Wednesday, July 18, 2007

48 hr from poverty land to fantasyland
















I had a really weird experience. It was not design, but by what ill call destiny.

I had just taken a group of 27 to mexico city. In MC we worked with the poor and needy by providing practical services (medical, dental, optometry, hair care and childrens activities). one day we actually worked in a garbage dump.

In MC there are approximately 200,000 people living in five major garbage dumps under the most destitute conditions. There is no running water, little food and abject poverty. Most people that end up here spend the rest of their lives in and out or only in this prison. One girl on our team had visited this particular dump six years earlier and became friends with a three year old girl. They we reacquainted last week, this child now nine and still growing in the dregs of garbage.

None of that was particularly abnormally weird, I knew what I was getting in to, I signed up for the experience. What was weird, the part I call destiny, was that within 48 hours I went from poverty land to fantasyland (literally). We flew back to dallas, had a great time of celebration and sharing in our church services and then I boarded a plane with my family to visit my parents and head for disneyland.

I didn't have time to decompress unwind or contemplate, I went from appointment to appointment. Even this writing was a long time coming because of the effort it took in getting a proper perspective on this yoyo experience.

I would have to say that besides the extreme emotions that followed, my first take away was a sense of bittersweet.

Bitter
People in abject poverty
A country imploding from political corruption and internal strife
Hunger, disease and neglect
Children raised in absence of proper medical care, healthy nuclear families and a caring social structure.

Sweet
We took a team of 27 to in part, help alleviate the above
We provided over 900 professional services for the people in MC
Our whole team returned safely and more aware of the needs of the world around us
I was reunited with my girls in time for a family vacation
I am more blessed than I deserve

Thank you god for your provision, your help, your people, your plans and your blessings.

1 comment:

navy man of the light said...

dude you were in cali?why did you not stop by lol.hope you had a fun trip.oh i should be in dallas on the 12th of oct.for 9 days.hope to see you then or i wont see you till after deployment aka after april-july