Rags to Royalty: Chiapas 2015
By Ian Slentz, Chiapas Team LeaderHave you ever had an entire village of children gather to watch you eat? If you’ve just answered no, it’s probably because you haven’t been on a mission trip. Those of you who just answered yes know exactly what I’m talking about!
I took my first trip to Mexico when I was fourteen. Let’s just say that I was not as fervent in those days to preach the gospel as I am now. As I have always been something of a dramatic, I relished the attention I got on that first trip. Even things as simple as how you eat attract attention. Depending on how you chew, you can even use this activity as a comic routine, and in five minutes you can have a whole crowd of cute little black haired children laughing hysterically. As a ham, I got quite the thrill out of this kind of attention! Since then however, my aim on the mission field has changed “dramatically” (haw haw). Now, my aim is that the group of children might hear the life-saving, life-changing good news of Jesus Christ. In an instant, those children can be made kings and priests to the true and living God, and joint heirs with Christ. They may be living in shanty huts and wearing rags as clothes in the natural realm. But in the spiritual realm, suddenly they are clothed with the righteousness of God, and seated in heavenly places with Christ. What a transformation!He raiseth the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill that He may set him with princes, even the princes of His people (Ps 113:7-8).I dare say preaching the gospel to these little ones is far more rewarding than receiving any amount attention. Since my earliest 
trip I have been on several other mission trips, including two more recent trips to Mexico. This July, I will return to Mexico for the fourth time. My question to you is, will you consider going with me?Mexico is a country in great need. The streets are lined with empty religion. There are crosses on almost everything, but these crosses have little to do with Christ or his gospel. Paul warned the church in Colossae about falling prey to vain philosophies which are contrary to the gospel. They may have a “show of wisdom”, but are quite worthless and do not actually deal with sin. Men and women come up with all sorts of ideas about how to be a good person. However, these philosophies don’t impress the holy and true God, and end up hindering the person entranced by them from receiving the gift of salvation and righteousness from God.
In Mexico specifically, a lot of people trust religious rituals and/or artifacts rather than Christ to affect their salvation. A great many even use ritual as way to live in sin. As long as they have the cross (or Mary) on their dashboard, they believe they can live however they want. They fear hell, not God.The people of Mexico need a revelation of who Jesus is: the holy and just God, pure and sinless. They need the Holy Spirit to convict them of their sin in the light of that revelation of Christ. They need to hear that God will wash them if they receive the salvation He accomplished for them by sending his Son Jesus to take the punishment for their sin. They need to hear that Jesus rose from the grave, and is alive to hear their prayers to him and to help them. They don’t need saints or Mary. They’re dead. Jesus isn’t. They need to be told the truth. Power belongs to God!Do you think you can be that witness in Mexico?“Why should I consider this trip, Ian? I do not feel called to Mexico.” Ok, granted. I don’t particularly feel called to Mexico either. However, I am called to be an ambassador and witness of Christ Jesus in this world. And so are you! I know that I am commissioned along with the first disciples to go into “all nations” and to preach salvation through Jesus so that God might bring the gentiles into his kingdom. The first disciples didn’t make it to all nations, so I guess that commission extends to you and me.Besides! This trip is a chance to exercise your faith, and serve in a meaningful way. It requires people who are in love with Jesus and who are willing to trust and obey him through hardship. It’s a lot of fun, but it’s not easy by any means. If God is at all stirring your heart, I say pray about it! In response you might get a “Go for it, kid!”Want more information about the Chiapas Jungle Team? Take a look at the trip page for all the details and then head over the application page to sign up and join Ian in Mexico this summer!
