The Oasis

This week has been a tall glass of water for Sarah and I.  We traveled to Juarez to work with our friends, Matt and Misty who live in Juarez.  They work with an organization called Amigos that does a number of projects within the city.  They have a vision for change and beauty in this neighborhood that just a year ago or so had no paved roads and most of the homes were made out of pallets.  There has been a number of changes so far over the years partly due to Carmen's Cocina.  One of our new friends that has been cooking for up to 400 kids a day in a poor neighborhood in Juarez.  It is a story of success.  Partly due to media attention to Cocina De Carmen the government has poured more money into the school and as of now the first and only school in Juarez to have an after school program.  Their home is an oasis in the dusty, forgotten neighborhood.  We talked about starting gardens and working with them to build greenhouses and teaching the neighborhood to grow some of their own vegetables.  

 

After our time in Juarez we started heading south to Creel, in the Sierra Mountains.  Mid December, we heard about this people group, the Tarahumaras, who are natives to the region.  This people group is keeping to their culture amidst the pressure of the Mexican culture upon them for a couple hundred years.  They are very traditional and live in simple homes with no electricity or water.  Surviving off of the land and by selling handmade gifts.  They have one of the highest infant mortality rates in Mexico and are pretty much outcasts by society.  Yobel had hopes of making connections with a family of Tarahumaras whom Matt and Misty had known in the area to start a new fair trade project.  The area is famous for its baskets and woven goods made from palm leaves and pine needles.  We were able to go to the family's home and play soccer with the kids and spend quality time getting to know them.  They are lovely people with wonderful smiles.  We were able to buy some handmade goods from the locals down there and will continue working with this family in hopes of providing education options for them as well as their neighbors.    

Christmas time

Driving through town Christmas is all over, lights, decorations, Christmas music, you name it the holiday is out by force.  I have to wonder if the holiday is out by force or if retailers are out by force.  Those out by force are companies who desire for us to consume more and more to buy new things because we are out of style.  Their message is clear, "if you want happiness, buy this".  Shopping has made us to believe that we aren't truly living unless we have the new ipod, wii or clothing from that cool store in the mall.  The American dream is more like the Walmart dream, or the American Eagle dream.  Christmas has become a day of stress, of shopping and pressure of buying, not family.  Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of selfless deeds, good hearts and generosity that comes out for Christmas and great time with family.  I would just rather see the later than the former.  The question of Christmas is "what do you want for Christmas".  Want.  Is what we want driven by our hearts and love for those around us or is it driven by what society deems as needed?  With advertisements at a record high and name brands dominating society, it is hard to not want what they have.  Lets want more for those in need and less of those things that rot in your closet or becomes out of style by spring anyway.  How much of what you received for Christmas last year you still have?  Is it being used or just taking up space?

If you are having a hard time figuring out what to get that person on your list consider these few ideas.

-Take them out for a meal and quality time.

-Give a gift in their name places like a local soup kitchen or local charity

-Donate through these organizations that bring education, clean water and ways of making a living for people across the globe who are enduring extreme poverty that can leave them sick, hungry and in need of help.

Heifer International, World Vision, Compassion International, Living Water International, Roots of Peace

-Buy your gifts from places that do not use child labor,  pay workers fairly, have fair working conditions and do not destroy our planet in the process of making those items.  Sometimes those gifts we give are paid for by those who made them through their sweat, pain and hunger.  Check out places you get your gifts.  When possible always buy fair trade.