The next day the man and woman were calling “Molly! Jack!” Then they went to the woods and there was Molly, Jack, and something else.  

What was it? It was four puppies! The first puppy was named Polly. The second puppy was named Buddy. The third puppy was named Sam and the fourth puppy was named Abigail.

The man and woman got a wagon and took the puppies home. They put the newborn puppies in a box with a blanket and four pillows. Molly got in the box with her litter of puppies and fed them milk. After their tummies were stuffed they took a long nap.

Soon the puppies opened their eyes and saw their mom and dad. They started walking, running, and playing with each other. Some days they rolled in the mud and got dirty. But one day they didn’t have any fun because the woman took them to the vet. The Dr. came in the room carrying a box of medicine and needles. The puppies started to yelp because each of them got their shots from the Dr. After it was over, the assistant gave each of them a meaty tasting treat and they went back home.

Three months later, the man put a sign in the front yard. The sign said, “Puppies for Sale.” A family walked over and saw the sign and asked to see the puppies. They bought Buddy because he was playful. Then a little girl and her mother came to the house. The girl saw Polly and liked her because Polly was so calm. Next, two roommates who were boys came to buy a puppy. They thought Sam was the puppy for them because he was frisky and would be a good pal. But no one wanted to buy Abigail.

The man and woman said Abigail could stay with them. Abigail was kind of sad because she missed her brothers and sisters. She knew that she would see them at the park someday and that made her happy. Now it was time to play ball with the man and woman.

This spring break, I went on my first mission trip. I went to Matamoras, Mexico. I was a little nervous, excited, and happy. I went with my father and 90 other people. We went to set up small, free, medical clinics for the Mexican people.

On my first day, we ate a different type of food – a kind of chicken pot pie, noodles, and veggies. We also got to bed very late.

The place where we were staying was a church. So, the next day we had church there. The preacher spoke through a translator. But, before we had church, my friends and I met a nice little girl named Myra. One little girl with us on the trip knew a lot of Spanish. She taught Myra games like “Hide and Seek,” “Duck-Duck-Goose,” and “tag.”

Later, after church, all the people had gone to the beach or the market. The silence rang in my ears. Daddy, Bethany (another girl on the trip), and I stayed at the church. Myra came and taught us how to play two different games. Daddy and I didn’t know the name of them, so we just called them “Mexican hop-scotch.” It was fun to learn a different country’s games.

The next three days were almost all alike. Each day a pastor would come to where our team was staying and escort us to the church where we would set up our clinics. I worked on one of four medical teams. There was also a veterinarian team. On my team, I set up crafts for the children to do while waiting to be seen by a doctor. I met some very nice children.

I learned a lot about Mexico. The people are just like us. They might speak and look different, but they are just like us. I also learned I live a life of luxury compared to the Mexican people.

That’s what I did over spring break. How about you?