Compassion

Alon and I were in Mexico attempting to find and take pictures for the new Casa de Amor video. Despite frustrations with my bad picture taking day (the joy of digital), we had one of those clouds parting, sun shining through moments on our way out of Rosarito.

I happened to spot a kid who might fit the description we were desperately looking for all morning, so I screamed at Alon to throw the car in reverse. (There was really no screaming but I love dramatic action scenes.) We raced back like the paparazzi, cameras in hand, flashed a few hundred pictures of the kid and sped off, leaving only a cloud of dust to mark our path! Okay, not really, we gently backed up, and I stepped out of the truck to politely ask in Spanish if I could take his picture. He concurred and after I snapped a few, a woman came out of the building in front of where we were standing. I introduced myself and took a few more pictures as she came up to Alon who was still in the truck to talk some more.

As Alon is much more fluent in Spanish than myself, we were able to learn this woman, Rosalinda, ran an entire feeding program for children six days out of the week. It helped that she had a teenage boy working with her who spoke English and translated a good portion of the conversation as well.

Rosalinda lead us back to where she feeds the neighborhood kids breakfast every day but Sunday. On a typical day she serves around 200 children. When asked why she does it, she responded, "I just like serving." Had it not been for the donations of a big grill and a new room for the feeding, she would still be cooking from a regular sized stove, and probably not having much room for the children to sit down and eat.

She was an amazing testimony to true service - not out of guilt or any need for affirmation herself - but simply to be a light to her community and love the people around her. We were invited back any time. It will be a miraculous day when I am hopefully able to get to Mexico at 5:30 a.m. to serve alongside this amazing woman.

"Radical servanthood challenges us, while attempting persistently to overcome poverty, hunger, illness, and any other form of human misery, to reveal the gentle presence of our compassionate God in the midst of our broken world."
Henri Nouwen

Igualamente

It's times like these that I would love to go home, take a shower, and wash off the stucco, dirt, and grime from my skin. It's times like these I am proud to work for Amor. It's times like these I am proud to call Flood my home.

Today I was leading half the Flood group to their work site in Mexico in the community of Altiplano. As I started to drive away, an older women inquired as to how should could receive a home, and shortly thereafter another neighbor came out with the same request. In my broken Spanish I attempted to explain the information sheet that gives information for our pastors and how to go about getting a house from Amor Ministries.

I talked to that neighbor again that day and there seemed to be never-ending moments of miscommunication strung together; one after the other making me wonder why I haven't put more time and effort into learning Spanish. Eventually, it came to the point where I was asking if I was making sense and if she understood. She said yes and I asked her if she needed anything else (meaning I wondered if she had any other questions I could attempt to answer). She said simply:

"A house."

Duh, Katie.

And once again it hit me how simple it is for this complex set of questions.

"A house."

Yet, this women, who said she was alone and did not know exactly where her son was these days, had a depth to her eyes that spoke volumes of what it would mean to have a decent place to live.

The smiles in the families in which only received a second coat of stucco on their finished homes, the laughter of the kids, the colored picture of a teddy bear I received from a little girl, the banter that ensued from those who came to help, the joking of the boys who lived in the neighborhood . . . and here I am realizing once again, in the depths of humanity, when you strip us all down, we are all the same.

[pictures to come]

Book Meme

A while ago I was tagged by Jen for this book meme and I think I've put it off because I can't commit to anything that has to do with my favorites. What if they change and what if someone else brings up something I've forgotten about and upon changing my answer, I just look like a big copycat? Plus, I've never gotten rid of a book in my life (excluding some of the text books that made a couple bucks upon reselling - although I still have my $100 statistics book, so what does that say?) so how do I choose? Well, I'm throwing caution to the wind and committing to at least a starter list of some of my favorite books . . . in no particular order:

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

Travelling Mercies, Some Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott

What's So Amazing About Grace, Visual Edition by Philip Yancy and contributers

The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor

The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig

Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

How Many Books Do I Own?

Like I said, I never throw away books, I even keep the crappy ones around, just in case. Just in case what? I'm not sure yet, but I'll tell you when they are used. I have two big bookshelves full of books, some in boxes, and some still at my parents' house from my childhood.

What Am I Reading Right Now?

• Kitchen Table Wisdom by Rachel Naomi Remen (a recommended by Nancy Murphy, a former professor)


• Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling


• Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis


• Through Painted Desserts by Donald Miller


• Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy