Ensenada Mission
by Alicia Carrillo
When representatives from Azusa Pacific University
visited our congregation in the spring of 2000, God planted a seed in
me. My heart’s desire was to serve on a mission team for an underdeveloped
country. My desire was granted. The work God had in store for me, as
a translator would be challenging. The reward would be priceless. The
lessons would run deep. The experience would be unforgettable. If this,
or any other aspect of serving on a mission trip interests you, I encourage
you to be a part of it. What a wonderful way to serve others! For me,
it was a dream come true.
I was to meet youth pastor Jon Hoffpauier and his group
in Ensenada, Baja California on 9/12/00. “How hard could this be?”
I asked myself. As I was about to call my neighbor to let him know I
was ready to go to the bus station, I realized my ticket was missing
and my duffle bag’s zipper was missing. No worries, I prayed. God
will fix it. My neighbor fixed my bag. I explained to the Greyhound
attendants that I HAD to be in Mexico the next day. Arriving in Ensenada
the next morning, I was greeted by a cousin I had never met, Rey Carrillo.
Later that afternoon Rey took me to Rancho El Refugio
(the Ranch of Refuge, where we camped for the mission) to meet my group.
The group was from New Life Church, a Presbyterian congregation in Escondido,
CA. There were 17 of us in all. They had selected vacation Bible study
as the area to serve in. What a wonderful, helpful group of teens and
their youth leaders! They unloaded my camping gear, had a tent set up
for me, and placed my sleeping bag ready to use. My cousin seemed a
little reluctant to leave me with total strangers, but I re-assured
him I was in good hands. I was in God’s hands, and I prayed for
His guidance in this new and unfamiliar place.
Our group attended Sunday services with our assigned
congregation, Abba Padre. It was a small, lively church, and I was graciously
asked to translate the service. However, there was no microphone or
sound system. Thankfully, it was a room slightly smaller than that of
our sanctuary, and consecutive translating was used (one person speaks,
pauses, one translates, etc.). The next day we enjoyed singing praise
song in Spanish, including ‘Lord I Lift Your Name On High’.
Puppets, memory verses, and Biblical skits were used to teach the children
about God’s merciful love for us. The 15 –25 children attending
ranged from babies to teens, and were very well behaved. Their smiles
greeted us each day, some even arriving an hour early, making sure not
to miss us. Crafts were also included so that the children could make
a musical instrument, necklaces, small pots they painted, and were invited
to help in the skits put on by our teens.
On one of our picnic lunches in a nearby park, Mr.
Hoffpauier began playing tennis with three young men. Mr. Hoffpauier
is a former tennis coach, so he finds it easy to establish a rapport
with such athletes. Soon, he had me over to translate as we all sat
down and he spoke to them about God and His Son, Jesus Christ. I learned
that being a translator meant being ready at a moments notice, in any
situation.
The ladies in the church made us a lunch of fish tacos
on our last day, and we shared our pack lunches with them from camp.
Mr. Hoffpauier and his wife, Alice, had a special trip on our last day
planned for us. We went to visit a family they had helped build a house
for, two years earlier. Our extra food and much of the schools supplies
I had with me was given to them and neighborhood children. The neighborhood
children were invited to play a game of soccer, which was played in
a dried riverbed. Though I did not participate in the games, that was
a nice ending to a wonderful learning experience. As we were asked in
the messages, “How far will your fire grow?”
God gives us many blessings, but He never promises
they will be the easy roads we’d like Him to pave for us. Such
was my experience on my mission adventure.
