Greetings, February, 2004

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

This cute clean little girl was not specially dressed and posed, but, it's one of the best photos I have ever taken. I noted her standing there next to the junk. She had just been given a shower and the American girls dressed her up so cute including her little hat. And she was tickled! Her big day! This photo is even better in color. Let's be honest, though; this picture is deceiving. True enough, she is clean, cute, innocent and happy but she lives in a neighborhood or barrio that is anything but that. In Pana there is evil, filth, immorality, cruelty, drugs, stealing, murder and the list could go on. She will grow up there.

"They seem so happy," our American friends say. "They are so poor but they don't seem to mind," is another statement I often hear. Looking at people from the outside is so deceiving until you know the truth of what's inside. We who know the inside simply smile and bite our tongues. Pana? This is anything but a poor but happy neighborhood. It's hell!

Indeed, a laugh, a smile and childlike innocence grabs us and we build our fantasy picture. Let's be positive we say, but what about the truth?

Now when it comes down to the beast, we get a different reaction, a more honest reaction! When our American friends and co-workers see a dead dog on the street or alive in such an ugly and cruel condition it elicits real emotion, real pity! "Can we do anything?" they ask. The truth? It will take more than a dog biscuit.

As contrasting as these pictures may seem there is indeed a similarity. Isn't it strange that we become more concerned over a poor animal than a poor human enslaved to evil? Humans are eternal beings. There are eternal consequences for those who elect to live their lives without God.

Maybe it's that these poor little critters didn't ask to be born. Indeed they are innocent victims of their cruel environment. We rightfully feel a pity for them. But what about our little girl above, she didn't ask to be born and enslaved by her cruel environment. At this point she is pretty, enthusiastic and innocent but the years will take their toll. If she becomes like most of the women in her neighborhood she will have one heartbreak after another.

Yet it's the poor dog that grabs us, not the poor souls.

Indeed, Spectrum works with the innocent, the young in hopes that with our example and teaching we can make a difference in a few lives. That's our goal. That's why we work these dark barrios and cold streets of Tijuana. (The dogs? Well, I feel sorry for them too. I'll be honest, I carry some doggie treats with me in my car. While it may not solve the problem, it makes for a very happy moment.)

Thanks for your prayers on our behalf. May this new year bring each of us closer to involving ourselves in values and priorities that will count for Eternity.