Mexico

I headed off to Mexico last week for my spring break. It was not a recreational trip but rather one for my Social/Cultural Issues class. Myself and 12 other classmates flew into El Paso, TX where we stayed with host families. This trip was not one I was looking forward to and went exactly as I'd anticipated. It was a rough week for me, the Lord really stretched me. I really didn't know anyone on the trip and so I often found myself isolated while the group dynamics as a whole were awkward and uncomfortable. Did the Lord teach me? Oh man. Did I see poverty that would break your heart? Oh man. Did I meet Christians who saw the needs of the people align with their passions and then actively serve wholeheartedly? Oh man. Was I ready to come home? Oh...man.

First off lets just say that it was absolutely gorgeous in El Paso, TX/ Juarez, Mexico. Mid 70's everyday, sun shining, blue skys and mountains.

The first few days we spent experincing various cultures. We attended a Korean church service (entirely in Korean), we attended a Muslim Mosque, we visited an Indian Reservation, a Hispanic Pregnancy Center, a Women's Intercultural Center, a Holocaust Museum.....but the most impactful days were the days we spent ministering in the villiages that are built on the dumps.

When you think you have it bad.........realize that less than 30 minutes from America there are families living in areas like this:

A FAMILY lives in this hut that is made out of cardboard and whatever else they could find. There is no running water and no electricity. Once a week a government water truck comes and fills up that barrel. That barrel of water is what the family uses for the week (for drinking, cooking, bathing, you name it).

And if just the houses aren't enough to stir your heart, realize that these are the children who live there starving and unable to go to school:

It ripped my heart out. We would drive in two vans into these communties and people would come rushing up. The adults got a loaf of bread, the children a piece of candy. They would swarm to get something so they could to feed their families. Can you imagine what it would be like to daily be forced to swallow your pride and run as fast as you could to a van so that you might have a chance to get a loaf of bread for you and your family? Oh man.

The woman who leads this ministry said, "When you live to survive the future comes the next day. These people can't look ahead because simply surviving the day is what is important." The Shek of the Mosque said, "How can you really minister to the hungry if you've never really been hungry." (this is partially why they fast for 30 days). He also talked about prayer and asked, "How many times a day do you eat something? Probably 4 or 5 counting snacks. Ought not we pray and feed ourselves spiritually even more often than we feed our physical needs?"

This was not a trip about my comfort. This was a trip where I examined myself, my motives, my faith, my gratefulness, my passions. This was a trip where I looked outside of my Ohio/Indiana box and realized that I'm not doing enough. That just going to church on Sunday and praying throughout the week isn't enough. Our lives need to be filled with action. Actions that help meet the needs of the marginalized people. And those people aren't just in Mexico, they are here, and do we as the church reach out to them in ways that make their lives better? Or do we just pray for them, check it off our list and go on with our day? I want to be someone who does more than pray. Prayer is easy, sacrifice and action is more difficult.

that's my favorite picture from the whole trip.
a child's chair propping open the door to the church.