A Much Needed Debrief

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, or good night for whenever you’re reading this!

I hope you all are doing well. I, Katie, strike once again! I am here, along with Ms. Sydney, to update you on the debrief we had on April 30th. This was where we shared how the Mexico trip impacted our normal lives once we got home and what we should expect looking forward. And let me tell you, there is some pretty exciting stuff to look forward to!

Once we all finished eating lunch, we went into a time of musical worship. Because of this trip and the meetings we had beforehand to prep, I found out that small group musical worship helped me connect more with God and with the people around me. I never fully connected with the loud music on stage during church service. My favorite part is hearing the voices united, singing to praise the Lord together. That’s what fills me. Especially when the instruments go silent, and the voices continue in harmony. Hearing that in a smaller group just fills the room with the holy spirit (not saying that it doesn’t in church, though), and it is easier for me to feel God’s presence. It also brings so much peace and joy. This mini session was very much needed for me, especially since we came back from doing it every day in Mexico to not doing it at all.

Next, Mr. Cody passed out a very thick packet for our teaching of the day. It was something that he had been working on for a while and decided to share it with us. There were multiple lessons throughout the packet, backed up with stories and verses from the bible, mostly revolving around living in grace rather than “under the law.” One of the lessons that really stood out to me was the idea that “We try to do whatever we think will get God to like us or whatever we think will solve our day-to-day problems. What this means is that we are trying to save ourselves.” Something I often do is try to “save myself.” Mostly I try to solve my problems on my own without asking for help from anyone, including God, but I’m only being self-centered when doing that. God wants us to give ourselves to him and count on him. To work with him. Trying to “save ourselves” means we are still living under the law, and living under that law only pushes us farther from God. We can’t try to solve everything on our own without God. That is only detrimental to us and our relationship with Him. You need to live in God’s grace rather than under the law, and that includes your repentance and giving yourself to Him. This directly hit something I struggle with and was a push for me to work on it.

Later, Mr. Cody handed us a reflection packet. How many trees we used up, I do not know. Here we split up to go reflect on our experiences at home and regular life on our own. Mr. Cody played some music while we worked on our packets, and it felt really nice. We all came back together and shared some of the things we wrote down. Mostly about what we felt coming back to normal life and some things that we can change or work on to continue our growth with God and a church community rather than leaving it all in Mexico. I got to pair up with my buddy Myles, and we both get to look after each other to get out of our comfort zones to do something in a serving/leading capacity. It was really nice to hear everyone’s feelings about the month of April and how people were feeling very similar to me. It feels like no one else will understand but the team because we know what we experienced, and we experienced it together. Being able to get together just makes us feel understood and welcomed by each other because we experienced something so amazing together, and only we can understand it (not counting the people who have been on similar missions trips before).

Afterwards, we ate some dinner and watched the rough sketch of the video Mr. Derek has been working on. It was really cool to see it all come together. Then we did a little surprise session for Mr. Cody. For Mr. Cody being such an amazing leader, we of course had to give him some affirmations. No matter how much he dislikes it, he had to be the center of attention during that moment. Now, all of you know that Mr. Cody was a great leader, and is a great leader, but you don’t exactly know to what extent. And while I wish I could give you every single example, you just had to be there to see it and know. He is such a hard-working person. I knew that he was hard working and that he was working nonstop throughout the trip, but I couldn’t know the full amount. During our day off, Mr. Cody visibly relaxed and was 100% his childlike self, and I could really tell how much harder he had been working than I had previously guessed by seeing him be able to relax and not worry. This was just an even wider eye opener to how much Mr. Cody has been working. Even at nights, instead of going straight to his hotel room to rest, he would stay in the lobby letting us know we can talk to him if we need to. He was constantly working, and he was very good at it. He also was constantly checking in on all of us. Pushing us but also making sure we were doing well. He made sure to connect with each one of us along the way and help us through anything we were going through. He had our backs throughout the whole trip, and he was just an amazing leader and an amazing person to be with. I really look up to him. And I hope this helped give a little insight into how wonderful a leader Mr. Cody is.

