There’s a lot of activity in the Belz home these days. In addition to the kitchen remodel I’m working on, we have five teens busy in their activities (Alyssa mostly stays put, but Adam and Andrew and their girlfriends are coming and going frequently). Adam and Andrew and Lea and Tessa recently went with their youth group down to Mexico for a mission trip, and I thought I’d let you hear from them about their experience. We are thankful these young people are choosing to spend part of their time serving others in these ways.

Adam: Hello friends and family, I recently went to Ensenada Mexico and had the amazing experience to serve the people down there. We spent four days building a house and had VBS each day as well. I got a chance to connect with Amilio who was one of the helpers down there. We spent many hours working on the house and I learned a lot. I also got a chance to connect with the father of the family we were building the house for. He and his wife are only 18 years old and already have a daughter and a house now to raise her in. It was amazing seeing God work and being able to bless these people was a truly rewarding experience.

Andrew: This was my first year going to Mexico and I had a great experience. I had no idea what to expect and I think that’s when God can show you what he wants the most. Serving the people there and building houses and hearing them talk about what a blessing it was, that’s what made the trip amazing.

Tessa: I’m at loss for words when talking about my Mexico Missions Trip. People ask me how it was but it’s one of those, “had to be there” type of experiences. The second we got across the border, a wave of reality hit me. It is so eye opening when you realize not every country has the same houses as we do, job offers, water, or just comfortable living in general, like we do here in America. It makes you feel so blessed to have what you have. It also gave me this sudden urge to help others even more than I already wanted to. That was the amazing part of the trip, getting to bless two families with a house that their children could grow up in, laugh, cry, and love God. During our leisure time on Wednesday night, we went to a church service. I couldn’t understand the service  because of the language barrier but the worship was amazing. They played one song that we all knew in English, so we started singing in English while they continued singing in Spanish. It was the most beautiful moment, hearing all of us sing to our King in Heaven. To know that all around the world, despite different languages, we all worship the same God, and each and every voice that sings is beautiful to Him. “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!” Psalms 150:6. I plan on going again, and this experience furthered my desire to become a missionary!

Lea: This year in Mexico, I had the privilege of working at the addition house site. Last year we built the first part of the house, and this year we finished it. Because this was my second trip, the anxiety I felt a year ago was gone. I knew what we would be doing on the work site and throughout each day. And because of this I was able to focus more on building relationships with the family that the house was for. I didn’t get an opportunity to talk to the mom or the kids last year at all. However this year on my first day at the worksite, I spent 2 hours with Esmeralda, the mom, talking, laughing, and singing. I also got to play with the kids throughout the week. The language barrier was difficult, but that didn’t stop Esmeralda and I from having a good, faith-filled conversation. We talked about our favorite Bible verses, different prayer requests, and other things. It was very amazing to see the role God played in the Mexican culture and who He was to each of them personally. Esmeralda called Him her protector and comforter, which she pointed out in Psalm 91. She relied on him for strength and safety for her family. God is my strength and shield as well. And this truth crosses cultural barriers. Even though Esmeralda and I speak different languages, our God is the greater than any earthly obstacle. He is sovereign over every nation.