Category Archives: Articles

Crossing Borders… Looking for a New Horizon!

Articles October 11, 2014 1 Comment

Disintegrated families, extreme poverty and even high rates of violence are the most common causes for hundreds from Central America to flee from their countries looking for a long-awaited “American dream.” This phenomenon has been taking place since June 2014. It so happens that many of the

A view of Rio Grande between Mexico and the USA

A view of Rio Grande between Mexico and the USA

inhabitants of several Central American countries declare they want to enter the United States primarily because they are fleeing from critical, degrading and even dangerous living conditions.

Such is the case of young 23-year-old Stephany. Her appearance is innocent as she tells us with gentle looking eyes that life in her native country, Honduras, was unbearable because of oppressive violence. It took Stephany about 5 months to reach the border between Mexico and the United States. Without money or contacts, she started out on an uncertain adventure, but with the strong hope of crossing the border and leaving behind a stormy past. It was truly a past full of poverty, insecurity and violence. But most of all, it was a past that would forever leave its mark on her life, because Stephany did not travel alone. She went with her little baby who was still in her womb. She left Honduras shortly after having been raped by a member of one of the active gangs there, and her pregnancy was the result of the rape.

Hundreds of cases similar to Stephany’s, some more critical than others but all certainly very painful for the persons living the experience, reach the different points of entry between Mexico and the United States.

Stephany was just one of the many who I was able to meet at the Sacred Heart Church in McAllen, Texas, in September. This church is precisely an assistance center which the Catholic Charities of the Rio Gran Valley opened on June 10 this year.

This well-equipped assistance center has portable wash bowls, kitchen and dining room, toilets, portable showers, large tents with cots and mattresses for sleeping arrangements, and a large stock of clothing classified according to gender, age and size. They also provide telephone service for both national and international calls.

On an average, this center receives 40 persons every day. After immigrants are captured by patrols on the border and processed in the detention center, they reach this assistance center without really understanding where they are being taken. With faces that display tension, anxiety, embarrassment,

US Border Patrol in Anzalduas Park - Mission, TX

US Border Patrol in Anzalduas Park – Mission, TX

tiredness and most of all, hunger, these men, women and children arrive disoriented and frightened, having no idea of what they can expect next.

So here, at least for a few hours, the tension of having crossed the border is lessened to some degree and for the first time, they feel a friendly, disinterested hand ready to help them as much as possible.

Stephany, Elisandra, Pedro, María, Melany, Juan and so many others have the opportunity of being assisted with their most urgent needs -a refreshing bath with hot water, clean clothes, hot vegetable soup, telephone calls to their relatives and a bag full of drinks, sandwiches and snacks for the rest of their journey, wherever that may take them.

However, this would not be possible were it not for the many hands that have united to serve these men, women and children who have so desperately fled from their countries looking for peace and a better future.

The Sacred Heart Church has partnered with other organizations to make their assistance center effective. Consequently, the Salvation Army coordinates their kitchen and food preparation, a local Baptist church washes the towels used in the showers. And Save the Children provides a recreational space for the children who pass through this center.

But that is not all. Sacred Heart Church can serve dozens of immigrants every week because many bighearted volunteers who want to serve have promised to work every day in this center. They do the cleaning, the classifying of clothing, help with the cooking and offer personalized attention for each refugee coming from Central America and sometimes even from South America.

Mission Discovery volunteers at Sacred Heart Church

Mission Discovery volunteers at Sacred Heart Church

Mission Discovery is one of the Christian organizations that helped in this center in September. We were a group of about 30 volunteers who had the opportunity of serving, either directly or indirectly, the dozens of refugees who had arrived there.

But, have you ever asked yourself what moves people to serve others who are in need? There are countless humanitarian aid organizations in the world. And there are millions and millions of benefactors of an endless number of noble causes. What is it that motivates them to devote so much effort to the cause of the less fortunate?

