Jesus Robledo Alvarado
1976-2012
Jesus Robledo Alvarado dug alone with his pick and shovel through the rock hard (“caliche”) ground and hit water 9 meters down. He then dug four more meters to water the fields of beans and corn he would plant. While others in La Reforma continued to depend on spring and fall rains, which had become more scarce in recent years, Jesus watered and harvested a bean crop that helped feed the family for a year.
After a second harvest of both beans and corn, he decided to plant a field of alfalfa for the sheep and goats. His village of La Reforma had just seen power lines reach the village but only one family could afford to connect to the grid. The gasoline-fired pump would have to be worked on before irrigating the more distant, new field.
So he set out early on the morning of Monday, November 19 with screws for the pump and went down three times that day into the well. Wife Marie Cruz and their youngest children, boys four and nine, brought lunch at noon. Perhaps while eating the young couple recalled celebrating their marriage two years before in the grand setting of Central Christian Church San Luis Potosi, with his friend Pastor Josue Martinez Cisneros presiding.
The decision to marry Marie Cruz was the result of other big changes in Jesus’ life. While working as a mason for eight years in several states of the U.S., the vision of living a life of faith and service of others had transformed Jesus. On returning to La Reforma, his first Sunday he gave thanks and
The Disciples Church at La Reforma is over 50 years old
worshipped at La Reforma Disciples of Christ Church. Francisco Azuara met him that Sunday and immediately recognized this was a young man who could help him in serving the congregation.
A layperson at Central Christian in the state capital, 76 year old Francisco had for six months been leading in worship at the Church but in speaking with his Pastor Josue Martinez they agreed they had found a pastor for La Reforma in Jesus Robledo Alvarado. Jesus had scant formal education in theology or the Bible but his story was compelling and he told it well.
Alcohol and drugs had controlled him but before leaving home for the States Jesus began attending AA meetings. Invited by an AA friend in the U.S. he became involved in a church, made the confession of faith and was baptized. On his return to Mexico, with the encouragement and help of Josue and Francisco, he served as Pastor of La Reforma for two and a half years.
Eager to develop his skills and leadership as a pastor he attended all the trainings and conferences
The hard land of the semi-arid “Altiplano” near La Reforma
he was invited to attend. I met and talked with him for the second time last month when he shared again his desire to return to the States. Life in La Reforma was hard: he had had to sell his cattle and horses as he couldn’t afford to feed them and his family and pay the children’s school fees too. The savings from his prior U.S. stay were running out. I thought I knew him when Pastor Josue told me last week of his death.
But I had known nothing of his dreams for his family and his community. He had hoped there was time at age 36 to work again in the U.S. and return with the funds that could transform lives in La Reforma. For Marie Cruz there would be enough capital for her to start a store in the village. And the connection to the power grid could be made for automatic, timed irrigation of the fields. No more tinkering with the faulty pump in a hole in the ground nine meters down.
Marie Cruz heard his cries for help but there was no way she and the boys could haul her beloved up to the surface. She went for help from the neighbors. While she was gone, the older boy Gerardo could hear his father praying before he lost consciousness, hit his head and fell into the water.
Four hundred plus people attended the funeral last Wednesday. Pastor Josue Martinez, who
Pastor Josue Martinez Cisneros preached at the cemetery
presided, said he had never seen such a turn out for a burial. Most of La Reforma attended along with many from the larger town of Salinas nearby. In his homily, Josue referred again and again to the impact on the church and fellow AA group members of the deceased’s having turned his life around. Whether his example of irrigating fields in La Reforma will also have an impact remains to be seen.
What is certain is that Jesus Robledo Alvarado will be remembered by many people in La Reforma, in Salinas and in the churches of the Disciples in Mexico. The transformation and redemption of his life will be remembered. As I listened to the cries of his daughter, his oldest child, during the homily and throughout the funeral, “Por que, por que??”, I couldn’t avoid thinking that for some people in the U. S. for whom Jesus the stonemason had built walls, patios, and homes, he would be remembered as an “undocumented illegal alien”.
I want to close with acknowledgment and thanks to Francisco Azuara for his time and sharing about his relationship with Jesus. It was through our conversation that Jesus’ dreams for his family and community came to life. Here are some of the words the Francisco spoke to the La Reforma
Francisco Azuara with Doug Smith at July Summer Training Session
congregation the Sunday after the death of their pastor:
“To relieve some of our sadness for the loss of our brother “Chuy” we are going to honor him with a posthumous hommage in gratitude for what he has done for this church in La Reforma in the littletime he served here.
