At age sixteen, I went on a short missions trip to Mexico. The trip to Argentina to the Instituto Biblico Rio De La Plata was my first trip since then, and I was a bit apprehensive going into it, not knowing what to expect or how I’d feel being in another country.  I decided to be gone for a month, questioning if that would be too long or too short a trip.  It was too short an occasion, by far, being in such a warm and gracious environment filled with a wealth of testimonies of God’s influence in peoples’ lives. 

I hoped for a vacation with purpose, which I found there. Though it did not have the look of a vacation when waking up sore and tired after shoveling cement or dirt in the rain or humidity, the school provided rest, refreshing, and encouragement. Simply being with the students, teachers, and workers blessed me more than I could bless the school. The experience marked me not simply by the lime burns on my arms from mixing and working with cement. When considering how Jesus received scars from His work for our salvation, I’m humbled by the opportunity to be marked through the work He’s gracious enough to have allowed me to participate in.

I had the privilege of speaking in the morning chapel at the Bible school. I spoke on the Greatest Commandment and the story of the Good Samaritan. I had requested prayer before I went to Africa concerning working with a translator and God answered that prayer. Two women took turns translating for me. It was amazing. One of the missionaries asked me if I had worked with a translator before because it went so smoothly. Just one of the many prayers that God answered!

One of the highlights of my trip was meeting the AG General Superintendent for Burkina Faso. We also visited the French AG orphanage and had lunch with the director.