Kirstin and Kharis

 

Today was a rest day for our team. We started off the morning with a drive to the Santa Barbara Cenote in Homun (about an hour from our hotel), where we enjoyed swimming and taking in the beauty of God's creation. From there we went onto the Hacienda Teya, a Mexican Hacienda built in 1683. Here we enjoyed the beautiful buildings on the property and learned a little bit about what life was like at the time it was built and the history of the Sisal (Hennequen) industry. Soon after this we came back to Merida to participate in some exploration and shopping in Centro. Throughout the entire day we had the opportunity to see the beauty in the Mexican people and got to see first hand how vast God's creation is; both in the gorgeous landscape and the difference in people and cultures.

August 14, 2025
Hola church family!! This morning we ministered in Hunucma assisting Pastor Ricardo paint his church and move bricks. He is a church planter who has been building his church and congregation for the past few years now.  Although it was really hot, we were able to get the painting finished before we had to go and it turned out to be a lot of fun!

 Following lunch, swim, siesta, and supper we headed to the community of Uman where we met with Pastor Josue and did our program for the local children there. We have done the same program multiple times this week for different churches. When doing our program we start with playing games with the kids. Then we sing a choreographed song, preform a drama and puppet show, chalk art, memory verse and magic trick that explains the story of Abraham and Isaac and the Greatest commandment (Mark 12:30), We then did a craft. 

 Every time we do the program we find it’s so inspiring and meaningful to see how happy the kids are by the fact that we’re not only there running the program but being their friends. Even though we’re only there for a little bit we’re making an impression. It’s so amazing that we can plant seeds and help water and grow the seeds of Christ in the children’s hearts and equally the adults. 

Overall it has been a really impactful experience being able to get out of our comfort zones and share Jesus. We really appreciate all your support for this missions trip we couldn’t be here without you! We would appreciate if you would continue to pray for health, safety and that God would constantly be working in and through us for the remainder of this trip. Adios Amigos!
                                          -Molly and Chloe

We started off our day by walking around the beach in Progreso while handing out water bottles, tracts, talking and praying with people. There were so many awesome stories from the different groups, hearing from people of all different religions and meeting some very encouraging Christians. Even though our time was cut short because of  filming of a television show on the beach, and even though there weren't as many people due to the rain, God always finds awesome ways to work. Then we got to swim in the ocean before we left the beach.

 After we finished ministering on the beach we went over to a CampQuest partner church where we meet these super excited kids. We started the evening with the program which the kids loved. After that we made the wordless bracelet with the kids, they did our craft and then we finished it off with some supper that the church prepared for us .

The thing that stood out to us that even though we had a language barrier we could have fun and laugh together.

Elizabeth and Makayla

This morning we ministered at Fundación Emanuel de Mérida (an orphanage) to spend time with the kids there. We played games at a park, crafts, pizza time, and performed our program / choreographed songs. It was encouraging to see that all the kids there were like one big family, regardless of their familial backgrounds, as well as how much they laughed and smiles, even when they’ve been through many struggles. God was very present in helping us communicate and still have fun through the language barrier!

This evening we ministered at a “free” hospital where people all over the State of Yucatán go for cheap healthcare. Because people are traveling from far away, they unfortunately have to camp outside the hospital. Since they’re camped outside, it’s hard for them to get good meals, so we provided them with a nice pancake dinner! God also gave us the opportunity to evangelize to and pray for them. It was also amazing to experience how open most people were to receiving the word of God and our prayers over them. Praise God that we gave away over 200 Bibles with the help of Gideon Bible Organization and translators with a Billy Graham group!

Our eyes have been opened to these new experiences and we’re incredibly grateful that God gave us the boldness needed to glorify him today through serving people in need.

Today we were blessed with a day full of training as to how we’ll be ministering to the kids throughout the week! We learned the choreographed songs, programs - such as drama, puppet shows, chalk art, memory verse actions - and activities that we’ll be performing while here. We got to see how we’ll be able to bless others and we were provided with a bunch of energy that kept us going throughout the training. It helped to make us more excited to serve the community and taught us that even the little pieces will make a huge difference. It also reminded us that not only are we here to serve children, our trip will also have long lasting effects on the adults of the community. Leaving today, and stepping into tomorrow, we can’t wait to get to have our first experience serving in this community!

-Amelia, Emily and Caitlin

Well, today is the day! We are on our way to Merida.
This morning we met at the airport at 5am and everyone seemed excited and also very tired. Some of us didn’t even sleep the night before (youth I tell ya).
Security and US customs went super smoothly. The team grabbed some coffee and breakfast and we boarded our flight at 8am.
Our flight to Houston was 4 hours and our layover there was 4 hours as well.
After that we had a two hour flight to Merida. Our flight was relatively smooth, minus landing in the middle of a thunderstorm.
We were warmly welcomed by Gary and Joanne Edwards, our ministry partners here in Merida. From the airport, we packed all the bags into our two vans and headed out to an authentic taco shop. We ate delicious al pastor tacos and drank Coca Cola from glass bottles.
After that, we met at the hotel and had a small orientation around expectations here in Mexico. Our training begins tomorrow so we all headed to bed after that. Please be praying for us as we meet and minister to the people of Mexico!

Chris and Erika Young