No Papers Needed in The Field of Boaz
The voice from the U.S. side of the U.S-Mexico border wall declares: “We’ve almost completed our new immigration reform policy”. The cartoon is from Pulso, a daily newspaper in San Luis Potosi.
The need for immigration reform couldn’t be clearer on this side of the U.S.-Mexican border:
– A Disciples grandmother from San Luis Potosi spends a night in detention at the border with Texas because her U.S. permanent residency “green card” has apparently expired.
– A choir member at the same Disciples church – a mother with three children – hasn’t seen her husband in three years because he fears he won’t be able to return to his two jobs in Maryland.
– The young woman in Kate’s class last week is the only child left behind when her mother moved to North Carolina over ten years ago and has not returned.
On this side of the border, among Mexicans, the effect of the current U.S. immigration policy can be summed up in two words: “Family Separation”. In Kate’s Bible Exegesis class last week the lay leaders and pastors spent a day on the book of Ruth. This time it was impossible for the two of us to re-read this ancient story of human migration without thinking of Ruth’s plight had she been a Mexican trying to enter the United States with her mother in law.
“Where you go, I will go…..your people shall be my people”. Well yes Ruth but only if you have over one million dollars to establish a business or a skill which is in short supply in the U.S. Your family connection with Naomi won’t do it.
Read the words of Boaz and consider the contrast with current U.S. immigration policy:
“All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told me and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. May the Lord reward you for your deeds and may you have a full reward from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” (Ruth 2:11-12)
The law among the Hebrew people three thousand years ago called for harvesters to leave grain on the edges of fields for foreigners, orphans and widows to glean. Boaz instructed his harvesters to go one step further and allow Ruth to glean behind them in the middle of his barley and wheat fields.
It is distressing to note that the current debate over immigration policy reflects little compassion or knowledge of the changes in human migration patterns today. A major change is reflected by the fact that more Mexicans returned to Mexico last year than crossed into the U.S.
An excellent report on what was behind the trend of returning to Mexico, and on recent social and economic change in Mexico in general, appeared recently in the editorial pages of both the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. We’ve highlighted in bold some of the most important points in the article below:
The U.S.-Mexico border fence stretches into the countryside on near Nogales, Ariz. (John Moore / Getty Images / March 8, 2013)
By Andrew Selee
April 2, 2013
The image of illegal immigration in the minds of most Americans is of poor Mexicans streaming across the Southwest border. This is not entirely wrong, but it is outdated. As Congress debates immigration reform, it is worth taking a look at what’s changed. Mexican illegal immigration flows have been dropping steadily and seem to be continuing a downward trend even as the U.S. economy recovers. There are reasons to believe this trend is becoming permanent.
For most of the 1990s and early 2000s, most unauthorized immigrants crossed the Southwest border, and most years 90% to 95% were Mexicans. Since as far back as 2007, however, the numbers in the Southwest — and, in particular, the number of Mexicans — have been declining rapidly. Illegal border crossings there are now down to levels not seen in 40 years, and in 2012, more pthan a quarter of unauthorized Southwest border crossers were what the government calls “Other Than Mexicans,” mostly Central Americans and a few immigrants from outside the hemisphere.
Three factors have slowed illegal immigration from Mexico. First, border security appears to have produced a deterrent effect. The budget of the Border Patrol has increased almost tenfold since 1993, and there are five times as many agents on the border, who now have access to an impressive array of technology. A recent report from the nonpartisan Washington-based Migration Policy Institute found that the U.S. government now spends more on immigration enforcement than all other federal law enforcement agencies combined — including the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Secret Service and the U.S. Marshals Service. As a result, arrests of illegal border crossers last year were only a third of those recorded six years ago, back to levels last seen in 1972. The message appears to have reached communities in Mexico that it is expensive, difficult and dangerous to cross without papers.
Second, the Mexican economy has far outperformed expectations in recent years, creating incentives for people to stay in their home communities. Mexico has had 15 years of sustained economic growth, with a 3% average annual increase in GDP per capita. As a result, the average income of Mexicans has more than doubled in real terms since 1997 and is now similar to average income in Russia, Romania, Turkey, Malaysia and Brazil; twice what it is in China; and five times what it is in India. Although the wage gap between Mexicans and U.S. citizens is still high — a little over 4 to 1 — it is far better than the 7-to-1 wage gap of the 1990s.
Social programs have also improved, with one cash transfer program, Oportunidades, which is tied to keeping children in school and getting regular health checkups, now reaching more than a quarter of households. At the same time, Mexican migrants have played a vital role in stimulating the economy in the communities they left behind. Immigrants from the Mexican state of Zacatecas who now live in Southern California joined together to help build a university campus in the city of Jerez, one of the poorest in the state and a perennial source of migrants. They have started more than 20 new small businesses, supported by investment from Zacatecans living in and around Los Angeles, sometimes complemented by low-cost government loans. Today, thousands of young people in that state, who might otherwise have traveled north, are pursuing a college education or working in one of these businesses.
Finally, the demographic profile of Mexico is changing. The number of Mexicans ages 15 to 29 — those most likely to migrate — has stabilized over the last few years and will soon begin to drop. Heavy public and private investments in family planning programs in the 1970s and ’80s have reduced the birthrate to a level similar to that of the United States. If this demographic shift hasn’t contributed yet to the decline in migration from Mexico, it certainly will over the next decade.
