Candies and a bracelet

Two weeks ago at church a cute little kid came up and gave me two candies. I had never tried them before. They are salty, sweet, spicy and sour, all in the same chew. I was thrilled. Mexico’s candy is usually a combination of some kind of chile powder, sugar and lime and sometimes another fruit flavor mixed in.

I went and bought a big bag of this candy and took it to the students on campus the next Thursday. We decided to have a competition as to who could keep a straight face as they chewed it. I lost. The sourness made me squirm, but with delight. Those who watched got a kick out of seeing me wrinkle up my face. It was certainly a conversation starter. I learned one more small thing about Mexican kid culture, about how they grew up, what are their favorite candies. They are always proud to share. They should be. And it is one more opportunity for me to build trust and let them know that God loves them- loves the fact that they are Mexicans who eat sweet sour spicy candies.

This week I spent time with a powerful woman of God who works among the Wixárika (Huichol) people group. She gave me a bracelet made by a woman in a start up business. For the sake of preserving their culture they rarely let an outsider in. This friend is working hard to empower women to live healthy lives and find ways to sustain their families. Little by little they are learning that God loves them, loves the fact that they value the plot of land they labor, their creativity, their pride in who they are.

The Wixárika live in parts of Nayarit, Jalisco, Durango and Zacatecas.
The UNAM is the largest university in the Americas.

I get to be at the UNAM because I understand that, people who can’t be there, send me, so that I can represent them.
My friend gets to work with the Wixárika because, people like me, can’t be there. She represents me and many others.

We all have the privilege of representing God, of modeling His character in the lives of others. He loves the whole world- every people group, every language, every culture.

Once again, thank you for sending us and for allowing us to represent you.