Thinking About Christmas

We've set the dates for our Christmas Mission (December 13-15) and are now walking around contemplating this mission trip.

I feel like the character in Marathon Man when I am asked, "Is it safe?" and am confused by the question. There is far less violence in the city of Acuna than in any major U.S. city. The over-reporting of 'cartel violence' by our news media includes the crime from the entire nation of Mexico since 2006. Eliminate those engaged in the drug trade and those smuggling people and there is very little violence in the entire nation.

Two years ago there was a police pursuit in broad daylight that ended in gunfire. As in almost 99% of fights between authorities and the bad guys, the bad guys won. That same year there was a murder of an alleged cartel supporter.

During that same time, in California there were innocent people injured at a McDonalds during a drive-by shooting. In fact, if you check the FBI reports on the internet, since 2006 we've had more murders than Mexico and we are not involved in military operations against drug lords.

I feel safe. I walk the streets at least twice a month and feel no danger.

We will have a good Christmas Mission. Our plan is to meet at the Ramada Inn, Del Rio, Texas, on Friday evening. We will have a breakfast meeting on Saturday at 7 a.m. and board our van for the 10 minute ride into Acuna, Mexico. We will pick up groceries to distribute as we walk door to door and visit families. Over the next two days we hope to visit a shelter for children, visit a shelter for the elderly, host a Christmas Fiesta, meet many severely challenged children and share time with old and new friends.

We have requests for us to visit from 10 different schools, hospitals and shelters. So I have choices to make and plans to complete.

Hopefully, I can accommodate requests from those signing up for the mission. Many have been here on other mission trips.

All I am certain of is that this will be a wonderful start of the Christmas Season. click for details and sign up

It is not supposed to be easy . . .

We continue to accept the challenges presented to us as we walk the colonias. Lately, we have encountered many children with severe disabilities. We visited a school that serves many of the more severely challenged children.

Parents are depressed and most know very little about the potential of their children. Many are constantly consumed with putting beans and rice on the table while caring for their child. We've met mothers that carry their child everywhere. They have no wheelchairs; these children need pediatric wheelchairs. Some children can hardly communicate simple 'yes' and 'no' answers. Many are malnourished. School teachers have no training to teach children with special needs. Even the special education teachers have very limited training. There is no help for a blind child to learn to read Braille. Many of the mothers suffer from deep depression and anxiety.

It is too easy to say, "This is not my problem".

So, we move forward. We are already working with DREAMS to secure one pediatric wheelchair. We are working with teachers and with families. We are working to have families receive weekly psychological help. We are also developing a long-range plan.

We will 'find' the money. People will ask why we help in Mexico when we have so many similar situations in the USA. In the colonias, the situation is compounded by the extreme poverty. Families that live for a week on $6 worth of groceries and parents that skip meals so that there is enough for their children are financially crushed by the needs of a disabled child. They cannot afford the cost of transportation for their children to receive physical therapy. Some carry their child to the outhouse.

We will do what we can with what we have today.