1.19.23

This morning started off what felt colder than the other days yet the sun was so bright contrasting the gloom of the first part of the week.

You can feel the groove of the whole team who has become very comfortable with one another so quickly as though we have been together all year. Realistically, most of us know each other from Mass Consumption Tacoma Young Adults (my community), Western Washington Catholic Newman, and other connections.

The work was some of the hardest that we have experienced all week but this bond has really allowed us to be efficient with much joy. Eduardo told us that it amazed him that we were even able to get to the concrete portion considering we had to empty the trenches from excess water, through the mud, tie 5 large columns of rebar, line the trenches with plastic tarp, and move the gravel delivery from off the street onto the property. He shared with us a tear-filled account of not having the connection with the people he missed seeing like our community after so long during the pandemic, but now getting find the energy he needed returning because of our time together. Many of knowing Eduardo for many years can all tell you that we have never seen this man cry.

We were also able to visit the border today at friendship park to remind us of the reality of our countries divide and how its not so easy to have access to one another as we would like especially coming from the Mexican side. There are a lot of forces at play, but fear like many other circumstances influence ignorant and painful dynamics.

After finishing today’s work, Nuvia let us use the restroom at her parents house just on the other side of the hill. From there, you can see a panoramic vista of Tijuana. She said jokingly you can see her house from there and yell “What do you want??!” Hahah! I had my own moment of emotions when I felt the inspiration from the Holy Spirit to tell her that I thought that her husband would be really proud of her in Spanish. She told me that every gift she received so far from this house has been from him.

I’m going to leave this post here since we are all pretty exhausted from the and I found myself dozing off in the car even though I was suppose to help Kels check her blind spot while driving. Mind you, the traffic here has been so thick off and on during the week.

Thank you God for the beauty that is you. Strangely I wanted to end with this description of sitting in the middle of the street on top of a pile of gravel eating home cooked Pozole and staring off in the distance with gratitude surrounded by friends and neighborhood street dogs. It indeed was a blessed day.