Well, here it is...an account of the Tijuana trip. Enjoy (or be bored, I don't much care either way ;~p)!
It was a dark and stormy night...
Okay, so maybe it was four o' clock in the morning instead of the dead of night. And maybe it wasn't so stormy. Maybe it was perfectly clear...stars shimmering and everything. But it was dark--the sun wouldn't be up for another hour and a half.
But I digress. It was 4:30am when my journey began--with a six-hour drive down to Eugene, Oregon, to meet up with the EBC students going to Mexico for spring break. My parents drove me all the way down, and we pulled onto the campus around 10:30. Two short hours later, I had met the students, the mission leader, and we were all standing in a circle together with friends and family as the college president prayed for our trip. Then all ten of us piled into the EBC van (with room to spare), and we were off. Eight hours--and a few bathroom stops--later, and we were in Sacramento for the night. Before passing out the group pulled together to discuss the "battle plans" for the next day...as we did every night during the trip. Each "staff meeting" basically consisted of a debriefing of the day, and the phrase "be ready for everything, because we're not entirely sure what's going on for tomorrow". But now I'm getting ahead of myself.
The next day (Friday) we drove until we made it to Mexico--except for the few hours where we just kinda sat around in L.A. traffic. We arrived at the Tijuana Open Bible base around 8pm (I think), unloaded the van, then promptly all piled back into it to go out for some real Mexican food (mmmm, adobadas...).
Saturday saw us all training together for the VBS programs we'd be putting on at various orphanages during the course of the week. We also spent the day getting ready for the church group (Lighthouse) that was meeting us there that night. Our job, over the course of the week, was to make them look good. We were the staffies--which means we ran things for the most part, but the teamwork between both groups was so smooth that you hardly noticed. It was great.
Sunday morning we went to a Megachuch in downtown Tijuana, which was really interesting. The church had been converted for services from an old boxing ring/stadium. Ironically, the message that morning was on the Tribulation--an area that's come up a lot in my life recently. A whole lot. We listened to the service through headphones so we could hear the translated version. After morning service we were back at the base to train the Lighthouse crew in the puppet shows and other VBS stuff, before heading off for evening service at an amazing church in the more "rural" part of the city. About halfway to this church we turned off the paved road, and went merrily bouncing along the dirt road as we wound our way up into the Tijuana hills. Not long before coming to the church we passed a large area where garbage just stretches out on either side of the road--as if this were the city dump, but no one bothered to tell the city. Stray dogs run amok here--and it's probably where most of the strays from the city rest their tired paws at night. We finally arrive at the church just before the rest of the congregation comes spilling in. Excited faces come running up the stairs and into the building--orphans. Nearly all of the attendees that night were children from orphanages, and this was the highlight of their day. There was a small boy there who was in awe of how curly Leanna's (an EBCer) hair was, and how long mine was. He was adorable. And then the worship service started, and every song sang was one I knew the English version of. We were all singing along in two different languages--it was awesome. Then the service itself got going, and I could feel the presence of God in that building. We actually participated in this service, doing bits and pieces of our VBS and such. Pastor Rob from Lighthouse preached (having it interpreted as he went), then had all of us (staffies and Lighthouse alike) come up to pray for those who would come forward for the alter call. Most of us couldn't speak with the people we were praying for, but I've never experienced ANYTHING like that in my life before. Words to describe it fail me...
Monday morning and evening saw us at two different orphanages, doing our full program for children who were just incredible. And they were so happy to see us! It is truly amazing how things like a smile, a laugh, a game of tag or being tickled or just running around for the fun of it...how these things are universal. They transcend age, race, language--everything. I loved it, and already I long to be back there with these kids who have so much--even though they live with so little.
Between the two programs we all headed down to Revolution Street for a little bit of "vacation shopping". Mostly to get it out of our systems so we could concentrate on what we'd really come to do for the rest of the week... ;~p
Tuesday (and Wednesday and Thursday morning) we worked on finishing up the feeding kitchen of the Open Bible church we'd gone to for Sunday's evening service. We painted the outside, hung sheetrock on the walls inside, taped and mudded the sheetrock seams, built the indoor stairs, and painted inside. It was quite a project...and we didn't even get to putting in the tile inside. Right after finishing work on Wednesday we had a big lunch/dinner fiesta (paid for by Lighthouse), where a lot of the kids from the orphanage came and ate and we all had a generally good time. Then, hot and sweaty and covered in paint and plaster/mud as we were, we all had to change into our nice clothes and head off for another church even farther out for Wednesday evening service.
But then, disaster struck. I woke up Thursday morning absolutely miserable. Sore throat, coughing like mad, sinuses going insane...not fun. And I wasn't the only one who'd been ill in one way or another--one of the other girls had a sinus infection from the day before. She and I and another girl stayed at the base that day while everyone else went to finish working and go on our final outreaches of the week. I wanted so much to go too! But, try as I might to tell myself I was fine, I really needed to get some rest. Especially since I was determined to go with everyone to the ocean that night. We had a campfire, roasted marshmallows (have you ever had a s'more made from strawberry marshmallows, dark chocolate, and cinnamon graham crackers?) and hotdogs, had a little worship, and shared our testimonies of the week with each other. It was so cool. And the stars...and the ocean waves pounding in the background...and the firelight...*sigh* It was just so beautiful.
And then Friday morning rolled around, and the Lighthouse group packed up and headed home. And three of our group took off (they'd driven down in a separate car). And we worked on cleaning the base so we could get an early start Saturday morning. Around noon everyone decided to go to Encinada (sp?) for the day...I stayed at the base and slept for six hours. Friday was not a good day as far as the cold/sinus infection went. After the group got back I was up for maybe two hours before being ordered off to bed because of dizzy spells and the likes (btw, thanks JC for arguing with me until I listened, albeit grudgingly, to reason).
Saturday morning I was feeling a great deal better--which was wonderful considering the fact that we'd be spending most of the next two days in the van. We left the base just before ten, and not long after we were back in the States. We stopped in San Diego at Pacific Beach for three or four hours that afternoon and had a blast (I found it ironic that some of us chose to go running around Mission Blvd). We went to the L.A. YWAM (Youth With a Mission) base for dinner and socializing that evening, and stayed overnight in a chuch house in Valencia (sp?). Sunday morning we were on the road again at 5am, and we pulled back onto the EBC campus at 6:30pm that night. My family showed up around seven, and after another six-hour drive home, I was back in my own bed. At home.
The odd thing is, this doesn't feel like home anymore. The entire drive back from Tijuana I had this odd sensation that I was leaving home instead of going home, and arriving here confirmed that. I don't belong here anymore, but neither do I belong solely in Mexico. "To the Nations..." is my call, and to the nations I will go. I have one more year at the community college before I can transfer to EBC, and once I'm there I think I'll be majoring in Missions studies now, with a minor in Christian Education (instead of majoring in CE). God gives us the desires of our hearts, and He certainly planted a new one in mine over the last few weeks. It's amazing. I wrote in another thread about being able to say "I am changed"...and I am. Changed even beyond what I thought possible. If someone had told me a year ago that I would've typed any of what I've said in this thread, I would've had them committed. Seriously. I am so in awe of the road God has me walking...the road that I never even imagined existed for me.
I pray that you all will be as blessed as I have been. That God will plant the most amazing desires in your hearts and souls and minds, and that He'll give you the strength and determination to see those desires turn into realities. I pray that you will wake up each morning wondering where He's going to lead you during the day, and ready to lean on Him whether you're walking a valley or a mountaintop. God bless and keep you all!
~Elizabeth the long-winded
Visionary Missionary
Daughter of God
Warrior for Christ
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