What all this means is that, in the future, the largest illegal immigration flows are likely to come from parts of the world farther away than Mexico, including Central America and Asia. Because of distance, these flows will be smaller, but they will also require new and different enforcement measures, focused more on the workplace than on the border itself. And if Congress creates work-based visas for potential immigrants, as in the guest worker program now under discussion in the Senate, the numbers who are willing to risk an illegal crossing — from Mexico and elsewhere — are sure to drop even more.
There will always be some illegal immigration from Mexico to the U.S., as long as the wage gap between the two countries remains high. But in assessing U.S. policy reforms and in planning for the future, Americans need to revamp their image of who wants in, where they’re coming from and why. Illegal immigration isn’t what it used to be.
Andrew Selee is vice president for programs at the Woodrow Wilson Center and was the founding director of its Mexico Institute. His latest book is “Mexico and the United States: The Politics of Partnership.”
Recent Challenges
At age 12 Ozzie had no trouble learning to dance along the edge of the rooftop
There had been an unspoken pact between Doug and Ozzie that when he who gobbled nearly everything edible (and loved it) lost that powerful appetite he would be released from his duties as “faithful companion”. And so it was. He was having difficulty breathing and only hobbled even outdoors. The diagnosis of advanced lymphatic cancer ruled out any possibility of recovery and the veterinarian readily agreed to come to our house.
Ozzie had been a family member for ten and a half years. Most evenings in California he made
Ozzie always enjoyed taking Doug’s place in the bed
sure Doug had a walk as prescribed for improving his cholesterol. Winter evenings, he had snuggled and helped keep us all warm on the sofa. Over twelve years old when we moved to San Luis Potosi, he easily adjusted to his new home.
He spoke a universal language, greeting strangers and new friends in a manner that demanded caressing or an embrace. First meetings of visitors to our home were eased by his friendly advance. “How’s my friend Ozzie?” became a question we were delighted to hear.
With the help of twelve year old Gustavo, Doug and Kate dug a grave and buried Ozzie between the house and the flower garden Kate had just planted. We are grateful that he was able to make the move here and that we had his help in easing the transition for us. And for the gentle passing he made on our sofa, his favorite spot in the house!, enabled by the veterinarian Dr. Abraham we are grateful. His best friend, our Chihuahua mix Minnie, is as sad as we about losing our wonderful Australian Shepherd. Opal, the cat, remains stoic.
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After just six months of one on one Spanish classes, Kate will be teaching in the week long “Curso de Verano” – Summer Seminars – at the seminary compound next week. Her wonderful teacher Karla Ramirez in the Centro de Idiomas of the University of San Luis Potosi is translating her lectures on “Women in the Bible” for her to read and has volunteered to help interpret the class discussions. Kate will focus in her lectures on the women in the Gospel of Mathew’s geneology of Jesus and feels ready for the challenge.
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- Freshly painted main seminary building and grounds with two floor dorm on left and our house at far end on right
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- Lisania Martinez just graduated with M. Div. from Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico and will assist in teaching one of the classes this summer
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- Last year’s Roundtable “Coordinator” thanking last year’s teaching corps in front of the 2012 event bannr
We’ll let you know how it all goes this year. At this time the “Curso de Verano” is the primary training event offered pastors and lay leaders of the Roundtable’s three participating denominations. The seminary compound C.E.T., the Centro de Estudios Theologicos, where we live, will be bustling with activity and we are looking forward to seeing old friends and making some new ones!
Some Friends of Ours
Kate’s tamale lesson with Lolis and her daughter Heidi at the “parsonage” of the Espino Sifuentes family
It wasn’t the border crossing – we hardly stopped! – that made our return to Mexico after the month long vacation difficult. There are differences in the daily routine here and in returning those differences were highlighted and had to be adjusted to once again. In short, Doug had to relearn how to do the dishes while Kate got back to studying Spanish. We also had some concern that our long absence might lead folks here to question whether we would ever return. But difficulties and concern were forgotten thanks to the welcome back received from friends. We were missed and what a good feeling that is.
So let us tell you about a special family we’ve come to know and love here. Our “consecration”
Rogelio, Debie, Heidi and Nadya
worship service six months ago was held in the Julien Carrillo Christian Church near the center of San Luis Potosi and that night we met the family of Pastor Rogelio Espino Flores for the first time. The fact that Rogelio and Heidi are blessed with two daughters as we are (ours ages 26 and 23 and theirs ages 7 and 12) created an instant bond. We’ve since enjoyed many fun times together.
While having fun we’ve also learned. Kate’s had a lesson in tamale making which led to the following exchange. After Heidi’s mother Lolis praised Kate’s husk wrapping, Kate responded, “You know you can go to hell for lying” (Doug translating). “No really, I mean it” Lolis responded and they all exploded in laughter. Heidi’s determination to perfect Kate’s Spanish is lightened by much laughter. They communicate in a lively way and always have fun.
More than ten years ago Rogelio was among the last graduates from the seminary where we live; he has served pastorates in Aguascalientes and San Luis Potosi, the two Disciples centers here. On Mother’s Day Sunday at Julien Carrillo Church all the mothers received a gift and Pastor Rogelio made special mention of Kate. Her gift was presented with the words that Rogelio and Heidi have both come to love her like a mother.
