Day 7

Day 7 - 6/12/25 (Brian Kao)

Woke up later on the last day with faint and departing dreams, still living in one now. God’s plans will unfold regardless of human intervention. I dreamt of our part, hand in hand, among children and their guardian, as we wrap up our actions we must still cooperate with them to end our journey with God here. Some of our pictures see the same scene, but paint our melancholy and paint our joy across the sky. We were quieter than usual as excitement faded, but in spite of the premonition of our departure, we held on to the love and passion we had found here.

Beyond the door, we were faintly aware of leaving the warmth and community within our room into the cold open air outside against our warm, beating heart, and fiery love grown for God these past few days, but we knew there was God’s plan for us today full of promises. A spiritual walk began for me here, last year, with a promise I’d made to Connor Millard and Hannah Siu as they guided me slowly to the gates before my walk in living and acting faith. I learned of discipline and through discipline, I am given a way to fulfill a heart fixed on helping others.

Our breakfast sat under grey skies that kept us safe in our walls and under this ceiling. God protects us from the burning sun, but our comfort chains us to this place, in his safety until eternity. Tonight we may not be able to return again to the comfort of life before, but God has made his promises, to our world and ourselves. I enjoyed listening to people, I got carried away connecting with others, from Reagan to God's people, across Alaska to Modesto, all together in praise and action for God.

Shells protecting us have been broken but the seas wash on, everyone each in their own station of life. Separated, we drew into the sand knowing it’ll be washed away, and in spite of it, we still continue, reminding ourselves we’ll be gone and our impact, but that in life we must continue to live.

Red team went to evangelize, in the streets of downtown Ensenada. Their works have reflected their eagerness to reach, and for it, they found it to have encouraged me. They had gone to Prayer Mountain before doing so, on Prayer Mountain they had prayed along a beautiful view. Ethan received a vision of Pablo, and Cindy an impression of a silver bracelet, and nearing the end, she recalled it as a Pandora bracelet. And that same silver bracelet found them and they found in possession of it a girl who received the blessing of their gospel, delivered by Cindy and Alyssa.

The story of the green team acted on God's stage of the world in our performance as follows; Sent to an orphanage, the boys played soccer, girls on paints and balloons, and little room for few outside their interests. We'd been isolated in our little bubbles shielded from our pursuit of interest, behind the devouring walls as resilient as seashells.

A boy fought the horned goat, stress and restraint in resistance drove both animal and man directionless, but with an urge to leave. Their urges then taught them the unkindness of the world, that among mankind is a need to fight for beliefs, desire, and survival, as the goat attempted and dominated for power, but had been helpless against the rope that restrains it. Alongside it, a dog that had grown sick in his cage, given to look at our fun outside, but with no desire to enjoy it. Another called for a chore hadn't hesitated, and so willingly assumed as a duty and an answer to their overgrown struggles fed by the world together. Where something’s missing from everyone, creation is difficult in virtue, but fighting is a necessity. Culture will give us our identity and role, or so be it love may cure. 

Reynaldo had come up to me and reflected in conversation the desperation of these people, and their circumstances in contrast to our own, where desire is need is not and need is desire is not. Reynaldo reminded me that to interact with the children was our duty we owe to God now. God then gave me the chance to play with them! But past lunch we returned to our ignorant self-seclusion, playing volleyball. The toy gun was set aside and replaced instead with books, and we should understand that it is not these people who instigate and act, but our own reaction to inadequacy and the lack of an alternative means of escape. During volleyball, the ball had been lodged inside the tree, maybe a sign to end our ignorance, but Reagan helped out and got the ball down. Our obsession chained us in our own safety, drawing us away in the form of volleyball.

Behind us one younger had their head pressed against the floor. Their oppression drives them to believe that this is the way of life, that all is justified, and that we have believed in our righteousness that this is right, I saw them chase for revenge to no avail but all I did was stare, helplessness cried within the child, but driven in betrayal from their families, their livelihood, their fellow humankind and the world we have engineered, and then by their peers, that this is for them the right way of life. After the suffering hid in the shelter of a witness belonging there, God delivered his protection, and on the swings, they swung still wary of the past, but no longer acting upon it.

On the day of our amazing race, our failure stoked the fire from our failure, re-emerging today to be shown in the light, it metamorphosed into the pride in our success finally for which we had so loved, our promises have been delivered only through God, and his compassion.

We have so much left to learn, and so much more to do, but I may only pray that God may deliver these gifts upon us when the time calls for it. I pray that He may protect us and teach us a living love for each other, that we may survive tomorrow together, wash the mistakes of our past clean, and begin to learn what love for another truly means. May we cease the worship of ourselves, so we may not unwittingly clip the wings that free us into the heavens. And to those that have, may God mend their wings anew and set them into the skies tomorrow. May we never forget His direction for us, what we owe to He who died for us, our eternal servility and loyalty to His will.

Thank you for reading! Through nothing but the Grace of God, written by Brian Kao