Hi friends! This is my first little update since we got to Mexico! Let’s get into it! 

This journey began at the Atlanta airport where all the new and returning racers met/reunited. After a LONG travel day that included a missed connecting flight, replanning our flights, staying the night in a random hotel type thing in Cancun, and breaking up into two flight groups so we could all fly to Chiapas on the same day, we finally made it.

Here in Chiapas, we are staying at an orphanage called Casa Hogar Alegre that mainly includes children who have been rescued from abuse and exploitative situations. The kids range from roughly 1 to 25 years old, many having lived here the majority of their lives. Additionally, since many come from unsafe family situations, the kids do school, church, sports, etc, here at the orphanage. And this is where the majority of our ministry comes into play. 

We have the opportunity to lead the kids’ English immersion class! This includes sports (often includes getting absolutely obliterated in basketball), music, and reading. Our team breaks into groups of 3 to 5 to plan and lead each of these “class times.” In this time, we have the special opportunity to not only get to know the kids, but to show them who Jesus is. Obviously, we are there to teach them English, but through that we have the chance, in both word and action, to teach them the most important thing anyone could ever learn: the Gospel. Sidenote, in the oldest reading class (roughly 13 to 18 years old), they have the most fun flipping our activities around to make us learn Spanish, claiming it to be unfair they have to practice their English and we don’t have to practice our Spanish. They’ve got a point there, haha! But it is really fun to see how such a small thing works to engage and open them up to us. Isn’t it cool how the Lord works?! 

In addition to “class time,” we have the chance to simply hang out with the kids in the evenings and weekends. For the girls, this time often includes the littles asking to braid our hair (I’ve never had a heart braid before this, but DANG they are insanely skilled), sidewalk chalk, playing music (they’re big Forest Frank fans lol — so of course, this also means we learn Tik Tok dances), changing diapers, jump rope, basketball, and speaking in broken Spanish and English to get to know each other. 

  The entire first week was set aside for training. This means lots of teachings, activations, conversations, spontaneous walks, ministry, and intentional time with the Lord. We also did a number of team builders, which were really fun (plus many of them were competitions, and we know how I love competing lol)! Near the end of the week we got split into our “ministry teams,” which are similar to small groups. My team has 6 girls total, and it has been sweet getting to spend quality time with them. And of course we named our group “the holy guacamoles,” because why not?!

Last week was the first real week of ministry. Additionally, since this trip includes an education component, we have 2 hours in the morning of designated class time before lunch and ministry. Some people are taking online classes, some aren’t. I’m trying to designate this time to dig into theological type questions I have, begin attempting various interests the Lord has recently put on my heart, and practicing Spanish. And let’s be real, to no one's surprise, ministry time is my favorite part of the day! 

Okay, this is kinda long, so let's wrap it up! If you’re still reading this far, congrats, you almost made it to the end lol! 

I’m definitely in an extremely stretching season, which the Lord is already using to draw me closer to Him. Oh how I’m desperate for Him! Additionally, it’s really sweet to know that I am exactly where the Lord asked me to go doing exactly what He asked me to do. Obedience is never wasted or unimportant. I’m literally living in the product of that. So thank you to anyone who has supported me along the way, even just through reading all this! And I invite you to continue praying! For the kids, the orphanage logistics, the garden project (I’ll talk more about that in a later post), and the team. Let’s see what the Lord does!