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Day of the Dead

November 4, 2006 in Culture, Maya, Mexico by Dave | 7 comments

I received an email from one of the readers of the site asking about the Day of the Dead rituals that occur here in Mérida. She was wondering if it mirrored the traditional practices that take place throughout the country, or if there was a certain Yucateco twist to the holiday. Not being one to disappoint, I decided to give what insight into the event that I have in this post:

First of all, one needs to be clear about the Day of the Dead as it is traditionally celebrated. Throughout Mexico, the first two days of November are a national holiday during which the country remembers their deceased relatives. The first day is a day set aside to remember the deceased children and the second is “El Dia de Todos Los Santos” or the Day of the Dead proper. During these days, altars are made in homes with pictures of the dead relative along with those things that would have been special to the person during their lives: a sweater, a jacket, a picture or possibly a toy for a child. Also, the deceased’s favorite foods would be on display with the idea that, during these days, the relative would visit to be with the family and partake of the meal there on the altar.

During this time as well, there is much attention given to the family gravesite where flowers are placed and the debris that have collected during the year are cleaned away. One Maya village takes this idea of cleaning to the extreme, and actually exhumes the dried bones of relatives that have been dead for 3 years, cleaning them and placing them on display in boxes. The ritual is detailed in this Yahoo news article

Also, it is said that, during the day of the dead proper, the family gathers at the gravesite in order to enjoy a meal with the dead relative. I tried to witness this tradition, stopping by the General Cemetery here in Mérida, but, possibly because of the rain, I found only a few families placing flowers.

Here in Mérida, there is another holiday celebrated during the same time called El Hanal Pixan. It is a ceremony that predates the arrival of the Spanish and also honors those family members who have died. The picture above, from the local paper Diario de Yucatan shows girls dressed in the traditional Maya “huipil” making tortillas in front of an altar constructed in order to celebrate this event.

We’ve found it hard to experience this holiday living the midst of an evangelical society that has rejected its practice, but I find myself personally torn by this rejection. On one hand, the worship of dead loved ones as a way of receiving favors for ourselves with God or as a way of helping them somehow reach eternal rest are ideas that I reject as being groundless biblically, but the Bible does not consider our loved ones as dead to us. Paul states that to die to be with Christ, and that our spirits continue to live after our physical deaths. Hebrews chapter 12 states that the saints (believers) who have died form a kind of “cloud of witnesses” that seem to cheer us on in our own Christian walk. So in this sense, our struggle to try to forget our dead loved ones seems as well to be a bit unbiblical. I still haven’t had enough exposure to the rituals involved to make an unbiased judgment. So I’ll save any conclusion for much later. Of course this could be something to talk out in the comments section!

So there you have it, a bit of a survey of what went on during this past week as Mexico and the Yucatan celebrated the Day of the Dead. Next year, we’ll hope to be more on top of the action so that you can see more of the sights, and possibly sounds of the season.

Update 11/10/2006: For more about Day of the Dead around the missionary world, see this feature post on Missionary Blog Watch.


Breakfast of the Yucatecos

October 25, 2006 in Culture, Mexico by Dave | 3 comments

Some time ago I wrote about Gallo Pinto, the breakfast food of Costa Rica in this post entitled “Happy Monday.” Well, as a comparison, I’d like to take a little webspace talking about the Yucateco breakfast called, “cochinita.”

Here in Mérida, pork is king. Not to say that there aren’t other meats, but if you are going to eat yucateco style, pork is the food of choice in the majority of the dishes from breakfast to dinner. So let’s talk about this most important meal of the day. Here’s the scoop on cochinita:

Cochinita is basically a pork sandwich. On the street, the marinated pork is usually cooked on a open fryer in front of you or ahead of time in an oven and then brought to the site, but “real cochinita” is cooked underground. That’s right, a hole is dug and a fire is built. When the only the hot coals remain, the meat of the pig is cooked in a clay pot that is buried in this pit. The result, I have heard, is delicious, but I’ve yet to sample it so, on with the cochinita of real life.

