Juarez + Art
The past five days have been incredible. Sunday through Monday night, Matt, Misty, and I camped and climbed at Hueco Tanks Wildlife Preserve outside of El Paso. It is quite an experience being in the desert. I can only imagine what revelations one would receive spending 40 days alone out there. God spoke to the three of us in very real, very inspiring ways. Tuesday morning, I made a point to watch the sun rise over the mountains here. I could write volumes about that experience. It was definitely a much needed time for meditation and rejuvenation before diving headlong into the work in Juarez.
Yesterday evening the group of art students from Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design (RMCAD) arrived and got settled in. Today, we gathered trash from the neighborhood and sorted it for various projects to do with the local school-kids. It has really been an amazing time with these artists and in this city. God is beginning something amazing here, and he’s doing it with a “secular” group! Tomorrow, we’ll be having about 30 school kids coming over to do some little art projects, one of which will be writing/drawing their stories for me to take home!
I am so blessed and excited to share hope and beauty with the next generation of the people of this neighborhood. There is so much beauty here. Both in nature, and in the faces of the people. My prayer is that the people here will be able to see past all the trash and violence and death to see it. My prayer is that I will allow myself–and my gifts–to be used by God for this purpose
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