September 2, 2017--Historia
Another incredible day! Grande Dios! We said goodbye to our teacher Roman. We said hello to many new friends and experiences, highlighted by our visit to an Ecumenical Catholic church which ministers to and with LGBTQ persons. Love, compassion and acceptance permeated the atmosphere. For a moment we had a preview of the kingdom of God. Anticipation runs high as we enter our second week.
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| Jim and Joanie enjoying lunch in Taxco |
Rev. Denise Bender
We are moving along rapidly with learning Spanish. I'm so grateful to Mario and Francesco for their patience and encouragement. Our conversations contain more and more Spanish words and phrases. Our education does not end with classroom learning. We had a great opportunity to meet a bishop of the ecumenical Catholic Church. The stories of those who are part of the congregation were hard to hear because of the universal truth in their stories of being people on margins. This part of the LGBTQ community in Cuernavaca was more than a community to one another, they have become family. It is with the support and freedom of any community that the Holy Spirit can be found.
Today continued the trip's magical quality as we ventured to Xochicalco and Taxco being reminded of the history of the indigenous people and what they lost. When that Spanish conquered Mexico they lost their identity and it parallels so much of our history in the United States. Knowing more about a community helps us know more about ourselves.
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| A playing field...the stakes were high |
Rev. Melinda Baber
Sitting... in the shadow of the Almighty... On a private bus, in the back; On a wooden pew in the back of a church from the 1700's; On a wooden bench inside a tourist trap made to look like a silver mine; on a stone step of a pyramid built a thousand years before Jesus' birth.
Standing ... On street corners, waiting for cabs, waiting for old women, waiting for young children, waiting for the rain to stop, the light to change, my heart to stop pounding.
In a single day, i have stood on the graves of forgotten indigenous American peoples, and on the shoulders of giants; in the shadow of priests and prisoners, and in the footsteps of miners and ministers; in the light of an underground sun and in the light of an eternal Love.
I am amazed.
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| Taxco Cat |
Rebecca Wilson
Today we walked the ancient indigenous city, now an archeological site, of Xochicalco. Walking the grounds and climbing the stairs of the pyramids was a labyrinth like experience.
Prior to the trip our teachers from the school talked about a possible visit to the observatory, which would depend on the weather, as it is closed if there is rain. Luckily the rain held off. I had no idea what a visit to the observatory would entail. Underneath one of the pyramids there are 32 tunnels, of which only one has been excavated. It happens to be the tunnel leading to the observatory.
We entered through a small door and were led by a guide through a dark, damp, and humid cave. On the floor there was light shining down forming a perfect circle. Above there was a hole leading up several levels to the top of the pyramid. This sacred place within the pyramid was reserved only for priests and astronomists, who bathed before entering to purify themselves. This "little" light is just one example of the intelligence knowledge, and beliefs of early civilizations.
Standing under this light I felt the darkness that has been lingering over me for months begin to fade. For the first time in far too long I felt beloved, and beautiful, and worthy to enter, just as I am, into the presence of the Light.
"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined." Isaiah 9.2
The Light is abundant and eternal, yet all around us, for many reasons people are walking around in need of illumination. The need isn't because the light has left, but rather because they are not in a position to see it. Or because someone or something has blocked their view.
I saw the Light today because I was in the right position, in the right place, and with the right people. And I'm better for it. How can I (we) not do the same for others who are stumbling their way through the dark!
Prior to the trip our teachers from the school talked about a possible visit to the observatory, which would depend on the weather, as it is closed if there is rain. Luckily the rain held off. I had no idea what a visit to the observatory would entail. Underneath one of the pyramids there are 32 tunnels, of which only one has been excavated. It happens to be the tunnel leading to the observatory.
We entered through a small door and were led by a guide through a dark, damp, and humid cave. On the floor there was light shining down forming a perfect circle. Above there was a hole leading up several levels to the top of the pyramid. This sacred place within the pyramid was reserved only for priests and astronomists, who bathed before entering to purify themselves. This "little" light is just one example of the intelligence knowledge, and beliefs of early civilizations.
Standing under this light I felt the darkness that has been lingering over me for months begin to fade. For the first time in far too long I felt beloved, and beautiful, and worthy to enter, just as I am, into the presence of the Light.
"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined." Isaiah 9.2
The Light is abundant and eternal, yet all around us, for many reasons people are walking around in need of illumination. The need isn't because the light has left, but rather because they are not in a position to see it. Or because someone or something has blocked their view.
I saw the Light today because I was in the right position, in the right place, and with the right people. And I'm better for it. How can I (we) not do the same for others who are stumbling their way through the dark!
Today we visited Xochicalco, an archeological site of a Mayan city that was inhabited around 650AD. It was amazing to the artifacts in the museum, including baskets, jewelry, obsidian arrowheads, sports equipment and sea shells (since we were a couple of hundreds of miles from an ocean, this was evidence of the trade route that crossed Xochicalgo)! We then walked among the pyramids and took in the beauty of the surroundings. I tried to imagine what it was like to be a bustling town of 15,000 people.
My favorite place was the observatory, a hollowed out cave with a long narrow chimney that allowed the astronomers to study the movement of the sun as the light from the sun fell on the floor of the darkened cave. But they didn't only study the sun: By placing a plate of water on the floor of the cave they were able to study the moon, planets, and stars!
I marvel at our desire for connection with God's creation! May we always seek to know, understand and connect with the world around us!
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| The observatory floor |
Rev. Cynthia Paquette
Today was a full day touring the archeological site at Xochicalco. The ancient structures are fascinating and well positioned on a hill. Today, one can look down on the city from there. The temple of the Feathered Serpent, pictures the intersection among the different elements. The astrological research observatory was fascinating because it demonstrated that the study of astronomy was active since 650AD. People studied the movement of the sun through the opening in the cave. Today as I am in the cave, the opening is like "the light at the end of the tunnel". Perhaps during the ancient times it was also a sign of hope because by studying the movement of the sun people then know when to plant their crops so it is in time for the rainy season to grow and flourish. There was such a wealth of knowledge even at that time, a time without computers and all the mass communication we have today.
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| Xochicalco |
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| Robin |
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