Mexico Testimony - Nov 08

First of all, I would like thank our friends Dawn and Eric, and the folks from POH, for providing us the opportunity to participate in last Sunday’s mission. It was truly an honor and a privilege to be part of such important event.

Participating in the assistance of this disenfranchised family in Maneadero, Mexico was one of the most heartfelt and eye opening experiences of my life, as well as for my wife, and twin, twelve year-old daughters. Although we have visited Mexico many times in the past, and witnessed many panhandling children on the streets, we never imagined visiting a poor village, where the living conditions seemed to be below poverty level. What we witnessed that day was nothing like we’ve ever seen before. Standing inside one of these dilapidated dirt floor homes, held up by stilts, plywood walls, and tarp roofs, was extremely overwhelming, not to mention the cardboard boxes this family was using for beds. However, seeing the little children’s faces covered with filth, with no shoes on their feet was conceivably the most heart wrenching moment of this experience.

While on this mission, my family and I had a chance to help clean up this family’s home along with many of our friends, giving it a complete makeover, and making it a much more livable environment for their children. We then had a chance to give away some wonderful donations from the ministry, such as clothes, shoes, toys, and food to the rest of the villagers and their children, and greet many families whom I learned to admire for their humbleness, and their amazing strengths to survive under these conditions.

There was one particular young man who I had the opportunity to speak to. His name was Paulino, and a relative of the family that we were helping. He told me that he came from Oaxaca, a southern province in Mexico, and migrated to Ensenada with his family 8 years ago. He works in an agricultural plant where they pack small vegetables, which ironically are exported to the U.S. He told me that he makes 700 pesos a week, which is approximately $54.00 with the current exchange rate, only averaging to about $1.35 per hour. Nonetheless, he was happy he had a job, and able to contribute to the family household.

Upon our return, we had a chance to share many of our stories with our friends and families, and talked about how fortunate we are to live in a nation where the basic living necessities are sometimes taken for granted. I have to say this mission was definitely an opportunity of a lifetime, and one that everyone should experience at least once in their lives. That day, we gave back to the people who truly needed our help, and brought back with us those special moments that filled our hearts and spirits with compassion. For my family, it was a day we will always remember, and one we will always reflect back upon, especially the memorable images of the little children’s faces whose lives we touched.

Orlando