Friendship in Juarez

I'm reposting this video of a house concert I did in Juarez last year. My friends from Dios Con Nosotros were able to visit Colorado Springs this past weekend and we spent some wonderful time together. However, many of you might be aware of the increasing violence and economic problems in Mexico. Juarez in particular has been suffering and recently became the most violent city in the world as murders rose to about 10 per day. The violence is mostly due to the drug war happening between three different cartels. You can find many articles online including THIS ONE from npr.org.

My friend Claudia (born and raised in Juarez, but fluent in English) sent me this in an email before she came to visit:

"My parents business is broke and Luis is out of work. The financial world there is a saying that says that if the U.S. gets the flu, Mexico gets pneumonia. And that is what is happening over here. There is a huge domino effect on our economy because of the possible recession, gas prices etc... A lot of factories have shut down and many businesses are broke, including my parents. The good thing is my dad is retired and getting a monthly check.

Right now it kind of feels like everything is messed up. We are not sad or depressed or anything. We are hopeful, trying to discern the will of God. Please be praying for Juarez too. Since February there have been 467 drug related murders (over 500 now since the first of the year). These murders are happening in broad daylight in the middle of high traffic streets. Three men were killed last week outside of our neighborhood. So this has brought a lot of despair to the city and the people are in a general hysteria."

By a miracle my friends, Claudia and Luis, and the Pastors of Dios Con Nosotros, Manuel and Lola, were able to come for the weekend. They visited some Spanish speaking congregations in Denver and Colorado Springs and spent a day with me and some other friends. We spoke about things going on in the city and every time Claudia started to talk about the violence, or the arson, Lola's eyes would well up with tears. Manuel is more stoic, but far from unmoved. At one point, while about 7 of us were having lunch at a local cafe, he pulled the label off of the Odawalla lemonade he was drinking. He said he like to pull the labels off of things. He spoke in metaphor and prose about the need to see people's essence apart from title. "Now Juarez has won the title of most violven city in the world," he said. "But this is just another title distracting people from presence of God."

We spoke about what we could do together and what it means to be people of Peace, and friends across borders. So, right now I am planning on visiting my friends over labor day weekend. I will travel with a few others and we will manifest a higher reality, by having a concert, a party, and maybe planting a garden.

Please do pray for the city, and for our dear friends. And if you feel moved to give, you may donate through the partnership page here at restorationvillage.com. Please indiciate "Juarez" and I will include it in an offering for Dios Con Nosotros.