RANDOM thoughts about my trip...because you all know that's how I roll...
I arrived at around 8:15pm yesterday, and had a smooth day, with nary an issue to worry about on the way home. It was a joyous, and sad occasion. I thoroughly enjoyed being in the Tijuana/Tecate area of Baja, Mexico. I only wish I slept better through the night later in my stay, but I wouldn't have changed anything else. I had exactly what I needed, anytime I needed it. The people I was with all got along amazingly, and always had a smile on their faces. The people at the Rancho Alamo Bonito were fabulous in their organizing and planning, as well as their performing and caring. The people we served in the community were gracious hosts who did all they could for us, and there was never an issue about safety or uneasiness because of the harsh areas we visited. The trip to and back across the border was not an unpleasant ordeal. The authentic food I had in Mexico was absolutely outstanding. The weather during the day gave me full insight to the whole "it may be hot temperature-wise, but it's a dry-heat", and I have decided that I LOVE dry-heat! The poverty in the area is some of the worst you could ever imagine, but the spirit in the people is some of the highest you could ever imagine. I fully understand why immigrants want to come over to work, but stay back in Mexico. The culture is different. A good salary is EIGHT dollars a week (12.5 pesos = $1), so the average Mexican in that area survives on THIRTY-TWO(ish) dollars a MONTH! I could blow that in a meal for the fam at McD's. Puts it into perspective a little more how blessed we are doesn't it? Teen Mania was the ministry we partnered with, and their Global Expeditions team was the group on site. It has a few adults, but each site is ran by 18-22 year olds and they ran it WELL! Awesome to see some youth rocking it like that! Their band, School of Worship, is like a Hillsong United group, where they're thrown together for a trip. They were absolutely amazing! I bought their cd on pre-release and can't wait to download the five free tracks and for the rest to come out in a month! We ate PB&J everyday for lunch, and it was the perfect meal! I love PB&J and can't believe I forgot that! My lunch is already planned for tomorrow when I go back to work! San Diego is a GORGEOUS town, and I had always heard it was the perfect weather year round. I could definitely see us moving to Cali at some point if God directs us there! I hated leaving my family, but I thank my wife and children so much for allowing me to go, and thank God that my dog didn't die while I was gone.
I see how people get addicted to going on missions trips. You're working on carrying out the Great Commission. You feel like you're making an ETERNAL significance. So much so, that I want to go back to the exact region, with the exact people, doing the exact thing, except I want to DO more the next time, instead of film/documenting it. And also, another thing I would change about the trip would be to include my wife and any of my children that would be old enough to go. It killed me after seeing what I saw, that they couldn't be there to witness it. Pictures/videos/stories/etc can only do so much. We've all seen the pics and videos. Put yourselves right next to the people in the picture in real life and things change drastically for your perspective.
My spiritual batteries were totally recharged, and I prayed and thank God they are! I needed a boost. I have a yearning to get in the Word, and am excited to digest what I can, when I can! I found myself looking around at the Teen Mania staff on their off-time, not goofing around all that often, but reading their Bibles as much as they could.
I don't know what my top 5 priorities in life are right now off the top of my head, but learning Spanish is definitely in that group now. It was beautiful hearing those people speak it all day, and with it being America's 2nd language, and being this close to the border, it only makes sense to learn it as soon as I can.
That's all I have for now. I'm sure I'll ramble on, because as I said at the top...that's what I do.
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