Thoughts on the Swine Flu

Just last Wednesday, all was well here in Torreon. Now the streets are full of people wearing medical masks, like the one you see above. The reason, of course, is the swine flu.

On Monday, the government canceled classes in schools throughout the country. The schools are now shut down until May 6th.

In Mexico City, the area that has been hit the hardest with the swine flu, the government has closed all restaurants (though they are still allowed to serve takeout). It has also ordered that people stay away from public places where more than 100 people gather. Last weekend, the government canceled all church services in the city. Some businesses have closed down as well.

In other areas of the country, the government has advised that people avoid large crowds.

Fortunately, none of the members or missionary families here have been infected with the swine flu. We have taken some precautionary measures, however. The seminary purchased medical masks for its students. Also, the seminary is starting classes an hour later than usual so students can avoid the rush hour traffic.

Earlier this week, we stocked up on some basic groceries so that if we need to, we can stay inside for the next couple of weeks and still have things like food and diapers.

In the meantime, we don't feel too affected by it. If the government does shut down more businesses in our area, we will just hang out around the house. I'm sure Trinity wouldn't mind watching a little more TV than usual :).

English Classes as an Outreach Tool

Welcome to Week Eight of my Video Friday series.

This week I'm going to talk about the importance of English classes in Mexico. We've used English classes as an outreach tool for a number of years, and by and large, they have brought solid results.

Usually they work in this way: a congregation or an area where we are just starting up work takes on the English program for about a year. During that time, WELS Kingdom Worker volunteers come down and teach classes. The classes are free, but students do need to buy their books. "The main purpose of the English program is to help a congregation make new contacts in its community and to carry out friendship evangelism," Mike explains.

Classes are held for 9- or 10-week sessions, and then a test is given. Some students stay and enroll in the next level.

Only English is taught in the classes, but the students are often invited to come to Bible studies or church services.

English classes are currently being held at the congregation El Redentor (Redeemer) in Torreon. Pastor Esequiel Sanchez, who serves the congregation, is involved in the English program. He gets to know the students as they come to their class, which is held in the basement of the church. He answers any questions they have about the Bible and the Lutheran Church.

We've had a number of students come to church and get confirmed during the last year. Here is a video clip of our current WELS Kingdom Worker volunteer, Kerry Pamperin, teaching an English class at El Redentor:


This concludes my Video Friday series for this spring. We'll come back to it later this year. In the meantime, I'll continue to post updates twice a week and I'm sure we'll include the occasional fun video (I may even sneak in one of Trinity speaking Spanish). If you have anything you'd like to see or have covered here, just leave a comment or send me an email (rachelmhartman @ gmail.com).

Land Purchase in Zaragoza Sur

"Let's celebrate," Mike said to me last week when he arrived home. He had just spent a couple of hours finalizing a deal to buy land. The Mexican Lutheran Church now has property in Zaragoza Sur!

This is a big step forward. We've been working on and off in Zaragoza Sur, a neighborhood in the Torreon area, since 2005. A few months ago, Mike started making a big push there. He now holds weekly worship services and Bible studies with a small group.

The neighborhood is a new and developing part of town. There are no other congregations in it. This presents a solid opportunity for the Mexican Lutheran Church to establish a presence there.

The new property has a basic structure on it. In the coming weeks, Mike plans to fix it up and put out a church sign. He is also going to hang a bell that can be rung when services start. I'll post pictures of the property when it is fixed up. (The picture above is a shot taken in the neighborhood near the new property).

Oh, and our family did get a chance to celebrate the purchase. We all went out for ice cream, or as Trinity would tell you, "Ox Cream." There should be more reasons to celebrate soon as the church in Zaragoza Sur continues to grow.

Staff Ministry Program in Mexico

Welcome to Week Seven of my Video Friday series (previous episodes here). Today I'd like to talk about a fairly new program we started last year to train lay ministers.

This began because, basically, we are understaffed. The Lutheran Church here has five pastors, and a total of 11 congregations (plus some areas with outreach going on, so this adds up to a lot of places to cover!).

In 2008, leaders of the Mexican Lutheran Church sat down to find a way to deal with this shortage. They developed a program that is similar to the staff ministry program in WELS. Lay leaders can take courses that train them to serve congregations with vacancies.

The first two students recently enrolled in this program. One is in Puebla, and the other is in Juarez. For part of their training, the students come to Torreon for a week of intensive study. Here is a short clip of Pastor Sanchez teaching Gerardo Aguilar a course on pastoral theology:



This program is just another classic example of how God fills the needs that arise in churches, time after time. We are very thankful for men like Gerardo, who will gain knowledge and training to become strong leaders in the church body here.

Stay tuned for next week's video, which will cover English classes here in Torreon. Until then, have a good weekend and enjoy the springtime air (which for us means highs of 100F)!

Easter in Mexico

Check out last week's posts for a bit on Holy Week here in Mexico. Today I want to talk about Easter and the vital role it plays in the Lutheran church in Mexico.

Below is a conversation that Mike recently had with seminary student Jorge Briones. Jorge (pictured above on left) grew up in the Catholic church and didn't become a Lutheran until he was about 20 years old. He's now in his second year of studying at the seminary.

Mike: How did your family celebrate Holy Week when you were growing up?

Jorge: We would go to mass on Thursday. On Friday, we went to 3 o'clock mass. We'd also go to a nearby town that held a large 'Way of the Cross' and crucifixion reenactment. My grandmother was very strict and wouldn't let us watch TV or listen to music on Thursday or Friday.