No doubt each one can present his or her own reason, but personally, I dare answer this question with what the Bible says in James 1:17:

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

Max, a young volunteer with a big heart for the needy

Max, a young volunteer with a big heart for the needy

 

Furthermore, God the Creator of the Universe, the Creator of the Heavens and Earth, the Creator of the human being, God who is the essence of love, clearly invited us to “love Him and love our neighbors as we love ourselves.”

Therefore, especially for those of us who profess to be Christians, we feel it is a real privilege to serve those in need. Because this is an opportunity to share some of the many blessings our God has given us, and through them bring glory, honor and power to His Holy Name. And certainly, to make Him known –Jesus Christ, the only and wise God, to all nations and peoples.

 

Let me share the following short video, courtesy of Michel DeLisle which graphically summarizes part of the experience of our service in McAllen and Port Isabel, Texas, with those who have risked their lives while crossing borders looking for a new horizon.

 

What Happens when the Lights Go out?

Articles December 30, 2013 Leave a comment

A couple weeks ago, because of the work I do in communications, I visited a public school in a marginal urban sector of a city on the coast of my country.

I had the opportunity to have a brief time of sharing with a group of little boys and girls, about 30 of them. They were all friendly and playful. Some had mischievous looks about them and others a look of total innocence. But there were a few who couldn’t hide deep anguish and their faces reflected frustration, annoyance and sadness in spite of their young age. When our work and interaction with these little ones finished, on a more informal note I decided to ask them, “What do we celebrate at Christmas?” Can you imagine their answers? Well, here are a few:

– “It’s a party time!”
– “Santa comes at Christmas!”
– “Christmas is happiness!”
– “We get gifts!”
– “It’s Santa Claus’ party!”

When I was about to give up waiting for another kind of answer, one little girl shyly raised her hand and said, “We celebrate the Baby Jesus at Christmas.”

And now as the year is almost at its end, our city is clad in lights and expensive decorations. People are out shopping, preparing big dinners, hiding gifts under the Christmas tree and telling the little ones they must be good so Santa Claus will bring them Christmas presents.

Now it’s not a bad thing to dress up for a party, to share special food with family and friends or to take part in a wholesome celebration –there’s nothing really bad about any of that.  What is really sad is that during this special time of the year, “everybody gets crazy,” as I heard someone say. Traffic is terrible, stores stay open long hours and it seems they aren’t able to accommodate so many people, and social obligations pile up. It seems that all the stress of an entire year accumulates into just two days while people search for the “right gift” for each obligation.

Sadly enough, these little children only about 7 years old that I had the opportunity to meet just recently are the clear reflection of our society. For them, Christmas is a time of lights, decorations, gifts and a fantastic story that with a little luck might come true for them.

Only one in a group of thirty seemed to have a slight idea of the true meaning of Christmas. One in thirty seemed to understand that the “best gift” a person can give a loved one –or even themselves- is “Jesus,” who more than two thousand years ago came to this world as a sweet baby. Yes, Emmanuel  -God with us- came with the only purpose of giving His life as a sacrifice for humankind, for those of us who have faith to believe at least three important things:

– That we are sinners. That there is not even one righteous person in this world.
– That we can do absolutely nothing for ourselves to cleanse our sin. Not even the best works can wipe away the smallest or most hidden sin we have.
– That only the precious blood of Jesus Christ poured out in sacrifice on the cross can cleanse us of all evil and all sin.

This is possible if we have faith to open our heart to Jesus, the only true God, and invite Him to be the Savior and Lord of our lives.

