Does it Matter if I’m American?
About the Author
Ben spends most of his time working with underprivileged kids in Tijuana, Mexico, encouraging them to continue their education. He's an unofficial member of Iglesia Bautista Monte Horeb, which runs the elementary school, Centro Pedagógico Didaque.
“You’re not American,” sneered Carlos, “the first Americans were the natives! You’re an invader!”
I would’ve expected to hear this out of a liberal professor back at the university I attended—but in Mexico? And I may not even disagree with this statement in theory—but from a Tijuana teenager? C’mon!
I like the kid. He’s a rebel and he’s smart. But he’s also out of balance and out of perspective. Carlos hates me because I am “American.” And this is no joke. Even further, he hates that the United States plays big brother around the globe. Therefore I am definitely not Carlos’s best friend, as I am a U.S. citizen doing humanitarian aid in Mexico. How much worse could I get?
I should resist stooping to his level, but it’s insightful to note that Carlos is light-skinned with European features. Guess he’s probably not 100 percent native Mexican, either. He also seems to have no problem when his U.S. sponsor pays his school fees.
Carlos’s hypocrisy is spilling over; but debating with him can be fun for a minute. He and I have different politics and it’s interesting to get his take. But politics will ruin missions every time. It’s never healthy to break out us-them terminology; and becomes more of a sickness when two cultures are in Christian ministry together. The players immediately revert to the sideline, yelling out slurs and taunts, all while murmuring amongst one another.
Why do skin color, language, and place of birth take precedence over being part of the family of God? Or is that just something said in church? —not practiced on the street.
May 9th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Interesting . . . you’re right of course, every piece of land on earth somebody took from somebody else at some point. Nobody was born with a claim to it, we are all stewards at our best and descended from thieves at our worst.