We returned late Friday night from spending eight days with the Back2Back Cancun staff , and a few of those days with two other families, the Calwells and Stantons. This was the first time Julie, Eliza and Nick has seen where we will move to in September. On this trip we had several things we hoped to accomplish: look for housing, ask some logistical questions about visas, etc., serve the kids, and vacation a little.
It was hard work, mixing and hauling the concrete, and we were "good tired" at the end of the day. I think we probably moved some 100+ buckets of wet cement up a ladder to the mason, Enrique, who was on the roof.
We also had the privilege of taking the 14 kids from Casa Hogar San Jose, to the beach for the day. On the way to the beach the kids were screaming "La playa! La playa!" (the beach!) We were all responsible for one child to play with and keep track of, and we all had a great time.
Our first and biggest project was to mix cement and pour a roof for a family of five. 15 year old Noehmi, is lower-functioning, perhaps mildly mentally disabled. Several months ago Noehmi had a baby (Miriam), and has been receiving some services through the pregnancy resource center that B2B has partnered with through the DIF. 
Noehmi lives with her younger sister Blanca, who is in sixth grade, and her 17 year old brother who is no longer in school. These three teenagers live with their elderly grandparents and the grandfather in not in good health. Their mother passed away and their father, who had always supported them, has recently been sentenced to prison. Their current one-room house is being loaned to them by the father's former employer.
Noehmi lives with her younger sister Blanca, who is in sixth grade, and her 17 year old brother who is no longer in school. These three teenagers live with their elderly grandparents and the grandfather in not in good health. Their mother passed away and their father, who had always supported them, has recently been sentenced to prison. Their current one-room house is being loaned to them by the father's former employer. The house B2B is building is located in a part of town called Tres Reyes, or Three Kings. Families can buy plots of land that are 10 meters x 30 meters deep. It is on the far west outskirts of what is still Cancun, but has no running water, electricity, or sewage. Nonetheless, families who are able to buy land there are excited because it is a fresh start for them; it's something they can actually own and take ownership of.
It was hard work, mixing and hauling the concrete, and we were "good tired" at the end of the day. I think we probably moved some 100+ buckets of wet cement up a ladder to the mason, Enrique, who was on the roof. We also had the privilege of taking the 14 kids from Casa Hogar San Jose, to the beach for the day. On the way to the beach the kids were screaming "La playa! La playa!" (the beach!) We were all responsible for one child to play with and keep track of, and we all had a great time.The New Lens.....
Looking for housing - an apartment - required us to think differently than we ever have before, as we discussed what we'd need/want and where we would like to live. We narrowed our search down to two apts within walking distance of the Coopers and Davillas, which was a high priority for us, so we could feel like one team. We now pray that one of these two complexes will have a two-bedroom apt available for us in Sept.
It is a bit strange thinking that we will soon call Mexico home. Right now it feels like a ways off, but on this trip, it moved exponentially closer. The weather (hot and humid), the language (much to learn), the food (delicious), the people (LOVE them!).... Along with the excitement of moving to what God has called us to, is the aching feeling of leaving so much here. Admittedly, I try not to think too deep about the friends and family we will leave some 3000+ miles away. And yes, we do sometimes get blindsided by fear and questions and uncertainty. But it's these times when we remember who we call God, how He has equipped us and will continue to do so, and what an awesome adventure He's allowing us to live as we join Back2Back carrying out the work He has begun in Cancun, MX. I'm again reminded of the quote from Frederich Buechner.
The place where God calls you is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.
Thank you God, for calling us to be part of the story you continue to write about how much you love and want to rescue the weak and fatherless.
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