Louis Goldman

It’s been a month since our trip to Mexico and, during that time, not a moment has gone by that I haven’t thought about our experience. We were asked to write a reflection on our trip; although I’ve started this many times in my head, this is the first time that I am actually writing it down. My kids and I are in Virginia Beach for Spring Break waiting to meet up with my beautiful wife, Sandy, later today. She had classes to attend this week and didn’t want to miss the entire week, so she’ll play hooky for only two classes instead. While preparing for this trip, my son said that this trip reminded him of when Sandy and I left for our Habitat Trip to Mexico. With that trip my children remained home, with this trip my wife remained home, both trips having restrictions on the family. My daughter, Katie, mentioned that this was our year for firsts. The Mexico trip was the first time since the children were born that they were left in the care of someone other than either of us for an extended period of time. Although we knew in our hearts that they were left in very good hands, Sandy’s mother, it was still a first and an extremely difficult thing to deal with.

This trip reminds me a lot of that of Mexico, in that, I hear God loud here. The entire time in Mexico, God’s voice was very loud and clear, 24/7. We both noticed when we returned to Virginia how much noise there was all around us. Not literal noise but the stress of everyday life makes conversations with God an effort. Being away from my children was extremely difficult however my experience in Mexico was ever so fulfilling.

Prior to our trip, one of my son’s teachers got on her soap box and explained to her class how wrong she thought it was that folks would set off to travel to Mexico to help them when we had poverty and starving people here in America. Hearing this made me extremely upset that she would use her position of authority to voice her opinion to the children. After experiencing this trip to Mexico, I ask her, “What have you done to help your neighbor?” The bible says to love your neighbor as yourself. Folks from Mexico are our neighbors, brothers, and sisters, too. They are beings that need help, just like everyone around us. We as Americans should not look down our noses at others, who are not the same race, color, or don’t speak our language. Mexicans leave their wives and children to come here to make money doing jobs that Americans don’t want to do or refuse to do for such little pay. They live in groups to save money so they can send most of it back to support their families. I know how difficult it was to leave my kids for a week; I can’t imagine leaving them for years in order to support them from another country. This experience has given me new eyes in which to look at the Mexicans around me, a new understanding and appreciation for the sacrifices they make. We need to stop judging them and accept them and help them. Has anyone ever thought that if their (Mexicans) lives were better they would not be risking them to cross the border illegally in order to send money back to support their families?

While in Santiago de Anaya, my family’s mason’s helper did not show up to work one morning. Victor, our mason, explained that Jose had told him that if he did not come to work, that he had left for the United States (illegally). All of us were concerned and bothered by this, not because of what he did but the reasons behind his actions. Jose has a beautiful wife and child that he left behind. On Friday, when we returned for our roof pour, we found Jose there. We all hugged him and thanked God that he didn’t leave. We asked him why he didn’t just get the proper papers and cross the border legally. Jose explained that his government will not even allow someone to start the paperwork until they had 50,000 pesos (5,000 dollars) in the bank. That amount, in the eyes of many Mexican citizens is a dream. The crazy thing is that it’s not the Americans that snub illegal Mexicans as much as the Mexicans that have crossed legally and have established themselves in America. These Mexicans, referred to as “Chicanos” by those we met in Mexico, are the ones that give Mexicans the hardest time. They said that they would think that these “Chicanos” would understand and help others to cross over legally, however they don’t.

On Friday night, Gary Glouster and Rich Fife held a Eucharist for us to close out our week. We were asked to bring an item to the altar, a symbol and to explain what it meant to us. I don’t know how many, if any, knew what I presented because I was SO FULL I could not speak without becoming a babbling fool. I presented my “Cross and hammer” that I wore daily. This represented my gift that God gave me, the opportunity to go and help those in need. In the beginning, Sandy and I did not know how we were going to be able to pull this trip off. We did something that is very hard to do… we put it in God’s hands.

This trip was amazingly emotional for me and I think several others or, at least, Sandy. I felt daily that my cup was full from morning to night. The people that we met and interacted with were incredibly nice. The experience I felt in Mexico was the same as that which I experienced in Germany, you were never judged by those around you. You were accepted, one hundred percent no questions asked. Americans tend to always question, evaluate or judge who you are or what your motives are. Why is that? Why can’t we accept each other without question?I thank God for having given me the opportunity to have experienced this trip as He did.

I thank God for touching my life with those that went on this life-changing experience with me. I know that He puts us in contact with those that He feels we should experience and that only He knows why. I am grateful for everyone’s support, friendship and love. I worked with folks that I can only hope and pray I will grow to be like them some day. You are an inspiration and you know why, I love you and I thank you. I pray that God will allow me to do this again and again, next time with a child or two or three. I’ve taught my kids to build things and try new things even if they have not done it before. I know they, too, can be a great asset on a trip like this. My family has lots to offer and I pray we will be given the chance to give again to others as we have been blessed by others as well. I thank the Diocese for allowing our team to go on this trip. God formed this team; hand picked us, ten people, some strangers, for a purpose. What a great job He did. I hold a special place for each of you in my heart and will treasure my memories forever. Thanks again, I love you all.