Acapulco

So what is Acapulco like? Well obviously we are outsiders but let me give you some of our impressions. Acapulco is a large city of about 1 million inhabitants. It is divided by a mountain range. On one side is the famous bay, a popular tourist resort particularly for foreigners in the 50s and 60s. It is still a popular choice for visitor from Mexico City as one of the closest beaches with a good connecting road (about a 5 hour drive).

This is the bay...
Behind the bay it is hot and dusty. The poverty is obvious. Just as in Mexico City many people leave the country and move to the city in the hope that they can find employment. The beaches are full of people selling all sorts of things from jewellery to bags to donuts,ice cream, tacos, sweets, buckets, hats etc. There are people to braid your hair, give you a massage or a tattoo and others out in the bay fishing or hiring out sports equipment. It's a busy place! Many probably return to tiny homes behind the mountain. While we were there a nearby water pipe burst. People in the city were out of water but we as 'tourists' weren't affected. The pastor's son explained to us that at times the people who live in Acapulco can be out of water for 2 or 3 months but the hotels aren't affected.
We stayed on the bay side in a basic but comfortable hotel. I picked out these two houses on the hill in front to show the contrast in close proximity.

There are three established UNIFAM churches in Acapulco. One is on the bay side and two are behind the mountain. As far as we can gather it is a tough place to work. The need is obvious and we are so glad to have been able to help in some small part with the work this week. We have been down a few times and it's amazing now that people recognise us. We had many opportunities this time to talk with people who seemed open and interested (perhaps as foreigners who they could communicate with and who were working rather than on holiday).

We will hopefully be back that way late July to help with the youth camp. The cost for the kids from Acapulco is 800 pesos (£40/$55) but most of them won't be able to afford that. We are hoping that we might be able to sponsor some to go. There is a family up the mountain where the team were working that has 10 children but can't afford to get them through school. We would love to be able to help the teenagers, who are great guys, to get to the camp.

Please pray for Acapulco. Pray for the pastors and for the churches as they work tirelessly in this difficult city. Pray for the Mex-i-Kids club there and for the various evangelistic efforts. We were able to take down several boxes of gospel portions and tracts and pray that they will be used to bring people to him.