Hola amigos! It has been a little over six weeks of living in Mexico and as much as I miss life in the US, I can already tell that I am definitely going to miss Mexico! There are so many things we often take for granted, such as owning my own car and driving everywhere; here I have learned to adapt to riding the Metro, Metrobus, taxicabs, buses, combis (vans with bench seating), Suburbano (a fast train), light rail trains, and probably some other public transportation I’m forgetting (plus of course, walking lots)! Mexico City is huge, so getting from one side of the city to the other can take hours and every form of public transportation is always crammed-full with people; thankfully, God has complete protection over my life and has kept me safe from all harm this entire time.During my stay here, I have learned so much not only about Mexico and its people, but about myself as a Mexican-American and Christian with a unique outlook and an international heart (and burden) for helping children. I love Mexico for so many reasons and its culture is rich, lively, and so inviting. Nevertheless, I realize that I’m incredibly blessed to be a US Citizen and live in a country where the rule of law (as proven through America’s sometimes difficult history) provides equal protection, freedom and justice for all.
Mexico is a democratic republic and its government has protective laws in existence; however, there are many problems with corruption which creates difficulty in the implementation of those laws whenever politics or other interests are in conflict. I look around me and it is very obvious that even those who are considered poor or homeless in the US have much more than many here in Mexico. Similarly, I have realized that children who live in foster homes or group homes in the US, have so much more provided for them than any child in any sort of government or private shelter or orphanage here in Mexico.I have been praying that God keeps allowing me to learn everything I can about Mexico’s legal system and that someday I might be able to work on influencing to improve Mexico’s laws in order to better protect children and their best interests. I know that God has a purpose for my time here and as difficult (or impossible) as it seems to ever make a difference, only He knows why He has allowed me to see and understand the needs that exist.
During this past week, I was able to keep sharing my time with over 20 beautiful girls who are part of Camino a Casa. I have been spending my days getting to know the girls and learning more about their precious personalities and dreams. It is amazing how God has allowed restoration to be so real in their lives after surviving horrible nightmares of abuse and exploitation in their short lives. I am so blessed to get to play with them, share jokes, rides to and from swim lessons, and watch them purchase little treats at the mini-reward “store” they have at the end of the week with the daily points they accumulate for their good behavior. I have also been teaching them computer basics and they love playing computer games and taking pictures of each other with different backgrounds.
Last week, God also allowed me the privilege of joining the girls and the Founder for Camino a Casa, Congresswoman Rosi Orozco, for an historic event for Mexico. President Felipe Calderon held a signing ceremony to make several changes to the Mexican Constitution in order to better protect victims of human trafficking (for more info, click here) and the girls were special guests at this event. Afterward, the President personally met and greeted each of the girls and me as well! It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
For those of you reading this blog and living in the US, make sure to give thanks to God for all that you have today – your family, house, vehicle, food, clothes, etc. And please continue to pray for Mexico’s children and for my time left working in Mexico (I will head back to the US on 7/31). Pray that God keeps giving me His strength and love to share with these beautiful children who are so precious to Him!