Good worship and good food. Our first full day here was filled with both...and more.
Our first contact with the little ones here at the City of Children was high-five-ing them as they marched proudly to church. There's a glow to that innocent kind of call to worship that sets you immediately at ease. And, instead of sackcloth and ashes, our worship was garbed in t-shirts etched with Sharpies and reminders of God's love. Raising our praise in English and Spanish, there was a wonder and oneness in worship that was simply wonderful and wonderful because it was so simple. No grand exegesis of scripture, just an amazing fulfilling of scripture that calls us to be of one heart.
Then we left communion of one sort to enjoy another as we all gathered around the table for fine homemade Mexican fare prepared by the ladies of the City of Children. For those of us who have been here before, this is a much anticipated meal -- zesty salsa, gracious gobs of guacamole, perfectly prepared rice, soft warm corn tortillas rolled as tacos and, for the daring...a hot pepper. John Risse proved he truly has a bit of fire in the belly by putting away an awe-inspiring four hot peppers. How he was able to down that and still keep it down during his turn at jump rope is one of a growing number of miraculous moments here in Mexico.
Sharing praise and food and fun, we're becoming a very special congregation...or is that coagulation (again, this is one of the things you need to ask someone on the trip and then enjoy the story). Also an occasional truck salute provided an interesting accompaniment to our service.
Anyway, from this foundation of friendship (worship), a few of us traveled to another foundation that will serve to build closer relations among all of us here. We went to check on the foundation for the house we will build during the week. The house consists of two rooms. In total, it's about 10.5 feet by 24 or 25 feet. A couple and their two children will call it home. But right now it's just a concrete slap in the dirt. But like most things shared here in Mexico this is a foundation for a story. Five years ago, within minutes of being informed by email that it would cost $600 to pay for the foundation of the very first house North Blvd raised in Mexico, someone visited Skid and offered the surplus of their tax return to help with the Mexico mission trip. That timely gift paid for the first foundation of the first house and these same donors have literally paved the way for our service by providing for a total of five foundations now. Our donors have asked that they remain anonymous. But, we're sorry to tell them that they can't...God knows who they are. We thank them of their generosity and the fact that not only does God know who they are but they obviously know who He is.
Then after dinner we all gathered at the gym where Captain America and his Mexican counterpart whipped up the crowd into a competitive frenzy. The chicas won round one and so Katie donned the world champion belt...and for a time our borderline border war was eased. And then there was the much-awaited opening skit...much-awaited because no one was quite sure if Skid and Jeff would finish it before it opened. The skit opened with more questions than answers, more intrigue than revelation...for the moment. Four kids are locked in the Ensenada Museum of World History with Special Emphasis on Mexico, America and the Bible. They've found a note inscribed with the promise that something special would happen precisely at 10:10 p.m. (ten minutes after the museum closed!). We built to this moment with a greedy museum owner that implores his patrons not to touch anything because breaking any of the objects of great value in his collection would render them worthless. Our locked in teens are almost caught by a "keyed-up" security guard named Mo, played by Joe Mayes. We're not sure who Mo/Joe modeled his character after -- Charlie Chaplin or Frank Poncherello. But just as we all counted down to 10:10, the skit ended "to be continued tomorrow," leaving us to savor the anticipation and, for many of us, the burn of hot peppers that still simmered in our stomachs.
To cool our curiosity and perhaps lighten the lingering burn, we ended up the day with Elder-served ice cream. There's nothing quite like ice cream served by an elder. It's a lesson you can lick.
Then to bed...because tomorrow is a full work day. Some will get up early to begin raising the walls of the house we're building. Some will go to the Smart and Final to buy food to distribute and raise people's spirits. Some will begin framing t-shirts from the different groups coming to serve in Mexico and so raise a cotton-polyester blend monument to the power of this place and its people to bring us together. Three different tasks all working together to fashion a beautiful mosaico of service.
Speaking of service, the Festival of Sharing hat was awarded to Lindsey Lee for her willingness to help out and pitch in in a pinch.
Time for me to catch a few winks. Until tomorrow and 10:10 a.m. Oh, by the way, 10:10 is our reference to John 10:10. That's the verse we're exploring this week, along with a Bible character -- the woman at the well. But more about that later..and so, again, until then...10:10.
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