Thoughts on Tijuana

La Roca has been close to my heart this week as I received an e-mail fom La Roca a few days ago letting me know of the death of Daniel, Sonia's 4 year old son. Sonia is a mother from La Roca who has been there since my first visit 10 years ago. She's only a few years older than myself and has always shared a smile and a desire to know God more. My heart breaks for her and others at La Roca. I hope to see Sonia again someday...
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The e-mail I received titled: Trajedy at La Roca
It is with great sadness and a heavy heart, that I share with you that David, Sonia's 4 year old son, died on Saturday (March 22) after a tragic accident.David, and several other children, were playing near the security gate down below where the bus can come in and out. The gate came out of its track and fell on David. He went home to be with the Lord shortly afterwards. The other children did not get injured physically, but this was emotionally tragic for them all. Please be in prayer for his mother Sonia, his three older siblings Pedro, Daniel and Tatiana, and all the families at La Roca. Pray for peace and comfort during this difficult time. Also pray for strong and compassionate leadership from Pastor Miguel and Sinai, his daughter and new La Roca Co-Director, as they strive to comfort the families and make sure nothing like this ever happens again.
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David's death has stirred up many memories of my time at La Roca. It's been 10 years since my first visit to Tijuana, Mexico. My life has been forever as a result of the time spent at this beautiful place. I can still remember my first thoughts as we drove over the rugged road and down the hill to the beautiful place called La Roca. I would never have known that this place would become such a meaningful place to me. I could fill a book with memories of the people who live and work at La Roca, of the teams who traveled to La Roa with me from 1998-2004, of my experiences there and how these people have affected my journey.

A few brief memories from my years at La Roca:
1998 - Our team was expecting to go to San Diego and at the last minute our host group told us there was a greater need for a team to go to La Roca in Tijuana. I think we were one of the first overnight groups to visit La Roca. We met Pastor Miguel and his family, Sonia and her children, Ramon, and others. We had to empty a room to sleep in -- all of us cramming in two small rooms on the floor -- and there was no running water, bathrooms, etc. I was so affected by the thankfulness of the people at La Roca -- a theme that would continue over the years. We spent most of our time digging holes in the road looking for pipes. Oh, and I remember flying home -- sitting next to Kelly Jo and crying the entire way.
1999 - Paul Bradley was let the team with me -- who knew that two years later he'd also be my boss! We had a great team and I remember working hard, laughing hard and learning more about the power of prayer. I also have strong memories of meeting Katie (Kerper) Powell on this trip... a friendship that would deepen throughout the years.
2000 - This was the first trip that Michael Ek was my co-leader -- and he and I would lead this trip together for the next five years. The Zamora family had just moved to La Roca so it was our first encouter with Sara, Raquel, Tita, Tito, Chama and the rest of this beautiful family. We made deep connections with the people of La Roca this year... a strong foundation for years to come.
2001 - Memories of this trip include the biggest group of people living at La Roca... the place was full of children and we spent much of our time working, playing with kids and more. Deeper relationships with Pastor Miguel's daughers(Sinai and Sarai) as well as Sara Z. were formed. I also remember that I was struggling personally this year and how the people at La Roca cared for me and loved me.
2002 - When we arrived at La Roca in March, 2002 we found there were no children living there due to some issues with the government. The Lord had pulled together a perfect team of skilled students who would work hard all week on projects to prepare their home. This trip was probably the most memorable as it was the year the wall fell... the Lord taught us a lot on this trip.
2003 - The kids had returned to La Roca and so had their mothers! La Roca is now a home for mothers and children. The wall had also been rebuilt and was bigger and stronger. This year we expanded the futbol field -- lots of cement laying, etc and learned about the new minsitry.
2004 - My last year as a leader of a NWC team -- although I didn't know it at the time. There were more mothers and children living at La Roca and there was more work on the futbol field (building a fence and walls). Oh, how could I forget? This is the year over 1/2 the team had food poisioning when we returned to San Diego...

I was also able to return to La Roca twice (in 2006 & 2007) to visit my friends there. I am looking forward to returning again someday. In 2007 I was able to visit with my cousin Sally who had spent 4 months there in 2006 -- what a blessing that was! It was also a time to see Sara Zamora and her siblings just before she got married and moved away from there -- what a blessing that was. I love the people at La Roca -- and the sights and sounds of that place. It is one of my "Boulder Rivers" -- this is the place where I am most wanted, where everything I am comes from...

The strongest lessons that I've learned from the people at La Roca include being thankful for everything the Lord provides (my bed, comida chen, "another day of life", and more), complete and utter dependence on God, praying big prayers and finding joy and laughter each day. I have loved seeing answers to prayers over the years. I really love these people.