Our first travel was for a weekend to Iztapalapa where we went to go and minister to the youth in the church there. We had the privilege of playing with kids in the parks, going to hospitals, and partnering with a church. It was a bitter-sweet experience because the Lord broke my heart for the younger generation in a new way. These children are very poor and many come from rough family situations that really impacted me. I heard their stories and saw their lives... I wanted to take them all back home with me. It is really hard to see such devastating situations and not be able to do a thing about it. You do what you can and hurt for the people and yet it seems all you can do is trust in a faithful God. Have you ever asked the Lord to break your heart for what breaks His? My whole weekend in Iztapalapa felt like that. Being in the hospital, seeing suffering parents waiting on their children, and meeting a man who had burned his eyes with some sort of acid. It's was all an open door for the Lord to let His healing fall. What a beautiful God we serve who LOVES to heal!
My next adventure was in Maztalan for a second year now! What an honor it is to be able to partner with YWAM Mazatlan in the journeys into Carnival. Once again I was in the ministry on the outside of Carnival where there was still a loud party going on. This year, the Lord absolutely gave me even more empathy and understanding in a new way for all the girls we serve here in Mexico City and around the world. Last year we had a line of males and females tied up by a rope. This demonstrated what it meant to be a slave of human trafficking in a very-so-real way. This year we did the same skit, but with a larger group which included my younger sister Gabby. At that moment it was when it really hit home for me and I experienced how vital and real these situations are. Why couldn't it be my blood sibling that was on the street? There are over 5,000 girls that work a day within a four-block radius. It could be anyone's grandma, aunt, mom, sister, or even daughter. My anger grew stronger within me knowing the Lord's heart was also against it all. It made me never want to stop this fight. Everything that I go through, including being away from my family and my "reality" of life, is worth it all.
Thank you everyone to all your support and prayers! May the Lord continue to bless you all!!
