Not too long ago I ran into an acquaintance outside the local Tim Hortons, and he asked me (somewhat facetiously…I think), “So what’s happening with your mission? Is it down the tubes because of Covid-19? Like, is it all washed up now that you can’t travel?” I declined to buy him a coffee, but I assured him Mercy Tech was alive and well.

But I know that some of you have been wondering the same thing, as it has been a while since our last update. So as 2021 begins, I want to give you a snapshot of where Mercy Tech Mission is at.

Judging by the wear on my suitcase and the proliferation of stamps in my passport, a lot has happened since my last mission update in October 2018. Time does fly.

In November, it was 10 days in the Baja with veteran volunteer instructor Todd Green for another round of mechanics training at Los Olivos, the One Life One Chance mission base in San Quintin. We also began looking at possible expansion ideas for the program in Mexico, as we would like to see more students taking advantage of the training we offer.

I was reminded recently that there hasn’t been an update from Mercy Tech Mission for a while – since last June, to be exact – and I can only hide behind the excuse that it’s been an extremely busy summer for me since returning home from Africa. As some of you may know, when I’m not travelling with Mercy Tech Mission, I am busy running a small renovation business here in the Okanagan Valley, and this year has been busier than most. But the fall season is well upon us and there are a number of upcoming trips that I need to tell you about.

During the recent winter Olympics in South Korea, the world’s attention was on the athletes who have trained so hard for a chance to show their skills to the world, and potentially qualify for a medal – preferably gold. 

Gold, silver, bronze – they are all medals of distinction for the winners and out of all who compete, very few contestants receive them. Yet my wife made the observation that in certain situations (such as a hockey game, eh?), “winning” silver actually means you’ve lost the game. And when you see the disappointment on the team faces, you’d almost think that a silver medal was a disgrace. It’s funny how something so unattainable for most of us can carry such a weight of regret for others.

Many of you have been following the ongoing activities of Mercy Tech Mission for quite some time now, and it occurred to me the other day that it’s time I shared with you the honest truth.

Okay, I’ll bet you weren’t expecting me to say that.

No, I haven’t been telling lies in the past, and I’m also not referring to what recent politicians have labeled as “alternative facts”. (And actually, if you think about it, the phrase ‘the honest truth’ doesn’t really make sense unless there really is something we could call ‘dishonest truth’. But I digress...)

The truths that I’m referring to are the small but important things that go on behind, or perhaps along with, the larger events that occur...

Another successful week of training has just been completed at our San Quintin location in the California Baja. Aaron Rustenburg from Paul’s Auto Service in St. Catharines, Ontario and Rick Cogbill of Mercy Tech Mission have just returned with reports that the mechanics training program at the One Life One Chance mission base is really gaining traction.

Ok, so I’ve been reading too many Louis L’Amour novels lately. But on July 2nd a young man from Ontario will actually make his way west and south to take part in a Mercy Tech Mission training trip to the California Baja.

Very shortly our second Mercy Tech team for 2016 will be heading down to the Baja to carry on the automotive mechanics training work at the One Life One Chance mission base in San Quintin. The team leaves March 12th and will be in the Baja for one week.

A recent iPad photo from my wife tells me there’s snow in our backyard back in Canada, but when you’re in the Baja surrounded by dust and heat, it’s hard to take that seriously. I’m sure I’ll view it differently once I’m home next week…

Memorable firsts – there’s always a first time for everything.

Some of those “firsts” we recall vividly and some we don’t remember at all. Maybe we were too young or maybe we were just distracted by something else. But those first time exposures can impact us for a lifetime.

What can you do in four days? Apparently, quite a bit - if you have the right people and a commitment to go above and beyond.