48 hours

Oaxaca has been making international news these last few days. So... what exactly is happening in Oaxaca? I will try to help you see things through my eyes, but you may understand things better if you first read either or both of these 2 articles:

CNN.com - Force last resort in Oaxaca unrest
Guardian Unlimited - Mexican city grinds to halt

So, starting on Thursday morning, the plan was that the city would shut down for 48 hours - gas stations, grocery stores and major businesses would close, no buses or taxis would run. People were lining up around the block to gas up their cars, families stocked up on food, and the ATM was empty because people withdrew so much cash in anticipation of something happening.

I was going to write about how weird it was that the streets were empty, that stores were closed, and that the city was at a standstill. But, that is not what happened. When I left for school on Thursday morning, I walked past the open supermarket. There were taxis driving buy on the busy street, and I could see buses in the distance, running their regular routes.

There wasn't anyone at the corner where I usually catch the bus, so I began walking along the bus route to get to school. The streets were kind of empty, and I never saw my bus pass by. Once I got closer to the town center, I saw why. The street was blocked in a couple different places by stolen cars/trucks or large tree branches. There were smoking remains of bonfires that had burned during the night and early morning. The blockades were (as the articles mentioned) reinforced and there was new graffiti on the walls, declaring the governor an assassin and ordering him to leave the government.

But through the weirdness of it all, I never felt like I was in danger. Today, there were even more people out on the streets, going about their daily routines. I'm sure my bus is still running, just not on its regular route. I am including a photo I took this morning of one of the barricades.

In the left part of the picture, you can see a stand that has been painted "Fuera Ulises Asesino," which means "Leave Assassin Ulises (the governor)." The sign standing up on the center of the barricade says "Estamos listos" - "We are ready." This is in anticipation of government force.

When I am sitting in the house, reading on the internet about what is going on, it can make me afraid to go out. But many times what is in the news is only the exaggerated dramatic part of the story and, in reality, it is safe to go out.

Please continue to pray for Oaxaca - the lack of tourist income is affecting nearly every aspect of life here. The news that there are new travel advisories out for tourists is yet another staggering blow to people's hope of recovering the devastated economy.

In the midst of chaos, how good it is to remember that God is not in some far away place, but is watching and moving - in ways that we cannot understand. How important it is to truly say: "Your kingdom come, Your will be done."

Viva Mexico!

September 16th, Independence Day in Mexico, brings parties, fairs, and national pride. The night before, the president goes to the city center and rallies the people into the cry for independence (el Grito), in remembrance of the priest who gave the first Grito to call the people to fight for their independence. How exciting it is to be in a crowd of people shouting "Viva Mexico!"

But, what did Independence mean this year in Mexico?

Due to the people camped out in the center of Mexico City in protest of the elections, President Fox's advisers asked Fox not to endanger himself by giving the Grito there, but rather in another place. He, however, wanted to uphold this long tradition. In Oaxaca, there were rumors that the national government was going to send troops that night to finally intervene in the teacher's strike. And of course, the protestors in Oaxaca refused to let the governor give the Grito in Oaxaca.

So, what would happen this night?

It turns out that, in Mexico City, the President was able to negotiate with the protestors. If he would give the Grito elsewhere, they would stop camping out in the city center. So, things seem to have worked out well there. In Oaxaca, people kind of waited out the night in anticipation of what might happen. But, nothing did - the troops never came and the Independence Celebration ended up being a small event. So, on a political level, that is a short summary of what Independence Day was like in Mexico this year.

People were still able to celebrate this occasion, just a little less than usual. I was enjoying myself in celebration at the Covenant church in Puebla (Central Mexico). Here's a picture of the festive "gringas" present at this Mexican holiday :-)

Jo Ellen (Oaxaca Missionary), Kris and daughter Sarah (visiting from the States), Vicky (Puebla Missionary), and me :-)

This is a picture of some of the women in the church performing a traditional dance.

Puebla

Whoa, it has been a while since my last post! Where has the time gone? Well, I was in Puebla (in Central Mexico) for 6 days, including Independence Day. I was there to become oriented to the city and Covenant churches of Puebla. I really enjoyed experiencing the culture of central Mexico, especially all the Independence Day festivities. Here are some pictures from my visit there.

