A letter from Susie Frerichs in Frijolillo, San Martin Chalchicuahutla, San Luis Potosí, Mexico
Yancuic Camanali from the Presbytery of the Huastecas
June 2010
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings from El Frijolillo! I trust this newsletter finds you enjoying God’s mercies, even in the midst of the challenges of daily life.
May and June have flown by in a flurry of ministry and celebrations. I won’t bore you with the details of my daily and monthly visits, but want to highlight some of special activities we have had to date. These have truely been months of great joy.
Sister Saret using her training in literacy to teach a student in Frijolillo.
May 27 and 28 we celebrated a training institute for those in the presbytery interested in starting literacy programs. Missionaries from Literacy and Evangelism International (Sandra Arellanes and her husband Sang Sisouphanthong) came all the way from Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, to lead us this intense training which proved to be invaluable. This week, Sister Juana of the Chancuetlan church began offering literacy classes to the women of her congregation who cannot read or write. Please pray for them, that they will find the courage and stanima to finish the course and that Satan’s ploys to keep them in the darkness of illiteracy might be foiled.
The dreaded Mahuaquite.
On May 31st, brothers and sisters from throughout the presbytery visited Frijolillo to help me celebrate my 39th birthday. We began the day killing an uninvited guest just behind the church property (ie. in my backyard), a small mahuaquite snake, one of the most feared and deadly snakes in our region. The owner of the property killed the predator with the help of 4 other men. Whew! What a way to begin a birthday celebration. But, thanks to God that He made the snake visible to one of the women BEFORE it bit anyone. God is so very good!
We continued the day with a short devotional just outside my “upper room” and neighbors enjoyed the two zacahuiles that Martha and Amalia and their husbands help me prepare the night before. Soon, folks from the Tezapotla church arrived with a Christian Huapango Trio they contracted for the celebration. Huapango is the traditional music of the region, played in trios with a violin, guitar and jarana (a four-stringed instrument similar to the ukulele). Sisters from Presbyterian Women’s groups through out the presbytery continued to arrive and a worship service was held at noon in the sanctuary in Frijolillo. Afterward, we enjoyed a potluck of tamales, enchiladas and bocoles to the tunes of the Huapango Trio.
Huapango Trio serenade.
On June 6th, over 300 people from throughout the presbytery gathered at the Most Holy Trinity PC in Chapulhuacanito to celebrate Sister Raquel Bonilla’s 40th anniversary in service as a missionary (all but about 6 of those in the Huasteca). Six of her seven siblings and one niece traveled from Mexico City and Chichihualtepec, Oaxaca, for the celebration. I was grateful for the opportunity to participate in the service, with two hymns on the saxophone. This was my debut on the saxophone here in the Huastecas. I admit I was never very good in High School and lack of practice has not improved my playing, but the saxophone will always be “my” instrument for worship and I played with a heart filled with gratitude to God.
This weekend, we will celebrate another milestone. Two of our students will graduate from the Central Bible School for Missionaries in Mexico City on Saturday. I will join others from the presbytery and their families in traveling to the capital for the service. Abigail and Sareth, both of the Huitzitzilingo Church will fulfill three months terms of service to the National PW Union (Abi in Oaxaca and Sareth in Monterrey) before returning to the Huastecas in October. Join us in giving thanks to God for His faithfulness in their studies and His care over them in their upcoming travels.
NOTEWORTHY UPCOMING EVENTS
| July 3 | Training Session for Congregational Leaders, Taxicho |
| July 5 | Dedication of the Renovated Santuary in La Laguna |
| July 17-24 | Visit by Binational Team from Castaños, Coahuila and San Antonio Texas for VBS in Octlamecayo |
| July 20-22 | Visit by PC(USA) Colleague Mark Adams and Family who will offer a program within the presbytery to describe the Just Trade Center which is associated with the Frontera de Cristo border Ministry he serves as U.S. Coordinator. The JTC supports the development of agricultural cooperatives in an effort to provide just trade opportunities for campesinos who are marginalized by the global economic system. |
| July 29-31 | Annual Convention of the PW of the Huastecas, Huitzitzilingo |
NOTE: I will be in the United States August 1-16, attending a missionary sharing event in Louisville, Ky., and visiting family in Nebraska. I appreciate your prayers for my safety in travel.
XITECHPALEHUI. HELP US IN PRAYER
- AGAINST the forces of evil behind the production, sale and abuse of illegal drugs, FOR government leaders in Mexico as they attempt to battle the cartels who now not only control the drug traffic between the United States and Mexico but now also much of human trafficking between our two nations, and FOR the safety and peace of mind of millions of Mexican citizens who are now subject to the reign of terror lead by cartels whose sphere of influence and power is not diminishing but increasing into even the most remote areas of the country (including our communities here in the Huastecas).
- FOR our Pentecostal and Baptist brothers and sisters of Cuamecaco, Orizatlan, Hidalgo who continue the legal battle for their religious liberties. Pray for emotional and physical endurance and spiritual sustainment in the midst of the struggle.
- FOR new literacy ministries being developed in our congregations, that those who do not know how to read and write might be victorious in the emotional and spiritual battles which too often keep them in the darkness of illiteracy. Pray too for those trained to teach the classes, that they may not grow weary in well-doing, but have the time, energy, and compassion to work with their students over the long road ahead of them.
- July is Vacation Bible School Month here in the Huastecas, pray that God would work mightily in the hearts and minds of our young people. We live in dangerous and difficult times and too many get roped up into lives of sin, material greed, and violence. Through Biblically-based, Christ-centered, Kingdom-focused teaching, we propose to prevent this. Pray too for safe travels and sprititual guidance of the team coming from San Antonio and Castaños.
Tlascamati miyac noiknihua por nochi catli amojuanti anquichihua.....
Thank you so very much, my brothers and sisters for all you do.....
In gratitude,
Susie Frerichs
PCUSA Mission Coworker
National Presbyterian Church of Mexico
Presbytery of the Huastecas