Mexico Day 5 - Weekend Retreat

Just got back from a 1twentyone retreat up to the mountains above Monterrey with about 80 kids from some of the local children’s homes we work with. It was my real first taste of what it’s like to be an “intern” and have legit responsibilities.

The day before we left, a man who lives below me, Cheque and I went out to buy groceries por el retiro. We ended up getting four grocery carts full of chips, ham, bread, etc. Cheque normally runs errands alone and told me that the most he’s ever bought for a group was SEVEN carts full and when he unloaded them back at the campus he went back out to get another three from Walmart.

The next day we got up at 4:15am and left by about 6ish. All the kids stayed overnight at the Back2Back campus and surprisingly they were up before I was. Granted, some of them never went to bed but it’s all good in the hood. We drove a little over an hour into the mountains with a caravan of about six or seven: one red suburban, two white vans, two buses, and a couple vehicles from the homes.

Driving up the one road that led up the mountain was a terrifying experience because every which-way you turn there’s a crucifix in honor of someone who had died there or driven off the side of the cliff. Another hard part about the journey was the fact that I didn’t think that the buses could make some of the 180+ degree turns heading up the mountain. But what I forgot is that this is Mexico…Even if something has no possible way of working in any way, shape, or form, in Mexico lo trabaja.

The proceeding events were average but later in the night we had a worship session and I knew that it was going to be amazing. A couple years ago I had my first encounter with a “Mexican worship service” and let me tell you, these people can party! In Mexico there is no, “What will the people around me say if I lift my hands up or dance around?” No. Kids were dancing, lifting up hands, running back and forth and it was simply amazing. I joined in on a couple songs that I knew the words to or songs that only had one or two verses and it was definitely the experience of a lifetime. If you want to hear what “Mexican worship” is all about go to YouTube and type in “Te Doy Gloria” and you’ll find out.

The Super Bowl is tonight and all the staff kids are getting mad stoked. Patriots vs. Giants, I could really care less who wins, I’d rather just chill with people. As I speak I can hear kids downstairs screaming and playing football in the front lawn and I’m about to go join them.

Something unique that I’ve gotten out of this who weekend is that I realized the real camaraderie that exists here. Mexican or American, everybody this weekend did what needed to be done, when it needed to be done and I’m just grateful to be a part of it.

-N8