Near the border is one of the ugliest, poorest, and most dangerous parts of Mexico. The land is arid and desert-like, with little greenery and little more than stray dogs for wildlife. Drug wars rage constantly as those who have power attempt to repress those who want it, and those who have money to kill to hold on to it. Prostitution and corruption run rampant, as those who visit are generally just passing through and those who live there are among Mexico’s poorest.
Mexico, a country with one of the highest rich-poor gaps in the world, is a brutal place for those on the bottom end of the socioeconomic latter.
Just across the border from El Paso, Texas, in a little town called Guadalupe, Dean Adamek and his wife Denise have labored for seven years at Rancho 3M, a Christian orphanage and school, trying to create better lives for children who have no better place to go.
Each child’s story is different. Some have no parents; some have one. Some have parents in prison; some have 15 brothers and sisters. Each child has a different personality, set of hobbies, ambition, and appearance. Yet each of them finds themselves at Rancho 3M. This is where I worked for a month as a McGuire Ethics Intern last summer.
The simple life of working hard was more relaxing than any vacation could have been after a long year of school. In the midst of great suffering and pain, there emanated a joy amongst the children at the orphanage. I found it contagious.
This was real life: real pain, real joy. This was life without security, a life of uncertainty but not obscurity. The vision and clarity of purpose of the Adameks and their unshakable faith in the providence of God shines through the countless difficulties and trials they experience daily.
After the trip, I felt I had found a new peace rooted in thankfulness and grace. At the ranch, the number one rule is that you must be flexible. Things will go wrong in life and they went wrong frequently at the ranch.
However, the combination of seeing joyful and worry-less children every day, of facing adversities with a smile, of looking death in the face on many occasions, and of being away from American society gave me peace.
The conditions were brutal. The ranch smelled of open sewers, dust and flies were everywhere, the shower water was 8 percent salt (the ocean is 11 percent), and the sun was as hot as hell. The altitude was also very high, so every time I blew my nose it was a combination of dust and blood. If you feel like you’re having a bad day, just be grateful for showers with clean water and sleeping without flies on your face. That is life for much of the world.
I went into the wilderness because I wanted to live deliberately. I went there thinking I would find freedom, that I would find myself. I realized that freedom is service and that who I am is not really that important. Service is happiness and significance is in the giving of one’s life to others.
I want to use my talents to the utmost of my ability while I live, and I believe that I will. I still do not entirely know what truth is, but I do know that some things are true. I plan to pursue truth and justice as a laborer or as an academic and encourage all those who would do the same.
Nick Elledge is a sophomore political science, economics, Spanish and public policy quadruple major. He can be reached for comment at [email protected].
