Mexico City

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The Mexico City You May Not Know

April 9, 2022 in Day2Day, Mexico, Prayer by Dave | Permalink

When we had spoken with friends in Yucatan about our upcoming move to Mexico City (CDMX) because of our role change to area directors, most of them raised their eyebrows at the news. Their looks seemed to say that we might want to reconsider the decision.

“Don’t wear a watch or jewelry!” They warned us. “It will likely be stolen, and there are so many people, with the pushing and shoving, you may not even notice.”

A conversation with one leader revealed another opinion, “Mexico City is an atheistic city,” he said. “The people there don’t seem to have time for God.”

While driving, or perhaps better described crawling, in our Speed the Light vehicle through traffic has introduced us to some of the congestion that our friends and acquaintances referred to, we’ve encountered a different Mexico City in many ways than the one that they had described.

  • Signs of spirituality in an “atheistic” city
  • A scene from one of Dave’s running routes in CDMX

To begin with, Mexico City is filled with parks and green spaces that serve as an escape from the population density. A 30 minute walk from our home is all it takes to reach the Xochimilco Ecological Park and scenes like the one above. It’s such a contrast from the hustle and bustle described that, when we’re there, it’s easy to forget that we’re in Mexico City.

Also, observations of our surroundings and the increasing conversations that we’ve had in the neighborhood and in local businesses have shown a surprising level of spiritual interest. From eastern mysticism to more traditional expressions of faith, there seems to be a genuine hunger to connect with the divine. Unfortunately, still too few in Mexico City have had an encounter with Jesus–the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We’re glad, then, to have had these opportunities to share our faith and pray that our neighbors will soon be our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Yes, Mexico City is a megalopolis, a center of tremendous population and a place of frenetic activity, but that’s simply one of its stories. We’re thankful to be able discover its other stories of beauty and spiritual hunger. We invite you to pray with us that this hunger will be satisfied.

Would you like to know more about Mexico City from a missionary’s perspective? Take a look at this issue of Worldview magazine.

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We’ve Arrived!

October 9, 2021 in Mexico, Missions, Progress by Dave | Permalink

Since July of 2019, we have been looking forward to saying that phrase. Although we took on our role as Area Directors at that time, there was an anticipation of the day when our leadership would not be remote, when we would actually be living in the country of Mexico. That anticipation took us through our year of itineration until June of 2020 and sustained us during the pandemic that seemed to swallow up the months that followed. Finally, however, we can say, “We’ve arrived in Mexico City!”

Yes, on September 28th, at 6:00 AM, we were met by members of our small group from Central Assembly of God to help us check in our five action packers, our dog, and ourselves to American Airlines flight 3822. Then, after some tough good-byes to our kids, we were on our way by 8:22 AM and on the ground in Mexico City by 1:00 PM. A trip of 1,435 miles in half a day!

Early morning goodbyes in Springfield, MO and Parque Alameda del Sur, Fuente de los Coyotes, Coyoacán, Cuidad de México

Now, if you’ve followed our ministry for the past few years, you may have noticed a change of venue for us in Mexico. For 13 years, our base of operations was the city of Merida on the Yucatan peninsula. Now, however, because of our role as area directors, we’ve relocated to Mexico City, home to a population of 9.2 million in the city proper and 21.8 million in the greater metropolitan area. It’s also strategic for us as it is the location of the national offices of the Assemblies of God of Mexico, a direct flight to any of our missionaries throughout the country, and an international travel hub.

We’re living in Coyoacan (translated from the Nahuatl language as “place of the coyotes”), a neighborhood south of the city center that was the original capital of Hernan Cortez’s governorship of New Spain and the home of creatives such as Octavio Paz, the author of the Labyrinth of Solitude, and artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. From our location, we’re roughly a 4-mile walk from the Floating Gardens of Xochimilco to the east and a 10k away from the nation’s largest university, UNAM, where over 350,000 students attend classes.

We’re excited to be starting this new chapter of our lives and ministry, but our arrival is not without its share of challenges, like our adaptation to life in the big city now as empty nesters or our kids’ abrupt entrance into adulthood. Still, we know that with your prayers and continued support, we’ll not only survive but thrive in this new role and new setting.

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There and Back Again: A Missionary’s Tale

May 21, 2009 in Day2Day, Missions, Progress by Dave | Permalink

clearanceIf you are familiar with Tolkien, you’ll have to forgive my obvious allusion to his popular tale, The Hobbit, but no, my recent trip didn’t include trolls and dragons, and the only real danger was related to the risks of travel by air and taxi. So to save you the long story, and the 255 pages that comprise my edition of the Bilbo Baggins tale, I’ll make it short.

On Sunday afternoon, I hopped aboard a flight to Mexico City, which seems to be recovering from its bout with the Swine Flu, where, on Monday, I met with the national leadership team about our future here in Mexico. I presented them with a report of what we had done and the plan of what we feel God would have us do in the future. They approved that plan, and they invited us back to serve for four more years here in the Yucatán!

Now, that we have received this approval our upcoming itineration becomes more clear. Our goal during these upcoming months will be to reconnect with churches and individuals to show them what God has done and invite them to continue their investment in the lives of the people of this region.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support as we make our transition to the States with the goal of continuing to raise disciples here in the Yucatán.

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