Since 2010, we have being serving a little Mayan village called Nuevo Durango in Quintana Roo, MX. We helped construct a Church – we furnished it completely – you can’t imagine how much I’ve bragged about it. Last summer we added on a second floor in the “Mission Center”, again I was shining with pride… During the fall semester of 2011, I visited the town at least three times. And at the beginning of 2012, I went to assets the projects for this year: a library/literacy center, a multipurpose room, a soccer field, an irrigation system for the Mayans’ organic plantation.
What I surprise I got when speaking with Don Artemio, the expert in “Palapa” building (all of the buildings will be Mayan style), he asked me, “Sister, have you thought of helping us with bathrooms?” Whoa, two years of working there and I didn’t notice that 21 families of the 57 of the village do not have running water! Here I was bragging of all the projects to improve the community but I overlooked a BASIC NEED: a faucet and a toilet…I guess a shower would be considered a luxury.
This experience opened my mind and my heart to slow down and to go deeper in “knowing” the real needs of the people that I minister to. The families in Nuevo Durango, which I thought I knew, are in need of something basic. This is a town only an hour and thirty minutes away from two of the busiest tourist places: Cancun and Playa del Carmen.
All the missionaries that have passed through Mission Youth and all the souls that God has attached or “linked” to my consecration… what is their basic need… I’m tending to it? Are we living too fast that we take for granted many of our daily “luxuries” making us incapable of pin-pointing the real need of our neighbor – friend – companion – coworker –sibling – relative – parent…
I invite you to slow down and think, “What does he/she need”?
How many times have you turned on a faucet or flush a toilet today?
