Thanksgiving and Team Time

With the oldest two Freisen-Pankratz kids sleeping on an old mattress in the back of the grey Toyota, Bruce, Jaime and I passed the time talking and laughing on our way to Mexico City for a week of meetings with the rest of MCC Mexico. We left from Zacango early, so that we could spend the afternoon in Cuernavaca, about an hour and a half from Mexico City.

The road we traveled to arrive in Mexico City. We took a different route home.

Cuernavaca became Cortés’s home after he destroyed much of the Aztec structures in and around the area. The Palacio de Cortés which today houses the Museo de Cuauhnáhuac, is a huge stone fortress built on the base of a pyramid. The museum exhibits highlight Mexican history and culture. I especially enjoyed the Diego Rivera mural on the second floor balcony. The mural was commissioned in the 1920s as a gift to the people of Cuernavaca by US ambassador Dwight Marrow. It depicts scenes of the Spanish conquest through the 1910 revolution, which was just celebrated on November 20.

A small part of the mural by Diego Rivera.

I walked through the Plaza de Armas which has the distinction of being the only main plaza in Mexico without a church, chapel, convent or cathedral overlooking it. It did, however, have the usual activity of vendors and the young and old relaxing under shade trees. I made my way to the Jardín Borda which was constructed in 1783 for a Taxco silver magnate. The highlight was a chance for shade and relaxation among the terraces, paths and fountains of the vast gardens in the middle of the city.

My final stop on my quick tour of Cuernavaca was across the street to the Cathedral compound. If there is one thing that Cortés knew how to do, it was build a fortress. Large high walls fortify the four chapels and cathedrals. The main cathedral has high dome ceilings that would achieve Cortés’s goal to make the heathen cower to the All Mighty.

With a cursory view of Cuernavaca complete and shadows of evening approaching, we continued the journey to Mexico City. By the time we arrived to barrio San Ángel where we were staying at a Lutheran Center, we were exhausted after a long day navigating overland by car and underground by metro. I briefly met everyone as a few of us plotted our attack for our Thanksgiving meal.

MCC Mexico is a diverse group representing eight nationalities. The country representatives, Ricardo and Marion are from Colombia and South Africa. Bruce and Jaime, living in Zacango, are from Canada. Eleisio and Kirsten, living in Chiapas, are from Brazil and the US. Manuel, working in Guerrero, is from Morelos, Mexico. Natalie is living in Cuernavaca for the year with SALT and is from the US. Marcos, from Argentina, is living in DF through the YAMEN program. Finally, Ana Julia is returning to Nicaragua after finishing her year of YAMEN working with the churches in Mexico City.

Our team building exercises on Friday and Saturday focused on speaking our truth, trust and giving grace. These skills are vital when working in a team, but also in our personal relationships with family and friends. I appreciated the time to reflect how I can better apply these skills in team life, but also in my personal life. Somewhere in all this reflection by the team, it was deemed that I was someone who had the ability to hold the team together by listening and appreciating diversity. Anything I can do to help.

We celebrated Thanksgiving with the appropriate food of turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes – or better described as runny potatoes. One of my only responsibilities was to make the mashed potatoes, which you would think would be difficult to mess up. But, funny things happen when you don’t drain all of the water from the potatoes. Despite the odd consistency, they still tasted good and the team was generous as they showed me grace.

Our meetings also included a time of strategic planning for the next five years, which included the participation of the Latin American Directors, Mark Epp, living in Costa Rica, and Eduard Klassen from the Chaco, Paraguay. It will be interesting to see how MCC Mexico works on the issue of internal migration and immigration as it was a new area of work that was highlighted as important.

While in Mexico City, Natalie and I went to the movie theater near the Lutheran Center and saw Ang Lee’s Welcome to Woodstock that was part of an International Film Festival. There was plenty of peace and love, but lacking on the sweet sounds of the music. Another afternoon I walked the markets of Coyoacán that were filled with Christmas decorations including gaudy colored tinsel, elaborate nativity scenes and colored, twinkling lights.

The Christmas season was in high gear in Mexico City, and upon return to Olinalá late Wednesday evening, it became apparent that the holidays had arrived in Guerrero as well. I was welcomed home by a huge colored star that twinkles and flashes on night long outside my bedroom window.

The return trip offered incredible views of the two volcanoes, Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl. The picture doesn't do it justice.

Picture circle star flashing and sparkling color - every night. Another highlight is that the house bears pride to the PUMA soccer team and the crucifix, one of which can be found in every room of my house.