God Is Already Moving in Our Student Mexico Missions Team

For the past five months, our high school students have been saying yes to something bigger than a missions trip. They’ve been saying yes to deep discipleship. Yes to leadership. Yes to walking closely with God. And yes to being submitted to the covering, care, and spiritual guidance of me and our team of leaders.

Before they were even eligible to apply for the Mexico trip, these students committed to a six-week leadership course. Since being accepted, they’ve dedicated over 40 hours to in-person meetings, trainings, and team gatherings, each building a foundation of faith, character, and community.

As their trip leader, I’ve seen this process transform students year after year. Whether I was on these trips as a student myself, a volunteer leader, or now as the one leading the team, one thing has remained true: God always shows up. And yet, every time, I’m filled with awe at how uniquely and personally He meets each person on the team.

Heading into our team Overnighter, I felt a word stirring in my heart: breakthrough. I didn’t know how or when it would come, but I believed God had something powerful in store for our students and leaders. And He delivered.

During those 24 hours, we engaged in non-stop teaching sessions, devotional reflections, team bonding exercises, worship, and testimony sharing. And somewhere in the midst of it all, breakthrough happened.

  • Breakthrough in the hearts of individual students.
  • Breakthrough in the way our team relates to one another.
  • Breakthrough in our leaders, as they poured out and were poured into.

God spoke clearly and personally. He brought clarity, conviction, and encouragement. And He reminded us that the mission doesn’t begin when we land in Mexico. It’s already begun.

I’m so proud of our students. They’ve surrendered their time, opened their hearts, and embraced a posture of humility and hunger for God. They’re not just preparing for a trip; they’re stepping into their calling.

Below, you’ll find shortened excerpts from our students’ blog reflections, capturing just a glimpse of what God is doing. To read more and follow our journey throughout the trip, click the link at the bottom for our ongoing blog updates.

Some excerpts have been edited for grammar and length for the newsletter. To read the full, heartfelt stories in their entirety, visit https://bsmmexicoblog.wordpress.com/

Amir – Manhood, Mission, & McDonald’s
I had a lot of fun at the overnighter for our Mexico mission trip. The 24 hours we spent together was eye-opening to how everyone is going through something, but we can all come together under the guidance of God. Hearing everyone share their testimonies was very moving, but my most impactful takeaway was learning the biblical definition of manhood at Pastor Steve’s house. My experience at Pastor Steve’s house with the other guys was amazing, and when we left, we washed the ladies’ feet just as Jesus did for His disciples during the final supper. Another really fun part of our time together was playing a game of sardines Friday night, then going out for McDonald’s… In all it was a great time.

DJ – A Testimony Worth Telling
During the Overnighter for our Mexico mission trip, we did a lot of things that helped us bond, like play games and share our insecurities. It was very fun but also very powerful. I think everyone sharing their testimony was the most impactful thing we did, and it was amazing to hear what everyone had to share. It was also very impactful to me because while everyone else was sharing, I had this doubt that my testimony was good enough. I didn’t want to share it, but then my youth leader, Cody, said that I should never think my story isn’t good enough. So I went up and shared something that wasn’t in my written testimony, but God put it on my heart to share. That time right there changed me personally. Instead of us being a team, we started feeling like a family. The Overnighter was a very impactful experience for me. I really enjoyed it, and I hope I can do something like that again sometime.

Isa – Courage in Community
My most impactful takeaway from the Overnighter, in my opinion, was definitely speaking our testimonies out loud. I got to hear so many personal testimonies from people that I wouldn’t have imagined being so vulnerable to a group of 20 people, including myself. The things I heard reminded me that not a single person in our group is perfect. We all have a backstory, or even current events, that have built us up to who we are now. Personally, I didn’t think I was going to be ready to share at any point of the Overnighter. I kept telling myself, “I just can’t. I know I’m going to get too emotional and choke on my words.” But hearing and seeing the bravery it took for other people to go up and speak encouraged me. So then I did. I said my testimony, and it took a lot of time for me to muster up the courage to do so. When I was speaking, I didn’t feel alone; I felt heard, and I knew I had the people I had grown closer to surrounding me. I felt like it was something I was meant to do at that moment, and I’m glad I got to do it with this team.

Isaac – Becoming Men of God
My most impactful experience from the Overnighter was Pastor Steve Hardnett’s teaching with the boys on the Mexico team. On Saturday, we boys woke up at 7:00 in the morning to meet up with Pastor Steve at his house at 7:30. He taught us about biblical manhood. He explained how the Bible talks about how men need to be strong, both physically and spiritually, by leading and protecting. We men are called to lead in the home, church, and community, serving others with humility and grace. Then he started talking about how Jesus washed the feet of the disciples during the last supper. This act was an act of humility to humble ourselves. After that, the male leaders washed our feet one by one to show humility to one another. To me, this was the most impactful experience from the whole Overnighter.

