It's Over...

The first week is over. The groups left today after really NO sleep! We had great games of basketball (where the leaders served up some humble pie to the students) and dodgeball. And celebrated the Lord's Supper together to close out our time together. This final update is from Meredith Cook after our last day of work on Thursday. I know you'll enjoy this. She was 'getting' many of the things we were hoping students were getting.

I can’t believe that today was our last day of work here in Mexico. We poured a roof this morning as one large group for the family of Margarita and Santos. It was really hard work to get the buckets of cement up that high, and the scaffolding was potentially dangerous (Dave even fell! But don’t worry, he’s okay.), but we all pulled together as a team to finish the roof very efficiently! All of our work from the past four days has definitely been tiring, as most of us are noticing right now (everyone is incredibly tired…it’s midnight here and we just got back from Group Time), but it’s definitely a “good” kind of tired, you know? I don’t think I’m only speaking for myself when I say that I feel so incredibly full of God’s love right now as the service we have done for these Mexicans gives a greater feeling than anything else in the world. I am sitting here on a constantly deflating air mattress in a room with no air circulation, I still have dried cement all over my body despite my shower this afternoon, my back has about eight knots in it from shoveling sand and rocks all day, and it’s a struggle to keep my eyes open. Yet I feel such pure joy and happiness. To me, that is one of the main lessons I will take away from this trip: we don’t need the things that we THINK make us happy to actually achieve joy. All we need is the bliss we receive from glorifying God through service to others and simply living our lives for Him. The people I have met this week have none of the things I used to rely on to be happy: no iPods, no DVR, no expensive designer clothes, no text messaging…the list goes on and on. Just ask yourself what makes you happy in your free time. Chances are, the list will undoubtedly include things that these people don’t have. Nevertheless, the people I have met experience more of God’s joy in its purest form because they have faith, they follow Christ, and they trust in His plan for their lives. I don’t think I have ever been in a place where people are more friendly and always smiling! It will be strange to go back to Raleigh in a few days and drive down the road and not have every single person I see on the side of the road wave and yell “Hola!” At the beginning of the week, I thought that we were the ones who were coming to help those less fortunate. However, my mindset has switched to the opposite. WE are the ones less fortunate if we do not have the same faith and love for God as these people. We can’t experience pure joy if we’re constantly being distracted by things we desperately seek after to try to please us. Yes, the Mexicans here might have a house the size of an American bedroom and make $3 a day. But I consider them lucky because of the joy they have in their hearts. No material possessions are blocking their road to Christ. I feel that I have attained this amazing joy this week after serving and experiencing life through their eyes, and I pray that I can continue to harbor this joy in my heart and keep it close in my mind that I do not need the things I once thought I did in order to be happy. All it takes is the will to follow Christ forever, wherever He may lead you.
Meredith Cook


Be praying for the following week!
Casey