Fernando

As many of you already know, Project Mexico is as much about relationship as it is about anything else. Relationship with each another. Relationship with God, through serving those he loves. And relationship with the people we're serving. It's this last one though, that can be the toughest bridge to cross. There's language gaps, cultural gaps, and more. The distance can seem daunting, particularly in the context of a blitz weekend of building... who has time for relationship?

But I remain convinced that it's in the relationships we develop with the people we serve in Mexico, that hold the greatest promise of Project Mexico. I hold that conviction close and dear. Still, it's a stretch for me.

My wife, who's a spanish-speaking latina herself, has been instrumental in helping us cross some of these bridges. Thanks to her giftedness in connecting with other women in San Bernardo, we've developed some great relationships there. Even my kids are in on it, and have a good friend that they look forward to playing with every time we visit.

For me personally though, I've felt the strong tug, but have struggled to make much headway and develop relationships of my own. Some of that has to do with how busy I am on building trips, focused with the task at hand. Part of it is my lack of fluency in the language. And part of it, I have to admit, is my own barriers to getting to know these people, so different from me.

So it was with great excitement that God slammed *open* a door recently for me in this area. On our November building trip, I was able to connect with a local that I had met a year earlier, Fernando Lugo.

Fernando lives in San Bernardo, is on staff at the local church, and (thankfully) speaks good English (I'm such a guero). I could go in depth about my initial meeting with Fernando, and my re-connection with him in early November 06, but will leave that for another story (it's a good one). Suffice to say that I sensed strongly God's presence in this man, and my privilege to connect with him once again. I knew I needed to come back and see him again, soon.

So later that month, went back to San Bernardo and hunted him down. What ensued was an amazing few hours of walking and talking, listening and learning. Fernando walked my friend Mike and I through the church and we met lots of people on staff and serving. We toured the orphanage there and met some of the kids, and met the two other pastors on staff, and heard some of their stories (they were plucked from the jungles of Chiapas... again, a great story for another time).  

At the end of our visit, we offered to pray for Fernando. If there was ever any doubt that God's fingerprints were all over this connection with Fernando, it ran fleeing in the time that followed. Fernando opened up with some stuff going on in his life, challenges and disappointments, needs and hopes. It was as if everything that happened in our meeting, connecting and re-connecting over the last year led up to this one powerful moment.

We prayed with Fernando. After, he looked up, tears in his eyes, and said "God sent you two to me today. God knew I needed this. Thank you."

The feeling in that moment nearly knocked me down. This sense that God had orchestrated this all, how he chose to work through Mike and I in that moment. The way in which he made himself known to this man who's lived a hard, hard life, given his life to serving God and others, and was in such need. And I had a front-row seat to it all. It was nothing short of awesome.

That day had many other great experiences, including some very cool exploration of other areas of TJ, lots of learnings and discoveries. It was that time though, with Fernando, that I discovered the true power of relationship with the people of San Bernardo. I couldn't be more thankful.

—Jon