Second trip, different emotion (Alex)

I got back from my second Niños trip a week and a half ago. I went expecting that I would kinda know what to expect from the trip, but it was nothing like I had expected. But so think the thing that surprised me the most was my emotions (or lack of) when I came home. I wasn’t sad like I was the first time, and I think that was because I knew I was coming home to my family. Over the last week, which was my first week home, I was really distant from life. I didn’t want to talk to anyone, mainonevause I know most of those conversations would be surface level, and I was tired of those conversations before they even started. I didn’t want to be around anyone, but I didn’t want to go anywhere either. I pretty much just wanted to sit down and zone out on my phone. I didn’t really know how to cope with being back (I still don’t). I know this won’t be the last time I go down there for a mission trip, but I do know that I need to be better prepared to enter back into life when I get back home.

I want to thank everyone who supported me and my family while I was approaching this trip and while I was on this trip. Even though it wasn’t what I expected, I am glad I got to go and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

"Do Small Things With Great Love" (Stacy)

"We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love." -Mother Teresa

It's been over a week since we got back from Mexico and I'm still trying to process my thoughts from the trip. I learned so much while I was there, but the "what now?" has been weighing heavily on my heart. I know I am changed but I haven't been able to process what that change really is or what that will look like moving forward. I hope and pray that I and the rest of the team won't lose the excitement and passion that we discovered here at Ninos. I hope that we can share our experiences with some of you and that you might begin to fall in love with Ninos like we have.

However, I also realize that Ninos is just one of MANY needs in this world. My eyes were opened to the ability and obligation each of us has to love, serve and help those who are less fortunate. It doesn't require lots of money, time, knowledge, skill, etc, it simply requires love and the willingness to sacrifice some of our resources and comforts to reach out to those in need. As Darrell mentioned to us on our last night in Mexico, there are people in desperate need all over the world. Maybe you feel led to come on a mission trip to Ninos or sponsor a child here. Maybe you will go to Ethiopia and love on some of the girls in the Keziah house who are just discovering what real, Christ-like love is. Maybe you will bring a welcome basket to World Relief, or volunteer at a soup kitchen in downtown Spokane. Maybe you will make a conscious effort to acknowledge, smile at, and make eye contact with every homeless person you drive past (even if you aren't able to help them financially) because you might be the only person who acknowledges their humanity and existence that day. Maybe you will mow your elderly neighbor's lawn, or help a new mom take care of her house so she can rest. Maybe you will get down on the floor and play legos with your kids, or find little ways to affirm and encourage your spouse. Whatever we do, big or "small," (is there really such thing as a "small" act of kindness?) do it with love. Yes, people need our money, our resources, our time, but money alone doesn't change hearts, only love can do that.

I guess my biggest take-away from Mexico is that we all have the power to make a difference. Do SOMETHING, and do it with great love <3.

Final Thoughts (Darrell)

Trip number four is in the books and, in many ways, it feels much like trip number one, and number two, and number three… 

That is part of the problem in writing this last entry. I feel like I have said everything I want to say before. I love this place. I love seeing firsthand the work that God is doing through Niños de Mexico. I love watching each member of my team fall in love with Niños in their own way. I love watching my team serve, working hard without complaining, playing with the children with exuberance, and taking in every moment with thoughtfulness and joy. I love seeing the children that Sandy and I sponsor and be able to give them a hug to let them know we care about them. I love seeing the patience and love of those who work at Niños. I love hearing the stories of past children and seeing some of them return to continue the good work that is being done. I love falling in love with Niños de Mexico all over again, each time I return. 

To anyone who asks (or sometimes, even if they don’t), I feel like I have said all those things, and more, many times before. And yet I feel like I can’t say it enough. There are still those who doubt the value of this trip - those who feel the money could be better spent in other ways. But how can you put a price on a hug? What is the value of giggles from wrestling with a child, who has known so little happiness? How can you put a price tag on building relationships? How do you weigh the value of opening hearts and minds to a world in desperate need when people see with their own eyes the difference that a place like Niños de Mexico can make? Can we say with complete confidence that money is more important than relationships? If no church sent a team to Niños de Mexico, do we really believe that they would be better off, simply with only the money we sent instead? 

It has been easy to see the value of this trip for my family, and maybe that is the greatest takeaway this year. Before we ever finished the first trip, Sandy and I had our hearts changed and our minds opened. Three years later I was able to share the experience with Colby. That trip led him to do an Internship with Niños two years later and we sent Calli on the trip to see her brother and experience the trip for herself. Two years later Sandy, Calli and I had the chance to visit together. Now Calli is doing an Internship of her own and it was Colby’s and my turn for a visit to see “up close and personal” the joy that she was experiencing while there. 

