More on Mexico, for those who demanded it

(from Tamie)

We've logged some complaints about The Ross News.com in recent weeks (not ON the blog, which is funny in and of itself!)

It seems a few folks were counting on more of a missions report than we offered about this year's Spring Break trip. And they have let us know of their displeasure with people who call themselves writers not ... well, writing.

There are a few reasons for our veritable silence. Which I'll lamely offer up before I give in and tell a little more.

First, the trip is really demanding. In a good way, sure, but it takes a lot out of you at the same time it fills you up. A spiritual transfusion sounds like a nice illustration until you think of the recovery time - which gets longer each year for me!

Second, and this is a very strange thing, but some folks don't like their lives or daily activities splashed all over the Internet. I can't tell you how often people say to me after a funny exchange, "Hey, wait a moment ... this isn't going to show up on your BLOG, is it?" Whereas our children now beg for us to blog about them, normal people wince at the thought. So it's a balancing act of sensitivity for people who may not always trend toward such.

Third, I try to wait until all the laundry is done before I talk about a trip. I'll let the timing of this post speak for itself. :)

--------------

We knew this year would be a different trip than the previous ones. You don't invite one side of your extended family along without knowing everyone is in for some adjustments.

But then again, like everything else in life, you never really know. :)

Bobby's parents were troopers. They tried to understand the craziness and the logic behind so much of what we do. They worked hard to adjust to life with 190 people in close quarters after the briefest of introductions. They appreciated the beauty of the people and the place, even when it wasn't easy.

They probably won't make a return trip, but that's OK - some things need only be experienced once (like plumbing trouble inside a tent, for instance.) We'll just leave that one right where it is.

----------------

Also in the "we-knew-this-would-be-different" category were our travel arrangements. Riding with one of our favorite people in the world, John Trotter, has become our tradition. John grew up in the same part of the world as my parents and knew my late grandfather, so hours spent talking to him seemed like minutes. And his love of the people in the valley really helped define our expectations about this trip the first few years.

This year, I offered to drive, which we figured was the least we could do what with filling up a whole van of Rosses and all. Let's just say that a merciful God and the prayers of many, many righteous people are the reasons we're all still here. That is a LOT of driving - 2,700 miles according to the back of our t-shirts, which also include helpful trivia about toilet tissue, burros and slices of bread. Trot was with me, at least mentally, for a lot of the trip. I heard myself saying some of the things he had told me on my first trip to our first-timers - about Joshua Trees and landmarks. I missed him, but maybe it was time to be kicked out of the nest.

-----------------

This is quickly becoming more of a compare/contrast than an actual account of the trip, which hopefully won't incite further riot. :) But to that end, one of the most memorable parts this year for me came on our trip home, specifically the last four hours or so of our drive.

After we dropped my sister-in-law and her two sons off at their home near Fort Worth, and once we had deposited my in-laws at their home nearby, the five of us hopped back in the van for the last 200 miles. I figured Bobby would sack out, the kids would each claim their own row in the 15-passenger van and I'd turn on the radio.

Not so. All three of our children piled into the front row (this REALLY surprised me, because the whole way there and back, every seatbelt was taken - I just knew they would want a little breathing room). They wanted to talk about their experiences, their thoughts, their hopes for future trips. And they wanted to hear everyone else's, too.

That time was and still is so precious to me. I had seen glimpses of that level of understanding on the trip, just little comments they made or small gestures here and there. But hearing all three of them talk about how much they love serving and working and soaking in the experience of missions ... they get it. They really get it. And I am so, so grateful for and humbled by that.

One of my deepest prayers is that we can take every opportunity to enlarge their worlds.

Here's a video that will show lots more than I could ever tell, courtesy our friend Evan Burkett, Edmond's college minister: