California, Mexico, Alberta, Up a Mountain and Beyond

Charlotte Watkins
Aug 23, 2024
8 min read

Updated: Nov 21, 2024

Wow, what a summer it has been! I hope you all had a wonderful summer and are soaking in the last few weeks before moving into the fall. I wanted to share a glimpse at what this summer has been like highlighting the HFL trip to Mexico in July. (It's a bit of a lengthy update but I added many pictures and videos!)

This summer was the first summer I haven't worked at summer camp or been stuck in Australian winter since 2018, so to say this summer has felt a bit different is an understatement. In June Caleb and I were intentional about creating time with friends and opportunities for community. We took advantage of the delayed onset fire ban with many bonfires by the river, sharing stories and snacks, which are my favourite kinds of evenings. We had lots of youth wrap-up parties and final celebrations with our team.

The beginning of July Caleb and I took a quick holiday to Santa Clara, California where Caleb's Aunt Heather, Uncle David and cousins Anna and Jonah live. It was a really enjoyable time with family and a space to rest and just be at a slower pace. We had some time in the sun and enjoyed lots of good food, time teaching Jonah crib, watching Anna play softball and lots of time in their pool. We set up the Nintendo Switch on the projector in the backyard so we could play a cousin battle until late into the night.

Once we got home it was time to prepare for Mexico. One of our local HFL partners is the Yarrow Alliance Church (Yarrow is a small community right outside of Chilliwack) and they partnered with the El Refugio home in Mexico. El Refugio is a home for girls who have been in abuse or trafficking situations. This was the first trip for Yarrow Alliance and the team of 7, plus my co-worker Vic and I were looking forward to meeting the girls and the week of ministry ahead. My purpose in going on this trip was to shadow being a team leader to complete my team leader training to lead other teams in the future, as well as having on-field experience of what it means to interact with a partner and facilitate this partnership.

We had a long but very smooth travel day to Mexico. Flying to the States, meeting our partners at the border, stopping for some In N Out burgers and then driving a few hours to the home. We were stuck by the beauty yet stark difference between what feels familiar in the United States and then just a few minutes drive across the border into Mexico. The landscape changes quite drastically and significantly in just a few moments. When we arrived at the house we introduced ourselves to the girls and visa versa. We ate delicious taco soup and found our home for the week in the rooms they had prepared for us.

During the week we would start together as a team with devotions and then eat breakfast with the girls. Mornings were typically spent doing an activity (we taught the girls to play baseball), and counselling group sessions with Pastor Shawn from the team who is a registered counsellor. We had sessions on how to identify your emotions and learn what to do when you have strong feelings, How to navigate living with many people and understanding that how you see a situation doesn't mean that is always the reality. The girls gained a lot of insights from these sessions and found them valuable as they navigate their situations.

After some more delicious Mexican food (like alll the tacos alll week) we would either do some activities to prepare for ministry like cooking and baking, or go shopping to gather supplies or some other journalling and reflection activities with the girls.

**These are a few photos, unfortunately due to security reasons I cant show all the amazing photos I have with the girls in the home.

We then would set out to do ministry in various places for the rest of the afternoon with the girls in the home with us. One day we went to a seniors home which is a ministry run to take care of seniors that have no one around them. We did activities with them, played bingo and brought them a meal for dinner. They were so joyful that we were there to visit them as no one ever comes specifically to spend time with them. It was a really fun afternoon with some precious interactions.

Another day we went to a migrant camp where families of migrant workers live. It was definitely the most impoverished place we went to, seeing families of 4-6 people living in a small room the size of an average bedroom in Canada. We were able to play games with the kids, share a bible story, do an activity and bring them a snack to eat. We also prepared food hampers for the 14 families and handed those out.

One evening we hosted the youth group at El Refugio. Another ministry in town brings all the teens from their community and combined with the girls from the home creates a youth group and they do activities together. That night I led some water balloon games and activities which was a big hit. We had a BBQ dinner together and then spent some time around a campfire. I had the opportunity to share my story and an encouragement that God sees and knows, that He is always in control and it's our job to trust him. This was my favourite night because it felt so familiar, sharing stories around a campfire, but getting to experience that in a new place, different language, smells, sounds, and people, yet feeling so at home all at the same time.

