Hello Cruisers!
I like Chocolate milk. I drink a cup of almond milk and mix it with 3 spoonful’s of Nesquik every night so I’m not tempted to eat late and gain weight. My 4-year-old calls it, “Happy Belly.” Something to realize is it’s not enough to just pour the chocolate powder in the cup, it will sink to the bottom otherwise. You have to stir it. That is what God did to us on this trip; we had the ship (cup), we had the milk (the passengers), we had the mission (chocolate powder/ ‘taste and see the Lord is good’) but Jesus stirred us together and we became the church on ship.
Every day, many gathered in the morning for devotionals to set our sights right on Jesus. Every night, Pastor Meshach reminded us where our identity lies, and not to believe the lies of this world. We met young adults from all over the country and bonded with them. We connected with people on the ship as we wore our CWM t-shirts and had people attend our nightly worship experiences. Finally, we got our hands dirty with mission projects and opened our hearts to those we were serving. The stirring in us created such a powerful unity, like the milk and powder, you could only see one thing; chocolate milk.
“Mission trips give the Christian journey a deeper understanding of servant leadership. It pulls individuals out of their comfort zone to grow them in areas of faith, compassion, love, and service. It also follows after the heart of God for all humanity. The Christian life without a Missional mindset is not a Christian life at all.” -Pastor Meshach Soli – 2021 CWM Speaker
See the full gallery of photos here.
We stopped in Cabo San Lucas at the orphanage and cleaned, painted, and fixed walls, windows, fences, pillars, and gates then played with the 30+ kids. We ministered to Spanish speaking patients in medical assistance programs so they could be treated.
In Mazatlán we took over the church facility by removing tile from floors, scrubbing and resealing a roof, painting many exteriors walls, and repaired the rod iron fence. The pastor was so grateful he prayed for God’s blessing on our health, ministry, and finances. He was so touched he asked God to abundantly bless us as we did his church.
Lastly, in Puerto Vallarta we literally help build a church. The dirt floors and open church space was merely 4 cement pillars with a metal roof. We helped paint/repair the walls, mix cement and carry it to the roof where they could have proper cover, and finally painted the surrounding walls that protect and beautify the open sanctuary.
Do you know that when you serve in the name of Jesus your life is never the same? Sure it doesn’t look like anything amazing has changed when you look in the mirror, but something has changed.
It’s not just serving the locals, but God stirred something in us. We were no longer the same people we were when we entered that ship. Something stirred and something lingered. It still lingers today; the fire within us was fueled, the experience remains, the call to come back is alive.
-Nathaniel Sevilla
CWM Director
We would like to thank the supporters of our mission: ADRA, Southeastern California Conference, and the Center for Youth Evangelism. This was no small feat. We also had support and representation from regions around this country; Pacific, North Pacific, Southwestern, Southern, Lake, Atlantic, and Columbia Unions. These excursions we take are not taken lightly for we bear the name of Jesus as we represent the church; God’s church, Jesus’ very body to all the world.
Meet the Speaker
The 2021 Cruise With a Mission speaker was Pastor Meshach Soli. He was called to serve the South Bay SDA Church in San Diego as the Sole Pastor on February 18, 2018. He has been in Pastoral Ministry for nearly 15 years with an emphasis in Youth and Young Adult ministries. Pastor Meshach is a dynamic communicator and has traveled both locally and globally reaching and teaching people about what it means to have an authentic relationship with Jesus. Meshach is also a certified Growing Young speaker partnering with the Growing Young Adventist team to foster cross generational churches. He has a powerful testimony of God’s saving grace transforming his life of crime, addiction, and violence into a life of love and service for the building of God’s Kingdom.
On his down time, you can find Pastor Meshach hosting “Pastoral Paddle Board Meetings” every Friday morning at Coronado, Mission Bay, Point Loma, or La Jolla Shores. As passionate as he is about ministry and paddle boarding, his greatest call and love is being the father to his 5 sons (Marley, Isaac, Zion, Gideon, and Judah) and a husband to his High School sweet heart Linda Soli.
Dec 12-19, 2021
Theme: Identity Anchored in Christ
- Departed San Diego, CA
- Stoped in Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
- Returned to San Diego, CA
- Tent Village – 9,000 people have been pushed out of their own city into a makeshift city because they cannot afford the cost to live in Cabo. We distributed clothing and food.
- Orphanage – Projects included helping clean windows, painting lines on basketball court and landscaping.
- Tile tear out in restrooms and classrooms
- Painting of the rails and front entrance gates
- Cement patch work in meeting rooms
Puerto Vallarta
There were two churches at this stop that needed help.
- Church #1 – Light construction work, plumbing work, painting and landscaping.
- Church #2 – Constructing the walls as well as providing block, digging and cement work.
Cruise With A Mission specifically provides young adults from all walks of life opportunities to authentically connect with God and with others in Christian community. Through the Cruise With a Mission experience, you can expect to renew your personal, spiritual journey, discover meaningful community as you interact with other participants, and experience genuine joy as you engage in serving others both on and off the ship.
See the On-Board Magazine and survey results