Buenas Dias. Feliz Nuevo Anos!
A long day indeed... the nights sleep didn't go as smoothly as one would have liked. Bottle rockets, M-80's, fireworks, guns etc all going off all night long. We slept ok considering, but not as well as one would have liked.
Today was the last full day of ministry. Sharlene spent a good deal of it sandwich making and taking inventory so they know what they have available for the next Mission, and I finished of the slideshow. After much deliberation, we settled into a 10 minute slideshow with all the teams getting ample airtime and a couple of good songs to go with it. When I was done compiling it- I needed to burn about 15 discs for people who wanted them. I am happy with the end result and people liked the presentation tonight. Memories of kids, staff and team members...
During the outreach the teams get sandwiches for supper while they are out on assignments. ( that was our job...) So the staff get to eat lunch leftovers from the last couple days. On the last day- all the left-over leftovers get wrapped up and given to an area childrens home, the local breakfast feeding program and the hard working pastor's families as well. So the mission takes the staff out for supper on the last night. We went for chinese food. In Mexico....
Turns out there is a very large Chinese community and a vibrant chinatown in Mexicali. The Mexican government brought many Chinese over to help build canals and railways and afterwards renegged on a deal to provide them with homes and land. So many had no way of making a living in the fields and no way to get home so set up in the city's core. It is something odd to see two chinese peple speaking perfect spanish to one another... but it happens here.
We were riding along in Tom's Van. Tom's van ran out of gas 10 minutes into the trip. So we watched the sunset over 4 nice palm trees while being stranded on the side of the road. It was about 30 minutes before a couple fellas came back for us and another 30 before we got to the restaraunt to eat cool ( temperaturewise) Mexican Chinese food. I'm not complaining, mind you... I'm smiling as I think about the adventure.
Speaking of adventure- about half way through the waiting period- Caleb started to get alittle impatient and whined slightly about the situation. Sharlene replied- "It's ok- it's an adventure." to which Caleb rebutted "I don't want any more adventures!" lol
We made it there and back in good shape...
In the Mexican countryside they have made provision for breakdowns. The desert can be a deadly place so, in case of someone running out of gas or vehicle malfunctioning in the middle of the desert, they have "Green Angels". These are government workers who drive the highways looking for people in trouble and giving gas or minor mechanical help or a tow to a garage- for free! How we longed for a green angel to come and rescue us, but being in an urban area, not gonna happen...
Then with the time on my hands I began to think of a spiritual application to this lesson... How many folks in life, here in Mexico and at home, are stranded on the highway of life waiting for help- but afraid to ask for fear that it'll get worse. Whenever a car came up behind you you had to ask- is this the policia to give us a ticket for running out of gas ? ( it happens here). Is it some bad dude looking to take advantage of people in trouble? or is it help?
With these outreaches you can see kids and adults in distress asking the same questions of us as we come to serve them. At first they are reticent, a little nervous and quite shy. But as the teams love on them and share Jesus with them the kids warm up. And often by the end of the week dozens of people, adults and kids alike respond to the love shown them by us, Jesus hands and feet in the world- and inside- their lives begin to change. This area is full of adults, some pastors, some missionaries, some incredible people of faith who were touched by an outreach in the last 40 years of ministry. I wonder who in my life God wants me to be a "green angel" for...
Blessings on the journey,
Mike and Sharlene McDonald
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