Kingdom Builders Report | IMPACT TRIP: Guadalajara

This is a blog post from Judy, a Radiant Church member who went on an Impact Trip to Guadalajara, Mexico in September of 2022. This trip was to support the ministry and work of Global Partners, Edgar and Erika Gomez who planted Iglesia Radiante as they worked to host a marriage conference. Read about Judy’s experience - and if you would like to find out more about Impact Trips, email outreach@radiantchurch.tv

Back in September of this year, I had the opportunity to go on a Radiant Impact Trip to Guadalajara, Mexico. For many years I had wanted to go on a mission trip but was basically all talk. But when I saw this trip come up I felt that God was calling me to take that next step with Him. Several people had asked me why I would want to go to Mexico, “It’s unsafe there,” they would say. But I had peace and knew this was the direction God wanted me to go.

There were eight of us on this trip; three couples and two solos, of which I was one of the solos. I had never met these people before the trip, but God knew what he was doing, as always, when he put us all together. We were a team.

Our first day was a day of travel, which went flawlessly. We got to Mexico and were greeted by Pastor Edgar Gomez. He moved from Holland to Mexico through Radiant and he is there with his family planting a church in Guadalajara. He drove us to our hotel, which is also where Pastor Edgar rents space for his church on Sunday. We went to a restaurant later and met up with Erika, his wife, and their three children. We all visited together and then went back to the hotel to rest for the night.

The couples on our team had put together a marriage conference for Saturday night. We prepared for that during the day. There were fifty couples that showed up for the conference Saturday night. I don’t think they were all from the church, but like here, it’s universal, we all need strengthening in our marriages. I had the opportunity to help with childcare along with Jill, another team member. There was no language barrier with little children. Even if there was, someone could always speak English or you had Google translate. Lives were touched that night with the marriage conference. You could feel the love and the presence of God. Sunday morning we went to church and, yes it was in Spanish, but when you are all united in Christ you could pretty understand what was being said. 

That evening, Pastor Edgar hosted another service at a school. This was a school that was led by a woman named Pastor Martha. She takes in the poorest students, along with the help from her daughter and son. The school was in a very poor neighborhood. There was no sign on the school, locked up and the playground was inside, it wasn’t very large. The roof was like a canopy and when it rains, it rains in the school. The water was not working well on Sunday, you had to take a bucket to flush the toilet. Luckily I lived on a farm growing up so I know how to do that. No matter where you are though, you do not drink the water. We are so blessed to have schools here where it’s safe for our children to play outside, drink from a facet, plumbing and for most people we live in decent neighborhoods. 

Monday we had the opportunity to see the city. Guadalajara, Mexico in general, is a predominantly Catholic country. I never really knew what a hold the Catholic religion has on so many people. We visited a Catholic church and the devotion and faith I saw these people have praying to their saints was inspiring. But also how sad to see how their faith is so misdirected.

Lives were touched that night...You could feel the love and the presence of God.

Tuesday and Wednesday we went back to the school and painted the walls of the library, lunch room and hallways. We also read stories to the kids and did some face painting and crafts. We got a lot done in a short amount of time, I told you we were a great team. We didn’t get all the painting done, but one of the parents whose child goes to the school got inspired and helped finish the painting after we left. 

Wednesday night we went to Pastor Edgars small group, and this lovely family made us dinner and we all shared our stories. You eat a lot of meat here.

We passed out food at the local hospital, prayed with people, and had live music on Thursday. Unlike our hospitals, families don’t get to go into the hospital when their family member is having certain procedures. They have to sit in the parking lot all day. There was no parking lot anywhere in Guadalajara that large, so it’s really crowded. I tried to give you a general idea of what went on while we were there. I learned a lot about the country of Mexico. Like us, there are rich, middle class and poor. The Mexican government does not really help the poor. When you go into the poorest neighborhoods it’s hard to believe that people are even living in these homes. Like I said, no one in Mexico drinks the water, no matter what income you have, but the poorer you are the less plumbing you have. So many homes and businesses are behind locked fences and bars. More than the worst parts of cities in America. But the people are really great and beautiful.. I never felt like an outsider, no matter where I was. 

I am sure you are wondering, what did I learn from all this? I was amazed at the faith and dedication of the Gomez family and their team. They heard the call of God to go into a Catholic city and share the gospel of Christ to people that have generations of misinformation. Even some of the Christian churches there are not welcoming to other Christian churches. It doesn’t make sense, does it?

…the people are really great and beautiful... I never felt like an outsider, no matter where I was. 

On an Impact Trip there are things out of your control that ruin the schedule, push things back, or get in the way. For example, half of our team got held up by bad traffic due to an accident. While we waited for them to arrive, they made the decision to simply park the car somewhere and walk the remaining distance. Even though they were two hours later than what was expected, they made it safe and sound, and still happy. Praise God. I want that dedication. Being missionaries, you wait for God to provide and direct - you have no other choice. I thought I had a lot of faith, and I do, but I want THAT faith. God used this trip to only bring me closer to Him. My whole life is my testimony on how good God is and this was another step in bringing me even closer to him. I highly recommend if God is calling you in a new direction, have THAT faith, and take the step.