Back in the Saddle

I returned to Mexico on May 3 after spending the month of April in NC. It was wonderful to reconnect with my family, friends and church. I made several presentations to groups about our mission and the clinic project. Hopefully the seeds I planted will bear fruit this summer in financial support for the project.

I arrived in Villahermosa to stifling heat and was really looking forward to the mountains of Chiapas, but returned to find not only heat, but smoke. May is the month that farmers burn their fields, which here means the side of the mountain! They burn away vegetation before late May planting of corn. The smoke obscured the beautiful views on the drive up from Villahermosa, and ashes routinely blew in the windows of the house. Rain is the only cure, but there has been little of it here recently. At night it looks like the entire mountain is on fire with its orange glow creeping ever closer to town.

On Monday morning, my first day back at the Bible School offices of Hebron Foundation, we were surprised when seven trucks loaded with over 80 people arrived without advanced warning. The folks in the trucks were representatives from a large Presbyterian church 3 hours NW of Ocosingo. This church has 46 congregations under its wing. Each congregation was represented and most of the 37 Elders from the “Mother church” came also. They were at the school to talk with Pablo about an issue they had with their Presbytery, or governing church body.

I quickly left to go get Kool-aid, 5 gallons of bottled water and cookies for 80 people because in this culture, when 2 or more (much less 80) are together, there must be food. I returned, and Sara and I made the Kool-aid and she served the men as they talked about their problem. The talking continued almost all day and around 4 pm I was called to join the meeting and immediately handed a 16 oz bottle of hot Coca-Cola. The group had reached a decision and were ready to “seal the deal” with a coke. 80 people drank coke and I didn’t hear one belch. Their mothers must have trained them well. Where did all that gas go?

I am continually amazed by the dedication of the Tzeltal people. This church got 80 lay leaders to agree to ride standing up in the back of pick-ups for 3 hours to attend a meeting. Churches back home struggle to get an Elder to agree to attend a Presbytery meeting!