There is a story told about a man who wandered onto a beach where thousands of starfish had become stranded during a particularly high tide. As the sun came up it was obvious that they were going to perish. For
There is a story told about a man who wandered onto a beach where thousands of starfish had become stranded during a particularly high tide. As the sun came up it was obvious that they were going to perish. For a moment the man thought that perhaps he could do something for all these starfish, but the sheer numbers overwhelmed him. It was then that he saw a small boy picking up starfish one by one, throwing them back to the sea.
Approaching the boy, the man said, “Son, look at all these starfish! You will never be able to get them into the ocean before the sun cooks them. Forget it, your efforts won’t make any difference to their fate.”
The little boy looked up at the man and then reached down and grabbing a starfish he flung it back into the sea. “It made a difference to that one,” he said.
Tijuana is one of the fastest growing cities in Mexico. For most visitors it is a mix of brightly colored curio shops, taco stands and bull rings. But tucked out of sight in folds and valleys and clinging to the bald, gray hills are huge communities of the desperate; thousands of people who barely eke out a living, people who try to care for a whole family on a few dollars a day. Many have inadequate housing, no running water or electricity.
On Jan. 2, a few dozen high school students from Kaua‘i arrived in those bleak hills ready to spend their winter break trying to make a difference for some of those families.
For the next five days, the group from Kauai Christian Fellowship plunged into a variety of missions, including building two houses, repairing several roofs, distributing food, operating a portable bathhouse for children, throwing a Christmas party for orphans, passing out food and water to men, woman and children who pulled recyclables out of an active dump and providing breakfast for the kids of prostitutes and drug addicts in the red light district.
It took six months to raise the funds for this trip, all from donors equally dedicated to the cause. But the giving wasn’t only one way. Most of the American students came back deeply impacted.
“This trip showed me that everything in life isn’t about me,” said ninth-grader Josh Licke. “There are things in life that actually make you richer than getting rich with money.”
Keale Victorino said he was “overwhelmed” at the sight of people digging through the trash to make a living and that, after his experience, he was not going to take for granted even simple pleasures like being able to take a shower.
Working with Spectrum Ministries and Caravan Ministries, the Kaua‘i teens became the arms and feet for their work with the poor. They came back with the satisfaction of knowing that even though they had only touched the surface of the incredible needs they saw, they made a real difference to some because of their efforts.
• Rick Bundschuh is a pastor with Kauai Christian Fellowship.
