A letter from Mark Adams and Miriam Maldonado in Mexico
June 2014
Our experiences here on the border have confirmed our understanding from Scriptures that Jesus calls us to cross borders to be transformed and healed, and to participate in God’s transformation and healing of the world. On one hot afternoon last week we went to visit with Raul and Laura, the directors of the CRREDA, the drug rehabilitation center with whom we partner.
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Estela and Miriam in the garden
The sun was going down and the temperatures—outside—were dropping to pleasant levels, so we hung out in the courtyard of the CRREDA. Anna Flor and Nathan began playing very naturally with Luis David, Raul and Laura’s son, and some of the children who were visiting their moms or dads. Raul brought out some cold, juicy, sweet cantaloupe and we just enjoyed the joy-filled laughter of our children, the cooling breeze of the afternoon, and the brilliant changing colors of the sky as the sun continued its descent below the Huachuca Mountains to the west.
Oh, how different we are now than we were when we walked into the CRREDA for the first time over 10 years ago . . . we went that first time because of obligation, definitely not because we wanted to. We felt so very awkward and uncomfortable, not knowing how to communicate just basic greetings, much less the gospel, with Raul, Laura and the rest of the folks in the CRREDA who were struggling to escape the ravages of their addictions to drugs and alcohol. We were not only uncomfortable—we were afraid.
We left as soon as we could and really never wanted to go back. But Jesus, through the voices of the faithful, called us back one more time, and we reluctantly followed, and another and another, until God could transform us, take away our fear, teach us to communicate love—and now we relish the opportunity to visit our sisters and brothers in the CRREDA and are so very grateful that such visits are just normal fare for our children.
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Estela's Quinceanera
As we talked, Raul talked with pride of how Estela was doing . . . she was living on the outside re-integrating with society. We talked about what a special event it was to have shared in her quinceañera in April.
April was a liturgically rich month with our annual Holy Week celebrations: Maundy Thursday Service, Good Friday Migrant Stations of the Cross, and of course the sunrise celebration of the resurrection led by the women of the Lirio de los Valles church.
These liturgical celebrations help us re-member the gift of God’s love for us through Jesus Christ even in the midst of the betrayal and denial of his closest followers; the pain and suffering of his execution as Jesus was sent across the border between life and death; and the victory of new life over death and separation. Holy Week provides us with an opportunity to gather as a community, participate in profound spiritual disciplines, ground ourselves, and be nourished for our life and ministry for the rest of the year.
This year, however, perhaps the profoundest liturgical experience that we had was one that we had not planned. We were asked to lead the Quinceañera Service for Estela—a service of worship marking her 15th birthday. This quinceañera was different than any we had ever experienced—Estela has experienced more betrayal and denial, suffering and pain than most people experience in all of their lives.
By the age of 12 Estela was addicted to drugs, often living on the streets, and involved in prostitution to get money to feed her habit. Her family was broken and her life was going in a destructive downward spiral.
A year and a half ago Estela and her sister Elisa were taken to the CRREDA, our partner who works with people whose lives are wrecked by addictions to drug and alcohol. She has been clean since entering and has begun to envision new possibilities in her life—finishing her studies, learning how to cultivate the land with the community garden (she is already helping lead and teach others), and dreaming of starting a ministry to help children and adolescents escape the clutches of the drug culture that steal the childhood and life from too many young people.
We were humbled and blessed to be asked to provide leadership for Estela’s quinceañera and to have a real-life, tangible experience of new life and resurrection, and we are grateful for the opportunity to continue journeying with her through our partnership with CRREDA, the community garden, and our new drug prevention and intervention ministry.
Following Jesus across borders, whether they be national, political, religious, cultural, or economic, can often provoke discomfort and even fear; however, it is a vital spiritual discipline that God utilizes to transform us and the world. What are the borders in your community, your school, or your church that God may be calling you to cross?
We ask you to pray with us that God may give us courage to cross new borders as we continue to seek to be proactive, positive and faithful witnesses to new life in the face of the betrayal, denial, suffering, pain and death brought about by the drug culture.
We thank you for your generous support, which helps us accompany folks who are suffering and experience with them new life.
Know that “nuestra casa es su casa” and that we would love to have you come and share a bit of life and ministry with us.
The Adams Maldonado Family
Miriam, Mark, Cindy, Anna Flor and Nathan
Your mission co-workers on the U.S./Mexico border and beyond
The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 37
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