Day 9 – Now It’s Time To Say Goodbye…

The intensity of this trip has been surprising, at least to a newcomer like me. We worked hard, we played hard, but most importantly, we invested a lot of emotions in a very short time. And because of that, today was filled with laughter and tears.

We began the day with a late breakfast and quiet time before the worship service in the upstairs rec room. Worship today was centered around praise songs and some amazing testimonies of how God has worked in the lives of the Dulce Refugio kids as well as some of our team and other volunteers in Aguascalientes.

We heard the story of a teenager rescued from drugs and the streets; we heard the story of a girl whose mother was murdered by her step-father; we heard the story of a young woman whose family was destroyed by abuse.

Many of the people we have met this week have experienced such heartbreak that it’s sometimes difficult to find the hand of God, but it’s through our faith in His mercy that we are able to trust that He is with us in every situation. While every story is unique, the common thread of God’s grace and mercy is woven through each one, reminding me of Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

With this perspective, we focused the afternoon on connections with the kids at the park, and then on a very emotional “farewell” cookout. It so happened that it’s Father’s Day , which is celebrated in Mexico as well as the US. The kids sang a special song to honor the men who volunteer at Dulce Refugio, all the fathers on our team, and most of all, our heavenly Father who will always love us and be beside us.

With many, many tears, we said our goodbyes, held our team debrief meeting and went to sleep one last time under the Mexican moon.