It was August 7th, 2010, the day I had been counting down to for so very long. It was the day I would leave for my first missions trip to San Luis, Mexico. I was 13 years old and I couldn't have been more excited. I had heard story after story about this place and I was so ecited to finally be able to experience it myself! After very long day of travel, we pulled into Bethel Orphanage around 2 in the morning. I went to sleep as I anxiously awaiting the next morning. After about 4 hours of sleeping me and a few others got up and waited outside. I looked around at this beautiful place and couldn't believe I was here. Moments later little heads started to peak out from behind the wall where the steps are that lead to the girl's room. Soon they started to come outside, they gave hugs and they were ready to start playing! I exchanged names with a few girls that my sister had known from previous trips, one being her favorite girl Dulce, and I talked to some of the kids that were newer. But after a while I felt like none of them really wanted to be with me, I had never felt so discouraged before. So I gave up, I sat down at a table and I just kind of watched what was going on around me as I wondered why in the world I was even on this trip. A few minutes later Dulce came over to me and asked me if I wanted to play basketball with her, so of course I said yes! We went from playing basketball to bouncing a ball back and forth cracking up everytime it would hit the wall or roll away. From that moment on we were best friends, practically attached at the hip for the rest of the week!
Leaving San Luis was so so hard, the hardest thing in the world. But it was on the home from there that God showed me something very important. Everyone in my van was talking about what they wanted to do when they were older and the question got around until someone asked me. "I don't really know!" I replied, but in that moment it changed. I sat there and thought about the question more and more, and right then God told me I was going to have an orphanage.
I have been on 4 trips to San Luis now and I am blessed more and more each time! I am so thankful for that very first trip that changed my life forever. Without San Luis and especially God's plan for me, I would not be where I am today!
