Easter and In memory of those who went before us.

The last week has been such a crazy one, getting back in California and getting showered and rested for just a little before three of us took off for a missions trip to Mexico. So we arrived back in California on Tuesday night and Preston, Jayne, and I took off with a youth group team to Mexico on Wednesday morning. Talk about running all over the place, it feels as if I never stop moving sometimes. 

I was so blessed to be able to go to Mexico to get to play with the orphans and bless the orphanages with food and clothes for the kids. What a difference from going to talking to mostly angry college students all day to playing with orphans who hug you the second you get out of the car. I felt so taken aback when we got out of the car at the first orphanage in Mexico, cause no more than a couple minutes pass and here come a flood of little Mexican children coming up to me and hugging me saying "hola" as they pass by. Oh it was awesome! Exactly what my heart needed after being at the University of New Mexico (I ran into two rather hostile and angry students there).

But back to the Mexico trip, it was absolutely great to meet more of the White family and to get to know all their friends from the youth group that came down on the trip and do ministry with them. I was also blessed in getting to see some absolutely beautiful sights while we were down there because the missionary house is right on the beach. The sights there were absolutely breath-taking (see picture below)

These are the moments in which you take it all in and thank God for blessing you as you do the work He has called you to do. It was amazing each morning to be able to wake up and go sit outside and take in the view as I did my morning devotions. Truly I have been so blessed by God in so many ways along the trip. We were in Mexico until Saturday night when we got back. During the trip we visited orphanages and were able to play with the kids, dye some eggs with them and then do an Easter egg hunt. It was so great to see their faces light up and even more humbling to see kids who had so little wanting to share the candy they found with us. I definitely know that all these years I've wanted to go visit and work with orphanages have now not been for nothing, because it truly is a great experience! It was also humbling as we went and delivered food to families in different locations that were living on so little. One place we went was nicknamed the "chicken coops" by the team and I can see why. Each family there lived in what was the size of a chicken coop with very little, the faces of the little kids and some mothers as we pulled up and loaded out bags of food to give them was enough thanks. The little ones are always so cute because it's as enough they know that when Americans come that we will have candy for them. I can really say that I felt much more blessed by being able to serve then what little we have blessed them with food. I don't think it will ever cross my mind to be a regret of not taking the time off and staying back in CA during those days to rest. Because while we were down there serving God granted me the rest needed. It was truly such a blessing for Preston and I to be able to go on the trip, one I know that we both will not soon forget.


But today celebrating Christ's resurrection from the grave was quite powerful; I also was struck so much on Good Friday on the greatness of Christ laying down His life for sinners such as us. I have so many areas of fault, far too numerous to even list. But He still loved me enough to endure all that suffering, such a moving thought. It was great to be invited to the White family's celebration today with all the kiddies and family members running around. They accepted Preston and I in as if we were their own which was quite moving for us being so far from our own family on the holiday. 

I was especially moved today as we paused before prayer to remember a certain amazing young woman named Kortney. I know I haven't written about her on here before so much, but I'd like to think Kortney is partially responsible for this awesome mission’s work I've been doing for the past 7 weeks. Kortney was such an inspiration and great friend, and I guess you could say mentor of mine when she was working with Students for Life. She was always keeping tabs on how things were going with the pro-life group at Liberty and how I was doing with some struggles there. She was talking to me a lot about going into the pro-life movement full-time after graduating. Well after her, Jon, and her unborn daughter Sophy passed away in October I almost felt a bit lost without them. Jon had been very much responsible for helping me put together Liberty's first pro-life senior project. I remember sitting down one day in January and thinking "okay, I'm done with college what now", then I thought to myself "What would Kortney suggest that I do next, now that I'm done with college pro-life work?" So I remembered that she had worked for a group called "Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust". I had also remembered seeing them at the SFLA conference a week earlier but dismissing going to work for them since it wasn't a paying job. But then I felt something tugging at me to submit an application to become a missionary with them. So I did, and the rest is history!
So today we took a moment to pray for her family and to remember her, I feel like throughout this entire trip I've been seeing little marks of how she went before me in working with Survivors and accomplishing so much!

I've met so many people on the trip who've been touched by her life and the work she's done. I've also met quite a few who knew Jon and were very inspired by his passion for the unborn. So today we remember not only their memories, but most importantly the memory of Christ. The memory of a carpenter's son who was sent to earth to walk the road before us, and die for our sins on the cross. Today I remember the sacrifice made on that cross for all my sins. So today and everyday let's keep on our mind the sacrifices others have made so that we can be where we are today. Let us remember to live life to the fullest fighting for what we believe in (as Jon and Kortney did)!