Meagan Garrison

On June 30, 2013 Texas A&M-Texarkana student, Kendal Barajas will be heading for a life changing experience.  In order to participate, she will start with rounds of yellow fever shots and malaria medications.  She willalso have to endure a 24 hour plane ride, 18 hour car ride and a 3 hour canoe ride.

Barajas will be serving a church mission to the Island of Indego, which is just off the coast of Mozambique, Africa. In this church mission, Barajas along with 9 other members from different churches will be constructing a multipurpose building that will serve as a church and a school that teaches reading and writing to the locals.  With only the foundation laid for them, the team will be bringing their own duffle bag of tools and will be making the cinderblocks for the building by hand.  The cost of this building will be $30,000 and is being sponsored by The Church on the Rock of Texarkana, TX.

During Barajas’ stay, she and the other 9 team members will not be getting the most adequate accommodations.  Their sleeping arrangements are under mango trees in mosquito nets.  Their meals will consist of only beans and rice and water from the river.  The only shower that will be available to them will be the local river.

But Barajas doesn’t see these hardships as many in her position would.  All she can do is look forward to the adventure to come.  “I am most excited about the services that will be held and getting to spend time with the kids on the island,” Barajas said.

When asked why going through all of this is worth it,  Barajas said without hesitation, “Because it’s what I’m called to do and is what I want to do for the rest of my life.  If I could, I would live in Africa for longer than a month and to help the people that are less fortunate than me.”