Although Heidi’s mother Lolis lives in Torreon eight hours away, her regular visits are cause for celebration. What an amazing person she is! Virtually on her own, Lolis has for 13 years devoted herself to ministry with children and older adults in two “colonias” of Torreon. Children in single mother homes with little to no extended family support come to her after school for food and fun in learning about the Bible and Christian faith, praying for and serving others. Their service is focused on the older adults; visits to the seniors’ home is accompanied by deliveries of groceries and/or medicine.
Lolis calls her ministry LLamados a Servir (“Called to Serve”) in one location and Casa de Oracion y Misericordia (“House of Prayer and Mercy”) in another. Her Facebook page, with photo albums of her ministry, is called Llamados a Servir and can be found at:
With Heidi’s help in some of the technical aspects, Lolis’ Facebook testimony is now a ministry of hopeful proclamation throughout Latin America.
The memories, the learning, the relationship with this family lift and strengthen us. We enjoy thinking about their visiting us in the States some day. And there are so many others we have learned from and enjoy being with here. It is good to be home.
July 3, 2013 Graduation from Primary School of Debora. Photo by Heidi Sifuentes Sanchez de Espino, photographer and graphic designer
“Strawberry Fields Forever” ??
Strawberry field workers in Oxnard, CA – from the Reuters article cited below
In California, Kate and I would from time to time buy strawberries from a roadside stand. The stand was located within the limits of Los Angeles County where nearly ten million people reside. We never found a stand selling corn or tomatoes but there were several next to strawberry fields.
As we admired the baskets of strawberries we had just purchased, we could almost hear over our heads the melody of “Strawberry Fields Forever” and the question of how long would the growers of strawberries hold out. How long could the offers made by developers of new housing projects be resisted? Of course the real defenders of the strawberry fields in Los Angeles County, those who keep the fields flourishing and financially viable, are not the growers.
Those of us who buy the strawberries don’t ask the cashier if they are cultivated and picked by “legal” workers. We don’t ask if they earn the $8 minimum hourly wage in Los Angeles County. We breathe in the scent of fresh strawberries and are lifted by gratitude that the fields are still there. But we know that they wouldn’t be if the workers, the brown skinned men and women, earned a wage above the poverty level for a family.
It’s the same in the fields seen on the drive along California’s U.S. 1 up the coast. How can those fields be farmed on some of the country’s most valuable real estate? If their workers have been at it for more than five years, don’t they deserve to be considered “legal”? Do we really want to continue to punish them through our immigration system?
For more food for thought on this topic see the excellent Reuters article at:
http://news.yahoo.com/strawberry-fields-immigration-reform-holds-sweet-promise-022400949.html
and meditate on Jesus’ parable of the vineyard laborers at Mt 20: 1-16
Maravillas Welcomes You
The original pulpit Bible of the Maravillas Disciples congregation is now in the foundation of the new sanctuary
“No hay mal que por bien no venga” (There is nothing bad that something good cannot come out of it) is a widely quoted Mexican proverb which the Maravillas Disciples Church on the outskirts of San Luis Potosi, Mexico is now living out. Since the collapse of their sanctuary roof on December 29 and subsequent demolition of the building, the congregation has been blessed with the prayers, offerings and presence of fellow Disciples in the area and beyond.
Last month representatives of the two largest congregations in San Luis Potosi brought $2500 to the afternoon worship service at Maravillas. And Pastor Josue Martinez Cisneros, President of the C.I.C.E. Disciples churches assured the members more would be contributed. The Global Ministries Executive for Latin America, Rev. Felix Ortiz, arranged for contruction advisor Jim “Santiago” Piper to spend four weeks helping with the design and planning of the new sanctuary. Jim has now returned to Maravillas to assist with laying the foundation and putting up the new sanctuary’s walls.
These early signs of solidarity, fraternal love and support have enabled the congregation to make fast progress in the construction project. “I am so
Building Chair Ramiro in turquoise shirt with Committee members and Saturday work crew
grateful for this unexpected, new opportunity to show our love for our Church and our God” Building Committee Chair Ramiro Ortiz Pardo states. And Pastor Rosendo Arvizu Avalos’ youngest child, 23 year old Alvaro, expects the project to result in deepening the congregation’s faith and commitment to serve.
On leaving for home in Caldwell, Idaho just before Easter Jim Piper was determined to return soon. In addition to his satisfaction in helping the congregation plan the new construction, he expressed gratitude for the good care and tasty meals provided daily by church members. “Their hospitality has been amazing” Jim declared on his return in mid April to San Luis Potosi and the Maravillas community. “I have the time and I love it here. How could I not come back?” he adds with a big smile as he chuckles.
