This week our “field correspondent,” Heather Althoff, is sharing her daily experiences on mission at Eternal Anchor.
Sunday, August 8
Wow, they always tell you to be flexible on a mission trip, and we got to practice that right away. A 3 a.m. wake-up call, 5-hour flight delays, canceled Uber rides, and confused van rentals left the team killing time in San Diego—which, honestly, is not a bad place to kill some time. However, we still ended up hitting the road at 4 p.m. instead of 11 a.m. That put half of our drive in the dark and our arrival time in to Vicente Guerrero at 10:30 p.m. After a brief reminder that water and electricity are precious in these parts (three-minute showers, don’t drink the water, only flush when necessary) we fell into bed.
My first impressions were a bit obscured by the dark, but there was no mistaking the desert scenery and the poverty of this place. While the first couple hours down the coast of the Baja peninsula were stunningly gorgeous—beautiful beaches, and lots of open space—I immediately noticed that everything here had a layer of dust over it. But, I was exhausted and looking forward to some sleep. I would have to wait to see things in the daylight.
Monday, August 9
This morning we finally got to take part in activities at Eternal Anchor. What an absolute joy to see the way the teachers and staff respect, love, and celebrate the children in their care.
In the morning, we spent time helping classes in the school program. In the afternoon, we participated in activities with the adult program. In between, we played with some of the residential kids. In every case, I saw kids that were joyful, staff that was attentive, and every achievement celebrated. The kids and adults sang, they played games, they acted out Bible stories, they danced, they did obstacle courses, and they practiced life skills. Some kids need more help than others, but they all participated. All I can say, is the teachers are amazing—energetic, attentive, and loving.
One of the stand-out moments of my day was watching the adult group receiving their paychecks for the crafts that they make and sell in the Eternal Anchor store. They were so excited to receive their earnings (often just the equivalent of a few dollars), and the staff got excited and celebrated each and every one of them.
Come experience Eternal Anchor for yourself! We’re accepting applications through August 15 for the next short-term mission trip in October.