Teaching by Example

Real mission does not occur without teaching about the God of our faith.

Walking the streets and visiting the lonely; giving sacks of food to impoverished families; providing clothing and water; providing building materials; making surgery possible so that a child can walk; helping to bury a stranger - these are concrete ways of teaching love.

One of the things I learned as a cop on a foot-beat in Baltimore during the 70's was that people are always watching you. Even at 3 a.m. people take note. A couple of derelicts pointed this out one day when they told me that they saw me checking each business and looking for any hint of a break-in. "Man, it was raining and you were still checking!" I was surprised because with all my careful checking I didn't see these guys. They were probably in an abandoned building or car. The lesson was learned. Someone is always watching.

In the colonias, there are skeptical people, like anywhere else. They watch us carefully in expectation of us doing something wrong. However, when we simply do the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing, even the skeptics begin to learn.

When people see the need, their first desire is to do something. When they come a second time, they feel committed. Within a few more visits they belong to the people of the colonias as they discover more about who they are and what it is that they can give.