Open Arms | 2018 Mexico Retreat

Sunday morning, Thrive volunteers got an early start and had the unique privilege of seeing global workers in action. Forty-five minutes north of Puerto Vallarta is the little hippie village of Sayulita, Mexico where a retreat attendee and her husband lead a bilingual service for the community. Although April is an off-season for vacationers, this service was packed with both local and vacationing worshippers. Of course, 28 extra Thrive volunteers definitely helped fill out the 1200 square foot church building. Just a few hours in the countryside gave volunteers a glimpse into the world of a Thrive attendee, the current struggles on the field, and tangible sights and sounds of everyday life in Mexico.
This gracious global couple welcomed Thrive with open arms, invited us to stay for brunch, and freely shared stories about how God lead them into ministry. We closed our time by surrounding them in prayer. We praised God for providing every penny for their church building, one-room schoolhouse, and personal residence. We worshipped God for leading them to the coastline to sing a new song to the Lord. We plead for God’s continual grace and mercy in their current struggles and difficult spiritual ground. The prayer time climaxed as harmonies rang out through every soul in the building. We united in song declaring, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning, new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.”
©2018 Thrive