Tecate Trip 2007 by Ashley McIntosh

In July I went on a mission trip to Mexico as a leader in the high school group at Grace Valley Christian Center. Three lessons that impacted our group most are found in the theme verse for our trip:

Philippians 2:1-4

“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

First, this verse speaks of our fellowship with God and the encouragement from His Spirit. Secondly, it teaches that unity with other believers necessarily grows out of our fellowship with God. And thirdly, it commands that we humbly give our lives and talents to benefit others.

Fellowship with God

The Tecate trip was demanding on everyone. For some, the greatest test was enduring the roosters and stray dogs making themselves known at 2am. For others, sharing two or three toilets among 50 plus people was a trial. The construction and Vacation Bible School work proved to be exhausting. Everyone needed grace from God to rejoice in every circumstance and to renew their strength for the tasks before them. Personally, I was crying out to God after the first morning of Vacation Bible School. I expected 40 children at each of the four sites we would visit each day. The first site had nearly 120 children. I was exhausted due to my limited Spanish speaking ability and insufficient supplies. After three hours, we piled into our vans and headed back to Reverend Cervantes’ church for lunch. As we bounced down the dusty streets I remember praying something to this effect, “God, I am dead-tired already. But you have more work for us today! I don’t know how I am going to make it through the day, much less the week. But you are able to give each of us the power. My eyes are on you.” Both leaders and high school kids testified how they sought God and He helped them. We were encouraged by God's presence and attention to our prayers.

Unity with Believers

In the months before this trip, each youth group member learned that God gives them gifts and the success of this trip would depend on their active use of these gifts. The young men participated in construction projects before the trip to develop their skills, designed the bathroom facility and raised money for the entire group. The young ladies met and brainstormed ideas for VBS activities. They put their ideas into practice by working with children in the Madison Migrant Community near Woodland. In Mexico, it was clear to the believers in Tecate that we were unified in Christ. I was blessed to serve God with the Mexican believers despite our challenges in communication.

Humbly Giving Your Life for Others

Our youth developed compassion for each child, serving them by carrying them on their shoulders, assisting them with crafts, wiping away tears, and playing yet another game of soccer in the sweltering heat. It did not matter if the kids were dirty, hard to manage, or troublesome. They saw that we genuinely cared about them, so they wanted to hear what we had to say about a God who loves sinners. The construction crew worked long past quitting time so they could be done by the end of the week. They worked in the hot sun with limited resources. The leaders spent hours preparing lessons for the high school students and organizing the ministries. Reverend Buddingh’ delivered a sermon to the Mexican people at one of the Friday evening services. Our kitchen crew showed the love of Christ by feeding all of us, plus the Cervantes family, local church leaders, and the Bible institute students. In the end, nearly 30 children and four parents came forward to commit their lives to Christ and got instructions on living as Christians.

Once we returned home, students testified in Grace High about things that impacted them on this trip. I praise God that so much spiritual seed was sown in the youth of our church. This blessing is due to God’s mercy and to the work of Pastor, the elders, and the leaders of this mission trip. My prayer is for lasting impact in my life and in the lives of each young person that went on this trip.