The Worst of Times, The Best of Times

It wouldn’t be hard to find evidence that this is one of the worst times for many families in the mountains of Guerrero. It is almost a month since forty-three students from the rural teachers college in Ayotzinapa were “disappeared”: no one is still sure if they are alive or dead. The search goes on. 

One of the many posters requesting information about these students' whereabouts

And in Tlapa three young women from different schools were “disappeared” last week. One of the students was later found: she had been sexually assaulted, murdered, and dumped in an empty field. The search is still on for the other two young women.

A classroom in one of Tlapa's junior high schools

But good things are happening too. Indeed, great things, I daresay. Mission Mexico has been supporting the Champagnat High School of the Mountain in Potoichan since its beginnings ten years ago. The Marist Brothers (a religious congregation here in Mexico) that operate the school are doing an incredible job with the 244 students. The students will be going home tomorrow for a “Day of the Dead” break, and when they return, they will begin participating in “community service” in the poor villages around their school. This service will involve many tasks: religious education with the children; remedial education with children; literacy or sewing or embroidery classes with women; painting or maintenance work in schools or churches; etc. It’s one way that the students “pay forward” the assistance they receive from groups like the Marist Brothers and Mission Mexico.

A list of the groups from the high school who will offer services in different villages

Since the Day of the Dead is approaching (November 1), students from the three native cultures (na savi, me phaa, nahuatl) of the Mountain prepared altars in the school for the deceased. Students from each of the cultures then explained to other students and teachers (and to me) many details about the way their culture celebrates the Day of the Dead. It was amazing to learn many details about the understandings of this tradition in the different villages of the Mountain.

This altar from the nahuatl culture has different levels; the ground level is for the "lost souls"
who have no one to remember them; the foods are for the dead who come to share with their families

Students from the na savi culture explain their Day of the Dead altar; the photo on the
altar belongs to Brother Manuel, former director of the school

And the actual hands-on training in welding at the high school workshop will get underway after the students return from their break (on November 3). This workshop, called “Alex’ s Welding Shop,” was started with funds donated in the memory of Alex Graf, a 20-year-old welding student at Medicine Hat College who was killed in a motor vehicle accident in February of 2014.

This Spanish sign states (in English): Alex's Welding Workshop

Before actually beginning hands-on classes, a Marist Brother named Checo came from Mexico City to help set up the workshop and to “prepare” the students. Brother Checo taught the students about electricity, about the uses of different pieces of equipment, and about the importance of cleanliness, orderliness, and safety in the work place. Together with Andrés, the school’s maintenance man, he organized the workshop.

Brother Checo helping to set up the welding workshop

The students are thrilled to have this opportunity to learn about welding. Undoubtedly, some students will make this their lifelong occupation. Others—even women—will be able to offer service in their communities. From here in the poorest part of Mexico, in the name of the students at the Champagnat High School, I want to thank Annette and Roy Graf, Alex’s parents, his brother, Daniel, and the family members and friends—especially people at McCoy High School—who are making possible this wonderful experience.

A student at the school praying the Our Father for the families of the
forty-three missing students from the Ayotzinapa rural teachers college

To close, I would like to encourage readers to read a recent article (October 23, 2014) by Cochrane Eagle columnist Warren Harbeck at Coffee with Warren. The article refers to the importance of education for girls. Mission Mexico’s support for the education project at the Champagnat High School—among many projects assisted by Mission Mexico—is helping young men and—especially—young women to imagine and achieve new hopes for their own lives and for the future of villages in this impoverished region. Thank you, Warren, for reminding us of the value of what is being done.

Huipi (which means "butterfly" in her language) and Margarita cleaning the shelves
in the welding workshop before storing tools

They Took Them Alive; We Want Them Back Alive

I hope that new sources in Canada are reporting—and lots—on the killing of six people in the town of Iguala, Guerrero, less than two weeks ago—on September 26—and the disappearance of 43 young men—teenagers, really—who are students at a rural teachers college in the town of Ayotzinapa (located on the highway between the state capital of Chilpancingo and Tlapa).

A poster with photos of some of the 43 missing youth from the teachers college in Ayotzinapa

These 43 students were last seen being loaded into police cars in Iguala on September 26. A few days later a mass grave with 28 dismembered and burnt bodies was found in the hillside outside the city. Are these some of the students? No one is sure yet.

The headline on this poster reads: "Help Us to Find Them"

The government is “suggesting” that the disappearance of the students—and their possible execution—was carried out by members of organized crime. Many people don’t believe it. Yes, organized crime has infiltrated many levels of government and police agencies in Mexico. But there is no doubt that the students were last seen in police cars.

The young woman (in yellow) in this solidarity march with Ayotzinapa is Edith, an indigenous teacher
who at one time received a bursary through Mission Mexico

In a society with so much deception and injustice, it is difficult to know the truth. The parents of the missing youth have requested that the Tlachinollan Human Rights Center of the Mountain (a group supported by Mission Mexico for many years) help to represent them in this painful time. Abel Barrera, the director of Tlachinollan, and his team have earned the trust and respect of the impoverished peoples of the State of Guerrero, and they are doing their best to discover the truth in this case.

Mike MacDonald and Abel Barrera talking outside the entrance to the teachers college

“Truth” is not a strongpoint of Mexican authorities, and more than anything, it has been international pressure that has forced Mexico’s federal government to act in this case. This solidarity offers hope that the truth surrounding the killings and the disappearances will eventually emerge. Such truth, even if painful, will help Mexico advance on the path of democracy and justice.

