Reflections from the Other Side of the Border

I've lived in Mexico 2 years now and for the most part, I know the language, I'm familiar with the culture (I better be, my wife and in-laws are Mexican), and we have a lot of things that exist back home, like Starbuck's Coffee, Wal-Mart, Sam's club, etc. Monterrey is a big, fast-paced city with a lot of money. At the same time there are very poor areas where people barely have enough to survive. And yet, every once in a while, I find myself almost forgetting that I live in Mexico. I'm a missionary, yes, but aren't we all? I mean, I work in ministry full time, but I would attest that every pastor at my home church is every bit as much of a missionary as I am. So, day in and day out, it's easy for me (due to the above mentioned things) to just sort of forget that I live in Mexico.

But then, a holiday rolls around, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, those are the two biggies that aren't celebrated here (the minor ones like Labor Day and Memorial Day are celebrated but in a different way). So, on the 4th of July, something doesn't quite feel right. If you log in to the internet, you know it's the 4th, but if you walk down the street here, it's the 4th still, minus the parades, the cooking out, the fireworks, carnivals, festivals, etc. Something just feels like it's missing. It's days like these that it's easy to feel homesick. Last year we had the blessing of spending the 4th in McAllen, TX with some friends. This year, it's just another day in July.

So what do you do to cure the blues, well, at a lack of other ideas, we headed off to, "America's Incredible Pizza." It's a pizza buffet (with good pizza, salads and desserts). Your entry includes access to indoor go-karts, mini-bowling, indoor miniature golf, gobs of video games and my favorite, laser tag. The boys loved it! While there weren't fireworks, there was shooting and a good time was had by all.