After praying over Mr. Cody, we quickly did worship with a song and a dance that we did in Mexico, and then ended off the day with a game of werewolf. It created many alliances and enemies, but it was altogether fun. It is always great to hang out with this crew and I love every single second I spend with them. I am truly blessed to have been able to go on this trip with them and have gotten to know them and continue to hang out with them.

Thank you for all of your love and support! This would not have been able to happen without you!

With much love and more,

Katie

Changes In My Daily Life

by Charlie Apahnis

Getting back into the swing of things back here in Maryland has been a drag. Everyone is so different. From the pace of life to my friends and family, everything has changed. The more time goes on, the more I miss our team and the entire feel of the trip. There are a couple things, however, that I learned over the trip and have been able to introduce into my life here.

The first one is, of course, the friends and mentors I made along the way. That shared experience among the 17 of us who went on the trip built such great relationships, given we were only there for a week. It’s been very hard to build friendships with like-minded people in school, so this was a wonderful experience. I was definitely lacking people would could help further my relationship with god. I’ve already began looking more forward to church, Wednesday night alive, and Friday night socials. It was such a blessing to meet such a wonderful group of people, and I’m sure the relationships I built will last a lifetime.

So the past month or so has been a very stressful time for me. With my SATs and multiple other major college-readiness tests ahead, I had naturally fallen into a habit of stress, overworking myself, and procrastination. I was very overwhelmed by the volume of work and preparation I felt I needed to do. The stress really got to me, and I began to feel that any time I didn’t spend on studying or something school-related was wasted time. So, although I’m kind of embarrassed to say, the time I spent in God’s word or prayer was not a priority time. However, as soon as I got to Mexico, I forgot all my fears and anxiety. I realized that all that anxiety was unneeded, so when I got back, I gave It all up to God. “Whatever happens, happens” became my mindset. I still studied, but the anxiety associated was completely gone. Since then, I have taken both the ACT and SAT, and both felt completely fine. All that anxiety was completely unmerited, and it felt wonderful knowing God worked everything out.

I am so excited for what’s will happen and how I will grow in the following months and years. No matter what happens, the lessons I learned and experiences I had will always stay with me. During the final test weeks, I know that I have to reason to worry and that I have a ton of people I can to go at church for prayers.

Discovering God’s Purpose for My Life

by Sabrina Ritchie

It has already been a couple of weeks since the team has gotten back from Mexico! It seems like it was yesterday, but at the same time, it feels like so much time has passed. Over the past two weeks, so much revelation has taken place in my life. Puzzle pieces from before the trip, during the trip, and after the trip have finally come together. Questions I have prayed about for years have been answered, and it would not have been possible without going on this mission trip.

Before the trip, each member of the team had to share their testimony. My testimony was about how I went from feeling hopeless to discovering that God has great plans for me. I went from feeling like I had no purpose, to knowing that God has a grand purpose for my life. However, I did not know what my purpose was. All I knew was that I trusted God to reveal His plans on His time and not mine.

In June of 2022, God called me to serve Him through teaching children as my career and eventually beginning a Christian school. This was a far cry from the original career plan that I intended for myself. Although I have been serving in BridgeKids since 2017, and I also now have an internship as a teacher assistant, I always considered my love for teaching children as just that, a love for teaching. I never considered having it as a career. At the time, I was excited about what God had in store. But my fears got the best of me, and I did not trust in God’s plan. I thought it was too far-fetched of an idea and was scared of what others would think of me. Thus, I rejected His calling.

Then, in the weeks leading up to the trip, I felt God calling me again to serve Him through working with children as my career. Once again, I wrestled with this idea of what God was wanting for quite some time. I was unsure if it was really Him talking to me or my own mind. Then, as part of preparation for the Mexico trip, the students made a 75-minute ministry program. My job was to create a 10-minute Bible message. I was beyond stressed about this. I was most worried about the team not receiving my message well and filling the 10-minute time frame. But when I taught the message, it was well-received, and I could have taught for twenty more minutes! I loved creating the lesson, as well as teaching it. This was one piece of confirmation of what God was calling me to do.