An altar set up inside the teachers college at Ayotzinapa; parents are waiting here
in the hope of learning news about the whereabouts of their sons

And, of course, the hope of the families and friends of these young men is that they be found alive and well. The slogan most heard in marches and protests here is “Vivos los llevaron; vivos los queremos”: “They took them alive; we want them back alive.”

Grieving family members of two of the disappeared students

The upcoming days and weeks are going to be difficult ones here in the mountain, no matter the results of the investigations. I want to express my gratitude and admiration to the incredible team at the Tlachinollan Human Rights Center for their support for the families of the 43 students. And thanks to the supporters of  Mission Mexico for helping this team in their work over the years; it is that history of commitment and solidarity that has earned them the respect and trust of the people here.

St. Michael the Archangel, Protect Us from the Evil One—Hunger

It was a pleasure and honor to be invited to the village of Tototepec for the feast day of St. Michael the Archangel (September 29). The rainy season will soon end, and harvesting of the corn and bean crops will—hopefully—be able to begin in mid-October.

The statue of St. Michael is taken from the church and processed through the village.
The statue is allowed to "rest" for a short period of time in several homes during the long procession

So the next few weeks are vital to the people of the mountains. And St. Michael the Archangel is seen as the being that can determine whether the poor families will have a decent harvest and be able to eat this year, or if the harvest is less than ideal and the poor families will suffer this year. Here “the Evil One,” “the Devil,” is specifically called “Hunger” in the prayers of the people. And the prayer is that St. Michael assist them in warding off this terrible evil.

One image of the procession with St. Michael in Tototepec

I went to Pascala del Oro with the bishop of Tlapa, Dagoberto Sosa Arriaga. The road was terrible (which is the main reason he asked me to take him), but we were able to get there and back. Other vehicles that tried to make it there for the village festival had to turn back.

One part of the road to Pascala del Oro

Bishop Dagoberto had to "encourage" this burro to get out of the middle of the road

I went to Xochitepec, where two friends—Juan Manuel and Lalo—of the priests who serve in that parish, were visiting from the state of Tabasco. They were helping Fathers Hector and Juan discern ways to carry out their pastoral plans this year in the most effective way possible. Such signs of solidarity are signs of hope in La Montaña.

Juan Manuel, Hector, Juan, and Lalo in the programming meeting

Of course, the sunrise in Xochitepec is always incredible. And the sky becomes an amazing kaleidoscope of colors when the storm clouds begin to move in. 

Just another "normal" sunrise in Xochitepec

I wonder how the villagers can "interpret" this sky to suggest that a storm is approaching

I took Doña Julia from Xalpitzahuac to visit her son (Juan) and daughter-in-law (Cecilia) in the hospital in Tlapa. Their first child, a girl they named Jasmín, was born a month ago, but her health is delicate, and the doctors told the parents that it was very unlikely that she would live much longer. I visited the hospital daily all last week.

Doña Julia and Cecilia looking at a cell phone photo of Father Fred Monk,
director of Mission Mexico. They say they remember his visit to their village in 2006.

At the parents’ request, I asked Father Juan (he is called that even though he is still a deacon), from the Cathedral of Tlapa, to come to the hospital to baptise Jasmín. When other families saw him walk into the hospital carrying the red book with the baptismal rite, many asked him to bless or baptise their sick children. Father Juan ended up celebrating five baptisms that evening, as well as many, many blessings. It’s a pity that there is not an organized health ministry for Tlapa’s hospitals

Father Juan and Juan (the father of Jasmín) shortly before the baptism; the baby's father is convinced
that someone is his village put an "evil spell" on his newborn daughter

At the request of some teachers, I visited a junior high school in Tlapa, in the poor neighborhood of Zapata. The small school has 580 students, and most of them are indigenous students who were rejected at junior high schools closer to their home because they don’t speak Spanish well. The dedication of the teachers, students, and parents is noteworthy, but it is challenging to offer a quality education to the students.

These are four "classrooms" used by the junior high students last year

The red roof on the left is that of new classrooms built this past year. But it is still
incredible that 580 junior high students fit in the buildings shown in this photo

And this morning, on my way to pick up a Canadian friend at the airport in Mexico City, I stopped off to visit Fresvinda, a woman who is a sparkplug of organization in the very poor neighborhood of Cuernavaca called La Estación. I know that many people from southern Alberta have visited La Estacion, and surely many have met Fresvinda, who coordinates many programs at the Women’s Center. People have probably read about the violence in Mexico, and sometimes that violence strikes home. Two months ago, Fresvinda’s 22-year-old daughter, Citlalli, was murdered here. “Citlalli” means “star,” and Fresvinda now claims that she has a special star looking over her work. It’s a beautiful image, but tears flowed when Fresvinda referred to it—and what a pity that such imagery has to be made possible by such senseless violence.

Mike MacDonald and Fresvinda talking during a quiet moment at the Women's Center in La Estacion

So life goes on, the struggle goes on, and Mission Mexico tries to assist as best it can. Thank you to all who make possible this sharing. I think that many times it isn’t the financial assistance that makes the big difference; it is the simple fact that people care. That encourages greater faith, hope, and love—and it’s tough to put a price tag on those realities and to measure their exact impact in the lives of the impoverished. But they are definitely important! Have a great week, everyone.