Internationalmatt's Blog

Thanksgiving Week- I am thankful I had my trip to México

I went to Enseñada this past June. While I was there, it was not a luxury vacation. We slept in tents, only showered three times, ate camp food, and drove down dusty roads. I broke a tooth a few days before we left and went to the dentist who did a little work on it and said I should be okay. He did not want to do all that needed to be done in case I had an infection while in México. I ended up having a lot of pain while traveling there and most of the time we were there. I was able to get some medicine though. I also developed bronchitis while I was there. So why am I thankful for a trip when some things went very badly?

me with Olga

It was great to see Olga in action. She was my student for over a year. When I first met her, I saw a lot of potential, but knew it would be a long road for her. She is now working at El Centro de las Americas in Lincoln. She went with the team to be a translator and to do some work with women. I was very proud of her.

me with Javier, Silvia and Isabel

my new friend and online student Patricia

I met some awesome people in México and will be teaching some of them English lessons thru skype beginning December 1st. It was great to meet them and others at the church in Enseñada.

fun in the park

It was wonderful to watch the young people on our team working with children in the park. The kids had fun and lives were touched those four afternoons in the park.

I also had an opportunity to speak in the chapel two mornings in a prison, but of course have no photos of that. On Wednesday we had an extended time of prayer with the prisoners who came. I loved the worship services at the church we visited and met some wonderful people at the church.

The main reason that I am grateful for my trip to México, even though I was sick or in pain most of the time, is that it was during my trip that God showed me He wanted me to study español. This adventure has opened a whole new world of possibilities for me. I am excited about what the future holds. It is an incredible experience to have new adventures open up at the age of 52. I will stay in contact with a few of my new friends in Enseñada. I hope to return there as well. I have also been meeting more Hispanic people in Lincoln thanks to studying Español.

November 23, 2010 - Posted by internationalmatt | Cultural Ambassdors, Experiences of international friends, Hispanic friends, Holidays, Mexico, Travel experiences, Uncategorized