Jola Jola Guadalajara

So Guadalajara, lets talk about it for a little bit.

I got this ridicules awesome opportunity to go to Guadalajara for a whole week. It's like God knew what he was doing or something because the week after I arrived to Mexico, I was thrown into these dance classes, perfect timing. At first I had no idea what it was for because I couldn't understand what people were trying to tell me.

So the dance classes begun, we practiced like 4 times a week, it was crazy but so much fun. All kinds of different dances, ones with umbrellas or ribbony things or flags or tambourines or just plain dancing with music, all kinds of stuff.

So it finally came to the time for us to go to the Pan Am games. And I found out that morning that this group of people was an international group, what up, there were peopel from Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina, and all different parts of Mexico, it was such an experience meeting all those different types of people.

So anyway it took us 9 hours to get to Guadalajara and we stayed in a children's home there.

We first get there late at night and we were mixed in with a huge group of people, it was very overwhelming.

*OK side note since I've been in Mexico, I think I have been in like my own little bubble in the children's home, where everybody knows me, knows that I cant speak Spanish, and is very patient with me.

OK back to the story: The first 2 days were beyond overwhelming, I don't think there is really a word to describe it, to say the least I was most definatly "a tiny deep sea fish(the kind that only lives at the bottom in the dark) thrown out of water into the driest most dry sickly dry desert ever with lots of hotness and sand and wind and no water or other fishy friends"

I guess just bc I was meeting so many new people, which is usually never a problem for me, but I couldn't talk to them so when they tried to start a convo I freaked out.

That was a very low point for me, the lowest since I've been in Mexico, and I didn't really have many people to talk to. All I could do was pray (I know this is extreame cheese, but it was reaility) every time I wanted to go home, I prayed. Every time I felt like crying, I prayed. Or even every time somebody talked to me and I couldn't understand them, I prayed. It's hard to explain(without sounding completely silly) but that first night and the next day were rough for me.

Then God firmly let me know that going back to little Kernersville was not an option and he had me right where he wanted me. He slapped me a little bit, to bring me back to where I needed to be. I got over my little episode and actually tried to make friends and feel comfortable. I found out the others weren't that scary, most of that mess was in my mind.  I also found out that it is possible to make friends and not speak the same language as them. I met some reallllyyy incredible people there that I will forever miss. They were so fun and had such a servants heart for God.

So what we did everyday was get up crazy early. After breakfast we would split up into our groups and learn slash practice the dances.

*OK side note number 2: There was a small group of us (including me) form Mexico city that had been learning these dances for a while before this week. we were suppose to teach everybody in our group these dances. That was fun. I wish you could've been there.

Anyway-I helped teach these dances, that was interesting because I can't speak Spanish but we made it work. Thank the good lord there was a guy in my group that could speak both Espanol and Ingles.

So after that we would eat lunch then the different groups would spread out all over this city and dance our hearts out! We would do all our dances that we had worked on that morning and perform dramas, then when all that was done, we would go out into the crowd and hand out balloons or do face painting for the kids. We would witness and evangelise to the crowd telling them all about the gospel and about our amazing God with his endless love. We would pray for the people and their needs or struggles. It was a great thing to be apart of. To see the team that God handpicked and put together for that week, to do his work literally in the streets.

OK so just to let you know I found people that could speak English and was able to be apart of this greatness.

so that was what most of the days were like.

One day my team went to one of the stadiums that some of the games were being played at and we passed out water to people standing in the hot sun. That was as close to the games as I got haha

One night we took a group over to a local hospital to pass out bread and coffee to the people outside of the hospital. I was so surprised to see alllll the people sleeping outside the hospital under cardboard or whatever they could find. People there refused to go anywhere until they heard about how their loved one is doing in the hospital or there were homeless people surrounding the hospital. We passed out food and prayed with the people outside. That was another touching experience to see God's hand at work.

Then we had a free day. We all went together to see famous stuff. Like this big canyon and a famous stadium and the road that all the athletes came in on to the games. We went through a corn maze, we went to an awesome market, jolajola, we visited a mall and some parks and I saw a mariachi band. Our free day was long but very eventful and exciting!

One evening my group was in charge of leading some games/songs with the kids at the children's home and that was so fun because we did some great worship songs and put on a little skit for them. Those kids were way fun and I enjoyed getting to spend a week with them.

On our last afternoon there, all the groups went together for a big blow out finally!

We performed dances with huge groups and some dramas and passed out water to people. this was such an experience to be able to all be together for the final day.

Leaving was SO sad, I felt like I got to know everybody so well and working with them was the best experience. I know that we all grew so much that week alone.

 When we left that day, we were once again scattered all over.

*Hold on epic pictures are sure to come* :)