I will begin by asking ‘what did our brother “Chuy” mean to me in the two and a half years I knew him as a coworker in this Church?’ What did he mean to you?
For me he was a young man who loved and was driven by the word of God. He worked for this church with dedication and enthusiasm; he sealed his marriage to Marie Cruz with a church wedding; he shared the word of God with you and with persons outside the Church; he prayed for divine healing of the ill. I saw him as a good father, a good spouse and a good son. Possibly he had his faults, but we as humans all have our faults and none of us are perfect.
I observed his hard work on this land and his caring for his animals. He was devoted to you of this congregation but he also had to care for and defend his parents’ legacy and that of his family. He had great hopes to overcome the hardships of his life and to know more about the word of God and to share it. As for me personally he was very respectful and helpful, honoring my age and elder status. So as for me, I will miss him and remember him for as long as I live.”
Bodies are buried above ground in the Salinas cemetery 18 kms. from La Reforma
Crowd walking to the burial site
Casket is in the white pickup on the way to cemetery
Today, Nov. 19, 2012, an amazing thing happened! We received our very first piece of mail via the USA and Mexican Postal Services! I was so pleased to receive a letter from my good friend, Bonita Luts in Arcadia, CA—she mailed it on Oct. 23! Almost a month, but hey, who’s counting? Don’t know if there are any other letters out there, but we are considering getting a Post Office Box (will keep you all informed when that happens.)
Bonita threw a heck of a wingding sendoff (lunch for 50 or so) for Doug and me in September. The food (Mexican, of course!) was incredible, great music, and the opportunity to see folks we had not seen for too long; it all was wonderful! In her letter, she included a copy of a poem written by another dear friend, Bonnie York. Bonnie York was the editor of the newsletter of the Alhambra Retirement Community for as many years as I knew her (about 10) and even before that. The Alhambra Retirement Community was sold and then sadly closed and all the residents and employees had to find new homes and places of employment a year and a half ago. Bonnie is a talented writer and very creative, as her poem indicates. Thank You Bonnie York!!! I want to share the poem with all of our friends—hope you enjoy it.
Ode to Doug and Kate
By Bonnie York
It was both a Homecoming and a farewell luncheon,
A time for saying “Hello There” and “Goodbye” celebration,
There were smiles, backslapping and handshakes galore,
“Glad to see you”, “How are ya?” And much, much more.
For many the word “Alhambra” came very easily.
In conversations with others used freely.
About remembered times spent happily there,
Recalled gatherings and events with others to share.
The main reason we had gathered together this date
At lovely Arcadia Gardens was to bid farewell to Doug and Kate,
Who are leaving on a missionary position across the border
Where they will be stationed for two years, maybe longer.
San Luis Potosi, Mexico will be their home,
In a nice residence within a compound to roam,
While teaching and preaching in Spanish to area residents,
Helping them learn God’s Word and become Grace recipients.
Doug and Kate have packing to do in Pomona,
Before they leave with possessions and depart California,
They will take 2 dogs and a cat with them as they go,
To begin their new life experiences in lovely Mexico.
Queridos Amigos
Que Dios Les Bendiga Siempre
(Dear Friends,
May God Bless you Always)
Footnote:
To complete this get-together of
Remembrance and Friendship,
At the close participants sang,
“What ties us together is love.”
So happy and thankful at Thanksgiving and always, for our friends and family (funny how the two become intertwined, as family become friends and friends become family.) Here in Mexico, we are making new friends, some will be family soon! Doug and I will host a Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday, Nov. 24, for members of the Mesa Conjunta—the coordinating body of Disciples of Christ and Congregational Churches (and our bosses!) as they come together for their quarterly meeting and then commission Doug and Kate at a worship service. On the menu will be pavo (turkey), dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, Kate’s corn casserole, vegetarian chili, peanut butter cake, lemon pie and more (there will be over 20 at the table)! Not all the usual dishes due to unavailability of some items, but the important thing is Giving Thanks for all that we have received. May giving thanks be ever in our lives and yours.
Kate and Doug with our neighbors, Alma and Joel with their three children at a neighborhood seafood (mariscos) restaurant!
This plaque in the apartment next to our home pays tribute to Ruth Leslie and May Wilson’s many years of service with the Disciples of Mexico
“Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that easily distracts and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us….” Hb 12:1
In our border crossing on October 16, thoughts of the host of missionaries sent here by the Disciples Global Ministries’ office in the past accompanied us. I count a total of 108 missionaries to Mexico in May Wilson and Ruth Leslie’s list in The History of the Disciples in Mexico published in 1970. So we crossed into Mexico with the prayer that our presence and our work will honor the legacy of their crossings and what they accomplished here.
