Memories of Mexico...

Our Sunday school teacher, Cindy, spoke this past weekend about the meaning of or importance of money and how it relates to our lives... or in some cases, rules our lives. The lesson brought up many thought-provoking points but for me it conjured up dozens of memories from high school youth group mission trips. I went on 2 trips to Tampico, Mexico, my Sophomore and Junior years of high school. We also ventured out to a couple small villages. Burranco is the only name I can remember. As Cindy asked several of us what we'd do if money and time were no object, I couldn't get one distinct picture out of my mind... the "toilet" at one of the churches we visited. It was literally a hole in the ground with a bench, of sorts, built over it and a hole cut for you to aim for. I don't say "to sit on" because if you'd been there, you'd definitely NOT want to sit on it, if for no other reason than fear of a splinter in your hind-parts! This "bathroom" was a good 30-40 yards behind the building at the edge of a bunch of trees and all that protected a person from being seen was an old tattered blue tarp hung precariously from the shack built around "facility". I wish I could find the pictures we took in front of it, holding our own roll of toilet paper that we basically kept in our back pockets. I laugh to remember driving back into the U.S. and flushing the 1st toilet I came to! I imagine you're laughing, too, just picturing it. Anyway, the point of my reminiscing is this... we so often take for granted even the most basic of living "necessities". We yearn for more and wish that we could have a bigger house or newer car or the latest fashions. What we don't often do is remember how fortunate we are and how thankful we should be to have the things we do. Even the "poor" in the U.S. have so much more than a lot of people around the world. It's easy to forget that. When you really look around you, God has provided everything you could possibly need! I often miss Mexico and the kids who were thrilled to sit and color with me rather than whine about not having the latest video game; the outdoor kitchens that worked just fine; the well we drew water from to wash dishes; the buckets hauled down the street just to wash our hair on the sidewalk because there was no shower; having much nicer clothes than the people there, even though we went thrift store shopping for our trip; eating oranges right off the trees and bread baked in a real adobe oven; the luxury of a cold Coke served in a glass bottle that you had to leave at the store for recycling. Most of all, though, I remember the people we were there to serve and how genuinely happy they were. I know the experiences I had there were a huge eye-opener! It pays to remember... to be thankful for what I have and not worry so much about what I don't.