Commitment

Today I met a native Presbyterian missionary that told a story of physical hardship and persecution in the name of spreading the Gospel. His name is Alonso Mendez Sanchez. He works in the remote jungle villages of Chiapas. He stays out in the villages for 15-20 days of each month as he reaches out to the native Indian Tzeltal people that have not been exposed to the Gospel. He begins his trek to the jungle by driving his truck along a worn dirt road for six hours past Ocosingo. When he reaches the end of the road, he walks for 2 days to reach a village that has five believers in it and another with six, passing many villages with no Christian presence at all. The area that he works in is also in Zapatista territory, and he tells of some not so friendly encounters as he has evangelized some of these remote villages.

The Zapatistas forbid protestant churches from operating in their territory because the teachings of the church go against their doctrine. They do however work with the Catholic church. Any convert to protestant Christianity is taking a big risk in this part of the state. Many have had their land confiscated by the Z’s after professing their beliefs.

Alonso must carry all his food during his trips because the Z’s have warned the villagers not to sell him food. More than once he has been beaten and run out of a village just for talking about Jesus. He was in the Bible School office today with two other members of the Synod reporting on the outreach he is conducting on behalf of the Presbyterian Church. There is a desire by several small groups of believers in these remote villages to form a church, and they needed to write a letter to the powers that be to ask for assistance.

We surprised him by opening Google Earth on the computer and finding the remote villages he visits and giving him a birds eye view of the terrain he walks. The satellite technology is amazing but it pales in comparison to this man’s commitment to helping his people know and understand the Good News. He is not a pastor, but an elder that felt a call to spend ½ of each month reaching out to his people. He is willing to risk physical danger to ensure that his “brothers” will hear and understand the gift of Grace offered through Christ.

I am humbled by this fellow Presbyterians commitment.