Another summer completed

These past few weeks have been a whirlwind of so many things and I can't believe that the summer is already over. The summer program finished last week and all the summer team went home. I think Spearhead is a unique program because our goal is that people are missing their Mexican families and churches and not the other Americans on the trip. As we had our annual closing breakfast with families and pastors I was once again impressed with this aspect of spearhead the tearful goodbyes were with families and churches and not with fellow students. We will certainly miss each other, but the people that have most impacted us are the many Mexican people that have blessed our lives. I think one of the main flaws of short term cross cultural missions is that the close bonding from a new situation occurs generally with team members of the same culture and not with members of the entered culture. I think this is really what sets Spearhead apart.

As I said goodbye to spearheaders I prepared myself for many a goodbye with my friends and family here. I attended a plethora of birthday parties and goodbye parties and just enjoyed the company of friends and family. I have continually been challenged by the value placed on family here in Mexico and have learned so much about loving my own family and the kind of family I one day want to have from my Mexican families. Also, amidst the festivities the mother of a good friend passed away from cancer and I attended my first Mexican funeral. She passed away in the afternoon on a week day and that same day at 10pm about 70 people crowded into their small house and sang hymns, shared coffee, cookies and memories and spent much of the night grieving with the family. It made me think of the early church and ponder our own culture and how we deal with life and death. I was impressed at how quickly the community came together to mourn and grieve with the family. Two pastors of the church showed up as well as maybe 20 members, most of whom did not know the woman who had passed away very well but were fellow church members with the grieving son. It was an amazing picture for me of love and community.

Tomorrow I am hopefully going to Puebla for the weekend to say hi and goodbye to my Poblano friends, returning to Mexico City monday. I have a doctor's appt tuesday with my surgeon, lunch with a friend after that, dinner with another friend. Wednesday I will be having lunch with one of my families, then meeting a friend for an earlier lunch before the US soccer game. Thursday I will be visiting my Brasilian friends who came to Mexico in March about the same time I left Brasil and then going to Miami friday to spend a week with my brother there before returning up north to Maryland. Much love to everyone and God bless.