“Earlier this year, my family and I had the opportunity to travel to Mexico for a Blessing Bags International short term mission trip. This trip had a huge impact on us. We saw God’s hand on us and this trip months before we ever left for Mexico. He overcame every obstacle and paved the way for us to go. While there, we had the privilege of sharing the love of Jesus, alongside our children, to people who live in (what felt like) a completely different world than we do. What an eye opener! We made and delivered care packages for families, blessing bags for school children, large supply packages for the local commodores and so much more. We went to serve and to bless the people there, but we left feeling like they had blessed us so much more. I asked my daughter Kailey what she would write as a review for our mission trip. Her answer, “10 out of 10, would definitely trip again!”. And that’s exactly what we’re doing. Already signed up for next year and counting down the days.”

-Crystal Stepp-

No one is too young to serve and make a difference! 

Recently my husband and I and our two children (ages 11 and 8) joined the Ohaneson family on a one week mission trip in Mexico through their non-profit organization, Blessing Bags International.  It was such an answer to prayers for so many different reasons. Even though I have been on several mission trips throughout my life, this one was by far the best mission trip I have ever had the pleasure of being part of.  

First and foremost, the trip was so impactful because of the God-centered, Bible-based core beliefs that this family and organization live out daily. They are so faithful to the Lord and lean on Him heavily for guidance, wisdom and direction. This is evidenced in their positive attitude, kindness and love to all they come in contact with, and in their posture to serve God and look for ways to share Him and his truth with anyone they cross paths with. It so permeates their entire way of life that it inspires other to do the same. Their way of life truly conveys the meaning of Matthew 5:16: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

For years, I had been praying for the Lord to show me ways I could serve with my children and teach them in practice how to live a servant-hearted life, focused on God and how he wants us to “love others as we love ourselves” (Mark 12:31).  I was surprised by how challenging it was to find opportunities available to children. Even the few organizations who did allow children to be in attendance would not allow them to participate in the bulk of the mission work.  This is why it was so refreshing to serve with BBI and why the trip was such an answer to prayer. With BBI, anyone can serve, no matter the age, ability level, or spiritual maturity. Their inclusiveness was genuine and they showed everyone in words and actions that they are welcome and have something to offer. 

As a result, we did every part of the mission work and service projects together as a family and as a team with other families.  Children and adults joined as one to serve and bless others from morning until night. At the beginning of the day we put together care packages and loaded tote bags of supplies for those we would later meet.  During the middle of the day we went out as a group to various neighborhoods, churches, orphanages and daycares to love on the people in tangible ways.  At the end of the day we always circled up for team devotionals and prayers about what God had done. It was beautiful and heartwarming to witness! 

Another reason this trip was an answer to prayers can best be attributed to the careful and prayerful planning and organization of BBI leadership. In the months before the trip, they gave assistance and advice for how to prepare for the experience, not just with logistics like sending out support letters but also by sending us family devotions we could do with our children to get our hearts and minds in the right place. There were many phone calls and video chats to help us meet other team members and all get on the same page about the schedule and service projects. I was particularly impressed with the order of activities the leaders chose as they began the week with the less “intense” ways of serving, front ending the preparatory work such as shopping for care package supplies and assembling the “essential food” tote bags from the mission center. Approaching the week this way allowed for better team bonding and a gradual adjustment to a service-focused day which can be tiring and intense for a young child or first-time participant.  

One of the first days we were there, we were given an opportunity to serve the community in a way that really highlights this aspect of mission trip leadership I just described.  Although the neighborhoods we planned to serve were only located a couple of miles from the beautiful beaches, due to the locals’ grueling work schedules to eek out a living and their overall lack of transportation out of their neighborhoods, many of these families had never been to the beach.  So BBI organized a casual beach day and picked up any who were available to drive them to the coast.  The families met our team on the sands and this location served as a perfect icebreaker introduction to loving and blessing others in simple ways. Splashing in the water and giggling with the kids as we built sand sculptures helped us overcome any language or cultural barriers, and then enabled us to then share Christ and pray over them. We served them lunch and, as an extra special surprise, hot showers afterwards to clean up, a luxury that many savored with great pleasure.  Just this small act of kindness opened doors for the gospel and brought our team in relationship with those we would serve all week. 

One last, but hardly final, reason this trip blessed me and my family so much was BBI’s thoughtful and wise approach in selecting who to serve and how best to serve them.  In global missions it is very easy to create an over dependence on foreign assistance and create an environment of “lack” once the short term missionaries return to their home country. It is also very tempting to come into a new country with our homeland’s way of doing Christianity, ignoring the needs and patterns of life of the people we are serving that inadvertently creates culture shock. BBI wisely avoided these common pitfalls by first connecting with local churches and established ministries that shared the same beliefs and vision before engaging with the local community. They developed relationships with Mexican citizens who have already been passionately serving their own people in their own communities out of the love they have for Christ.  They followed the Mexican ministry leaders’ cues for how to respect their cultural patterns so that our team’s mission work would be well received and fruitful. BBI leaders showed an impressive level of respect, sensitivity and attention to detail every step of the way. 

As a result, I highly recommend this organization and encourage everyone I know to join them on future mission trips. Their careful and thoughtful planning as well as prayerful God-focused hearts afforded us the opportunity to serve as a family in a safe and meaningful way. We all can’t wait for our next chance to go back and serve with Blessing Bags International!!

-Ruth Jeantet-

It is hard to put into words what our recent mission trip to Baja California, Mexico with Blessing Bags International meant to me. We went to bless the less fortunate, but we were the ones who ended up profoundly blessed. It is with such heartfelt gratitude that I share my experience and the profound impact it has had on my and my childrens’ lives, in the hopes that it will inspire other families to take the leap and serve a mission trip with BBI.

During every aspect of our trip, BBI exhibited attention to detail, organization, and a genuine love and compassion for the people who we were serving. But the one aspect that impressed me the most, was how intentionally the experience had been planned with an eye toward the goal of modeling for and growing servants’ hearts in each of the young team members (who ranged in age from 3-17). 

The mission trip provided us with many different opportunities to demonstrate Christ’s love to the people of Mexico. BBI’s meticulous planning ensured that we were well-prepared to serve and bring hope to the communities we visited. Whether it was visiting a comedor (soup kitchen), offering dispensa (food care packages) door-to-door to those in need, playing with children at a local orphanage, distributing donated clothing and shoes, or sharing prayer and Scripture, we were repeatedly reminded of the profound impact of small acts of love and care. 

Despite enduring daily struggles and living conditions that are difficult to even fathom, again and again we witnessed the fruit of the spirit in the joyful hearts of those who know and love the Lord. This lesson has impacted me probably more than any other aspect of the trip – that regardless of our earthly circumstances, God’s love can transform hearts and bring hope and light amidst darkness. I am so very grateful to have had the opportunity to bring this experience to my children. And it made quite an impact on them too. I can’t tell you how many times they have asked me when we are returning to Mexico! Thank you Blessing Bags International, for this incredible experience!!

-Allison Barrows-