LAURIE BOUCHER I would guess that most people go on a mission trip to give their time, talents, treasure, and message to those who need it most. However, I feel that I actually received much more than I gave. Most importantly, I developed relationships—with the children and adults in the village, the teachers in the village school, the Living Water staff, and my fellow FPCA team members—that I will remember and treasure for the rest of my life. Each day of the trip, I took a piece of our morning devotions and looked for God through those lenses. I realized that there is no such thing as “first” or “third” world, only God’s world; that with God, ordinary people can do extraordinary things; and that you should not get discouraged if things don’t work out as you planned—because if you are doing what is right and good, you will eventually harvest good things.


Our congregation is truly blessed to have a missional focus and I certainly intend to be a part of mission, whether international or local, in the future.


KIM CECCATTI I believe God used me as a human vessel to be a witness for one schoolboy to God’s unending love, mercy, and grace. A boy had hit a Wiffle ball so hard that it went flying into a tree. Everyone was looking for it; kids were climbing the tree, adults were shaking the tree, and I just went over to ponder where it went. A boy approached me with a coloring sheet he had done, and I thanked him for it. He then hugged me and started sobbing. He pulled away and then took money out of his pocket and tried to give it to me. I was confused, so our translator reported that it was this boy, Oscar, who had hit the ball into the tree. Oscar said he had been given a gift and lost it. He felt excruciatingly bad about this and seemed to feel he needed to pay somebody for his offense. I told him that these things happen, that no one is mad at him, that it’s all going to be OK, and that all is forgiven. He cried and hugged me, and we left. Te very next day, Oscar wrote me a letter in Spanish, later translated, that thanked me for showing him what God’s love looks like. But the gift I had given him was nothing compared with what he reminded me of: that God is always there to forgive, love, and show mercy to us—all we need to do is ask for it.


JOANNA HADDAD Going on this trip, I was excited to meet and make an impact on those in need, but I never imagined the impact of being completely selfless and giving for only one week. Seeing the smiles on the kids’ precious faces, and knowing that they saw and felt Jesus’ presence and love through our team, fulfilled our mission. I am certain that each and every one of us left an impact on that village one way or another. Seeing how much they appreciated us, although we didn’t get to finish building the well, showed me faith and love in a new light.


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