Amazing Mexico

Mexico was incredible.  My son felt like he was called to go to Mexico.  I pondered in my heart what this could mean.  I wondered what would happen there and why God would have us go. He obviously made our path straight and provided every penny we needed to get there. 

Each step of the way was blessed.  My son loved his first plane trips.  Even though we started out in the wee hours of the morning.  We ate food that is not a all what I think of when I think Mexican food.  He loved it all.  The hot chocolate was the best thing I've ever tasted. The fruit drinks were incredible. Every minute my son loved. We got to take school supplies to local schools and paint rooms.  The best part was getting to meet the people.

At one of the local schools the mothers were so blessed by these tiny bags of school supplies.  Bags that most children in America would take for granted.  The mothers were so touched they wanted to do something in return.  They went to their fruit stand and brought us bananas as a thank you.  The people there were so giving and hard working.  It was not what I had pictured at all.  These people had close to nothing but were willing to give what they had. 

My sons favorite day we went to a coffee Finca, which means farm or plantation.  It was beautiful and we got a tour through the jungle by the Finca owner.  She showed us vanilla bean trees and cocoa plants.  We saw a fern that curls up when it's touched.  They grow their coffee in the jungle up the side of the mountain.  Some of the harvesters have to repel down over cliffs to get the beans. We tasted real fresh grown coffee. I am not a coffee drinker, but this was good! We ate cactus tacos.  It was a beautiful day.  Then the torrential rains set in.  The family knew that the roads could easily wash out, and we waited for the storm to pass...but minutes turned to hours.  Our missionary hosts and the owners of the Finca worked together to try to figure out a way to get us back to our hotel safely.  The 4 wheel drive trucks couldn't make it up the dirt road that led back to the main road.  It was now a river. 

Workers from the farm came to our aid.  They had us put garbage bags on over our coats and get on the back of 4 Wheelers.  My son was put on one between our hosts and I was put on another with a stranger.  I felt a tinge of fear as I did not know the language and I had to trust this strange man to take me through the jungle at night to get to the road with my son on a separate vehicle.  I said a little prayer and held on as we road around twists and turns with rain pounding down and new rivers rushing over the rocks and mud that had once been a road.  As we went I felt a peace I cannot explain and took in the beauty of the jungle surrounding me. As the head lights pierced the darkness I saw the beautiful trees and vines, and wondered what animals might be out there. Once at the road I was ushered into a three wheeled taxi and I waited for my son to appear.  As I sat there waiting I felt a little uneasy, and again said a quick prayer.  My son appeared in the taxi beaming. He was so excited and thought he saw a jaguar on his way up.  This was the adventure of a lifetime for a 10 year old boy!  We rode the taxi over a crumbling mountain road.  It was literally crumbling.  One whole section of the road had already fallen off over the side of the mountain.  The taxi took us to our little hotel back in Pluma Hidalgo. 

The hotel was not like a hotel in the states.  It was a single room with three twin beds across tile floor.  The door had two key locks and was made of iron.  The windows had iron bars across them.  The bathroom was a small tile floor room with a toilet, that you could not flush toilet paper down. Next to it was a shower head and a sink.  The middle of the bathroom floor had a drain.  There was no hot water.  We had bottled water for everything, including brushing our teeth.  It was hard to get used to not flushing toilet paper. Back at the hotel my son got out his journal and wrote down everything from the day.  He was so excited and asked if we really had to leave. 

 The neatest thing was seeing my son form a friendship with the missionary family's son.  They acted like they had been best friends for years.  My son can't wait to return to Mexico and see his friend again.  He believes that when he's 18 he is moving there to be a missionary.  I don't know what will happen, but I do know God brought us there and we made beautiful connections because of it.  I hope to go back with my whole family and show them the amazing things I saw.

It was truly beautiful!