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Juarez, Mexico Reflections on the Juarez Mission Trips by Rev. Kathleen Baskin-Ball It is in the giving that there is healing. It is when we offer ourselves generously to the world that we discover healing and hope within our own lives. Every year two teams of people leave the Suncreek UMC congregation and travel to Juarez, Mexico to build homes. We go to give of our time and resources and love to those who are without sufficient shelter. And the families we visit, who live in homes built of cardboard, pallets, and other discarded items, welcome us with unparalleled hospitality. We give a labor of love, candy to the children, a game of soccer on a dirt road, crayons, clothing, toys, and medicine, and we share the heart of Christ with those living on the margins of society. They give their trust, their spirit of endurance, their unwavering faith, their smiles, and their unconditional friendship. And oh, the healing that occurs. Erroneous assumptions about each other’s lives melt away. Border crossings lose their ominous threat. Language barriers refuse to separate new friends in Christ. Unstable and weather vulnerable structures become havens of security and peace. Fearful and distrustful hearts become vessels of blessing and vehicles of grace. And in a world that so often seems apathetic and self-centered there is once again hope that it will not always be this way. For we have discovered that it is in the giving that there is healing.
Adult and Family Mission Trip Information
Lydia Patterson Institute The chapel and some of the classrooms at the Lydia Patterson Institute On our final day of the 2002 trip, we toured Lydia Patterson Institute prior to departing by plane from the El Paso Airport. Lydia Patterson Institute is located in El Paso near the U.S. - Mexico border. It is an 89-year-old United Methodist school that serves students from both sides of the border. As we walked around the school, there was a sense that this was a very special place. The students appeared happy and content. They spoke about their school with great pride. A significant number of the students who attend the school come from extremely impoverished homes in Juarez. The students enter knowing little English, but within about a year they receive the majority of instruction in English. Upon graduation, 90% of the students attend college. The school is very active in helping many of the students to obtain scholarships at United Methodist colleges. Throughout the week in Juarez, we noticed that we saw few teenagers in the community. The ones we did see seemed to be exhausted and burdened. There was such a contrast between the playful spirit of the children and the heavy spirit of the teenagers. We were told that this was due to the fact that most of the teenagers worked long and difficult jobs in the factories. We experienced something very different when we met 17-year-old Norma. She had a warm spirit that glowed. Norma lives across the street from one of our worksites in a very impoverished setting. Yet, unlike the other teens on her street, she attends the Lydia Patterson Institute. Her tuition is funded in part from money Suncreek UMC and other churches in our Jurisdiction give to the school through our apportionments. Part of her tuition and bus transportation expenses for the last four years have been paid by a member of the Suncreek family. Norma is graduating in May and hopes to attend college. What an extraordinary ray of hope shines through Norma and the Lydia Patterson Institute.
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