#15 - Sandy Goldman

As I sit and reflect on our time in Mexico and the beautiful people we met- I am struck by three themes that continue to come up:Simplicity, Resourcefulness, and Gratitude. The Mexican people lives, when compared to ours, is so much simpler--they cook meals from scratch, they wash their clothes by hand, they walk to the store (sometimes daily), they pour concrete by hand. One would think that their lives are infinitely more difficult than our own, and indeed in some ways it is. But their lives are also enriched by these simple tasks, they break for lunch for as long as two hours amid laughter and friendship, they bask in the shade of a mesquite tree enjoying the breeze on their faces, they go to sleep tired and achy knowing that they have worked hard for their dream and it is good.

Knowing that they can rely on little help from their government--Mexicans have learned to become very resourceful. Having no Lowe's to pop into, they make most of their tools by hand or recycled things. A block of wood or leftover windshield wiper becomes a scraper for mortar. A length of rope becomes a door handle and Maguey (a local cactus) becomes EVERYTHING! From alcohol from the juice to supper from the leaves, from clothing and household goods from the fibers to siding for their lean-to style homes from the skins. Nothing is ever wasted and usually can exist for two maybe three different purposes.

But the humbling difference that strikes us the most is the gratitude we see in these people. They are grateful for our presence and help, yes, but they are also grateful for their lives. They are grateful for the few meager days of rain received each year, the visit from a friend, a simple smile. They give God the glory for everything! Thanking them for a meal they prepared, the response is "Thanks be to God!" Their children are grateful for a simple game of soccer. Former Habitat home recipients come and help to make their neighbor's dream a reality and thank God that he has brought us across the border to them, making them feel favored by Him.

When Jesus told us to love our God with all our hearts and love our neighbors as ourselves-the Mexican people took Him literally. Each and every day, fraught with difficulties and hardships, these people live the Gospel. And so with sore limbs and over-flowing hearts we returned to reflect on our own lives with humbleness and a deeper understanding of God's love. We joined together for a cause, thinking to help those in need. In trying to be the blessing, we have been blessed.