NBYG Mexico Mission to the City of Children 2015: Tuesday - At the Home

It's the second day of working our rotation -- building crew, food delivery and working with the children at the home, sharing a Bible study with the teens, doing crafts with the little kids, puppet shows and play, meals together, and a skit, devotional and sunset to end our day. But there's nothing routine about this routine. North Boulevard has a special way of doing things, the Ecclesiastes 9:10 way -- "Whatever your hands find to do, do with all your might." That's not to brag. It's more of a confession, an obsession. We just can't do it any other way.

Bob Webb can't just cut up the fruit each morning. He lays it out like a Christmas tree. Our Kitchen Ladies and Randy coordinate their fashion each day, the whole crew wearing the same t-shirt from a previous City of Children Trip (makes you want to come again and again and collect them all!) Then, of course, there's the food! I say it every year and this year will be no different. It's kind of embarrassing to be on a mission trip where you gain weight! Beyond the three squares a day, there's a whole slew of creative fare -- edible snowmen made out of marshmallows and chocolate with red licorice string scarves; North Pole cupcakes; hard candy mint Christmas stars; and, of course, homemade, hand-decorated Christmas cookies.

Our house crew isn't just exacting in how they construct the house -- this year they also dug, moved, smoothed and worked the landscape. Our church members don't just send us toys to distribute to the children -- they provide us with bags and bags of Happy Meal and Sonic toys (Apparently the entire congregation at North Boulevard are hastening their trip to the Golden Gates by spending amble time at the Golden Arches! All...for a good cause.) Our ladies do a special program for the mamas and women staff members here at the home. We don't just send an elder on the trip -- We send five (actually none of the elders are "sent." They come because they want to be here with our teens!) Our teens don't just lead a Bible study using store-bought material -- they stand up before the group and witness their struggles and God's hand in their lives. They use their trials as text for the study. You can't imagine the impact that has with the teens here who struggle with the same issues, have the seem needs, hope the same hopes, suffer the same peer pressures and want to serve God in a world that has little use for Him. Parents and church family, you would be proud of your teens as they stand and share their struggles and reach out to encourage their fellow teens here. It is awe-inspiring; it is amazing; it encourages us all -- young and old.

And then there's the skit. We don't just do a skit.... We do a four-part, fully costumed and fully scripted mini-series, complete with background music and set and always with an big finish, that somehow manages to be bigger and better than the year before.

There's countless other add-ons, new and old North Boulevard traditions, little extras and personal touches. Everyone travels with an extra bag just to haul all the stuff down here. So why, I'm sure you are asking do we go to all the time and trouble and expense to do so many lavish things? Why? How better to express the lavish, unconditional, unmerited and eternal love of the Almighty God who sent His son to die for us. In the wake of such lavish blessing on such an unworthy and thankless people, how can we not lavish our love and care and resources on these children, the staff of this home and the people of the Baja? We love because He first loved us. And His is a Big Love.

Even more powerful, are the small personal acts of holding a child, playing with them, singing to them, offering encouragement, throwing an arm over someone's shoulder, getting outside of our comfort zone to communicate with another person who speaks a different language -- the many behind the scenes gestures of love that cost nothing but mean everything. Those, too, are lavished on the people here.

Lord knows.

P.S. For her tireless service and sacrifice here in Ensenada, today the Coveted (and somewhat stinky because service has a way of working up a sweat) Festival of Sharing Hat goes to Linden Gagnon (picture below...way below... just keep scrolling.) She busted up her toe while in the act of serving others...just painted the nail and toughed it out.