If you read the two posts from Colby on this blog, and follow Calli on her Facebook page you can see it for yourself. This trip has shaped their hopes and dreams for the future. It has shaped their world view and made them realize the immense need in the world as well as their own wealth that they have a responsibility to use well for the honor and glory of God. Spending time at Niños de Mexico has softened their hearts and brought them a joy that they have known nowhere else. When you talk to them about it, beyond the stories to how it has impacted them, it brings tears to their eyes and an aching to their heart. As a parent who wants for them, more than anything else, to love and serve God in whatever they do, I feel a great debt to Niños de Mexico. 

This year was my first chance to experience that transformation in my kids while actually being at Niños de Mexico. I had the chance to hear them use their Spanish skills. I saw the dozens and dozens of hugs from children and from staff who have embraced them as well. I was warmed and chilled at the same time by the constant smiles on their faces and the light in their eyes as they gave little pieces of themselves away everyday. And on the last night of our team’s time together in Mexico - the night when I expect everyone to shed some tears because of our imminent departure - it was i who couldn’t get the words out because of the lump in my throat and water in my eyes, that was brought on by talking about how proud I am of Colby and Calli. 

This is Home (Colby)

I’m having a difficult time putting into words my experiences over the last week.

There is a lot of weight packed into the statement that every week I spend at Niños de Mexico is better than the one that came before it. That statement carries with it six years of history and six years of memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life – memories with family and friends, memories with the staff and children, and memories with so many people that I met only briefly, but who still have made a profound impact on my life. All of these memories truly make this place feel like a second home, and leaving home is never easy.

It feels like home because I am comfortable when I visit.

As our van pulled into the main compound last Saturday evening, I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I was right back where I needed to be. There was no anxiety over what the week might hold, no awkwardness in being outside of my culture, no regret that I might be missing out on something back in Spokane. I felt only peace, and my prayer was simply that during this week, no opportunity would be wasted. That prayer was answered over and over, through every interaction with the children and staff, and every hour we spent on our work project, every member of the team thrived.

Comfort is the last word that comes to mind when imagining spending hours a day working on a roof with no protection from the sun, but that is exactly what I felt every morning when I woke up to do just that. The whole team worked hard all week, scraping old sealer off a leaking roof and resealing it with several coats of the new, just to ensure that it would last as long as possible. There were times when many of us thought the work might not be done by the time we left, but we ended up accomplishing more than our original goal. The work was exhausting, and the tools we had available to use were often not ideal, but God gave me this sense of comfort through it all, simply because of where I was and what the work meant to the children that live there.

It feels like home because I know I am loved.

All summer long, short term mission groups like the one I was a part of cycle in and out, working on projects during the day and spending their evenings playing with and getting to know the children. For the kids, it would be easy to get bored of this cycle of people they would likely only see once. It would be easy – even understandable – for them to be uncomfortable around Americans coming into their country. Love is the reason that this is not the case.

Never in my life have I felt love like I have felt at this place. It radiates out of everything that happens there. I see it on the faces of staff when they talk about the work they do. I see it on the faces of the children when they talk about the opportunities they have been given because of this place. I see it on the faces of my teammates as they interact with everyone there, many for the first time. And I see it on the faces of the children that I sponsor, as their faces light up when they see me for the first time in a year. That alone is worth the repeated visits, and there are very few things that can compare.

No one from our group traveled to Mexico with a superiority complex, or with the mindset that they were trying to change the way anything was done. We made the trip to serve and to love in the best way we knew how. This week, I saw every member of my team love and be loved as they worked and played and experienced the culture. There was no judgement and no awkwardness, despite the linguistic and cultural barriers that at one point seemed daunting to surpass. The children just wanted love, and we were there to provide it.

It feels like home because I want to keep going back.

Visiting Niños de Mexico has become, for me, about maintaining relationships. The first time I decided to go, it was intended as a one-off thing for me to check a box and move on with my life. The second, third, fourth, and future visits are about how wrong that original notion was. I no longer arrive and see strangers – I arrive and see familiar faces, because at this point, many of the children recognize me and get excited when I visit, and I look forward to continuing to build relationships with the staff that I have gotten to know over the years. I was even told by one of them last week that, if I was interested and the right job was open, he would love to have me come work with him.

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Even this long-winded explanation doesn’t feel sufficient to sum up how I am feeling coming out of last week, but whatever I have left out is probably not as important. In light of my upcoming year on the World Race, leaving Mexico this time felt a little different. It was not different in the sense that I was unsure if I would return. I know I will be back – hopefully many more times. It was different because I was painfully aware that this leaving process is something that I will experience at the end of each month on the Race.

I fell in love with this mission in Mexico City so easily, and I know the same will be true of most, if not all, of the places I will have the privilege of serving in next year. It’s likely that I will never have the chance for repeat visits at any of these places the way I do in Mexico, and whether that knowledge makes leaving easier or more difficult is yet to be determined. What I do know, though, is that God used last week to continue to prepare me for next year, and I know He will keep preparing me in the months to come.  

Project almost done! (Rose)

We had another fun day today! We started with the roof project. It is looking so nice. One more day it project will be complete.  This team is becoming very close. We work so well together. I love how we can make work fun by laughing at each other or harassing each other. The best part of the day is watching whoever opens the gate a Genesis has to dance before they get back into the van. This includes the Juan, who helps us get to  and from our project but also helps us on the project. 