When the lights go out after the Christmas and New Year’s celebrations and all the nonsense begins to return to normal and people have to begin to worry about the oversized debts they have acquired during this season and get back to the normal stress of daily life, there is one light that will stay on throughout the year. Just one single light that will shine in the darkness. Just one single light that will glow in the darkness of society’s stress, suffering, fear, weariness, hatred, frustration and loneliness. Just one single light… That light has been, is and will be Jesus Christ, who said of Himself,

“I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”  (John 8:12)

Do you want to walk in the light in 2014? I urge you to do so, to choose to walk in the light. Choose to turn off the artificial lights of vain celebrations and trivialities and decide for Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. Putting Jesus in charge of your life is the best and most important decision you can make. When you decide for Christ, His light will wash the darkness from your life and the radiance of the all-powerful God will light your path during this New Year.

May Jesus Christ, the Giver of Life and the Light of the World shine on you during 2014!

Towards Excellence recommends the following link if you want to know more about Jesus, the Light of the World:  http://peacewithgod.jesus.net/

Surrounded by Excellence!

Articles June 26, 2013 Comments: 4

I was born in a small country in South America characterized by its diversity of scenery, flora and fauna, and most certainly, its people. It’s true that it’s a small country, but it has a vast wealth of biodiversity and people of different races who all have enormous and generous hearts. I was born right in the Middle of the World –in Quito, the capital of Ecuador.

And this small country just 109,484 square miles in size is divided in 4 regions. Let’s take a quick look! The coast is where you can enjoy beautiful beaches along the entire Pacific Ocean shore. And you can explore a number of ecosystems here also –tropical and dry forests, mangroves and rocky cliffs.

El Chimborazo

Chimborazo snowcap

The sierra is characterized by mountains and snow peaks that form the renowned Andes Mountain Range with more than 20 volcanoes, about 5 of which are still active. It is here where the imposing Chimborazo rises to 20,564 ft.

Continuing on with this expedition, we have to cross the Amazon forest, a region rich in thousands of birds, mammals, insects and other creatures that harmoniously co-inhabit in this amazonic paradise. And finally, there are the famous Galapagos Islands, an extraordinary venue where warm and cold currents attract and unite unique species. UNESCO has declared this exotic archipelago as Natural Heritage for Humanity.

So I’ve lived a great part of my life in my country, Ecuador, where I’ve shared a few fleeting impressions. However, I’ve also had the unique opportunity to travel and see other countries, other cultures, other races, and most certainly, other panoramas. I’ve visited about 25 countries in 4 of the 5 continents, and what’s been most extraordinary in these incomparable travel experiences has been discovering places just as beautiful and wonderful as those of my own country. I’ve met people from very different cultures, but they’ve proven to be very much like my people. They’re people who to some extent face the same kinds of problems, and they share the same emotions of happiness, sadness, anguish, dream and hope. Some of their childhood dreams have come true and unfortunately, others have not.

All of us, absolutely all of us on this planet Earth are undoubtedly surrounded by excellence. It makes no difference whether we’re wealthy or poor. Some of us will delight in the majesty of the mountains and someday some of the bravest of us may even climb them. Some of us will delight in swimming or even sailing in the midst of playful waves; while still others will almost certainly experience the adventures of the legendary Tarzan as they live and grow up in thick, exotic jungles.

And all of us, absolutely all of us will someday look up at the sky and see its beauty. The sunlight will shine so brightly on our faces that our eyes won’t be able to resist it. And at night, the moon and stars will convince us there’s Someone who’s guiding us even in the dark.

Mountains, rivers, valleys, hills, oceans, mangroves and exotic jungles… Sun, moon, stars, constellations and infinite space… All of it created to perfection!

Who could have made this so perfectly, so precisely, so meticulously?

This is the world that surrounds me –the world that surrounds all of us. It’s a world originally created in perfection and beauty, assembled with the utmost skill and precision.

And it’s not limited just to this world, our planet or even our galaxy. We’re so infinitely small when we compare ourselves with the great universe and the hundreds of millions of existing galaxies. Who are we? Who made this planet that’s our home, and who made this planet’s home, the universe?

