January 2007 - New Playground Equipment

Imagine going to school and at recess time having nothing but a dirt yard to play in with one old plastic cube to climb on. This was the case for the students attending our school at the Lord’s Food Bank in Juarez, Mexico. But thanks to some resourceful friends in Albuquerque, the kids now have a real playground.

It came about that a Catholic grade school was getting rid of their old playground equipment. Our friends asked if they could have it for the Food Bank in Mexico and the school readily agreed. But then came the problem of transportation. How does one get a swing set, slide, and merry-go-round across the border and to a rural location in Mexico? No easy task!

Getting it loaded onto a trailer and brought to El Paso was one step. Then Nestor Baca and his son, Dennis, had to scout out a route to drive, because the electric wires hang very low over many of the roads, and the equipment could have gotten dangerously snagged in them.

With that figured out, and a few more hurdles overcome, the precious cargo finally arrived! The children were so excited that as soon as the slide was unloaded and propped up against the fence, they started using it. Nestor had to chase them away so that they wouldn’t get hurt, promising that they could slide all they wanted to once it was properly installed. So the children watched wide-eyed from the classroom, dying to get their chance to play.

The men dug the necessary holes, positioned the equipment and poured the cement. It all got finished before Christmas, and what a great gift it was. The kids have been having a ball!

We hope you and your loved ones had a very blessed Christmas, and we pray for a happy, healthy New Year!