We visited our last house today, Bethel. The girls are all about soccer (football). They love to play against the Americans. Needless to say, we had a collision with to girls and the game was over for a while. They are both fine. It's strange how medical emergencies are handled in this country. I was so happy that Stacey and I were there to help the intern who was one of the girls who go hurt. 

It was so hard to leave her behind at Bethel, knowing what condition she was it. I felt like I was leaving Lilijanna behind for someone else to take care of her.  I contacted with her tonight and know she is doing better. She will be sore for a while. (The Mom in me came out full force tonight.)

Keep praying for the team to keep up our strength as we do our last project tomorrow and get ready to fly home.

I know, I will leave part of me here and treasure my time I spent helping, caring and grown a relationship with the team and the families here.

Good night and God bless!

What can I do? (Scott Day 5)

Yesterday we got to see some history/culture. Chapultepec Castle was fascinating.  The hard fought history of this nation is amazing.  Repeatedly outside/rich classes of people suppress/use/kill the lower classes for gain/power.  It was very hard to look at painting depicting the United State as aggressors or the church oppressing/using its influence for its own gain.  These are reminders that broken people make selfish decisions sometimes.

So many of the kids here suffer from similar selfish decisions that their parents made. I have not lived their lives, walked in their shoes, nor even heard their stories and have no judgement.  These kids are gifts from God and have not done anything to would earn this up hill struggle.

What can I do?  For all of them, almost nothing.  For a few of them them I got to scrape and reseal a roof that has been leaking.  For a few others I got to eat with them and try to introduce myself in Spanish (first time I said I was 100 years old instead of 50, lots of laughter followed.) And for a fewer still I played tag or operation or tether ball.

Ultimately the kids found a little joy, not because all their problems went away, not because all their plain went away, because someone (anyone of the group) choose to say you are valuable, lovable, a gift from God to be protected encouraged, and time spent with.  They are worthy of being loved here on earth just like they are loved by their Heavenly Father that created them, loves them, and wants them to become the gifts He made them to become.

Thanks for you support and prayers.

Scott

Nich Post 3

Crazy to think that tomorrow is Friday. How fast our week here has gone. As I like to put it, the days go slow and the week goes fast.

We have done lots of work, played with lots of kids, experienced a lot of Mexican culture, and met a lot of great people. And I love this place, and while I am sad to think that my time here is coming to an end so fast, I am excited to go home, I am excited to be back in my own bed, I am excited to communicate with people again. I miss my wife more than I will miss this place and seeing her is what I look forward to the most.

But I won't forget my time here, I won't forget the lessons learned and the experience I have had with this amazing group of people. I won't take for granted the fact that I was able to take this trip.

I see why people talk so fondly about this trip, while even though it is only every two years, it is always a conversation topic that can come up.

I know I will talk very fondly of this trip and this place, the people, the food, the culture.

Our group worked very hard today, we have one last coat of paint to apply on the Agape roof and we are done with the project. I am staying behind at Genesis with Scott and Colby to assist with VBS set up as our morning project. The market was an amazing experience. Walking through the crowded walkway, the smell of smoke, and sewage, and delicious food, and saw dust all reaching you at different points. The most expensive stuff is always on the main path, but if you are willing to be a little adventurous a deal can be found. I know bartering is a big deal, but at times the items being purchased are so cheap I didn't care to barter. Especially when I knew how expensive it would be back home to buy the same thing. I keep saying that may be hardest to get used to. How expensive everything will be again. The  restaurant we ate at in the market was also a great experience. Eating right in the middle of the chaos and the noise, waiting guitar players walk around strumming songs on out of tune guitars to try and make a couple of Pesos. store owners haggling with shoppers trying to make a deal. It made for excellent people watching. The castle was also amazing, learning the history of Mexico and the castle was very eye opening. One story in particular involving six young boys plunging to their deaths to keep the Mexican flag out of the the hands of attacking Americans. Feels weird to be the villains for once. I am looking forward to the pyramids tomorrow, I have two pages left in my Moleskin so what ever happens tomorrow I need to find a way to make it all fit in those two pages. I could easily use twenty pages to cover what happens in a day and the local knowledge and history I pick up from our group leaders Juan.

Im still not sleeping very well but Stacy has some sleeping pills, I took one last night and it helped about half the night, Im gonna take another tonight and hope for the best.

SAM- Can't wait to show you all of the stuff I bought for us in the market, I also can't wait to tell you all about the castle and show you the load of pictures I have from it. I can't wait to see you, I was looking back over old pictures in my phone tonight to kill some time. I miss you so much and love you so much and can't wait to see you on Saturday. I can't wait to come back here again with you some day. I hope you are doing well, you are always on my mind. Love you so much.

That is it for today, unsure if I will post more before we leave, if I do not. Thank you for following the blog, and for caring and supporting us on this crazy journey. We all appreciate it.

Nich