The sandwich is served on a hard roll, on which the sauce of the meat is ladled first, and then the pork is laid, by hand, on top. Now there are two types, cochinita especial, which is all meat, and the cochinita normal, which includes “other parts.” This family has yet to sample the normal, but our mentors, Paul and Sandy Kazim tell us it’s the more flavorful of the two. Finally, some onions finish the sandwich along with some picante, which never fails to accompany Mexican dishes. The result is the traditional breakfast food of the Yucatan.

Now I explained this dish to my brother, Mike, who told me that it needed something else, like eggs, in order to make it breakfast, but the Meridians don’t seem to miss it. What do you think? Are you ready to give up your Wheaties yet?


Like riding a bicycle

October 16, 2006 in Day2Day, Ministry by Dave | 6 comments

Learning to RideWe got a chance to take the kids out to help them learn to ride their bikes this Saturday. One of the drawbacks of being a missionary kid is the lack of a constant environment and routine in which one can learn basic kid things like riding a bicycle. Well, Rebekah is now 7, and we decided that it was time that she learned this basic skill. Of course, her brothers wouldn’t be left out.

So we took Rebekah, Joseph, and Jonathan to the park, along with their bicycles. We had practiced a few times before, but for Bekah and Joseph, this was the day to go without the help of the training wheels. After about an hour, Bekah had it down and was running circles around us in the basketball court, while Joseph, although he had made significant strides, was sitting on the side with a broken pedal.

This got me to thinking about our methods of teaching as parents, and as missionaries. Here are some of my thoughts:

1. We have to establish a level of trust so that we can begin the training process:

Until we reach a certain level of intimacy, we may be able to give information, but training really isn’t possible. Kelly and I have a built-in relationship with our kids because we have lived with them for all of their lives, and we have been working with them in other areas as well. It is natural for us to be the ones to train them to ride their bikes. However, we have arrived with a cursory knowledge of the people and culture of Mexico, and we have to start from scratch in order to build relationships of trust so that we can begin the training process.

I have been given a great opportunity to develop these relationships in the Bible School. There I’m getting opportunities, not only to teach, but also to be with the students. It is through these times of being with them that they see who I am and what I have to offer as a missionary. This effort has paid off. We have had opportunities to preach and teach, and we are developing a seminar on leadership in order to address the needs of a student’s church. More opportunities to help are materializing as I continue to teach.

2. We need to teach so that people don’t expect failure, but at the same time are not afraid of it.

While working with Joseph, I realized that he would be riding very well, but with the slightest wobble, he was literally causing himself to fall. I needed to constantly remind him that he could do it, and although a fall or two was inevitable in the learning process, he could learn to keep his balance.

In teaching the class of hermeneutics, the students at first were almost deathly silent. Many of them were afraid of the ridicule of their fellow students. They were afraid of failure. However, as we established a safe place for them to do the work and a confidence within them that they could interpret the scripture, the class has become quite an animated place. What is more is that they are beginning to undertake the process on their own.

3. There will be hindrances.
Joseph had his pedal break as the result of a fall. Jonathan’s chain kept slipping after a previous bike-riding session. There are always unexpected items that we have to deal with. Still, a set of $3.80 pedals fixed Joseph’s problem, and a wheel adjustment Jonathan’s. Obstacles will come, but they don’t have to be insurmountable. What we need to do is find a way to get over them.

4. Success will come with time and patience.
Americans, myself included, think that we need to see results in the first week. Joseph was asking me to take his training wheels off on the first day. Still, the society that we are working in with its walled homes and busy work schedules doesn’t permit this to happen. Our persistent efforts to reach and teach will pay off, but they will take time. Sometimes it may feel like the training wheels are still on, but progress is being made.

One example is our neighbor, Marta. She works full-time in the house next-door, watching the children. Kelly, returning a ball to their home, provided an open door for her to ask about our work, and during a two-hour conversation about her life, she asked if we could take here to church this next Sunday. Marta is just one of the lives we can reach as we focus on living and modeling the basics of Christianity in our daily lives.

So continue to pray for us as we raise up disciples here in Mexico, and as we teach our kids to ride their bicycles!

