Tomorrow morning, bright and early...or as bright as it gets before the sun rises...we go to the airport to leave Mexico City. I am going to wear one of my favorite shirts tomorrow. Why is this important? The shirt says "Hope is Alive." You see, I was packing up my bags, getting ready to leave and as I chose the clothes I would wear, the message struck me loud and clear. We are leaving Mexico City in the midst of chaos and turmoil, but we are leaving Mexico City with hope. Buildings have collapsed, people have lost homes, lost loved ones, lost children. Today, we tried to help with relief efforts. For the most part, we were unable to do much. Though this was frustrating for the day, it leaves me optimistic for the future. You see, we were unable to help because there were already so many people helping, all we could do was stand and wait for something to come up. The people of Mexico City are missing many things today, but as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13, "these three remain: faith, hope, and love." We were able to make great progress on a retreat center, allowing the Henderson family to foster faith. We also created a space that will be ready for use as a refuge tonight for those without homes. We helped create a space where people will easily be able to see God's grace and beauty. In this space, many hearts will feel God's love.
Through the pain and sorrow I saw today, I also saw hope. I saw hope through the love of others because "the greatest of these is love." I saw a multitude of hearts beating as one. I saw open arms and willing hands. I saw homes open up to those whose homes were destroyed. I saw groups organizing to move rubble and find people who were missing. I saw people living out Jesus' love, because people were hungry and others gave them something to eat. People were thirsty, and others gave them something to drink.
So yes. Tomorrow we leave. It will be heavy and emotional, but we will also leave optimistic because we know, in Mexico City, Hope is Alive.
Through the pain and sorrow I saw today, I also saw hope. I saw hope through the love of others because "the greatest of these is love." I saw a multitude of hearts beating as one. I saw open arms and willing hands. I saw homes open up to those whose homes were destroyed. I saw groups organizing to move rubble and find people who were missing. I saw people living out Jesus' love, because people were hungry and others gave them something to eat. People were thirsty, and others gave them something to drink.
So yes. Tomorrow we leave. It will be heavy and emotional, but we will also leave optimistic because we know, in Mexico City, Hope is Alive.