The Colour of Joy
“Today I’m Going to Try and Change the World” is playing on my iPod as I sit down to write this entry…a Johnny Reid song that seems to sum up the past week. “Going to take it one day at a time… I have made my resolutions, opened up my eyes… I am going to say hello to my neighbor and greet him with a smile…shake the hand of a stranger, sit and talk to him for a while.”
When the opportunity to be a part of the LiveDifferent trip in the Baja of Mexico was offered, I quickly jumped at the chance, as I had always dreamed that I could do something to change the world in a small way! The team is a collection of people from various parishes in the Anglican Diocese of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, ranging in ages from 15 to 93 years of age. This alone says a lot about the group. When I met the team for the first time it was obvious that although different in ages, backgrounds, and life stories, we all had a common goal for coming together – we would build two homes for families in need and share our love with a hammer in hand.
Excitement, apprehension and enthusiasm – what am I doing? The first impressions of Vicente Guerrero were rather bleak. Grey and desolate were the first adjectives that popped into my head. Colourless; even the trees were dusty and the communities we visited on our arrival made me wonder how we could make a difference here… Where would we start?It was overwhelming, heartbreaking, and scary…I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. When we stopped to visit the school, tears started to well up. And then I saw the kids –in the middle of all the grey I saw the colour that was missing. It was the laughter and joy of the children as they played with a busload of strangers; the colour of the spirit of the people I have met in Vicente.
I have discovered in the short week since I have been in Vincente Guerrero that there is power in a dream. The LiveDifferent team has guided a group of Prairie people in discovering how we can make a difference – one person at a time. I know that when I leave Mexico I will be leaving a bit of my heart behind – I also will be taking some of Mexico back home with me. The poverty and hardship I witnessed here certainly puts life into a new perspective. As I reflect on this journey, I think the world I have been a part of this week has changed me for the better- and I do believe more firmly that we can change the world one person and one step at a time.
Debb, LiveDifferent Hero Holiday participant