Greetings, June, 2006

Graffiti or tagging is just part of our world here in Tijuana. It is literally everywhere and on almost every large building. Tijuana just wouldn't be Tijuana without a generous sprinkling of creative and colorful graffiti over everything. It's like a visual seasoning mixed into the city life. When our vans get dirty, and they often do, they too become candidates for the graffiti of a given neighborhood. Fortunately, the kids use their fingers and not paint. Graffiti says a lot of things if you know the local language. It’s basically a message that means this is our property, this belongs to us or this is my name. This is for all to see!

I had never thought of graffiti as being encouraging until I looked at the rear of my dirty SUV this morning. The sides of my car posted the usual unintelligible little hand and finger markings but on the top of my dirty rear window the fingers printed out a graffiti message that was clear and encouraging.

I immediately grabbed my camera and took this photo. In English it reads . . . "Thank you uncle von for all you do for us!" I don't know who. I don't know where. But God has His ways of encouraging us doesn't He?

Thank you for unselfishly letting us take the credit for all you are allowing us to do. von, for all of us at Spectrum.