Today we’re heading down to Cuernavaca, Mexico. It’s the city where we studied Spanish when we first arrived in Mexico, located about 2 hours south of where we live now. It’s also where our friends the Cottrills have lived while studying Spanish.
We’re going to take Jon and Nicolle there for language school. Jon will be helping Huberto as an intern until December of this year. He’s a student at Huntington University, and he’s doing his PRIME internship here with us. He’ll be studying Spanish for the next month, and then they’ll be moving up to Mexico City to work with Huberto at Renovation Christian Church.
I’ll try to take pics and video of the city and post them here.
Today is May 5th, or Cinco de Mayo. Guess what. There’s not a whole lot of celebration of Cinco de Mayo in Mexico City.
Mexican Independence Day is not on May 5th. Independence Day is September 16. May 5th, instead, is the celebration of a historical battle between the Mexican army and France in 1862. The battle took place in Puebla, where I’m sure they are celebrating a lot today.
The interesting thing about the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, is that the Mexican army was outnumbered by the French, but they were resilient and won the battle anyway. Of course, the French eventually won and occupied Mexico until 1867, when Maximilian was executed by Benito Juarez.
It’s interesting to me how a holiday so widely celebrated in the United States has its origins in Mexico but is not widely celebrated here. It’s amazing how little the two neighboring countries really know about each other.
At the end of my class today, I asked my seminary students what they thought the greatest need was in the lives of Mexican young people. The only rule was that they couldn’t say the typical answer of “Jesus.” After thinking about it a little, they gave me great answers, all of which centered around the same theme.
Oscar said that he thought the greatest need is direction. Young people in Mexico have lots of potential, but they have little direction and guidance. They are wandering and thus get into trouble.
Chaire gave her opinion, and she said that they need love. Young people need someone to demonstrate love to them in a tangible way, because they are not receiving the right kind of love.
Huberto agreed with both Oscar and Chaire, and he said that Mexican young people need good mentors. They need someone who will invest their life in them and share with them the struggles of life. He said that many young people in the area are eager to make a difference, but they have nobody to guide them and help them accomplish their goals.
Abraham walked in for my next class, so we asked him the question. He responded by saying that he thought the biggest need in the lives of young people was someone who would take interest in them and share with them about their own life. He said they need someone who will come alongside them and be open to listen and accept them, sharing with them the struggles of life.
Isn’t this what youth ministry is all about? It’s why we are training these youth pastors at the seminary. I want to see them make an impact where there is a need. I believe they know what to do, and they are on their way to doing it in each of their ministries. They are providing direction, love, and guidance. They are great mentors and role models, and they have an incredible grasp on the needs of their students.
A recent article in USA Today tells about Mexican youth subcultures and the troubles that have been happening between them lately.
“A spate of attacks by punks and other groups on the emos has thrown a spotlight on the rapid growth of these “urban tribes” of disaffected, tech-savvy teens and young adults.”
Emos, punks, goths, and other subcultures have all emerged in the last few years, and there is tension between them at times.
“The divisions among young people turned violent in March, when Internet posts and cellphone messages began appearing urging darks, punketos (punk rockers) and other groups to chase the emos from their hangout on the main plaza in the city of Querétaro.”
On March 7, hundreds of teens rushed the emos in the plaza, beating three of them. Television footage showed an emo pinned against a wall while the mob chanted, “He wants to cry! He wants to cry!” Police arrested 28 people.
A week later, riot police were called after punk rockers hurled bottles at a pro-emo protest at the Insurgentes Traffic Circle, an emo hangout in Mexico City. The tension subsided after a group of Hare Krishnas marched through the traffic circle, apparently unaware of what was going on.
I believe these subcultures will continue to grow in the future, and if the church continues doing what it is doing, we will never even think about the needs of these various groups.
Unfortunately, these different subcultures are not even being taken into consideration by the majority of the church. I am praying that God will raise up a generation of youth workers who have the passion and knowledge to be able to reach out to these young people. I hope I get to be a part of the generation of leaders who makes a difference in the lives of these young people.
My students came to class today with a snack. They are chapulines tostados, known in English as toasted grasshoppers.
I didn’t have it in me to try them yet, but if I ever do, you know I’ll video it because it’s more than likely that I won’t eat them more than once (even though my students suggest I’ll like them).
They come toasted, with salt, lime, and garlic on them. They can also be eaten with salsa on them (like on popcorn). I’m seeing the beginnings of a cool youth group game…maybe “Chubby Chapuline” or “Fear Factor.”
I was explaining the idea of April fool’s day to my students in class today, and they told me about Mexican April Fool’s Day, which falls on December 28, and is called “Día de los Inocentes” or “Día de los Santos Inocentes.” The name means Day of the Innocent Ones or Day of the Innocent Saints.
On this day in Mexico (December 28), you are not to lend anyone money because they will just take it, and you are considered the fool. They also play pranks on each other like Americans do on April 1. Also, the newspapers and media outlets publish stories that are not true, just like the do in the United States.
If someone falls for your prank on The Day of Innocent Ones, you sing the following song, “Inocente palomita que te dejaste engañar, porque sabes que en este día, a nadie debes confiar.”
The translation is, “You let them fool you, you innocent dove. You know that today you shouldn’t trust anyone.”
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