San Diego: My flights from Wichita to Denver to San Diego were uneventful which was a good thing. Issues at an airport are not a good thing. My good friend David picked me up, and I stayed at Ocean View Church (shout out!). I always enjoy the worship and teaching of Ocean View. I'm not used to a busy city. As I was walking toward a local store, a passenger train came by. When the train passed and the crossbars went up, I proceeded across. However, as I started across, another train was coming, and the crossbars immediately went back down....on my head! Ouch! I'm glad there weren't too many people looking!
Tijuana: On Monday morning, we took the familiar journey (my 4th) into the adventure that is Tijuana, Mexico. Like the airport, we had no issues crossing the border, and for that, we are grateful. One thing you will notice as you enter deeper into Tijuana, is the poverty. Garbage is piled by the sides of the road, and almost everyone has a dog. Most of the dogs look diseased and sickly, so we refrain from touching them. Like any large city, there are different classes of citizens. The upper class, working middle class, poor, poverty stricken, and some even worse than that. The drivers are crazy! It's every man for himself as they navigate the roads. Stop signs are merely suggestions, Lol. As I looked at the city as we passed through, I couldn't help but feel sad for these people, and I wondered how many of them had a relationship with God.
The orphanage: The name of the orphanage is Colina de Luz, which means "Hill of Light." The director, Jim Drake, came here nearly 40 years ago and took over the orphanage which was in a deplorable state of filthiness. Overflowing toilets, filth, lice, no running water. It took quite a time to get the place up to code, but with the help of God's people, and tons of elbow grease, they got the job done. God has been blessing this place ever since. Financial gifts and donations of food, clothing, and etc have been coming in like crazy. 90% of what they receive is sent back into the community to people in need who come to Colina de Luz looking for help. The remaining 10% is more than enough to feed and clothe the nearly 60 kid who call the orphanage home. The kids at Colina de Luz are not up for adoption. This is their home, and all of the kids are their brothers and sisters. The kids are happy, clothed, and clean. The groups that have gone in to work there have really been taken in by these great kids, and our group was no exception. Some of the kids remembered me from my previous trips, so that tells me I made an impression. There were several kids who attached themselves to my heart.
We had work projects set up for us to do. We did a lot of painting and rock moving. It was hard work, but we did it for the glory of God and for the orphanage. Even despite the hard work, no one complained, even though we were tired, sore, and worn out. We had the opportunity to share Christ with the kids, and I had the chance to share my testimony in a morning chapel service (via interpreter, of course).
Outreach: On Tuesday and Wednesday, we went into the working middle-class section of Tijuana to invite people passing by to church services at Iglesia Vida, a new church plant in Tijuana. We handed out bottles of water with invitation cards. We made a lot of good connections. However, on Wednesday, I took a misstep off of a curb and rolled my ankle. I was in some serious pain. While I was able to bear weight on it, it was slow going. When we got back to the orphanage, I had the chance to put my foot up and send out a facebook post asking for prayers. By the following morning, I could walk practically pain-free. Prayer definitely does work.
Canvassing and carnival: It was a good thing my foot was on the mend, because Thursday was a day of a lot of walking, canvassing for an afternoon carnival. Most of the trip was through streets with a steep incline. We happened to stop at a school that was dismissing for the day, and we were able to make a bazillion balloon animals for the kids and invite them to the carnival. We had a great turnout at the carnival with a lot of the kids bringing their parents out. We had a mechanical bull, bounce house, face painting, nail painting, free popcorn and juice, and tons of fun. I got to help do face painting for the first time ever, and I did pretty good. Many people got to hear the gospel message at the end of the carnival, and only God knows how many hearts were changed.
Goodbyes: On Friday at about Noon, we said goodbye to our old and new friends at Colina de Luz. This is the part I like the least. I just wanted to grab some kids and bring them home with me, but I'm pretty sure that is frowned upon. I'm sure more than one of us wiped away a tear or two as we pulled out of the driveway. After a lunch at La Gloria Tacos, it was off to the border. We got back into the USA after a quick 45-minute wait (believe me, 45 minutes is short!). That night, I stayed with my friends the Barkers, got on the plane the next morning, and by late afternoon, I was back in good old Hutchinson. Although I am at home and getting back into the groove, a part of me is about 1000+ miles away. It will take some time before that homesick feeling for Mexico will go away.
What's next? I can't tell you what's next for me. I DO feel led to go on a mission trip next year, but I am not sure where that will be. Another trip to Mexico is not off the table. However, there is also a possible trip to Honduras brewing for next Summer, and I'd really like to take a trip to the Philippines. At this point in time, I cannot tell you where I'll be going. I do know that I'm going to need to sell a lot more goodies to re-gather the funds needed for wherever it is God calls me. Set for late July, date to be determined, I'd like to host a Chilifest at my home, with all of the fixings. Accompanying the chili, I'll be making homemade cinnamon rolls. Does this sound like a winner? This will be my first step in gaining the support I need for Mission Trip 2018.
If you've made it to the end of this book, thanks for sticking with it. There is still much, much more to tell, but I don't have all night. If you see typos or errors in grammar, please credit that to my tiredness. Thanks for your prayers, support, and just being there. You have no idea how much you mean to me.
God bless you!
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