| June 26 - July 10 |
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| This 15 member youth group was made up of 3 team leaders
(Pastor Fernando and Judy Siaba and Delia Ramirez all of
Humboldt Park UMC, Chicago), 9 youth from the NCJ and 3
Puerto Rican youth. They worked one week at the Methodist
Seminary in Mexico City, visited the pyramids at Teotihuacan
on the weekend and then worked one week in Pachuca at a
church called Getsemane. |
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Team members were:
Laura Olsen – McHenry, IL
Bonnie Wittrock – Wonder Lake, IL
Cristina Ramirez – Chicago, IL
Celia Sanabria – Chicago, IL
Hope LeFevre – Milledgeville, IL
Ellen Herbert – Galena, IL
Marshall Remmele – Cincinnati, IO
Emily Brake – Brookings, SD
Alicia Anderson – Ft. Madison, IA
Raffne' Moreno Jackson – San Juan, Puerto Rico
Sara Raquel Silva Soto – San Juan, Puerto Rico
Josue Isai Martinez Rodrguez – San Juan, Puerto Rico |
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Mexico
2004 – Impressions
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| This
was my first mission trip ever. When the opportunity
arrived I was happy that my Pastor immediately thought
of me. I jumped at the chance to go to Mexico on a mission
without even thinking a lot about it. Then the day before
we were to leave I got real nervous. I thought that I
had made a bad decision, but after I sat and thought
about it, this is what I suppose to do. I just had a
feeling that everything would be ok. So off to Mexico
I went. |
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The time
we had in Mexico was, lets see how do I explain it?? Awesome
in every sense of the word! I was so amazed by Mexico City
and Pachuca. The people we met were truly God's children.
Every meal, every snack, everything they did for us was completely
out of love. These people were so appreciative of God for
sending us to help them. It is hard to explain until you
have experienced it for yourself. I think all of us had a
great time.
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All the sight seeing and learning we did while we were in Mexico will never be
forgotten by any of us. Our leaders and the people that accepted us into
their homes are such wonderful people. I could not have asked for a better
Mission Discovery trip.
I am most certainly interested in going on another Mission Discovery trip as
well as going back to Mexico, whether with the group or by myself, to see how
the Seminary is doing and what progress has been made on the new church of Getsemani.
I would recommend a Mission Discovery trip for anyone, young or old. It is a
great experience and I wish more people had the means of participating in such
trips.
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Alicia
L. Anderson •
Santa Fe United Methodist Church •
Fort Madison, IA 52627 |
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Traveling
to Mexico this July on the Mission Discovery trip was
unlike any other experience in my life. In the short
two weeks I learned about myself, other people and most
importantly, other cultures.
The combination of mission work and touristy activities was perfect. It was important
to see the country we were in and the people we were working for. The mass transportation
in Mexico City was the most exhilarating activity of the trip. I wasn’t
at all scared, but I’ve never used so much hand sanitizer at one time!
We saw many breathtaking examples of history. The architecture and ancient infrastructure
was fascinating. The Mexican culture is definitely very rich. |
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My favorite
part of work came the second week in Pachuca, Mexico. This
was a smaller city where we started building a church.
Digging is challenging, but also rewarding! I was moved to
the special task of building a “tool shed.” The
structure ended up being where the workers would sleep at night!
We built it completely from the junk laying around. It’s
amazing how much value ordinary trash has when needed for a
project!
The friends I met made the entire trip worthwhile. If we had
not gotten along those two weeks might have been a disaster!
I was a little scared to go on this trip without knowing any
of the other team members, but I laughed a lot and had a great
time.
I would highly recommend a trip like this for any youth wanting
to go on an adventure with and for God!
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Emily
Brake •
First UMC •
Brookings, SD 57006 |
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Mexico
was one of the greatest experiences I've had in my 18
years of life. I knew it was going to be great but I
never thought it would be that incredible. God used us
in various and different ways and we were his workers
in that trip. We had a nice view of what real life can
be for other people that are not as privileged as us.
The people at Pachuca showed us what God's love means.
They not only opened their houses for us to stay with
them, but they also opened their hearts and let us in
and also entered our hearts and memories. So, I always
carry them with me in my heart and in my prayers.
My
family in |
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Pachuca
were Saul, Veronica, Saulito y Suriel. Those little boys
treated
Emily and me
like sisters and
they were really good and fun parents.
“ Us guys” from Puerto Rico (Josue, Sara and myself) had the amazing
of opportunity of working with a group of young people from different places
from the United States. It was wonderful how we united and worked together for
one common purpose...sharing God's love through our voluntary work. After all,
in Mexico, Puerto Rico, United States and the rest of the world, we Methodists
believe in the same God. Maybe we didn't gave them a million dollars nor did
we built them the whole church at Getsemani but we planted a little seed. And
that seed will grow and turn into a healthy tree and give fruits. That's a promise
God gives us. I gained new friends, I helped people, I worked a whole lot not
for me but for other, I had a good time and grew spiritually and mentally. What
else can you ask from a trip to another country? I thank God for this opportunity
and I hope we get together again. I hope and pray to be able to see all my teammates
again and also "a mis amigos mexicanos". May God bless you and may
you live a experience like mine or even better.
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Rafiné Moreno-Jackson
•
Iglesia Metodista Universitaria •
San Juan_Puerto Rico |
