Greetings family, friends, brothers and sisters,

Since Fall 2016, I have been involved with Destino a campus Cru ministry at UTRGV. It is an outreach organization that shares the love and gospel of Jesus Christ. This organization has impacted my life by helping me grow spiritually closer to God. It has also helped me gain a new understanding about what serving God truly is throughout my never ending journey with Him. Because of Destino I have had the opportunity to go to Leaky Texas for a fall retreat, and California for a winter conference. Both events have prepared me and are leading up to my opportunity to do mission trip service this summer in Belize.

I have been a Christ follower since I was a child. I praise the Lord and the beautiful creation of the Holy Bible daily. The most profound passage to me, that God has been using in my life since I was young enough to remember is Matthew 22:36-40. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and most important command. 39 And the second command is like the first: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’ 40 All of the law and the writings of the prophets take their meaning from these two commands.” I realize how without LOVE for God, and his people, my life is nothing. Being His disciple and demonstrating that love the gospel speaks about towards the Lord, and to others, is a lifestyle I work towards daily, especially here in the Rio Grande Valley where I have grown up, and continue to live giving back through community service.

Now by the grace of God I have an opportunity with the purpose to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ as recorded in Matthew 28:16-20 that reads "16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17 And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted [that it was really He]. 18 Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority (all power of absolute rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.” 

This summer I will be able to go on my first mission trip to share my faith and testimony in Belize, Central America. Our ministry will reach the families surrounding St. Margaret’s Village in partnership with Samuel’s Sanctuary. The people in this area have low access to the gospel, poor educational opportunities, and find themselves in a generational pattern of drug/ alcohol abuse and single-parent families. We will be building homes and doing other labor, as well as socializing to serve the lord by engaging in conversation that will build Christ centered relationships. By the grace of God I feel called to Belize to evangelize and change hearts, I also want to grow stronger in my walk with God to be obedient, and more spiritually mature. Thank you all for your time, God be with you.

Love, Kasandra