As missionaries, we have several churches that we stay in touch with. These churches are like a part of our family – we think about them often, visit when we can, pray for them. We’re excited when we hear good news, and pray when we know the church is going through a difficult time.
But every once in a while we go to visit a church and wonder – will anyone really remember us? Are they praying? Do they ever look at that letter on their bulletin board?
That’s why it’s such an encouragement to go to a church like Innisfail Baptist Church. We had such a warm welcome, and great conversation with people who were really interested in Mexico and really concerned for us and the Mexican people. We had a wonderful visit, even though it was short, renewed some acquaintances, and fellowshiped with some friends at lunch.
We got home in time to eat a sandwich or two (barely!) and then we went to our own church for the Christmas program. Hannah was a Christmas angel this year. Then we had some more time to fellowship over some home made goodies that people had brought.
It was a great day, looking back, although as you may imagine by the end of the day we were really ready for a long winter’s nap!
There are some more pictures of Hannah in the Christmas program in our photo album.
Yes, RadioShack is back in Canada [Edit: Actually, now it’s gone again!]. Yesterday I walked in and made a purchase, and this bag is proof. What did I buy? I’ll leave you to imagine. It set me back about $6 or so.
Today I wrapped up a poll here at CottrillCompass.com. It was a poll about technology. What technology would the world be better off without? Here are the answers, and my comments:
At almost 72.73% was TVs/VCRs/DVD players. No surprise there, I suppose. So why would the world be better off without these? Arguably the most common criticism concerns the inappropriate content. It’s been argued that the medium itself tends to lend itself to the whole sex and violence thing. There’s also the complaint that TV is a rather non-interactive medium, causing more people to sit and absorb rather than engage and think and be active. There’s a lot of good that’s come from TV, but the negatives put it at the top of the list.
At 18.18% was computers. Perhaps the number would have been higher if the poll had not been conducted via computer! So what’s up with computers? Well, a lot could be said. There’s the negatives of content, of course. The addictive nature of certain things like games and the internet. And perhaps the fact that computers again are less social that other forms of interaction. As much as people interact via computer, that personal contact is always lacking.
Finally, at 9.09% came cars. If you’re now staring at your screen with shock and amazement, just calm down for a moment and consider the controversy that erupted when cars first started to appear on the scene. They completely transformed society, and it could be argued it wasn’t in a good way. While we often think of cars as bringing people together today, in the early days the concern was that they took people away from one another. For thousands of years, society was strongly based on community. It was not easy to get away from your family and friends. With cars, you could easily get away. You could get some privacy with your boy/girl friend. You could gain new independence. You can see how it could be a mixed blessing. In many cases, the only reason that cars bring us together today is because they made our society more travel-oriented and moved us apart. Now our families are often only the people we see on TV (they’re everywhere we go), and we get advice from books and talk shows rather than our own community.
Of course, technology has its positives – this was a negative poll. Every once in a while it’s good to consider the effect technology has had on our lives. It’s not always neutral or good.
But on a more positive and fun note, check out our new poll and tell us what your favourite ethnic food is. I tried to include some ethnic foods that are most popular around here, but you can always choose "other" if your favourite isn’t listed (or you can leave a comment and complain!). 😉
Hmmmmmm…how to get that caffeine fix. Do you drink coffee? How about a Coke?
Choices choices choices.
Well, my friend Alan just pointed out to me that you may no longer have to struggle over that choice. In 2006 Coca-Cola Blak will hit the market – Coke infused with coffee. It’s another one of these mid-calorie versions – not a kilzillion calories but not diet either. France will get the first taste, and it will make it’s way to other countries later in the year. So…are you going to try it?
On Friday night, something rare and amazing is going to happen. Shari and I are going to go out, and Hannah and Nathanael are going to stay home (with an adult friend, of course)! The time off and time together for Shari and I has been very lacking. We’re going to go to a concert hall and see the Messiah with some friends, and we’re looking forward to it!
It was 1741 when Handel locked himself in this house in London for 21 days to work on Messiah. He was depressed, and in debt, but at least he had the place to himself!
We love our children. Still, the occasional time when we don’t have to watch them is a blessing. I’ve recently updated our "Get involved!" page to better reflect what a help it would be if someone could help us with Hannah and Nathanael every once in a while. Now that Nathanael’s a little older, maybe that will be a little less scary for some of you. 😉
But another thing that may make it easier is that you don’t even have to babysit for hours by yourself – if someone could even come over and watch them while we’re here, maybe take them outside, that would be a huge help. You see, we have so much to do when it comes to planning and sorting and packing for our move to Mexico, that we could just use some time to work on it together.
Of course, a little time off is nice too, even if it’s only 1/2 an hour for coffee. If you live close, and wouldn’t mind watching the kids for an hour or two, that alone would be heaven-sent!
Many of you are reading this from several hours flying distance away, and this isn’t a practical way for you to help. Don’t feel bad! There are lots of ways to be involved.
It’s been a while since I gave you a general overview of what we’ve been up to lately. So, here goes!
Nathanael: Nathanael is excited about all the Christmas decorations he’s seeing everywhere. He’s enjoying things like colouring, reading (or at least looking at the pictures!), and playing with his toys. He’s learning lots of new words, and even working on some phrases (yesterday he was asking Hannah for a paper – "Hannah paper have-it!") Nathanael’s here now, so here’s what he has to say: uuy i uiuu
Hannah: Hannah is also VERY excited about Christmas. She’s been helping with the decorating and gift buying or making and so on. Hannah loooooves to colour, and go places and be with people. In the evenings, we’ve been learning about the Christmas story through Christmas Carols, with this cool book Christmas Carols for a Kids Heart (click the graphic to learn more). The book was an early Christmas present for her. Hannah is also looking forward to furthering her acting career by being an angel in our church Christmas program.
Jim: Variety is the name of the game! There’s been paperwork to do as always, and the regular work around the house and errands to do. I’ve been working on my final course before Mexico. For this part of the course I’m reading Bonhoeffer’s The Cost of Discipleship (click the graphic to learn more), a book I’ve been wanted to read anyway. I’m a little behind where I want to be on the course, so I’m trying to catch up. I’m getting ready to speak this coming Sunday in Innisfail, and I’m working on engagements for the new year. And, of course, we’re all getting ready for Christmas! And the list goes on…
Shari: As with all of us, there’s lots of variety! Again there has been a lot of paperwork, housework and errands of various flavours. Shari was speaking at our church’s ladies’ Christmas party last week (she talked about Christmas traditions in Mexico, inspiring the last blog entry). She’s getting ready for a wedding she’ll be going to later this month in Oregon. And the list goes on and on…
Well, I’m brushing very broad strokes here. It really is very very busy right now! But we are making progress.
By the way, I’ve updated our donations page to show where our support is at, so that should be accurate at least for a few hours. As you can see, the numbers are all still rising. It looks like some supporters will need to cut back in the new year, so please pray that there will be others to take their place.
On another website note, I’m continuing to repair the categories of the blogs. Now there’s a whole year that you can view by category, so you can check that out using the menu to the right. I was reminded that a year ago we were in the USA, beginning our whirlwind tour across the northern States. About a year ago I was writing these Christmas thoughts about the shepherds.
Speaking of how busy we are, I have some errands to do – the doctor’s, preparing for Sunday, this and that – I’d better run! Thanks for stopping by.
The fiestas of Christmas begin today in Mexico. The celebration of the Virgin of Guadalupe starts on December 3rd and culminates on December 12th, Día de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (the Day of our Lady of Guadalupe – pronounced gwa-dah-loo’-pay). This is probably the biggest celebration of the year. Those of us outside of Mexico can easily under-estimate the importance of Guadalupe in Mexico, and so, I decided to write a brief introduction.
Back in 1531, the Spanish Catholic missionaries were having very little success in Mexico. But then, the story goes, a Native Mexican by the name of Juan Diego came to see the Spanish bishop, claiming that he had seen a beautiful dark skinned lady – the Virgin Mary herself. She called herself Holy Mary of Guadalupe, and asked that a temple be built in her honour.
The bishop didn’t believe Diego at first. But finally Diego came with an apron full of out-of-season roses. When he opened his cloak, the bishop was startled to see a figure of Mary, imprinted on the cloak, just as Diego had described her.
Diego’s cloak, 474 years later
In the country that worshipped the sun and moon, Mary was pictured standing on the moon in front of the sun. The bishop was convinced, and eventually all of Mexico as well. This last appearance was on December 12, 1531.
I’ve seen the cloak, set in gold, preserved in the Basilica in Mexico City. You can ride a moving sidewalk past it at the front of the sanctuary. The new Basilica was completed in 1976. As you enter you’ll see the words over the door,"Am I not here, who am your Mother?" The Basilica is near the spot where Juan said he saw the Virgin, and also on the ancient site of a temple to an Aztec goddess. As you walk through the gardens, you’ll see more statues and monuments to the glory of the Virgin.
On December 12, the grounds will be packed full of worshippers, people seeking miracles, protection or forgiveness from the Virgin, or just celebrating. Aztec religious dancers will be a large part of the festivities. Many of the dancers seem to work themselves into a trance as they leap and swirl in the courtyard. Men, women and children will crawl to her images on thier knees to gain her favour. People’s own images of Mary are brought to be blessed by the priests.
Here are some lines from prayers people have made to the Virgin:
Please help me in my time of need. Please help C. to find peace of mind in his search for a job to get us through the winter…
Madre Guadalupe, Help me to recover my faith in the church. Help me provide for my child…
Holy Mother, I Love and trust in your complete protection of My Family, Mother and In-Laws in all things. Please protect My Children when traveling. Please help heal me through your divine intervention and thank you from the bottom of my heart for curing My Daughter.
When last in Mexico, someone shared with me this Mexican Catholic rosary, prayed over and over at the death of a family member. It goes something like this: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Holy Mother, pray for us. Mother of Christ, Holy Mother of God, Holy Mother of the Virgins, Mother of Divine Grace, Mother of Purity, Mother of Chastity, Mother Virgin, Good Mother, Admirable Mother, Mother of Good Counsel, Mother Redeemer, Mother Creator, Mother Savior, Mother All-Prudent, Mother worthy of veneration, Mother worthy of praise, Powerful Virgin, Merciful Virgin, Pious Virgin, Faithful Virgin, Mirror of Justice, Mystical Rose, Throne of Wisdom, Virgin of Virgins, Virgin of the Angels, Virgin of the Patriarchs, Virgin of the Prophets, Virgin of the Apostles, Virgin of the Church, Virgin of all the faithful…
So much could be said of the popularity of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico. I could talk about the popularity of Guadalupe (or Lupe – pronounced "loo’-pay") as a girl’s name in Mexico. It’s been said there are more that venerate Guadalupe in Mexico than there are Catholics. I could talk about the shrines to the virgin that are found on streetcorners, in homes, in stairwells, in stores. But I think it was said very eloquently by Judy King in her article on Christmas Holidays in Mexico. I’ll quote a paragraph:
The devotion to Guadalupe transcends any form of religious scope to become a symbol of Mexican nationalism and patriotism. Guadalupe creates a bond, a sense of being Mexican, of profound pride in being Mexican. Her influence crosses all borders and boundaries. She transcends the normal division of social strata found yet today in Mexico, and her devotees are the rich and humble, the industrialized and the farmer, the educated and the illiterate, the religious and the cynical. Her altar is a glitter of lights, roses and hope, the Mexican love for her is an endless hymn, the Mexican’s contact with her is hourly, she is the Mother of Mexico, the Queen of the Americas, She IS Mexico.
A picture of a typical shrine to Guadalupe in a market in Mexico