Once we got to Mexico, many of us did some sort of teaching. Although I was very reluctant, I felt a strong nudging to volunteer to teach. My teaching was in front of the Vida Life youth group. I relished my time preparing the lesson. Teaching the lesson also brought me great joy. This was another piece of confirmation for me. However, these two teaching experiences were not enough confirmation for me. I am a person who likes to have 100% certainty before I set my mind to something. Thus, I had one last request of God. One evening, we had a worship service where there would be prophecy and people would pray over others. Out of all of the people in the room, which was around 30, I prayed to God that Mrs. Damaris would come up to me and give me a word to confirm what God had put onto my heart. Sure enough, Ms. Damaris came over to share a vision she had from God, as well as a devotional that made her think of me. I was awestruck by God in that moment. I was overwhelmed and grateful that God had confirmed what I had been asking about, and that I had finally found what I want to do with my life. After seeing how the YWAM staff serve God so selflessly on the trip, I wanted and still want nothing more than to do that. So, I was overjoyed that God showed me that He also wants that for my life.

When I got back from the trip, I was on fire for God. I did not want to go back to normal life. I wanted to serve God like I did in Mexico. Thankfully, I got to serve in preschool the Sunday after I got back. I had a new perspective as I served. I looked at it with the lens of “this is what I will be doing for a living,” and I could not be more happy about that. This past Sunday, Pastor Eli preached about callings. The message deeply resonated with me. His practical points applied so much to my life, and it felt like yet another piece of confirmation.

So much revelation has taken place since I returned. God has unfolded His calling and purpose for my life. I know my career path, the college to attend, the program to major in, and the degree to seek. I still am in awe of how God has pieced together events from before the trip, during the trip, and after the trip to help me see the bigger picture. Even in my disobedience, God showed me mercy. All I can do is be grateful and praise Him for His amazing grace. I learned over the past couple of weeks that the more I surrendered myself to God’s will, the more He revealed to me. I now know the importance of listening and obeying God. Whenever I feel reluctant to follow what God asks, I can always think back to this experience to recenter myself.

A New Fire

by Raven Andrews

It has been almost three weeks since we have returned home from Mexico and with each day it is more difficult for me to fathom that the trip actually happened! It was an amazing eight days of fellowship, worship, service, evangelism (and delicious food) with an amazing group of people. Now that we are back to reality, I find the euphoria of the trip wearing off, but I am already seeing the impacts of the trip manifesting.

I had been struggling spiritually in the months prior to being invited to lead on this trip, mainly because I was not prioritizing my relationship with God. The preparation process alone was enough to help me refocus my attention back on God and become more sensitive to the Holy Spirit. I began reading scripture more often, worshipping more sincerely, and praying more fervently which has allowed me to live more joyfully and intentionally. The trip itself has only elevated my desire to continue doing these things and to glorify God in all I do.

In addition to my spiritual life being deepened while in Mexico, I had the absolute pleasure of witnessing each of the students grow in ways I could not have imagined. They exploded from their quiet, nervous shells and their confidence levels soared as they stood in public places to share their testimonies, lead bible teachings, and extend the gospel invitation. Most of the students were hesitant to pray out loud at the beginning of our training, but by the end of our trip they were praying assuredly with strangers and for one another. Many of them experienced the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in a new way while in Mexico and their lives have been enriched because of it. It was truly an honor and a privilege to be part of this spiritual milestone for them and it affirmed a passion of mine that had been tucked away for a while.
In the decade I have been teaching high school math I’ve done so at Christian institutions. I enjoy math, don’t get me wrong, but I have always felt especially fulfilled when asked to chaperone retreats and facilitate small group discussions about faith. This past February was my first time on a school retreat since 2018 and it awakened my desire to walk with the students I teach on their faith journeys, but our week in Mexico put a spotlight on that desire.

