I usually get nicknames everywhere I go. On my China trip they called me “Bridget Frickin Gee.” In Mexico, they called me “Gretch.”

This is a perfect example of how unexpected this entire trip was for me. I expected that my team would give me a nickname. It’s just inevitable. I’m a nicknamable person! But Gretchen…? It’s a silly story. Angie, one of the other staff, has a hard time with names, but in the funniest way. Her brain pretty much likes to name everyone for her. So at the beginning of our trip she called me Gretchen over and over and I would never answer. And she didn’t have to tell me. But apparently it was happening so much, that she felt it important to confess. I thought it was hilarious. And so did my team. So I became “Gretch.”

And just like that, a summer of unexpected love, joy, and growth flew by.

I really appreciate this Global Program to Mexico because of how much we work alongside Compa, our Mexican sister movement. We taught English for 4 weeks and held Compa events to invite our new Mexican students into the community. And it was awesome. We had game nights and fiestas and Bible studies. We went out and adventured in the city and hung out at local coffee shops. We laughed and danced and had spiritual conversations.

God is at work in Querétaro. He really wants to bring Mexicans there into his Kingdom. They are beautiful, wonderful, hospitable, and curious people. They believe all types of things, but I learned that there’s a lot of hesitance with religion because of government and church corruption. I think they want to know that Jesus is the way and that there is freedom found in him, and that they won’t be tricked into following another thing that will fail them. I think that’s totally valid.

That’s why I’m glad I went. I got to share my story and why I follow the God of the Bible. I often shared about my tattoos with my new friends (when they asked). And all my tattoos are about me and God. My most recent tattoo is of the Flatiron mountains (the mountains in Boulder) on my forearm that I got with my intern teammate Kathryn in March. Underneath it says “Isaiah 52:7” in my handwriting. That verse reads:

⁷ !!Cuán hermosos son sobre los montes los pies del que trae alegres nuevas, del que anuncia la paz, del que trae nuevas del bien, del que publica salvación, del que dice a Sion: !!Tu Dios reina!

or

How beautiful upon the mountains
    are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
    who publishes salvation,
    who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

This tattoo is the best representation of God’s call on my life. That verse is about me. And my Mexican friends were amazed. It is a blessing to be able to share with new friends that there’s news of peace and freedom and belonging. That we can be saved from the brokenness of the world and that it all happens when God is King! The best part? Querétaro is a city in the midst of beautiful rolling mountains. It was a joy to publish good news there!

I think it’s fun that I got an entirely new nickname that I’ve never heard before. It’s very representative of what God does on these trips- he changes us and makes us new. All new people and new places impact me when I experience them through God’s eyes.

Querétaro will be in my prayers for the rest of my life. And who knows? Maybe I will return someday.

Pictured: Querétaro’s famous arches of the aqueduct. It’s a magnificent Spanish colonial city.