The Dump

Remains the highlight of the trip for me. This time was no exception.

How can it be that I can be walking through piles of rubbish, flies absolutely everywhere, the smell pretty obnoxious and be thinking 'I don't want to leave this place'

In fact, I know exactly why. Its because it just gives you a fresh sharp reminder of the privileged lives we lead. But in fact, its more than that, its spiritual. I don't mean the fact that they all get together and sing worship songs to us, (which is indeed a lovely thing to behold) but its something that I can't yet put my finger on. Yes , what we do is nice, and they're appreciative of it, but there's a sense that there's something more than us 'doing our bit and feeling good about ourselves' I need to process quite what this means.

I'll stop. I'm getting a bit deep, which isn't me. I'm really quite shallow. No I really am that shallow!

I want to tell you about Sunday afternoon. You'll remember I mentioned Mark, the gay flight attendant. I invited him and two of the air hostesses to visit Los Algodones with me and Sean. Amazingly they agreed! They have spent the week on the sun loungers, or snorkelling. I think it was a mixture of boredom and intrigue that made them agree to come.

But what a trip! They were completely blown away. They were also absolutely lovely with the kids. They brought sweets and got plenty of attention.

I want Mark, and the two girls to see that God is not an unloving, judgmental God. (No, that's Christians!) Mark's ways are not my ways, but that doesn't mean that God doesn't love him, but me preaching hell and damnation because he's a poofter or because they are a rather loose set of ladies with questionable values just wouldn't work!

No, they will not see Jesus in our judgmental eyes, but they will see him in the actions of loving one another, including the kids in Los Algodones and loving the gays.

On the way home the three of them just kept asking questions. They really had been impacted. It was a good conversation, and I felt one that put our faith in a better light than that which they had previously experienced. They're on a journey, just like you and me, its just that there at a different place at the moment.

This hasn't necessarily been a mission to the poor.