Casa de paz

Guest Blog

About two years ago I felt that God was calling me to serve in Mexico. Getting this calling at the age of 15 was a little scary. I didn’t think that I would be able to do it, but God made it happen. It took me two years to get there, but I took a leap of faith and spent three and a half weeks in Mexico. This was the most rewarding experience that I have ever had in my life.

Before I got there, I was sure that I would be ok, no problem, it’s just three and a half weeks. Yeah right. The first week was very difficult. But the second week got better, and I met some amazing kids at the orphanage. By the third week, I didn’t want to leave. The people down there, the kids at the orphanage, and my Mexican family mean so much to me. God showed me a lot in the 24 days that I was in Mexico. He showed me how blessed I am, He showed me how to really trust Him, and the biggest thing of all, He showed me how to love others in a way I hadn’t known before.

Blessings… I have so much, and everything is at my fingertips and most of it is readily available. I never truly saw how much I had until I didn’t have it. The saying, “you never know what you’ve got until it’s gone”, really shined through for me. When I was at the orphanage, I watched the actions of the kids. It’s hard to explain how their faces lit up when they were playing. Their outside toys, the few that they had, were broken and worn down. But they didn’t care. They still played with them like they were new. They were so thankful for everything they had, even though there wasn’t much. It was a reality check. Hello, Mandy! What do you even have to complain about in your life?H

As for trust, I am a planner. So for me, not knowing what’s going to happen the next day, or even that night, was a very big challenge. I had to trust that things were going to happen just as God wanted them to, even though I wasn’t making the plans. God showed me that everything was going to be okay, no matter how scared I was, how worried I was, or how anxious I was. I really had to fully rely on God to mentally get me through those 3 weeks. That was probably my biggest challenge being there.

The most beautiful thing that God showed me was how to love those beautiful kids. Watching them at the orphanage gave me so much satisfaction, pure joy. They loved with everything that they had inside of them. They don’t have much in their life. But what they do have is love for their Savior and love for brothers and sisters in Christ.

It’s really hard to explain my trip, my experience, in one word. But the only thing that I’ve been able to get out is ‘beautiful’. Simply, beautiful. 

This was a once in a lifetime experience that I wish more people could have experienced with me. But I can’t wait to go back. I can’t wait to see those kids smiling faces and have them run and give me a hug every time they see me. God has blessed me with new understandings, and a new outlook on life. And I can’t say thank you to Him enough. I will forever be impacted and changed by Mexico, in the best way possible.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" Romans 8:28

Mandy

Mandy is a high School Senior and has fallen in love with God's people in Mexico.