Home from Mexico, where there are two new houses built for two families that needed them. I always have mixed feelings coming home from a mission trip. I love my country and enjoy the pleasures and abundance we have here. I also enjoy living in this area where we have a sense of security. On the other hand, I am reminded of how much I waste, how much my solution is - "just go buy a new one". How much clean water I dump out, use to bath in, and flush, without a thought of how precious clean water is to most of the world. It is the aftermath of a mission trip for me. I feel humbled, sad, happy, and honored to have had this opportunity.
Many people wonder how we choose the people we build for. There is a board of Pastors in each community that Casas por Cristo builds in. Those pastors together look at applications and advise the staff of Casas Por Cristo. Sometimes people are on the list for a long time. There are certain requirements, like they must legally own the land. When we go to build, we do not know of what faith (if any) the family practices. Our mission is to show the love of Christ through our actions of love. The houses are little, and basic structures, with a concrete floor, 2-3 rooms, wired for electric, but no plumbing. Walls are insulated and drywalled, but the drywall is not finished out by the volunteers. The houses have blackboard on the out side walls, covered by chicken wire (to hold on the stucco) and then stucco (cement mixture). The family must finish out painting the outside and drywall. The roof is insulated and covered with black paper and rolls of green roofing. This type of house is appreciated, it keeps their family warm, and dry, even though it was built by mostly unskilled volunteers. Many times, the families, neighbors, or pastors, will help on a worksite, and or feed the volunteers a meal - which is expensive when you are talking about feeding 25 people.This week I met some amazing people who are seeking, following, and sharing the love of Christ. A young man that is being called to ministry, and is fearful of that, but left his business, and is following His call. A missionary that has a great balance of instructing us, but empowering us to learn. A pastor that was called from alcoholism 14 years ago, and followed His call to a much less appealing part of his country from his home where the climate is beautiful, the economy is better, and was safer than the border. I visited college and high school students on our team that grow in their faith, are not afraid to stand up and share their faith. I met a teenage girl that gave me a present, when she doesn't have much at all - I was there to show her the love, and instead, I was being shown. I was invited to make a fool of myself by a group of teenage boys up the street, by dancing with their group. Of course I have no rhythm, but they sincerely had fun and I had more fun. I rode in a van of good men with excellent conversations - the kind of men that put their families first. I met 71 year old man that could out work us all, was so funny, loves Jesus, but still struggles with sin, just like the rest of us. I met an 18 year old girl with a 2 year old baby that shared with me her concerns about raising her baby in an impoverished border town. Arturo, a young man with epilepsy recognized us as Christians and asked us to pray for him by name. I could go on, but you get the picture.
So, who got more out of this trip - the families who have new, but humble homes, or those of us that went to serve and now have humbler hearts?
