Spring Break Decisions

April 5-10th I am in Mexico.

I am going to be partying it up with 19 other people.

We are tent camping & creating some great memories!

We are building a house & hooking up a water filter for a family that currently lives on a dirt floor & survives on about $22 a month.

As a youth pastor a role i feel VERY STRONGLY called to is exposing students to needs & situations that are next door to their life and across the globe. For 11 years i have been taking, challenging & encouraging students to step outside their normal comfort zone & go on a missions trip.
Something happens in a teenager when they go to places they have never been before. Something in them takes it ALL in & notices the subtle differences of life they are so used to and what they endure for the week they are in a new city, region or country.

When a student sees a family who lives monthly on what their allowance is weekly is does something in their soul. When students team together who are from different homes, schools & even walks of life to change the lives of a family they will probably never see again it changes them. Students return with a renewed ability to see local needs easier and act on them effectively.

My hope with every trip i do is that students:
1- Notice how much their life matters
2- Be more than Spiritual Tourists
3- Let God's Spirit move in them so it alters their life & soul for as long as they are alive


Some people have questioned why go to Mexico with all the 'turmoil' happening. I can't argue that what has happened in Mexico in the last 3 years has been horrific. But last time I checked a history book since man has stepped away from a solid relationship with God some evil, grotesque & in-humane things have occurred. Whether it be in an urban developed city or a small rural village, sin has its mark in many places. But i do believe that God called us to a life of selflessness and compassion. We haven't been careless in this trip planning. We are going with a ministry that has lived in Baja, Mexico for 30 years. They know the area, the issues & the needs. We've been supportive of those families who aren't comfortable sending their son/daughter and we've been supportive of those families who have signed up their son/daughter.

My hope & prayer has been that those students who go can see how being a source of hope can be used by God to expand His Kingdom.


**I am excited to follow up this post when i return with a TRIP RECAP after April 12th.