Making a difference in Mérida, Mexico – UPDATE!

On June 24, our WardStudents headed south, flying to the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico! They had mission – to serve with Ward’s longtime global partner, Jean Letgers, bringing hope, joy and the gospel to people in Mérida, the capital of the Mexican state of Yucatán. Twenty-one people, including six adults and 15 students ranging in grades from 9th to 12th, dedicated themselves to a week of building projects, Vacation Bible School, street evangelism, and more. They left on June 24 and returned home on July 3.

Debrief from the team: 

• Sunday, we went into Merida for church and then spent the afternoon adventuring around the city and the pop-up shops that were there for the weekend.
• We started work at 7 a.m. each day of the week, breaking for breakfast and lunch. The work periods were only about 4 hours but being in the 100-degree weather with near 90 percent humidity made it a hefty workload for the team.
  • The work projects completed by the team included: sealing the roof of the seminary, painting the exterior of the music building, sanding, sealing, and painting window grates and gate to the seminary, weather proofing chairs, and coating trees in limestone to prevent parasites.
• After lunch we would either take a “siesta,” go to a nearby cenote (naturally occurring underground fresh water), or the beach.
• In the evenings we went to a local church that we partnered with to help run VBS for neighborhood children.
• Saturday, we spent adventuring around the area. We started with caving and then went to visit Mayapan and the Mayan ruins that were there. We followed that up with a stop at a cenote and then dinner at a local restaurant.