The beautiful countryside of Oaxaca....
Our first meal was served....beans and tortillas. Apparently, they serve tortillas at every meal, as they also serve as your utensils. They grow their own corn, on the side of the mountain, and create the cornmeal necessary for making tortillas. The cocina, (kitchen), was another room with a brick cooking area with open fire. The bathrooms, however, were down a muddy hill in the midst of the chicken coop. It was an open sheltered outhouse. There was a cold shower, outdoors as well. All under the canopy of a tropical rain forest. Despite the primitive conditions, the view was absolutely incredible!
Beans, Beans . . . you know the rest!
Guys' Quarters
Renufro's roadside store -- that's our new friend Glen perusing the merchandise with Renufro's son, Umberto, manning the store.
Our room is in the corner. To the right is the hall leading back to the path to the outhouse. The women in the bottom corner are plucking chickens. Ugh.
Sunday evening, the Mixe treated us a worship service. There is just no way to describe the experience. Music, lots of it, in another language, with no rhythm or distinct melody, instruments playing their own tune, people that could not carry a tune with the motto: if you can't sing, sing LOUD. Songs with an average of 20 minutes each. The sermon was preached half a dozen times, both in Spanish and Mixe. Prayer was done Mexican style, meaning everyone, at the same time, out loud. Truly how God would hear it. It was crazy, but beautiful.
A man listening to the Treasure.
Monday through Thursday we met with the Mixe people in their homes. We brought them the Treasure (audio Bible) and explained that we had come from the United States to bring it to them and to encourage them in their Christian faith. The Mixe people have been hearing the Word of God via their pastor who has a moderate ability to interpret Scripture from a Spanish Bible. The Mixe translation has been in the works for 25 years! And we were the first to bring it to these people and to be able to pray with the family and present them with some of the gift bags we had prepared. They received us with such joy and warmth, offering us refreshments and stopping whatever they were doing to spend a few moments with us. Some even continued to follow us from house to house. Which was not an easy task. We were climbing steep inclines, over rocky, muddy trails. At one point, I even lost my shoe in the mud. Thankfully, no one was injured due to the treacherous terrain. I still marvel at that fact!
Making tamales in a Mixe cocina [kitchen]
A typical Mixe dwelling
Banana trees growing right outside your front door!
A Mixe child
Atitlan from the balcony of the government building
One of our crazy road trips. Its the rainy season, so many of the roads were washed out, covered with debris from mudslides, or covered with water. This truck got stuck, but was finally able to get out.
Our team leaders
Friday morning we gathered at the raging river to baptize some of the people before heading back to Mitla. We arrived in Mitla for dinner at the Lokers, a wonderful homemade American meal! Saturday was a fun day of shopping at the markets in Mitla and Oaxaca City and touring some of the ruins in Mitla. However, we were anxious for our trip back home. Once we set foot in Houston, still miles from Michigan, we truly felt at home just being back in the States.
Baptism
Our final evening's dinner
Some of the produce found throughout Mexico
The ruins at Mitla
The streets of Oaxaca City
Grasshoppers anyone?
I don't know but he looked neat
I have fond memories of the people that befriended me: Fernando, the son of the former pastor that fell into sin and abandoned his wife and family, carried my backpack and led us safely up and down the mountains; Syliva, Fernando's wife, who spoke Spanish and was able to help me communicate -- and who is expecting in February; Magaly, Sylvia and Fernando's little girl, absolutely precious; Jorge, Fernando's little brother, and Gloria, his sister -- they followed us wherever we went and I'll never forget the joyful dance and ear-to-ear grin when he opened his goody bag to find a Sponge Bob; and all the others we met in Atitlan.
Fernando, Sylvia & Magaly
Gloria
Jorge and Sponge Bob
These people showed me what it means to live out faith, to put God before everything else. The minute I came home, I was bombarded with all the mom and wife duties I had left behind. It amazes me how all that we are blessed with can be such a hindrance and burden to our relationship with Jesus. I am thankful for this American life I have been born into, but I am also blessed to have known another for just a short time to help keep things in eternal perspective.
Jim & Jamie Loker, American missionaries in Oaxaca
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