only in mexico

I was taking one of the interns out for lunch downtown, and only in mexico do you find a jumpy-castle-thingy outside of the store... that's an upside-down cow!
As mexico becomes more my home, things shock me less. The craziness of the driving, or the amount of dust that flies every step you take or the idea of putting hot sauce on everything (including popcorn at the movie theatre!)...it doesn't really phase me anymore. Even the sight of randomly designated dumps and garbage piles, the shanty homes or barefoot children don't shock me anymore. In a way this is good - the overwhelming sense of "pity" is no longer my reaction. And I don't even really approach the families we are working with, or the friends I am making here as "poor people" anymore. They are people. They are part of my new community. They aren't a statistic or a label or a project. They are people. But I don't want to become so accustomed to the poverty that I forget that these people have needs. There is poverty here that I never want to get used to seeing. Last week I spent some time at the Migrant Camps - where the living conditions and poverty are even greater than most of the areas we regularly work in. I was reminded again of why I was here. I was reminded of how my heart ached, but also how it inspired me to continue to be apart of this ministry. It reminded me of Jesus's calling to be his hands, his feet, his disciple...
I may get used to seeing kids jump on an upside down cow, but I don't want to get so used to seeing poverty that I forget why I am here...