Loving Mexico Out Loud
The journey of an incarnational ministryArchive for August, 2010
Back!
We’re back! I can’t believe a week flew by so quickly… Each day was an eye-opening experience, and every day brought new perspectives to mind.
Before this trip, whenever I would hear about human trafficking, I always imagined the problem to be in some faraway land I couldn’t quite grasp. When we watched the movie “Trade,” it hit me pretty hard. The movie opened with a bunch of scenes of Mexico – your typical skyscrapers, tourist attractions, the Metrobus, people driving in their orderly chaos, street vendors, graffiti-covered walls… Even though I had only been in Mexico a few days by that time, those scenes seemed so familiar, and I was kind of excited that the movie takes place exactly where I was. My excitement quickly turned somber as I got a glimpse of what was really going on underneath it all – women and children are being kidnapped, duped, and exploited for labor or sex… and it was all happening so close to me. Just an hour’s bus ride away was La Merced, where sex workers line the streets and the rest of the community just carries on indifferently. During our prayer walk, my prayers became more and more desperate as I began to realize how real it all is…
The more I learned about human trafficking, I realized what a complex problem it is and how many obstacles must be overcome… people’s indifference, the corrupt/cowardly government officials, the low success rate of prosecutions, the impact of human trafficking crossing international borders… I felt so small as I realized all I could do was some manual labor to prepare a shelter for the victims. I was so encouraged and inspired by Pastor Benny, Janice, and the other missionaries/staff members who are doing so much more and have made so many sacrifices for this effort.
I think my team members covered the details of our trip pretty well (sorry for not blogging during the trip), so I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes:
“It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope and, crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest wall of oppression and resistance.”
~Robert F. Kennedy
Even though it seems like an uphill battle, I can’t help but think this is the beginning of something great…
Michelle
I’m leaving on a jet plane…
It is our last day here, and as we prepare to fly back to LA, I can’t believe our mission trip has already come to an end. I’m looking forward to going home, but at the same time, I really don’t want to leave. Even though it’s only been a week, it has been an incredible experience, and it was such a privilege to have been part of El Pozo’s amazing journey.
El Pozo has been transformed to become a place that looks and feels like a safe haven. When I am there, I feel so safe, at peace, and full of hope. I am so glad that we were able to put in the finishing touches to make it a home for the girls. But as Brian mentioned in the previous post, La Merced (where we had our prayer walk) was a stark contrast. I just couldn’t believe how blatantly the girls were standing around and how everyone else seemed to be fine with this. The more we walked, the more furiously I prayed because every girl out there is somebody’s daughter, friend, sister, and possibly even mother. I could literally feel my heart breaking and felt sick to my stomach. Then I realized, if seeing these girls breaks my heart this much, I can’t even begin to imagine how much it breaks God’s heart to see His beloved children like that. It was my first time visiting a red light district, and after seeing it, the issue of human/sex trafficking started to feel like the insurmountable Goliath again.
But last night, at the NEO service at Pastor Benny & Janice’s place, I was reminded that we simply need to show radical and furious love, and God will do the rest. Because there is no way we can attack and resolve this issue by our power alone. And since last night was our final night in Mexico City, we went shopping at a local bazaar/marketplace, hung out with some NEO members at Cafe Ocho, and went for one last late night taco run! Definitely going to miss this place..
Parting is such sweet sorrow, but Janice has invited us to come back once El Pozo is up and running, so we’ll definitely be on the look out for that. Once again, thanks so much for all your support, prayers, and comments! We’re leaving on a jet plane, but we’ll be back again. 
God Bless,
Sarah
And the work continues…
I (Brian) wouldn’t consider myself a connoisseur, but I do drink a lot of coffee. Of all the thousands of cups I have had over the years, the second best cup I’ve had was right here in Mexico City — and it was from a package sold at Wal-Mart! (In case you’re wondering, the best cup of coffee I’ve had was from Cusco, Peru.) Unfortunately, we ran out of coffee this morning, and a few of us caffeine-dependent folks had a bit more trouble waking up for the day. Luckily, there was a Starbucks across the street. =)
With a (now) alert mind, we boarded the Metro Bus and headed back to El Pozo for the final touches. This mostly entailed some handy work, like fixing the couches for the common space area and nailing in some closet panels.
But we also had to clean the place up and do a final “quality assurance” test, which Khai so gladly did:
The place is really coming together. There are a few things that need to be done that our team can’t quite do (mainly electrical work), but it is just a few steps away from becoming a haven to victims in need of some love and peace.
We then headed to “Perisur” for lunch. As we stepped into this mall, it felt like we were magically teleported to a Westfield shopping center in America. It was gigantic! It even had those little stands in the middle that would sell random things like cell phone gadgets, baby/pet clothing, and even a hair straightener/curler complete with a slick sales rep that would demonstrate the product on you. It was a bit surreal.
What came next is probably the most depressing part of the trip so far for me: La Merced. La Merced is a very busy place with people-filled sidewalks and streets. It is sprawled with people selling anything and everything, from music to trinkets to clothing. Unfortunately, this also included people selling themselves. In less than 20 steps, I would pass by a booth selling children’s clothing, followed by a booth selling pornographic media, followed by a jewelry booth, followed by a sex worker. Mind you, this was in the middle of the day in broad daylight. Both young and old were roaming through the markets, each of them having easy access to all of these things. Something is clearly wrong with this picture.
It turns out that, as night falls, the shops close and sex is literally what sells. As you make your way deeper and deeper into the back streets, what gets sold crosses the borders from wrong to bad to vile to evil. It’s as if the heart of La Merced is a deep darkness. This is the sad reality of La Merced. This is the sad reality of the victims in La Merced. This is the sad reality to millions each year. Many would like to turn a blind eye. The sadness is even deeper for those who do. But just as the hearts of many have been purified and redeemed by Jesus Christ, so too can La Merced be transformed.
I had prayed the entire time while walking the streets of La Merced. Every pair of eyes I looked at told me the same thing: “This is what I have to do to get by.” From the salesman trying to make a few pesos from pirated DVDs, to the sex worker standing at the street corner who sees the judgment in everyone’s eyes, to the child staring blankly next to his begging mother. The emptiness of La Merced has become their accepted reality. So much emptiness. So much room for God’s abundant joy.
A person’s struggle is not what defines him or her, and the sorrow of La Merced isn’t what defines all of Mexico City. So we then ventured off to Zocalo and the Mercado Ciudadela to appreciate the rich history of Mexico City and the creative artistry that its people have to offer. All what we saw were external manifestations, but it was a reminder of the inner beauty that God has created in all of us.
Our time here in Mexico City is nearly over, but that doesn’t mean that God’s work here is over. All of what we saw and experienced today served as a clear message that God has big restorative plans for Mexico City and He is only just beginning.
In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. – Philippians 1:4-6
