Back in 1984 I was given the opportunity to go on a missions trip to San Lorenzo, Tlacotepec, Mexico to help the local people there build a Church. At that point in my life, things were not going so well and I was struggling to understand why God would want me to go. The economy in the United States was not very good (sounds familiar) and I was one of the unfortunate people that had been laid off from work as a tool and die maker due to a downturn in the manufacturing industry. I was a young Christian at the time and had no idea what I was going to do with my life. I had no money, no job and the last thing on my mind was to go help build a Church in a Mexican village that I had never heard of with a group of people I didn’t even know. I had a very close friend at the time who asked me to consider it, and that if I would commit to go, he would make it happen financially. It wasn’t an easy decision, being a prideful young man, but there was no escaping the tug that God was putting on my heart to go. Soon I committed to go and thanks to my friend Chris, I was able to be involved in what ended up being the most life changing experience I have ever had.

Over the next several days I am going to post the writings from the journal I kept while on that trip. Organized by “Reach out for Christ”, the trip took place from January 22, 1984 through February 11, 1984 consisting of 12 men and 12 women of various ages, religious denominations, and locations. A mere 15 days that forever changed my outlook on life in a way that only God himself could have orchestrated.