So today was our last day in the communities. For some of us, it is a sad day because we don’t know if we’ll ever be back again. For others, we are excited to return when we can to continue serving, fellowshipping, and learning from our family in Tijuana.
Jared:
It seems like this week has been plagued by things that are incomplete. The first year I was here, we completed a roof, the next we poured a cement floor, doubling the size of a woman’s home. This year, I had a chance to see some work I had done previously, in which we spent quite some time digging through sand and rock to form a trench that would later hold the foundation for a retaining wall. I asked Katherine Raymond (who now responds to K-Ray) if we could see that work we had done. As we walked over, I had hoped to see rebar, concrete, or even a finished wall, but what I found was our entire trench filled with sediment washed down the hillside by rain. This was disheartening for the rest of the trip, as time always seemed too short to finish what we had started.
Today, we worked on finishing up some work on a retaining wall involving making wooden formwork to house cement. I was halfway through cutting the very last piece to finish the formwork I had been working on for 45 minutes when Barbara, a World Vision representative literally made me stop the circular saw in my hands to eat lunch. I just stared at her for a second, as anxiety brewed inside of me, and in that moment I wanted nothing more than to finish what I had started.
So looking back at the work that I’ve done, and the seed of doubt that was planted in seeing previous work foiled, I’ve had to grapple with what all that means in the grand scheme of things. Why would God send me to a place where only a few days of work aren’t stretched to their fullest? Why would there not be enough time to finish what we had started? Perhaps it’s a somewhat painful way of keeping the people of Tijuana in our thoughts and prayers, and to keep the fire to serve others burning inside us.
Brian:
I wonder as I look back on today how all of this fits into the larger picture – visiting the beach (“playa” in Spanish) and seeing how the Wall between our countries has impacted the lives of people here, building a retaining wall to protect a small community center in a canyon, playing with children or even a simple soccer match – I wonder how these experiences can be brought home with me. Kathryn Compton challenged us to look beyond the small tasks, to try to understand the deeper issues of poverty, and that is a thought that I am wrestling with tonight. How does God work in situations like this? While this was brought up in discussion this morning, the weight of the situation here in Tijuana is overpowering.
This is not to say that our time here has been for nothing. As we said our goodbyes, many thankful words were exchanged, and tears were shed. Our brethren here value us as much as we value them – and through our shared time all of us leave feeling blessed to be a part of God’s family. In Tijuana, we are shown just how powerful God’s love is, and what people can do when we are united by this love. And even though our stay is short, the effects linger for a long time. Ultimately, when we return to Ann Arbor, we come back knowing a little more about the brokenness of our world, but also understanding our roles in God’s plan and having hope in His promise to make things right in the end.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Meeting our sponsored child...
Today was our last day in the communities, and it was definitely bittersweet. The chicas and I spent the morning painting figurines with some of the children in the community, while the boys worked on building a retaining wall behind the community center. At first, I was disappointed that I wasn’t asked to use my super awesome muscles to help with the construction, but I ended up having an incredibly fun time painting with a little girl named Julie Diana. Even though I couldn’t understand everything she said to me, we really connected, especially over shared laughs about how difficult it was for me to say “anaranjado” (or, “orange,” in English).
In the afternoon, Molly and I were unbelievably blessed to be able to meet our family’s sponsored child, Jose Ricardo. He and his father, mother, and little sister came to Villarutia to eat lunch with us. Seeing how excited Jose Ricardo and his family were to meet us really touched my heart. His father told us that they had found out only that morning that Molly and I were here, so they had all quickly showered and gotten ready in order to hurry over to meet us. Jose Ricardo’s 12th birthday was three days ago, and since his father is currently out of work, his family didn’t have enough money to buy him any presents. It was so awesome to be able to give him a birthday present, although I only wished that we could do more for him and his family. This whole experience down here in TJ has really reaffirmed my desire to serve the poor, and meeting Jose Ricardo brought the poor so much closer to my heart in such a real way.
-Hannah L.