On Holy Saturday my extended family would go out and spend the day together. In the evening, my friends would often invite me to a Vigil mass that went from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., but I didn’t like it very much. It was always very sad. Everyone was mourning and they would turn all the lights off in church. You could only see by candlelight.

Mike: What about Easter Sunday?

Jorge: We didn’t do anything.

Mike: Nothing?

Jorge: Well, there were regular mass services but we never went. Almost no one went.

Mike: Do you think most Mexicans know that Jesus rose from the dead?

Jorge: Well, some do, but most probably don't. Or at the very least most doubt that he really rose. After all, every time you go into a church Jesus is hanging on the cross. The only time they take him off the cross is on Holy Saturday (to symbolize being in the tomb), but then they put him back up right away the next day. The focus is all on how Jesus died. Easter Sunday is pretty much forgotten.

Mike: What would you say is the difference between how you looked at Holy Week growing up and how you look at it now that you’re a Lutheran?

Jorge: I used to think Holy Week was really sad. Jesus died. Now I think Holy Week is a week filled with hope. Jesus rose! I know that because Jesus rose, I too will rise.

Rachel's note: This, my dear friends, is why we are in Mexico, working to spread this message around. May more come to believe in the resurrected and living Christ this year!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from the Hartman family!

"His battle ended there,
death was overcome.
Jesus, alive again,
wore the victor's crown.
Clearly sin had failed;
Goodness had prevailed.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia!"
CW #146

Scenes from Good Friday

Warning: this post may not be appropriate for young viewers. Please use with discretion.

Welcome to Week Six of my Video Friday series (previous videos here). This week's topic is Good Friday. Let's start with an overview of Holy Week.

Holy Week is huge in Mexico. It's one of the biggest vacation times of the year. Schools close down, employees get off, company executives and their families hit the beach...you get the idea.

Religiously speaking, Good Friday is the highlight of the week. Throughout the country, re-enactments of Good Friday go on all day long. Processions featuring Jesus dragging a cross and getting beaten fill the streets. The soldiers eventually tie him (or in rare places nail him) to the cross.

Many of these processions filled the streets of Torreon today. Mike and the vicar went out to watch one of them. Here are some clips of what they saw.



Here they are praying the rosary to Mary...


And near the end...


I'm sad to say that after this, not much happens. Sometimes a vigil is observed on Saturday, to remember Jesus in the grave. But Easter is practically overlooked. The fact that Jesus is no longer on the cross, but that he rose from the dead and rules eternally, is just not a big deal.

It is for this very reason that we are so compelled to stay in Mexico. On Sunday, our churches in the area will celebrate Jesus' resurrection. The people will sing loudly as they remember that Jesus is no longer dead, but alive! What wonderful, lasting news.

Next week I'll take a closer look at what Easter means for the Lutheran church here. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, we wish you all a blessed Easter filled with hope of eternal life with Christ.

My Traveler

Noelle is now five months old. I believe she has spent approximately half of her life on the road. After a two-month furlough and a few short road trips, she is used to hanging out in her car seat, playing with toys and watching the world go by.

For various reasons, mostly related to comfort and packing purposes, our littlest trooper rides in the back seat of the van.

Anyway, last weekend Mike had to go to Juarez to visit the congregation there. We decided to make it a family affair, so I piled my travel-savvy girls in the van and we hit the road.

The trip to El Paso (just across the border from Juarez - it's where the girls and I stay while Mike works in Juarez), takes about 10 hours. Both Mexico and the United States have checkpoints set up along their borders, and we usually have to stop at some and answer questions.

Sometimes the van gets searched at the checkpoints. When this happens, Mike gets out to open up doors, packages, and answer questions. The girls and I are allowed to stay in the van.

Here's a quick replay of the how the searches went during this trip:
Uniformed man with large weapon approaches vehicle and says, (in an authoritative voice), "Where are you headed, sir? Get out of the car please...Who do you work for? What are you bringing? Open up the back. What's in the suitca---hey, look, there's a baby back here! Hi baby! What a cute little girl! Er, ahem (back to authoritative voice). That will be all. Have a good trip, sir."

So thanks to Noelle for being such a great traveler. Keep up the good work, little girl, and thanks for making so many people smile along the way!

Let's Talk about the Mexico Music Fund

Welcome to Week Five of my Video Friday series (find the first ones here). I'm excited about this week's topic: the Mexico music fund. I've talked about it before, but in recent years it has been such a blessing to the field that I want to bring it up again. And the video clip is just great. So, before I get ahead of myself, let me give you some background information:

Mexico is a growing mission field. As more pastors graduate from the seminary here, we've been able to increase the number of congregations and outreach efforts throughout the country. This is exciting.

In many congregations, however, there is a strong need for music. Some places do not have members that know how to play an instrument well enough to accompany a church service. Others don't even have a keyboard or guitar to use during worship.

Seeing this need, Mike started up a music fund a few years ago. This fund helps pay for music classes for members. Donations to the fund are also used to purchase an instrument for the congregation. For someone to buy an instrument and learn enough to be able to play for church usually costs around $90.

Schools, congregations, and individuals have given to this fund. And the results have been positive. Below is an example of one person in particular who benefited from this fund, Carlos Rosales.

Carlos is studying to be a pastor. He is currently serving as a vicar in Puebla. With help from the music fund, he was able to buy a guitar and take guitar lessons. Below he is leading worship at the Solo Cristo Salva (Only Christ Saves) mission.


An interesting note: he is playing the hymn "Just as I am, Without one Plea." He took the text (in Spanish), and set it to a Mexican melody. I like how it sounds this way.

That's all for today. Have a safe weekend, and stay tuned for next week's Friday Video, which will cover some footage from Good Friday here in Torreon.