Look at the evening sky! Who created the stars? Who gave them each a name? Who leads them like an army? The LORD is so powerful that none of the stars are ever missing… Don’t you know? Haven’t you heard? The LORD is the eternal God, Creator of the earth. He never gets weary or tired; His wisdom cannot be measured.” (Isaiah 40: 26, 28 – CEV)

I personally feel there is no other answer but this. Yes, this is the God, the Creator of the Universe, who has given us the privilege of living and administering a very small part of His extraordinary and vast creation –the Earth.

And it is this God and His creation who inspires me every day to live and further excellence in every area of my life and in everything I’m involved in, because I myself am His creation, just as His Word assures me:

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10 – NASB)

Consequently, this is my commitment –to be an instrument of God, to be His ambassador and further His Kingdom and to live a life that pursues excellence in every place, at every moment and in every thing, and most definitely, promote this kind of life in every country where it’s possible for me to do so.

I know I was created by the God of excellence and now I’m called to live and lead a life that strives towards excellence.

So have you stopped to think that in spite of how difficult your circumstances may be, you are still surrounded by excellence?

Do you know that you were created by God, the Creator of the Universe and that you were created for “good works”?

Wouldn’t you like to join this journey towards excellence?

***

Our Time, a Time of Extraordinary Progress?

Articles May 11, 2013 Comments: 4
sign

Source: http://bit.ly/16KJGbx  used under CC license.

We live in a time of enormous technological progress, with inventions that surpass our imagination and most certainly, with instant global communication.

Imagination, creativity, ingenuity and innovation in this century have facilitated human existence to the greatest degree possible and have astoundingly improved living conditions.

Extraordinary advances have been made in medicine, satellites have been launched into space in an effort to better understand the universe, and even before these events, traveling time between countries as well as continents became dramatically reduced. With just a simple “click,” a video conference can unite families, friends and even big cyber business negotiations in a virtual embrace.

This century is most certainly worthy of the admiration and recognition of the people who have made it possible for humanity to advance, excel and reach the height of its splendor of development.

Excellence viewed from this perspective is undoubtedly the distinctive mark of this century.

However, in contradiction with and in spite of these extraordinary advances witnessed daily, there is a part of our daily lives that has not been affected by the example of the excellence evidenced in the substantial changes in this century.

Therefore, we sadly observe and even experience the intolerable bad medical practices that have caused so many unfortunate events and have even caused the death of loved ones.

Many of us have had to conduct business in public offices as well as in private enterprises where leading edge technology is honorably encouraged in order to serve customers with high quality standards. Nevertheless, our experiences have been chaotic when systems have not functioned according to the way they have been publicized or even worse, when the personnel in these places have not provided us with proper or effective attention.

On the other hand, the more we study and try to understand the laws of the universe, the less we understand ourselves as human beings and we increasingly experience broken relationships.

Additionally, the easier it is to widen our public life through social networks, the less effort we make to strengthen our personal and family relationships, and we end up experiencing failed relationships.

This is precisely the paradox of this century. It is the age of technological development, telecommunications and social networks versus the age of weakened human relationships and family disintegration.

Businesses loudly proclaim high quality standards from the perspective of their advanced digital technology, but they forget that more important than their perfectly developed systems with telephone exchanges, call centers and digital banks, etc. are human resources that should receive special attention, care, encouragement and development because it is human resource and not technology per se that is the real motor that drives businesses towards true excellence.

In the same way, it is in the nucleus of the family where every member needs to experience love, comprehension, support and a sincere embrace, even in the midst of failure, so a family can experience healing and restoration and so every human being can set off on his or her journey as a person seeking excellence.

There are so many different areas in which the practice of excellence is implicit, and there are many more aspects that need to be discussed regarding this topic.

Every month, I will share stories, my personal experiences and those of close friends plus some advice and recommendations along with an invitation to share moments of reflection and learning for a life that pursues excellence.

Welcome and thanks for joining me in this journey towards excellence!

***

“Excellence is doing ordinary things, extraordinarily well.”

John W. Gardner