Tijuana day 2

Today was one of those days you wish you could bottle up and revisit whenever you need a reminder of God’s goodness.

We began the morning gathered around the table at Deborah’s House, sharing a hearty and traditional Mexican breakfast—fluffy eggs, savory beans, fresh salsa, and warm tortillas. The flavors were wonderful, but what made it special was the company: our new friends here who welcomed us with open arms.

The highlight of the morning came next. Just steps away from Deborah’s House is a small church, and we joined our friends there for worship. From the very first song, the joy in the room was unmistakable. Smiles, hugs, and heartfelt singing flowed as naturally as the ocean breeze. For many of us, it was the first time worshiping with these brothers and sisters in Christ, and yet, it felt like we had known them for years.

One of the most touching moments was hearing a young woman—mentored by the pastor—deliver her very first sermon. She spoke with sincerity and courage, a beautiful picture of God raising up the next generation of leaders. Midway through the service, the pastor’s baby toddled over to me, arms outstretched, wanting to be held. It’s been years since I’ve had the joy of holding a little one in my arms during worship, and it was a tender reminder of the innocence and hope we have in Christ.

After church, our team traveled to Rosarito, a nearby coastal community. There, overlooking the sparkling ocean, we enjoyed a lunch that could only be described as spectacular—fresh lobster, deep-fried to golden perfection, at a fraction of the cost we’d expect back home. Needless to say, not a scrap was left on my plate.

When we returned to Deborah’s House, the celebrations continued. One of our team members had a birthday, and the residents had gone out of their way to make it special—decorations, a cake, and the kind of heartfelt singing that makes you realize you are truly among friends. It was a living example of what Deborah’s House represents: a place where beautiful people serve beautiful people as they discover the fullness of what it means to be a child of God.

We ended the evening with cake, ice cream, and the kind of fellowship that fills your heart as much as your stomach. Yes, we are tired. But more than that, we are deeply fulfilled. The connections being formed—both within our team and with the residents—are a powerful testimony to the work of Jesus Christ among us.

We came here to serve. Yet, as is so often the case on mission trips, we are discovering that we are the ones being served, taught, and blessed in ways we never expected. Please continue to pray for us—that we will be willing to be poured out for the sake of those we have come to serve, and that we will recognize the beauty of God’s work in every shared meal, every act of kindness, and every moment of worship.

Peace,
Pastor Brian :)

Lynne:

We started with morning devotions because we were so tired last night we just couldn’t do it. Breakfast of scrambled eggs and ham, beans, tortillas, coffee and hot tea for me thanks to Brian Johnson (since there is no diet coke) then off to church and WOW, what a service. The music was outstanding and so was the preaching with an great interpreter. I don’t know what I expected but it wasn’t a full house. It’s this little mountain top church that was full of kids and at the end they sang happy birthday with a receiving type line for Chalita and another boy from the congregation who was celebrating. It was the sweetest thing. It was 2 hours and went long so we were not able to go to the border church where people on one side of the wall worship in English and on the other side in Spanish with shared music – at least as I understand what it is like. But no time so we went straight to Puerto Neuvo, a city adjacent to Tijuana where there were blocks and blocks of souvenir shops but the real gem was the restaurant overlooking the ocean where many at the table ordered 3 lobster tails – yes 3! Every meal came with rice and beans and salad and tortilla soup and by far the best flour tortillas I’ve ever eaten and YES!!! THEY HAD DIET COKE. Continuing to celebrate Chalita’s birthday, Deliris and Moise hired a mariachi band to serenade us and everyone sang along and it was incredible to say the least. The meal, the company, the environment, the band, every single thing was perfect and we all just gave thanks and praise to God for the day. But it did not end, we got back to “Debora” as they say and the women had decorated the whole place for Chalita’s birthday and had the most excellent cake and choice of vanilla or rocky road ice cream. They showed us the tradition they have of dancing with the birthday celebrant by lining up, bowing to her and then one by one doing a sort of waltz. It was absolutely amazing. A birthday Chalita will never forget I know for sure, nor will the rest of us. We are about to gather for devotions on the evening of night 2 and prepare for tomorrow which will be spent at Debora enjoying time with the kids and doing some kind of teaching or project with the women also, which we will decide on later this evening. God is in this place. He is so good.