The Maravillas congregation looks forward to welcoming other volunteers to participate in the new sanctuary project. The distance from Los Angeles to San Luis Potosi is nearly equal to the mileage from LA to Kansas City. And there are direct flights from Houston to San Luis Potosi. Contact Jasmine Sanchez – jsanchez@dom.disciples.org or 317-713-2561 – in the Global Ministries Latin America office to discuss how your congregation or Region/Conference might help bring about new wonders in Maravillas. (see the blog of February 13 “New Wonders in Maravillas” in the Archives section of Erasing Borders)
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- Original Maravillas sanctuary cornerstone
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- Original sanctuary featured a fine mural by pastor’s son Caleb who also leads the “Praise Band”
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- Progress on new sanctuary building as of April 27
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- Maravillas Young Married Group performed “Jesus is the Real Super Hero” April 28
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- All ages enjoyed Ice Cream in Melon following April 28 Afternoon Worship
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- The Sanctuary of Maravillas on the outskirts of San Luis Potosi January 2, 2013
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- JIm “Santiago” Piper rode his way back to Maravillas from First Christian Church of Nampa, ID
Pilgrimage to Magdalena
A “fire” opal from Magdalena, State of Jalisco, Mexico
“Set up road markers for yourself,
make yourself signposts;
consider well the highway,
the road by which you went.” Jer 31:21
“Pilgrimage” is a theme of any trip through the Mexican state of Jalisco. The presence along the highways of clusters of people walking or lone trekkers headed to the San Juan de los Lagos shrine begs us to consider the aim or aims of our own journey. “What does the Lord require of us” we wrote after our first trip to visit Congregational churches in Jalisco state. It was a different kind of pilgrimage this trip. If, as the saying goes, you make your way by walking it, can you also make a pilgrimage by “following your bliss”? After this last trip, we think so.
Last week on our way through Jalisco to visit churches in Tepic and Acaponeta in the state of Nayarit, we passed by the town of Magdalena. No signs or billboards advertise that it is now the opal mining center of Mexico but Kate had stayed nearby twenty years ago. In telling about that past Mexico trip she has often mentioned the opal tailings brought back from a visit to Magdalena by others in her group and how she hoped to visit the town herself some day.
On our return home, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity so we pulled off the tollway for some touring of the Mexican opal capital and some “comida” dining at the appropriate time of 3:30 pm. At the first stop of Opalos Mexico, we learned that to the Romans, the opal was more highly prized than the diamond and that Marc Antony had connived to secure a magnificent opal for Cleopatra. We also learned that Lupita’s was the place to eat and that proved to be sure advice.
While Kate and our traveling companion Ana Yolanda Gutierrez looked for opals, Doug continued the conversation Kate had begun in English with a
Humberto – from a village near Magdalena via Alaska
man in the town plaza. Humberto was unmistakably Mexican with a groomed Zapata mustache and a wide “charro” belt. He was vacationing in his home village near Magdalena after 8 years of working on a cruise liner in the waters of Alaska. Two years working in the kitchen in a Japanese restaurant in Los Angeles led the owner to recommend him to his brother for the job in Alaska.
Doug congratulated Humberto on the mustache and asked if he sported the same look in the States. “Why sure”, he replied, “I get a lot of compliments on the mustache in the north too.” When Doug next admired the belt he began to take it off and offered to give it to him. After remarking how much better it looked on someone with a mustache like his, it occurred to Doug that something beautiful about the culture he was living in had just been revealed to him.
There was more to ponder in the opal shop where the women had found the array of stones and the ambiance they were looking for. Three young men were working on the delicate task of freeing multi hued opals from the rock they are encased in. The volcanic conglomerate is also sold in small chunks some of whose bits of opal glint as they reflect the light. The shop workers told us the Aztec name “hummingbird stone” refers to the gem’s iridescent qualities. We were shown a variety of gems that had been shaped and polished including one of the “fire opal” type whose dazzling properties derived from “the waters of paradise” according to the Maya.
On leaving the shop, Doug was offered a sack of at least five pounds of conglomerate for 100 pesos (about $8). He couldn’t pass up the opportunity to discover the colors hidden within the rocks inside the sack. It would take some effort but that may be the learning, one of the gems, revealed in this latest pilgrimage. We all left pleased that Kate had finally been able to make the trip to Magdalena.
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- The sack of opal encrusted conglomerate shown off by Yolanda, “Yolie”, and Kate
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- Before Nayarit we had a night in Tlaquepaque with Yolie and the family of Pastor Heber Neftali Lopez Valdez of Guadalajara
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- David and Karina Maldonado of the Tepic Congregational Church showed us the construction plans for a new church camp 45 minutes from the Ocean
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- Pastor Danilo of Tepic is leading a mission church planting in a new neighborhood of the city
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- Tepic’s new “colonia” of La Cantera
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- Pastor Julio and wife Rosa in the Congregational Church of Acaponeta
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- Family Doctor Dr. Gonzalez Chavez with Acaponeta youth leader Nestora who begins studies for a medical degree in the fall
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- This amaryllis bloom, our first white ones, surprised us at home on our return
“For the Honor and Glory of God”
San Luis Potosi’s Central Christian Church stained glass glowing in the Easter morning sun
We almost made it on time for the 6 am worship service Easter morning at Central Christian Church in San Luis Potosi. Kate had made two large pans of coffee cake for the breakfast following so packing the car and getting the dogs on the roof, where they can roam free, complicated our getting away at the early hour. Over thirty five persons attended so Pastor Josue Martinez Cisneros, who had expected half that many, had to be pleased.
