In Mexico, Spain conquered forced the indigenous people to become Catholic. They built cathedrals over indigenous temples as a sign of their dominance.This caused the religions of the indigenous people to be blended in to the Catholic practices. This past month Mexico celebrated Day of the Dead. Day of the Dead is a day in which people remember their loved ones and try to please their spirits. The family of the dead builds alters where they place the dead person's favorite things and traditional bread. It is said that the spirits come by at night and eat all the flavor out of the bread and come have a good time. People commune with the spirits during this celebration. Generally speaking, the majority of the Mexican culture accepts that death is not the end, so this was a celebration of a life lived on earth, and a spirit continuing on. I had an opportunity to go to one of the high schools to watch a performance and celebration of the day. All of the teenagers had skeletons painted on their faces, and there were alters set up everywhere for the alter competition. This spirit of life is engraved into their culture as a way of thinking, not just as a tradition. There is a lot of value in this tradition, and the Catholic Church approves of it, but there is also a lot of things in this tradition which go against the gospel.
When Spain came and conquered, many families were often composed of a father from Spain and a mother from Mexico. The fathers would leave and the women had to raise their children by themselves. This caused the children to place the mother at the highest level of the family system. The mother is central in the children's lives, but the man is still the more powerful, dominant head of the household. If you want to get to the father, you must go through the mother. In the Catholic religion here, there is a lot of Mariology, where the Virgin Mary is sometimes placed on a pedestal higher than Christ. If you want to get to the Father, you must pray to the Mother. The religion is rooted in their story as a people.
As a Canadian/Western culture, what is our own story? Why do we do the things that we do? Why do we care so much about being on time, or why is it ok, and even encouraged, not to believe in God in our own culture? Why is our culture obsessed with making money? Why do we value education so much? Why are family systems so broken? This is rooted in our story.
As a humanity, what is our story? Why do we go looking for things that we think will fill us? Why are we so desperate to be fully loved? Why do we hurt one another? Why do our hearts ache when we see other people hurting? Why are we never satisfied?
This too is rooted in story.
As I continue to figure out my own story, and how God is developing my story, please continue to pray for me. Please pray that I would continue learning Spanish quickly (Spanish classes have been going really well, praise God), that I would be open to letting God use me however he pleases, and that I would grow in my friendship with Jesus. Also, please pray that I would figure out bus roots quickly and that I would continue to fall deeper in love with this amazing culture.
Also continue to pray for the ministry that is happening here. This past month, we had a thanksgiving dinner and it was so amazing to hear people's stories of how Christ was impacting their lives. We have a prayer team this week from Canada, so please pray for them as they become prayer warriors and pray for the missionaries, and the city. Please pray for the bible studies that are happening weekly. Pray that God would speak and move through these studies and that his grace and love would be felt no matter where the group is spiritually.
Please pray that we would see people's stories collide into God's story. Pray that God's story of redemption, freedom, grace, and healing would impact people so much that they would join into that story. God is already telling a story here. We just need to listen to it.
Thanks so much for your prayers and support. It is such a blessing to know that I am loved and cared for. Your prayers impact my story. Prayer matters.
Day of the Dead alter at the High School
Dance performance for Day of the Dead
Mural of Miguel Hidgalgo Costilla, leader of Mexican Independence
Thanksgiving dinner set up for 45 people
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