Why am I going?

The question that I know I'll get from some is "why are you going to Juarez?". After all, it seems to be a violent place and the risks are so high. There's a bit of a back story here, so let me tell you about it.

"The Back Story"

I was privileged to be part of a team that was sent to New Zealand, Australia, and the island of Tanna in the Vanuatu's back in 1993. While I really enjoyed my three months in New Zealand (I LOVED the people of New Zealand and especially the family I got to live with for a month in Auckland), the highlight of the trip was the month in Tanna. If you've never heard of Tanna, you can read about it on this Wikipedia page. I was excited a couple of years ago because they did a season of Survivor in Vanuatu.

How can I describe Tanna and even begin to have you understand it? Tanna is a series of "custom" villages (custom meaning that they held on to old traditions). It really is like stepping back in time hundreds of years. Where we were, there was no running water, no electricity, and people lived in grass huts. They were by far the "poorest" people I've ever met. But what changed my world view was the deep sense of joy and happiness the people of Tanna had. They had almost no possesions yet their joy was unmistakable. And the joy that I was able to share together with many of the people was our love for Christ. And even when we visited some of the "cult" villages (see John Frum cargo cult on Wikipedia), they welcomed us and allowed us to share with them about our faith in Jesus Christ (as opposed to their waiting for the return of John Frum). I learned that you truly can find joy and peace in having nothing and sharing in that joy with other Christians is like experiencing a bit of heaven.

Coming home to the U.S. and our materialism was extremely difficult. I had a really hard time adjusting to life in the U.S. Over the years, I've lost those "feelings", but I've never forgotten the memory of how it impacted me. So when this trip with our church came up, it seemed like a great opportunity for my family (which I didn't have when I went to Tanna) to experience a piece of what I did.

When my wife Carlotta heard about this trip, she suggested what better way to spend our Spring break (last year we were able to go to Washington DC, Boston, and New York City getting our fill of U.S. history). After attending the informational meeting, we didn't have a clear vision of what we'd do on the trip and we aren't the kind of people who can just stand on a street corner and pass out a Bible tract. So we decided we weren't going to go.

But my son Cameron (who has a sensitive spirit that isn't common for 9 year old boys) told my wife that he really wanted to go to Juarez. After talking it through, we decided it would be a great "Father/Son" adventure. So the two of us decided to go. I have three personal goals for the trip:

• I want Cameron to see that his view of the world (which has been limited to middle class America) is skewed. I want him to see the poverty in Juarez. I want him to understand how blessed he is, to be content with what ever he has, and have his heart break for others not as fortunate as we are.
• I want to touch the hearts of the Mexican people we met. We can only give them a meal or two and some shoes that will wear out - but the hope they can have in Jesus Christ will last their whole lives.
• As we minister in Juarez, I want to see God's hand move in a mighty way - so that Cameron would have no doubt that he just saw God work through our team.

So why Juarez?

So you might be thinking, "Nice story, but can't you go somewhere safer"? I was also concerned when I heard about the violence in Juarez. Believe me, I was very close to saying "we aren't going" and there's still a chance that when we get to Texas, we won't cross the border. I was able to talk with Mark Pryor on Saturday. Mark is hosting us at the Texas ministry base for IFM called "House of Cornelius" outside of El Paso. After talking to him, I understand that the violence has subsided a lot with the presense of more Federales and other troops. In addition, the violence has mostly been directed at the fighting cartels and not toward Americans. Believe me, I'll be on "high alert" but I feel comfortable knowing that things have calmed down. We'll also steer clear of downtown Juarez as most of what we'll be doing is on the outskirts of the city. And more than that, I'm trusting in God's plan for next week.

Until next time, please stop and say a prayer for the team.