Central Christian’s Francisco Chapa makes these signs for church events and serves as lay pastor for a congregation two hours away
Before heading to the 11 am service at Iglesia Christiana Evangelica (Discipulos de Christo) de la Colonia Julien Carrillo, we had time to explore the beautiful Tangamanga Park for the first time. On our walk there was remarkably little evidence of the hordes of people who had enjoyed a picnic in the park woods the day before. An “enchanted castle”, a roller (or ice?) skating rink, open air amphitheater, and water park were among the attractions we discovered on the brief tour. It’s the second largest urban park in Mexico so there is much more to see, including the shell of the 1609 house of the hacienda that once occupied the grounds.
At Julien Carrillo we arrived in time to sit in a front pew with a hymnal – we really need to buy one – and were uplifted by the congregational singing and three familiar melodies sung by their fine choir. During the “testimonials” segment of the service two couples gave thanks for thirty plus years of marriage, Bere Gil Soto thanked God for two wonderful weeks far away from studies at Indianapolis’ Christian Theological Seminary, and a young mother concluded the testifying with a somber note. She expressed hope that her husband would return with the family to church and envisioned that when he did it would be “for the honor and glory of God”.
Once again, it was the “testimonials” of the congregation that stood out in the Easter worship. During this segment, we always feel moved and privileged as church members reveal challenges, setbacks and grief along with causes for celebration. Often in the background of these testimonies is the context of the speaker’s living the Christian faith as an evangelical in a very Catholic country. Kate and I continue to try to understand and appreciate more fully the impact on the faith journey of being in the minority.
The concluding testimonial at Julien Carrillo on Easter morning
Learning about the martyrs in the past history of the evangelical churches of Mexico, of families divided by faith and of the sacrifices made by many evangelicals in our day leads us to reconsider the place of risk in the faith journey. Taking the risk of the “leap of faith” as Kierkegaard called it was a central theme of our Lenten meditation this year.
The “leap of faith” by our Mexican friends here has us wondering what we give up as Christians if there is little risk in a life of faith. In the U.S. where Protestant “evangelical” Christianity is the norm on the religious and cultural landscape, where and how does risk feature in the lives of Christians? And in a life of faith free of risk how do we witness to the “honor and glory of God”?
Pancho I or Paco I
Could the enduring popularity of the name Guadalupe – “Lupe” or “Lupita” for short – have something to do with the grip of the Virgin of Guadalupe on Mexican spiritual consciousness?
On my way back to San Luis Potosi from Aguascalientes last Wednesday, a phone conversation with a friend brought the news a Pope had been elected. After the news that the Argentinian Pope had chosen the name Francis I, I enjoyed listening to the banter on a talk radio show. It was one of those programs designed to lighten the mood of your morning commute and ease the work pressure at mid day. The conversation bounced around the question of whether the new Pope would be known in Mexico as “Francisco”, “Paco” or “Pancho”.
Thanks to the presence of two “Francisco’s” in the Central Christian Church of San Luis Potosi, a “little Paco” and a “big Paco”, I had learned that two nicknames are used for the Spanish name “Francisco”. Thanks to the still powerful presence of Francisco “Pancho” Villa in Mexican culture, it takes a large personality to fill the shoes of a Pancho here. Paco I believe would be the nickname more likely for one aspiring to follow the example of the humble St. Francis. The radio talk show hosts hoped the new Pope would have his “Pancho” moments though.
Learning the more common nicknames has to be an early lesson for anyone hoping to speak the language of the people here. After being confused a time or two you begin to pay closer attention to the nicknaming traditions. What a relief to discover that a “Chuy” is in fact the Jesus you had talked to on several occasions. Or that the woman “Coco” is also graced by the name Socorro. Customarily on first meeting or in relating to someone of slight acquaintance, the person’s full name will be used. When that person’s friends are
The young man on the right has always been “Lacho” to us. Horacio is just too difficult to handle.
referring to them as “Concha” (for Concepcion) or “Memo” (for Guillermo) or “Pepe” (for Jose) or “Lupita” (for Guadalupe), it’s always pleasant to think you know whom they are talking about.
If you’re interested in learning what a Spanish speaking acquaintance might be called by his or her friends and family, go to this web site list at:
http://www.learn-spanish.com.mx/spanish-phrases/spanish-names/
Just before leaving Pomona, we hired a man with the name of Sergio to look after the lawn and shrubs around our house. I learned that as a boy he often worked with his grandfather in San Luis Potosi. I now wonder if they call him “Checho” at his home in California.
Kate, known in Mexico as Katalina, has found her name is now shortened affectionately to “Kati”, not unlike how her friends and family have known her (but pronounced here as “kaa-ti”. Douglas has not had the joy of having his name shortened by anyone except for Kate (now writing this final paragraph.) While most of the diminuitives used by Kate for Douglas are not printable for polite conversation (not necessarily what you are thinking, dear reader!), she has taken to usually calling him “Doog”, a shortened version of Douglas (pronounced “Doog-las” in Mexico.) Yet all the name changes appear to be a moving target, since anyone may add “ita” or “ito” to any name at any time.
Alfredo Perez, Coordinator of the Mesa Conjunta (“Roundtable”), is now known as “Alfredito” to “Kati”.
International Day of Women
Marisela Silva translates for Kate at Central Christian back in October
We had never really celebrated the March 8 International Day of Women before. But last Friday, the Iglesia Cenral in San Luis Potosi of the Discipulos de Christo in San Luis Potosi had planned a worship service and dinner afterword (a potluck) to commemorate this UN sponsored event. Kate was invited to talk about women in the USA and Mexico. In particular, the similarities and differences, opportunities and challenges of women in the two countries.