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Dealing with the Heat

October 6, 2006 in Day2Day, Ministry by Dave | 4 comments

DashboardTo the left you’ll find a picture of our speedometer in our Ford Expedition. The thermometer (numbers on the bottom) read 102. That reading was taken in late August as we crossed the border between Texas and Mexico. Imagine my surprise when this Thursday I looked down to see a reading of 105! Yes, as you have read in my previous post, A Culture of Waiting, we’ve been dealing with the heat quite regularly, so regularly in fact that although the post season is on in baseball, it’s been nearly impossible to “feel the fall in the air.”

Still we’re finding that the people of Merida have a bead on beating the heat. Many stores and businesses close from 2-4 when Mexicans normally have their mid-day meal. Not necessarily an official “siesta” time, it is still a time to get in to a cooler place at the height of the afternoon temperatures. It’s no wonder most of the houses are constructed of block here instead of wood. While also providing more strength against the hurricanes that have been known to sweep the peninsula, they also keep much cooler than their pine constructed counterparts.

Don’t try to find anyone at a park during this time. While there are many in the city, they stay dormant through the day, only to come alive in the evening around 6:00 PM when things start to cool down. Restaurants see business pick up around 8:00 and most cultural events don’t start until 9:00, quite a challenge for this family that was accustomed to turning in at about 10:30. Still, we’re adjusting little by little. Besides two showers daily never hurt anybody.

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Waking up to the Need

September 29, 2006 in Mexico, Ministry by Dave | 2 comments

Where has September gone? Between getting our trip here, getting our house in order and applying for our visas, it seems as though we’ve burned through a whole month! Just now catching our breaths, we’ve found some time to look around a little bit, and we’ve been a bit surprised at what we have seen.

The other day, while I was working on our front lawn two very friendly ladies, one in her fifties, the other a bit younger stopped by. Carrying materials that they offered me, they began with a message about the dangers of too much television watching, a subject that many of us are open to. However, as I probed a bit deeper, I found that they represented the Jehovah’s Witnesses, a cult that claims to be Christian yet denies the divinity of Christ, marking them beyond the fold of what we would call the Orthodox Christian Faith. The surprising thing was that not only were they out but they were out in force, going door to door with at least three groups in our neighborhood.

It also appears that this neighborhood is a neighborhood in search of God. Stopping around the corner to get my car washed, I struck up a conversation with Alberto, the owner. The subject turned to my work, which gave me an opportunity to explain who I was as well as talk a bit about my acceptance of Christ. When the conversation turned to his faith, he answered that he really didn’t know what it was that believed, but he certainly was willing to listen to what I had to say.

Going back to the Jehovah’s Witnesses, you can see the magazine that they left with me earlier in this post. The title is “Despertad,” which is a Spanish command that means: “Wake up!” I think that is what Kelly and I have received, a wake up call to the readiness of those who are searching, evidenced by my conversation with Alberto, and the limited time that we have to reach these searchers as false religions sweep in to snatch up those who are spiritually vulnerable.

Please continue to pray for us as we pray to reach Merida, and pray for those like Alberto, that they might be receptive of our message.

Making a Day of It

September 25, 2006 in Culture, Mexico, Ministry by Dave | 2 comments

This Sunday marked my first opportunity to preach in Mexico. I was able to share at the Centro Familiar Cristiano “Cristo Viene,” which translated reads Christian Family Center, “Christ is Coming.” The church is pastored by Berta Sabido Castillo, a pediatrician/minister. She invited me to speak specifically to the teens of the church during the Sunday morning service. I was able to share about my personal experience of being called by God when I was fifteen. It served as a springboard as well to preach missions.

The message was well recieved and many came forward to pray following the service. Also notable were the new relationships that were formed that will last long after the words of the message have been forgotten. I was invited back to help teach leadership principles to the cell group leaders, and our familiy was invited to spend the afternoon celebrating the 21st birthday of her son Josué, who also is a student in the Bible School.

We enjoyed sharing a meal of pollo asado, chicken cooked in rasins, orange juice and olives, along with lots of tortillas. The kids were excited about drinking Coke, which is the beverage of choice here in Merida (sorry Pepsi fans), and having a part of the cake, “tres leches.” A custom of the Yucatecos is to have the person celebrating to take a Mordita, or little bite of the cake before it is cut. The picture above is what resulted during the bite. It is also a custom to push the person’s face into the cake when taking the bite.

