At the age of 14, Kayla Schmidt, of second generation Y squad, visited her first Spanish-speaking country — and immediately wanted to go back. She wanted to spend more than just a week or a few months in the region. After years of visits and short-term mission trips, Kayla began searching for long-term options. The Race intrigued Kayla, but she was skeptical, thinking there wouldn’t be very many Spanish-speaking countries on the routes. Little did she know, the Lord had already developed the perfect route for her.
After two months in the Caribbean, three months in South America and now one month in Central America, I can safely say if I had to do it again, I would choose the Spanish Route — every time.
There is something intimately special about teaching children in the Dominican Republic, Bolivia and Ecuador the same song and dance to “Cristo es Mi Super Heroe.” Just think – Children in two different continents of this large world we live in, are all able to sing and dance in harmony. I can only hope that they are still singing, dancing, and proclaiming that Jesus is their Super Hero.
A deep bond is formed when we land in each of the countries and are able to interact with the people we meet. We’re not just noisy Americans (okay, we try not to be) who blow into town. We are called to “do life” with the people in the community, and being able to hold conversations and spend time with them is such a gift often taken for granted.
Even finding out the language and cultural differences between the countries can lead to quite a laugh. For instance, how many different words can we possibly have for “banana” in Spanish? So far we’ve learned plátano (which is actually, usually, not a banana), guineo, and banano! In Ecuador, our team got really used to greeting every person with which we crossed paths. The next month in Panama, we realized they were a lot more relaxed with their greetings. (They also shake hands, instead of the hug/kiss-cheek and get a little weird when you go in for a kiss instead of just offering your hand.
Our squad has a special tie as well. At home, I thought I was alone in my passion for Latin America. It wasn’t until I met this squad, this family, that I found people with a passion and a call like mine.
God called me to the Race, and he called me to a specific location. He planted the seed in my heart fourteen years ago for Latin Americans and I can only hope I am doing my best to cultivate this seed.
