Millar College of the Bible Mission Trip
Day 5 in Mexico! Today we did our second “program” which involved using drama, songs, and chalk art to present the Gospel message. Since we had already performed it once yesterday, this time it ran a bit smoother. It was a challenge, however, because of the temperature! We were performing around 1 p.m. inside the church’s gymnasium area, which felt like it must have been at least 40 degrees. I don’t know about the rest of the team, but I was drenched with sweat within the first couple minutes! Looking at everyone when we were done, I would say many of the others felt the same way. It was very enjoyable though.
Spending the morning with the kids from the church doing our program, making “wordless book” bracelets with them, and making balloon animals was a great way to start off the day! We also experienced part of the local church service, done entirely in Spanish, and were able to figure out a couple words. Mostly we just watched and enjoyed it!
In the evening, our team had the chance to go to the nearby city of Merida to see the downtown area with a big market in the square and many interesting shops in the area. It was great to learn some more about the culture of the local Mayan people, to get to barter with the people in the shops, and to see things some of us had never seen – like a spray paint artist and a man playing a saw! We also saw one of the oldest churches in North America; a Catholic cathedral in the square built in the 1500’s! It was a great time of experiencing more of the local culture, some of the local food, as well as getting a chance to interact with some of the local people because the area was filled with local merchants and consumers.
Overall, I would say today helped our team gain a greater love for the people as we saw God continue to work in their lives. As well, while serving others, in this climate, we truly are “sweating for Jesus!”