So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 2 Corinthians 5:17

 

Last year I didn’t get to come to Esperanza so this year so many things struck me as being new even though I am one of the veteran members of the group.  I first came to Tijuana in 2004 and I haven’t missed many years. Some years I came two or three times.

Yes!  So many things strike me as being new! 

·         We saw new crossing gates to enter Mexico.  

·         We saw new highway interchanges. 

·         We have new hardwood laminate on the floors in our bedrooms. 

·         Rosalinda who was 4years old on my first trip is due to have a new baby while we are here.

Everything new is popping up this year.  And still all the old things that I hold dear in my memory are here too. 

·         The warmth of the sun on my face after a long Ohio winter. 

·         The smell of the marine layer as it billows in off the Pacific. 

·         The traffic—oh my! Tijuana!  

·         The sounds of music, dogs barking, children playing, etc.

Yes there are still plenty of the old memories that are still with me.  I also hold dear the memories of people who came on past trips and are no longer with us in this earthly realm.  I’ve thought of Clete who would rate the speed bumps according to pucker power.  And Ellen who would wash every plate in the kitchen upon arrival because they were dusty.  I think of some of the hard workers of the past Dean, Jim, Charlie, and Mike.  I think of Blanca who came even as she was dying of pancreatic cancer.  The old has passed away.

I think of the new…new generations. Hannah will soon begin as a long term volunteer.  She will be the 4^th from our Ohio groups following Heidi, Rena and Ryan.  How will these new experiences shape her life?   Time will tell.

As the week continues I look forward to meeting more old friends and making many more new ones as well.

Joyce Schroer