For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then when the time of perfection comes we will see the Kingdom reality face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known by God. And now there remain: faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love. - 1 Corinthians 13:12-13
Our team is incredibly grateful and privileged to have an opportunity to learn from and live together with the community at Rancho el Camino – a place where people ENCOUNTER the presence of God, are EQUIPPED for the work of God, EXTEND the Kingdom of God, and EXALT the name of God.
The ranch is a ministry focused on serving the poor – specifically at-risk children and families in the colonias at the outskirts of La Paz, Mexico. However, over the past few days, it has become clear that God also uses the ranch to minister to teams like ours – people who come from societies of relative material abundance. One of the many insights that have come from this trip is the realization that the comforts, material resources and sheer busy-ness of life in economically developed societies can often obscure the underlying values of the Kingdom of heaven, where we are invited to be blessed and to participate in a co-creation of love through connection, cooperation, community, kindness and care. In doing so, God blesses us by giving us a glimpse of His vision, His ways, and ultimately, of Him.
The heart of the ranch – God’s vision of justice
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. - Galatians 3:28
Our team visited the “heart” of Rancho el Camino, which is not at the ranch itself, but instead is found at the “community centre” that was purchased by the ranch in the middle of the colonias on the outskirts of La Paz. This community centre is unlike any other we have seen back home. It is simply an open square of dirt, gravel and rock, about 120 feet on each side, surrounded by a galvanized chain-link fence amidst a neighbourhood of proud people and humble homes. The most significant “improvement” on the property is a battered 10’ storage trailer that rests on a few cinder blocks because it is missing its tires.
When we arrived at the community centre, there were about a dozen children participating in the after-school program that had been organized by the staff at the ranch. They were sitting on foldup chairs, working and learning at plastic tables, with only the thin fabric of a temporary tent sheltering them from the beating sun. Compared to after-school programs operating in Canada, the venue was humble and the physical resources were very basic – but the excitement, learning, relationship-building and indeed, joy, in the children and the ranch staff were palpable – and more than equal to any we have seen back home.
On this particular Justice Journey, there are many pastors and leaders from Tenth – eight out of the nine families on this trip include a pastor from Tenth! Perhaps, because of that, we have also been blessed on this journey with a clear reminder of God’s vision of justice. During our visit to the community centre, we learned about some of the individual human stories that have emerged from the ministry in the colonias. One deeply moving story was about a mother and her daughter that the community at Rancho el Camino has been journeying with for many years. This mother survived through prostitution, but her heartfelt desire was that her daughter would have a different life trajectory. As a young girl, her daughter had an opportunity to participate in the various ministries offered by the ranch, and through those programs, folks from the ranch were able to befriend and provide loving support to both the mother and daughter. Today, years later, that young girl is now a young lady in the middle of her studies at a local college, and has many more life options available to her than her mother had – with a bright future ahead of her!
In this mother and daughter’s life, we see a glimpse of God’s vision of justice, which is ultimately one of love, equality and grace. His vision is that each one of us, whether we preach behind a pulpit, are sitting in the pews, or perhaps have never sat in a pew, is equally sinful and fall short of His glory. Yet through God’s extraordinary, inclusive love and grace, His vision for each one of us, whether we are a pastor, or a prostitute, is that through faith, we are invited to accept His gift of righteousness, and to a life of flourishing and service to Him that is available through the cross! Thus Rahab, who was a prostitute, and also not an Israelite, chose to place her faith in the God of Israel and serve His Kingdom, her decision changed history, gave her a place of honour among the heroes of faith outlined in Hebrews 11, and she became an ancestor of our Messiah.
Ernest, a Vancouver businessman and Tenth Board Member, is joined by his wife, Angela, and their son, Andrew, on this Justice Journey.