When Alma Martinez first joined our food co-op a year and a half ago, she had no idea she’d be running it someday. “I was always there helping,” Alma says. “I got more involved and was going more often, then one day they offered me a job as the manager.” The staff recognized Alma’s unique abilities to organize and connect with people and knew they would benefit the co-op. “I’m fair,” Alma says. “I don’t let people just come in and take their food and leave. This is their co-op. They’re the ones running it. I’m just there to make sure everything runs smoothly.” A commitment to inclusion and … [Read more...]
Have You Met Joe?
You’ll see him doing all kinds of jobs around Ciudad Nueva. If you haven’t already, you will want to meet Joe. Joe Gavaldon had been working with Young Life for 25 years in south El Paso and had been collaborating with Ciudad Nueva youth programs. Then one day, it became clear that it was time for Joe to move on from Young Life. No one was expecting this — least of all Joe — and immediately Joe came to work at Ciudad Nueva. “I started the next day,” says Joe. “I felt like it was from the Lord because I was leaving one ministry and then coming to another the very next day. I enjoyed Young … [Read more...]
Staying Open to a World of Possibility
Meet this year’s Border Fellow, Lexi Lexi is from Northern Virginia and graduated from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, last year. Her small group leader in college had done a Fellowship Initiative program in Charlotte, North Carolina, and told Lexi about it during her sophomore year. It sounded interesting, but she thought she would be anxious to get a job right out of college. The Fellows Initiative is the parent program of our local Border Fellows program. For more information about these, click here to read our earlier post. When she was finally in her senior year, the … [Read more...]
Growth and Opportunity Made 2017 a Year to Celebrate at Ciudad Nueva
Kids are so great at celebrating. I recently watched one of my kids after a great performance that helped her team win a big game. The delight and pleasure radiating from her face made my heart want to burst. She was completely absorbed in enjoying that moment of triumph with her teammates. As adults we rarely experience those moments of pure, all-encompassing joy. Maybe the birth of a child or another big event compares, but the day-to-day victories often get swallowed up by the demands of life. That’s why it is so important to stop and acknowledge our progress along the way, and the … [Read more...]
A Few Thoughts on Thankfulness
It is always very humbling to think of everything I’m thankful for — for life, health, family, friends, shelter, food, and all of our basic needs met. I am thankful I get to do work that I believe in, walking alongside neighbors aspiring for a healthy, whole, thriving community. As we head into the holiday season, these are a few things I am particularly thankful for this year. Thankful for the blessing of living and working in such a vibrant, loving community I learn so much from my neighbors about trust, about faith, and about joy in the midst of suffering. I so often see them show joy … [Read more...]
