What a life-changing experience this trip has been! We celebrated four different birthdays together. We all loved on Oakley. Moreover, we saw endless beauty in the sunsets and nature all around us. The reality of how infinitely small we are as individuals is acutely obvious here.

We all learned some important life lessons on this trip. Like how important it is to make sure you are wearing your own underwear every morning. (I will not name names, but it was John and Andrew who taught us that.) Even more importantly, we have to focus on and realize how much one person or one act can drastically change things for others. We could all say our particular roles on this mission did not seem that critical, but we ran like a somewhat well-oiled machine because we were all willing to jump in and do whatever was needed, knowing that we were being God's hands and feet. We are all keenly aware of (and very grateful for) how you are blessed when you follow God's command to "Go."

We did see so many curious, smiling faces, plus a few little faces that were in tears because of us. They were all beautiful! We had so many opportunities to allow Christ's love be shown through our actions and words. The people we helped all showed us such grace and patience while we stumbled along in our tasks and with our Portuguese each day. There was a soul that God created and loves in every single person that we met. Even the man who was drunk, staggering around, and hollering seemed to soften for a moment when Shannon approached him to give him a small wooden cross.

Seeing how people live in such remote places with so much less than we have at home made us all think. The contrasts really make you more aware our own excesses. You have pity at first, but the overall understanding you get after few days is of the fact that the people here are living normal, human lives. They have trials, struggles, and go to work just as we do. In addition, they love their families and friends, scroll on their phones, and find joy in their children just as we do. We come from vastly different places, yet we are not very different. The cultural and communication barriers were often overcome with the tone of kind words being spoken, gentle touches, and smiles and laughter. Moreover, Google Translate. Our lives are so different, but the human experience and connection is universal.

We ended up being such a cohesive group, even though many of us were strangers. There were always volunteers for dish duty or help with carrying heavy bags. We shared our pictures, checked in on anyone who was not feeling well, and included each other in special moments and conversations. We had the gift of several people leading our devotions and praying throughout the day. We had the advantage of having several people who have gone with CBM before, so they were able to guide and prepare us really well. We determined that this trip was especially blessed because we had a Superior John on board. Plus, we were able to wind down and enjoy some great games in the evenings, brought by our very own Board Game Expert, Andrew. Inez even tested to see if gravity still worked for us (it did), then did everything she could to continue helping, even though she was injured. Jo found a dangerous hole along the trail for us, which saved others from stumbling into it. Everybody was truly selfless. In addition, God blessed us at every turn. We had a safe trip, an unbeatable crew taking care of us, new friends, and a renewed passion for Jesus.

As we are heading back, we are all excited to get home and see our families, but also sad that it went by so fast. We feel changed at a basic level. We will be looking at our world with a different perspective because we were able to serve on this trip.