Short Term Missions, Long Term Impact.

Did you know that I’m 12% fluent in Spanish? Well, according to my language learning app I know how to hold a conversation for a solid 20 seconds. Pretty high if you ask me…

I’d like to introduce you to a few people that I met while on a missions trip in Mexico City, Mexico last December. We visited two churches and provided Christmas gifts for over 1,000 kids in their community. Here are some of my favorites.

Meet Alexa.

I first saw her when our team entered the church in Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl, Mexico. Three other kids, who I later found out were all related, were with her. Joshua (8) and Jehoshaphat (6) were brothers and Ervin (11) and Alexa (9) were siblings. With no parental supervision, they were walking and playing down the streets of their town, when they saw a lot of excitement happening in the local church. Of all days, they chose that random Monday to walk inside a building they had never stepped foot in before.

I smiled at them in the distance while they played and laughed. Ervin ran over to me and immediately started asking questions about the multiple braids I had in my hair. I rushed to get a translator, determined to keep the conversation going for as long as possible. We introduced ourselves to the four cousins and immediately felt a connection. Shortly after, Alexa asked me to paint her nails. Knowing little Spanish, I did the best I could to understand her. She would LOUDLY exhale and throw her hand on her forehead in disbelief if I didn’t understand her after the third time of her trying to explain something in Spanish. It was the cutest thing. Her insecurity would show when I asked to take a picture of her with her nails as she said no repeatedly while covering her face. As the day progressed, her beauty displayed more and more as she played with the other kids, bossed the boys around, and rolled her eyes as she shot back sassy remarks.

The next day, Ervin and Alexa were already waiting for us at the church. We got off the bus and I was greeted with warm hugs and a 9 year old girl with a lot to say. They were supposed to be in school, but skipped it so they would be able to get a present at the Christmas program later that day. I told her skipping school was bad, but I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. Once the program started, we kept making eye contact from across the room and giggling. When we started to hand out the gifts to all the kids, she pointed to me and then back to her as if to say, “you and me, we’re going to do this together.” My heart melted as I nodded in agreement. Her reaction to receiving a new doll made me feel like the proudest parent alive.

Meet Jimena.

Jimena (I-mee-na) is a born leader (literally). The oldest of two brothers -a toddler and an infant- she steps up to help raise her siblings. As I painted her nails, we realized that she had an uncle that lived in California. She immediately assumed that since I was from the States, I MUST know him. It was a little harder to understand her because she was wearing a retainer that caused her to form a slight lisp. Once I realized we could use Google Translate to communicate, I could barely keep up with the conversation – she was so excited! We talked about her neighborhood, mother, and brothers. While her nails dried, I directed her over to one of the gals from my church so she could get her hair braided. Strangers didn’t scare her. As soon as she sat down, her mouth never stopped moving. I overheard her tell the stylist, “…she’s my friend.” I looked up to see Jimena staring and pointing at me, smiling. At that moment I was thankful for the sunglasses I was wearing so no one could see the tears that started to form in my eyes. I coughed and choked back an overdue cry session.

From that point on, every time Jimena saw me, she would smile and hug me tight. I enjoyed watching her play hopscotch with the neighborhood kids, get her face painted, and make the most beautiful artwork (in my biased opinion, of course). Before I left for good, she ran over and gave me a Christmas tree that she had made. Six months later and I still have it on my desk at home.

Meet Yaziti.

Yaziti (pronounced ja-citi) is 11 years old and very smart. English classes are a rare commodity for the kids in her grade, but she knew most of her colors and could count all the way to 10 in English. She prefers to play soccer with her three brothers, but also enjoys reading. We both agreed that cats were better than dogs, but we still would rather not pet either. As I painted her nails, we laughed and talked about our families and how to pronounce their names correctly. Her body language immediately changed when I told her that I was from the United States. She asked, “Is it beautiful?” Her eyes were so wide with curiosity and innocence. “Yeah, yeah it is. It’s very beautiful.” Then I asked, “Do you think your neighborhood is beautiful?” She immediately shook her head so fast with this look of disgust. “No. It’s dirty and it always smells!” The worst part about it? She was right, and there was nothing that I could do about it.

I spent five days with a community that I feel like I’ve known my whole life. Every smiling child/woman I met, every nail I was able to paint, all played a major part in my life and changed the way I looked at others around me. Then, we left them there. We flew back to the States to green grass, clean roads, and decent air quality. We left them in the sewage infested, rotten smelling city with no indoor plumbing and the safest drinking water was expensive & bottled. I will never see those smiles again. What happened to the 26 year old mother expecting her first baby boy 9 days after we left? Or the men that took off work without pay to help us unload our bus because it was unsafe for us to walk back and forth alone? I don’t know where they are or if they’re even okay! What I do know is that we made a difference in their community. We saw lives forever changed and in return, we were changed.

You know, all week we struggled to understand one another, except when we worshipped. It was as if we were all speaking the same language, but only those who opened their hearts to allow His Presence understood. Ironically enough, the Americans would sing “Open The Eyes of My Heart” in English, then the locals would sing in Spanish. Every time, without fail, I was brought to tears. Whenever we would sing as a church -two churches, serving the same God- something shifted in the atmosphere. It was one of the most powerful and supernatural experiences that I have ever witnessed in my life. There’s no better way to describe it than to say that moments like those are a reflection of what Heaven will look like.

Going on a missions trip can alter your life forever if you let it. I was blessed to go to Mexico twice in the last two years and both have given me a new perspective. I never knew that I could deeply love an entire community after spending less than a week together. The connections that were made are truly indescribable. If we can change the lives of a whole community and lead over 250 people to Christ in two days, what does that say about what we’re doing now? How can we change the lives of those in our city? Neighborhood? Family? During our morning devotions, one of the pastors encouraged us with this message: “Your greatest mission field is home. Choose to see what the Lord sees.”

I love the name of our missions ministry: #givehope. Not only are we giving hope to communities that need it, but they return it tenfold with their warm smiles, hospitality, and ability to love immensely.. even before we meet!