BLOG 1: RICK MORSE
It’s wild that it has been two years since my initial trip to La Biznaga, but everything came rushing back quickly from an emotional stance as soon as we landed. Thankfully, our team arrived with no travel hiccups which is a mighty blessing during any foreign travel. Upon our arrival and gathering of all our bags, the team was warmly greeted by our host, Doctor Esly Fuentes. It was thanks to his warm greeting that it felt as though only a few months had passed since my first trip.
We departed from the airport, and Esly was very excited to show us all around downtown Monterrey as they make improvements and advancements towards hosting games for the upcoming World Cup. God is providing numerous venues and great opportunities during this massive global event, and the people of Monterrey and surrounding towns and villages are really taking it on. National pride appears to be very high at this moment, and truly shows that major athletic events can undoubtedly bring the world together even for small amounts of time.
Upon our arrival at Praise Valley Camp, all the previous memories and feelings came rushing back once I witnessed the sun setting over the mountain ranges that surround us. It is always in this moment that I just think to myself “okay God, now you’re just showing off because you know it cannot be matched.” And it’s certainly true.
Sunday morning the team departed to Vida Nueva for a beautiful church service. Watching and joining along in as much as some of us could understand was such a spirit fulfilling moment in so many ways. Church services here in Mexico really have passion for letting the Holy Spirit flow through them in all aspects. From worship that extends from the entire congregation, all the way down to the ladies of the church leading worship as well solo. A beautiful and very relevant message from one of our hosts here at Camp that focused heavily on how much we let modern day pleasures get in the way of relying on God during the difficulties of life. “What does God mean to you?” This was such a resounding takeaway, as I reflected on how much American Christianity tends to fall into the “checklist Christian” mentality. Following service, our team prepared for the week ahead , sorting and separating medicines and various vitamins for our locations throughout the week.
The alarms rang early Monday as we prepared to travel out to our first clinic site for the week. It was here that the enemy was already trying to work against us as one of our vehicles had a tire issue that needed to be resolved. This caused quite a delay out to the clinical site, but the enemy did not prevail as we eventually got setup and ready to serve the village. Being more experienced this time around, I found it to be easier to find time to stand back and take it all in rather than being hyper focused on the task at hand.
Getting to watch the team go outside of their comfort zones and learn new skills, learn small pieces of Spanish to be able to communicate (even if just a simple hello or God bless you) really shows the compassion the team has for serving as the Hands of God towards the people we encounter. For myself, it has allowed me to be more present and have more fun with the people that come to the clinic as well. While my Spanish is not great by any means, some comes back to me and I’m more comfortable in making an attempt (even when it typically results in either a laugh and smile because it's wrong, or a blank stare….because it was also wrong). God is teaching me humility and how to be more confident in going outside my own comfort zone. Overall, the trip is off to a solid start!
Thank you to those who have been blanketing our team and this trip in your prayers. We ask for your continued prayers, as we are just getting started on the week. Morale is high, the Spirit is strong, and everyone (so far) is of full health. We pray it all continues this way! - Hebrews 13:16
It’s wild that it has been two years since my initial trip to La Biznaga, but everything came rushing back quickly from an emotional stance as soon as we landed. Thankfully, our team arrived with no travel hiccups which is a mighty blessing during any foreign travel. Upon our arrival and gathering of all our bags, the team was warmly greeted by our host, Doctor Esly Fuentes. It was thanks to his warm greeting that it felt as though only a few months had passed since my first trip.
We departed from the airport, and Esly was very excited to show us all around downtown Monterrey as they make improvements and advancements towards hosting games for the upcoming World Cup. God is providing numerous venues and great opportunities during this massive global event, and the people of Monterrey and surrounding towns and villages are really taking it on. National pride appears to be very high at this moment, and truly shows that major athletic events can undoubtedly bring the world together even for small amounts of time.
Upon our arrival at Praise Valley Camp, all the previous memories and feelings came rushing back once I witnessed the sun setting over the mountain ranges that surround us. It is always in this moment that I just think to myself “okay God, now you’re just showing off because you know it cannot be matched.” And it’s certainly true.
Sunday morning the team departed to Vida Nueva for a beautiful church service. Watching and joining along in as much as some of us could understand was such a spirit fulfilling moment in so many ways. Church services here in Mexico really have passion for letting the Holy Spirit flow through them in all aspects. From worship that extends from the entire congregation, all the way down to the ladies of the church leading worship as well solo. A beautiful and very relevant message from one of our hosts here at Camp that focused heavily on how much we let modern day pleasures get in the way of relying on God during the difficulties of life. “What does God mean to you?” This was such a resounding takeaway, as I reflected on how much American Christianity tends to fall into the “checklist Christian” mentality. Following service, our team prepared for the week ahead , sorting and separating medicines and various vitamins for our locations throughout the week.
The alarms rang early Monday as we prepared to travel out to our first clinic site for the week. It was here that the enemy was already trying to work against us as one of our vehicles had a tire issue that needed to be resolved. This caused quite a delay out to the clinical site, but the enemy did not prevail as we eventually got setup and ready to serve the village. Being more experienced this time around, I found it to be easier to find time to stand back and take it all in rather than being hyper focused on the task at hand.
Getting to watch the team go outside of their comfort zones and learn new skills, learn small pieces of Spanish to be able to communicate (even if just a simple hello or God bless you) really shows the compassion the team has for serving as the Hands of God towards the people we encounter. For myself, it has allowed me to be more present and have more fun with the people that come to the clinic as well. While my Spanish is not great by any means, some comes back to me and I’m more comfortable in making an attempt (even when it typically results in either a laugh and smile because it's wrong, or a blank stare….because it was also wrong). God is teaching me humility and how to be more confident in going outside my own comfort zone. Overall, the trip is off to a solid start!
Thank you to those who have been blanketing our team and this trip in your prayers. We ask for your continued prayers, as we are just getting started on the week. Morale is high, the Spirit is strong, and everyone (so far) is of full health. We pray it all continues this way! - Hebrews 13:16