Mission Cruise

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. Just kidding. It was definitely an interesting time.

I’d say no one asked me if I wanted to go on the cruise, but they did. In fact, they gave me two options: go on a cruise or go to a resort in another country. I chose the latter, but apparently, I got out voted. Before I knew it, I was signed up for a cruise. I didn’t know how I felt about it at first. In fact, I wasn’t really looking forward to it. Perhaps it seemed too American or not Christian enough for me. I mean there were bars everywhere! But the morning of the trip I started to feel excited. I am a firm believer in “regret nothing”. So, I thought I might as well make the most of this adventure, even if it’s not what I would have chosen.

Arriving on the Ship

It was a bit of a drive to the port and then some hoopla getting on. There were soooo many people. That stressed me out and made be a bit uncomfortable the first two days. Actually, two days in I probably would have said I’d never go on another cruise again, but then we made it to Mexico. My beloved Mexico!

Mexico

Quickly we disembarked and we were bombarded with tourism. This Mexico which catered to foreigners was very different that the Mexico I had previously experienced. I’d say I would take the real authentic Mexican Mexico any day over the American Mexico, but I must say the natural beauty of Cozumel was incredible. My family’s excursion was going out snorkeling from a catamaran. The Mesoamerican reef stretches along the coast of Cozumel, and I had the incredible opportunity to see it for myself. At first, I was struggling with my mask and just trying to breathe. As soon as I actually looked into the water I was awed. I didn’t believe it was real. It’s as if I had been dropped off in the movie finding Nemo or something. The fish were so up close and personal too. I wasn’t afraid of them. Just amazed. Snorkeling there was really easy and fun. Originally, I didn’t see the fun in snorkeling, but once I experienced it, I completely understood. I am so grateful to my parents for giving me this experience.

Another thing that added to the amazing experience was our awesome guide, Hugo. Honestly, he seemed just like the movies. He was fun, and used just enough Spanish words mixed in with English to make people feel like they were in Mexico, but with me he spoke only in Spanish or sometimes French. I always enjoy making new friends in different languages. He was amazed at my Spanish. The rest of the crew was great as well. They served us a delicious lunch, which might have made my mom start to feel seasick, then we got to go swimming and paddleboarding. I was honestly a bit nervous about standing up on the paddleboard, but after I was on it a bit and felt comfortable, I stood. The board wobbled, but I stayed calm, bent my knees, and kept my balance. It felt exhilarating and rewarding. I made little paddles in the water and went around the boat multiple times. Some speed boats zoomed by and made some waves which knocked me down onto the board and I might have stumbled like that again, but I didn’t fall off once! Hallelujah! It was so much fun. Another new experience! Even just the boat ride was fun and relaxing. Although I did burn due to not being able to use sunscreen. Protecting the reef is very important! My tip to you or Future Me would be to get a long sleeve swim shirt. You’ll thank me later.

Back on land we walked around a bit, took some pictures, and shopped in a few of the numerous tourist shops.

Then we walked back to our party boat or prison whichever you want to call it. I’m joking. This place had MUCH better food than prison.

Hot Tub Evangelists

Speaking of prison going on this cruise meant I missed out on a prison ministry event I had been wanting to go to. You know what? Everyone everywhere needs to hear the gospel. I had been sad that I wasn’t going on a mission trip, but then I realized that any trip can be a mission trip! So, this became my Mission Cruise. I challenged myself to share the gospel at least once on this trip. I was not going to let myself get off the ship until I had! I had prayed to God and asked for help because it wasn’t an easy thing for me. I asked him to present the opportunity and quicken my heart. The time came just a little later that day in the hot tub. My mom, grandma and I all went to soak in the hot tub once we got back to the boat. Just as we were getting in, two other ladies got in and we all had some great conversations. The topic passed to death and health issues and my heart went *bom —bom -bom —bom*. The others were talking so much I found it hard to get in, but I finally asked if you died today where would you go. We talked about their beliefs and presented the gospel to them. They didn’t accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior right then and there, but they said that they knew Jesus and that they were on a spiritual journey. They also didn’t believe in coincidences. So maybe they will believe that I was sent to share the gospel with them for a purpose. Regardless I did my job and shared the gospel, as well as built a friendship. I gave them a little book of the four gospels. Now it’s up to God. It always has been. I’m just a willing vessel. That experience also built my faith and courage for sharing the gospel with strangers. It is something I really want to start doing more, but sometimes I struggle to find the right opportunities or the boldness. The good news is that the more you do it the better you get. Personally, I think the world needs more hot tub evangelists.

Cruise Survey

Back to the cruise! I’m going to summarize my opinion of my first cruise for you in bullet points.

Favorite parts

• Excursion in Mexico

• Family time

• No cell service

• Beautiful views of the ocean

• I didn’t get sandy once

• Delicious food

• Trying new foods

• Soft serve ice cream machine that was always open.

• Reading my Bible in the morning on the deck

Least Favorite Parts

• Bars/drinking environments

• Crowded areas

• Getting lost on the boat

• No church

• Noisy docking in my sleep

• Noise

• Lack of activities that interested me

Recommendations

• Plan an excursion

• Get a swim shirt (if applicable)

• Get up early if you want to avoid crowds

• Share the gospel

• Make the most of it!

Review

⭐⭐⭐ and maybe a half.

Would I do it again? Maybe

Honestly, I enjoyed it, but a cruise just isn’t really my thing. There are a lot of things I would rather do that be on a giant boat in the middle of the ocean, but I’m so glad I got to experience it myself as well as share it with y’all. I pray that you have a blessed day and I inspired you to make every trip a mission trip. But wait! We can’t go without a quote!

“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than those you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the wind in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” — H. Jackson Brown Jr.