What I learned from Ricardo

As Ricardo sat in the dirt and sobbed I realized we had changed his life (at least for the moment). We had spent 5 intense days playing, singing, creating and learning with him and his 120 amigos. When we first arrived at the Rosarito Church we weren’t sure what to expect. Having been there before I had ideas, just no certainties. As we pulled in we looked for the throngs of el ninos. There were none. We piled out of the vans and with a guarded excitement strolled towards the doors leading into the church. SITTING inside were 70 el ninos (children) which brought immediate pleasure and surprise to the 11 el teenos and their leaders. For months, the ninos had been waiting for this moment, frequently asking Arturo “when the Canadians come in, when the Canadians come in. . .? We had arrived and excitement was in the air.

We ended each day as a team, sharing our highs and lows . For 45 minutes, 18 people spoke of things that both amazed and challenged them. “My high is seeing how happy the kids are with so little.” “My low is that we have to leave on Friday.” One morning I asked the team to share some of the things they had learned. A theme quickly emerged. “I’ve learned you don’t need stuff to be happy. All a person needs is family and friends.” As human beings, we know this to be true. In fact, we know this to be obvious. It’s just. . .

For 35 minutes, the teens tried unsuccessfully to calm Ricardo’s tears. When it became clear the well was not going to dry up anytime soon, I encouraged the teens to say their final goodbyes and gave Ricardo a hug of my own. We watched him stand up and begin to walk away, slowly disappearing down the dirt road. As he walked he frequently turned around to see if #1 – we were still there and #2 if we were still there. Of course we were, how could we go? I think I'll remember that walk forever. Slumped shoulders, head bowed low, legs dragging his wilted body forward. Just when he or we had seemingly survived the moment - he fell to his knees. A few moments later the teens emerged at his side, resuming the grieving once more. It was heartbreaking to watch and one of those moments you don’t forget.

Short term missions are rarely about THEM. We act like they are because it’s hard to raise funds “so WE can have a life changing experience” but ultimately, that is the reason we go. The impact of a sobbing Ricardo on a group of Western teenagers is far greater in the long run than any impact they’ll have on him. Ricardo will grow up and soon forget about that week in 2008 but the teens will never forget. It will forever be etched in their memories even when emotions no longer accompany it. I’ve lead 3 trips of this kind and people from the first trip still talk about Tijuana like it was yesterday. Something occurs deep inside of us when we meet people living a life we know to be true. Beyond the bare necessities, the kids have nothing. Their houses, clothes, roads, are all falling apart. They have no cell phones, computers, or trends. They’ve never checked their Facebook or received a text message. They have no tickets to watch their team or hats to show they cheer for one. They have no urge to see The Dark Knight. Yet in spite of all this, they don’t act like they are missing out or rage because of their unmet needs. They live like they have all they need. How is that possible we wonder? We wonder, yet we know.

As we rumbled past the Mexican border on our way to LA the scenery quickly changed from a dirty grey to a sparkling green - almost like we had passed through a dimension in time and ended up in paradise. We arrived at our Castle Hotel about 7pm and after checking in, we quickly departed to the local theatre to catch the premiere of The Dark Knight. We ended up getting tickets to the final showing at Midnight - which meant we now had 3 hours to kill in Disneyland. FRICK. jk. We ended up killing time by going to a restaurant in downtown Disney. Apparently the restaurant requires reservations months in advance but they fell for the charm that is The John and let all 18 of us in immediately. One of the teens that frequents the land of the Mick said "John, my mind is blown." haha, I do what I can teeno.

After the restaurant we went to the theatre to sit in line for an hour because as you all know, purchasing the ticket is only step 1 in the movie experience. The doors opened and hundreds of LA batman junkies poured into the theatre. The excitement level was high and remained high throughout the movie as the audience clapped and cheered throughout. The Joker was mesmerizing and I remember thinking I hadn't seen a performance of that magnitude in years. Mr. Ledger may very well become the 7th grave-dweller to secure an Oscar nomination. In fact, I predict he will.

We arrived back at the hotel just after 3am and after prog reports, we fell into a deep sleep. We woke up 3 hours later so we could enjoy the FULL Disneyland experience. Did we ever. 15 hours and 20 rides later we arrived back at the hotel even later and more exhausted then the night before. What a rush.

The next day we flew home and after bragging to the parents about their wonderful teens I went back through security to catch another plane to Vancouver Island where I am now vacationing in Crofton, an ocean town of 2000. I've swam in the Ocean, played with dead sealife, climbed mountains and just yesterday lept off one, paragliding for miles. As huge of a rush as that was, my realtor called me this morning to inform me he had finally sold our house. Because of the crap market we were forced to sell it for tens of thousands less than we originally wanted but in the end we still walk away with tens of thousands more so I choose thankfulness instead of the other kind.

Its been an incredible ride, these past few weeks. I think about all the things I've experienced in that time and I realize some people will live a lifetime and never experience any of those things. Like Ricardo. He may never see LA. I'm guessing he'll never go to Disneyland, or wait in line for 2 hours to see the hit movie of the summer. He'll never fly across the world, paraglide off a mountain or sweat for 2 months for fear of only making 5 figures on his house instead of the expected 6. Neither will 110 of his 120 amigos. What do I do with that? Should I feel guilty? Do I purge myself of all that is The Western World and live like Ricardo? Should I spit on my own countrymen judging them for living a life opposite to our Mexican friends? It's tempting, believe me. But, in the end it wouldn't be beneficial. Certainly not for Ricardo. And probably not for me. So I do better.

I will learn from Ricardo. I will love much and lust for little. And I'll reserve my smiles and tears for the things that really matter. You.

John