E-TEAM Mexico News Archive 2008 Mano Comano & Tampico.

June 24th, 2008

Today we went shopping in Tampico and went to a place called Mano Comano. In Tampico there were very many little shops with random stuff. The people here call it a market, and you can bargain the prices. Quite a few of us got some type of discounts if we tried. We shopped for about 2 hours and then went out to eat. We went to a nice sit down restaurant with really good food. In America, if we would have had that dinner it would have been pretty expensive. All together for 12 of us it cost 500 pesos. So 12 of us ate at a nice restaurant for 50 American dollars.

We finished eating and went shopping for about an hour more. At the very end, we went out and got some ice cream. Then we left Tampico.

From Tampico, we went to a place called Mano Comano. Mano Comano is a place that used to be a garbage dump. People needed houses so they started building around the dump. The houses there are very tiny and in no type of living condition. You would not belive how tiny and how badly they have it unless you were standing there. Pictures make it look better than it really is. These people have no electricity, they get water from a lake, which is never really that clean. We brought toys, soap, washclothes, toothpaste, candy, and tracks with us. The kids were so appreciative of one piece of candy. Some kept trying for more or different stuff than what we gave them, but for the most part, we made these kids very happy. It was nice to know that we were helping people and making them smile. We handed out invitations and tracks. The invitations invited them to come to a Free Will Baptist Church there.

All of us were shocked at how little they have. Some houses were so tiny, you would most likely have to be on your knees to be inside of it. Most houses had used supplies such as wood, metal, and whatever they could find to cover the top. We all felt pretty bad. We had just spent money on stuff that we did not need, when these people clearly needed a lot of things. It opened our eyes to see how good we really have it. These people wake up every morning trying to figure out what they can feed their family. We conviently go to our kitchen or pantry and get something. Our financial troubles are nothing compared to theirs.

After Mano Comano we had quite a bit of free time. We ate an american dinner! Which all of us were longing for. We had hot dogs, Kool-aid, and chips. After dinner, some of the Ebenezzer youth group came over and we all sort of hung out. Some had been at the store while they were at the Bible Institute with the rest of us. They left and most of us went to our rooms and hung out and talked. But thats all for today.

(If we do not have an entry every day, we apologize. We have to go into town to get on the computer. We pay 8 pesos, which is not that much. With our schedules it is not always easy to update everyday. We will do the best we can.)

Please keep praying.
Love, E-Team Mexico.