We’ve enjoyed this opportunity share a little bit of the lives of those who are working for the Lord here in Merida, and we’re looking forward to more opportunities to come.

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Opportunity Knocks

September 18, 2006 in Day2Day, Ministry, Progress by Dave | 2 comments

Dividing up duties in my hermeneutics (Bible interpretation) class with Paul, I got a chance to lead the group in making observations about the texts that they had been given for homework.

What they were assigned to do was to determine the component parts of the passage, verbs, pronouns, conjunctions and the like, as well as to find any comparisons, contrasts, and cause and effect sequences that there might be within the text. From there, I began to show them the way that their observations can lead to questions that can guide their study of the passage.

I found it interesting to note that, although these students had taken a class in hermeneutics, before, many of them had never mined a passage in this way. While I find that to a certain degree alarming, I also see the opportunity that we have. We have the opportunity to teach them what it means to be true students of the Bible, disciples of the Word, and it is my prayer that they will be disciples that will make change in Merida and throughout southeastern Mexico.

A Culture of Waiting

September 13, 2006 in Culture, Mexico by Dave | Permalink

Life is moving in fits and starts here in Merida. There is a sense of going forward and yet standing still. It is somewhat like the noonday sun which heats this city to over 100 degrees regularly. The day continues on, but life just seems to stop under the heat.

The thing that I am referring to is our housing setup. We’ve gotten an air conditioner installed, but another needing repairs is still in the shop, waiting to be reinstalled, “mañana.” Our internet is hooked up, but our telephone will require another possible 22 days in order to be connected.

Our missionary friends say that when it comes to dealing with everyday life in Mexico, getting one thing done is a good day, getting two things done is a banner day, saying that you’ve accomplished three things would make you a liar.

So we’re learning that enterning into the culture here in Mexico takes a different kind of patience. A patience that will allow us to take the delays in stride and help us to make friends along the way.

Photo Credits: Photo uploaded by A30_Tsitika’s photos and is available at: https://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=7166654&size=s

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Back to class

September 8, 2006 in Ministry, Progress by Dave | Permalink

No, not back to language school, but back to the bible institute. We have just begun a new semester in which I will be team teaching, of all subjects, Hermenéutica, (say that five times fast) or Hermeneutics in Spanish. The picture above is of missionary Paul Kazim, teaching the class of 32 students who come from as far as Tabasco in southern Mexico in order to attend classes at Bethel Bible Institute. I’m excited as this will be a great way to expand my vocabulary and train others to interpret correctly the Word of God: one way in which we are beginning to fulfill our mission here in Mérida.

Saying “so long” to Dad and “hello” to the work

September 5, 2006 in Ministry, Progress by Dave | Permalink

We certainly didn’t want you to think that we have fallen off of the end of the earth here in Merida, although you don’t have very far to go to reach the end of Mexico from here. We only have about 20 minutes to reach the Gulf and on a clear night, they say you can see that lights of Havana Cuba from there. The reason for not updating on our progress has been our lack of internet connection.

We have moved from the Kazim’s home to our own rental, which means that on top of saying good-bye to Sandy’s home cooked Mexican food, we also have had to say good-bye to our internet connection. Fortunately, they still let us drop by from time to time to mooch their wireless and sometimes a cup of coffee. On the subject of saying goodbye, we said good-bye to Kelly’s father this morning. He flew out this morning, breaking up the two Daves team, but reuniting with Kelly’s mom and brother, Micah, who have been more than generous in letting us borrow him.

Saying good-bye to family certainly has not left us with lots of time on our hands. We’re getting straight to work, learning to navigate through the city, buying what we need for the house, starting up the children’s home school, and turning attention toward the ministry. I went yesterday to a service that marked the start of the semester for Bethel Bible College here in Merida. This semester I’ll be a part of a hermeneutics class that Paul Kazim is teaching. I’ll also be preparing to team teach as soon as we get our feet on the ground, something that I am looking forward to.

So, continue to lift us up in prayer for our continuing transition, that we will be able to make our house into a home very soon, that the kids can get on a good schedule that will enable them to thrive here in the city, that we will find open doors to our ministry, and that we will boldly proclaim the gospel.

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