LEX

mexico

so i went to mexico for thanksgiving with a bunch of great people from my church (and other area churches). trips like these are great for building community. a total of 12 (or more) hours in a car, eating every meal together, and doing life together, provided many opportunities to strengthened many established relationships and to began building new ones. we went prepared with a variety of activities, from building houses to hanging out with kids.

i ended up being in charge of the women's ministry, which included introducing them to a Beth Moore Bible study that has been translated into Spanish - Jesus El Unico y Suficiente - Jesus The One and Only. I was nervous that the material would be beyond their educational level. i mean, Beth Moore is sometimes beyond me even in English. yet the women embraced it with such enthusiasm and gratitude. Juani, one of the pastors' wives, said that the book was so beautiful she cried just looking through it. she committed to meeting with the women once a week to do the study together.

just like in the DR, we did a lot of being. the weather took a nasty turn for the cold and wet, for which many, including me, were not prepared. so on the second day, after we finished with the study, one of the women asked us to come to her house. in front of her house, several of the men were building her a new house. behind her house we sat, with about 10 children (none belonging to her) by a very warm fire, eating arroz con leche and pan dulce.

i don't know if i will ever cease to be amazed by the gratitude, generosity and hospitality of the poor.

another exciting piece of news about water: a while back a group of people began digging a well in search of a water source for the colonia. they dug and they dug and the did, indeed, find water. they sent it off to be test - to see if it was potable. the restults? perfectly pure. it's an artesian well. a whole colonia now has free access to what many americans pay $1.50 for 12 oz.

posted by Alexia & Jeffrey @ 11:28 PM