Reflections on Serving - Marcia

There’s so much to tell about the missions trip to Colima and the Hogar de Amor orphanage. One thing I noticed about the church Grupo Amor, which oversees many orphanages, is their focus. The church has a central focus - orphans. There is a unity of purpose and destiny in their calling because the entire church is pulling in the same direction. They built buildings to house orphans, they built a school to educate orphans, and they give so much of their time and resources to care for them. The entire community benefits because the school is open to the community (and is considered one of the best private schools in the city), they have parenting classes to try to reunite families – but anyone can take them. In the USA, I sometimes think that church is a gathering of people who worship together and do outreaches or programs or activities, but we promote our “ministry” rather than having a united vision.

Here are some other things I really liked about the trip:

• I liked working as a team. I felt accepted by the CenterPoint group, even though I didn’t help with the planning or the purchasing of so many supplies. They found a place for me in the activities and treated me as though they knew me forever. 
• I liked getting to know the Hogar de Amor kids while working. When they would stop by, I would intentionally stop and show them the sewing machine. Then I’d pull a balloon out of my pocket and engage in a little balloon volley ball before they went back to their chores and I returned to sewing. 
• The trip had a great balance between practical and spiritual. I loved the idea of God moments that we took notice of throughout the week. I continue to follow the practice to focus on what God is doing during the day, then to thank Him for those moments (and maybe even journal them – sigh) 
• 
  I liked working as family units – it was fun to see parents and kids interact and share about their days. I think Father God is pleased to see family units work together, and He blesses us in ways we have yet to see
• The best moment was when a boy we altered some clothes for proudly wore a newly-tailored polo shirt to the tamale party. He made a point of showing off the shirt. I saw that the little things make such a difference in the lives of the kids at Hogar de Amor. He needed the sleeves shortened so that it felt more like a shirt that fit. He in turn expressed his appreciation in words but also in his countenance – he was proud to have a shirt that fit.