using me and working in my heart through my trip to Mexico.

Mexico was only a brief week of my life. Mexico was a hard week. Mexico was over in the blink of an eye. Mexico changed my life.

Now, I know what you're thinking... Really Joni? You say that about all of your trips. How could 5 different trips ALL change your life? My answer is this: I don't know. But they did. God has continued to change my heart and my passion each and every time I have gone on a missions trip. And I pray that He will continue to do so until my last.

Mexico was the most last minute and least prepared trip I have been on yet. I was at a youth conference in the end of October of 2011 and heard about a missions trip to Mexico that was happening in December of 2011. You do the math; that left me with less than two months. At first I told myself that I was "missions-happy," ready to go on any trip available to me. Then, when I knew God was asking me to go, my response was this "But God, I'm called to India. Not Mexico." His response? Well, like always He reminded me that He knows the plans that He has for me, not me. He's always in control, and I never should be. So, I went home from that youth conference convinced that I was called to go to Mexico within about 8 weeks. 

At that point, my parents were pretty used to me saying things like "I think God is calling me to [insert country here]." This time, though, was a stretch. However, I am very thankful for parents who not only believe in me, but who hear and listen to the voice of God.

Needless to say, within a week I was doing everything possible to raise 1,500 dollars by November 30. There were days that I doubted I was going to make it. There were moments when I would ask God "Couldn't you have asked someone else with a real job? Why me, a senior in high school?" But God proved Himself faithful, as always. 

I think back and have absolutely no idea how I received the money that I did. One day I had two checks waiting for me in the mailbox. One was for $200 and the other for $400. It was days like that when God reminded me that He is in control and He will prove Himself faithful, no matter how faithless I am. There were days when I would go to the bank and discover that there was 50 more dollars in there than I thought.

Long story short, it was a couple days after Christmas and I was packing from family vacation to go to Mexico. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Little did I know that within 24 hours not only would I be in three different time zones, but I would be on a bus full of teenagers who were ready to change the world. I would be praying with people who I had never met before. I would be showering in water that was sometimes brown. I would be on a farm that reeked. I would be uncomfortable. I would be tired. I would be having the time of my life.

Along with about 200 other people, mostly teenagers, I would be building houses for poverty stricken families. We would be writing and teaching our own VBS program. We would be sharing the very real love of Jesus with a very hurt country.

To be honest, in the beginning of the trip, I did not want to be there. It would be freezing cold at night and unbearably hot during the day. I was tired and missing my family.

But one night God captured my heart.

God, in His goodness and grace, showed me that I did not want to be there for all of the wrong reasons. He showed me Psalm 103 which starts out by saying "Bless the Lord, oh my soul, all that is within me, bless His holy name." Did you get that?? ALL that is within me. The parts that don't want to bless Him, must bless Him. The part of me that was tired was made to bless the Lord. The part of me that was grumpy was made to bless the Lord. The part of me that was dirty was made to bless the Lord. He reminded me once again that He had called me to Mexico for such a time as this.

I met and ministered with incredible people while in Mexico. I will never forget singing praises to God every single night for a week with teenagers from all over America and Canada in an old barn in the middle of farmland in Mexico. I will never forget the people that inspired and encouraged me to follow my dreams and put action to the passions that God had placed on my heart. I will never forget painting pieces of plywood and learning how to use things like a nail gun so that a beautiful family could finally have the home that they have been dreaming of all their lives. I will never forget the look on a mother's face as she was handed the keys to her new home for the very first time. That look was worth every penny, every drop of sweat, and every prayer that had gotten me to Mexico.

One day I had the opportunity to talk to a woman who had been physically and mentally abused by claimed Christians who were actually a deceitful political party. This political party had cheated this beautiful woman of her home, her freedom, and her hope of true Love. That day I had the opportunity to pray with her and help her find the hope of Jesus Christ. I shared my testimony with her, reminding her that people are never perfect. Even Christians. But that Jesus Christ is perfect and that He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. His love will never end. He will never stop chasing after us. His arms are always open, ready to embrace us. That day a woman's life was forever changed by the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

I often find myself thinking of this woman. I pray for her, hoping that she and her family are doing well. I pray that she is still following Jesus and trusting Him everyday.

I will never fully know why God called me to Mexico. I do know that He used me to show His love and showed me more of Him in the process. I know that I witnessed the miracle of a broken life being restored. I know that three families in Mexico are now living with a roof over their heads and a home built with love and soaked in prayer. I know that He called me to Mexico for "such a time as this."

I hope that maybe one person will be inspired to step out of their boxes and live the life that God has called them to as a result of my missions adventures. If only one person's life (even if it's my own!) has been changed by the 5 missions trips I have been on out of the country, then every penny and every trip will have been worth it. If you're reading this, I encourage you to read my blogs about the other missions trips I have been on. If you think that God is calling you to something, no matter how much you don't want to do it, follow Him. You can never go wrong serving a perfect God who loves you more than anything else.