"Panales" (diapers) she said with a smile that filled her face almost like that of a cartoon figure with an oversized grin. She may have been 16 or 17. She was delighted to see us partly because we had just passed out the blankets and baby jumpers that a neighbor had requested during our previous visit to the "concrete village." (see "The Boss," posted here on Nov 1)
We were surrounded by children, maybe 20, some holding our hands, others wanting held or carried, still others who'd run up, touch us and then run away, as if they were initiating some game of tag. It was a very different experience than our visit just five days before. Maybe it was because JJ was making a point to come back more frquently, and they began to recognize his face, or maybe it was because every time someone ask for something specific, we were able to deliver? Maybe she just sensed that we were not just there to drop off goods, but that we genuinely enjoyed the reception we got from she, her neighbors and the children.
We had started our day at Margarita's home, a local women who kept a second-hand shop on her property. She had plenty of blankets and fleece baby jumpers and we could support the local economy by buying from her, while still getting a large supply of what we needed at a reasonable price. It was a win/win...a scenario that does not always present itself in the world of compassionate justice, ministry and service. But today, Margarita had all we needed and we loaded up the truck and headed for "concrete village."
We had planned for this to be the first of several stops, as there were other communities we wanted to visit, but the reception we got was so warm and the feeling so genuine that it just felt right to stay.
"Panales" and "bebe formula" she said...that's what the girl with the big grin needed. She walked along with us, holding her infant of maybe three months, as the children surrounded us, and the women watched intently. She was our translator, as many of the Oaxacan people of this migrant community did not speak Mexican Spanish. Still the women were cautious...they had heard the stories of Americanos who came and took the children from some of these villages and their parents, all in the name of giving them "a better life."
But this day, we were simply listening, playing with the children and learning how we might be most helpful to this emerging community. That's often the course of this ministry...lots of listening, waiting and relationship development, which within a vastly different culture is a painstakingly slow process at times. Today it seemed we were making headway. An 11 year old boy ask for a backpack with supplies for school, and a small boy named Joy asked for a ball.
We said goodbye, double-checked our list of supplies and promised we'd be back in a few days with the needed materials.
Today we returned...with baby formula, diapers and food, a backpack for the young man, and a brightly colored ball which was put into immediate use. Again the children came, but this time the village seemed emptier. The girl with the oversized grin was no where to be seen. Inquiring with one of the other women we learned she, her family and at least two other families had left the day before, headed for southern Baja, hundreds of miles away, sensing there might be more work there.
Within days other families will likely fill the spaces vacated by the girl with the tender smile and her children. Other families chasing the promise of more work at a higher wage in the flower fields outisde Ensenada. The diapers and baby formula will not go to waste and the ball was a big hit. The young man got his backpack, and we established a list of needs for our next visit. But today we took an even bigger step forward. We asked one woman what she and the other parents might really want for their children, and the response came back, "more education," particularly to help them to learn Mexican Spanish...critical to their ability to enter the schools here in the valley. They might be receptive to us sending staff to the village a few times a week to offer a course in Mexican Spanish, which may also help some of the adults.
One step at a time...one day at a time...filling one need at a time...sometimes the patience seems to pay off. But, if there is one thing that remains constant in the mission field of the Baja, it is change. Who knows what we'll encounter next week? For tonight, as the temperatures drop again, my thoughts and prayers are with the teen mother with the large grin, her baby, young Joy and the others who even at this hour are likely making their way to a new village, a new opportunity, and a new life...for now.
No comments:
Post a Comment