The Heart of Mazatlán

This week 86 students and leaders returned to the US from Mazatlán, Mexico on several teams from GO. During their time in Mazatlán, unforgettable relationships were made, people were baptized, and around 1500 kids heard the gospel through Camp de Futbol as they received a Bible and a soccer ball and said yes to Jesus.

One of our team leaders, Blaine Laurion, shared his heart and everything that happened with his team while they were in Mazatlán. Here’s a sneak peak at one of his blogs, where he wrote about what one of his students, Healy Reinholt, experienced in her time there:

“On the first day going to the feeding centers and playing with the kids, I was surprised at how not shy they were. I’ve never seen kids warm up to people so fast. They probably got comfortable with us within .05 seconds, it’s insane. I also expected them to walk away when they discovered that I don’t speak Spanish, but they didn’t. All they really want is to be loved and played with, they don’t care who you are. I also really didn’t expect that they’d learn how to take selfies, but I don’t think anyone did.

I didn’t know that there was so much poverty in Mexico, and how the children don’t all have shoes to wear, or sometimes food. But they’re so happy, and they love everyone. I was completely shocked when we visited the dump, and saw how the people there live and scavenge for things to support themselves in the mountains of trash, it really opened my eyes to see how fortunate I am, and how I take a lot of things for granted that they wouldn’t even dream of having.

I’m still trying to understand how they can wear jeans and a sweatshirt in this weather, when I’m sweating buckets in shorts and a T-shirt. But the most important thing that I’ve realized is how we’re all just one big family, and how we need to learn to not let the language barrier get between us playing with them, and teaching them about Jesus, and just loving on them, because that’s really what it’s all about, is to be a blessing to them.”

Read more of Blaine’s daily updates from the Mazatlán trip here!