During the last team meeting in Mexico, we were all asked to consider what we would bring back home from our experience. I responded with something in the moment, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how great it would be to help foster students’ spiritual growth at my workplace on a regular basis. During our flight home, I opened the notes section on my phone and started brainstorming a club that would provide opportunities for students who want to grow in their relationship with God and live out their faith to do so. I mulled it over for a week before finally deciding to send a proposal to the school principal which led to a meeting where she asked me to co-moderate the peer ministry club next school year. It turns out she had been thinking of ways I could be formally integrated into the spiritual aspect of the school ever since the retreat a couple months ago.

While the 2023 BSM Mexico Mission trip has come to an end, the work has just begun. I am both thrilled and humbled to be taking on this new responsibility at work and it is only possible because of this trip. I have been reminded that I cannot walk alongside anyone on their journey if I am not wholeheartedly pursuing Him, and that is what I plan to do.

God’s Fire Burning Bright Within Me

by Jordyn Chaimiti

Hola everyone!! Usually I start my blog posts saying “I’m Jordyn, a student going on this mission trip”, however, now that it’s over I can officially say “I’m Jordyn, a student who *has gone* on this mission trip and was changed and transformed”.

Going on this trip truly was an extraordinary experience. Not only in the moment, but for my life back home. These past few weeks have not been easy for me but God has been by my side for every single step. Transitioning back to school was my main struggle but through prayer and worship I am able to feel closer to God all throughout the day and trust in Him. 

Ever since we got back, God has continued to light a fire of serving in me. Even before our trip, I was always ecstatic to volunteer at different student ministries events. However, serving more and more has always excited me. So this past weekend I decided to sign up to try sampling different areas to volunteer in the church. My main area of interest is BridgeKids because that’s where my initial fire for God started and most kids have no filter which is refreshing and funny to see after busy weeks in high school. I haven’t even volunteered yet but the joy to serve God in this way is almost overwhelming (in the best way possible).

Besides encouraging my heart for serving, the trip reminded me that God is with me. One of the main things I always pray for is to feel God’s presence and to hear His voice, since that is not something that I physically experience regularly. Although on the trip I didn’t literally feel God’s presence on my body, I was more aware and certain of it than I’ve ever been in my life. I remember specifically one event that happened on Thursday night, our last day of evangelism and outreach in Mexico. That night towards the end of our program, I sprained my ankle while performing in the skit (#TheShowMustGoOn #BentButNotBroken!!). That night, the team prayed over me and prayed that the Lord would heal my ankle quickly and lovingly. As I was going to bed that night, I decided to fall asleep with my headphones on while listening to worship music (probably not very safe, but I’m alive so it’s okay :). I tried to skip through all my songs to get to one of my favorites, “Healing Begins” by Tenth Avenue North, but the song wasn’t coming up at all so I just gave up; I put down my phone and went to bed.  Around 1am I randomly woke up out of nowhere. My assumption was that my alarm was about to go off, but when I saw it was only 1am I was very confused. As I sat up in the bed, I realized the song that was playing: “Healing Begins”. The exact song I was skipping through to listen to, was the exact song I randomly woke up to at 1 in the morning.   That in itself shook me because that’s when the meaning of the song hit me. God’s healing begins. I got up to use the bathroom at that time and found that my ankle was already feeling so much better. Tears actually ran down my face because of how thankful to God I was. He was healing me. At that moment on the trip, there was no doubt in my mind that God was there with me, covering me, and telling me that He will heal me. It was surreal and by far one of my most impactful experiences with God. Just this week I was able to return to my volleyball practices because my ankle is getting better and better. Thank you Jesus!!! He is always working.

As I continue to live my daily life in Christ, worship has played a very large role. My experience above (randomly waking up to one of my favorite worship songs) and other impactful moments of worship in the trip has ignited my love for worshipping God no matter where I am. Listen… I can barely hold a note but I will always voice crack for Jesus. Being back home, I have been listening to more and more Christian music and it has been so encouraging. It lifts my Spirit, makes me feel closer to God, and reminds me of all the happy memories in Mexico since lots of the songs were played there. So I guess I’ve been reflecting on the goodness of God through worship and prayer. But I’ve also been reflecting on our drama skit. The large impact it had on me has not been forgotten. I want to explore how I can use more of my theatrical talents to continue to glorify God, just like in the skit. 

