Several weeks ago I went on a business trip with my husband Todd to Cancun, Mexico. We flew in a day early, along with a team of people from the publishing company he works for to visit a squatter village and giveaway books to the children who live there.
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The day after arriving in our hotel and getting settled, we loaded up in vans and headed through Cancun and then to the outskirts of Cancun to the area where squatter villages have sprung up. We traveled down a bumpy dusty road that eventually lead to the Children’s Home & Community Center.
Already since we had last visited in October more squatter houses had sprung up and walls around the Children’s Home had risen higher.
After we arrived we unloaded the books that had been sent from Capstone to be given away.
Before we began we had the honor of hearing the story and being introduced to the people whose vision created the possibility of this place. We heard the story of how the partnership and friendship of Mike and Terrill with local churches created a vision of hope for the surrounding community. And then along with help from mission organizations and private donations this place was built from the cleared ground up, brick by brick over the last ten years.
Then we gathered books in totes and walked down the road and into the community of the squatter villages with interpreters to give books to any children and families that we found along our way.
With our bags loaded with books and small candy we walked out to find some children to give the books to and to invite people to join us at 1pm for lunch back at the Center.
Children and sometimes parents came out of their home as we called out a greeting. We smiled, attempted to say some small words in Spanish. It was a beautiful day to be outside. It was a beautiful day.
Something to hold on to and always remember.