To lift up their work in the community centers, orphanages, schools, and hospitals as well as sharing news of the churches the missionaries helped to found will be a focus of our ministry. A source of pride and encouragement in our ministry will be knowing that Disciples missionaries built the leading hospital in Aguascalientes, now a city of a million people. And that the community center started by the Disciples in Piedras Negras was praised by Mexican President Carranza as a model social service agency for the country. There will be many occasions for thanksgiving for the work of past missionaries and to consider our presence as somehow continuing and building on their contributions.
Every day as we enjoy the spacious home we live in, there is cause to be grateful for the Huegel family’s work here. The son of Disciples missionaries in Mexico, John Huegel, along with Rev. Isaac Perez, helped build the house and the seminary compound surrounding it. What a joy it was to learn of his father’s influence on a young Hemer E. Sierra Silva, now a leading member of Central Christian Church in San Luis Potosi.
“I owe everything I am to the Disciples” Hemer told me on first meeting him. “My father was a
This portrait of Frederico Huegel hangs in the library on the seminary grounds where we live
Communist and my mother a devout Catholic” he began. He says at age 15 he was at risk of wasting his life until a friend invited him to a Disciples youth retreat led by Frederic Huegel, John Huegel’s father. What he heard there made him want to hear more about the “evangelical faith”. Through participation in Central Christian Church’s youth group, he was converted to “living in Christ”. Another missionary’s connections enabled Hemer to study chemical engineering at Oklahoma State. Now retired from a career in management with PEMEX, the state owned oil company, Hemer’s wife, son and daughter all are active participants in San Luis Potosi’s Central Christian Church.
The authors of the Mexican Disciples history, and the missionaries with the longest term of service, Ruth Leslie and May Wilson, served in the Church’s social service agencies 38 and 42 years respectively. On retirement, they settled in Guadalajara where the Congregational Church of Mexico (affiliated with the UCC in the U.S.) benefited from their involvement. Their book is dedicated to “The Association of Christian Churches (Disciples) in Mexico and to their Servants that in the Past, Present and Future Have Dedicated and Will Dedicate Their Lives to the Growth of the Church in this Country”.
As “Consultants” with the Roundtable of the Disciples and Congregational Churches in Mexico, we
Kate preaches at Central Christian San Luis Potosi with Hemer Silva’s wife Marisela translating
are honored and humbled to include ourselves in the book’s dedication. As the first missionaries to serve in the Disciples’ heartland of San Luis Potosi and Aguascalientes since John and Yvonne Huegel left in 1995, we are compelled and excited by the opportunity to revive the historic ties of churches in our two countries.
Nov 8
This gallery contains 6 photos.
After ten days here, we hardly felt ready for the the Day of the Dead holiday last Friday, November 2. Banks, most offices and many stores were closed except for those serving last minute shoppers. The adornment of graves, and the creation of home and work place altars makes for big business here; one local […]
Traveling from Pomona, CA with a car loaded to the gills with clothing, household goods, two dogs plus Doug and myself was long and oh so very interesting! We were fortunate to visit with my brother, David, and sister-in-love, Evelyn, in Mesa, AZ. Evie cooked an old family favorite for us, Sopa de Fideo (comfort food!) Thank you Evelyn!
El Paso, Del Rio and Laredo, TX (Texas is HUGE!) then the border crossing,
Before crossing into Mexico, Ozzie somehow managed to eat all his – and Minnie´s- “Greenie” treats in one stretch of the drive. How he managed to do this without our noticing and without destroying their bag remains a mystery.
which turned out to be quite easy and relatively quick (2+ hrs to get paperwork completed—car and visas.) We loved the scenery and the blooming plants provided color and fodder for our imaginations (purple sage subject for later entry.) The roads were good in Mexico (we mainly used toll roads) and traffic was light. Having been advised by EVERYONE not to drive at night, we opted to spend the night in Matehuala at a wonderful resort called Las Palmas. We plan on taking visitors to this great place where Brad Pitt!!!! stayed while making the movieThe Mexican. After a leisurely breakfast we departed for San Luis Potosi!
Welcomed by caretaker Alma and her son, Gustavo (Gus, pronounced “Goose”) we unloaded the car, let the dogs run and began unpacking. Gus accompanied us to the Walmart nearest us, which turned out to be not a Walmart, but a Mexican store Bodega Aurrera where we proceeded to buy lamps, cleaning and laundry supplies, dog food, drinking water, etc. etc. etc. With the trunk filled and half of the back seat, we started the car. Click. Okay, we TRIED to start the car. A kind stranger found battery cables and a car capable of giving us a start, and we were once again on our way. Gus asked if we wanted to go through the village/suburb where we live to get familiarized with it, and we agreed.