The worship service was amazing! All of the speakers (a poetess read her poem written for the occasion, a magnificent sermon drawing on the witness of women in the Bible, and the testimony by Kate) were thoughtful, meaningful and dynamic. The music was beautiful and the prayers were moving. A Power Point presentation titled “Mujeres en Mexico” prepared by one of the women in the church featured women of the congregation; it was incredible! After the service, the potluck dinner fed so many and it all tasted so very good!
The tacos are delicious and the service delightful at this stand on the plaza in our town of Soledad de Graciano Sancez
Below is the text of the “Testimony” by Kate in both English and Spanish. Kate wrote the piece and then her good friend Marisela Sierra Silva helped her translate it into Spanish. Kate practiced and practiced reading the speech in Espanol, and she did a pretty good job! Here it is:
“Women are the backbone of the church. That appears to be true no matter where the church is located-city, state or country! In the town of my birth, Atchison, Kansas, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) was built before 1920 and the women of the church sold baked goods (bake sales) to provide funds for the new church. Pastor Domingo Guerrero, the Superintendent of the Congregation Churches of Mexico tells how the church at Los Mochis was built thanks to tamales-made by the women of course.
Women in all of North America support the projects of the church through sales of food, crafts, blessing boxes. It is the work of the women in the church that helps to keep the church active and solvent. (Not that the men don’t help in this, but today is Women’s Day, the day that we celebrate the women!) In this way, the women are very much the same in Canada, USA and Mexico. Loving God, family and church are great strengths of women in the world.
One of the differences I see between women in North America is that education is stressed more heavily in the USA and Canada. This does not mean that the women there are smarter, because they are not. It means that the expectation is that women will finish high school before marriage. In Mexico, this is the hope, that women will be educated through preparatory school, but this is not what always happens. When I was growing up in Kansas, I was led to believe that I could become anyone I wanted to be. If I wanted to be a doctor, a teacher, a minister, then all I had to do was to work hard to make it happen. I was recently quite pleased to hear that a little girl in San Luis Potosi who had just turned 10 wants to be a veterinarian! I hope that wish comes true for her and I hope that many more children will dream big and see their dreams come true as well!
Women in Mexico are among the hardest working people in the world! No matter the education level of the woman, she is very likely to own her own business! I walk down the street in Soledad de Graciano Sanchez and see store after store and restaurant after restaurant being run by women. Not only do they help support their families in this manner, but they work at home as well.
I love how so many women are entering seminary in order to become ministers in Mexico. When I attended seminary in the US in
Pastor Karen with husband Moises of historic Disciples Church in Los Nogales
the 1990s, women were beginning to outnumber the men there. Unfortunately, even though women were being ordained and licensed by the church, there were barriers when it came to a woman actually working as the pastor in a church. But those barriers are being overcome daily. I see the same difficulties here for women in ministry. Some churches simply do not want a female pastor. This is very sad, because I believe that women make wonderful pastors. I am encouraged by the number of women pastors in the Disciples of Christ churches in Mexico. Women have so much to bring to ministry! Look at the women participating in this service today! They organize the services in their churches and preach the word of God with meaning and gusto!
I am thankful to be a woman who is serving the Church in Mexico. I will support the ministry of women in the church and beyond. Glory be to God!
LAS MUJERES SON LA COLUMNA DE LA IGLESIA. ESA ES UNA VERDAD, NO IMPORTA EN DONDE ESTÉ LA IGLESIA, EN QUÉ CIUDAD, ESTADO O PAIS. EN EL PUEBLO DONDE YO NACÍ, ATCHISON, KANSAS, LA IGLESIA DISCÍPULOS DE CRISTO SE FUNDÓ ANTES DE MIL NOVECIENTOS VEINTE . Y LAS MUJERES DE LA IGLESIA VENDÍAN PASTELES Y GALLETAS PARA PROVEER FONDOS PARA LA NUEVA IGLESIA. EL PASTOR DOMINGO GUERRERO, SUPERITENDENTE DE LAS IGLESIAS CONGREGACIONALES DE MEXICO, ME CUENTA QUE, COMO LA IGLESIA DE LOS MOCHIS FUÉ CONSTRUIDA VENDIENDO TAMALES HECHOS POR LAS MUJERES DE ESA IGLESIA.
LAS MUJERES DE TODA AMÉRICA DEL NORTE PROVEEN PARA LOS PROYECTOS DE LA IGLESIA A TRAVÉS DE LA VENTA DE COMIDA, ARTESANÍAS Y ALCANCÍAS DE BENDICIONES. ES EL TRABAJO DE LAS MUJERES EN LA IGLESIA QUE AYUDA A LA IGLESIA A CONTINUAR ACTIVA Y SOLVENTE. (NO QUE LOS HOMBRES NO AYUDEN EN ESTO, PERO HOY ESTAMOS CELEBRANDO EL DIA DE LA MUJER.) DE ESTA MANERA, LAS MUJERES SON MUY SIMILARES EN CANADÁ, LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS Y MÉXICO. UN DIOS AMOROSO, LA FAMILIA Y LA IGLESIA SON LA MAYOR FUERZA DE LAS MUJERES EN EL MUNDO.
