¡Viva la Vida!

Mexico Woes Continue

Disturbing news tonight that the Health Secretary & Federal Government have suspended all federal govt operations & non-essential private sector jobs as well. I'm not clear if this is nation-wide or just in Mexico City, but it's troubling! Already, they have been losing $57 million DOLLARS a day due to the swine flu, with closings of restaurants (except for take-out), museums, cinemas, etc...

Just a few weeks ago Mexico was #1 on the list of countries to watch on the verge of economic collapse. This is serious stuff for a country that was working so hard to climb out of third-world status. Now, factories and businesses will be closing and waiting for the flu to pass, meaning that people will not be making money, not spending money, and not making products to export. Here in Monterrey, the Lego factory has closed through next week. I am waiting to see who will follow.

Please keep Mexico in your prayers. This goes so much deeper than health.

Mexicans Put Faith in Masks - But Do They Work? (AP News)

 

Mexico Puts Faith in Masks - But Do They Work?
(From the Associated Press)  Apparently the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control says that surgical masks (cubrebocas, in Spanish) do little to stop the transmission of viruses.  Leave it to the CDC to poo-poo our current fashion trend.  Whether of not they put any stock in these masks north of the border, however, doesn't diminish their importance in Mexico where the police, army, and local governments are passing them out en masse.  If nothing else, they do provide a needed psychological comfort - maybe people are better off when they at least feel safer.  We think so!

Also from the Mirror News (UK):  Swine Flu Fashion:  People Decorate Their Face Masks in a Bid to Stay Positive

Swine Flu update

There are long lines at all the pharmacies to buy these masks... school is canceled until May 6th, daycares are closed, University classes as well. Apparently, if a school decides to have class anyway, the directors will go to jail. In the midst of all this craziness today, a 6.0 quake hit outside of Mexico City.

Pray for this nation. It is being shaken to its core.

As if Mexico needs this!

So on one side we've got the Drug Wars going on (9 bullet-riddled bodies were found yesterday in the Acapulco area) and on the other a deadly strain of swine influenza has broken out in Mexico City.  So far more than 60 people have died - nearly all perfectly healthy and between the ages of 25 - 45.  This virus is a mix of human, pig and bird strains that has epidemiologists around the world deeply concerned. The World Health Organization is meeting in Geneva today to consider whether to declare an international public health emergency — a step that could lead to travel advisories, trade restrictions and border closures.  In the meantime, the government has cancelled all public activities in Mexico City in an attempt to limit the spread of the virus.  

The New U.S. Ambassador to Mexico (pending Senate approval, of course)

The Obama administration has chosen Carlos Pascual to replace Tona Garza as the U.S. ambassador to Mexico.  Mr. Pascual, a Cuban-American, seems to be a good choice for this important position as he has a track record as a specialist in post-conflict stabilization and crisis management.  From 200 to 2003 he was the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and also served as coordinator for reconstruction and stabilization at the U.S. State Department. Most recently he has been a fellow at the Brookings Institution where he has served both as vice president and as director of foreign policy.      

GLOBAL CHRISTIANITY: New Voices at the Table 04 - the Redeemed Christian Church of God

In author and Penn State Religious Scholar Philip Jenkins' bestsellers The Next Christendom:  The Coming of Global Christianity (2002) and The New Faces of Christianity:  Believing the Bible in the Global South (2008) lucidly explained how the center of global Christianity has now shifted from the West (Europe & North America) to the Global South (formerly known as the "Third World" or "Developing World").  The implications of this seismic shift are huge and are now beginning to be felt in the secular West.  In the 17th to the 20th centuries Christian missions activity was a one-way street - missionaries from Europe and North America evangelized in the Developing World but now that one-way street has shifted to a two-way one.  The West is still sending out missionaries but, increasingly, the Global South is sending waves of missionaries in order to evangelize a post-Christian, secular West. 
For example in Kiev, Ukraine, a Nigerian-based Pentecostal church has a church of 30,000 people - including the city's mayor.  The pastor is Nigerian and the church is composed predominately of Ukrainians.  Four of the ten largest megachurches in London are run by Africans.  Of the many new African denominations evangelizing the West, notes Jenkins, none are as organized or dedicated as the R.C.C.C. - the Redeemed Christian Church of God.  In fact, says Jenkins, "I always cite the R.C.C.C. as the best example of a rising church that, probably by the time I die [Jenkins is 57] , is going to be a global denomination.  It really is pushing so hard in all possible directions." 
The R.C.C.C. was formed in Nigeria in 1952 and has since grown and expanded to more than 30 countries.  The New York Times Magazine has a fascinating article on the R.C.C.C. in their latest issue ("Mission From Africa").

Previous entries on GLOBAL CHRISTIANITY:  New Voices at the Table series are here:  01, 02 and 03.

IMC Semana Santa Mission Trip

During Semana Santa (Holy Week) the Bible school students embark on their annual missions trips.  This year I took the first year students to the neighboring state of Tamaulipas while the second year group went into the mountains of San Luís Potosí state.  Here are a few pics from my trip last week:

With 3 of my Bible school students, Xochitl (staff member) and some of the brothers & sisters of La Coma, Tamaulipas, México

New life!  Two pastors baptize a new convert in Benito Juárez, Tamaulipas, México.

The hospitality and food were tremendous!

He's Alive!

Just take a minute to listen and reflect!

Washington Post "Mexico At War" Series

The veritable Washington Post has introduced an ongoing series on the Drug War in Mexico with this first installment in their "Mexico At War" series.

The LA Times, though, is still the big daddy in coverage of this conflict with their "Mexico Under Siege:  The War At Our Doorstep."