MONDAY RECAP

We had an incredible first full day! While the construction dads like to greet the sun by getting up at some ungodly hour before dawn, the rest of us were up around 6:45 am and enjoyed a delicious breakfast of tacos. We loaded the buses with equipment and materials, and then loaded up our teams to head to worksites.

The first morning is always exciting because our construction dads AND teens are eager to lay out the plan for the projects and get busy working! Some teams really blew us away with how much work they got done in one day — the group at La Frontera rocked an auger and got tons of holes dug for the structure they are building. The teams in El Cenizo made a lot of progress on various roof and flooring projects. The teens (and dads and moms) came back tired and sweaty! We are happy to report that everyone is drinking lots of water and following all safety protocols on their worksites. We’re all ready to get back to work tomorrow.

This evening, we heard from our other summer intern and HSM alumna, Amy Kitzman! Amy talked about surrender — and what it means to be called into a trusting relationship with God where we have the freedom to surrender what is outside of our control. For Amy, following her plan for her life was always important; she found herself questioning if she was following God’s plan for her life. One realization she had was that she is the Father’s chosen daughter, and the freedom she discovered in that title has given her a way to be her authentic self as she continues to move in the direction of her future.

She encouraged us to work on surrendering, and assured us that Mission Laredo is the perfect time to practice because,

“it’s easier when you have already surrendered so much.”

Here are some tips from her talk:

  • Surrender control of your prayers. (Allow the Lord to speak to us instead of requesting so much.)

  • Take a moment each day to look back and ask ourselves where we saw God working.

  • Surrender our sins in Confession.

  • Don’t be afraid to make the “wrong” choice when it comes to big life decisions.

  • Let go of ________. Be open to the change that results.

  • Be present to the Lord.

If you’d like to hear Amy’s talk in full, see the video below!