In the afternoon, Molly and I were unbelievably blessed to be able to meet our family’s sponsored child, Jose Ricardo. He and his father, mother, and little sister came to Villarutia to eat lunch with us. Seeing how excited Jose Ricardo and his family were to meet us really touched my heart. His father told us that they had found out only that morning that Molly and I were here, so they had all quickly showered and gotten ready in order to hurry over to meet us. Jose Ricardo’s 12th birthday was three days ago, and since his father is currently out of work, his family didn’t have enough money to buy him any presents. It was so awesome to be able to give him a birthday present, although I only wished that we could do more for him and his family. This whole experience down here in TJ has really reaffirmed my desire to serve the poor, and meeting Jose Ricardo brought the poor so much closer to my heart in such a real way.
-Hannah L.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Okay guys...
Today was a fantastic day. In our morning devotional we read Matthew 6:5-15 and 7:7-12. The discussion was about prayer, and it was both encouraging and challenging. Jesus tells us to ask for things and he will give it to us: “how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him.” Yet, we wrestled with how to understand what we see in the communities around us; mothers ask God for food for their children, yet it is a reality that starvation still exists. We remind ourselves that the world is a broken place, where everything does not happen the way God wants it. Yet, we are a part of God’s work and are called to be actively involved in helping the poor and seeking to resolve these issues. There is still tension there that we grapple with individually, and must see for ourselves how we fit into the plan to restore justice.
Part of that plan is for us to be here right now in Tijuana. Today, we went to a community called Villa Urrutia. We had a quite bumpy ride into the community, and understood why we couldn’t have made it out there during the rainy Saturday. The girls were put to work pulling weeds and picking up trash, while the boys did manly stuff…they dug a trench for a retaining wall around the community center, dug up other small foundations that needed to be cleaned before dropping formwork in (according to Brian our construction consultant), filled in holes in the ground (mini cliffs that drop several feet) in the soccer field, and ended the work day by carrying wood and heavy bags of cement down the very steep and muddy hill to the community. Afterwards, we had a DELICIOUS lunch with mole, chicken, and rice with tamarind juice (mmmm!).
During the day, the kids came home from school and helped us cool off. They learned this trick of biting a hole in the bottom of a water bottle so they could squirt water out. Hannah, Alexis, Liz, Molly, Brian and a few others got unexpected showers, and it felt great in the warm sun.
After simultaneous games of futbol and catching ladybugs, we drove to another community called Zapata, and learned about the women’s work with the children. This community center was a place for children to come and receive healthy meals, to be involved in activities, and to learn skills with their mothers that could improve economic stability for their families. Alexis and Hannah Logue bought lovely bufandas (scarves) there, made by the women of the community.
Today was a day full of the blessings and challenges of Christian community.
After dinner, we played a rousing game of telephone Pictionary and ended the day early for our tired teammates to get some needed rest and dream of the paletas (popsicles) we will be getting tomorrow…
Alexis and Liz
Part of that plan is for us to be here right now in Tijuana. Today, we went to a community called Villa Urrutia. We had a quite bumpy ride into the community, and understood why we couldn’t have made it out there during the rainy Saturday. The girls were put to work pulling weeds and picking up trash, while the boys did manly stuff…they dug a trench for a retaining wall around the community center, dug up other small foundations that needed to be cleaned before dropping formwork in (according to Brian our construction consultant), filled in holes in the ground (mini cliffs that drop several feet) in the soccer field, and ended the work day by carrying wood and heavy bags of cement down the very steep and muddy hill to the community. Afterwards, we had a DELICIOUS lunch with mole, chicken, and rice with tamarind juice (mmmm!).
During the day, the kids came home from school and helped us cool off. They learned this trick of biting a hole in the bottom of a water bottle so they could squirt water out. Hannah, Alexis, Liz, Molly, Brian and a few others got unexpected showers, and it felt great in the warm sun.
After simultaneous games of futbol and catching ladybugs, we drove to another community called Zapata, and learned about the women’s work with the children. This community center was a place for children to come and receive healthy meals, to be involved in activities, and to learn skills with their mothers that could improve economic stability for their families. Alexis and Hannah Logue bought lovely bufandas (scarves) there, made by the women of the community.
