Set On Pilgrimage

Although pilgrimages are taken the world over, they have never meant much to me, but…

We live just off of a street named Chalma where this last week thousands of people traveled on an annual pilgrimage. Many were walking, some rode bicycles, others rode in the back of trucks or in buses. All were headed for the small village of Chalma about an hour’s drive from our home. It was there in 1533 that a miraculous image of Jesus "appeared" in a cave thus making it site for an annual pilgrimage. (The truth be known it is the exact site where the indigenous people made the same annual pilgrimage wearing flowers, carrying incense burners, bathing in the river and then entering the cave to make offerings to a statute of Ozteltl, the Dark Lord of the Cave.)

Beginning a week before Ash Wednesday, thousands make this pilgrimage in the hope and the belief that they will receive a divine blessing for their effort and sacrifice. Many endure this struggle of climbing up the mountain in the hot sun during the day and sleeping in the open air at night. It is customary during this time to also make vows, hang newborn's umbilical cords on an ancient Ahuehuete tree, bathe in the river, and dance around crosses and the sacred tree.

Here are a few scenes that stirred me:

*As I pulled in at our local Oxxo for ice cream late one evening a wave of emotion washed over me as I saw the whole area full of pilgrims bedding down for the night. After singing together, praying and crossing themselves, they laid down on the cold concrete pulling up a thin blanket to wait out the night.

*They made a little detour off the beaten path and were passing by our house. The younger woman looked very much like a granddaughter watching over her aged grandmother. How many times had the older woman made this trip before? Why at her age did she feel like she needed to make it again? Both looked tired, hopeless, and out of place.

*The day was drawing to a close as Diana and I finished up an evening walk. There before us was a young couple resting. He was holding a baby and she was sitting on a stack of blankets looking very weary. As we approached she stood and they once again began their journey. My heart sank knowing there was no way for them to make their destination before nightfall. They would have to sleep alone out on the ground that night with their baby.

Although pilgrimages are taken the world over they have never meant much to me, but then again my heart has never been touched as it has now.

“It’s War!”

It started innocently enough. We were on day three of a five day English Camp in Puebla, when out of nowhere there she was. At first glance you would have thought it was Mother Teresa as she was donning the white and blue trimmed habit of the Missionaries of Charity. She had come to teach the weekly catechism class. We were sharing the same park at the same time and worse yet, the same children. Only later did I learn that she went to our tables and recruited our children by asking, “Have you taken your first communion?”, “Have you had your baptism?” And saying, “You need to come to catechism!”, “I can teach you English if you want to learn.”

Of all the gall, needless to say our attendance was down that day. As Diana told me what happened I commented, “That was a low blow.” To which she aptly and insightfully replied, “It’s war!”

It’s tough to take though. Look into the faces of these children. See the hope fading into hopelessness? See their destiny? They are being aggressively pursued. And we are losing.

In all of his years of holding English Camps our team leader said he had never encountered anything like it. We are in need of supplies. We need supplies of people of faith coming, people of complementing abilities on the scene and behind the scenes, desperate intercessors giving more time to prayer, others coming and staying, risk takers, Spirit filled followers of the Way… Why? Because in the trenches - “It’s War.”

No Wasted Life

Snow! That’s right the ground was literally white today, not with snow but with ice. The neighborhood children went out to throw “snow”balls, make “snow”angels, and attempt to build a “snow”man. It was an exciting occasion for all. Our neighbor said that after eight years in Cuernavaca this was the first time he had seen anything like it.

Speaking of our neighbors we had tamales with them on Ground Hogs Day, but discovered that making them together is part of the event. Thankfully they rescued us by having us over to their house. The process went something like this: take two wet corn husks, spread in corn meal mixture, add sauce mixture, fold, put in huge kettle and steam for 3 to 5 hours. We returned around 10:00 pm for a delightful tamale meal. I think it’s safe to say that we all ate far more than we needed.

I was reminded this week while reading John Piper’s book Don’t Waste Your Life why we are here building bridges to neighbors, giving away Bibles and adapting to a new world. “Life is wasted if we do not grasp the glory of the cross, cherish it for the treasure that it is, and cleave to it as the highest price of every good pleasure and the deepest comfort in every pain…When we embrace with joy the cost of following Christ, his worth will shine in the world. The cost itself will become a means to making Christ look great.”

“Whenever something is of tremendous value to you, and you cherish its beauty or power or uniqueness, you want to draw others’ attention to it and waken in them the same joy. That is why Paul’s all-consuming goal in life was for Christ to be magnified. Christ was of infinite value to Paul, and so Paul longed for others to see and savor this value. That is what it means to magnify Christ- to show the magnitude of his value…Advancing the cause of Christ is worth your life.”

“No, you do not have to be a missionary to admire and advance the great purposes of God to be known and praised and enjoyed among all peoples. But if you want to be most fully satisfied with God as he triumphs in the history of redemption, you can’t go on with business as usual – doing your work, making your money, giving your tithe, eating, sleeping, playing, and going to church.”

A Bit Of Q & A

What plans do you have for this coming week?
We plan to travel to Puebla and help a team who is coming down from Canada and the United States. We will be teaching ladies’, children’s and men’s English classes. These classes are designed as an outreach to the community and provide opportunities to connect for future relationships.

How does the Bible outreach work?
We ask for permission to give a gift of a Bible out of relationship. Prayer for the individual proceeds and follows each gift. We deliberately give only one a day in order to make prayer a priority. In the front of each Bible is a typed label with Matthew 11:28 written out and a list of other references. Finally we try to write a personal note for each person.

Have you made any new discoveries lately?
Yes, we are really excited to discover that we can buy wooden fruit crates for .30¢ each. With a gallon of paint and an afternoon of work we now have new bookshelves and tea table.

Are a lot of people open to the gospel?
It is hard for me to say since we speak limited Spanish. I do know that they are open to us as individuals and they have always accepted the gift of a Bible.

Is Cuernavaca a highly cosmopolitan city? And if so, how does this compare with cosmopolitan places in the US?
Cuernavaca is a cosmopolitan city but different than in the US. Big cities here just have a different feel. I saw a guy carrying his wares on a donkey this evening, which you would probably be hard-pressed to see in the States. Animals in the street are not an uncommon sight. The sidewalks here are cracked and dirty, and trash liters the street. Cuernavaca has the reputation of being the most littered city in Mexico. There really aren’t suburbs here or places where people move to get away from the city. The further out you go out the poorer the country-side becomes.

What is your favorite restaurant currently?
La Tortuga (the turtle). It serves various types of meats on fresh tortillas and their horchata (a cool refreshing drink made up of rice, almonds, cinnamon, lime and sugar) is the best.

What food do you miss the most?
Pure, clean, uncontaminated – WATER!

When do you think you’ll be moving to Puebla?
We are not exactly sure, but it will probably be some time this summer.

Is the worship at your church all in Spanish?
Yes, the entire service is in Spanish. I guess you can call it total immersion for us in language and culture. Diana does meet with a group of missionary ladies every other week for encouragement and prayer.

What are your children doing at this exact moment?
Daniel is playing Madden football. Maria and Christina are working on a craft and listening to Adventures in Odyssey.