November 13, 2016
Dear Friends and Family:
On my first morning in the bunk room
at the Institute for Intercultural Study and Research (INESIN), the organization I will be working with in the city San
Cristobal de las Casas, state of Chiapas, México, a familiar buzzing sound
greets me on my way to the bathroom. I
veer off course, hunting through the flowers, my eyes flicking back and forth
as I know I will only catch a glimpse of the sound-maker. It is there and then in an instant,
gone. The sound disappears. A hummingbird has welcomed me to the city and
to this new life.
As I seek to get my bearings in a
maze of narrow streets with sidewalks so thin that they disappear at intervals
where the lamp posts sprout, I wonder and wander: new sounds of Mayan people
chattering in tseltal or tzotzil, comforting childhood smells of
"tortillerías" (shops where corn tortillas are made), sights of tiled roofs superimposed on
memories of similar roofs in rural Paraguay or Chile. One moment I feel right at home; the next I
speculate that I must have arrived on a different planet.
On Sunday I attend a tiny church on
the edges of another tourist town, Chiapa de Corzo, which was founded in 1400
before Christ. It was a center of
commerce for the Olmec and Mayan people, two of the oldest known pre-Hispanic
civilizations. Today the town is best
known for a January festival with both pre-Hispanic and Colonial roots where
male dancers wear white masks and fuzzy yellow mushroom like hats, and there is
music, food, and crafts. The women wear
dresses made from black netting and elaborate embroidery. In the midst of the flood of new information
as I walk through the town, I am again comforted by the familiar. I know every song in the worship service by
heart; we sing to the tune of a guitar as we would in a small semi-rural church
in Chile.
Monday morning, the administrator at
INESIN, takes me to visit a house he has scouted out for me to consider as I
hunt for living quarters. I don´t like
the house. It is dark and has empty lots
on three sides. "Patience,"
says Brother Natanael. "We have plenty of time and many options to look
at." On our way back to the office,
we spot a "for rent" sign on a house only a block away. We call the number and early Tuesday morning
we go look at the house. Over the wall,
in the neighbor's flowering bushes, I hear the familiar sound: Hummingbirds welcoming me home! This house has plenty of light, the kitchen, living room and dining room are all in one big downstairs space with a
bathroom off to one side, and two rooms
upstairs with another bathroom. And the
cherry on the cake is wifi and telephone already installed! Natanael has already warned me that it could
take up to three months to get telephone and wifi service. My house hunting ends after one day and
after looking at only one other house. I
know that this is God's answer to the
prayers of many! The last few days I have
been tracking down furniture and appliances, washing windows, cleaning, and
trying to make this rental house into my home.
Everyone here is talking about the
US elections. Most people have been
understanding and gentle in discussing the results while at the same time
remembering the saying that goes, "when the US sneezes, Mexico catches
pneumonia." I have already been
warned never to visit an indigenous community without a guide. US, Canadian and European mining companies
are known to be scouting out the region looking for new mineral deposits. In Mexico, according to an old Spanish law, people
own what is on the surface of the land, but if a company buys the rights, it can legally extract the minerals even if
it means ousting legal land owners or communities. Native communities are resisting the mining
companies as best they know how. Many
people in Chiapas have either traveled to seek work in the US or have family
members who have immigrated. Yesterday my cab driver stated sadly while solemnly shaking
his head, "if new policies cause more Mexicans to be mistreated in the
US, I don´t know if we will be able to
keep people from mistreating US citizens living in Mexico."
I want to thank each of you for your
prayers on my behalf in this new ministry.
After one week in San Cristobal de las Casas, I know I have a lot to
learn. I am grateful for my new
colleagues at INESIN for all the ways that they have made me feel welcome
(fresh bouquet of flowers in my room when I arrived, a set of keys to the
grounds and main rooms, and my own office space with a computer!) Please continue to pray for me as I settle
in, build relationships, and find my way
around.
As I finish this letter, I can hear
the hummingbirds even though I can´t see them on the other side of the
wall. The Guaraní people of Paraguay
believe that hummingbirds indicate the place and instant where heaven
caresses the earth. I am reminded of Psalm 85:10-13 "Love
and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.
The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its
harvest. Righteousness goes before him
and prepares the way for his steps."
I pray that my new home, with
hummingbirds as neighbors, might be just such a place.
Shalom,
Elena
