The tale of two churches and a feeding station

Truth be told, we visited four churches in Mazatlan. Church #1 actually visited us. Our first full day in "the land of the deer" was a Sunday so we had to visit the market. Darlene loves the market, plus we have to eat. Lo and behold - there was a church service going on right there in one of the main aisles. Wonderful! The Bread of life being offered right there next to the vegetables and meats - something you might have seen in Bible times.

Church #2 was same old, same old - inside a building and away from the market place. The songs were upbeat and the message was about "Life's Storms and God's Imperfect People." It would have encouraged anyone and it reminded me of the sermons I hear in my home church. But it was the announcements that really got my attention. We were informed about feeding the children and planting other churches and how we could help. Darlene and I decided to join the volunteers the following Saturday.

After making the sandwiches, we boarded this bus and traveled out to Dona Chinita, a run-down colonia (suburb) where squatters have been granted tiny parcels of land for building their homes. After their first visit to Mexico, the couple you see leading the singing decided to come back to work among these people and have moved right into their community.

We passed many homes just like this one. Some have livestock in their small yards. Actually, these homes look like palaces compared to the hovels where they once eked out an existence.

Because of opposition from various groups it is next to impossible to get a permit for a church building. So they call this a "feeding station." They also meet on Saturday instead of Sunday to avoid more conflict. What you see in the background is the first stage of a new "church" building. It consists of a 50' x 70' slab of concrete covered over by a metal roof. As the congregation grows, the walls will eventually go up and it will gradually take shape.

For me, this is a truer picture of the church in Dona Chonita. Darlene has her arm around an older girl. When she was standing between us, she wanted to practice her English. Looking up at us she asked, very slowly, "How . . . are . . . you?" The only way I was able to answer her was with a smile. I hope she knew how happy I was to make her a sandwich.

To read about Church #4, see "Church hopping in Mexico" (April 7th post)