Tears of Faith: A Story of Trust from Mexico

The following is a testimony from one of our YWAM Salem staff members who led an Outreach Team to Mexico in 2020.

Several months ago, I led a team of young DTS students to Mexico for several weeks, where we were able to participate in several different types of ministry: feeding the homeless, passing out Bibles, street evangelism, partnering with local churches, environmental clean-up, etc.

But there was one particular ministry that stood out to me. 

The Mexican YWAM campus that we were working with had a long-standing ministry that involved raising money and constructing homes for people who didn’t have one. They would then gift the house to the family for free. Later, they would do follow-up visits with the families to see how they were doing and maintain relationships and connection with them. 

One day, a group from my team got to go on some of these follow-up visits. When we got there, we were able to go into the homes and sit with the families, hear their stories and pray with them. It was incredible to see the way God moved through these times. 

Yesenia was one of the women we got to visit. She was a mother of four children and was running her own bakery business on the side to earn enough money for food and everyday living. Her husband worked in the fields- long hours that didn’t pay quite enough to keep the family running. Yesenia shared her story with us, and it impacted me deeply. 

Before the YWAM campus had built this home for them, Yesenia had been homeless with her children. There had been a falling out in her marriage, so her husband didn’t join them in homelessness until later. They struggled for food and against harsh living conditions. There were injuries, pain, and more than enough reasons to lose heart. 

...but Yesenia loved Jesus. She loved Jesus so, so much. And she trusted God to be her strength. She told us of the horrors she faced- the rough physical conditions, the deeper heartbreaks. She had lived through things I couldn’t dream of, all the while trusting God through it. And while she spoke, several people in the room cried. 

Yesenia herself was also crying, but what hit me so deeply were the parts of the story that she cried during. Yesenia didn’t cry when she spoke of the pain or the hopelessness. She didn’t cry when she remembered the horrors she had faced. She didn’t cry at the confusion of it all. Yesenia cried when she recalled God’s faithfulness. When she remembered a specific way that He had answered her prayer or when she saw the physical ways He was providing for them. She cried as she remembered choosing hope in the midst of the current struggles that she was facing within her marriage and family. What moved Yesenia’s heart was the goodness of God, not the circumstances or trials she faced. 

I was dumbfounded.

I had been learning so much about trusting God in the midst of trials and pain during this outreach, and then there was Yesenia: a walking, breathing reminder of the faithfulness and goodness of God.

She knew with intimate knowledge what it meant to trust God in the unknown. What it meant to “be still and know that I am God”. She knew. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, she knew who her God was and that He would take care of her. One day, I hope to be so certain of my trust in God. 

Being a missionary with Youth With a Mission has given me the opportunity not only to be blessed and inspired by meeting incredible people like Yesenia, but the chance to give back and hopefully inspire and encourage others! It's not always easy but it is always worth it to see the Kingdom of God come to Earth.

My own Discipleship Training School was the best introduction to Missions for me. I was able to grow my own faith and trust in God and have amazing experiences by learning how to step out and reach people intentionally with the gospel!