You know those places you’ve never been to before, but when you visit, it feels like coming home?
That was my recent trip to Boquillas, Mexico with the Pulpit Rock team.
I’ve heard of Boquillas quite a few times over my nine years at Pulpit Rock. Truth be told, I didn’t know a lot about it other than potlucks, bake sales, and that we’ve been going there for 20 years. So when I was invited to join 22 others on the annual trip there, I went with little expectation or understanding.
As a missionary I’ve been all over world and seen ministry done in a variety of ways, but nothing like what I witnessed in Boquillas.
At Pulpit Rock, we talk about our missions focus being on four strategic areas:
- The vulnerable
- The local church
- The next generation
- The city
We excel at connecting with people and organizations which focus on one or two of these areas and equipping our church family to do the same.
In Boquillas, I saw all four of these strategic focus areas being fulfilled in amazing ways.
I saw 100 kids being loved and intentionally focused on through sports camps, many of them “orphans with families” – kids who have adults or siblings who don’t care for them. Through the camps 25 kids accepted Christ, and I am certain it is because they came to understand God’s love through the love of the leaders.
The reason I was invited was because of the work I do as a missionary training leaders and pastors. I had the blessing of serving the local church leadership by conducting seminars on created identity and design.
As Pulpit Rock teams have been traveling to Boquillas for 20 years, there are now young adults in the town that have grown up in our VBS camps and other programs. They are now assuming leadership roles and influencing the church there. Even more so, the core members that make up the Pulpit Rock teams are families that have teenagers or twenty-somethings who first went to Boquillas in diapers. Many of these kids were actually the ones leading the sports camps!
Boquillas, a town of roughly 1,600 people, has been deeply impacted by our continued presence there. The local church has been resourced in various ways to expand its facilities, provide health screenings, conduct leadership training, and mentorship groups.
The experiences of Pulpit Rock families also deeply impact them and motivate them to seek out similar opportunities in Colorado Springs.
The bond that the town and church of Boquillas and Pulpit Rock have forged over our years partnering with one another is a reflection of the Kingdom to come. Everyone I witnessed has become family to one another. They laugh when see one another again and tears flow freely when the time comes to say goodbye until next year.
I can tell you this much, after my experience this year, I am bringing my family next year and every year after. That’s how great it is.
Written by Nate Huntley