Luz* sat beside visiting mission guests listening to the day’s devotional. She focused intently on a message about prayer – when and where we can talk to God. Leah Martinez, a Back2Back staff member, asked the children and visitors to think about places they could go to pray. Luz raised her hand without hesitation, and when she was called on, said, “Can we just pray here, right now?!” As Leah answered, she noticed young Luz looking at the visiting mission guest next to her, clearly wanting them to pray with her. Leah smiled, grouping each child with a visiting guest and translating prayer requests for each pair as they clasped hands and closed their eyes.
Help me become a better reader. Help me behave better in my classroom. Help me remember to pray more. Each request serious to the child asking for prayer was upheld by staff and visitors.
Visiting mission teams are relatively new to Back2Back’s D.R. site, and they are providing valuable sources of help, connection, and a growing community. The first team of the summer was tasked with preparing daily devotionals for the children before their education program started.
Young Luz is an example of just how impacted vulnerable populations can be by visiting mission teams. It is an opportunity for children who haven’t known much outside of their immediate surroundings to better understand how big the world is, and just how many people want to help.
They prayed together, lifting each prayer request, offering honor and dignity to each child who asked for prayer. Back2Back staff took in the special moment, seeing it for exactly what it was – children from hard places seeing they have allies around the world, always ready to stop and pray when asked. In addition to leading daily devotions, visiting teams also did work within the community. Staff and community leaders got to be part of a very natural give-and-take between nationals and visitors.
One of the work projects was to update a run-down basketball court. They repainted the concrete and lines of the court and prepared the area for the installation of a new hoop. Each day, as the team worked, members of the community showed up with gifts in hand; one day, a family brought coffee for everyone; another afternoon, Coke products were brought by; by the end of the week, community members were stopping to help paint on their way home. They also purchased gallons of paint toward the end to make sure the project was completed.
“The community leader has been invitational and welcoming from the beginning,” shared Hope Garcia, D.R. Co-Director. “When we mentioned needing another gallon of paint, he was quick to ensure his community would cover it, stating they would be happy to help and contribute toward the area they called home. The community wanted a hand in how we were improving the surroundings for them.”
On one of the final afternoons of working, the team had stopped to enjoy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a staple on the Back2Back mission trip, and two mothers walked by shaking their heads. They insisted they cook a meal for the group, to ensure they were full and to thank them for their dedicated work to bettering the area. The following day, they arrived with a huge meal of chicken and rice, happily serving men and women who just wanted to see a small community take one step closer to thriving.
This give and take is a powerful example of how visiting mission teams leave long-lasting impact in the lives of those they serve. Back2Back is so grateful to every man, woman, and youth who has taken time away from their everyday lives to invest in vulnerable populations. Together, we won’t stop until every child is known & loved.
