The Rocio Project: Week 1

A few miles south of Ensenada sits Maneadero, a few stores, taquerias, and auto repair shops encircled by a rapidly growing diaspora of roughly constructed “houses.” Surrounding and breaking up the myriad of structures many Americans wouldn’t even consider a proper shed, fields of vegetables and large white tents patchwork the valley, a growing and packing industry fed by the proximity of the LA and California markets (ever wonder where those tomatoes come from?). The life and blood of this industry has cautious dark eyes, a petite frame, a gorgeous embroidered blouse, and speaks Mixteco more than Spanish. The indigenous Oaxacan migrant worker may make only $5-$7 a day, most likely doesn’t have proper drainage or consistent electricity, and doesn’t know he has a right to insurance, health care, or decent work conditions. These tribal communities of travelers have been the focal point of hours of research this week.

Each of us built a profile of a neighborhood or community that we would apply the teachings and principles of development to as we learn them. Population, ethnicity, language, culture, public services, infrastructure, schools, families, history, natural resources- all of this and any other details we could find (or a take our closest guess at) about how the people of the community live made up our profile. I’ve chosen the indigenous migrant community of Maneadero as my profile community, and the work me and God invest there I'm calling The Rocio Project.


It’s been a crazy blur of classes, homework, work duties, 6:30 breakfasts, outings to downtown, new faces and new ideas. I love my 10 classmates- we’re a funny mix of personalities, nationalities, languages, and hearts that take in everything. From Paraguay to Canada and several countries in between, we’re in Costa Rica to learn!


Last week focused around orientation to the Community Development school and it’s purposes, in addition to team dynamics. As we consider development, understanding not only that we need each other but also that the relationships, dynamics, stages, and elements that make up a team are important to understand. Not only in the team we take into a community, but also the community members we partner with.

One of those principles is that God has to be at the center of everything we do as a team or in a community. Before he can be the center of my team, He needs to be the center of my love relationship with him. And that’s what this week’s classes will focus on- Intimacy with God and understanding our destiny as His lovers and beloved. The gospel that we take to the world.

The absence of rain drumming on the roof feels strange. I can hear the shuffling of feet and voices in the hallway, with the hum of crickets singing in the background. For the first time since getting here, it’s the San Jose traffic buzzing instead of my brain! But breakfast comes sooner than I’d like and so does my first book report, so I’d better sign off for now!


Some Favorite Quotes from this week:


Giacomo Coghi, Team Dynamics


“When we think of developing communities, we need to think of developing people.”


“We don’t wait for them to come to us; we go to them.”


“Unity moves the hand of God, releasing blessing and power and bringing life.”


“Active listening is a ministry and spiritual warfare.”


“Every time a new person comes on to a team, a new team is created.”


“Preference is not a value or an ethic. It’s just a preference.”


“The deeper the understanding goes, the greater the potential a relationship has.”


“Trust is the bridge that supports the weight of truth.”


Vanessa Pavely, Intimacy with God

“The closer you get to Light, the more obvious your darkness and brokenness become.”

“Love cares enough about our pain that he came to suffer and conquer the power of sin and death so that we could be free of our brokenness.”

“God’s justice is motivated by Love . . . our works of justice need to create lovers of Jesus, not just comfortable people.”

“We were created out of the presence of Love, not the absence of it.”