During one of the sessions of our past ACLAME Summit there was a bit of discussion regarding our role as American Missionaries. The general concensus was that our role had moved from that of a pioneer to that of support of the national church, and looking at the growth of Christianity that has ocurred in southern hemisphere in the past years it is easy to arrive at that conclusion. Nevertheless, one statment, made by fellow missionary and Director of Intercultural Doctoral Studies, DeLonn Rance, stuck with me. When the group was asked whether they considered themselves pioneer or support missionaries, he stated, “Every missionary should be in some way a pioneer.”
At the same meeting, even as DeLonn’s words were fresh in my mind, God was opening up an opportunity to fulfill our roles as pioneers here in the Yucatán. Mike Hadinger, a missionary to Oaxaca, Mexico, spoke with me about the initiative that the Mexican Assemblies of God had been organizing over the past year. He told me of the several ethnic groups that had been targeted by the National Department of Missions and the need that they had of missionaries to partner with those who were being sent to reach these groups. As we met with Dave Greco, our Area Director, we began to see a vision materializing for pioneer ministry among the Maya people of the Yucatán, the largest ethnic group on the peninsula.
As the Yucatán becomes increasingly urban, many Maya are leaving their ancestral villages for the city in order to find work in the cities of Mérida or Cancún. Those that are left behind, either because of age or inability to speak Spanish, find themselves marginalized as resources, including spiritual ones, are distributed according to population. Those who feel a burden to reach these forgotten groups, some who live without even the basic necessities, find their remoteness and relative poverty a challenge especially in the current economic situation. Our desire as we begin this our second term is to facilitate indigenous ministry among these populations, focusing on church planting, discipleship, and social outreach.
Our first trip to one such population center took place on December 5th as District Missions Director Antonio Mendez, District Director of Missions to Ethnic Groups Carlos Baeza, and I joined with Regional Presbyter Manuel Diaz to visit Eucepio Pech, pastor of 4 missions in the Tunkas area. Eucepio drives a motorcycle from village to village over some difficult terrain to attend to each congregation, whose meeting places range from family homes to church buildings and seemingly everything in between.
On the day we met we visited the work in Tzalam where a pickup truck serves as the only public transportation. It traverses a rocky path twice a day to reach the inhabitants of the village. The mission meets at the home of Antonio Gamboa Gonzalez. There we spoke of the work while women spent the afternoon preparing handmade tortillas over a wood burning stove. It was easy to see during the course of the day that Pastor Eucepio had a mind to work, and we were excited to be able to help. Before we were through, we had prayed and committed to helping him realize the vision he believes God has given him for the region.
We realize, however, that this trip is just one of several that we’ll need to make to get a true picture of the need among the Maya. As we have continued to speak of our desire to reach out, we have heard more and more of areas of need. Fortunately, we’ve had help along the way. Cruz Velazquez, the National Director of Missions to Ethnic Groups, himself a pioneer among the Tarahumara Indians, in Chihuahua stands by to help us navigate the path to be trod, and relationships are developing that may even lead to a church planting network.
As we move forward in this pioneering effort, we ask for your prayers. Pray for wisdom and pray that our eyes might be open to the opportunities as they present themselves to us.