I thank God for the wonderful impact this trip had on my life but also the entire team’s life. This experience has taught me so much and it has made a fire burn bright in my soul for Jesus Christ. Thank you all for your continuous love and support.

Opening Doors

by Jordyn Chaimiti

Hello everybody!!

Earlier this week, I was invited by Cody Michener to attend a dinner with a pastor visiting from Ukraine. Immediately after I was invited, my smile went wide and I just got so happy. This week has been extremely busy for me with preparing for an exam, reading assigned books, and just staying on top of school; it’s been a lot, so from an outsider’s perspective it may have made sense if I said no. However, because of all of those busy things in my life, that’s why I knew I had to say yes. It was eye-opening hearing from Pastor Sergy, and the work he does with students in Romania. He told us about the camps he and his church hold during the summer for teens and young adults. He also discussed the revivals they hold and the power within them. It was incredible to see how Holy Spirit-driven these events are. Just through the videos I could see that God is truly working in those students’ lives and spirits. The events had worship, dance, creative arts, etc. all to enjoy fellowship together and praise God. It was devastating hearing about the current situation in Ukraine but to know God is continuously working in that area is inspiring. 

Through God I get to be a part of these invaluable experiences. Simply growing in my relationship with God has led me to being connected with more people at Bridgeway. Through Him, I’ve been opened up to so many experiences and opportunities that have genuinely changed my life for the better. Experiences like volunteering in the Middle School Church Program, the Middle School Church Conference, creative meetings, Mexico training meetings, and the actual mission trip to Mexico have all played such a meaningful role in my life. It feels like God just keeps working in me and keeps presenting me with opportunities which floods my heart with so much joy. I went into a lot of my serving experiences with the purpose of growing closer to God, and the more I serve the more I realize I *am* getting closer with God but He is also blessing me with so much more. His overflow is transforming and it makes me reflect on God’s goodness. I am nowhere near perfect, and serving Him can sometimes be a daily battle, but as I am continuing to grow in my relationship with God, I am so thankful for the opportunities He has blessed me with. Being surrounded by God fearing people is an inspiration I didn’t know I needed in life.

It’s amazing to know the way God is working not just at Bridgeway, but all around the world. The dinner with Pastor Sergey opened my eyes to the global impact of the Holy Spirit. I thank God for opening up that experience for me, and I can’t see what He has in store for the future.

Using My Gifts

by Myles Thurston

Hello everyone,

The trip gave me the immediate feeling that I needed to spread the gospel, and graciously Cody gave me the opportunity. That Wednesday I was able to lead a Bible teaching at Wednesday night alive at OMR. God led me to share the story of Gideon and his journey to trusting and submitting to God. I was also able to share a little of my story and how trusting God with going on this very trip has helped me grow spiritually. It was a great night, I had a wonderful time connecting with and praying for the students.

Adjusting to regular life back home was a bit of struggle. Getting back on my regular schedule was very difficult. Luckily by the Grace of God I was able to get back on track and got done some of the school work that I missed. Being able to still connect with the team has also helped a lot. We went to the movies together and saw The Super Mario Brothers movie. Then we spent some time together in the mall. I am so so blessed for this family God has given me, and so blessed for all of my experiences so far. I am excited to see what God has in store for me.

Living With Purpose

by Christian Greene

Hello everyone! Being back home from the trip has been an interesting experience for me. Going back into everyday life coming off the high that was Mexico has been a bit of a rollercoaster so far. I am very happy to say that some things I learned from the trip have carried over into everyday life. Not only that, but I feel that my spiritual hunger and fire has only increased since being home.

Getting back into the swing of normal life from the trip is a night and day transition. From being around the team all day for a week and laughing to going to work or school was a hard adjustment for me to make. Immediately being bombarded by everything at once when just getting back can almost make you forget about the truly blessed experience that you came back from. One of the things that I tried very hard to take with me back to normal life was waking up everyday and thinking of all the things to be grateful for, something that before the trip I didn’t do very often or at all really. It’s crazy how hard it can be to wake up and have your first thoughts be something positive and focus on that. With that being said, even with all of the normal struggles, I think I’ve done a good job with establishing this habit and hope to carry on forward!