Jala – Breakfast and Blessings
My most impactful experience of the Overnighter was making breakfast with the girls on Saturday morning. It was so fun and I got to get to know them more. There was a lot of laughter and jokes which made it even more memorable. Another impactful experience was having the boys wash our feet. It was so humbling and it reminded me of what we learned during Uri’s devotional about being the light and letting our good deeds shine out for all to see (Matthew 5:15-16). Also, hearing that everyone’s fundraising goal was met made it more surreal. I loved getting out of my comfort zone because I realized that no one’s there to judge me, but they’re there to listen. It made me think of my favorite verse, Psalms 46:5: “God is within her, She will not fail.”

Jordyn – Shining Together
The overnighter experience was definitely one to remember. At first, the thought of spending 24 hours with 20 people made me a bit nervous, but now I want even more time with them. My particular favorite part of the experience was Uri’s morning Bible study. On Saturday morning, all the ladies on the team gathered at Mrs.Donna’s house, and Uri led us in a devotional about one of Jesus’ teachings in Matthew 4:14-16. The teaching discussed how followers of Jesus should allow their light to shine freely onto others without hiding. This teaching reminded me that as a follower of Christ, I am SUPPOSED to shine and exude the Holy Spirit – not only for me, but to spread God’s love to those around me. Not only was it nice being led by Uri, it was super eye-opening to hear what the passage meant to the rest of the ladies on the team. Overall, having a consistent safe space of vulnerability made this Overnighter an amazing experience that I couldn’t be more grateful for.

Sameenah – Beyond the Surface
Hi, I am Sameenah, and I’m here to talk to you about my experience on the 2025 Mexico Mission trip Overnighter. Initially, I didn’t really have much hope for the event. Sure ,I thought that I might have fun and play some games, but I would overall regret going, wishing that I did something better with the 24 hours I had. But through this Overnighter, I got to know my team so much better. Of course, I already liked them, but when we actually talked, not about God but ourselves, I was able to see and appreciate everyone for who they were which was a beautiful experience. Sharing our testimonies was also a big eye-opener. When I first met everybody in the team, I thought they were perfect, with no worries or struggles. But when I got to hear everyone’s testimonies and what they have overcome, I got a greater sense of pride within my team, seeing them in a stronger, more powerful light. In summary, the most impactful part of the overnighter was being able to see my team for who they are.

Uri – Burdens Lifted, Bonds Formed
During the overnighter, I had very impactful moments throughout this fun experience. The most impactful moment I had was my testimony, sharing how God got me through three deaths in my family, a misunderstanding with my parents, and my mom’s surgery. On Friday before I shared it, Cody asked who wanted to go next. I hesitated, but when he asked again, I felt my spirit pushing me to share my testimony. After I shared, it felt kind of like a burden was lifted off my shoulders, and I felt weightless. I did cry after some time because at first I didn’t know how much impact it had until I actually stopped myself and reflected on it. Another impactful moment was making breakfast with the girls because for me it felt like we were all bonding together, even though we were all in different places in the kitchen. It was a lot of fun, and it was very memorable. Lastly, another impactful moment I experienced was when the boys washed our feet. It was very humbling and for me, I appreciated it because not only did it represent the exact same thing Jesus did with his disciples to show humbleness and humility, but it showed that it was another step of the boys opening up to the group a little. That really made me happy!

Rayelis – Seen, Heard, and Served
I had a lot of impactful moments that happened to me throughout the Overnighter but the main one was the “If you really knew me, you would know that…” exercise. These moments shared with the team felt very humanizing, almost like a way of showing that no matter our faith or relationship with God, we all struggle with our separate struggles. It was also a great way of getting an insight into everyone’s life on a deeper level. I would say that the second most impactful moment was the boys washing all of the girls’/women’s feet. Whenever Cody would ask for someone to do something, I always hoped one of the boys would speak up, because they keep to themselves a lot, and I wanted to hear what they thought about certain things. So when they took the time to do that small gesture for the girls, it felt like a way of them opening up to us. In all, the Overnighter was a very powerful experience.

Selah – Teamwork
The most impactful experience I had during the overnighter was making breakfast with the girls. We had to leave the church early, but it was worth it. We went to Ms. Donna’s house, made biscuits, gravy, bacon, and cinnamon rolls, and we cut up fruit. Each of us were delegated to specific duties, and I was in charge of the cinnamon rolls. Though I didn’t get to eat them, it was still rewarding to make them. I enjoyed this part because we worked together as a cohesive team. It also felt good to make something with my own hands and have everyone partake in the food that all the girls in the group worked hard to make. It made me feel like my effort was worth it. Plus, all the girls had a lot of laughs and fun moments during breakfast preparation to make the day shine brighter!

Christian [Extended] – A 24-Hour Transformation from a “Group” to a “Team”
Hey everyone! This past Saturday, the team experienced what was probably our most important meeting before leaving Mexico: our team Overnighter at the Owings Mills/ Reisterstown campus (I haven’t exactly asked everyone else’s opinion, but I’m sure that they would agree, lol). From the moment we arrived to the moment we left, our time was filled with back-to-back powerful experiences. A word that was thrown around a lot during our time together was “transformative,” and I’m so excited to share about it and why that was such a fitting word to use…[continue reading at the link]

Read more impact stories and keep up with the trip at https://bsmmexicoblog.wordpress.com/