Saturday was our biggest ministry day. We went to an outreach community centre that El Refugio built in a village community. They go there weekly and do a breakfast program with the girls, building relationships with the members of the community. They have done some house builds in the community with other teams in the past so it was a great opportunity for us to continue pouring into the ministry that was happening there. We served breakfast, played some games with more water balloons, shared a bible story and gave horse rides from the horses El Refugio owns and keeps at a close by barn. This was a favourite for the people in the community as well as the girls.

We then continued the day by visiting a women's rehab centre that is home to several women and their children in recovery. We shared some bible stories and then split up the women and children. The women had a powerful time sharing their stories and praying for one another after. Meanwhile, we kept the kids entertained with some games and connecting with them. I am reminded in these moments that although we were met with a language barrier most of the trip, not much of the team speaking Spanish, that play is universal and that it simply just takes some moments of connection to be able to play with kids. Although we couldn't communicate verbally there was lots of communication through play.

The rest of our week was spent at a local church for Sunday church time and at the beach with the girls. Many of the team tried their hand at surfing while others enjoyed splashing in the waves with the girls. We celebrated our partner Randy's birthday and had time just connecting through worship and prayer. A few of us even joined the girls in their weekly kickboxing classes- not easy by any means, but a really fun experience with them.

The team had a long travel day home but the Lord was so good in making it very smooth with all the details that come with travel.

When coming back to the HFL office everyone asks "How was your trip." I found my responses often came back to the connections we made with the girls. Going into the trip I was skeptical at how close we could get with the girls only being there a week. With the added hurdle of a language barrier, I was often taken aback by how well we got to know these girls and how they got to know us. Different girls connected with different team members and through all of those interactions, there was impact, on the team and the girls.

People often ask us at HFL why we sent short-term teams due to the harm that can be done to teams coming and leaving so quickly, usually not knowing the culture. This is the why. To be with them. To see how they live and gain a greater understanding of one another. I think by sending teams we get to connect with our partners in a whole new way. That we can see a little glimpse into what it looks like to live their lives. To see and work alongside the. incredible partners that we have around the world and spend time with them to know how to support them well in the long term.

As I share in this video, I was taken aback at how deeply we connected with the girls. Having tears from the girls and the team when we had to say goodbye. The beautiful part of these partnerships is that we stay connected, that we can go again, and see the girls another time on another trip.

Once coming home from Mexico, I was only home for a few short days before Caleb and I headed to Alberta to connect with some family and friends. We cherished the time we had together and had a lot of fun, celebrating my birthday, time spent with dear friends, going swimming, lots of good food, lots of games and good conversations. We drove back to BC with my sister and stopped in Salmon Arm for a beautiful weekend with friends. We also had the opportunity to help make a dream of Ben's (Caleb's brother) come true. Ben was born with spina bifida and he is in a wheelchair. Ben loves Mount Cheam, a pretty famous mountain around here. Climbing mountains isn't the most accessible activity but with 15 friends and a cool chair called the trail rider, we were able to push Ben up to the summit of Mount Cheam. It was an emotional and impactful day to say the least and honestly the highlight of my summer. A few pictures of the hike are in this big collage.

Overall this summer has been very full of beautiful things. I feel so blessed with this life that I get to live and am continually excited for what God has for the rest of this year.

I feel so blessed and thankful for all of you and your support in enabling me to be at Hungry For Life. I love my job and have an even greater understanding of what and why we work so hard to support these partners around the world. That being said, Im needing to increase my work hours by 15 hours a month which means I'm looking to raise about $300 per month of support towards my salary. HFL offers a 20% match on all staff support and offers tax receipts for Canadian and American donors (message me if you're an American donor for some additional steps in the process). Send me a message or see my 'partner' page to see what this could look like.