Today was a day full of the blessings and challenges of Christian community.
After dinner, we played a rousing game of telephone Pictionary and ended the day early for our tired teammates to get some needed rest and dream of the paletas (popsicles) we will be getting tomorrow…
Alexis and Liz
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
From Hannah R. about yesterday...
Hola amigos y familia! I have so many thoughts and feelings about what I’ve experienced thus far and asked to be allowed to write my own separate blog. I will attempt to be brief, but no promises (this one’s for you, mamacita). Also, happy birthday Miguelito J make two shorter sentences…
The trip began with much apprehension on my part; I wasn’t convinced I should be going. I came into this with close to no expectations for my time here. We stepped off the plane into San Diego and into our vans to cross the border and once we did, the contrast was striking. It was a clear line between prosperity to the point of extravagance and poverty to the point of desperation. I had heard this was the case and expected to have a moment of pure sadness and indignation that this sort of contrast is allowed to exist. I did have those feelings, but was surprised by other emotions as well. I haven’t been discouraged by this expanse of poverty, but encouraged by my ability to do something about it this week and in the future, especially hearing about World Vision‘s work and a need for medical liaisons (yay, nursing!). I can’t write it all here, but there possibilities for my future and gifts that God can use that I am so excited about. There’s also a strange beauty about the communities. The houses nestled in the hills and mountainside are inexplicably and sadly beautiful. Love-Hannah R.
The trip began with much apprehension on my part; I wasn’t convinced I should be going. I came into this with close to no expectations for my time here. We stepped off the plane into San Diego and into our vans to cross the border and once we did, the contrast was striking. It was a clear line between prosperity to the point of extravagance and poverty to the point of desperation. I had heard this was the case and expected to have a moment of pure sadness and indignation that this sort of contrast is allowed to exist. I did have those feelings, but was surprised by other emotions as well. I haven’t been discouraged by this expanse of poverty, but encouraged by my ability to do something about it this week and in the future, especially hearing about World Vision‘s work and a need for medical liaisons (yay, nursing!). I can’t write it all here, but there possibilities for my future and gifts that God can use that I am so excited about. There’s also a strange beauty about the communities. The houses nestled in the hills and mountainside are inexplicably and sadly beautiful. Love-Hannah R.
From Caroline - more to come...
Today we woke up to the beautiful sun (it still exists!) shining in our windows. It was an amazing morning here in Mexico and it is great to see God's creation glorifying Him! After breakfast, we had devotionals about the Beatitudes. This passage is full of great promises from God and all of us were greatly encouraged and excited for our first day of working in the communities.
Once we got to the community of El Pedregal, we were split into two groups. Caroline, Alexis, Hannah, and Elizabeth worked at the community center and painted for them. We worked with a group of ladies who cooked for the children of the community. They made breakfast for children of the community and cooked a healthy lunch that was a healthy alternative to the school lunches that they are offered. They also teach the children about healthy food choices. This nutrition program is part of a larger goal of health promotion in the community. Learning about this was informing. Painting with the kids was great! We painted the outside of the building white and then decorated it with a mural of children, trees (they really liked las manzanas-bananas), and other great things. We took suggestions from all the ninos (kids) and it was a blessing to be able to be a part of their lives for a day.
Once we got to the community of El Pedregal, we were split into two groups. Caroline, Alexis, Hannah, and Elizabeth worked at the community center and painted for them. We worked with a group of ladies who cooked for the children of the community. They made breakfast for children of the community and cooked a healthy lunch that was a healthy alternative to the school lunches that they are offered. They also teach the children about healthy food choices. This nutrition program is part of a larger goal of health promotion in the community. Learning about this was informing. Painting with the kids was great! We painted the outside of the building white and then decorated it with a mural of children, trees (they really liked las manzanas-bananas), and other great things. We took suggestions from all the ninos (kids) and it was a blessing to be able to be a part of their lives for a day.
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