The #1 thing that has stayed on my mind and heart since being back is the question of where do I go from this point? or what am I supposed to do now? At first I wasn’t sure if this was a negative thing or if I was really that hungry for more spiritual growth that I experienced on the trip. I don’t really know the answer to this question other than to trust and surrender my life to God everyday and go step by step. This is another one of the many things that really stuck with me from hearing about how Mike and Terrell Esposito try to live their lives. During one of the times in the week Mike gave a teaching he talked about how he and his wife pray a prayer of surrendering their lives to God every day. Knowing that all I have to do is release control of my life to Him and he will guide me is an incredibly reassuring feeling!

Another lesson I have tried to take over into life back in Maryland is to live my life not to just pass the time. Before the trip it felt like my life was going nowhere because I waiting for everything to come my way and was living my life to pass the time in between the big moments that would come. Along with living with gratitude I want to live with more intentionality. A big theme that was pushed in the meetings leading up to the trip and on the trip was to take initiative. The emphasis on initiative is what I believe was the driving force to my transformation pre and post trip. A habit I’ve picked up since being back is to go for a walk around my neighborhood when I feel like I’m getting too lackadaisical. This seemingly small change has given me time to not only clear my mind but also appreciate God’s creation through nature.

The last thing I want to mention is how great it is to have the memories from the trip to carry along with me. The memories I made with the team and in Mexico bring me a huge amount of joy every time they cross my mind. It makes me cherish and enjoy every moment that I’m with the team and I have been truly blessed to not only go on this trip but enjoy those moments with this team in specific. I am very lucky to have found this spiritual hunger at a point in my life where finding out what I want to do is pushed into my mind so often. I am also very lucky and grateful to God for putting this team and bridgeway as a whole in my path. I can’t wait to see where God will lead the rest of my life!

Ready for What God Has in Store

by Sanaa Thomas

Hey everyone! At the time I’m writing this it’s a little over two weeks since our team has arrived home from Mexico. Even though it hasn’t been that long, I’ve already been able to see the changes that God has started making in my life. After going on this trip, I’ve been finding joy in the little things as well as looking for the good in bad situations. I’ve really been prioritizing spending time with God in the mornings because I’ve found it makes the day better overall.

Last week on Monday, I was supposed to wake up early for school and missed my alarm, this meant I had to rush to get ready and I didn’t have time to spend time with God that morning. When I got to school I saw a message that my class had a delay, normally I’d hate this and I’d feel like I had rushed getting ready for no reason, but not this time. I pulled out my phone and put in my headphones and played a worship playlist, then I pulled out my journal and started writing a poem. Writing is one of my favorite ways to worship God, however, the past few months I haven’t been able to do much writing that wasn’t school related. I missed my alarm, my class was delayed, that morning should have sucked but I wouldn’t have had the morning go any other way because now I’m back to writing for the Lord.

On the trip I felt more connected to the Holy Spirit than I ever have before. I want to share the gospel now, more than ever, because everyone should know what it feels like to connect with the Holy spirit. I’m going to live more in the moment and look for opportunities in every day life to show God’s Love. My soul is on fire for Christ and I’m ready for what God has for me next.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to go on this trip. To the team, I can’t imagine having gone on this trip with anyone else, I love you all so much. Thank you to everyone who supported us, we couldn’t have done it without you. Once again, this is Sanaa signing off!

Trying to Put Meaningful in Meaningless

by Katie Grubb

On the plane ride home, I was too tired to fully understand what was happening. Same as leaving for Mexico, going back home felt normal and felt like nothing was going to change from the way it had been in the days prior. I was told constantly that I would feel out of it when I got home. That I would easily get irritated and wouldn’t want to talk. My parents even told my sisters to give me space when I got back, and because of that they didn’t even hug me when I stepped in the door! I had to pry it out of them! What surprised me, though, is that after I was repeatedly told that I was going to feel wrong when I got home, I felt fine. I wanted to continuously talk about the trip with my parents, or even to anyone who would listen. I stayed up late so that I could talk with my parents. Although, I won’t lie, I was not ready to come back to real life yet. I guess talking about the trip helped me to be able to gain some comfort when I got back home, to the point where everything felt fine. I am very thankful to my parents for not springing normal life on me just yet. Sunday was fine as well. I musically worshipped in church with some of my team members like I never did before the trip. I mostly slept through Sunday anyway. (edited)

