Mexico

I've gone on a mission trip to Tijuana, Mexico almost every summer since I was 15. I skipped the year that I got married (2002), and last year because I found out I was pregnant right before the trip, but other than those, it's been a yearly event. We go with a group from Loogootee, IN to help out the Missionaries of the Cross, a group founded by Father John Tasto. Father John is originally from Indiana, and is the uncle of a friend who has 12 children! (They had 10, and then almost 4 years after the 10th, they had twins!) That family is amazing, but that is a story for another day.

Anyway, thinking of all the experiences that have influenced my life, Mexico is right there on the top of the list. I have gotten to spend time with some of the holiest people I can imagine (the sisters and Father John.) Their whole lives are focused on Jesus and helping the poorest of the poor. Mother Teresa actually helped Madre Maria found their order, and they live out the same vows as the Missionaries of Charity. They also demonstrated to me at a very young age that holiness and following Jesus doesn't supress one's personality, but rather enhances it. We went to the beach, played volleyball, hit pinatas, had parties, ate meals and went shopping with these sisters. We also visited some of the poorest houses I've ever seen. I had the opportunity to hold babies, change diapers, play with some of the happiest children I've ever met, attend mass, pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament every day, and teach classes. I was also the unofficial translator of the group, so that meant I got to go everywhere!

I probably won't be going back for several years now, and that makes me a little sad. It's one of the weeks I look forward to most every year. But God is calling me to a different vocation at this point in my life, and I am so blessed. I hope someday to take Madeleine and my future children down to spend some time with the sisters and Padre.

Going on these trips has taught me that happiness does not depend on material possessions, but rather on living my life for Jesus. Whatever God calls me to do in this life, and even if I never get to return to Tijuana, I will always be grateful for the time I got to spend with these holy women, and I'll always remember all the love that I experienced, all the lessons I was taught, and all the people who touched my life. I pray that with these experiences I became more of the person that God wants me to be, and that I will be able to extend these gifts I've been given to the people around me.