This one's for you Mom!

For those of you who don't know, I am allergic to chili powder. So, when we were walking through the indoor market and saw all these chilis, we just couldn't pass up the photo opportunity.

Jo Ellen (the missionary I am staying with) and I visited an ancient pyramid - bigger than the ones in Egypt (just not as tall). It has not been excavated and just looks like a big hill from the outside. However, there are passageways that have been dug out, and we were able to walk around these dark tunnels.

When we exited the pyramid and were walking around the base of it, I heard an odd voice. When we rounded the corner, I saw 2 women selling their goods. The crazy thing was that they would say the exact same thing, in the same high pitched voice. It was actually kind of eerie. Jo Ellen bought some grasshoppers from this woman in the picture. No, I didn't try any. Unfortunately, they are seasoned with chili powder. Bummer ;-)

Back in Oaxaca! This yellow bridge is the dividing line between the state of Oaxaca and the state of Puebla. The drive between Oaxaca and Puebla is amazingly beautiful. However, there are no pull off areas to enjoy the views, because then vendors would come. So, we just enjoyed the views as we sped along the highway. This bridge, however, is the only thing between us and the valley below on either side. Drive carefully!

Orientation 101

Hello!

I have gotten to know Oaxaca a little better since my last post, so here are some updates. We'll call them "Since-my-last-post updates." Sound good? :-)

• I have put down a deposit on an apartment, and will move into it in October. Until then, I will be living in Jo Ellen's house. Once I'm in, I'll post some pictures of it. Yay, pictures!
• I have successfully gone to the copier three times, the grocery store twice, and only got lost when I tried to find the mail box. I also seem to time most of my outings pretty well with the afternoon rainstorm. Want it to rain? Send Laura out on an errand. :-)
• The teachers' strike still continues, but they are beginning to open some schools and have unblocked some roads. To my understanding, they seem to be realizing the negative effect this is having on the economy and are taking small steps to try to correct that, but still refuse to acknowledge the state government as the ruling power.
• We will be going to Puebla (in central Mexico) for Mexico Independence Day. When we return, I will begin language school.

Hmmm... not too many updates I guess. God has been constantly reminding me not to focus on myself, but on Him. I am excited to begin language school and move into an apartment. I am also excited to help with the missions groups that come down.

Images of Oaxaca

A cornfield leading to the mountains as a storm approaches. I took this picture on our drive to a birthday party.

Prayer: Continue to pray for Oaxaca - the teachers, the children, the economy, the church... Also, tonight, I will meet with the leaders of the Covenant churches, so that they can get to know me. Later, they will decide what exactly my ministry will be. Pray that God will guide my words and help me to share my heart with them, and that they would have wisdom in planning what I will do while I'm here.

President Fox

Follow this BBC link to find out more about the events of President Fox's address to Congress last night.

I am here!

Hello folks!

As the title of this post indicates, I am here! I arrived in Oaxaca Wednesday night. Cindy and JoEllen were at the airport to pick me up. I tried for a 180 day visa, but the migration official said that if you come on plane, you can only get 30 days. When I was able to talk him up to 60 days, I decided to take what I could get :-) I am settling in to JoEllen's house where I will be for the next few months.

The teacher's strike: As some of you know, we were uncertain of when I should come due to the somewhat unstable condition of Oaxaca's teacher's strike. The missionaries here agreed that they did not feel like they were in any danger, but that it was more of an inconvinience. I was able to experience that yesterday when we went shopping. At most every major store, there were protestors outside, their presence there in hopes to discourage people from entering. But, they had no signs, they were not shouting anything or confronting anyone - they were mainly just standing or sitting around. Many stores did end up closing for that day, but if you went in to an open store, no one bothered you.



Yesterday, I spent time reading articles about the situation in Oaxaca. The teacher's strike has been joined by groups from all over and now they say that they will only be appeased if the governor resigns. This quote seemed to sum up the message of most of what I read, "Oaxaca, known around the world as the Mexican capital of art, food and culture, is on the verge of something - perhaps peaceful change, perhaps revolution, government repression or just anarchy." So, we will wait and pray and see what happens.

Today the main thing I will be doing is watching the news to see how President Fox's final "State of the Union" speech goes.

Thank you all again for your prayers and support!