Isaac Santana is 17-years-old and recently came with members of the First Baptist Church of Bethlehem, PA on a mission trip to La Paz.He has been here with his church several times before, and it has been a joy to see him growing in his walk with God.He spent most of his recent trip slinging cement on walls as he worked on the interior of a parsonage for Pastor Francisco of the Emanuel Church.

FBC of Bethlehem has developed some close relationships with the members of Emanuel Baptist Church.One of those families is Mary, Raul, and their 3 children.Mary was 14-years-old and Raul 16-years-old when they married 10 years ago.They live in a tar paper shack on the side of a mountain.Raul works as a welder.One evening some of us drove up to visit them.Isaac was one of those that went with us.

Five of gathered in their small yard while Mary served us Coca-cola in empty glass jars.Then she invited us inside where we perched on their double bed that was crammed between bunk beds and a refrigerator—these items filled up most of one room of the shack.The other room had a stove and a table with chairs.Mary and Raul got out a stack of photographs and began to share with us stories of their lives and their families' lives.We saw pictures of cousins, grandparents, aunts & uncles.We saw trips to beaches, birthday parties, and church celebrations.We translated back and forth as best we could, laughing and gesturing.

Later in the week, Isaac shared in a worship service what was one of the most memorable events of the past week for him.He said that what stuck out the most was his visit to Mary and Raul's house.He said, "Most of us, when we're inviting people over, clean the house from top to bottom and make sure everything looks great so we can show off what we have.But Mary and Raul didn't care about any of that.They showed us their pictures.They shared pieces of their life with us.They welcomed us into their hearts."

For me, Isaac captured what having a cross-cultural mission experience is all about: welcoming people into your hearts.

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."

(I Peter 4:8-10)