The Desert is Coming Alive
I came upon the most glorious morning glories brightening a brown pasture the other day. And beneath that wilted grass, a sea of green has begun pushing through after the big rain, with more in the forecast.
The desert is coming alive.
We’ve begun a singing ministry while we’re here with our friends Josh & Jessie, along with many other young and old folks, visiting the local nursing and disability homes.
I’ve served in enough of these places to know what awaits when the doors open. Grief, grime, the smell of sickness, and hovering sadness. But on Saturday evening, forty-some young and old smiling faces marched through those doors, ready to sing with all our hearts.
Helen led the music with such a radiant smile - true to her name. With only two weeks till her due date, she’s somehow still mothering two toddlers, leading worship in church, cooking and hosting, teaching English songs and learning German ones, which most of the Mennonites in this region speak. I’m trying to slow her down, but that’s just who she is.
Funny enough, she and I first fell in love singing in hospitals and care homes back in Texas years ago. It’s been a regular mission for young people in our church for years, and I can testify from experience that the mission is as much for us as it is for the residents. I’m still smiling just thinking about the way some of those faces lit up when we began to sing.
We walked through those same doors lighter than we came, but somehow fuller with joy after giving it. As the sun set, our band gathered back at my friend Benny’s place for snacks and games. I took the opportunity to film a quick walkthrough tour of his meticulously restored 103-year-old Mennonite home.
The garden and orchard around it are coming along. He planted just in time for the rain. And while digging the root cellar, he discovered a spring, which he can use for irrigation in the dry months. A timber-framed aquaponic greenhouse and chicken run are next. He’s already been hosting reservation-only dinners from his outdoor kitchen. When you come stay, he’ll cook you his signature grilled picanha and pineapple, arrachera tacos, and the freshest fruit and vegetables harvested just steps away, all while hearing the story of Mennonite and Mexican life and history here in Chihuahua.
Keep us in your prayers if you would. We rely on them more than you know.