June Update 1
Comprehension, Cohesion, Cost As I sat talking to a student in the open patio of the Philosophy and Letters Faculty, our conversation focused on his exploration of Christianity. He said that he was getting it. He said that he needed it. What was keeping him from responding, then? Two obstacles. First, comprehension - how does this Trinity thing work? And the substitution of Christ? Second, cost - what if you have lived autonomously all of your ...
May Praise & Prayer Update 2
The Home Stretch We're heading toward the end of the semester here at the UNAM, and students are starting to stress in anticipation of the stress. In spite of incoming tests and projects, we continue to have many good conversations and studies with students about all kinds of things, attempting to apply the gospel to the way we struggle with our stuff, our sexuality, our work, our tongues, our relationships. It's hard, but hopeful work. The Last ...
May Praise & Prayer Update 1
Last Thursday, the campus came back to life as students returned to classes. One student described the "emotional stages of quarantine" as elation (I don't have to take that test!), study (I don't know how long this quarantine is going to buy me), extreme boredom and extreme sleep (what am I going to do with all this time?), depressing adventure (who cares about the flu, I'm going where I want in the city - but ...
Retreating to Guanajuato
Over Holy Week, 23 students and three leaders headed to Guanajuato for a retreat at the new camp that MTW has purchased on the outskirts of the city. Our speaker, RUF campus minister Marc Scheibe (University of Tulsa) spoke from 2 Peter 1 on "a precious faith, a promised future", and we enjoyed a lot of great time together singing, listening, discussing in small groups, playing team games, and visiting Guanajuato. I'm still in the ...
Our First RUF Wedding
On April the 18th, Juan Carlos Alcántara and Sonia Guillen Ochoa were married in the Annex of St. Paul's Presbyterian Church in Mexico City. We have known Juan Carlos and Sonia for several years, ever since we met them as two timid English speakers coming for the first time to the conversation club. As we came to know Juan Carlos more, we discovered that he was a Christian, but had abandoned the church after his ...
Doug Serven: Iwo Jima In Your Heart
Jesus sits at God’s right hand. He is the one who subdues us to himself, rules over us and defends us from all of his and our enemies. On December 8, 1944 – the day after Pearl Harbor – American B-29 bombers began bombing the Japanese-occupied island of Iwo Jima. This tiny island was the most strategic target in WWII, because it was the launching pad for American planes to refuel before attacking Japan. For 72 ...
Happenings
June Update 1
Comprehension, Cohesion, Cost As I sat talking to a student in the open patio of...
Arriba Los Pumas!
The Pumas have made it to the final of the Mexican league soccer tournament for the...
May Praise & Prayer Update 2
The Home Stretch We’re heading toward the end of the semester here at the UNAM,...
May Praise & Prayer Update 1
Last Thursday, the campus came back to life as students returned to classes. One...
Read More Posts From This CategoryReflections
Fritz Games: Groaning
Every morning or so Newton (our 4 year old) hops on my lap and we snuggle while singing...
Doug Serven: Iwo Jima In Your Heart
Jesus sits at God’s right hand. He is the one who subdues us to himself, rules...
A Guy Named Perfect
Awhile back as I was looking through my list of people to catch up with, I came across...
Toward the Goal
As we enter finals season, students minds are on “the goal” of finishing...
Read More Posts From This CategoryMexico News
Arriba Los Pumas!
The Pumas have made it to the final of the Mexican league soccer tournament for the first time (I think!) since 2004, when they one both seasons in one year. And they won it all in the second period of overtime! This led to a lot of late night honking, cars streaming by with pumas banners, and lots of shouts of “Goya!” Read More →
Now Is The Time!At least, that’s what the New York Times travel people think. Read More →
A Good Time To Visit?As Mexico works to recover from the damage swine flu has done to tourism, there may be some good rates available to come and visit. Keep your eyes out! MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s finance secretary says the swine flu outbreak has cost the Mexican economy at least $2.2 billion. Agustin Carstens says the government will implement a $1.3 billion... [Read more of this review]
Mexico City News in EnglishAfter a long hiatus that began just after I arrived, the Mexico City English newspaper has come back to life (I’m not quite sure when that happened!). I was excited to see it reappear on the newsstands, and surprised to meet a student who reads it every day, using it as a tool for perfecting his language skills. If you want Mexico City news from... [Read more of this review]
It’s Official - “Recession”For the first time, Mexico government officials have said that the country’s economy is in recession: MEXICO CITY (AP)– Mexico’s finance secretary says the country is in an economic recession. Agustin Carstens says “it is a fact that we are in recession.” He says Gross Domestic Product could contract 4.1 percent this year,... [Read more of this review]
Swine Flu Technology Turnaround
From the Washington Post: The genetic decoders, called real-time polymerase chain reaction machines, cost $30,000 each. The national lab’s staff had only one, purchased weeks earlier, and barely knew how to operate it. This crucial gap was one reason there were so many unanswered questions about the epidemic in the first days — such as how... [Read more of this review]
Back to School on Wednesday?The BBC reports that the swine flu is in the ‘declining phase’: Swine flu in Mexico, the epicentre of the world outbreak, has peaked, the Mexican health minister has said. Jose Angel Cordova said the virus, blamed for at least 19 deaths in Mexico, appeared to have peaked between 23-28 April. “The evolution of the epidemic is now in... [Read more of this review]
When Swine FlewAs I write, the city is quiet. Schools are officially closed until May 6th. Restaurants have been forced by the federal government to shut their doors as well. A high ranking connection in the health sector told a friend a few days ago that there have been about 2,000 deaths across the country – much more than what has been reported in the news, but... [Read more of this review]
One Place in Mexico Where PDA is No Longer AcceptableAccording to the Crónica, Guanajuato’s famous “street of the kiss” is to be regulated. On this narrow colonial street, two balconies that jut out from either side come so close that couples can kiss over the cobblestone. Naturally, folks can’t always get up to those balconies, but seeing them, and kissing near them, is a tourist... [Read more of this review]
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