SueJean and I have now returned from our excursion to Mexico. Because I would have been at a complete loss in articulating our travels and handling the camera, I have necessarily let her have charge over our blog site. She has posted several entries regarding our recent trip south of the border at www.tsiyonbound.blogspot.com.
I am absolutely pleased, and sometimes amazed, at her literary skills. I am also deeply moved by her comment in her most recent post regarding “a perfect life with a perfect man”. With me, the feelings are mutual. For the first time in my life, I have been blessed with the perfect “help-meet”, as Moses wrote of Eve in Genesis—for me, my personal June Carter Cash.
Even though I have left the travel blog duties to my sweetheart, I felt the need to describe our trip to Mexico from my point of view. I have been across the border only 4-5 times in my life—Nogales, Sonora and Piedras Negras, Coahuila. So, my prior exposure to life in Mexico was limited to border towns and a myriad of news reports regarding drug related violence.
Needless to say, I had a lot of reservations when my darling companion made me aware last December of the upcoming excursion to Bahia de Kino (Kino Bay). We have always looked for open doors our Lord provides—His divine direction. This trip seemed to be an open door. Yet, a nagging question continually prevailed in our minds. Just what was His purpose for us to fulfill?
After over a month of preparation for the trip, the day finally came to begin the journey into the Mexican interior. On our initial entry to obtain visas and change our money to pesos, we encountered two border officers that saw our karaoke sign on the side of our truck. Turns out, they were big Johnny Cash fans. There were nothing but smiles on all our faces while the rest of our caravan waited patiently down the road for us to finish our little musical conversation.
Driving in Mexico wasn't nearly as bad as I had perceived before hand. Actually, they were smoother than many we encountered last summer in several U.S states. Even though Mexico's roads were more narrow than ours and had little or no shoulders, I found them rather easy to negotiate. Of course, it was a tad scary passing a fully equipped 18 wheeler. Just as big in the anxiety area were the 2-6 foot drop offs on the side of most of the roadways—instant disaster if I drifted too far to the right.
Something that moved me deeply was the abject poverty most Mexican citizens live in. In America, most of us are oblivious to the degree of poverty in other countries. Much of our worst is better than in Mexico. Even though I saw neighborhoods in Hermosillo that appeared to be in the million dollar range, and a very small complement of middle class, a very large contingent weren't so lucky. At best, they lived in mud or adobe structures with little or no utilities, or worse, in tar paper huts or less.
Although the structure of the rally was in the form of a vacation or retreat, the main purpose was charity for the communities of Benjamin Hill and Kino Bay. Between the two, several thousand dollars were donated to the people of these towns. I personally watched as a few people became beneficiaries of funds to build much needed houses and children were provided with food and clothing. A few of our members remained after the rally to help build those structures. I was extremely proud to have a part in this honorable venture.
Music was also a major part of our trip. Before leaving for Mexico, we had the privilege of doing a karaoke gig at Pima County Fairgrounds in Tucson. The night before returning to Arizona, we again had the honor of a karaoke performance in Kino Bay. Both generated high reviews from all the rally members.
As always, I enjoy every musical performance I give. Even so, there were two incidents that gave me greater joy than any others. While performing at Kino Bay, our music was a great blessing to even the Spanish speaking persons in attendance. Although they didn't understand the words, the tunes were very recognizable.
While making our return to Arizona, we stopped in Benjamin Hill for fuel. During that stop, the gas attendant made comment about the Johnny Cash sign on our truck. Before that stop was complete, I had done a small performance for him and several other local people present. The smiles on their faces will remain within my memory for years to come.
There is another item that, in my opinion, ranks higher than anything we encountered on our Mexico excursion. While I was singing in Benjamin Hill for those men gathered around our truck, I watched as SueJean interacted with one of these men.
The man had horribly withered hands, had obvious trouble with speech, and was confined to a wheel chair. Before all was said and done, this man became the recipient of most of the lunch originally prepared for me. My cookies disappeared in the same fashion to the needy at Nogales border crossing later in the day. What blessed my heart more than anything was standing beside the truck and watching my lady bend over this man with loving care and present him with Father's gift.
Possibly more than any of my concerns about traveling in Mexico, I worried about encounters with border and local police officers. Even before specific fears were instilled upon me just before embarking on our journey, such related things had always been a part of my thinking. However, on this trip, we specifically prayed and asked Father for favor with all the authorities. Such prayer was answered, sometimes in humorous fashion. SueJean relates some of these details in her posts.
So, what was Father's purpose for us on this trip? Was it the experience I would gain for driving on roads inferior to which I was previously unaccustomed? Was it the gift of music He wanted us to share with others? Maybe it was insight into how those of other nations live—to make us more appreciative of the standard of living at which we live? Could it have been the men at Benjamin Hill? Or, could it have been His effort to strengthen my faith in His hand of protection? Could it have been any one, all of the above, or maybe something unknown?
The answer to that question may never be completely known to us in this life. Yet, I think it reasonable to assume every one had a degree of importance in Father's plan. Even though I am still very human, and subject to very human fallacies, I have learned one thing. I have learned not to fear His leading. I have become better able to recognize His open doors and boldly move through them.
If there is one thing I could leave with my readers, it would be this. Father will never assign a task to His bondservants without providing the resources to accomplish that task. It's like Yeshua giving the charge in Matthew 28:19 to “go into all the world”, and saying in v. 20, “and, lo, I will be with you always, even to the end of the age”. Have a terrific Son-shine day in Messiah, my friends!
