lessons from MEXICO!!!!! - before the trip and while I was there

I got back from Mexico today and I've had an amazing trip. There were moments that were definitely harder than others (including the trip back), but I wouldn't give the experience that I've had up for anything in this world. I'm hoping to be able to return sometime this summer (God willing), and some cool people that I met.

Anyway, God taught me a lot of stuff over the trip, like the need of prayer. This learning experience started before the actual trip and I'm still learning stuff as a result of my trip. This started through the training. Before the trip, we had to write a prayer letter and send it out as well as write out out testimony. I wrote my prayer letter and turned it in when due, but it was a long process before I was actually able to send it out. I felt like before I could actually send it, I had to get to the point where I meant everything I said in it. It took prayer, and God working in my heart, but I got there. And the testimony? well, it got written in the bus, while we were driving from Quretaro to Celaya.
While we were in Celaya, I learned some more about the Mexican culture... (going to the catholic church was so hard!!!!)... and was burdened for the people there. On Sunday, we visited a Catholic church, in Celaya, and really saw how lost most Mexicans are. Mexico is largely a Catholic country, but that doesn't imply that many are Christians. Mexican Catholics worship Mary, not Christ! They believe that they get to heaven by good works and that protestant Christians are wrong and are the ones truly lost. (I wish I still had the pictures I took of the church, so you could see how they exalt Mary.) The first thing that we noticed when we walked into the church, wasn't a cross or Christ. It was a statue of Mary. Sure, she was special, but why? BECAUSE OF CHRIST!!!! She was a humble girl, who was used by God to cary His son. She was the Lord's servant (Luke 1:38) and even though she found favor with God, she was humble. She was a human who is dead, and doesn't deserve to be worshiped! CHRIST IS ALIVE!!!
This experience rocked the plan I had for where I was to be a missionary (I had never imagined going to Mexico), but God showed me that these people need Him. God has given me a desire to be a missionary in the future, and I believe that He is leading me to go to Mexico.
I'm sure that there are more things I learned in Mexico, but as I think about it right now, this is the biggest thing that I learned while I was there.