Hello,

My name is Abraham Kim and recently I went to a short mission trip to Tijuana Mexico and Ensenada, Mexico. I spent only about two days at the Love Mexico Mission Center located in Ensenada with the mission team from Na Sung church. As my dad, Sung Kim, asked me to go on a short mission trip to Mexico, I first didn’t know what to expect and felt a bit uncomfortable. Knowing that I would be the only teenager and I would be using my time in a place that had bad memories for me, I knew it would be rough. Knowing this would be a mission trip, I was also uneasy as my four years of learning Spanish left me with nothing but with a severely broken Spanish.  I did not like where I was going and even forgot the mighty God that I work for.

Upon arrival, the mission center was surprisingly clean and tidy, but I couldn’t really use the water there and I just felt filthy throughout just the two days I was there. This was my mindset, just full of complaints. When the elders and I went to give food and clothes to the people known as the Campos, people that didn’t even speak Spanish but a native language, I just wasn’t so called “feeling” the work of God in me. I knew I was being very selfish on the first day just wanting to go back. However, that heart was broken severely the second day of the trip.

Early morning the next day, we set off to go to Tijuana and meet with other people. As we first set foot to a shelter full of old prisoners I was uneasy. However, the hearts they had and the light I saw in them almost reminded me of Apostle Paul. Apostle Paul was a broken sinner and Christ took him out and made him into one of the most respected saints in the Bible. I just saw Christ among them, as most of them were proclaiming the love of God to me. I just couldn’t stop thinking about that during our car rides afterward. Our next stop was meeting with a Mexican family where a pastor was the head of the family. We were now starting the event that would completely break the selfishness I was holding unto.

First the pastor started with a prayer in Spanish. I understood only parts of it with my small education in Spanish, but surprisingly it was probably the most beautiful prayer I heard in a while. It just proved to me how majestic and all knowing God was and also that he is with his servants around the world. As we were going to a homeless area near the border I knew that the trip was almost over, but as we approached the place it was a devastating sight to see. There were more then ninety people in the place living in holes in the ground and just hungry for anything. My heart couldn’t take this sight, however; God wasn’t done with just that sight but what hurt me the most was seeing those ninety people waiting in a long line for thirty minutes just to taste a nasty broth made of meat and ramen that we the team was making for them. I thought, “how hungry can these people be for just a small portion of food that seemed gross to me.

I then started to talk to two guys there named Andreas and Tom. Before I approached them I half-heartedly prayed to the Lord to just guide me in the conversation. Luckily they spoke English so I thankfully didn’t have to use my terrible Spanish. I started talking about the Gospel to them and surprisingly they understood it as they proclaimed to be believers. However, they seemed to have no hope in their lives as they both were complaining how hard their lives were. I surprisingly knew what to say at that point. I talked about Job and Paul and how God works through even tough times in peoples’ lives. We just then just talked and built a relationship among each other. I have to say that meeting them is definitely an eye opener for me in my life. There were no words to portray the blessed event I just experienced as they both left saying that they will read the Word as much as they could. At that moment I just couldn’t believe that God used a selfish guy like me to do some of His will.

From start to finish God wanted to do something with me during this trip. Not only was my eye opened in how the world needs Hope and that I have it easy compared to them, I also realized how God can use people like me to do some of His Kingdom Work. I was so unworthy to experience this trip and God just lovingly used me. I am so thankful for the mission team, my dad, and my true Father for the people of Mexico and to give me a heart to “Love Mexico”.