having coffee at Cafe Tomas, Ensenada, B.C., Mexico
A couple of Saturdays ago, some friends and I spent the day driving the beautiful Baja coastline to Ensenada, where we had breakfast with friends who live there. We then migrated across town to their favorite coffeehouse in Ensenada, Cafe Tomas, for coffee and conversation.
It was great just hanging out with our friends. Danny, a talented photographer, talked with me about what it looks like to balance work and life. Lucy, his wife, told us about some of the cool things she's a part of at Yugo, a group that pairs up Americans and Mexicans to make a difference in the lives of Mexico's most needy. She has a growing role at Yugo that seems to leverage her gifts well, and she's able to hand off much of what she's learning to a young Mexican lady, mentoring her toward a better future.
Together with David and Karen—who live in Ensenada and continue to press toward that which matters most in life—we talked about what it might look like for our two groups of friends, Americans and Mexicans, to pursue God/life/friendship from two sides of the border.
It's an exciting, yet not a simple task. I'm realizing that riding in on my white American horse to save the day among Mexico's poor is of little benefit, either for us well-intentioned Americans, or those we profess to serve. How much better it is to get to know those living in Mexico, both the haves and have-nots, the found and lost, the hopeful and the hopeless. How much we stand to learn from these earthen people who live life at a different pace, valuing friendship and life together in deep and profound ways.
I do believe we (Americanos) have something to offer. Most notably, ourselves. I'm more fortunate than I can articulate, living where I do, able to visit a place like this, and call people such as these my friends.
/jon
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