Mi Madre Mexicana

I would like to introduce you to someone very special to me. She lives in Ejido Buenos Aires, a small farming village outside of Matamoros, Mexico (where I, too, am currently living). She is in her early forties and lives with her husband, Ouicho (or Mauricio). The two have no children, but she loves to bake. Her house consists of two rooms- a kitchen/dining room/sitting area and a bedroom- and is maybe 350 square feet. The house has electricity, but no running water. Mauricio works in Matamoros at a factory and makes $45 per week. They drive an old, beat-up car.  She is very generous with her time and with her possessions- a self-described “simple person with a simple life”.  Her name is Irma, and she and Ouicho are our host family during our stay here at The Gateway.

Despite what you may perceive from the description above, Irma is a rich woman. The very fact that they drive a car makes our hosts wealthier than a vast majority of the world. If this is the case for her, how much more wealthy are we in the U.S.? And yet, Irma is more generous than most Americans I know (especially considering how much she gives compared to how little she has).  Just something to get us all thinking… A passage of Scripture that reminds me a great deal of Irma is 2 Corinthians 8:1-7. She embodies Paul’s characterization of the Macedonian churches, whose “abundance of joy and extreme have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part” (v. 2).

Even more than material possessions however, Irma is rich in her faith in Christ. We often discus the Bible, and we always pray with her whenever we visit. She loves God, and her life overflows with the Fruit of the Spirit. Our team has been very blessed to be able to get to know Irma for this reason.

I wanted to finish by sharing a Scripture that remind me of Irma. The first time we met Irma and she was describing the live she and Ouicho live as simple, she read us this verse: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). Irma’s treasure certainly lies in heaven, and it has been a pleasure to get to know her and witness this in her life.