The city of Cholula.
Also, known as the city that is home to more than 350
churches.
That is where this picture was taken today.
Our Boys, are getting to know Mexico City through the
eyes of The Farmer.
What a treat!!
I am so grateful that they are having this time together!
From the moment Those Boys left, I told The Farmer he needed
to go and
spend some time with them, showing him a little piece
of the experiences he has had there.
One of the most life altering experiences for The Farmer was his
LDS mission.
It was served on the streets and in the small towns
of Mexico City. Like most young men, it was a time of great
purification for him...a time of great growth. One of the sweetest
memories for him, lies behind this door, in a town called Texcoco.
He returned there for the first time since his mission, while we
were on our honeymoon. He wanted me to know the Alvarez Family,
and love them, like he did. It was a moment I won't ever forget.
Although I had spent some time in Mexico before we married. I hadn't
really seen poverty like what this sweet family lived, day in and
day out. And yet, they fed The Missionary Farmer, almost every day
while he served in their town. Oh how they loved The Missionary Farmer.
As we drove through the streets of Texcoco, The Farmer looked and looked
for their home. The streets had changed a bit, and it took a little time
for him to get his bearings in a city he hadn't been to in many years.
But when he saw this door...he knew it was "the door" that belonged
to this beloved family. It wasn't in a "neighborhood." it was literally
just a door, facing a busy street. If you were to notice the door, you
would never assume that someone actually lived behind that door. We parked
our car, and The Farmer went to the door and gave a hard knock. And then
he waited. No one came right away, in fact we almost returned to the car
to leave. After another firm knock to the door, it opened slowly.
Hermana Alvarez took one look at The Farmer and began to cry. Cry only
like a mother who hasn't seen a child for years, and the child has
returned home. Hermana Alvarez hugged The Farmer, and he hugged her back
and they both had a sweet cry together. Thrilled to have The Farmer in their
home once again, she invited us to sit in their very humble living room, on two chairs
that seemed that they might break at any moment. She sat across from us, and
the children sat on the floor near us. As I looked around their home, a bit
overwhelmed with how little they actually had, I noticed that our wedding announcement
had been placed in a simple frame and hung in a prominent place where anyone
who came into the house, could see it. The visit was beautiful. I was a
by-stander watching a very special reunion take place. At that time I couldn't
understand or speak any Spanish and I relied on The Farmer to keep me in the
communication loop. He would stop now and then to explain why he loved this special
family so much, and he would tell me about all of the wonderful things they would
do for him while he served in Texcoco as a missionary. But it was much more than
that. This was the kind of connection that doesn't happen often in a lifetime.
Once we had been there awhile, Hermana Alvarez suggested that we must be hungry and
that she would be so happy if we would eat with them. The Farmer then lovingly informed
me that I would need to eat whatever was served, even if it might be difficult. She
then gathered a few coins, handed them to one of the children and asked them to go to
the nearby bread store, and purchase only two pieces of bread. One for me and one for
The Farmer. It wasn't long when the child returned with the sweet breads in a brown
paper bag. The Hermana (sister), then reached to the top of a cabinet that was close
to the table and brought down another brown paper bag that had been carefully hidden.
Inside the bag was a small piece of cheese. She placed the sweet breads and the small
piece of cheese onto a plate and set it in front of us. And The Farmer said..."eat."
I wanted to cry. Not because I was afraid to eat, but because I knew that I was eating
the food that would have been theirs. I knew that those little children wouldn't have
cheese again anytime soon. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done.
I guess that it why this experience is burned into my memory. We stayed most of the afternoon
with that sweet family. We even joined them for dinner which was chicken soup, that
included ALL of the parts of the chicken, because they couldn't afford to waste anything.
In my bowl of soup, was the chicken food. A special treat for a special visitor!;)
As we left their home that day, almost 25 years ago, The Farmer emptied his wallet of
every bit of money he had, and left it with that dear family. He didn't have much,
after all we were students. But all he had was theirs.
As we have gone back to Mexico City through the years, we have always checked in on
La Familia Alvarez. Sometimes we have found them, and sometimes we have not. Each
time we are in Texcoco he revisits the memories of a very special time of life. he opened that
area as a missionary. It had not had missionaries until he and his companion arrived.
Now there is a beautiful LDS church building and two wards that meet there.
Today, along with Our Boys, The Farmer visited Texcoco. These pictures made me cry.
I know
that garden, I have stood there. It is behind the blue door.
Today he found Hermano Alvarez.
I can see the delight in his eyes.
What a gift to be able to share this with Our Boys.
The very first meetings of the LDS church in Texcoco were held in this very spot where
they are standing. It was the front room of the Alvarez Family
.
I am sure it was a very very special day for The Farmer. I can see it in his face, in these picture
that The Boy sent me this afternoon. These are the kind of experiences that a Mother prays her child
will have. And it really was my prayer that The Boy and The Farmer could share this together, that
The Boy could know what his Dad was like as a missionary. What a blessing for them both!
Knowing The Farmer, I am sure he again emptied his wallet, hoping to repay some small part of
the incredible sacrifices that were made by this family, for him.
This Mother's heart is full of gratitude tonight!
