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
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