The whizz and whirl of power tools fill a small orange building in the community of Bonfil. Normally, it’s the raucous of 50 kids cramming inside twice a week for Rossy’s Bible class, called Mission Edu-carte. Today, a group from Indiana sands, cuts, and stacks piles of 2x4s for an important project: bunk beds.
The beds are for Jorge and Jocelin (siblings), and Alejandro. They’re three of the many kids Back2Back Cancun comes alongside through sponsorship in Bonfil. Jorge (7), with his semi-toothless grin, is spring-loaded for adventure; Jocelin (9) wears her heart – and energy – on her sleeve. Alejandro (14), though a young teen, takes great responsibility caring for his two younger sisters.
Recently, site staff learned they, for various reasons, didn’t have their own beds; they share one bed with some or all of their family. At first, this may not seem like a huge ordeal. Beds, though, are more than just a cozy place for pillows. They’re a key place where our physical needs meet the spiritual and creative care of the Father.
We all know the feeling: after a long trip the only thing you want is to be in your own bed. Like a familiar friend, it offers safety, comfort, and rest. We can rest — not just sleep — when we have a bed, both our heads and our hearts. We learn responsibility as we make our bed. When we’re young, beds become story spaces as imaginations are stretched over them like a thick blanket. And beds are where we think about what could be, where we dream.
“For me, beds are synonymous with dreaming. So, if they have their own bed, their own space, they are able to dream — and fight for those dreams to come true,” said Eloisa, one of Bonfil’s captains.
Back in Bonfil that afternoon, the thud of hammers fills two homes. In one, Alejandro’s new bed takes shape as he comes home from school. As the final screw is placed, Alejandro walks in — and stops. A smile spreads across his face. Without wasting a second, he flies up the ladder and gives two thumbs up from his bed. At the other house, Jorge and Jocelyn watch intently from another room. The group finishes and invites them to their new beds. As the house fills with cheers and smiles, one more person watches: Adriana, the children’s mom.
Holding back tears, she turned to thank the group, “This is more than I’d ever imagine. I could never have dreamed of this.”
Behind Adriana, Jorge and Joceline get comfortable in their new beds. This is where they’ll rest, play, and dream of what the Father is up to in their stories, in ways we could never imagine.
The Kingdom shows up in these seed-like moments. A bed, something so familiar to many of us, can change the landscape of a life. Jorge, Joceline, and Alejandro’s new beds are more than a small space to call their own; it’s where they can see and know the Father has called them His own.
All this, because of a bed.