Spiritual Formation | 1/12/2026 4:52:00 PM

The extraordinariness of this trip came in the simplicity of the heart behind it. It was five dudes who simply said yes to go and serve and love God's people, free of expectation. We aren't the saviors of this story or any other; God has always been at work in Baja and we were fortunate enough to come alongside incredible people in Mexico and join in the work He is doing.
 
This place is certainly out of most people's comfort zones because, after all, we live so differently from each other: culturally, geographically, and even spiritually. We don't even speak the same language and yet, I think I can speak for every guy when I say that once you are down there, it begins to feel like home. Perhaps that is because Scripture tells us we all belong to the same home. Paul says in Philippians 3:20 that, "our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ." He also speaks in Galatians and Ephesians about there no longer being Jew nor Gentile, but one body under Christ. See even in a place so far away and so different from our own, we can feel more at home than we maybe even do here because we are purposefully pursuing the Kingdom of God with our brothers and sisters of Baja.
Don't be mistaken, God is working just as much at Lipscomb, in our homes, offices, and schools just as much as He is in Baja. The Spirit is not bound by borders.
 
I think the reason, however, that we experience Jesus so much more intimately there than we sometimes do here, is our commitment. Erwin Raphael McManus, author of The Barbarian Way, which was a book that helped shape our mindset for this trip, calls us as Christian men to live radically different than the way the world tells us to. A call to live with barbaric, uncomfortable, and untamed faith. Specifically, to fight for the hearts of those God loves. On this trip we were fully committed and sold out for the kingdom. Whatever the Lord wanted us to do we were going to do it to the very best of our abilities. But during our last devo night together us guys began to wonder if we could honestly say we lived the same way back home. Do we constantly live with a relentless pursuit to fight for the heart of God? Imagine what the places the Lord has placed us would look like if we all could answer yes.
 
This trip to Baja was such a powerful reminder of how real and present the Lord is. Being surrounded by people who genuinely love Jesus and are chasing after Him filled my cup when it was running pretty low. Seeing others depend on God for their most basic needs gave me no excuse not to trust Him with everything in my own life. As much as I went hoping to bless people, I walked away feeling even more blessed by their love for God and for our group. Thank you, Jesus, for every bit of that trip. -Malachi Jones
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Our time in Baja was a reminder of what a submitted life looks like. Jesus is knocking at your door, and once you let Him in, everything changes. A yes to Jesus looks like a life of adventure, excitement, genuine relationship, and true purpose. At the same time, a yes to Jesus looks like suffering, embracing discomfort, denying yourself, and taking up your cross for the sake of the gospel. Through the constant encouragement that was given and received this past week, I saw how our yes to Jesus can have eternal significance. Someone's eternity can be forever altered as a result of our yes! This "yes" is a daily decision, a constant choice that cannot be made passively. It involves going where Jesus goes (spoiler alert: not always the safest and most comfortable places) and saying yes to intimidating things, but also resting in the fact that Jesus is the one who conquers and holds the ultimate victory. His way is the better way! Thank you for your prayers and support over the past few months and during our time in Baja…it was a week of saying yes. A week that held eternal significance. A week that we will be forever grateful for! -Cam May
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Five guys going to Baja, Mexico, had one thing on their minds… to serve, love, and rejoice with the Lord's people. People come and go throughout your life, and sometimes we don't understand why people leave or what their purpose was in our lives. We, as human beings, often force different aspects of our lives. This mission trip taught me how to sit back, relax, and be present with people. Typically, on mission trips, there is an agenda of what the group will be doing or what they want to accomplish. The five amigos went to Baja, Mexico, with one thing on the agenda- to be present. As a planner, I would ask Spencer what the plan was, and most of the time he would respond with something along the lines of "I'm not entirely sure." As much as it would unsettle my planning mind, I learned to understand the concept that not everything has to be planned. Being present and addressing situations in the moment is just as good, if not better. It was amazing to see the people I served in January of 2024, and how they remembered me. Even though you may not think you have impacted someone's life, there are thousands of different ways you can influence someone's life.
 
Reuniting with the people and churches and seeing their development over the past two years was exciting. The kids are growing up, and the churches are serving with a purpose. Last time I was in Baja, Mexico, Camp Baja was still under construction. They are still under construction, but there are more buildings than last time. One thing they never fail to do is serve people with a big smile. Thank you, Baja Missions. -Mason Lundgrin
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This week was very special for a few reasons. It was just five of us plus Panfilo, so we were able to do and go wherever we needed and it was just unique. It was also more intimate which was fun. I got to see some of the people and families I saw a couple years ago and reconnect. Nothing was forced either, everything just seemed authentic. Also, for me personally, there were some things from the last trip that I said I wanted to leave behind and some things that I wanted to step into, and when I looked back at those things, I feel like I truly have been able to leave those things and step into what the Lord had for me like peace, freedom, courage, and dependence. -David Coppedge