UNA DE LAS DIFERENCIAS QUE YO VEO, ENTRE LAS MUJERES DE NORTE AMERICA ES QUE LA EDUCACIÓN SE ACENTÚA CON MAS FUERZA EN LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS Y CANADÁ. ESTO NO SIGNIFICA QUE LAS MUJERES AHÍ SEAN MAS INTELIGENTES, PORQUE NO LO SON. SIGNIFICA QUE LAS EXPECTATIVAS SON, QUE LAS MUJERES DEBEN DE TERMINAR LA PREPARATORIA ANTES DE CASARSE. EN MÉXICO, ESTO ES SOLO UNA ESPERANZA QUE LAS MUJERES TERMINEN SU PREPARATORIA, AUNQUE ESTO NO ES SIEMPRE LO QUE PASA..
CUANDO ESTABA CRECIENDO EN KANSAS, ME HICIERON CREER QUE PODÍA LLEGAR A SER CUALQUIER COSA QUE YO QUISIERA. SI YO QUERÍA SER UNA DOCTORA, UNA MAESTRA O UNA PASTORA, SOLO TENÍA QUE TRABAJAR MUY DURO PARA LLEGAR A SERLO. RECIENTEMENTE SUPE CON MUCHA ALEGRIA QUE UNA NIÑA EN SAN LUIS QUE ACABA DE CUMPLIR 10 AÑOS, QUIERE SER VETERINARIA. OJALÁ ESE DESEO SE LE CUMPLA. Y ESPERO QUE MUCHAS OTRAS NIÑAS SUEÑEN EN COSAS GRANDES Y VEAN QUE SE HAGAN REALIDAD SUS SUEÑOS.
LAS MUJERES EN MEXICO ESTAN ENTRE LAS MUJERES MAS TRABAJADORAS DEL MUNDO. SIN IMPORTAR EL NIVEL DE EDUCACION DE LA MUJER, ES MUY PROBABLE QUE SEA DUEÑA DE SU PROPIO NEGOCIO. YOCAMINO POR LAS CALLES DE SOLEDAD DE GRACIANO SANCHEZ, Y VEO TIENDA TRAS TIENDA Y RESTAURANTE TRAS RESTAURANTE QUE SON REGENTEADOS POR MUJERES. NO SOLAMENTE AYUDAN A MANTENER A SUS FAMILIAS DE ESTE MODO SINO QUE TAMBIEN TRABAJAN EN SUS CASAS.
ME ENCANTA VER QUE MUCHAS MUJERES ESTAN ENTRANDO A ESTUDIAR EN LOS SEMINARIOS AQUÍ EN MEXICO. CUANDO FUÍ AL SEMINARIO EN LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS EN LOS 90 S, LAS MUJERES YA ERAN MAYORÍA SOBRE LOS HOMBRES. DESAFORTUNADAMENTE AUNQUE LAS MUJERES ESTABAN SIENDO ORDENADAS EN LOS SEMINARIOS, HABIAN BARRERAS CUANDO HABÍA PUESTOS DISPONIBLES EN LAS IGLESIAS. AUNQUE ESAS BARRERAS ESTAN SIENDO DESTRUIDAS
Lisania Sustaida (with friend Alicia on right) will complete seminary studies in Puerto Rico in June
ACTUALMENTE. YO VEO LAS MISMAS DIFICULTADES AQUÍ EN MEXICO PARA AQUELLAS MUJERES QUE QUIEREN SER PASTORAS. ALGUNAS IGLESIAS REALMENTE NO QUIEREN TENER MUJERES PASTORAS. ESTO ES MUY TRISTE PORQUE CREO QUE LAS MUJERES PUEDEN LLEGAR A SER UNAS MAGNÍFICAS PASTORAS. ME ALIENTA VER EL NÚMERO DE MUJERES PASTORAS EN LA IGLESIA DISCIPULOS DE CRISTO EN MEXICO. LAS MUJERES TIENEN TANTO QUE DAR AL MINISTERIO DE LA IGLESIA. NADA MAS MIREN A LAS MUJERES PARTICIPANDO EN EL SERVICIO DE ESTA NOCHE. ELLAS ORGANIZARON EL SERVICIO EN SUS IGLESIAS Y PREDICARON LA PALABRA DE DIOS CON SIGNIFICADO Y ENTUSIASMO.
ESTOY AGRADECIDA DE SER UNA MUJER QUE ESTA SIRVIENDO A LA IGLESIA DE DIOS EN MEXICO Y YO APOYO EL MINISTERIO DE LAS MUJERES EN LA IGLESIA . GLORIA SEA DADA A NUESTRO DIOS.
What Does the Lord Require?
San Juan de los Lagos Basilica was visited by Pope John Paul in 1990
So what does the Lord require of us? Looking back on the ten day trip visiting Congregational Churches in the State of Jalisco this question seems to be a primary theme of what we experienced. First there was the brief stop over for lunch in San Juan de los Lagos.
We had no idea what we were headed for when we pulled off the four lane highway from Aguascalientes to Guadalajara in search of a restaurant. All the places on the way into town had no cars out front so we went farther. It soon felt like we were driving through the middle of the town market. Sunday afternoon strollers jammed the narrow streets lined with stalls.
