We just returned from the Island of Love. Our experience there was… eventful.
For this last week in Mexico we had an outreach project. Basically, AIM kicked us out of the Gateway, gave us some money, and told us to go do what we’ve been learning how to do for these past two months. So we found out about these islands off the coast not too far from here that AIM has partnered with before and hooked up some ministry with a church there. We went with the South Africa team and stayed with Pastor Lionel and his wife Esther. They are both so kind and generous. They let us stay and eat for free, so we got to use all our money budgeted for those things on a construction project located on the island next door. We were redoing the inside of a church and building a Sunday school room for the kids. Construction in Mexico is a little different from construction in America. There was a lot of waiting and a lot of confusion, and at times we were all a tad frustrated. However, we met people there who genuinely and truly love God and are impacting His kingdom daily by their love for others. We were able to bless them financially and laborally (I don’t think that’s actually a word, sorry Yaya), and they blessed us in return by showing us God’s huge grace and how it transcends culture, language, religious style.
Throughtout all of this, we were being fed fish and shrimp every single meal every single day. Shrimp for breakfast- think about it. Within 3 days everyone had awful diarreah. And by awful, I mean the worst possible. No running water = outhouses only. You can imagine how sanitary that was. It got so bad that no one could eat or sleep so we had to come home a day early and go to the doctor. Turns out we all have some kind of bacterial infection, probably E.Coli. Everyone got shots in the butt and some antibiotics, and now we’re all resting and drinking plenty of fluids.
We leave for Africa tomorrow (technically today, as it’s already 2 AM)! I still can’t believe it. We fly about an hour to Houston, then 15 hours to Dubai. There we have a 10 hour layover during which we get a free 5 star hotel room and freedom to roam around the city. Obviously we’re really excited for that. Then we and the South Africa team fly together 8 hours to Johannesburg and after that comes a six hour drive to Nsoko, in Swaziland where we’ll be for the next six months. Two fulls days worth of traveling, but I’m so so pumped. Mexico has been incredible, and I’m going to miss everyone else a ton, BUT I’m going to Africa, finally, and I don’t think I could wait a day longer.
