This morning we said goodbye to the Radius Serve team and left Tijuana to start our way back to Calgary.
Although many cars were waiting to cross the Mexico-US border, we praise God for another smooth border crossing! The wait at the border took almost 2 hours, which is impressive for a border crossing that can take 3+ hours. The border officer was friendly and we were not required to do secondary inspection. Once we entered the US, we made a pit stop for gas and breakfast in San Diego.
The intent for today was for the team to have a day off to decompress by spending time at the beach.
The team headed to the community around La Jolla beach and did our daily devotions outside before heading to a Japanese restaurant for lunch. We reflected on being living sacrifices, putting Christ and others above ourselves. Once at the beach, the team enjoyed the ocean, sand, and playing games.
Tonight the team is staying overnight at a church where many Radius leaders were sent out from. We were able to catch a beautiful California sunset after dinner.
The discussion at the team’s daily debrief revealed conflicting and confusing emotions about the stark difference between the California beach community experience and the team’s experience in Mexico serving those in need. The team also surfaced their deep desire to remember the experiences and learnings from their time in Tijuana but fear that their passion and conviction would fade as the distance from Tijuana grows and we are vulnerable to worldly influences and distractions from normal routine. The team shared their need for accountability as we take the next steps to act on what we have learned and experienced about God’s heart for the nations in Tijuana.
Pastor Rick encouraged the team to make good use of the remaining travel days back to Calgary to pray with one another, have meaningful conversations about the experience and how we can stay accountable to each other.
As we head into the next road day tomorrow, the team is grateful for this gift of a powerful shared experience and how God is working in each of us through it. May we be strengthened and encouraged by one another as we continue on this journey.
