So, to start, hello all! My name is Peter Twigg, and if I haven’t already met you on Facebook or some other method, I hope to soon.
I have chosen to blog about my experience in Mexico. I went with my Youth Group in 2005, and the trip was officially through AIM. It was an incredible experience and I just wanted to share a few of the things that were particularly special to me.
We stayed in a city just over the border called Reynosa. Well, actually we stayed outside Reynosa on a ranch that had the bumpiest driveway in the world. Seriously. But, I digress, throughout the week, we traveled into the town for various activities and we also visited a few a few places on the outskirts. Our whole group was split into 3 teams, and we each had different assignments for a day, and each visited a Teen correction facility, and an Orphanage, called Casa Mami. The assignments were a prayer walk, VBS, door to door evangelism, and construction (building a bathroom on the side of the church) My team was up first for the VBS day.
This picture is from the day that we ran VBS for the church we were helping. My hair was far too long, and I have since seen the light and cut it shorter. I also grew an awful lot. But this picture reminds me of a lot of things other than physical change. I’ll start with the guy in the third row of the picture with curly hair and a blue shirt. His name is Matt, and he was part of my group. Matt was several years older than me and was good friends with my brother (4 years older). The first night we spent in Mexico, we were all brought together and picked partners to pray with. I was praying with Matt. Our task, however, was to be quiet and pray silently for a while, and just listen to what God would have us pray out loud for the other person, without them saying anything. Honestly, I was pretty scared. You should know that Matt was one of the most outgoing people I knew. He was a BMX biker, seemingly fearless, very funny, and friendly. So here’s what I thought…
“Huh? Are you serious? We’re supposed to sit here, and silently wait for God to just tell me what to say for Matt? I know God talks to people, and I don’t doubt that. But right here, right now? In Mexico? When I haven’t even been here 3 hours or prayed yet?”
I couldn’t have been more wrong. In a few minutes, I felt like I was supposed to pray for Matt to be more outgoing for God, and not fear anything or anyone for Him. Needless to say, I thought I must have gotten it wrong. So I kept praying, waiting for something different. Nada. Eventually, I decided to trust God, as ridiculous as that prayer sounded to me, and just say it. It wasn’t a moment after we finished praying that Matt looked at me and told me that’s what he needed.
Really, that was what I needed. I had only felt the Holy Spirit like that on rare other occasions, and never in the same way. It was daunting, but absolutely from God. It set me up that week to trust that what He says is real, and He does it for a reason.
Another thing I notice about that picture is the guitar. I have grown up in a very musical family, my parents having met at music college, and my brother and sister playing instruments. At 15, I knew a lot about music, but hadn’t yet decided to play an instrument for worship, or particularly for my or God’s enjoyment. I played baritone in school band, but it didn’t feel much like fun all the time. And I played piano for a while, but it was tough to make myself practice. So when I decided to go on this missions trip, they needed another guitarist. I took up the challenge a month beforehand, of learning three or four chords to play simple worship songs for the kids. I did, and I have never put the guitar down.
Learning the guitar sparked a love that continues to grow to this day for worship. I have since started leading worship for my Youth Group Band, and playing on the Sunday morning worship team regularly, and I find that the more I participate and lead worship, the more I grow to love God, and the more He means to me. On another note, I find music to be one of the only universal languages across cultures and between races.
This is a long blog, so I’ll end on mentioning one last thing. This trip really made a difference to my thoughts to and approach to evangelism. Before I went, I had not really had a conversation with someone I didn’t know about God. It can be intimidating, but it turned out to be an incredible experience.
I think God brought me to that trip for a number of reasons, including huge spiritual growth, relationship changes with friends, and an ever solidifying relationship with Him. I can’t wait to see what He does with us on this trip! Looking forward to meeting you all!
God Bless,
Peter