At an intersection, men in official looking orange vests offered help in finding parking. One of the men grabbed his bicycle and led us to a parking garage where we paid sixty pesos flat rate, twice what we had ever paid in San Luis Potosi. A cheerful attendant in the parking garage advised that we put our wallets in a front pocket. Especially in the church he said.
In a search for a good place to eat we slowly made our way through the throng. Doug left Kate with the friend visiting us from the U.S. and squeezed his way within two blocks of the central plaza and cathedral. A policeman informed him that yes it was this crowded every Saturday and that on February 2 there had been twice as many people. We were glad we were two Sundays late.
We managed to find a restaurant where we didn’t have to wait in line, had a hurried but satisfying meal and soon were relieved to be
The 15″ image of the Virgin Mary occupies the central space in the cathedral’s nave
making our way out of San Juan de los Lagos and back to the highway. Our friend consulted his down loaded guide book as we drove to Guadalajara and read that we had just visited the second most visited Catholic shrine in Mexico. The image of the Virgin Mary in the town’s cathedral is visited by 7 to 9 million people yearly; that means over five per cent of the country’s population make the pilgrimage, most on a week end during the year.
That explained the half dozen signs on the highway to San Juan de los Lagos warning drivers to take caution for the “pilgrims” along the roadway. Friends later told us that pedestrian fatalities occur often on that stretch of highway. The Virgin image housed in the San Juan cathedral is credited with saving or protecting the faithful from mortal danger. In a country now gripped by concerns over insecurity and violence, the renown of the Virgin’s image may well have grown.
Two days later we heard about a very different experience of the Holy Spirit. The young pastor of the Ahualulco Congregational Church was giving his testimony about leaving a life of drinking and debauchery for one of service. He was living in California at the time, picking crops throughout the State, and on a drinking spree one night in San Jose. Walking through a city park, he suddenly felt a knife pointed at his neck while the friend next to him had a gun barrel at his head. Instantly the pleas of his sister to accept Jesus Christ as his personal savior came to his mind. He handed over the forty dollars in his pocket and although the friend had no money, their attackers let them go unharmed.
Pastor Octavio Reyes Moya occupies an apartment in the Ahualulco Church
Young Octavio Reyes Moya felt he had been given a second chance to make something better out of his life and he began going to church before returning to Mexico a changed man. A church in a small village near his hometown needed a pastor and five years later he began to pastor the Congregational Church in the larger town of Ahualulco as well.
Compensating for his lack of seminary training with a sweet spirit and firm dedication to pastoring the two congregations, Octavio kept highlighting the “sacrifice” Kate and I were making in leaving our country and our language to serve alongside him and other pastors in Mexico. In his eyes, his service in our country as an undocumented farmworker had been more than compensated for by finding his true vocation in “el norte”.
A chapel and plaque in Octavio’s church honors the memory of the young Congregational church missionary from the States who was killed in Ahualulco in the 1870’s. John Stephens died alongside his friend and Ahualulco neighbor Jesus Islas while serving what is now perhaps the oldest Protestant church in Mexico. Funds for the chapel and plaque were donated by the Pacific School of Religion in the Bay area to commemorate the sacrifice of a PSR alum’s life to propagation of an evangelical faith in Mexico.
Our preaching on the trip soon gravitated to the theme of “entrega” or sacrifice as a hallmark of the Christian faith. Mexican
John L. Stephens portrait hangs in Ahualulco Church chapel
evangelicals have an advantage over Protestants in the U.S. in embracing this aspect of our “call” as Christians. As a minority in a heavily Catholic country, many have had to take a risk in embracing the minority faith journey. They have learned that faith is not about making life easier. It is rather about making life richer and more meaningful and, yes, taking risks from time to time. We are grateful to have been reminded in a new and different way of “what the Lord requires”.
“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?” MI 6:8
See our gallery below of selected photos from our visits of Congregational churches in Jalisco, the longest trip we have taken here.
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- Some of the Ahualulco congregation
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- Plaque outside chapel of Ahualulco Congregational Church honoring John L. Stephens
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- An authentic “vaquero” – Mexican cowboy – on the way to Guachimontones
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- The ball field at Guachimontones, a city near Ahualulco built on a hill with a magnificent lake view before the birth of Christ
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- Stone balls, all of this size, are on display in Ahualulco. Are they volcanic or man made?
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- Pastor Domingo Guerrero, leader of the Mexican Congregational Churches speaks with Endendenia and one of her 4 children. Six months ago Endie was deported from Phoenix with her husband and the children who were all born in the U.S.
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- Benito and Socorro Contreras of Tjajamulco Congregational Church with their daughters. Two years ago, Benito became the first member of his parents’ family to adopt the evangelical Protestant faith.
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- Irma Torres Gutierrez of the Tlajomulco Congregational Church was the second woman to be ordained by the denomination some 25 years ago.
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- Youth in the Tlajomulco Church made dinner for us after we preached
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- Mesa Conjunta – “Roundtable” – meeting of the Congregational and Disciples leaders, body which guides our work here.
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- Mesa Conjunta member Ana Yolanda Gutierrez (r.) hosted us in Guadalajara. Her niece Laura (l.) served with Disciples in Paraguay for 8 years.
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- The magnificent Hospicio Cabanas in Guadalajara and Plaza Tapatia leading to it
Erasing Borders 