Over half a century I've driven in and walked through the growing city of Tijuana; along the way I've met thousands of people and gathered as many stories. True life stories; I don't have to dig into fiction to create these stories; here we deal in reality.
Because of the work we're called to, and the country we serve in, it's necessary to carry three to four hundred dollars in cash; often folded up in one of my socks. In Mexico, in the case of a tragedy or accident, it's cash on the table; immediately!
I remember one time that I had to negotiate for a corpse; a dead baby boy. The mother simply didn't have the money to "buy" her baby from the mortuary. It had to be cash on the table and fortunately I had the cash on hand. And much later, once again I had to repeat a similar negotiation, for a little baby girl. This time it was a live baby the mother couldn't pay for, so the clinic kept her. Again, cash on hand.
The gangs and street kids I deal with all know I carry money. The word gets around.
Many of these kids would steal from their own mother's purse.
Time after time, I've taken hungry dirty teens out to buy them tacos or burritos. Sometime two or three kids and at other times as many as ten ... I remember one night being alone and buying ten hungry teens burritos ... yet I've never been held up or threatened in any way.
On occasion teen gang members have even protected me.
What I'm saying is that I've never had to "watch my back" ... the Lord seems to be doing a great job of covering me; even today, as an easy-to-take, old man.
Driving thousands upon thousands of miles of Tijuana traffic, without even one serious accident ... anyone who's driven Tijuana knows that's a miracle. Thank you Lord!
I'm simply saying two things in this short narrative, first is to thank you, my friends and co-workers, for your faithful prayers in keeping me safe in a truly hostel environment ... and second, for providing us with the money we need to help poor and desperate people on the other side.
Indeed some may call me a fool ... others call me a BELIEVER.