Everything was fine…until Monday. School, of course. But it wasn’t just school. Sure, my anxiety skyrocketed while trying to sit still in school, and sure I couldn’t focus on any of my work or any words that were being said to me, but it was something more than school. School was only a part of it. Talking with Ms. Sydney about what I was feeling, she helped put it all into one word. Meaningless. Everything was meaningless. Everything I was doing was meaningless. Nothing mattered. Why are my routines and everyday life so unimportantly prominent in my life when I could be back in Mexico helping build a house or praying over a family or even just getting a little boy a band aid? Why did what I do at home matter when what I did in Mexico mattered so much more? I could be helping build a house, for Pete’s sake!! Why am I here when I could be back in Mexico doing something that means something?!? (edited)

I continuously felt this way every day, and to be honest, it hasn’t stopped. I was ready to feel off, but I wasn’t ready to feel like everything was so insignificant. Constantly going over it in my head, I needed to figure out a way to make things in my life feel more meaningful. One of my goals that I set a while ago was to brighten peoples’ day. I wanted to be the reason their day was a little bit better rather than worse. I hoped even a smile or quick how-dee-do would at least make someone’s day a bit better. This goal replayed in my mind a lot and I feel like that is something meaningful I can do. I want to find more meaning in the small things and share it with people around me. Hoping my bright attitude towards something or my laugh at their joke can mean something to them. I know that even a quick smile from my teammates in the halls at school means so much to me and I’m hoping the little things I do can mean something to someone else. So, what I’m working on is trying to do some meaningful things for people, and even though it’s not long-lasting like a house, it can mean something to someone else. And thanks to the trip, I was able to recenter my focus on this goal and work more towards it. (edited)

Another thing this trip sparked in me was uncertainty and yet certainty. It helped me to see that I want to work in a church setting more often and that I want to revolve my life around helping and serving people. I have gone through many different phases of what I want my career to be. From a firefighter to a psychologist and now I have made myself set on becoming a librarian. I was hoping that that would be it and I wouldn’t back track on it, because I am known for my never-lasting phases. Even if I was already having second thoughts about becoming a librarian before the trip, I am most definitely having them now. This trip helped me understand that I need to pursue something that is more directly related to serving people. Watching the YWAM staff in Mexico constantly be on their feet to serve others made me resonate with the need to do that. I don’t know what it is that God is calling me to do, but I know that what I’m supposed to do is to serve people, and this trip has helped me see that. (edited)

I enjoy serving people in any way I can, and this trip has helped me see that it is what I need to focus more on. Instead of thinking about myself and my own career, I need to direct it into something for other people. I have a hard time sitting to the side not being able to help, and this trip helped me to see that it is really important to me that I help others. That serving others is my priority or should be my priority. Not only in the little things that I already do, but the bigger things that I need to push myself to do. In Mexico, I tried to do service through the little things, but when I stepped out of my comfort zone to go serve a stranger and/or pray over them, I felt rejuvenated. Usually, I will stay in my bubble when it comes to serving people, so I would mostly serve my family and friends, but I’ve realized now that I need to expand that bubble. I need to reach out first and help those who are in need, or even those who aren’t in need but need that moment to rest.

Overall, the Mexico trip opened my eyes to new ways of serving people and that I need to make it more of a priority. Service is what I need to focus my attention and drive on rather than being caught up in my own world. Being in Mexico helped me find the passion and drive I needed to put into my life. I am ever so grateful to this trip for creating new territory, to Mr. Cody for inviting me and caring about me, to the leaders who guided me, and to God for pushing me. If you’re reading this far in the blog, that’s great! Thank you for keeping up with our trip and how it has impacted us! I am so grateful for you, your support, and your prayers.

With much love and more,

Katie 🙂