While driving through the business district, the car died again. Kaput! Doug pulled over into an available parking space and we pondered what to do. Just at that moment, Gus cried out “Mi Papa!!” as a man on a motorcycle drove by. He jumped out of the car and whistled for his Dad, who is a mechanic! The battery was deader than a doornail. Finally Joel (pronounced “ho el”) took the battery out of their van in order to get our Corolla back to the house. He was able to get us a new battery the next day.
Two thousand miles driven on a battery that was near death! And it died just as the person most capable of helping us randomly drove past! If Doug and I did not already know that God had called us to this place, the timing of the failure of the battery and Joel’s ready assistance would have made us sure of our call.Truly a miracle (MILAGRO!) We took Alma, Joel, Gus(12), Zabde(8), and Elias (5) to dinner on us. What a first night! God is Good! All the time!
Capital of the Mexican State of the same name, San Luis Potosi counts over a million residents in the metro area and has an elevation of 6000 feet
Although we’re only going a little farther than from our home in Pomona, CA to Kansas City, there’s so much to do to prepare for our move to San Luis Potosi. So many complicating decisions when you’re leaving the country – enter Mexico with the readily issued Tourist Visa or go all out now for the temporary resident FM 3 visa? How make sure we receive important surface mail? How much to take when movers charge at least twice as much when it’s an “international” move?
Some of the anxiety, no a lot actually, was relieved by finding renters of our house who need to use our furniture and housewares. A young Samoan couple newly arrived for an M.A. at Claremont seminary will move into a fully furnished house. With another Claremont student occupying the little house in back, the rental arrangement appears ideal for all of us.
Kate’s cousin has volunteered to be our L.A. “angel” who will send packages of our mail to us. And a Congregational layman in Guadalajara, a Mexican customs agent, has advised us to wait on the resident visa until after we arrive. So now we can deal with questions like how to keep up on U.S. news – and the end of the baseball season while out of the country. After relying in Mexico on internet subscriptions to keep up on U.S. and international news, our daughters just may be impressed.
Although we keep coming up against the complications of a cross border move – like the fact our mail cannot be forwarded – we have been reminded again and again of just how close we already are to Mexico and how many of our neighbors here have ties to people there. No one we’ve met has had a discouraging word to say about the place we’re moving to.
At the doctor’s office recently, a stranger heard me tell a friend we’ll be living in San Luis Potosi. “Oh, you’ll love it there” an Anglo man in his forties interrupted. “My wife’s family lives there”. Our gardener enjoyed telling us he used to work with his grandfather in the city of less than a million in central Mexico.
Even in Kansas, with fewer Mexican-Americans than in our L.A. area, we’ve met people with connections to San Luis Potosi. When Kate officiated at her sister’s wedding in June, Jeanne’s friends in charge of decorating the church nearly exulted in recalling their experience of Mexico. “My late husband was from San Luis Potosi and we used to go almost every summer” the friend declared. Her daughter interjected, “We haven’t been for a few years and I really miss going”.
After our week in July of sampling some of the unusual and delicious Potosina regional cooking, marveling at the beauty of the old downtown and meeting some wonderful people, we are excited to return to San Luis Potosi in mid October. News of how we make it there with two dogs, a cat and all we consider helpful for our two year assignment will be featured in the blog post after our arrival.
On our 1700 mile plus drive to San Luis Potosi, Doug will enjoy singing – Kate hopes it will be brief – the first Spanish song he learned a few years ago that ends with the verse,
“Yo, ya me voy, ya me voy
Por que no soy de aqui (two lines sung twice)
Mis amores son de lejos,
Son de muy lejos de aqui,
Mis amores son de lejos,
Son de San Luis Potosi.”
This song “Yo ya me voy” is one of the Mexican folk songs on the superb Folkways album “Traditional Songs of Mexico” (FW 8769) issued with notes and English translation of all the songs.
“Now I will go away, I will go,
Because I don’t belong here.
My loves are far away from here,
They are in San Luis Potosi.”
NOTE: To listen to a sampling of “Yo, ya me voy” and other Mexican folk songs on this fine Folkways album go to:
Aug 3
This gallery contains 18 photos.
The photos below were taken two weeks ago during our first visit to San Luis Potosi, capital of the state of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. The President of the Roundtable (“Mesa Conjunta”) of the Disciples of Christ and Congregational Churches, Rev. Manuel Tovar Ruiz, wanted us to meet and be interviewed by his Board during […]
Erasing Borders 