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.